Zhang Qiling, with his agility and resourcefulness, reached the pinnacle of his journey.
However, Wu Tianzhen, perched on the bronze tree, was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
As the whirlpool in the water pool below completely dissipated, leaving the surface remarkably calm and serene, with only ripples from the inlets around the edges, a different thought began to occupy Wu Tianzhen's mind.
...Why hasn't Xiao Ge emerged yet, even at this crucial moment?
Could something have happened to him down there?!
Or, perhaps, because he had materialized a Zhang Qiling here, the existence of the real Xiao Ge had been supplanted?!!!
Although Wu Tianzhen had been reassuring himself that materialized beings originated solely from the subconscious and were independent entities that wouldn't adversely affect their prototypes, this was his first time experiencing it. He couldn't thoroughly understand the bronze tree. Who knew how this infernal contraption truly operated, or if it even followed a pattern comprehensible to humans?
What if it believed that two tigers couldn't occupy the same mountain, that his creation was the chosen one, and had done something untoward to the real Xiao Ge…
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Wu Tianzhen was so terrified by his own conjecture that his hands and feet began to tremble. He couldn't bear the thought of Zhang Qiling disappearing forever due to his own wild imaginings.
He might as well materialize another him right now, which would immediately reveal the bronze tree's operational principles!
A flicker of ruthlessness crossed his mind. Wu Tianzhen immediately tightened his grip on the bronze tree's branches, the rough carvings digging into his flesh.
But he soon realized this wouldn't work.
Materializing another him would undoubtedly cause chaos and unpredictable crises. More importantly, his desire to materialize himself might be too strong, rendering him unable to succeed for the moment.
Too many thoughts bombarded his brain, and his mind quickly went blank.
...No, this way, I can't think properly at all.
He instinctively reached to slap himself to regain clarity, but as soon as he raised his hand, he abruptly stopped, forcing himself to lower it.
"Tianzhen?"
A voice called out. Startled, he almost cried out, but quickly realized he was too panicked to even make a sound.
Looking up, he saw Fatty approaching, noticing his distress. Fatty placed his hand on Wu Tianzhen's forehead, checking his temperature.
"You don't have a fever…" Fatty said with concern, "Why did your face suddenly turn so pale?"
Wu Tianzhen didn't know how to respond. He didn't even dare to look at Zhang Qiling's expression.
Fatty looked at him for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha, Tianzhen, are you scared of climbing to that birdhouse on the treetop later?!"
He reached out and patted Wu Tianzhen's back forcefully, then paused his hand there as if to offer comfort. The searing heat transmitted through his clothes invigorated Wu Tianzhen.
"Where did you get that idea?" Wu Tianzhen laughed, "My legs went numb from sitting here for too long. It just started hurting badly."
"You'll have to help me up, Fatty. Otherwise, we'll miss our chance to strike at the front lines against the remnants of feudalism!"
Fatty helped him up. Wu Tianzhen adjusted his backpack, cast one last glance at the water pool, and then turned back with a bright smile.
"I've rested. Let's go up quickly."
Zhang Qiling stood in the distance. He hadn't approached while they were talking, but had been watching quietly.
When Wu Tianzhen finally gathered his courage to look at him, Zhang Qiling was looking down, silently staring at his slightly raised left hand.
...That hand had just been bandaged by Wu Tianzhen, and a trace of blood was now seeping through.
Zhang Qiling gently clenched his hand. His expression was hidden in the shadow of his hood, making it impossible to discern any specific details. Yet, for some reason, in that instant, Wu Tianzhen felt as if he was actually very sad.
This feeling flashed by quickly. Soon, Zhang Qiling raised his head, his face displaying the same impassive expression as always. He glanced at the two of them, pulled down his hood, and turned to start climbing, moving ahead as Zhang Qiling had done countless times before.
Wu Tianzhen felt a surge of inexplicable emotion, unable to articulate it.
He exchanged a look with Fatty. In Fatty's steady gaze, he found a sense of security. Gritting his teeth, he followed and began to climb.
...Just now, while comforting him, Fatty had subtly written a line of text on his back.
〈Trust Xiao Ge〉
---
The three of them remained almost silent on the way up. Wu Tianzhen's thoughts were as tangled as a ball of yarn, a jumble of worries that even he couldn't decipher. However, he didn't materialize anything else using the bronze tree.
Monocular worms lurked within the bronze tree trunk. The higher they climbed, the more numerous the worms seemed to become, until finally, the sound of rustling ceased entirely.
Wu Tianzhen knew that the absence of sound didn't mean the monocular worms had disappeared from the trunk.
On the contrary, the lack of noise was due to the sheer number of monocular worms packed tightly together, leaving no room for movement.
Logically, he should have been afraid, but due to the overwhelming emotions, he felt as though the word "fear" had drifted far away from him.
Not only was he not worried by the worms' abnormal behavior, but he also felt a sense of calm because they had finally stopped their annoying rustling.
...I never realized I was such a pervert before, hahaha…
Wu Tianzhen chuckled to himself, finding amusement in the grim situation. Just then, Fatty's exclamation of "Holy shit!" came from beside him.
He finally snapped back to reality and looked up towards the sky—
They had reached the apex of the internal cavity of Snowman Peak. Where the flashlight beams shone, the hemispherical space at the top was almost entirely filled with the intertwined, extending, and twisted branches of the bronze tree!
Unlike the branches below, the crown of the tree seemed to be the primary area of ancient sacrifices.
As the light swept across, countless ferocious, shriveled corpses were impaled on long branches. They resembled leaves, filling the gaps between the bronze tree's boughs, so much so that without the light, one would think it was a lush, verdant tree.
And these were not the most shocking things.
Wu Tianzhen had already suspected that the numerous stone materials transported there were likely sent to the top of the bronze tree for the construction of mysterious structures. He hadn't expected the reality to be so extravagant!
Before them stood a colossal stone palace. Ancient pillars were carved with mysterious patterns, exuding an aura of deterrence from over a thousand years ago!
What was most astonishing was that the palace was built with a ninety-degree rotation!
The palace, which should have been situated upright on the treetop, was rotated so that its dark, gaping entrance directly faced their group. It looked as if the builders had known, from the moment of construction, that people would climb up from the base of the tree years later?!!
The bronze tree branches extended into the palace and emerged from the side windows, making the palace resemble a monster with bared claws, facing them.
...I spoke too soon.
Wu Tianzhen thought inexplicably:
...When it's time to be afraid, I can still be afraid.