Chapter 2058: It's Time to Lay Bare the Truth

Everyone heard the crackling sound without him needing to say more.

The bark shattered into powder, rustling down.

Then the warriors on the tree heard a crackling sound coming from beneath their feet, deep and distant, yet making their hearts pound.

This is? Luo Xie's face changed: "Not good, everyone get down quickly, the tree is going to fall!"

Upon hearing this, everyone scrambled down the tree desperately, wishing their parents had given them two fewer legs.

Once such a towering giant tree falls, whoever is crushed underneath will become minced meat in a stone mortar.

The crackling sound grew louder and denser, like countless bundles of rope being snapped.

Luo Xie ran wildly while blowing a bright retreat whistle, urging those under the tree to move away quickly.

The last person to jump down, this awe-inspiring giant tree pushed Jin Shan and toppled the Jade Pillar, directly smashing toward the true north!

During this process, the trunk, branches, and forks gave way first, either turning to dust or becoming fragments.

Its falling posture shook the entire forest.

This scene will forever be etched in the memory of every witness.

Even though this world is filled with mysteries, the existence of a hundred-zhang giant tree defies common sense. It is itself a monster born from the fusion of two divine tree traits in the Great Square Vase, destined to exhaust all its vitality within a limited time to break the Wood King Cauldron.

Having undergone such extreme exhaustion, its life is destined to be short—so short it won't even see a second nightfall before returning to dust and earth.

Fortunately, the giant tree did not fall toward them, but the terrifying dust and haze still drove the living back several li.

Looking at the rolling smoke and dust not far away, Luo Xie knew the scene could no longer be salvaged, so he raised his hand and called out to everyone:

"Fall back, return to camp!"

What they witnessed these past two nights is destined to become an eternal legend passed down in the Dragon God Army!

They are already eager to return and boast about it.

After the people left, this mountain forest gradually regained its calm.

The fire died, the tree fell, and within three months, the battlefield's clearing will soon be filled with new plants, just like wounds on the human body heal.

Two days later, a large flock of woodpeckers flew in from somewhere, moving in and out of the ashes and debris of the fallen giant tree.

Humans have already departed, and many birds frequent this place, but their size is half a level larger than eagles, numbering over two hundred, directly driving away all other birds before beginning their work.

Tok-tok-tok-tok…… the entire forest echoes with their woodpecking sounds, at a frequency higher than an otherworldly electric drill pounding a wall.

But this wasteland is too vast; they pecked wood for five days and five nights before a few woodpeckers managed to peck out several plump white worms from large chunks of debris.

At first glance, these worms resemble slugs, but the antennae on their heads bear not eyes, but ears, and their bodies resemble honeycomb coal, riddled with strange small holes called "sound holes," capable of capturing the faintest surrounding sounds.

They can change color and move swiftly in a short time to distance themselves from enemies.

This little creature also has the nickname "Responding Worm."

There are many Responding Worms in the world, various in kind and appearance; these few were secretly pressed into the tree trunk by Qing Yang when he was defeated and sat down in defeat.

These Responding Worms, upon landing on the tree, immediately began drilling deep into the bark, yet constantly monitored the outside movements.

Three days after the battle ended, that is, after humans had departed, the woodpecker flock came to collect these Responding Worms.

This was naturally also Qing Yang's arrangement.

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Last night's heavy snow increased the ground thickness by three chi in Shen Guo's capital, Ducheng.

Upon waking, Wang Hou found she didn't even want to move, so she stayed in her warm pavilion, intending to leisurely read by the window while watching the snowfall, but little did she know Shen Wang had arrived.

"Rare, you're not busy with official duties today?" Her husband rises earlier than chickens and sleeps later than whatever, so busy that Wang Hou often goes three or four days without seeing him.

He Chuanhua laughed: "I'm not made of iron, after all—I occasionally need to rest, don't I?"

Wang Hou snorted.

He Chuanhua quickly said: "I also want to spend more time with you."

Wang Hou then softened her anger into joy: "What's there to accompany? The snow is too heavy; nowhere can be reached."

"The entire Yun Cheng is your home—aren't there places you can't go?"

He Chuanhua accompanied her in the warm pavilion for half a day, then they changed into regular attire and quietly slipped out to stroll around the city.

As dusk approached, Wang Hou also bought many things, cheerful and content, before He Chuanhua said: "It's time to return to the palace. I'll call Yue'er over; let us three have a family dinner tonight."

Husband and son are both busy, so opportunities for the family of three to dine together are rare. Wang Hou nodded immediately, yet inwardly felt something strange.

Shen Wang's family banquet is, of course, extraordinarily lavish.

He Yue arrived earlier than his parents, and the family ate in harmonious joy, just as they had many years ago.

The only difference was that one person was missing from the dining table.

Of course, time can dull any pain.

After the dishes had been served and the five flavors tasted, and the banquet atmosphere was just right, He Chuanhua lightly coughed and said: "Actually, there is something I need to tell you all."

Mother and son turned their heads together to look at him.

Earlier, he had been laying and padding, at times lamenting how difficult it is to be a monarch, constantly torn by choices, at other times praising He Yue's diligence and eagerness to learn, saying he bears his demeanor. He Yue thus knew his father likely had something important or difficult to announce.

He is also twenty years old, no longer the simple-minded boy of five or six years ago; he once followed his father south and north in military campaigns, and once in the rear handled military grain and supply logistics, having seen much of the battlefield and human nature, and understands his father ever more deeply.

Wang Hou was happily chatting when she casually laughed: "Your Majesty, please speak."

"Do you know of the Flashing Gold Plains?"

Wang Hou thought: "I seem to have heard of it; it's very far."

He Yue then said: "East of Mou Guo, vast in area, but plagued by constant warfare."

Such a distant place, with underdeveloped transportation, for Shen Guo people to know its location and size is already not bad.

He Chuanhua softly said: "The gods told me that a new strongman has appeared on the Flashing Gold Plains, his army unstoppable, nearly about to sweep across the entire Flashing Gold."

"Is that so?" Wang Hou remained indifferent: "Sounds like this person is formidable."

But how formidable, what does it have to do with Shen Guo? Separated by eighty thousand li.

After the Shining Gold Empire collapsed, that place has been in chaos for over eight hundred years, with warlords everywhere and no unified state ever established. It had several chances, but all failed. He Chunhua also felt helpless, but some things cannot be hidden forever, for they are destined to be revealed: "But the Fallen Heaven God believes this time might be different."

He Yueqi said: "The area of the Shining Gold Plains seems larger than that of Mou State. Can this strongman swallow it all?"