79 - A Farewell to Mr. Luo

# Chapter 79 ### Previous Chapter Bookmark Bookshelf Management Return to Index Next Chapter Outside the grand hall, the once white giant moon transformed into a golden sun. From moonlight to sunlight, areas that were previously dim are now as bright as day. Even the second level of the grand hall is bathed in a soft golden glow. Some hurriedly traveling cultivators in the Northern Continent raised their heads upon noticing the radiance. "This is bad, the golden moon means that the Enlightenment Fruits have ripened." "Hurry up, let's go." With that, several people swiftly summoned their magical artifacts and flew in the same direction, as if racing against time. Bai Fan stood beneath the Enlightenment Tree, catching a whiff of a fragrant aroma. Compelled by the scent, she looked up and spotted several golden fruits on the tree. Swallowing her saliva, she asked He Yiman, "What happens if we eat these fruits from the Enlightenment Tree?" He Yiman, also drawn by the aroma, looked up in tandem with Bai Fan at the golden fruits on the tree. "These are Enlightenment Fruits. It is said that the Enlightenment Tree bears fruit once every hundred years. Consuming them can help one cross the threshold into the Dao, allowing for quicker comprehension of the supreme path compared to figuring it out on your own." Hearing this, Bai Fan's eyes lit up, and she intended to pick an Enlightenment Fruit, but He Yiman quickly stopped her. "The Enlightenment Fruits will naturally fall when they are ripe. If you forcefully pick them, it would be counterproductive. Let's wait here for them to fall." "Is there really such a saying?" Bai Fan looked somewhat regretfully at the aromatic golden fruits. Just as the two planned to wait for the fruits to naturally drop, Bai Fan detected movement from not far away. Turning to He Yiman, she said, "Someone's coming. Let's find a place to hide. They're probably here for the Enlightenment Fruits too." He Yiman nodded immediately. Bai Fan grabbed her wrist, leaping far away to hide behind a rock, minimizing their presence as much as possible. Within the time it took for an incense stick to burn, several people arrived. They first cautiously inspected the surroundings and, finding no one, walked under the Enlightenment Tree. "Are we sure there's no one around?" A middle-aged man asked the others who had been scouting. "No signs of anyone else. It seems no one else knows about this place." The middle-aged man furrowed his brow, touching his chin. "How peculiar. I thought someone knew about this place when the teleportation array was broken. It appears we overthought it." Another person, looking up at the Enlightenment Fruits, remarked, "Most who enter tombs aim for the Dragon Transformation Pool, neglecting this Enlightenment Tree. The broken array might have been accidental. Fortunately, such ancient arrays are usually irreparable once damaged." "Indeed." The others agreed and each found a spot to sit, waiting for the fruits to fully ripen and fall. They had come by several times before, but the Enlightenment Fruits weren't ripe then. There were originally ten fruits, but someone impatiently picked one and consumed it, resulting in immediate dissolution. Thus, they decided not to rush this time. Bai Fan and He Yiman remained quietly hidden, not daring to make a sound. The approaching group were all more powerful cultivators. Though He Yiman was with her, Bai Fan still regarded her as a mortal. While adept at ranged combat, He Yiman would struggle in close quarters. He Yiman recognized the group, seemingly having encountered them on the road. She remembered seeing them rushing into the grand hall earlier, only now realizing their intent for the Enlightenment Fruits. The fruits' ripening process was slow, and the aroma grew more potent, filling the entire secret realm. The cultivators' excitement was evident, their faces flushed. Meanwhile, in a small palace, cultivators who had entered found it ransacked, devoid of prized spiritual herbs and even the pictures on the walls. "Elder, we've taken everything we could. All spiritual herbs in the back garden have been picked clean." "Never mind, we at least got the paintings." Said a pale-faced Nascent Soul cultivator, injured from battling a monster. He spoke resignedly, having no energy to continue. The other two Nascent Soul cultivators, though visibly displeased about the stolen herbs, prioritized their current gains over lamenting losses. The golden core cultivators accompanying them vanished into golden light on the second level, and no one saw them again. When the final Enlightenment Fruit fell into the middle-aged man's hand, his joy was palpable. Containing his excitement, he addressed the others, "There are six Enlightenment Fruits here. Each of us takes one, leaving the last to fate." The others agreed, as obtaining an Enlightenment Fruit justified their journey. With five chimes of a bell, five of the fruits were claimed. Only one remained on the tree, and the cultivators waited eagerly. After a long wait without the sixth fruit falling, the middle-aged man suggested, "Perhaps this last one isn't fated for us. But having one each is already fortunate." Reluctantly, the cultivators left, but not without picking some leaves from the Enlightenment Tree. Long after their departure, Bai Fan emerged and ran to the tree, fixating on the final fruit. This fruit seemed to await a destined one; as Bai Fan looked up, it fell on her head, leaving her stunned. He Yiman, equally surprised, hurriedly reminded, "Pick it up quickly. If it stays on the ground too long, it will return to the tree as nutrients." Bai Fan hastily picked it up, relieved to find it intact. Preparing to eat it, she hesitated, remembering He Yiman. "There's only one." "It’s fine. I already have my path. This fruit won't have much effect on me." After confirming He Yiman's indifference, Bai Fan gobbled the fruit, hoping to savor it but accidentally swallowed it whole in her excitement. "How is it?" He Yiman inquired curiously, having never tasted an Enlightenment Fruit herself. Bai Fan looked at He Yiman with a troubled expression. "I ate too fast just now and swallowed it all in one go. Now it feels like nothing's happening." He Yiman nodded and remarked, "Those cultivators just now picked some leaves from the Enlightenment Tree. We should gather some too; they could make excellent tea." With that, Bai Fan quickly began plucking leaves. Perhaps due to her frustration over missing out on the five Enlightenment Fruits, she picked the leaves with relentless determination, as if to make up for the loss. With He Yiman around, she no longer worried about storage issues. With a flick of her wrist, dozens of golden leaves fell. Bai Fan didn't even spare the budding leaves on the branches. In no time, she had stripped half of the tree, making it look far from its once-sacred appearance, now resembling a bare tree in autumn. "That's enough, Bai Fan." He Yiman looked at her storage bag, now brimming with Enlightenment Leaves, and couldn't help but laugh. But Bai Fan’s hands didn’t stop, and she muttered, "We can't waste them. Since we're here, we might as well take them all." Just as she finished speaking, the entire crown of the Enlightenment Tree started to move. A branch suddenly swung and knocked Bai Fan down from the tree top. She then saw, with wide eyes, an old man's face emerging from the tree trunk. The bark looked extremely rough, and as soon as the face appeared, it yelled at Bai Fan. "You greedy little rascal! You've almost stripped me bald! Giving you a fruit was already generous enough, and now you want to pluck all my golden leaves? Do you have no conscience?" ※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※ Thank you to the angels who cast votes or donated nutrient solutions for me~ Thank you to the angel who voted for [Mines]: 24748811 1 vote; Thank you to the angels who donated [Nutrient Solutions]: Thank you all for your support! I will continue to work hard! ### Previous Chapter Index Next Chapter Home Computer Version Bookshelf Novel List Popular Novels