As Yun Lintian was bewildered by the sudden crack on the tree, the serpent's voice echoed in Yun Lintian's mind, grim this time.
"The price of survival... is sacrifice."
The tree's protection came at a cost—its own life force.
Yun Lintian's eyes widened as he realized the truth.
This isn't just a trial... it's a memory of the World Tree's final moments.
The golden-armored general noticed the weakening barrier and laughed. "Even the First Tree cannot defy Heaven forever!"
He raised his halberd, gathering the combined might of the five divine generals. A beam of annihilation lanced toward the World Tree—
And Yun Lintian, still beneath its branches, could only watch as death approached.
"Hah!" Yun Lintian gasped as consciousness returned. The wooden box in front of him became warm, its runes pulsing with faint light.
The serpent studied him, its golden eyes no longer mocking. "Now you understand."
Yun Lintian exhaled slowly.
The trial wasn't about escaping or fighting.
It was about witnessing the World Tree's sacrifice—and accepting that some things could not be changed.
Yun Lintian stared at the glowing wooden box, his fingers trembling slightly. He looked up at the serpent, his voice low but firm.
"What is the point of these trials if I can't change anything? Watching the World Tree die won't help me understand anything."
The serpent's golden eyes gleamed with disdain. "Fool. Even now, you fail to grasp the essence." It coiled tighter around the stone pillar, its voice dripping with contempt. "Your path has been paved by others your entire life. Now, it's time for you to grow up and learn for yourself."
Yun Lintian frowned but said nothing.
The World Tree's memory was precious—perhaps even the key to leaving these ruins. But he sensed there was more to it. A deeper purpose. A lesson meant specifically for him.
While he pondered, the serpent hissed, "Well? Are you ready for the next trial, or will you keep wasting my time?"
Yun Lintian took a deep breath. Without another word, he reached out and touched the box.
The moment his vision cleared, Yun Lintian found himself beneath the World Tree once more—but this time, the battle had already reached its climax.
The golden-armored general hovered in the sky above, his halberd radiating destructive energy. The city lay in ruins around them, its defenders locked in combat with the five divine generals. The guards shouted in defiance, but they were outmatched, their attacks effortlessly intercepted by the enemy's overwhelming power.
The golden-armored man laughed, his voice booming across the battlefield.
"With the First Tree gone, the world will plunge into chaos once more! This is how our master shall rise!"
He raised his halberd high, gathering an immense surge of divine energy. The five generals channeled their power into him, forming a swirling vortex of destruction above the World Tree.
The tree shuddered, its silver leaves dimming—but it did not yield.
A barrier of faint light formed around its trunk, resisting the impending strike.
Yun Lintian, standing beneath its branches, could only watch as the golden-armored man unleashed his attack.
The halberd descended like a falling star.
The World Tree's barrier trembled violently, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface. The impact sent shockwaves ripping through the earth, tossing Yun Lintian off his feet. He rolled across the ground, coughing up blood, his mortal body battered by the force.
The golden-armored man snarled. "Persistent weed!"
Each blow shook the heavens, each collision threatening to shatter the World Tree's last defenses. Yun Lintian struggled to stand, his body screaming in protest, but he forced himself to look up.
Why was the tree still fighting?
It was already dying. The city was lost. The defenders were falling.
Yet it refused to break.
The serpent's voice whispered in his mind.
Yun Lintian's breath caught.
The World Tree wasn't just protecting itself.
It was protecting him.
Even in its final moments, even as its life force drained away, it was giving him a chance—to witness, to understand, to carry its memory forward.
The golden-armored man roared and gathered his full power for one final strike.
The halberd came down like divine judgment.
The World Tree's barrier shattered.
Yun Lintian understood.
The golden-armored man's halberd struck the World Tree with world-shattering force.
A thunderous CRACK echoed across the battlefield as the ancient trunk splintered. Silver leaves rained down like dying stars, their glow fading as they touched the scorched earth.
"Cough!" Yun Lintian coughed blood, his body pinned beneath the crushing pressure of collapsing divine energy. Yet his eyes remained fixed on the World Tree—not on its breaking form, but on the unyielding will radiating from its core.
Even as its branches snapped, even as its roots tore from the earth, the tree resisted.
The golden-armored man's triumphant grin faltered. "Impossible! Why won't you just—DIE?!"
He gestured furiously to the five divine generals. "All of you! Strike together!"
The God of Darkness' general summoned a vortex of consuming void.
The Mountain God's general heaved a boulder large enough to crush mountains.
The River God's general unleashed a tsunami of liquid oblivion.
The Sun God's general condensed solar fire into a single, annihilating spear.
The God of Mortals' general channeled the despair of a thousand dead souls.
They attacked simultaneously.
The city's remaining guards screamed in defiance, throwing themselves forward—only to be vaporized mid-charge. Their sacrifice bought nothing.
The World Tree stood alone.
Yun Lintian watched, his fingers digging into the dirt. He felt it—the tree's final act of defiance. Not just against the attackers, but against fate itself.
The combined attacks landed.
The World Tree's trunk split down the middle.
A shockwave of silver light erupted, so bright it blinded even the gods. Yun Lintian's vision whited out—but in that moment, he heard it.
Yun Lintian opened his eyes.
The wooden box had shattered, leaving only the silver seed floating in the air before him. It pulsed gently, its light warm against his skin.
The serpent stared, its golden eyes wide. For once, it had no taunts.
"I understand now," Yun Lintian said quietly.
The trials weren't about winning.
They weren't even about surviving.
They were about witnessing the forgotten time—and carrying the World Tree's will of defiance forward…