“I want abalone, Boss!
“Give me that geoduck, Boss!
“I want more, Boss! I want some more...”
Time went by very quickly, and a day passed. There was currently only a day left to the end of the exchange competition’s month-long duration.
Meng Lei laid on the soft beach and bathed in the warm, mild sun as he waited for the exchange competition to end.
Boom!
A tremor suddenly went through the ground!
Boom!
Another tremor!
Boom!
Right on the heels of it, the ground began to shake and tremble rhythmically. It felt like 10,000 horses galloping across the fields, yet also like tanks crushing the ground. The entire continent was booming and shaking.
“What’s going on?”
Meng Lei quickly soared into the sky and looked around, upon which he was immediately stunned into a daze.
In the continent’s center, a far distance off, stood a massive tree so tall that there was no telling its height and so wide that one couldn’t tell its trunk circumference.
It seemed like the Jianmu Tree1 that connected the heavens and earth, yet also like the Yggdrasil2 whose roots were entrenched into the earth. Standing erect between heaven and earth, the towering tree branches were as though passageways to heaven while the lofty tree crown shrouded the area 10,000 miles from where it was.
When looking from afar, clouds could be seen circling around it.
The sun’s multicolored radiance reflected upon it as the phenomenal scene went through a million grand changes.
The most inconceivable thing was that the massive tree was covered in several gold chains that wrapped around it like a net.
A majestic and holy might emanated from the massive tree reaching straight into the heavens and wantonly oppressed Meng Lei’s spirit, giving him the urge to submit to it, convert his faith to it, and prostrate before it.
“T-the Tree of Life!” Meng Lei exclaimed softly, “Ol’ President, is that the Tree of Life?!”
“Yes, it’s the Tree of Life!” Ol’ Amos emerged and said, “This aura is divine power! Though faint, it’s nevertheless no doubt divine power! There’s no mistaking it! I was right. It really is a half-deity!”
“So it really is a half-deity!”
Meng Lei’s heart quivered. He felt an urge to immediately return to the teleportation magic circle and make an escape. Against a massive tree of half-deity status, he really didn’t possess even a shred of confidence.
As for Sacas the Multi-Armed Behemoth, in the instant it saw the Tree of Life, it was already prostrating on the ground, so agitated that tears filled its eyes as it loudly prayed to and extolled the greatness of the tree.
“Something isn’t right! That half-deity’s aura is so weak! It can’t even compare to a Saint Domain limits-level expert’s! What’s going on? Are we too far away from it?”
Ol’ Amos, whose brows were tightly drawn together into a huge frown, stared hard at the massive tree for a moment. Then, he suddenly exclaimed in a low voice, “The gold chains... I get it now! That Tree of Life has been sealed! It has been sealed!”
“Sealed?”
Meng Lei was dumbfounded.
“Do you see those gold chains around the Tree of Life? That’s the seal! The Tree of Life has been sealed. That’s why it’s giving off such weak divine power!”
Ol’ Amos smacked his forehead as he said, “I knew it. Even though it was indifferent the whole time while all of you were wantonly killing its worshipers in its territory, it wasn’t done out of choice. Rather, it’s because it has been sealed and is totally immobile. That’s the actual reason why!”
Meng Lei asked with a dazed look in his eyes, “Just what kind of existence can seal a half-deity like the Tree of Life?”
“There’ll always be someone stronger out there, and there’s no limit to how high one can go; there is no lack of existences stronger than a half-deity. Heaven’s Vault Continent is ultimately just a small pond.” Ol’ Amos shook his head slightly. Then, he suddenly frowned and asked, “Meng Lei, are a lot of black dots floating around the Tree of Life?”
Meng Lei hurriedly looked over. Although they were a great distance away from the Tree of Life, he saw many tiny little black dots.
Those little black dots were suspended around the Tree of Life like insects around a willow in summer.
A puzzled Meng Lei asked, “What are those little black dots?”
“We’re too far away, so it’s hard to tell. Go a little nearer!” Ol’ Amos said gravely, “Don’t worry, it’s been sealed, so as long as we’re not too near, it can’t do anything to you.”
“Okay!”
After a moment’s hesitation, Meng Lei flew toward it.
As he approached, the black dots also became bigger and bigger. He could now see them clearly after he reached a certain distance—those dense and packed black dots were actually the exchange competition’s contestants. And apart from them, there were also many other unfamiliar-looking figures!
Those figures wore golden armor, held broadswords, and rode golden beasts—they were clearly all golden-armored knights!
As he continued to approach, he could vaguely see a thin golden shield around the Tree of Life.
Some of the contestants were enveloped within the golden shield, while all the golden-armored knights were fervently attacking the golden shield, seemingly trying to rescue them.
“What are they doing?”
Meng Lei was rather bewildered.
“Damn! They’ve been tricked! They’re attacking the seal! Once the seal is destroyed, the Tree of Life would be released!”
Chapter 187: Holy Knight Order, The Empire’s Half-Deity
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Attacking the seal?”
Meng Lei was bewildered.
“Can’t you tell?”
With a severe look on his face, Ol’ Amos explained gravely, “The divine tree fruits are just bait—bait that it tossed out in order to lure contestants like you. What’s tragic is that many of the contestants had actually fallen for
