Chapter 321: 330 The Flower Kingdom on the Tree

What are summer flowers like?

At the very least, in the Sword Intent of this Summer Pillar of State, summer flowers carry a kind of tragic heroism and extremity.

Life should be as brilliant as summer flowers, death as beautiful as autumn leaves.

Summer is the warmest, most lively, and most lush season; summer flowers are even more gorgeous and brilliant, possessing a surging vitality as if they are burning themselves.

The closer it gets to autumn, the more the summer flowers bloom; it is a prosperity like a swan song, wanting to cast out every bit of vitality without regret before the withered, cold autumn.

Just like the current season, the weather in the eighth month is the end of summer and the beginning of autumn; summer flowers and chirping cicadas bloom with their final wave of vitality before reaching their end.

Now, flowers are blooming furiously on the tree that looks like a pillar supporting the sky.

In an instant, even Tang Zhao, who was watching from the ground, was dazzled.

A moment ago, the field of vision was still a lush green canopy; now, it is filled with nothing but flowers, flowers, and flowers.

Purple and red flowers are piled high on the tree, growing not only on the treetops and branches but even more so on the trunk. Each flower is enormous, with the flower center alone being the size of a cartwheel. The petals are shaped like long swords, spreading wantonly into the surroundings like the quills of a hedgehog. Those branches, like coiled dragons, seem unable to bear the weight, forced down until they are buried by the clusters of flowers. Finally, even the thick trunk is covered in flowers, one pressed against another, as if draped in a floral carpet.

When viewed individually, these flowers are all gorgeous, brilliant, and beautiful, but when piled together—perhaps because they are too numerous and dense, or perhaps because the proportions with the trunk are too strange—they actually make one feel uncomfortable.

And those overbearing flowers face the sun, their sword-shaped petals reflecting a metallic luster, appearing even more as if they harbor thick killing intent.

Immediately following this, a thick, intense floral fragrance surges over. It is hard to call that scent, which is intense to the point of extremity, a "fragrance."

Tang Zhao feels the irritation of the "floral scent" and immediately turns his long sword, his Sword Essence glowing like embers, protecting himself from all directions. When he looks up again, he sees that the floral scent has become so thick in mid-air that it is visible to the naked eye, like thick fog in the mountains or a dim, yellowish halo, casting a layer of gloom before his eyes.

"What the hell..."

Tang Zhao knows he cannot touch these fragrant mists and hurriedly leaps up again. Hearing a gust of wind from behind, he transforms into a ray of light and dodges away.

"Clang—"

A large flower from behind had somehow crept over, its petals closing like steel teeth to bite down. Tang Zhao's movement technique is extremely fast; dodging this sneak attack, he sees the petals rubbing against each other, emitting a metallic screeching sound.

Looking back again, the flowers all over the tree are actually moving slightly. The petals stretch and contract, just like large mouths grinding teeth and sucking blood, waiting to forage. Because the petals can be imagined as mouths, but there are no parts that can be imagined as eyes, every flower looks like a deformed monster.

When Tang Zhao sees these flowers, he feels a slight numbness in his heart; that sense of eeriness makes one feel uncomfortable from the very bones. Just as he wants to see how Chi Deputy Envoy is doing, he turns his head and, having a premonition, suddenly leaps away again—

A flower lunges over, brushing past his body.

How is this possible... He is suspended in mid-air, at a distance from the flower tree...

Those flowers can actually extend!

Tang Zhao looks back and sees a green vine like a giant python exposed beneath the flower disk attacking him; it is the flower's stem.

The flower stem is like a twisted neck, allowing the giant flower to leave the trunk, stretch forward, and attack enemies like a snake. And compared to a snake, the giant flower with its opening and closing flower disk is even more eerie.

In an instant, as if having received some order, countless flowers detach from the trunk and attack all targets in the vicinity. The slender, swaying flower stems, like seaweed dancing wildly in the sea, fill this increasingly eerie space.

Tang Zhao and Chi Deputy Envoy are naturally the first to bear the brunt. They each have their own methods of escape, controlling their swords like light, fleeing desperately to the sky above the forest of fire outside. Although there are surging flames and rolling heat waves below, as long as they fly high enough, they can remain unharmed. After all, the flower stems have a limited length; as long as the distance is far enough, they can still escape.

It is just that they have been completely expelled from the battlefield.

Tang Zhao looks back and sees the chirping cicadas that lost their wings and were crawling on the ground being divided and eaten by several flowers. Their hard bodies were long ago crushed to pieces under the strangulation of those seemingly delicate petals, with not a drop of their inner pulp left, leaving only a few severed limbs.

Tang Zhao does not care about the fate of these cicadas; they are all the Sword Technique of the Summer Pillar of State, and in a sense, they can be considered to have committed suicide.

It is just unclear whether Xing Ji can handle the combined attacks of those ugly chirping cicadas that are still active in the sky and the eerie flowers.

"As you can see. Summer flowers bloom here!"

On the canopy high above, countless giant flowers are already dancing like demons. The high sky has turned into an ocean of summer flowers; the flower stems are the seaweed in the sea, and the giant flowers are bloodthirsty sharks. Countless huge chirping cicadas circle in the air, and together they form a bizarre kingdom on the tree.

