Evolution Begins With A Big Tree

Chapter 1070, Karmic Retribution

Translator:  Ashish

Translation Checker: Silvain

“The next time they awaken… they should bring me quite a surprise.” Heaving a sigh, a hint of expectation surfaced on Yu Zi Yu’s face.

The nine Second-Generation Jianmu Treants were already formidable combatants. If they underwent another transformation, then it was highly possible that they would become Yu Zi Yu’s most powerful aides.

At present, while Yu Zi Yu was undoubtedly strong, his trusted subordinates were few. Among them, only Zi Lian, Nine Tails, Golden Monkey, and Bull Demon were truly noteworthy.

However, Zi Lian was a Void Creature and could not appear in public.

Meanwhile, Nine Tails, Golden Monkey, and Bull Demon each bore heavy responsibilities.

Thus, Yu Zi Yu had little choice.

“Grow stronger… as quickly as possible,” muttering softly, Yu Zi Yu’s gaze lingered on Fredrica, Thorns, and Elsa.

Any one of these guys, when they have matured fully, they should be able to hold on their own. As far as he was concerned, that would be a pleasant surprise.

However, Yu Zi Yu did not have the time to dwell on such matters.

With a casual wave of his branches, Yu Zi Yu dismissed everyone.

His top priority right now was to organize his newfound gains.

Raising his gaze, he looked at his Attribute Panel, “The number of Evolution Points I’ve gained is utterly terrifying.”

Staring blankly at the hundreds of billions of Evolution Points, Yu Zi Yu fell into silence.

[As expected, warfare is the fastest way to accumulate Evolution Points.]

Slaying just a Tier-2 being alone yielded thousands of points. And in the midst of battle, even a casual swipe from him could wipe out countless lives.

Among them were Tier-3, even Tier-4 Transcendents.

Thus, it was easy to imagine just how terrifyingly efficient Yu Zi Yu had become in harvesting Evolution Points.

However, despite such amazing gains, his expression soon darkened as he noticed the deep crimson aura lingering around him, refusing to disperse.

This was Karmic Energy.

A mark left behind by Yu Zi Yu’s wanton slaughter.

In the past, such Karmic Energy was faint, gradually dissipating over time.

However, this time, due to the sheer scale of his massacre, the Karmic Energy had become almost tangible.

Of course, only individuals like Yu Zi Yu, who possessed a status screen or specialized in divining Cause and Effect, could see it.

To others, they could only sense the overwhelming killing intent surging from his being.

*Hooooo… Exhaling a long, deep breath, Yu Zi Yu once again scrutinized the crimson energy enveloping him.

The crimson energy slithered around his form like slender serpents, writhing ominously.

It appeared ominous and terrifying.

Karmic Retribution — A highly advanced and dreadful power. Those afflicted by it suffer slower cultivation speed, and during tribulation, the Karmic Retribution will cause a backlash, causing the tribulation to become stronger. The greater the Karmic burden, the more terrifying the tribulation.
Gazing at this description, Yu Zi Yu finally understood why experts rarely emerged from seclusion.

Even among the Demonic Races, only a few engaged in senseless slaughter. And the reason for that was Karmic Retribution.

Being burdened by Karmic Retribution was a curse, not a blessing.

When facing Tribulation, it would all be repaid at once.

And for cultivators, the greatest fear was Tribulation itself.

Why would anyone willingly make their Tribulation even more terrifying?

Thus, unless absolutely necessary, even Demons and Fiends refrained from massacring the weak, lest Karmic Retribution entangled them.

Of course, there were always exceptions.

Some madmen, and a certain race that had long been erased from history—the Asura Clan.

According to the legends, the Asura Clan was quite a terrifying and infamous race. The most terrifying aspect of them was that no matter how much they slaughtered, they were untouched by Karmic Energy.

This immunity became the foundation of their unrivaled dominance.

Among the various races, many speculated about this anomaly.

The most widely accepted theory was that the Asura Clan possessed a supreme treasure, one capable of erasing the Karmic Energy of their entire race.

However, the fact that it could cleanse an entire race, even if that Artifact was not an Imperial Artifact, it was undoubtedly of comparable power.

Shaking his head, Yu Zi Yu couldn’t help but wonder, “Could there truly exist such a treasure… one capable of erasing Karmic Energy?”

Just as this thought surfaced in Yu Zi Yu’s mind, a voice suddenly echoed in his heart, “Of course, there is…”

Immediately, Yu Zi Yu’s expression stiffened.

Then, as if deliberately adopting an aged, worldly tone, the voice continued, “There are many treasures that can erase Karmic Energy, but the most terrifying among them is the legendary ‘World-Purifying Lotus.’ It is said to be not an Imperial Artifact, yet superior to one. The lotus uses Karmic Energy as fuel, unleashing Karmic Flames that are capable of incinerating all existence. It’s a peerless Artifact unmatched in the world.”

Yu Zi Yu remained silent, listening intently, for at this moment, not far from him, a sacred figure shrouded in divine radiance had appeared.

The figure resembled a child, yet radiated boundless sanctity.

It was the True Spirit of the Imperial Artifact. It should have been in slumber, yet now it was awake.

Sensing Yu Zi Yu’s thoughts, the True Spirit chuckled and explained, “I had no intention of eavesdropping… but you made no effort to conceal your thoughts. It was as if you were speaking directly into my ear—how could I not hear it?”

*Ahem, ahem…* Yu Zi Yu forcefully cleared his throat, giving a wry smile.

[Well, this makes sense.] Typically, only those far superior in strength could directly perceive another’s thoughts. Since Yu Zi Yu was always alone, and those weaker than him had no means of reading his mind, he had grown careless.

Reflecting on this, Yu Zi Yu let out a bitter laugh, “I’ll be more mindful next time.”

As he spoke, he focused his Psychic Energy, constructing a barrier within his mind, a simple yet effective method to block others from sensing his thoughts.

Of course, against beings vastly stronger than himself, this would do little. At best, it served as a precautionary measure.

As for why the True Spirit could perceive his thoughts, the first reason was that Yu Zi Yu carried the Imperial Artifact. The second was that the True Spirit was a being of extraordinary origins—his ability to read his thoughts was hardly surprising.

This was merely something to be aware of rather than worry over.

With these thoughts settled, Yu Zi Yu chuckled and asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?”

“I was sleeping, recovering my strength… but then I sensed a sudden shift in the world, so I woke up.” Saying this, the Imperial Artifact Spirit scanned his surroundings and stated, smiling, “I never expected that I’d find myself in your Small World.”

“This is the Realm of Life of the Nine Realms.” Yu Zi Yu did not conceal anything, and answered straightforwardly.

“I actually planned to use the Nine Realms’ Quintessence to nourish your True Body.”

“The… Nine Realms’ Quintessence?” The True Spirit’s expression stiffened, a rare shock blanketing his face.

And the reason for this was simply because the Quintessence of a World was far too precious.

Even in his prime, those who possessed it would never have so easily used it to nourish an Artifact.

Yet now, a mere Tier-6 Transcendent was offering such a thing to restore his True Body?

“Senior, are you not fond of being nourished by World Quintessence?”

A sudden question snapped the True Spirit out of his thoughts.

His expression instantly changed and he hurriedly responded, “How could that be? I just… recalled something else.”

As if noticing something, the True Spirit turned his gaze toward the Karmic Retribution surrounding Yu Zi Yu.

Then, he stated, “Karmic Energy, it can be both simple and difficult to remove. For instance, in your case, if you simply meditated in seclusion for a thousand years, the Karmic Energy would naturally dissipate.”