From the moment it had been invaded, all it could do was passively defend, watching helplessly as the mist devoured its roots, never daring to push it away.
It was like a derailed train set back on its tracks, regaining its path.
What kind of divine power was this?
In truth, Olivia had tried everything to heal it.
The Goddess of Youth Idunn had used her golden apples, but those only delayed the withering, never eradicating the mist.
Isis, the Goddess of Life, had healed it, and for a moment all was well, but as soon as the mist returned, everything was destroyed again—like rebuilding a wall only to have it torn down once more.
Even the Holy Light had purified it, yet could not cleanse the black mist.
Those gods were only prolonging its life; as soon as the mist returned, all efforts were for naught.
In the end, all they could do was rely on a lock to seal the mist away.
But now, the mist was receding!
It now had the power to fight back.
Not just to hold on, but to truly heal.
“Sleep…”
It heard Nuwa say softly,”Sleep… Only in slumber can you recover most quickly… And summon forth your vitality to resist the corruption…”
The Tree of Life did not hesitate.
It trusted this voice, felt a warm power enveloping it, and its consciousness began to fade.
Finally, feeling content, it slowly drifted into a sweet, deep sleep.
Su Fu watched with envy—’oh, you Tree of Life, you actually got Lady Nuwa to personally lull you to sleep.’
***
In the northeast corner of Eden, the night was deep.
The fragrance of the Eternal Garden still lingered, the scents of lilies, roses, and jasmines intertwining, rich and lush.
Lilyth’s black robes billowed in the night wind as she fled Eden at top speed.
The land of eternity that never withers was about to fall.
Now was her best chance to escape—the Tree of Life gravely wounded, the two Academy students missing, everyone must be in chaos, and that meant nobody would have time to care about her.
If not now, when?
She curled her lips in a smile, “Those people must be shocked and furious now, but what can they do?”
She had killed so many students; Olivia must be driven mad.
That Central Inspectorate official would definitely face the wrath of the Ministry of Education—for under his watch, the candidates from two Academies had disappeared.
What a grievous dereliction of duty!
“Truly a bunch of fools,” she sneered.
But at that moment, she suddenly stopped short, brow furrowed, “Something’s wrong.”
She had just passed the same rose bushes a second time.
Exactly the same shape, the same position—even that slightly bent leaf hadn’t changed.
She turned warily, scanning her surroundings, body tense.
“There’s something wrong here.”
This wasn’t just a repeated path—this was clearly an illusion.
So where was the enemy?
She examined every flower, every tree, every swaying shadow.
“Come out!” Lilyth suddenly shouted in anger.
Yet all was still, only the night breeze rustling through the leaves.
But how could she believe that?
Black mist began to coil around Lilyth, writhing like a living thing about her.
She was on full alert, nerves taut.
Sure enough, in the next instant—
Figures stepped out from four directions at once.
Behind them, countless others loomed, encircling the area completely.
As these people appeared, the illusion rapidly faded.
The beautiful roses turned to nothing, replaced by barren earth.
There were no roses anymore.
At the lead was a middle-aged woman in priestly white robes—the High Priestess, Olivia.
She looked at Lilyth solemnly and said in a deep voice: “Lilyth, hand over Forbidden Item 005: Eternal Lock. Don’t be obstinate any longer.”
They had been observing Lilyth for a long time but hadn’t seen where she hid the forbidden item.
Lilyth wasn’t stupid.
Seeing the compass in Olivia’s hand, she realized at once.
That was the divine artifact, Judicator—a compass made specifically for tracking traitors.
“You did it on purpose.”
“Did what on purpose?” Olivia replied calmly.
“The moment I attacked those candidates, this Judicator would use them as bait to lure me in and expose my position!” Lilyth gritted her teeth.
She gave a cold laugh, mocking, “Who would have thought you self-proclaimed moralists could be so hypocritical. To actually use candidates as bait—how very bold of you.”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll go on a killing spree? What if something happened?”
She had calculated that Olivia and the others would never risk the candidates.
It couldn’t possibly be a trap but never did she expect these people would go so far.
The Ministry of Education actually approved it.
Wait—
She suddenly realized another possibility, and her tone changed: “Olivia, you used the Angel Feather Pen, didn’t you?”
Olivia did not answer, but Lilyth already had her answer.
She suddenly laughed wildly, tears streaming down her face.
“Oh, so you don’t have many days left to live?”
Olivia showed no reaction, even when her own death was mentioned, her expression stayed calm.
“Look at me, Lilyth.” Olivia fixed her gaze, “Are you really going to continue down this misguided path, refusing to repent?”
At these words, Lilyth lost control.
She screamed, “You’re the ones who should repent! You’re the sheep who’ve lost your way! The prophecy is made—when the stars shine, then wither; only after withering can there be rebirth. When that time comes—”
“The gods will return, all worlds will merge, and the Golden Age will descend once more! The Gate of Apocalypse will open, ancient contracts will be signed anew, the Sleeping Dragon will awaken, and the Forgotten Gods will return!”
Her arms opened wide, as if embracing a future only she could see, “Can’t you see it? When the rivers of stars cross, the gears of fate begin to turn again.”
Lilyth’s eyes shone with fanaticism, “I follow the will of the Lord, only hastening this process. Otherwise, how long must we wait?”
“The withering of the Tree of Life is inevitable. The withering of all things is inevitable. Rather than wait out that endless process, why not let them be freed now!”
Olivia’s eyes finally showed a ripple of emotion—a deep sorrow, “Lilyth, you are completely corrupted now.”
