Immortal Sword Master

Chapter 306: Chapter 302: Enlightenment Tree

Loneliness.

That word shook Golden Cicada to his core.

Others might not understand, but Ning Jiang could guess what Golden Cicada was thinking.

One hundred thousand years ago, Ning Jiang was revered as a Legendary Venerable. His combat power was world-shaking. He had searched through all ages, but in the vast world, only a Great Emperor was his equal in battle.

At that time, had he not also been lonely?

Even if you were invincible for a lifetime, it was lonely at the top if you couldn’t find a worthy opponent.

This remnant spirit of Golden Cicada had been in the scroll for a thousand years. A thousand years without a single battle—how could he not be lonely?

He was a Celestial King. To become such a person, he must have fought countless battles throughout his life—slaying prodigies, defeating mighty foes, warring in every direction, and trampling over the world. He had carved a bloody path to reach his Realm.

A person like that craved battle to their very bones.

More importantly, Ning Jiang knew that even if Golden Cicada was just a remnant spirit, it was impossible for this to be the full extent of his strength.

An ordinary King’s Remnant Spirit might not have been able to handle the Corpse Ghost Daoist.

But Golden Cicada had once reached Nine-Stars Combat Power. He was the last Celestial King of a thousand years ago, his name shaking the Great Thousand Realms.

What was a Celestial King?

They were the kings among Kings. With a single command, they could rule the world. Other Kings would have to come and pay homage, offering their respect. If a person of this level established a power, the entire Six Eastern Provinces would become just one part of his domain.

That’s right—a domain as vast as the Six Eastern Provinces was merely a part of it!

The territory controlled by a Celestial King Level expert was far greater than the Six Eastern Provinces.

For example, in the current Great Thousand Realms, four other Celestial Kings had risen since Golden Cicada’s fall, and each of them controlled an immense power.

In front of such figures, even the Seven Great Super Sects of the Six Eastern Provinces could be annihilated with a single word.

A Heaven-Reaching Realm expert was no match for a person of this caliber, even if he was just a remnant spirit.

”End it all? You think you can kill me? A mere remnant spirit, spouting such nonsense. You’re courting death!”

The Corpse Ghost Daoist laughed in fury. A tyrannical aura radiated from him in waves, assaulting everyone’s minds. A horrifying vision of a Corpse Mountain Blood Sea and fields littered with bones seemed to flash before their eyes.

But Golden Cicada stood there, growing ever more serene. Layers of golden light emerged from his body. With him at the center, the surrounding world seemed to transform into a golden ocean.

”What is this phenomenon?”

Everyone watched in astonishment, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Golden lotuses bloomed around Golden Cicada, making him appear all the more divine. He looked like a Divine Child descending upon the mortal world, extraordinary and transcendent.

Then, the sudden sound of a cicada’s chirring echoed out.

The sound wasn’t jarring. Instead, it carried an air of tranquility that calmed the hearts of all who heard it, purging them of want and desire.

Then, at the center of the many golden lotuses, a brilliant golden light converged, dazzling and resplendent.

It was a massive golden tree, rising from the earth. Its bark was gnarled like coiled dragons, exuding an air of immense age. It was impossible to imagine how ancient the tree was; no one would have doubted it had lived for tens of thousands of years.

What shocked everyone was that this golden tree was incredibly vast, piercing straight into the clouds.

Its canopy spread out in all directions like a layer of golden clouds, stretching across the sky for a hundred miles.

Layers of brilliance rained down from it like a shower of golden light, sacred and beautiful.

”This is... This is...”

The moment they saw the tree, the more experienced Martial Artists in the crowd were all shaken to their core, utterly dumbfounded.

”Sect Leader, what’s wrong?”

Duan Lengya stared at his Sect Leader in surprise. At that moment, his Sect Leader, along with the other two Earth Martial Realm experts, had a look of profound horror on his face.

It was as if they had seen a ghost.

For Earth Martial Realm experts, who were normally unfazed by anything, to be so horrified was simply unbelievable.

”Father, what is the origin of this tree?”

”Master, what’s with this tree? Why do you all look like that?”

Similar questions echoed from all around.

Many of the younger generation of Martial Artists noticed that the older generation were all staring at the giant golden tree in shock, a look of deep reverence appearing in their eyes.

”The Enlightenment Tree!”

Three words were slowly spoken.

Like a storm, the name swept through the crowd. Everyone who heard those three words was profoundly shaken.

”How is that possible? Isn’t the Enlightenment Tree the Holy Tree of our Six Eastern Provinces? Rumor has it that it was destroyed long ago and vanished from the Six Provinces.”

Someone shrieked, unable to believe it.

The Enlightenment Tree—those three words were not unfamiliar to the people of the Six Eastern Provinces.

It was the Holy Tree of the Six Eastern Provinces. Legend said it possessed incredible power. If a Martial Artist with a karmic connection to it meditated and cultivated beneath its branches, they had a chance to achieve sudden enlightenment and advance by leaps and bounds.

But the Enlightenment Tree had long since vanished.

”Legend has it that a thousand years ago, the renowned Celestial King Golden Cicada, who shook the Great Thousand Realms, was a golden cicada from the Enlightenment Tree. After a moment of sudden enlightenment, his rise became unstoppable.”

”There are also many mysterious legends about the origin of the Enlightenment Tree. Some say the tree suddenly appeared in the Six Eastern Provinces one day—an incomprehensible miracle with no traceable origin. Others say a Venerable had fallen, transforming all of their foundational power into a seed that eventually grew into the Enlightenment Tree.”

”A thousand years ago, the Enlightenment Tree disappeared along with Golden Cicada, becoming a bizarre, unsolved mystery. Who is this person? Could he be connected to the Enlightenment Tree?”

No one blinked. The Enlightenment Tree behind Golden Cicada wasn’t a physical entity but an illusion, a phenomenon.

It was a phenomenon one would never forget in a lifetime.

”Perhaps he is... Golden Cicada!”

Someone’s voice trembled. His guess plunged the entire scene into silence.

Celestial King Golden Cicada!

Was he the legendary Celestial King Golden Cicada?

The peerless figure from a thousand years ago who had commanded the winds and clouds?

”The resemblance is uncanny. His aura is just like the descriptions of Golden Cicada in the ancient texts!”

Someone cried out in shock, and their words caused an uproar.

It was the Sect Leader of the Withered Blade Sect.

”May I ask... Are you Senior Golden Cicada?”

Finally, someone couldn’t contain their curiosity and voiced the question on everyone’s mind.

”Golden Cicada?” Golden Cicada murmured, his gaze lifting toward the sky. His serene face betrayed no joy or sorrow. ”To think that after so many years, someone still remembers my name.”

BOOM!

A single stone stirred a thousand waves.

The revelation was earth-shattering.

A bolt from the blue.

Everyone was shocked beyond measure. At first, it had only been a guess, but now that it was confirmed, the impact was unparalleled.

”I never thought I’d live to see a Celestial King with my own eyes. Even if it’s just a remnant spirit, I can die without regrets.”

Tears welled up in the eyes of many Martial Artists.

To many, Golden Cicada was a figure of legend. Now that the legend was standing right before them, they were naturally overcome with emotion.

”HAHAHA! If you really are Golden Cicada, then there’s all the more value in killing you! Yin Yang Ghost Realm!”