Flower vines wriggled at the feet of the city wall, the majority of their bodies were hidden in the soil.
It seemed that this city’s defenders only numbered so little. However, when all the Flower Demons squeezed out from the soil, it would surely deal a heavy blow to the enemies.
Ning Family Dynasty’s army was approaching closer and closer. The defenders could already feel the killing intent blowing past them, the breaths, roars, savage......
Those which flew in the sky, those which ran on the earth, the dust rumbled and noises blasted.
Eventually, the enemy army was only one plain away from Wanxiang City.
This plain could not sustain the stampede of an army. The army would sweep across within ten minutes and nothing would be left on the plain.
Tiny sweat droplets began seeping out of the heads of those defenders. The strength of the enemy far surpassed their imagination. They could not help but started to fear, their faces pale and grim.
Shen Mo and Xia Zhixian stood on the city wall and stared at the approaching enemies.
Suddenly, Xia Zhixian frowned and turned her gaze to the piece of land between Wanxiang City and the army.
“What’s going on? Why is she there?” asked Xia Zhixian.
“Ning Maner?” Shen Mo also saw that figure and changed his expression.
Raging wind blew across the plain. The grass leaves were swept into the air. Ning Maner silently stood between the city and the army. That tiny figure looked like a pure white feather within the black tsunami......
“Bring her back,” Shen Mo asked Holy Guard Chief Yi Wu.
Yi Wu shook his head, “Too late.”
The army approached. Just as everyone thought the army would ignore her and continue marching towards the city, the army suddenly stopped.
At the front most of Ning Family Dynasty’s army, a running Blood Life Beast came to a stop.
After that Blood Life Beast stopped, the entire army followed. It looked as if a moving scene was paused.
An old man with black and white mixed hair stood on that Blood Life Beast’s back. His wrinkles were deep, and that pair of pale purple eyes were focused on the woman standing alone before the army.
The old man maintained a hand raising gesture. The entire army stopped because of that gesture.
“You left your home for a long time and have grown up. You look more like your mother,” Ning Tianyou looked at Ning Maner and smiled.
“Grandfather,” Ning Maner lowered her head, scared of keeping eye contact with Ning Tianyou.
She agreed to let He Cang bring her out in the past, she never returned after leaving. She also knew they would find her eventually. Messiah Tree’s secret would be exposed one day. However, she never expected them to show up here at this moment, with an entire army in tow.
“Come,” Ning Tianyou waved towards her, as if not showing any anger.
Ning Maner took a glance at the densely packed army behind Ning Tianyou.
All of them were especially respectful towards Ning Tian you, there was even nobody standing next to him. This meant Ning Tianyou already reached a high position in Ning Family Dynasty and even became a leader.
Ning Maner remembered that when she was still in Ning Zhuan clan, the clan was still falling. However, this clan rapidly expanded over the past few years and obtained the past glories. The clan master was no longer Ning Zhuang and became her grandfather Ning Tianyou.
Ning Maner walked towards Ning Tianyou and stopped before that Blood Life Beast.
At that moment, Ning Maner’s cousins walked over as if to protect her, but seemed more likely to prevent her from escaping again and surrounded her.
“Grandfather, let this army retreat. I will follow you back. I will use my power to nurture more experts for Ning Family Dynasty,” said Ning Maner.
Ning Tianyou looked down at Ning Maner from Blood Life Beast’s back and slowly spoke, “Escorting you back is the main mission this time, but a treasure vault-like city is right in front. If I order retreat, I will disappoint these soldiers who crossed over such a long distance.”
Ning Maner was startled for a moment and turned pale. She hurriedly pleaded, “No! They are my families and friends.”
“I am your only family!” said Ning Tianyou.
“I inherited Messiah Tree’s power. When I become a little stronger, I can provide far more resources than New Moon Land. If grandfather let go of this city, I will do my best...... High class Immortal rank, peak Immortal rank, even Undying rank. I can achieve those,” Ning Maner’s emotion fluctuated violently.
She had to persuade Ning Tianyou. She was unwilling to see her grandfather becoming the enemy who killed her families and friends. She was unwilling to see Wanxiang City in ruin like that.
Deaths, sacrifices, she had seen enough corpses......
