Evolution Begins With A Big Tree

Chapter 1180, Yu Zi Yu’s Apprehension

Translator:  Ashish

Translation Checker: Silvain

“Master…” A soft voice called out, gently pulling Yu Zi Yu’s thoughts back to reality.

Looking up in response, he finally noticed two figures: Sarcosuchus and Nine Tails. They were traversing the Starry Sky toward him.

“Everything settled with the Elemental Clan?” He asked casually, not showing much interest.

After all, the heritage of the Elemental Clan’s core lineage had already been plundered by him.

What remained, no matter how valuable, no longer caught his eye.

That said, Yu Zi Yu had heard whispers of a formidable Tier-7 Divine Artifact was still in the hands of the Lightning Elemental Lineage. A staff said to greatly amplify a lifeform’s control over Elements.

However, back when he moved against the core lineage of the Elemental Clan, the Fire Element Lineage, he had not paid much attention to that…

“It’s done.” Meeting his gaze with a smile, Nine Tails took a step forward and responded, “Aside from the Fire Element Lineage, the remaining six lineages of the Elemental Clan have all been subdued by the Demon Court. As for those not of the Heavenfall Alliance, but who tried to seize the opportunity in the shadows like the Zergs, the Four-Eyed Clan… I’ve sealed them.”

As she spoke, Spiritual Energy surged from her, before chains, ethereal and endless, manifested across the starry expanse.

Looking closely at where the chains stretched, one could faintly see two figures bound tightly, wrapped head to toe in shimmering links, as though trapped in a deep slumber. Even their aura could not be felt.

These were the Sealing Chains, the manifestation of a Superior Principle, Sealing.

Anyone ensnared by them, even Overlords, would find most of their strength sealed away. And when even the Soul was shackled, the target would enter a frozen state, where their power would be reduced to zero.

In other words, these two Overlords had suffered utter defeat, unable to lift a finger before Nine Tails.

Satisfied, Yu Zi Yu’s lips curled into a faint smile.

[Nine Tails has truly grown. At Tier-6, she has begun to show her brilliance, rising into one of true elites among all lifeforms across the stars.]

It should be brought to notice that Tier-6 marked the culmination of individual evolution. It was also the point where the cultivators began to come into contact with Principles.

At this stage, battles were no longer just about flesh and blood. It was about control over Principles.

Take Yu Zi Yu for example. His Seventh Order Physique was enough to rival an invincible Hegemon, crushing all opposition with sheer strength.

As for Nine Tails, she had already come in touch with two Principles: An Intermediate Principle of Fire Element, and a Superior Principle of Sealing.

Both Principles were quite extraordinary in nature.

The Intermediate Principle of Fire Element stood at the peak among all Intermediate Principles. And in terms of pure offense, it was ranked among the most dangerous.

As for the Superior Principle of Sealing, it needed no introduction.

Every Superior Principle was extremely terrifying.

Not to mention, Nine Tails had already condensed 3,000 Marks of Sealing Principle, which put her almost a hair-breadth away from achieving intermediate mastery.

To give context, a Superior Principle required exactly 129,600 Marks. Once one had condense all 129,600 Marks, they could accept the Principle and step into the Realm of Hegemony.

And Nine Tails had already condensed over 3,000 Marks, which was an extremely terrifying feat.

For comparison, Seraphim, one of the Angel Clan’s top Tier-6 Overlords, had only condensed 2,000 Marks of his Superior Principle, Sanctity.

That put him a full 1,000 Marks behind Nine Tails, who had only recently broken through to Tier-6.

Such a gap could only be explained by talent.

In the Dao of Sealing, Nine Tails was nothing short of gifted by the Heavens.

In fact, even Yu Zi Yu himself had condensed no more than 1,000 Marks for Space and Time each, two of the most-terrifying Superior Principles.

This didn’t mean he lacked talent.

Rather, it was because his path required him to comprehend too many things, leaving him with little time to focus solely on condensing Marks of Principles.

Moreover, it should be brought to notice that Time and Space were ranked among the top three among all Superior Principles, in terms of difficulty for condensing Marks of Principles.

For Yu Zi Yu to have reached over 1,000 marks each in both was already an amazing feat.

Although he had some idea of how remarkable that was, he had yet to truly realize just how terrifying it really was.

Condensing Marks was the most direct and tangible manifestation of cultivation for most who walked the path of Principles.

However, the more terrifying the Principle, the harder it became to condense its Marks.

And for Superior Principles, cultivation time was not measured in years but in millennia, sometimes even tens of millennia.

Moreover, the deeper one delved into a Principle, the more exponentially difficult it became to condense each additional Mark.

That was why any cultivator who ascended to a Hegemon through a Superior Principle would have spent an inconceivably long time in seclusion. At the very least thousands of years.

According to the Holy Sixteen Wings, there once existed a peerless genius who cultivated the Superior Principle of Devouring, which allowed him to devour all things, spared no effort to condense the Marks, sacrificing everything, and ultimately became a Lord.

Even then, the process still took him over 3,000 years.

That record, ascending to the Realm of Hegemony through a Superior Principle in just three millennia, was considered the fastest in all of history.

However, such brilliance came with a price.

That genius had offended too many Supreme Overlords, and in the end, was slapped to death by one of them.

Thus, cultivating Marks of Principles was a long and monotonous path.

Based on current historical records and surviving texts, it was unlikely that anyone would ascend to a Hegemon through a full Superior Principle within the next few thousand years.

Perhaps in five thousand years or more, someone might succeed.

Anyone who didn’t carry a complete Superior Principle, even if they reached the Realm of Hegemony, would have mediocre combat strength at best.

At the very least, they wouldn’t be able to shake Yu Zi Yu.

In other words, for the next few millennia, Yu Zi Yu’s title as ‘Number One Under the Stars’ would stand true.

As for Imperial Artifact, unless they risked self-destruction to unleash a true Eternal Strike, they wouldn’t pose a serious threat to him.

Even so, Yu Zi Yu did harbor some apprehension, about a certain race: the God Race, who had suddenly emerged.

After all, their supreme legacy, the Spear of Fate, was an Artifact that even Holy Sixteen Wings regarded with deep fear.

If they were to become enemies, even someone as powerful as Yu Zi Yu would find himself in deep trouble.

Because at the end of the day, Yu Zi Yu’s True Body was a Tree.

And as a Tree, while his physical form was powerful enough to withstand the siege of multiple Imperial Artifacts, it still had its limitations.

And these very limitations… when placed before the Spear of Fate, became fatal weaknesses.

To put it simply, before that spear, Yu Zi Yu was a living target.

Even if he had the backing of Holy Sixteen Wings, escape was not guaranteed.

Of course, this did not just apply to Yu Zi Yu.

In the face of the Spear of Fate, every enemy was a sitting duck.

It was just that Yu Zi Yu’s Tree Form made him feel that vulnerability all the more deeply…