Chapter 39 Subjugation

Li Ye straightened his sleeves, dusting off the mud and ash that had splattered onto his shirt.
Today, he wasn't wearing an overcoat, and fortunately so.
With a cold expression, he looked down; his meticulously tailored shirt still bore a fair bit of dirt.
"Well, at least I got this shirt for free from young master Qin Wu."
Li Ye mentally commended Qin Wu, who was now resting in peace.
Just as his voice trailed off, the gravel and dust kicked up by the surrounding roots were blocked by a faint halo of light emanating from his body.
The illusory form of a long sword appeared in his hand once more.
Within a twenty-meter radius around Li Ye, an orange-red domain formed instantly.
No matter how many roots attempted to breach it, they were instantly shredded into fine wood chips.
Holding the sword in his right hand, Li Ye's figure moved and leaped like a agile serpent among the roots of the celestial tree, closing in on the thick trunk.
Seeing this, the celestial tree began to shake even more violently.
Countless leaves were shed from its canopy, as if it were terrified!
The surrounding light converged, and the illusory sword grew immensely in an instant.
Li Ye planted his feet firmly on the ground, tensing his waist to gather strength.
The massive illusory sword swept horizontally with the momentum of an 'autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves'.
Though it was a sword technique, Li Ye wielded it with the unbridled dominance of a broadsword.
"Splat!"
The sword instantly hacked into the roots of the celestial tree before him.
Scarlet-green mucus gushed forth from the tree trunk.
The rich, refreshing fragrance was gone, replaced by a pungent, fishy odor.
The entire Lingxiu Mountain seemed to tremble under the influence of the celestial tree.
Careless of whether the celestial tree could understand him or not, Li Ye shouted in a deep voice:
"Where are the fruits? Grow as many as you can, give them all to me!"
He acted precisely like a bandit.
Of course, in the apocalypse, if you don't play the bandit, are you supposed to act like a saint?
Whether the celestial tree understood Li Ye's words or was simply driven by its survival instinct, eight roots slowly approached, sprouting emerald-green buds at their tips.
Fruits gradually grew and enlarged from the buds, while the celestial tree, which had previously blocked out the sky, withered and shrank at a visible rate.
Moments later, the entire mountaintop was carpeted with withered yellow leaves.
The celestial tree had shrunken to the height of an ordinary person, looking utterly desolate.
Only the eight plump celestial fruits beside Li Ye remained, exuding an alluring and delicate fragrance.
They were smaller than the one previously condensed for the celestial crane.
Roughly the size of two fists, the energy contained within them was far purer than that single fruit.
'Do they require the consumption of life energy to condense?'
Li Ye didn't touch the eight celestial fruits; instead, he looked at the sapling before him in deep thought.
As if sensing Li Ye's gaze, the celestial tree involuntarily shuddered twice, as if saying: 'I really don't have a single drop left...'
This man then tentatively raised his left arm and aimed it at the tree.
An inexplicable suction force erupted directly in front of it.

The celestial tree offered no resistance whatsoever, and was easily pulled into the [Divine Treasury] by Li Ye.
Li Ye could feel a faint, tenuous connection established between himself and the celestial tree within the [Treasury].
A look of realization crossed Li Ye's face. "As expected, all mythical items can be stored inside..."
After a moment of thought, Li Ye released the celestial tree back out, and the faint connection remained uninterrupted.
Li Ye said to the celestial tree, which had returned to its original spot:
"Your roots have already anchored themselves into the entire Lingxiu Mountain. If I take you away now, I'd have to tend to you all over again, so just stay here for now."
The celestial tree's tiny branches swayed gently, presumably nodding in agreement.
Without further ado, Li Ye walked over to the eight plump celestial fruits, his eyes burning with eagerness.
At the current stage, the mythical energy contained within a single celestial fruit was very likely comparable to a third-tier Milk Jade Bone!
He had the celestial tree retract three of the celestial fruits, and the diminutive sapling returned to its normal height.
Five celestial fruits were already enough.
With a wave of Li Ye's large hand, countless Blood Crystal Marrow rained down like raindrops.
The key-shaped illusory long sword appeared once again.
Yet this time, what Li Ye used it for was far less dignified.
Like a cleaver cracking walnuts, he smashed the flat of the blade directly onto the Blood Crystal Marrow.
And those pieces of Blood Crystal Marrow actually shattered like walnuts, releasing potent energy.
While Blood Crystal Marrow was indeed notoriously difficult to destroy, the rank of this sword was truly terrifying.
With an unchanging expression, Li Ye waved his hand and tossed the remaining five celestial fruits into mid-air as well.
The pure energy within the celestial fruits gradually neutralized the violent force of the Blood Crystal Marrow, enveloping Li Ye's body.
The mythical energy washed over Li Ye's body and mind like a tide.
A golden cocoon gradually formed, wrapping him inside.
The celestial tree began to sway as well, and the majority of the roots on the ground writhed extensively until they completely covered the small patch of land where Li Ye resided...

