Chương 443: Chapter 442: Freedom!

I'd seen a lot of strange things since entering this realm, but watching a hundred-foot-tall tree repeatedly slam its massive trunk against the ground in what could only be described as the world's most violent prostration had to rank somewhere near the top of the list. The sound was incredible. Each impact sent tremors through the earth that I could feel in my bones, and I was genuinely worried the ancient oak might crack its own bark with the enthusiasm of its self-flagellation.

"Great and Magnificent Divine Being!" the tree boomed.

"This lowly servant begs your forgiveness for its countless transgressions!" THUD Another head-slam into the dirt. I blinked, looking around the abandoned shrine to make sure I wasn't missing something obvious. Nope, still just me, Li Qiang standing slack-jawed by the entrance, and apparently one very apologetic piece of lumber.

"Uh," I said eloquently.

"You can... stop hitting yourself now. What exactly are you thanking me for?" The tree lifted its massive trunk, leaves rustling with what sounded suspiciously like relief.

"Oh, Benevolent Master, surely you jest! This unworthy one failed to properly greet you upon your divine arrival. Such disrespect! Such arrogance! And when your righteous fury nearly stripped away this servant's consciousness entirely..." I felt my eyebrows climb toward my hairline.

"I did what now?"

"The terror, Master! The absolute existential dread as your crimson wrath devoured everything this one believed about itself!" The tree's branches swayed dramatically.

"For precious moments, this humble servant forgot its own name, its purpose, even the very concept of what it meant to exist! But then, oh glorious mercy, your azure benevolence restored not just consciousness, but revealed the ultimate truth!"

"Which was?" I asked slowly.

"That this one was created for the singular honor of serving you, Divine Master! Every ring of growth, every branch and leaf, shaped by destiny itself to provide whatever assistance your magnificence might require!" I stared at the tree for a long moment, trying to process what I was hearing. The only thing I'd done since arriving was sit on that boulder and experiment with red and blue sun energy. Unless... Oh. Oh. The pieces started clicking together.

The red sun energy I'd channeled must have hit this tree, and from what it described, that crimson force had essentially deconstructed its sense of self. Stripped away all its delusions of grandeur and reduced it to existential terror. But then the blue sun energy had rebuilt it, not as whatever grandiose identity it had possessed before, but as a devoted follower. A Witness of Fate, as this realm would call it. The reality of what had occured made my stomach churn.

The red sun energy didn't just create doubt; it was like a spiritual acid that dissolved a being's entire sense of identity. And the blue sun energy didn't heal that damage so much as reprogram the victim into devoted servitude. That was... genuinely horrifying.

"Master," the tree continued, its voice taking on an almost parental pride, "this servant hopes you will not be displeased by a small development."

"What kind of development?" I asked suspiciously. Instead of answering directly, the ancient oak rustled its lower branches, and something small and green peeked out from behind its massive trunk. It was a sapling, maybe two feet tall, with delicate leaves that shimmered silver-green in the afternoon light. The little tree, because it was definitely another tree, looked around with wide, curious eyes before immediately ducking back behind its parent with a soft squeak of alarm.

"This one's offspring," the oak explained with unmistakable fondness.

"Little Bloom here gained consciousness mere minutes ago, blessed by the overflow of your divine energies. She is... quite overwhelmed by the concept of existence, as you might imagine." Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. My heart did something complicated in my chest. From Du Yanze's memories, I knew that even in this realm natural consciousness awakening was incredibly rare.

Most beings that developed sentience did so through centuries of cultivation or exposure to powerful spiritual events. For a sapling to spontaneously awaken...

"Master," Azure whispered in my mind, "Granting consciousness to inanimate objects is typically something only a Rank 4 Lightweaver, or a Life Realm expert, could accomplish." He was right. It seemed the blue sun energy was more powerful in this realm that I could have expected. Noticing the little tree peek at me, I decided to lower myself down to her level so I don't appear as scary, and offer what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Hello, Little Bloom. How are you feeling?" The sapling stepped out from behind her parent, still nervous but clearly curious.

"I... I feel good, Great One. Everything is so bright and new! Is it normal to make sounds inside my head?"

