Part 18: Walking Meat Tree

Ren Zu's third son, Northern Dark Ice Soul, was revived by Unexpected Gu and wandered outside. After encountering his sister, Desolate Ancient Moon, he gave her a new meaning in life. Next, under the guidance of Wisdom Gu, the brother and sister came to the Blue Sea to search for the life gem that could revive their father, Ren Zu. In the end, Desolate Ancient Moon sensed the mysteries behind life and sacrificed herself, being turned into a damaged life gem. Northern Dark Ice Soul carried the life gem as he attempted to return to his father to revive Ren Zu. But it was extremely difficult for him to enter the Door of Life and Death. The Door of Life and Death had two routes: the Road of Life and the Road of Death. No matter which path it was, there would be a lot of Suffering Gu. To overcome the interference of the Suffering Gu and enter deep into the Door of Life and Death, he needed the help of Courage Gu. However, Courage Gu had already been taken by Ren Zu and was currently with him. Northern Dark Ice Soul did not have courage and could not enter the Door of Life and Death. He had no methods left and could only wander around, searching for a method to resolve this. He walked past tall mountains, traveled through streams, ran for his life under the assault of wild beasts, and had gone hungry during the intense cold. He had suffered a lot. Northern Dark Ice Soul was filled with guilt and anxiety. He was guilty because he was the one who gave Desolate Ancient Moon her meaning in life, but that caused her to sacrifice herself and become the life gem. Northern Dark Ice Soul was the murderer who indirectly caused his sister's death. He was anxious because even though he had the life gem, he was unable to return to his father's side. He was afraid that if a long time passed, his father's soul might collapse in Luo Po Valley, causing Desolate Ancient Moon's sacrifice to be in vain. He walked and walked until the purple sky above him faded and became black. Originally, the Immemorial Nine Heavens — white, red, orange, yellow, green, azure, blue, purple, black — would take turns to loom over the five regions at set

intervals. The sky of the Immemorial Antiquity Era was connected to the ground. Heaven and earth were connected and whole; people could walk towards the sky from the ground or walk towards the ground from the sky. Northern Dark Ice Soul was walking aimlessly, unknowingly leaving the ground, and walking towards an area deep within Black Heaven. It was complete darkness inside Black Heaven, but it was not desolate; there were large numbers of life forms there. Northern Dark Ice Soul was inside the darkness and could not find a way back. He was flustered, scared, and lost. He tripped many times and fell. Suddenly, he saw a lump of fire ahead of him. This was the only source of light in the entirety of Black Heaven. Northern Dark Ice Soul was overjoyed. He quickly walked towards the fire. When he got close to the lump of fire, he realized it was a Gu. Northern Dark Ice Soul was very curious. He asked, “What Gu are you? You can actually give out light in Black Heaven. Help me, I want to leave Black Heaven, heading back to the ground. I have very important things to do.” The Gu's voice was very weak. It said to Northern Dark Ice Soul, “My name is Fire. Who are you?” Northern Dark Ice Soul said, “I am a human. My name is Northern Dark Ice Soul. Can you help me? With your light, I will be able to see the way and return to the ground.” The Gu sighed, “So you are a human. I've heard of a famous human before. He is called Verdant Great Sun. Because Verdant Great Sun had Reputation Gu, his name was spread throughout the entire world. There was almost nobody that did not know him.” Northern Dark Ice Soul was overjoyed. “That's right, Verdant Great Sun is my big brother.” Fire Gu said, “I can help you. But before I help you, you have to help me. I am too hungry; I am going to die of starvation. Go find me some food first.” Northern Dark Ice Soul asked, “Oh, Fire Gu, what do you eat? This place is completely dark. How can I find what you need to eat?” Fire Gu said, “I am the least picky Gu Worm in the entire world. I can eat almost anything. I will eat whatever you feed me.” Northern Dark Ice Soul searched around, finding some tree branches and throwing them towards Fire Gu. After Fire Gu ate, it started to shine more brightly. It was giving off a warmer light and also grew from the size of a fist to around

the size of a basin. It was very happy. “Can you bring me more food?” Northern Dark Ice Soul nodded and looked around, finding a pile of rocks and throwing them at Fire Gu. After eating for some time, Fire Gu sighed, “Sigh, I was way too hungry. My teeth are not working well now. The things I could chew before, I can't chew them now. Bring me some stuff that is easy to digest.” Northern Dark Ice Soul thought about it. “How about this, Fire Gu? Follow me and light the way. Along the way, whatever you feel like eating, I will feed to you. Is that alright?” Fire Gu agreed and condensed into a small lump, letting Northern Dark Ice Soul hold it. Like this, Northern Dark Ice Soul left on his return journey. Along the way, he fed many things to Fire Gu. After a while, Fire Gu grew larger. On this day, Northern Dark Ice Soul was resting. Fire Gu was eating branches in front of him while swaying with the wind. Suddenly, countless footsteps could be heard. Northern Dark Ice Soul looked and saw a huge group of trees shining under the light of the fire. They were running towards him in huge numbers. Not just trees, there were also countless wild beasts and insect groups. Northern Dark Ice Soul was extremely scared. He quickly picked up Fire Gu and ran. Behind him, the trees, wild beasts, and insect groups were chasing. Wherever Northern Dark Ice Soul went, they followed. The pursuers shouted, “Whoever is in front, stop running. We do not want to harm you; we just want to escape into the light. Dream Realms are about to reach us; please help us and let us live under the light of the fire.” Northern Dark Ice Soul was breathing roughly. He could not run any further. Seeing that he was about to be caught, Fire Gu said, “Oh human, don't be afraid. These pursuers are my food. Let me help you. Just toss me there.” Northern Dark Ice Soul was forced by the circumstances. He could only listen to Fire Gu and toss it towards them. What Fire Gu first encountered were a huge group of trees. These trees were Walking Meat Trees. The branches were made of meat; they resembled the tentacles of octopuses. Fire Gu burned all of these trees, turning the trunks into ashes and branches into cooked meat. The smell of fragrant meat attracted Northern Dark Ice Soul, and he picked up one to eat, exclaiming that it was delicious.