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Chapter 511. Skyflower Gets To Know Liu Shu. True Origins Of the Superpowers. [AotSC]
🕑 Added 2025-08-19 19:03:11 +0000 UTC“Tell me, Liu Shu. Do you intend to become the True World Tree?”
That question was strange for Liu Shu. First of all, she didn’t really understand what Skyflower meant by “True” World Tree. For our big lady, she was just being herself. Becoming the major World Tree of the world was a matter that was an inevitability, not a possibility.
Therefore, when Skyflower asked her, her answer was rather simple. “I don’t know what you mean by True World Tree, Skyflower. Nevertheless, what I will become is a World Tree that spans the entire world.” Liu Shu spoke solemnly, her tone soothing yet firm, carrying an unbreakable will behind it. “My roots will reach every corner of this world, spread throughout both land and sea. Where you currently live, where Azure Rose and Celestial Lotus live, where the Nexus’ territory is... Everything will fall under my influence. I’ll make sure of it or die trying.”
Skyflower was stunned by this declaration. It was true that all World Trees had the same instinctive desire. All of them wanted to stretch their roots as far as they could. Nevertheless, the motivation behind it was much different compared to Liu Shu’s.
If a normal World Tree wanted to spread its roots, once blocked, it could come to an agreement and even stop its expansion with the correct motivation or circumstances. No World Tree would expand its roots at any cost. After all, their nature was one of acceptance, not defiance.
Nevertheless, Liu Shu sounded nothing like such. It felt as if Liu Shu would rather flip the entire continent before accepting her death. This simple fact made Skyflower shiver.
Among all creatures, World Trees themselves understood just how powerful they were.
Most people focused on the terror that the World Tree’s main body imposed. However, few creatures could truly understand just how much influence World Trees held over the world around them.
Take, for example, Warlya.
During her peak, Warlya had spread her roots across the majority of the Wild Continent. Just this fact was enough to state that, during the last few years of confrontation against the Humanoid Ant Queen, Warlya could’ve won.
How? Simple, actually.
If Warlya destroyed the Wild Continent, the ants would’ve lost their foundation and become a mess. From then on, Warlya only needed to deal with the Humanoid Ant Queen. In a one-on-one scenario with no distractions whatsoever, Warlya would come out victorious in nine out of ten confrontations.
Of course, Warlya never even thought about it. Destroying the continent was like a human thinking about losing their arms to kill their enemy. Yet, not entirely the same. After all, the consequence was much less punishing. The reason? With enough time, a World Tree could “regrow” those “arms” she sacrificed. Their nearly infinite lifespan made sure of that.
The only damage impossible to heal with time was damage straight to their core.
So, a tactic of mutual destruction had all the benefits without any permanent loss.
But, if a World Tree did that, how many creatures would die in the process? Sinking an entire continent was not something a World Tree would do, even for its own survival.
Warlya already showed incredible determination and specialness for a World Tree. During her last moments, she actually pushed herself until becoming a cripple just because she couldn’t accept the Humanoid Ant Queen’s victory over her. Her sacrifice was so unique that the System gave her several titles for it.
Knowing that, Liu Shu’s statement was chilling. It felt as if, in Tianlian Liu Shu’s mind, there were two outcomes.
“Her world.”
or
“Nobody’s World.”
Skyflower completely reevaluated Liu Shu after her answer. Of course, she could be overthinking, but Skyflower truly feared that Liu Shu lacked the basic inhibitors every World Tree had since birth.
“Liu Shu, I understand. Nevertheless, isn’t it better to slowly spread your roots? Your ability to spread is incomparable to anything I’ve ever seen. You have already covered around 10% of the world’s surface, and you are just starting! In a few decades, you will cover everything that other World Trees have not covered already.”
“Hm…” Liu Shu answered with a strange hum. Skyflower was somewhat confused, only to hear Liu Shu ask her, her tone somewhat low and amused. “Skyflower… Are you afraid?”
“What?”
That question was preposterous for Skyflower. Why would she be afraid?
Liu Shu answered her doubts simply. “I said I am able to take on the Abyssal Void Nexus, but you are clearly trying to slow me down. I spoke about my ability to take over other World Trees, but you are telling me to delay it until I take everything else…” A chuckle reached Skyflower, making her feel a strange chill. “Your words… It feels as if you are afraid.”
“...”
Skyflower couldn’t answer. Did she fear Liu Shu? Not exactly. What she feared was much more complex. Skyflower feared things going too awry from her initial plans. Skyflower feared that if Liu Shu was capable of that, she might destroy her and everyone she took as a threat. Skyflower feared that all her plans would be for nothing just because of the specialness and strength of this ridiculously young yet powerful World Tree.
But… When she summarized all her thoughts, she realized that, yes, at some point, there was a hint of fear within her. ‘Ridiculous… Didn’t Liu Shu assimilate other World Trees? I also heard that they are living peacefully in her domain as well. Why would I be doubtful of her treating me differently?’
Her doubts lay in the knowledge Skyflower had.
Unlike the current Liu Shu, who only had some doubts, Skyflower knew that there was a much vaster world beyond the sky. So, she was afraid of what Liu Shu might do to gain strength once she knew about it. ‘Will she purge all World Trees to strengthen herself? Will her core values change when she learns about the vast world outside?’
