The Man Beneath the Baobab
In the God Realm, silence ruled the sacred lands.
The skies shimmered with golden mist, and the endless plains beneath the heavens glowed faintly under the divine aura that surrounded the realm. Beneath an ancient tree whose roots stretched far beyond sight, a strange spiral of power slowly began to form.
At first, it was only a faint pulse.
Then it expanded.
Light spiraled upward from beneath the tree, glowing like the warmth of the morning sun. The aura was ancient, pure, and terrifyingly familiar.
The gods immediately sensed it.
One after another, divine figures rushed toward the tree, their expressions filled with unease. The moment they arrived, they stared at the growing spiral of power in stunned silence.
The atmosphere became heavy.
Thunder rumbled faintly across the heavens.
"What do you think this means?" one of the gods asked HaoNan, his voice tense.
HaoNan stared at the glowing spiral beneath the tree, her face pale.
"The InShi has awakened," she replied.
The surrounding gods immediately exchanged fearful glances.
"What are we to do now?" another god asked while facing HaoNan. "You were the closest to Master."
HaoNan remained silent briefly.
The image of the Ansha appeared in her thoughts.
His teachings.
His smile.
His final words.
She slowly clenched her fists.
"We will support XiaoYan," HaoNan finally said. "He needs our help."
"He is overcome with grief," another god replied. "He has lost his will."
"Then," HaoNan said firmly, "we shall help him find it."
The gods slowly departed, leaving HaoNan behind beneath the sacred tree.
The glowing spiral continued to rotate softly.
HaoNan slowly knelt before it.
Her eyes trembled.
"Master…" she whispered quietly. "Is this it?"
The winds blew gently across the divine realm.
But no answer came.
—
Far away in the Mortal Realm, sorrow blanketed the earth.
A deserted village stood in silence beneath a fading sky.
Broken homes lined the empty streets.
Dust drifted slowly through the air.
Not a single sound could be heard except the whisper of the wind.
Beneath a massive baobab tree, XiaoYan sat quietly on an old wooden bench.
Mi-An's lifeless body rested gently in his arms.
His fingers trembled slightly as he brushed strands of hair away from her face.
Soft tears rolled down his cheeks.
He hummed quietly to himself.
A sorrowful tune.
The same tune Mi-An once hummed during their travels.
The disciples stood nearby, watching him silently.
None of them dared to speak.
Their hearts ached as they looked at him.
The once fearless XiaoYan now looked broken.
Empty.
Defeated.
The wind rustled the leaves of the baobab tree softly.
Then suddenly—
The disciples sensed a terrifying presence behind them.
Their expressions changed instantly.
A man stood there quietly.
The InShi.
His calm gaze swept across the disciples.
"Where is XiaoYan?" he asked.
One of the older disciples stepped forward cautiously.
"Who are you?"
The InShi's eyes darkened slightly.
"Take me to XiaoYan!" he screamed.
BOOM!
An invisible pressure exploded outward.
All the disciples crashed violently to the ground.
None of them could even breathe properly beneath the overwhelming force.
The InShi slowly walked past them.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The pressure in the atmosphere became suffocating.
Yet XiaoYan did not move.
He continued staring quietly at Mi-An.
The InShi finally stopped in front of him.
"She's dead," he said calmly.
XiaoYan's grip around Mi-An tightened.
"No," he replied softly. "She isn't. I'll revive her."
The InShi looked at him silently.
"If your father was alive," he said, "perhaps he could revive her. But you… it is a pity. You ended your father's life."
XiaoYan's eyes dimmed slightly.
But he still refused to look up.
"Say what you will," he replied. "I will not let Mi-An die."
The wind blew harder.
The leaves above them rustled slowly.
The InShi's lips curved faintly.
"What if I revive her for you?"
XiaoYan finally lifted his gaze.
Silence.
"If you're here to mock me," XiaoYan said quietly, "then leave. If you're here to kill me… then do it."
"Kill you?" The InShi smiled faintly. "You have already lost your will to fight. There is no use in killing you."
"Then what do you want from me?"
"I told you," The InShi replied. "I can help you revive her."
XiaoYan stared at him suspiciously.
"And why would you do that? What would you gain in return?"
The InShi slowly sat opposite him.
"You must have forgotten," he said softly, "you are my nephew. I have no feud with you. The Ansha is already dead. I have no reason to kill you. I simply wish to help my beloved nephew get his heart's desire."
XiaoYan's eyes trembled slightly.
"You'll revive her?"
"Yes."
"Why should I trust you?"
The InShi leaned forward slightly.
"She is already dead," he said quietly. "Shouldn't you be weighing your options carefully?"
XiaoYan lowered his gaze toward Mi-An.
Pain filled his expression.
"And how would you do that?"
"Have you heard of the AiYu power?"
XiaoYan slowly shook his head.
"No."
"It holds the power of life and death," The InShi explained calmly. "Only the Ansha and I possess it."
XiaoYan's breathing became uneven.
"So… you can truly revive her?"
The InShi smiled.
"Yes."
XiaoYan looked down at Mi-An once more.
His fingers trembled.
His grief had consumed everything.
Reason.
Suspicion.
Fear.
All of it.
Only one desire remained inside him.
Bring her back.
"Then… revive her."
The InShi slowly stood.
"Very well then," he said softly. "My dear nephew."
As The InShi reached toward Mi-An—
BOOM!
Thunder exploded across the sky.
The heavens cracked open.
Divine light descended.
The gods had arrived.