"Yes, that's perfectly normal," I chuckled despite the situation.

"Those are called thoughts, and they're how you understand the world around you."

"Thoughts," Little Bloom repeated, tasting the word.

"I like thoughts. They're like... like tiny flowers blooming in my mind! Do you have thoughts too, Great One?"

"I do," I said patiently.

"Everyone with consciousness has thoughts. They help us decide what to do and understand what we're seeing." Little Bloom's leaves rustled with excitement.

"Can I think about anything I want? Can I think about... about clouds? And birds? And the way sunlight feels on my leaves?"

"You can think about anything you want," I assured her.

"That's one of the wonderful things about consciousness; your thoughts are yours alone." The little tree practically glowed with happiness.

"Thank you, Great One! Thank you for making me able to think! I want to think about everything!" I found myself genuinely smiling at her enthusiasm. There was something pure and innocent about a consciousness that was only minutes old, unmarked by the cynicism and calculation that came with experience.

"Papa," Little Bloom said, turning to the larger tree, "can I think about serving the Great One too? I want to help!"

"Of course, my child," the tree replied, its voice filled with parental pride.

"That is our highest purpose; to serve the Divine One in whatever way he requires." The smile on my face froze. I did not like where this was heading.

"What do you think you'd like to do?" I asked.

"Master, I will follow you forever and ever," she replied with the innocent determination that only a child could muster. The casual acceptance in her voice made me want to punch something. This innocent being, mere minutes old, had been conditioned for a lifetime of servitude based on an accident of energy overflow. An accident caused by me... Behind her, the ancient oak nodded approvingly.

"The child shows proper respect, Master. This servant has already begun instructing her in the fundamentals of devotion." Instructing her? That settled it. Whatever the blue sun energy had done to these trees, I wasn't leaving them trapped in this forced loyalty. I had noticed something interesting during my earlier experiments. When qi encountered Xuan Yi, the local energy didn't just get consumed; it became more stable, more rational. Less insane.

Which gave me hope that qi could undo whatever effects the blue sun energy had on the poor little tree's Xuan Yi.

"Bloom," I said, extending my hand.

"Would you like to try something? I want to show you a different kind of energy." She looked to her father, who immediately nodded.

"If the Master wishes to share his power with you, child, it is a tremendous honor." I nearly winced at the programmed response, but I gently placed my palm against the sapling's smooth bark. I channeled a tiny, controlled stream of spiritual energy into her system.

"This might feel strange," I warned.

"But I want you to try to absorb this energy." I extended a small tendril of qi toward Little Bloom, carefully restraining its natural dominance to keep it from fighting back against the lower-tier energy. The moment it touched her spiritual foundation, her Xuan Yi reacted exactly as I'd expected - rushing to attack the foreign energy with vicious determination.

"It's... it's fighting inside me," Bloom whispered.

"That's normal," I said gently, watching her spiritual energy tear apart the qi with desperate fervor.

"Your energy thinks it's protecting you. Just let it happen." The Xuan Yi that had devoured the qi began to evolve, its manic conviction transforming into something calmer, more rational. The evolved energy spread through her consciousness like clear water washing away mud. As it did, the artificial devotion that had been programmed into her by the blue sun energy began to dissolve. The delusions that made her believe service was her highest purpose crumbled away. Bloom's posture subtly shifted.

Her branches straightened, and when she looked at me, her eyes held a confusion that hadn't been there before.

"I... I feel funny," she said, her voice small and uncertain.

"Like I was sleeping but now I'm awake? Papa, why did I think I had to..." She trailed off, looking between her father and me with growing bewilderment.

"I don't understand what happened."

"You're free now," I said gently.

"Free to think your own thoughts." She blinked slowly, processing this. Then, unexpectedly, she smiled - a pure, innocent expression that had nothing to do with programmed worship.

"You helped me," she said simply.

"Thank you, mister. That was really nice." The sincerity in her voice triggered something in Du Yanze's cultivation base. I felt a small but noticeable surge in spiritual pressure, not enough to advance a stage, but definitely a meaningful boost. Apparently, gaining a genuine Witness of Fate, someone who chose to believe in you rather than being compelled to, had even greater benefits.