Firmament Sword

”That’s right, I’ll trade you my pine nuts for it!” the Ancient Pine Tree said, then added proudly, ”And my pine nuts are in no way inferior to the peaches from this rotten peach tree!”

The Ancient Peach Tree sneered from the side. ”It takes thousands of pounds of your pine nuts to equal a single Chaos Peach of Immortality, and you have the nerve to say they’re not inferior?”

”Hmph. My yield is thousands of times greater than yours!” the Ancient Pine retorted calmly.

Xu Luo’s head was starting to ache from the bickering of these two shameless trees. ”Knock it off, you two,” he said. ”How can you spout more nonsense than humans?”

With that, Xu Luo looked at the Ancient Pine Tree, whose posture was still tall and dignified. ”You aren’t sealed, so why are you so curious about this matter?”

The Ancient Pine Tree narrowed its eyes and stroked the long beard on its chin. After a moment’s hesitation, it said, ”To be honest with you, on the surface, it seems like we spiritual beings are free and happy here in this Small World, which is rich with Spiritual Qi. But in reality, we’re only a tiny bit better off than this unlucky fellow, Tao Pingping.”

The Ancient Peach Tree snorted but did not object.

The Ancient Pine Tree sighed. ”The truth is, none of us can leave this Small World, because the entire world is sealed. That’s why I want to know how you broke Tao Pingping’s seal. Perhaps through that method, we can find a way to leave!”

”Why would you want to leave? Isn’t it nice here?” Xu Luo asked. ”The outside world may be bigger than this Small World, but its Spiritual Qi is far inferior.”

”You humans spend your entire lives—some even pay with their lives—to pursue something as seemingly ethereal as freedom. Though we are not human, we yearn for freedom all the same...” The Ancient Pine Tree’s voice grew heavy, and it seemed dejected.

Xu Luo felt a stir of emotion and was about to speak when the Ancient Peach Tree’s voice sounded in his mind: ’Don’t be too quick to trust this one. He’s an old swindler. If you take pity on him and tell him the truth, not only will he not believe you, he’ll even suspect you’re trying to harm him!’

The corner of Xu Luo’s mouth twitched. He sent a mental message back: ’Then what should I ask for? His pine nuts?’

’The pine nuts... aren’t a bad choice,’ the Ancient Peach Tree mused. ’They aren’t as miraculous as that old swindler claims, but the ones he produces are definitely a type of treasure medicine. However... I suggest you ask him for the Transformation Skill!’

’You want it?’ Xu Luo asked.

’I admit, I’m curious about such a wondrous Forbidden Skill, but I don’t covet it. If I did, I’ve had countless opportunities to obtain it over the years,’ the Ancient Peach Tree denied. ’I’m thinking of your best interests.’

’For my best interests?’ Xu Luo was skeptical. ’This shady Ancient Peach Tree has become a spirit, lived through countless ages. It’s far more intelligent and cunning than any human. Who knows what it’s really plotting?’

’What, you don’t trust Master Tao?’ The Ancient Peach Tree sounded irritated. ’Do you think that skill only allows Spiritual Objects of other races to take human form?’

’Isn’t it?’ Xu Luo asked.

’Fool! That Forbidden Skill originated in the Human World, so how could it have been created for Spiritual Objects of other races?’ the Ancient Peach Tree said. ’I haven’t read it myself, but I know a few things about it. Back in the Ancient Era, a great power learned that Forbidden Skill...’

After hearing the Ancient Peach Tree’s explanation, Xu Luo was aghast. He was deeply shaken. ’To think such a terrifying Forbidden Skill exists in this world... No wonder it’s called a Forbidden Skill and not a Cultivation Technique.’

The exchange between Xu Luo and the Ancient Peach Tree did not take long, and the Ancient Pine Tree thought nothing of it. It continued to speak slowly of its yearning for freedom and its loathing for the Small World that had become their cage.

Xu Luo thought to himself, ’Even if we got outside, wouldn’t that just be a larger cage? Unless you can one day achieve the Dao, transcend the mortal coil, overcome reincarnation, and master life and death, it’s all just a question of how big your prison is.’

”I am willing to pay any price for freedom. Young man, tell me, what do you want?” the Ancient Pine Tree said with a resolute expression. ”Even if you want a branch from my body to make your coffin... I will agree!”

”Pah! You’re the one who needs a coffin,” Xu Luo retorted, rolling his eyes. He thought, ’I haven’t lived nearly long enough. What would I do with a coffin?’

The Ancient Pine chuckled. ”I am not like certain trees that only know how to bear fruit. My true form is like a Divine Wood. Anyone in this world who could get a coffin made from one of my branches would be guaranteed to die happy!”

”Okay, okay, I’m not interested in your branches, and I have no desire to prepare my own coffin this early,” Xu Luo said, rolling his eyes.

The Ancient Pine looked regretful and grumbled, ”This is the first time I’ve ever made such an offer, and you’re not even grateful. You may not need it now, but that doesn’t mean you won’t need it later...”

”Say another word and I’ll chop you down myself and make ten thousand coffins to give away!” Xu Luo said, his face dark.

”Fine, fine, I’ll stop talking about it.” The Ancient Pine pursed its lips. ”So, tell me. What is it you really want?”

