The Martial Unity

Chapter 3192: Reuniting With An Old Friend

Having gained everything that he came for in the Esocline Federation, Rui departed from the country by himself. He knew that Amare was likely still in deep conversation with the Psycher about their common past centuries before the Age of Martial Art. Gaining closure with one of the immortal sages would be good for her progression, especially if any of the high-minded philosophy that the Psycher spoke of was actually true and real.

He, on the other hand, headed straight towards the Beast Domain, heading deep into the recovering territory of beasts and monsters.

The light of day illuminated the vast forests of exotic flora and fauna as the air changed. A myriad of esoteric phenomena spanned the entire region as gravity-defying islands and rivers seemed to take to the skies.

The vast region had only grown more and more mysterious as the esoterified extensions of the Beast Domain hid the region from even his senses.

Merely a little over a year had passed since their conquest in the Beast Domain had ended, and yet, the overflowing fauna had already begun returning across the vast flora of the Beast Domain. Despite the fact that the Martial Sages had wreaked havoc across the Central Highlands, life had somehow returned, along with nascent traces of quasi-Transcendent beings.

And yet, Rui’s concern was not with the Central Highlands of the Beast Domain.

It was with one particular quasi-Transcendent being that had managed to survive the purge that the Martial Sages had conducted.

One that had hibernated further away from the center of the Beast Domain.

WHOOSH...

Rui arrived before a vast, luscious forest spanning as far as the eye could see within the depths of the Master-level belt of the Beast Domain.

A wave of nostalgia washed over him as he took in the sight.

He had come here a long, long time ago with Kane when the two of them scoured the Beast Domain for the Divine Doctor. He had returned to the region that offered hope for the diversity of life in the Beast Domain.

”The Garden of Salvation.”

Before, he hadn’t even been able to so much as sense the Elder Tree’s domain.

But now, it may as well have been a transparent bubble before him.

As a Martial Sage, he could sense the contours through the very fabric of space and time, connecting the two opposite points on the domain to each other, allowing a person to essentially walk right past the domain without even noticing that it was there.

He reached out, activating his Realms of power as he warped the very fabric of space and time to his will, unraveling the spatial barrier of the Garden of Salvation.

RUMBLE!!!

The world shook as the grand splendor of the garden bore itself to the world.

Within it was a myriad diversity of flora, fauna, and environment.

A cacophony of roars, chirps, growls, and other animal noises erupted from within the depths of the Garden of Salvation as specimens of the entirety of the biosphere of the Beast Domain were contained.

Even more magically, each creature within the Garden was within its own ideal domain, most perfectly suited to it.

A domain that followed them with each step they took.

It created a chaotically diverse environment where each and every single creature was comfortable and at home.

A domain worthy of being considered the Garden of Salvation.

At the very center was a massive, expansive tree.

One that dwarfed mountain ranges.

Its giant trunk reached far, far into the depths of the sky, visible from tens of thousands of kilometers away.

It glowed in a myriad of colors.

Within the depths of its body was immense power.

Even more power than Rui recalled.

”It has been a long time, old friend.” A gentle smile emerged on Rui’s face.

He could feel the sapience and intelligence within the massive tree reach out to him.

Indeed, it has. We have both emerged from the Era of Darkness alive and well, and now, you have managed to become the new Emperor of the Beast Domain.

Rui smiled as the soothing presence of the Elder Tree made him feel relaxed.

”I’m glad that you survived the Beast Incursion,” Rui remarked as his tone grew more concerned. ”However, I recently momentarily mobilized a Beast Excursion. Has that not disrupted your demanding nutrient needs?”

Thankfully, it has not. The esoterified extensions of the Beast Domain now cover most of the continent, returning us to a state of the continent many centuries ago at the start of the human Age of Martial Art, the tree replied. I am no longer in as feeble and delicate a state as I used to be. With such a vast territory of flora and fauna at my disposal, I am more stable than I have been in a long time.

Rui smiled with genuine delight. ”I am really, really happy to hear that. I am happy to see that the Garden of Salvation is doing as well as it is. You may even be able to expand your domain now that you have gained more territory.”

I may... but that depends on what human civilization intends to do from this point on, the Elder Tree replied with a solemn tone. I have seen what human civilization did to the Beast Domain over the years, and now it is stronger than ever. Expanding my domain is a liability if human civilization intends to conquer the Beast Domain a second time and exterminate all life in its path. The whole reason I created the Garden of Salvation was because of the destructive nature of human civilization.

A pang of sorrow and guilt emerged in Rui’s eyes as he resolutely shook his head.

”We do not intend to do that anymore.”

His tone was unyielding.

”As the new King of Beasts, I do not intend to allow human civilization to destroy the Beast Domain once more,” he continued. ”It was short-sighted. It was stupid. It was greed. And we paid a heavy, heavy price for it in the form of seventeen years of a hellish apocalypse in the Era of Dawn. We have learned our lesson when it comes to picking a fight with the Beast Domain.”