“I know that long ago,” said Ning Tianyou.
“Long ago?” Ning Maner was unable to comprehend Ning Tianyou’s meaning.
“Yes, long ago. Have you never wondered who threw you in Quiet Forest to let Messiah Tree pass down its power to you?” said Ning Tianyou peacefully.
Ning Maner was stunned.
She remembered she lived in Wupan City when she was very young. However, those memories were blurry, she could not remember them well. Her real memories started in Quiet Forest.
She...... She really did not know how she was in Quiet Forest.
“I have a son who was really idealistic, he loved a woman who was disliked by the entire family. The things they had done were never acknowledged by the family. They wandered everywhere, abolished the clan kins without mercy, completely unrestricted by the world......”
“He was my most rebellious son, and also the most irritating son. He never listened to me. However, he did something I had to be proud of.”
“He and your mother pursued a life of just the two of them. They gave birth to you under Messiah Tree in Quiet Forest. The miraculous thing was, you who was born under Messiah Tree was acknowledged and blessed by Messiah Tree, and even inherited a portion of Messiah Tree’s power.”
“He and your mother brought you back to me and proudly told me that you are the luckiest daughter in this world. Because you possess a blessing from a god.”
“Quiet Forest, that was the land of gods forgotten by the six races. I could not believe they actually really entered Quiet Forest and saw Messiah Tree. They told me that Messiah Tree spread its nurturing ability to many life forms. Actually, there were not many powerful creatures around it to protect it. It was a tree of god which completely offered all of its power.”
Ning Maner stood there, her eyes focused on Ning Tianyou who was slowly narrating the past. For some reason, the current Ning Tianyou gave her a dangerous feeling, as if he was someone else.
She did not know if she never saw her grandfather’s true personality or he completely changed over these years. In any case, he was like a stranger now!
Ning Tianyou looked at Ning Maner’s rather naive expression and grinned, “Do you still not understand?”
Ning Maner shook her head. She could not understand what Ning Tianyou wanted to say.
“Fine,” Ning Tianyou continued his narration, “When my irritating son told me this news and showed you to me, I have thought up a grand plan.”
“As expected, my son never listened to me again. He has never listened to me before. I have no other choice but to let Wupan Royalty to handle him.”
“He’s rebellious, stubborn and tenacious. However, as a father, I had to admit he was a strong individual worthy of respect! We sent out all our experts and even Wupan Royalty had to send out a few experts to take him down. In order to subdue him alone, our clan suffered a great loss. Our overall strength fell greatly in Wupan Continent......”
Speaking up to this point, Ning Tianyou stopped and stared at Ning Maner.
Ning Maner was completely shocked, her eyes filled with disbelief!
She had always assumed the other clans were the culprits harming her parents. She never thought it was her grandfather, Ning Tianyou, who truly harmed her parents!
“You are still too naive. A naive person cannot survive in this world. I took you to Messiah Tree again. Messiah Tree treated you like its own granddaughter and carefully nurtured you. It even granted you its Messiah Seed to let you inherit its power.”
“Unfortunately, Messiah Tree is also too naive. It never imagined you are the fatal chess piece Wupan Royalty and I arranged to be at its side......”
Ning Maner felt a chill. The chill seeped through her skin, invaded her body and touched her soul!
She could not believe that all of that was planned by her grandfather!
In that case......
Ning Maner looked at this stranger-like Ning Tianyou.
“Then, Quiet Forest’s slaughter......”
“I’m just a guide. In fact, a special existence like you brought destruction to Quiet Forest!” said Ning Tianyou.
Guide......
The nightmare in Quiet Forest would occasionally appear in Ning Maner’s dream.
After personally witnessing that slaughter, she could clearly remember it even after so many years.
However, that heart-tearing slaughter was actually orchestrated by the person before her, and he was her blood-related grandfather!
Her family killed the three which nurtured her from young, as well as countless companions and guardians in Quiet Forest.
Treant, snake, fairy, lion man, wind eagle...... They desperately protected her life, but the person they protected was actually the cause of the destruction of Quiet Forest.
The culprit was herself. From the moment of her birth, the seed of disaster had been planted for the entire Quiet Forest......
This sudden information shocked Ning Maner and caused her mind to break in an instant!