Chapter 2287: Division of Spoils

Qin Sang licked his lips and looked at the other branches. After two fruits ripened, the scent of fruit began to emanate from other branches as well, and new shoots were even starting to emerge.

"I wonder how many fruits the divine tree can bear. If the mysterious Azure Luan and I conceal too many, will it arouse suspicion?"

Qin Sang couldn't help but ponder this thought. Unexpectedly, he suddenly noticed a change in the Bone Luan. After swallowing a fruit, the Bone Luan floated motionless within the thundercloud, surrounded by green lightning, resembling a lightning nest. As the Bone Luan slept in this lightning nest, a strange aura emanated from its body.

Immediately after, the thundercloud began to show signs of agitation.

"Not good!" Qin Sang had an ominous premonition. He hurriedly exerted his full power to maintain the divine ability, calling out to the mysterious Azure Luan.

His calls were like a stone sinking into the sea; the mysterious Azure Luan gave no response. Without the Bone Luan's assistance, Qin Sang alone struggled to maintain the thundercloud, and the terrifying pressure quickly exceeded his limit. He gritted his teeth, persisting with all his might, but could only watch helplessly as the lightning within the thundercloud began to collide, stirring up waves of energy.

Xi Rui and the others, unaware of the true situation, saw this scene and took it as a sign that the thundercloud was about to unleash its power. Their expressions changed, and they became fearful. The Mermaid Queen, for instance, who had been attempting to break through the thundercloud's blockade to contact external great powers, stopped her efforts, fearing to provoke the thundercloud and draw a bolt of heavenly lightning.

However, when the changes within the thundercloud permeated into reality, it gave the great powers a reason to act.

*Boom!*

A crimson glow suddenly appeared above the divine mountain. The crimson light tore through the darkness, like a meteor falling from the heavens, imposing and magnificent.

Hong Tian's expression flickered, and he snorted coldly, "Fellow Daoist, to act so forcefully! What crime would it be if this affects the birth of the dream seed?"

He raised his hand, unleashing a suppressed divine ability that shot directly towards the meteor. Immediately, golden light filled the sky around the crimson glow. The golden light coalesced into a golden halo suspended in mid-air. The crimson light, as if walking into a snare, perfectly fell into the center of the halo, becoming bound by the golden ring, its power greatly diminished.

"Haha... Hong Tian, do you truly believe victory is in your grasp?" A wild laugh echoed from the edge of the heart lake.

A gigantic fist shadow instantly materialized in the void, striking fiercely towards the golden ring. As the fist shadow slammed down, unusual energy flickered around the golden ring, indicating that someone else had also made a move in silence.

With two fists against four, Hong Tian's expression tightened. He urgently called out, "Fellow Daoists, if you don't act now, when will you?"

"Fellow Daoist Hong Tian, I'll assist you."

A female voice drifted from the horizon. A circular luminous hole appeared around the golden ring, from which a magnificent swimming dragon flew out, shaking its head and tail as it circled the golden ring, scattering waves of spiritual light. Along with the swimming dragon appeared dark clouds and torrential rain, plunging the sky into a dim, chaotic state.

Various phenomena manifested in succession, with more individuals joining the fray. Hong Tian's side believed they had the advantage and managed to block each attack. However, the situation within the dream was unclear, and others had not yet formed a unified front against Hong Tian. Some chose to continue observing.

When great powers clashed, the aftershocks of their divine abilities possessed terrifying might. Although Hong Tian and his allies blocked all the attacks, some residual power inevitably cascaded into the dream, stirring up ripples within it. The force of these aftershocks was not enough to shatter the dream, but they certainly affected it, and Qin Sang felt this impact most acutely.

As he manipulated the thundercloud, sealing off both inside and outside, he was the first to sense the external impacts, and his heart tightened.

"The external great powers have started to act!"

This was the worst news. If the Bone Luan had been assisting him in maintaining the thundercloud, they might have held on for a while. But relying solely on himself, the situation would rapidly deteriorate, growing increasingly dire. To make matters worse, as the dream gradually stabilized, the dream's power quickly receded, weakening its ability to resist external impacts.

Soon, Qin Sang's premonition came true. The aftershocks from the great powers' battle caused him immense suffering; the thundercloud became increasingly turbulent, and chaotic lightning swept across the sky. Outside the dream, as more individuals joined the battle, Hong Tian and his allies also faced enormous pressure.

Feeling that he was nearing his limit, Qin Sang glanced at the divine tree, secretly lamenting the situation, and sent a voice transmission to Ji Xia. Upon hearing the transmission, Ji Xia immediately sprang into action.

He had scattered grass seeds around earlier. Now, he took out a gourd, pouring its spiritual liquid evenly over the ground, causing green grass to sprout instantly. The grass grew wildly, its thick stems intertwining like vines. In the blink of an eye, a giant grass mountain formed on the earth. Ji Xia appeared at the top of the grass mountain, and countless green glowing lights flew from it, converging towards his small hand.

