Evolution Begins With A Big Tree

Chapter 1138, The Beginning of the Schism

Translator:  Ashish

Translation Checker: Silvain

As Yu Zi Yu honed himself, earth-shattering upheavals erupted across various corners of the universe.

The most terrifying of them all, the Hundred Clans’ joint declaration of war.

Under the banner of eliminating the Heavenly Court, they launched an assault against the Forces led by the Heavenly Court.

Among them, the Elemental Clan found itself besieged on all fronts, with the armies of neighboring galaxies pressing in.

In less than half a month, the Elemental Clan’s territory had shrunk by nearly 10 percent.

To put this into perspective, the Elemental Clan was a Major Force, and 10 percent of their dominion was no mere insignificance.

Even this 10% amounted to nearly half a galaxy. And yet, such an immense territory was abandoned without hesitation.

This alone spoke volumes of the calamity of the Elementals—It was a catastrophe unlike any before.

Not even across countless past eras had the Elemental Clan faced such a crisis.

But now, under the onslaught of the Hundred Clans’ coalition, they were being hunted down relentlessly.

For those who had never witnessed such a siege, it was beyond imagination.

Now, across major auction houses, countless Elementals were being sold as slaves.

It was cold and cruel, but this was the law of the universe.

…

If the Elemental Clan was in dire straits, then the First Tower of the World was no better.

Across the Western Sector, their branch divisions were being uprooted, one after another.

Their inheritance was being severed.

Now, one of their few remaining branches stood in silence.

Within it, countless terrifying figures, wearing unique and strange attire, stood still.

“The Starry Sky is truly unpredictable…” A sigh escaped an Elder’s lips.

Mere moments ago, the First Tower of the World had stood as a Major Force. No one could dare to challenge its authority.

However, in the blink of an eye, they were branded as an extremely evil organization, and were crushed under the combined might of all other Forces.

They were not even granted a chance to defend themselves.

After all, the Lord of the Demon Court had stepped into the Seventh Order, which now made him the strongest being in the universe. His strength was utterly monstrous. Even when he was just a Tier-6, he fought four Tier-6s at once while undergoing his Tribulation. And adding more to the dread, he even clashed against four Imperial Artifacts head-on.

It was a feat that had never been seen or heard before. Its legend would echo through the ages.

And now, that very nightmarish existence had declared war, and the First Tower of the World was his target.

*Haaaa…* Countless sighs filled the branch, as many faces turned dark.

Bur right then, a voice suddenly pierced the silence:

“Why don’t we leave?” The entire branch division fell into stunned silence.

[Leave…? Well…?] The words struck like a bolt from the blue, shaking everyone to their core.

“Leave. Yes, why not? We were merely employed by the First Tower of the World. Why should we not leave?”

“Wait, leave? Why should we leave? The Shadow Clan is the Shadow Clan. the First Tower of the World is the First Tower of the World. It was the Shadow Clan that offended the Lord of the Demon Court. What does that have to do with us?”

A Tier-4 powerhouse suddenly grinned, his expression lighting up. “All we need to do is explain the truth to the Demon Court, betray the First Tower of the World, and establish ourselves independently. Wouldn’t that solve everything?”

As they listened, countless figures fell into silence.

But the next moment..

“How dare you spread such treacherous words! Are you courting death!?” With an explosive roar, a shadow burst forth from the darkness.

It was an expert from the Shadow Clan, a core member of the First Tower of the World.

However, before he could strike down the speaker…

*Ssshhhk!* A silver light slashed through the darkness.

In an instant, that shadowy figure was sliced clean in two, cut as easily as a hot knife cuts through butter.

As everyone’s gaze snapped toward the scene, a handsome youth clad in a school uniform emerged, walking calmly forward.

He was Seven, one of the most notorious assassins of the First Tower of the World in the last few decades.

He looked quite innocent and harmless, but he was anything but that.

He was ruthless beyond comparison. His kill count numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

He was a top-tier assassin of the First Tower of the World.

“We were always just cooperating with the Shadow Clan.” He remarked in a calm and indifferent tone, as he slowly sheathed his long sword. “Now that the Shadow Clan has brought ruin upon itself, why should we follow them to our deaths?”

Then, he switched his gaze toward the lifeless corpse in the darkness and stated, “Within this primary branch, there are exactly 4,723 people from the Shadow Clan. If we take their heads and present them to the Demon Court, they will surely reward us with enough resources to live peacefully for years. Besides… doesn’t the Demon Court happen to be recruiting right now? If we pledge allegiance… why should we fear the future?”

…

His each sentence caused countless figures to tremble.

However, before they could even contemplate…

“Kill!” A sudden, thunderous roar erupted.

From within the crowd, a figure lunged forward, launching a ruthless assault on a group of Shadow Clan experts.

In the blink of an eye…

“This one is mine… A Tier-4 Shadow Clan head can be exchanged for a piece of territory in the Demon Court.”

As if inciting the others, another figure pounced without hesitation, targeting a Shadow Clan member whose face had already twisted in terror.

“You dare!?”

“You all… are courting death!”

…

Furious roars rang out as those of the Shadow Clan erupted in rage.

However, before they could do anything, they realized, to their utmost horror, countless predatory gazes had already locked onto them, eyes gleaming with unbridled greed.

Some could not even hold back, and instantaneously, struck without warning.

Watching this scene unfold, Seven’s lips could not help but curl into a faint smirk.

The survival tactics he had learned on Earth had proven useful once again. All it took was placing a few trusted instigators among the crowd, and those who had long harbored betrayal in their hearts would naturally make the ‘right’ decision.

Of course, this method worked only because this was the First Tower of the World.

Despite its vast power, the Tower was riddled with internal strife.

It was split into two Forces: The Inner Circle which only consisted of the Shadow Clan, and the Outer Circle, which was composed of the rest.

And like any great Force, its inner workings were fraught with conflict.

The greatest of these was the strife between the Inner Circle and Outer Circle. The two had long been at odds. The Tower’s so-called unity was nothing more than a fragile façade.

For decades, the First Tower of the World had expanded nearly a hundredfold, but in doing so, it had sown the seeds of betrayal.

The Outer Circle’s growth had been too rapid, so much so that eight of its most powerful Forces, if united, could rival even the Shadow Clan.

This alone spoke volumes, about just how terrifyingly strong the Outer Circle had become.

For the First Tower of the World, splitting up was inevitable.

And now, a perfect opportunity had presented itself before them.