She preached like a missionary, but the gospel she spread was one of destruction.
In her twisted logic, the world need not undergo a natural decline, but could skip directly to withering, accelerate the cycle, and usher in so-called “rebirth.”
Olivia wasted no more words, raising the Judicator compass in her right hand she said, “I, Olivia, in the name of the Father, initiate Judgment!”
The compass instantly blazed with light, soaring from her palm, expanding rapidly until it enveloped the entire space.
The six-pointed star pattern on the compass lit up, and golden Chains of Judgment shot out, instantly locking around Lilyth’s wrists and ankles as if laws themselves had bound her.
This was the divine weapon made specifically for traitors of the Heaven’s Pantheon—the so-called “Judicator” whose power stripped defectors of their divinity, casting them back into mortal bodies.
Never again could they enter Heaven.
Lilyth let out a shrill, heart-rending scream, her body twisting and struggling under the golden chains’ restraint.
The black mist surged frantically, trying to help her break free, but beneath the Judicator’s radiance, the mist melted away like ice under the blazing sun.
“No… no!” she shrieked, her voice splitting the air, “Let me go!”
The Judicator was about to complete its Judgment; Lilyth was almost completely immobilized by the golden chains.
But in the next instant—
“Boom!”
The compass shattered, golden shards scattering in all directions.
The black mist exploded, forming a massive barrier.
Lilyth’s figure flickered in and out of the mist, but she had completely changed.
She strode out slowly, silver hair turned jet-black, eyes burning blood-red, and a pair of massive black wings unfurled behind her.
All her former misery and pain vanished, replaced instead by a cold arrogance that scorned all.
Behind her, the others glimpsed an immense divine manifestation—
It was an angel with six pairs of black wings; the angel’s face was supremely beautiful, yet in its eyes was endless hatred.
“That’s…” Raymond sucked in a cold breath, “The Fallen Archangel… Lucifer!”
Only then did Olivia seem to truly see Lilyth for who she was, her voice trembling, “No wonder… So you’d already fallen, become Satan’s chosen!”
Lilyth smiled, crimson deepening in her eyes, “Not just chosen, my dearest Olivia…”
She lifted her hand slightly, and the black mist expanded, swallowing every trace of light.
Only now did everyone realize they’d been shifted to a barren wasteland.
The sky glowed blood-red, the ground split with countless fissures, and in the distance stretched endless lava and fire.
“Welcome to… Satan’s Domain.” Lilyth’s voice echoed across the wasteland.
“My Lord is about to return. And you… shall be the sacrifices for his return to the mortal world. The Apocalypse has come, the end is near, and the New World Dawn will rise in darkness. Feel the radiance of my Lord!”
Olivia’s heart sank, ‘This madwoman!’
Thankfully, she had long anticipated Lilyth would be difficult to capture, and her preparations were thorough.
The group exchanged glances, their intent clear: “Go!”
Almost simultaneously, a brilliant light burst from Eden’s core—the manifestation of Nuwa.
But the black mist shrouded all; none could see this scene.
Only Shen Yan’s delayed voice rang out: [“Warning! Massive attack detected on the Tree of Life!”]
[“Erosion progress: 15%… 30%…”]
[“Warning! Erosion speed has surpassed the alert threshold!”]
[“45%… 50%…”]
[“……”]
After a series of red warnings, it suddenly paused: [“Abnormal divine power fluctuation detected”]
[“Detected: Someone approaching the Tree of Life”]
[“The Tree of Life is… healing?”]
[“Erosion stopped”]
[“Erosion level falling”]
[“45%… 30%…”]
[“……”]
[“Warning cleared: Progress report in ten minutes”]
Nuwa’s manifestation behind Su Fu had faded due to a lack of divine power.
But fortunately, the situation was under control; the Tree of Life survived.
In fact, it had done more than just survive.
With Nuwa’s appearance, the Tree of Life’s understanding of the concept of “life” deepened, and now, in its slumber, it was frantically repairing itself.
Though it couldn’t solve the Tree’s problem permanently, at least for the next year, not only would it not die, it would thrive.
Su Fu pondered; she would have to grow stronger, sustain Nuwa’s manifestation longer, and perhaps then she could fully heal the Tree.
If only she had her master’s level of power, she could have resolved it on the spot.
Even so, this already far exceeded her expectations.
She, an A-rank Chosen, had saved the dying Tree of Life and even revived its vitality—a story no one would believe.
She could swear, no one else would dare believe such a thing.
Su Fu sighed inwardly—’no wonder Nuwa is the Founding God; this authority truly defies the heavens.’
The concept of Mending the Sky from the Chinese Pantheon is simply invincible.
After all, even the sky itself can be mended—what’s a mere Tree of Life?
She could handle it.
Now that the Tree of Life had fallen into slumber, she whispered softly, “Rest well.”
Though it slept, Su Fu was still healing the ravaged veins left behind after the black mist receded.
After all, the source of infection was gone, but the wounds remained, and she happened to possess the Phoenix’s healing power, allowing her to speed up recovery.
Originally, her divine power would not have lasted this long, but the Tree of Life knew she was saving it.
Unexpectedly, it brought her into its life cycle—an endless cycle, nourishing her in return.
“Goodness.” Su Fu chuckled, “I’ve become its external medical device, huh.”
A peculiar symbiosis formed between her and the Tree of Life; life energy circulated between them in a continuous flow.
Su Fu reaped immense benefits—she had never felt so full of vitality.
A surge of robust life force surged within her; it felt as if her entire being had been refined, overflowing with energy.