”I want the Forbidden Skill you practice,” Xu Luo said. ”That’s right... the Transformation Skill!”

”What do you want that for?” The Ancient Pine didn’t immediately agree or refuse, but instead looked at Xu Luo in confusion. ”You’re already human, you don’t need to transform, do you? Or do you think you’re ugly? Want to become a bit more handsome? Hmm... I suppose that makes sense. Your appearance is barely passable, but compared to the handsome, dashing, and elegant Master Song, you’re still a long way off...”

Xu Luo had a strong urge to find the old bastard’s main body, douse it in pine resin, and set it on fire. ’Just like the Ancient Peach Tree, this damn thing has gotten too clever for its own good. Could its mouth be any more obnoxious?’

Forcibly suppressing the urge to burn Song Banban to the ground, Xu Luo said impatiently, ”Are we trading or not?”

”We’re trading, why wouldn’t we? I learned that Forbidden Skill long ago, and keeping it is useless to me. If you want it, it’s yours.” The Ancient Pine Tree actually let out a long sigh of relief.

To an ancient, sentient tree like itself, a Forbidden Skill was valuable, but it was nothing compared to its pine nuts.

’I can’t believe this human is so foolish,’ Master Song gloated to himself. ’Giving up my pine nuts for some so-called Forbidden Skill... Hmph, hmph. Once you find out what that skill really is, you’ll definitely regret it!’

Xu Luo hadn’t expected it to be so easy. The Ancient Pine seemed to place no value on a Forbidden Skill that would undoubtedly cause a bloodbath in the Human World. It just went to show that there was a reason humans were called the most intelligent of all living things.

There were too many subtleties and schemes for other Spiritual Objects to comprehend. Even an ancient spirit like the Ancient Pine, who had lived through eons, could never imagine what the Forbidden Skill it had chanced upon all those years ago truly meant to the Human World.

In contrast, while Master Tao couldn’t take human form, its understanding of human nature far surpassed that of the Ancient Pine, whose disguise as a human was flawless.

Perhaps it was due to its experience. Having been sealed for so many years by the great powers of the Behemoth Race, it had absorbed an immense amount of knowledge, even if only by passively listening.

The Ancient Pine, treating the Forbidden Skill as nothing special, took out an ancient Scroll and tossed it to Xu Luo.

As if he had just received a priceless treasure, Xu Luo didn’t open the Scroll immediately. He put it straight into his Storage Ring, then recounted to the Ancient Pine how he had entered the Earth Palace, defeated the statues, and consequently broken the Ancient Peach Tree’s seal.

”So that’s how it was. Those Behemoths were clever indeed, hiding the core of the array in the statues. If you hadn’t activated them by chance, Tao Pingping probably wouldn’t have been freed for another few tens of thousands of years,” the Ancient Pine lamented. ”No wonder he’s willing to stick by your side and help you.”

The Ancient Peach Tree earnestly corrected him, ”We are merely traveling together!”

The Ancient Pine couldn’t be bothered to argue with the peach tree. As a member of a tree species known for its tall and handsome physique, it had plenty of reasons to look down on the crooked body of a peach tree.

The Ancient Pine sighed softly. ”Perhaps the key to breaking the seal that imprisons all life in this Small World is in that Earth Palace. It seems... I must make time to discuss this with the other beings.”

With that, the Ancient Pine Tree prepared to take its leave from Xu Luo. Its longing for freedom was clearly very strong.

Before it left, the Ancient Pine gave Xu Luo several hundred pounds of pine nuts.

This time, the Ancient Peach Tree didn’t mock the Ancient Pine for being stingy. Staring at the pile of translucent pine nuts, each one like a piece of jade, the Ancient Peach Tree nearly drooled.

”Kid, you’ve got some serious luck. You’re the first person to ever get this old coot to willingly hand over his top-grade pine nuts!”

When Xu Luo saw the pile of pine nuts the Ancient Pine had given him, for a fleeting moment, he truly felt a pang of regret. ’If I’d known his pine nuts were of such high quality, I should have asked for a few thousand pounds of them instead!’

The value of the Transformation Skill was self-evident; Xu Luo knew that perfectly well. But for something to make him feel even a hint of regret... well, that just goes to show how incredible these pine nuts were.

The several hundred pounds of pine nuts the Ancient Pine had given Xu Luo were a brownish-yellow color, as translucent as jade. Each one was the size of a baby’s fist, emitting a refreshing aroma, with waves of energy pulsating around them.

The instant the Ancient Pine took out the pine nuts and poured them onto the ground, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi became much more active.

They shone with a brilliant light, looking like a pile of treasure.

”This stuff is amazing. It’d be even better if there were more!” Xu Luo said, practically drooling as he gathered the pine nuts—which could only be described as Top-Grade Treasure Medicine—into his ring.

”Dream on! For every tens of thousands of pounds of these pine nuts he harvests, he can only pick out a few dozen pounds of this quality. This pile of top-grade pine nuts represents over a dozen harvests!” The Ancient Peach Tree looked at Xu Luo with envy. ”So, kid, you really hit the jackpot! Not only did you get the Transformation Skill, you also got this many top-grade pine nuts, plus Master Tao’s own peaches... Damn it all, I can’t believe how good your luck is.”