Evolution Begins With A Big Tree

Chapter 1208, Master of All Things

Translator:  Ashish

Translation Checker: Silvain

Yu Zi Yu, at this moment, shot a fleeting glance at the two nearby figures, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“With this, they shouldn’t suspect anything.” A faint smile played across his lips, though just then, a worried voice echoed from afar.

“You’re injured?” Michael cried out in alarm, his expression changing slightly.

He was really surprised that someone as strong as the Fifth Angel King was injured.

He found it totally ridiculous.

However, staring at the cross-shaped wound in his palm, glowing faintly like a crucifix, fell into a long silence.

“The God of Light truly is terrifying,” Yu Zi Yu replied with a soft sigh, then slowly raised his gaze to the vast and silent starry skies.

Only after that did he continue, “Now that the Gods’ Spear of Fate has returned, the Gods are showing signs of reclaiming their former glory. You’d best prepare yourselves.”

“Prepare? Prepare for what?” Clenching his fists, Seraphim growled in unwilling frustration.

One God of Light alone had forced them into such a miserable state.

If the entire Pantheon of Light, or worse, the full might of the Gods, descended upon them, could the Angel Clan withstand such a siege?

After all, the Pantheon of Light was only one of the Gods’ Nine Pantheons.

Among them, the Pantheon of Darkness, the Pantheon of Chaos, and the Godking Lineage were all on par with the Pantheon of Light.

From this alone, one could grasp just how dreadful the Gods truly were, or rather, how terrifying the return of the Spear of Fate had made them.

Without it, the Gods might still surpass the Angels in power,  but never by this much.

“Haha…” Yu Zi Yu let out a soft chuckle. He could clearly sense the bitterness in Seraphim’s voice.

Not just bitterness, but humiliation, resentment, and even a sliver of guilt.

Guilt at his own powerlessness?

Smiling faintly in his heart, Yu Zi Yu stated in a straightforward manner, “Don’t forget, the Angel Clan is now part of the ‘Heavenfall Alliance.’ To advance and retreat together, isn’t that the principle of the alliance.”

At this point, a playful tone crept into his voice, “So… you understand, don’t you?”

“…”

A heavy silence fell, and Seraphim and Michael stood frozen in place.

[Advance and retreat together? Is he implying… to drag the Demon Court and the Titan Clan into the fray as well?] At that thought, Michael’s expression turned strangely unreadable.

Then, somewhat hesitantly, he stated, “That… might not be appropriate.”

“Why not?” Yu Zi Yu shot back with a rhetorical question. Standing firmly from the standpoint of the Angel Clan, he bluntly added, “Don’t forget, it was the Demon Court that first called on us to join forces against the Heavenly Court. Now that the Angels are in peril, how can they sit idly by? So… if necessary, we can sacrifice a bit of interest to have the Demon Court shelter us for now…”

There was no fault in Yu Zi Yu’s reasoning.

At least, not from the perspective of the Angel Clan.

However, what they didn’t know was the Demon Court was already ravenous with ambition. War had long been on their minds.

Especially their Lord, the Divine Tree had been yearning to launch an invasion.

And now, with the sudden attack from the Gods, the Demon Court had finally been handed the perfect excuse.

If the Angel Clan were to take the initiative and seek their aid, Yu Zi Yu would only feign modesty for a moment before leading the entire Heavenfall Alliance in a full-scale war against the Gods.

That way, not only would Yu Zi Yu gain a justifiable cause for war, but he’d also be able to win the hearts of the Angel Clan.

In time, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Angels became a subordinate race of the Demon Court.

It was a perfect case of killing two birds with one stone.

As for now, Yu Zi Yu, under the guise of the Fifth Angel King, he was merely nudging the entire Angel Clan to make the ‘correct’ decision.

And he was confident, the Angels would not disappoint him.

Just then, as if remembering something, Yu Zi Yu took a single step forward.

*Booooom…* In an instant, space and time reversed, and the figure bearing sixteen golden wings appeared right beside Seraphim.

Raising his hand, Yu Zi Yu gently rested it on Seraphim’s shoulder, and stated in a sincere voice, carrying a weight that pierced the heart, “All I pursue… is strength. As for the Angel Clan, it’s still up to you to carry it forward…”

As his words faded, so too did his figure gradually dissolve into the starry void.

All that remained were golden Angel feathers, drifting down like celestial snow in the endless sky.

…

Not long after Yu Zi Yu’s departure, Seraphim and Michael exchanged glances. Complex emotions flickering in their eyes.

*Haaaa…* A long sigh escaped Seraphim’s lips as his posture visibly slumped, as though the weight of years had suddenly fallen upon him.

“I’ve lost…” His voice was bitter, and even his gaze turned dazed and unfocused.

He had indeed lost, but not in terms of strength; he had lost in spirit.

As the leader of the Angel Clan, he, Seraphim, had allowed jealousy and resentment to cloud his judgment. Time and again, he had envied Alarion.

However, now, with just a single phrase from Alarion, it was as though a hammer had struck his heart, awakening him from his stupor.

And so, he had lost… completely and utterly.

…

“Was Seraphim always this easy to manipulate?” A playful voice echoed within the depths of the stars. It was Yu Zi Yu, who had long since left, yet still sensed the moment Seraphim’s heart unraveled.

“Ever since you took the Imperial Artifact, you’ve been Seraphim’s inner demon for a hundred years. Now you drop a single sentence like that and don’t expect it to shatter him?”

Anzuiel’s voice was tinged with helplessness.

[Seraphim… yeah, he’s not bad at all. I mean, out of all the Angel Kings I’ve come across, he is definitely up there, close to the best. But alas, his bad luck is that he is born in the same era as a freak of nature like Yu Zi Yu].

[He was already utterly crushed by Yu Zi Yu’s persona of the Fifth Angel King. And his last words–’All I pursue is strength’ was the final nail in the coffin. So, how could anyone not fall apart? That’s practically saying Seraphim’s been judging him with some small-minded jealousy, isn’t it?]

[Still though… maybe this isn’t completely awful. If Seraphim, that kid, can actually get overcome this inner demon… he’s probably gonna become even stronger, and reach a crazy new level. But if he can’t. Well, then that’s just how it goes, I guess. With a leader like that, the Angel Clan will probably head downhill anyway.]

And that… was precisely why the Imperial Artifact did not stop Yu Zi Yu.

*Hehe…* Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Yu Zi Yu pretended not to hear the Imperial Artifact’s commentary.

Right now, he was relishing this sensation of toying with everything, controlling everything.

With just a few words, spoken under the guise of the Fifth Angel King, he could steer the entire Angel Clan.

That feeling was nothing short of exquisite for him.

He had no doubt that before long, the Angel Clan would come seeking the Demon Court’s aid.

And when that time came, he, as Divine Tree, ruler of the Demon Court, would simply name a few conditions, further solidifying the Demon Court’s position in the Western Sector.

As for why he did not just declare himself as the Fifth Angel King and unify the Angel Clan directly, bringing them under the Demon Court’s banner?

Unfortunately, that was not feasible.

Yu Zi Yu didn’t have the time to unify the Angel Clan, and even less time to manage it.

Even the Demon Court itself was managed by Nine Tails and Ling Er, so how could he personally oversee the Angels?

Besides, a step-by-step approach, subtly guiding the Angel Clan to align with the Demon Court’s path, was the wisest strategy.

[A melon forced from the vine is never sweet. But if they joined of their own accord, at least their loyalty could be guaranteed.]