...
Several days later, the peak of Lingxiu Mountain, which had remained undisturbed for a long time, gained a few more blind zombie corpses. The golden cocoon still remained wrapped inside the wooden 'womb' formed by the intertwined roots of the celestial tree.
At high noon, the sunlight pierced through the boundless red mist and cast its rays upon the peak of Lingxiu Mountain.
"Hiss—"
A slight tearing sound echoed, followed by violent shaking.
A young man burst out from the golden cocoon and leaped into the air.
His skin was fair, reaching an exaggerated degree of flawless smoothness.
His hair was disheveled and casual, which, paired with his chisel-cut facial features, gave him a uniquely striking and handsome aura.
It was none other than Li Ye.
He instinctively clenched his fists and threw a couple of punches into the empty air, whipping up two fierce gusts of wind.
Li Ye muttered to himself, "Body strength: qualified."
He walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the ground; the impact of the red mist upon him was now negligible.
"Vision performance: qualified."
Still standing by the cliff, Li Ye raised his right arm slightly.
A golden laser materialized out of thin air, blasting toward the foot of the mountain with lightning speed.
"Range of [Candlelight Guide]: matches tier three."
Finally, the corners of Li Ye's mouth curled upward.
He walked back to the central area of the mountaintop.
The roots on the ground around him swayed rhythmically, as if celebrating Li Ye's success.
Turning his gaze toward the celestial tree, Li Ye asked, "What day of the apocalypse is it today?"
The celestial tree seemed to understand; its thick branches writhed, carving the characters for "fifteen" into the ground.
Li Ye nodded thoughtfully. "It took three days to absorb the energy... The time is close. It seems I need to return to the military region and prepare."
April 7, 2029. The fifteenth day of the apocalypse.
There were still five days left until the end of the Red Mist Period.

...
Back at the Dongming Military Region, Shen Zhihong was leisurely sipping tea in his office.
The punks of the Seventh Army had been dragged out for drills by that old man Chen Xianyun.
That fellow Li Ye had also been out of touch for several days, affording him some rare peace and quiet.
'It seems I still owe that kid quite a bit of Blood Crystal Marrow...'
Shen Zhihong twitching the corner of his mouth in heartache, he sighed like a frugal housewife.
He forced himself to stand up, intending to head to the warehouse to check the inventory of the Blood Crystal Marrow.
A loud reporting voice suddenly echoed from the doorway:
"Report! Chief of Staff!"
Shen Zhihong's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he said in a deep voice, "Speak."
The one shouting the report was a robust soldier. Stepping in front of Shen Zhihong, he said:
"The newly arrived students from Zike University are protesting our Dongming Military Region's laissez-faire policy..."
Shen Zhihong waved his hand in relief and replied:
"Tell them, Dongming doesn't feed idlers. Anyone afraid of those red mist variants can get lost and join logistics."
"Re-report!!"
Suddenly, another panicked reporting voice rang out.
Shen Zhihong gave a light click of his tongue and picked up the cup of tea that had cooled considerably on his desk.
"How many times do I have to tell you to be calm when making a report? You've been with me for so long, can't you learn a thing or two!"
The newcomer was a young guard. He stared wide-eyed, panting heavily as he looked at Shen Zhihong.
Hearing the Chief of Staff's words, he took two deep breaths and tried his best to speak steadily:
"Chief of Staff! The squad lurking near the university town discovered that... that 'Xiangliu' has moved..."
"Pfft..."
The tea he had just taken into his mouth was sprayed out directly.
It landed squarely on the face of the young guard.
Shen Zhihong abruptly stood up, staring at him in shock as he blurted out:
"What did you say?"
The guard steadily wiped the tea leaves off his face and replied firmly:
"Chief of Staff, one must remain calm."