Volume One: The Miscellaneous Duties of Changshui County Chapter 111: The Forty-Ninth and a Half Floor

The surroundings were a pale, misty void, vast and seemingly infinite in every direction.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, a colossal tree appeared before Lu Jiuzhang. It was so immense that its canopy alone resembled a small island, blotting out the sky.

The fiftieth level seemed to consist of nothing but this single, towering tree.

The Trial Tower remained silent. Lu Jiuzhang circled the tree, yet found nothing unusual. What purpose could the fiftieth level possibly serve? Finding nothing, he prepared to give up. He decided it was best to find a way out.

Just as he turned to leave, an aged voice echoed, "Young man, do you lack even this much patience?"

The voice sounded like that of an elderly man, filled with emotion, quite unlike the mechanical tone of the trial tower.

Lu Jiuzhang froze. "Who’s there?"

He scanned his surroundings again, eventually fixing his gaze upon the giant tree.

"It is I."

A human face manifested on the trunk of the tree, appearing quite eerie.

"A tree that has become a demon?"

"You could put it that way."

Lu Jiuzhang gasped. How many years must such a massive tree have grown? However, since the entity was a demon and posed no immediate threat, he remained composed. If such a powerful creature truly wished to harm him, he knew he would have no chance of escape anyway.

"May I ask your age, Senior?" Lu Jiuzhang asked, cupping his hands in a respectful salute.

"Thirty thousand, five hundred years and some change. So much time has passed in the blink of an eye. You are the first living person to break into this place in ages. Little one, you are quite lucky," the tree replied slowly.

What? Thirty thousand years? Did that mean this tree existed even before the fall of the Heaven-Treading Sect? This was preposterous! Lu Jiuzhang was left stunned.

"Over the years, many sects have entered these ruins—at least tens of thousands of people in total. But their talent was too mediocre; no one had ever reached this point," the tree mused, as if lost in memories. "That you have made it to this level proves your talent is exceptional. Even back in the days of the Heaven-Treading Sect, you would have been called a supreme genius."

Lu Jiuzhang felt somewhat embarrassed by this praise. If not for the Kuixing Pavilion, he might not have made it this far.

Before he could respond, the tree continued, "If the Sect Master were still alive and had met you, he might have taken you as a personal disciple. Of course, do not think being a personal disciple is anything extraordinary; to my knowledge, the last Sect Master had as many as six personal disciples."

"To succeed the Sect Master is a long and arduous journey!"

Lost in the past, fragments of memory resurfaced, and the events of over thirty thousand years ago felt as fresh as yesterday. At that time, it was merely a sapling that had just gained consciousness, a demon that had just stepped into the ninth rank of the Demon Path. It had been fortunate to survive that great catastrophe and had lived in these ruins ever since, waiting until today, when someone finally stepped into this place once more.

"Were there many who passed the Trial Tower back then?" Lu Jiuzhang asked.

"Well, not too many. I later discovered a stone tablet in the ruins engraved with the names of disciples who had passed the Trial Tower. From the establishment of the Heaven-Treading Sect to its collapse, there were four hundred and seventy-three. Including you, that makes four hundred and seventy-four!" the tree stated solemnly.

*Good heavens!* That was not "many"? The difficulty of this trial tower far exceeded human imagination. Even for the first twenty levels, the odds of passing were one in ten thousand. Lu Jiuzhang had only managed to pass by exploiting the fact that his cultivation was suppressed; his true combat power far exceeded his current realm.

"The Heaven-Treading Sect ruled over billions, and there were always some world-shaking geniuses who appeared. Those geniuses were like the midday sun, brilliant and awe-inspiring," the tree sighed. "The Heaven-Treading Sect stood for over twenty thousand years. Averaging it out, one appeared every few years, which isn't that exaggerated. Those children of great families were nurtured even from the womb; it was expected that their combat power and talent would be astonishing."

"And you, Senior? What is your cultivation level?" Lu Jiuzhang asked.

"Second Rank of the Demon Path," the tree replied. "This place originally only had forty-nine levels. I created the fiftieth. In truth, it isn't really a fiftieth level; strictly speaking, it is the forty-ninth and a half. With my current capabilities, I cannot create a complete fiftieth level."

*Second Rank of the Demon Path!* That was incredibly powerful! Even the Chief of the Demon-Slaying Division was only at the Second Rank of the Martial Path.

"After the Heaven-Treading Sect fell, most resources were plundered. For me to reach the Second Rank of the Demon Path is already quite an achievement. Whether it is the Martial Path or the Demon Path... the resources required in the later stages are vast!"

"You need not envy me. Since you have passed the Trial Tower, as long as you do not fall, you have the potential to reach the Second Rank or even the First Rank of the Martial Path in the future. As for the Super-First Rank, that depends on your luck."

The tree had spoken much today; this was the first time it had conversed so extensively since the fall of the Heaven-Treading Sect. Talent ensured potential, but only if one survived.

The two talked for a long time. Lu Jiuzhang gained some understanding of the Heaven-Treading Sect, though the tree knew nothing of the mastermind behind its destruction. At that time, it was still young and its cultivation was low. So many years had passed, and it had remained within the ruins, never venturing out. After thirty thousand years, the world had changed, and it knew little of the current state of affairs.

"By the way, Senior, I have one more important matter. How do I leave this place?" Lu Jiuzhang asked. This was the most important thing.

"Anyone who becomes a true disciple can come and go as they please; just use your identity token. Although the formation is damaged, it still retains some functionality. The only thing to note is that you cannot bring too many people with you," the tree warned. "It cannot support those with cultivation levels that are too high. This is a broken formation; compared to its original power, it is not even a thousandth of what it once was."

"If you force others out, you might cause the space to collapse, endangering your own life."

"I know you are anxious to leave, but there are still many resources remaining in the core area. You may go and collect them before you depart. Although the core area is filled with demons, they all address me as the Demon King. Rest assured, they will not trouble you."

After the tree spoke, Lu Jiuzhang bowed once more. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior!"

Subsequently, Lu Jiuzhang returned to the forty-ninth level and was sent out by the Trial Tower.

The moment he emerged, he saw several corpses lying on the ground. One was familiar—it was Division Chief Xue! Lu Jiuzhang sighed; Division Chief Xue had been a decent man, and he hadn't expected him to perish.

Nearby, Zhong Zhengming was digging a pit, intending to bury him. Lu Jiuzhang bowed three times to the fallen chief as a sign of respect. Xue had once been a servant to Zhong Zhengming, later freed from servitude to become his right-hand man and the Deputy Chief of the Changshui County Demon-Slaying Division. He had been a prominent figure in Changshui, yet this was his end.

"My condolences, Division Chief Zhong," Lu Jiuzhang said in a low voice.

"Cough, cough... I'm finally out."

As Lu Jiuzhang finished speaking, a voice came from within the Trial Tower—it was the Big Black Dog.