Liu Shu felt the heavy mood of the ancient and gentle World Tree. A faint and soothing aura gently seeped out of her, touching Skyflower. “Big Sister Skyflower, I am not a scary World Tree. In truth, I’ve never killed large flora other than corrupted World Trees. What I want is not to swallow everything into my belly.”
Skyflower listened closely, and Liu Shu continued soothingly. “What I want is to be the bridge that connects everything. I want to become the foundation of the World, and a network that can help all of you live together and without conflicts…”
A surge of emotions rushed through the ancient World Tree’s roots. The fear from before slowly transformed into a strange rush of both tranquility and happiness. When Liu Shu’s aura gently caressed her, there was a strange feeling of returning to the embrace of one's parent. It was protective, loving, caring, and full of kindness.
“That… Is that the truth?”
Liu Shu laughed softly. “Of course. Wouldn’t it be too lonely to be the sole World Tree in the entire world? I would rather have many big sisters, aunties, and friends who keep me company.”
“I see…” Skyflower smiled to herself. “If that’s the case… I’ll trust you.”
Liu Shu squinted slightly. She meant everything she said. But, usually, with how Skyflower’s mood was spiraling down, it would take more than that to convince her. After all, Skyflower had become guarded for some strange reason. Breaking this guard took much more time than creating it.
‘Yet it took a few sincere words to convince her… Is this the effect of my <Titles>?’
Her numerous <Titles> and <Passive Skills> made her much more charismatic, simultaneously increasing the influence of her presence and words. While Liu Shu knew and understood that the effect was like allowing the other side to understand her true intentions better, it felt somewhat odd. ‘Well, I guess it is better than escalating to a battle between us before we reach an agreement.’
With that taken care of, Skyflower let down her guard for good and sighed to herself. ‘I guess Liu Shu will be the World Tree who rules Ceperet. I should inform her about the basic structure of the world.’
“Liu Shu, listen to this old lady for a while, okay?”
“Okay~.” Her tone returned to the cheerful and easygoing tone. “Tell me! I want information!”
Skyflower smiled and laughed a bit. She really liked this side of Liu Shu. It gave her the feeling of wanting to squeeze her and pat her with her roots. “Ahem. As you know, this world is said to be divided into four major forces. Well, that’s not entirely correct. The number of major forces is five.”
“Five?” Liu Shu thought and asked, curious. “Is it the <Explorer Association>?”
“Yes.” Skyflower was not surprised that she could guess it. “Of these five powers, only three can be considered true superpowers.”
Liu Shu muttered again. “That would be the Verdant Sanctity Covenant, the Abyssal Void Nexus, and the Explorer Association, right?”
“Yes. Those three, as you probably guessed already, did not originate from the Ceperet World. Our World is in quite a remote part of the galaxy, with sparse stars and planets. Therefore, not many World Trees are able to reach anything beyond becoming a Planetary World Tree.”
“Planetary…”
Liu Shu muttered and remembered the sight of the Moon and the night sky. That night, the first time she saw the night sky, the mysterious and beautiful night sky was imprinted in her soul.
“Correct. As you’ve guessed, there are many ways to classify World Trees. Nevertheless, I won’t dive into that for now. Until you completely swallow Ceperet into your roots, knowing more will only make it troublesome for you.”
Liu Shu hummed. “While I don’t think that’s the case, I’ll trust you this time around. Tell me, what’s the deal with the Explorer Association? I don’t know what would offend them. And, honestly, I feel that they are much more dangerous than the Abyssal Void Nexus.”
“You are right to think that.” Skyflower smiled. “Abyssal Void Nexus and my power are <Star-System Domain Cosmopowers>. The level of powers beyond planetary are divided as such, from what I know.”
“Planetary: The power controls one or more worlds.”
“Solar System: The power controls all planets orbiting their home star.”
“Star-System: The power controls all stars orbiting near their home star.”
“Globular Star Cluster: The power controls several two or more Star Systems.”
Skyflower commented. “Beyond that, I am unaware of how the powers are divided. Nevertheless, you must know that our powers are Star-System, while the Explorer Association is beyond the Globular Star Cluster level.”
“B-Beyond?” Liu Shu exclaimed, baffled.
“Yes,” Skyflower muttered somewhat fearfully. “From what I learned in the past, they are a massive neutral power that no one dares to offend. So, it is in your best interest to never offend them.”
“I’ll… try my best.” Liu Shu muttered. After all, if there was a day when she needed to face them to continue expanding, she couldn’t promise not to offend them. She would try her best not to, though.
With that new information, Liu Shu started planning what to do next.
Comments
Alex Kaplan
Breadcrumbs for that skill caravan finally showing up?
Minerva
I think nexus is a branch of some eldritch force as well. Their name is so sus. I bet a tree reaching interstellar level got to be terrifying
Andrew Miles
Well that certainly clears up a few things. I wonder if the Nexus is a branch of a greater force because I doubt they're unique in this universe. That being said they are more than likely just another evil force in the universe; monster kingdoms, Ant Colonies, slaughter sects, resource exploitative powers and other anti nature forces probably exist as well. Those kinds of powers are probably around to create conflict so that creatures grow and a cosmos tree is reborn. Either way it will be interesting to see how Liu Shu navigates the interstellar political stage. It seems very different from how politics work in a cultivation world.
Plateworm
Tftc