At the edge of the heart lake, a colossal tree grew, suspended without visible roots, rooted in the void itself. Its leaves were shaped like cattail fans. A miniature figure lay on one leaf, with two other leaves on either side fanning themselves independently. Gentle breezes blew, and the miniature figure watched the unfolding events with crossed legs, looking utterly at ease.

Just then, the small figure abruptly stood up. He was the current chief of the Jiaojiao Clan, and having heard Ji Xia mention Qin Sang before, he wasn't surprised. After a moment of thought, several leaves at the top of the giant tree simultaneously rotated, aimed at the battlefield, and delivered a powerful fanning blow. Moreover, he was not alone; he had allies. Seeing him act, his allies also lent a hand, providing Hong Tian's side with strong reinforcements, and the situation immediately improved significantly.

However, Qin Sang's predicament did not improve. On the contrary, as more and more individuals joined the battle, the impacts from the aftershocks grew stronger.

*Rumble...*

Thunder rolled, and the thundercloud dramatically split open. Striking cracks appeared in the sky, several giant fissures crisscrossing, tearing the thundercloud apart, as lightning danced wildly high above. This terrifying scene made everyone's hearts pound. Immediately, they were surprised to find that the divine mountain was finally exposed from within the thundercloud.

"A dream seed!" Xi Rui exclaimed softly, seeing Qin Sang and the divine tree beside him.

The divine tree's branches swayed, with fruits forming at the tips of several branches. The fastest-growing one was already close to ripening.

"It's exposed after all!" Qin Sang sighed inwardly. With the divine tree now visible to everyone, he couldn't secretly conceal the fruits. Fortunately, he had already obtained one. Looking at the Bone Luan again, the strange aura became increasingly obvious, but there was still no sign of it waking up. The lightning forming the thunder nest was coalescing, as if to form a lightning cocoon.

"What exactly does the mysterious Azure Luan want to do?" A shadow fell over Qin Sang's heart, but he was helpless and could only focus on overcoming the immediate difficulty. One fruit was clearly not enough to satisfy his ambition. Qin Sang also needed to fulfill his agreement with Hong Tian to gain Hong Tian's support and legitimately obtain more fruits!

At this moment, the appearance of the dream seed ignited a surge of excitement in everyone. Ji Xia's communication with the outside world, and the resulting phenomena, were seen by the Mermaid Queen and others. They mistakenly thought the thundercloud had lost its sealing ability, so they hastily continued to try to contact external great powers. Unexpectedly, this action instead drew down heavenly lightning strikes.

Since the thundercloud was unstable and could no longer conceal heavenly secrets, Qin Sang simply compressed it, directly targeting the Mermaid Queen and others to prevent them from sending out information, thus buying himself more time.

*Crack!* The Mermaid Queen was startled as the thundercloud locked onto her. Several bolts of lightning struck towards her location. Even before the lightning arrived, the thunder's power already made the jewels in the water tremble. She dared not gamble. She hastily retrieved her jewels and fled the area. Immediately after, the grand formation behind her was obliterated by the lightning.

The thundercloud rolled violently, and lightning struck continuously. The Winged Human Prince and others, like the Mermaid Queen, were forced to constantly flee. If they hadn't fought Qin Sang earlier and used the means granted by their ancestors to resist the lightning, the situation might have been completely different. Now, there was no opportunity at all to contact external great powers.

"Fellow Daoists," Xi Rui transmitted, "I can help you two resist the lightning strikes and persuade other fellow Daoists from the sacred land to assist, but I have one condition: after this is done, you two must obtain a dream seed for me!"

"A dream seed?" the Mermaid Queen asked in surprise, "Are we in someone else's dream?"

"You two don't need to scrutinize. You'll understand once you're out," Xi Rui's tone was urgent.

The Winged Human Prince said gravely, "Fellow Daoist truly knows many secrets. But why don't you invite the ancestor behind you to act, instead relying on us?"

Xi Rui gave a bitter smile. By now, how could he not see that the dream's direction was completely different from what he expected? None of the signs the ancestor mentioned before had appeared until the dream seed emerged. When the dream seed was mentioned earlier, the ancestor's tone was very casual. What truly concerned the ancestor was the trouble behind those omens. Xi Rui suspected that either the ancestor had already obtained the dream seed, or the dream seed wasn't of much use to the ancestor. If the trouble had already been resolved, and it was merely a dispute over a dream seed, the ancestor would probably not intervene, leaving him to rely on himself.

There was no need to hide it any longer. Xi Rui informed the two of the inside story. The Winged Human Prince and the Mermaid Queen exchanged a glance in secret for a moment, then immediately formed an oath with Xi Rui. Xi Rui secretly let out a sigh of relief. With a flick of his sleeve, a banner flew out. The banner unfurled, transforming into a sky curtain.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* Lightning struck the banner. The banner undulated, and spiritual light rippled across its surface. Xi Rui's face paled slightly. Disregarding the cost, he exerted his full power. The Mermaid Queen and others, protected by the banner, finally had a moment to breathe. Knowing Xi Rui couldn't hold on for long, they hastily began rebuilding their grand formation.