Summer Pillar of State holds his sword, his Spirit vigorous, his cheeks abnormally flushed, his beard and hair standing on end, pointing at Xing Ji as if standing on a commander's platform, watching the latter fall into the purple-red ocean with only his person and his sword. His Sword Essence erupts around his body like flames, connecting with the tree, the summer flowers, and the chirping cicadas. He wantonly displays that he is the core and the spring of this ocean; like these giant objects, he has also entered a burning state.

"Hahaha, little thief, you see me commanding thousands of troops, surrounding you on all sides, yet I remain here unmoved, which is a ready-made flaw. Why don't you stake everything on one throw to take me, but instead dodge and hide, like a stray dog or a fish that escaped the net? I know, you are a slippery little thief who dares not take risks and only wants to delay time. You must think that my burning cannot last long, waiting for my vital energy to decline before you seize the opportunity to counterattack. You are right, I am indeed burning, just like the summer flowers and summer cicadas, releasing myself to the fullest, not intending to live out my days in cowardice."

"But as far as I am concerned, the current blooming is not enough, not enough!"

He roars as if bellowing, the momentum of his Sword Essence still climbing step by step. Not all the flowers are burning to the fullest like him; countless flowers have withered away like burnt-out ashes, but even more flowers are blooming more intensely. The petals stretch out to the fullest, several times larger than before, the flower disks dancing wildly in the sunlight, the fragrance condensing into water droplets and drifting down like rain. The smell of the floral scent becomes increasingly thick to the point of stench, and those withered remnant flowers become their nourishment.

Xing Ji crawls out from under a flower disk, clutching the head of the Bi'an, with layers of iron chains behind him. Clearly, the iron chains serve as a blocking grid, but the summer flowers are blooming too fiercely; they are pervasive and invincible. Countless petals squeeze out from the gaps in the iron chains, either turning into steel saws to saw at the chains with a creaking sound, or turning into soft, stinging tongues to lick him, wanting to lick hundreds of holes into him.

If Xing Ji were to make up his mind to fly a little higher and leave this flower kingdom as much as possible, those chirping cicadas in the sky would emit ear-piercing chirps and charge at him in a suicide mission. These charging cicadas continue to grow larger and stronger during the sprint, and then lose their voices and fall the moment the attack ends, clearly having exhausted their last bit of vitality to pursue the sprint, finally extinguishing and falling silent like spent fireworks.

"Don't talk about cicadas and flowers; even this old man never intended to die of old age. Summer is inherently short; after extreme heat comes cool autumn, and after blooming comes withering. I never intended to let summer last long, only seeking that moment of eternity, burying all enemies in the summer. Like an enemy such as you, I will bloom desperately, letting you die before the autumn day."

While fleeing, Xing Ji touches his Bi'an. This divine beast is now missing an ear, just sliced off by a flower. It is not that it cannot be restored, but the situation is tense now, and there is no need to waste extra Sword Essence on such things. One ear is one ear. Although forced into a very sorry state, he still digs his ear and says:

"I say, you old rascal, is that enough? Everyone says that Xing is fond of long-winded talk, but I only talk more when conversing with others. Unlike you, who can babble on so much all by yourself, and all of it is shameful vocabulary. You really should calm down for a moment and recall what you just said; if you had even a shred of human shame, I guarantee you would be so embarrassed you'd find a crack in the ground to crawl into."

Before the words even faded, a flower branched out from the side, flanking him, the flower disk almost pressed against his face.

"Puff—"

Before Xing Ji could draw his sword, a red light flashed past, knocking away the giant flower and landing beside Xing Ji.

Summer Pillar of State initially thought the other party had received reinforcements. He narrowed his eyes slightly, but upon looking again, it was also a little tiger, a shrunken version of Xing Ji's Bi'an. His heart settled slightly, and then he frowned and said, "This thing, I have seen it."

It seems to be that "lurking assassin" he casually slashed while patrolling; he did not expect it to have recovered.

Sword Art, after all, cannot be slashed to death. Only when the Sword Guest dies can it be considered once and for all.

Xing Ji holds the little tiger and says, "You naturally have seen it. This was originally your Tongzhiling—the thing I have been waiting for has finally appeared!"

The little tiger's body unfolds, turning into a notice, fluttering slightly in his hand. One can vaguely see a vivid portrait on it, which is exactly Summer Pillar of State, and below are a few lines of text. They are blurry, not because they are unclear, but because they are blurry by nature, like smudged ink marks.

Xing Ji's expression sinks slightly, putting away his nonchalant demeanor, and says, "Sheng Wubing, I have something to ask you."

His tone is formal and full of official air, like a high official sitting in court.

Sheng Wubing is naturally the real name of Summer Pillar of State. As an old-school rebel who has been hunted by the Imperial Court for many years, his name is not a secret; the upper echelons of the Turtle Bandits were never considered a secret.

But Xing Ji calls him by his name directly, and the Pillar of State's face still sinks, saying, "Good, a mere junior, whose life is hanging by a thread, yet you are putting on official airs here? What kind of prestige are you trying to show with your fake dynasty and fake officialdom? Originally, I cherished your talent and was willing to say a few words to you; if you bring out your ridiculous official position, this old man will make you shut up forever immediately."

Xing Ji acts as if he did not hear him, his tone becoming even more formal, saying, "You are a wanted rebel; I should have first asked about your rebellious acts against the Imperial Court. But seeing the flowers you released is self-incriminating evidence. I have come to ask you, was that Yin Calamity in Zhou Xiang, Pingming Cheng, Dansheng Jun previously your doing?!"