Qin Sang saw the banner, his brow furrowing slightly. Controlling the thundercloud became more sluggish. Although his pressure decreased, the lightning's power would only grow weaker, and he still had to attend to other matters.

*Swish!* Qin Sang unleashed the Heaven-Trapping Golden Lock, bursting with void domain power, striking towards the banner. At the same time, a small mountain appeared in his palm. He hesitated whether to activate the power of the immortal mountain to amplify the void domain. This was the strongest way to use the immortal mountain.

Previously, Qin Sang suspected a hidden mastermind, meaning his every move wouldn't escape their notice. Mount Daiyu was certainly exposed. However, this mountain was originally left by True Person Ning for Liu Li. Now, for Liu Li's sake, even if it were seized, it would merely be returning to its original owner. Moreover, Qin Sang possessed more than one supreme treasure; the Cloud Roaming Sword was his most crucial secret, and Qin Sang had not yet used his swordsmanship in the illusion. But if the mastermind was *that* one, even if Mount Daiyu were exposed, it wouldn't be a big deal. The question was, should he use Mount Daiyu now to contend for the fruits?

Just as Qin Sang hesitated, he suddenly felt something and looked towards the horizon. A brilliant light shot up into the sky, and within it, a majestic Emperor appeared, seated on a throne, exuding utmost dignity, looking down upon all beings.

"The Heavenly Emperor Talisman of Command!" Qin Sang recognized the Emperor's origin. Liu Li had finally awakened, her power vastly superior to before. At the same time, Qin Sang noticed another phantom above the Emperor's illusory figure: a sundial with a white stone disk face and a black gnomon.

"The Spring Autumn Sundial, it truly is that one!" This thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind. The Emperor's eyes opened, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate heaven and earth. Immediately, the sundial's shadow began to rotate on its surface. The sun shadow instantly completed a full rotation. A giant black and white light needle appeared above the banner and pierced into it along with the lightning!

*Pfft!* Qin Sang and Liu Li, working together, finally pierced a hole through the banner. Qin Sang was overjoyed at the sight. Liu Li herself certainly wasn't this powerful, but after breaking through to the Void Refinement stage, she could unleash more of the Heavenly Emperor Talisman of Command's power. By burning its remaining power and activating the Spring Autumn Sundial, she achieved such astonishing results.

Xi Rui's face was pale. He shouted sharply, "Why aren't you acting yet?!" Besides Tai Xi next to him, two more figures flew out from the shadows. Both were disciples of the ancestor. At this point, they also realized their chances were slim and, persuaded by Xi Rui, they all displayed their abilities.

Fierce battles were taking place both inside and outside the dream. When the Mermaid Queen and the Winged Human Prince finally set up their grand formation and successfully contacted their respective external empress and king, the grass mountain beneath Ji Xia suddenly glowed. It grew facial features and limbs, transforming into a giant yellow grass deity. A single step made the earth tremble. The Yuanxiang Clan Chief also connected his qi with an ally of the Jiaojiao Clan Chief. A sword light pierced through the dream, descending from the sky, grasped by the Yuanxiang Clan Chief.

*Boom!* The Winged Human Prince soared, his ancestor's war spirit reappearing behind him. The Mermaid Queen flicked her fishtail, and vast waves engulfed the mountains, transforming mulberry fields into a vast sea.

Both sides confronted each other from afar; they were the two strongest factions. There were also anomalies elsewhere, but they didn't amount to much. Those individuals, without Xi Rui's protection, were targeted by Qin Sang and had difficulty contacting external great powers.

The thundercloud above Qin Sang's head had shrunk to less than a tenth of its original size. He looked around, his eyes flashing, his lips moving slightly. The Winged Human Prince and the Mermaid Queen were slightly startled. They exchanged a glance and agreed to Qin Sang's proposal. Immediately, Qin Sang's palm struck the divine tree. The ripe fruits transformed into streaks of light, ten in total, and shot towards the sky outside. Qin Sang knew that even Hong Tian couldn't monopolize all the benefits. To alleviate pressure, he proposed a division.

At this point, the dream's power had severely waned, and the divine mountain's foundation grew unstable. With a sharp crack, the divine mountain toppled, leaving the divine tree like rootless duckweed. Qin Sang wrapped up the divine tree and retreated rapidly, with the Yuanxiang Clan Chief and Ji Xia guarding him on either side. At the same time, the sundial needle divided yin and yang: darkness swept towards the enemies, while white light enveloped Qin Sang and his group, helping them quickly distance themselves from the adversaries.

The fruits flew towards reality, attracting the attention of the great powers outside. The Mermaid Queen and the Winged Human Prince decisively abandoned Qin Sang to retrieve the fruits. At this point, the others had just managed to contact the outside great powers. Out of helplessness, they could only go contend for them as well. This might be their only chance; if they didn't try, and instead fought Qin Sang, they might not get even one. He had successfully diverted the trouble.

Qin Sang glanced at the divine tree. There were still more than ten 'green fruits' on it, growing much slower than before. Including those already harvested, the divine tree should eventually bear around thirty fruits in total.