Divine Harem: My Sect of Heavenly Beauties

The Qing Empire was a desolate area of the main world, and it didn't have access to purer, dense Qi due to the Hollow Mountains.

Not to mention, because of such an enormous barrier between them and the outside world, they also had fewer resources, which ultimately resulted in a low ceiling for cultivation.

Even if the people of the Qing Empire tried their hardest with the best talent, they would never break through to the Nascent Soul Realm and achieve the Soul Severing Realm.

So, the presence of Soul Severing Realm Cultivators meant they were from the outside world. This didn't come as a surprise to Shen Yu, as he knew just how much the Major Sects had invested in the Qing Empire.

The occasional uprising from the outsiders could also be resolved quickly because of them.

He rubbed his chin and asked, "How many Soul Severing Realm Cultivators are there in the Empire?"

[Four. There is also an old man who is a Pseudo Soul Severing Realm Cultivator. But his life force is very weak, so his condition is special. I detected strange fluctuations from him, Master.]

Shen Yu didn't reply and thought about the matter. He narrowed his eyes, and a guess formed in his head.

"I see, so that's what's happening. What a bastard."

[Master?]

"Ah, nothing."

Shen Yu put those thoughts aside and focused on his right side, where many influential clans resided. After covering those clans, he saw a small settlement.

It looked like a small village, but there was no way a small village would be located in the capital city. So, that only meant this was a small but powerful sect.

He looked at the settlement for a few seconds and chuckled. He now understood why such a settlement was here in the capital.

They were the Runemasters.

Runemasters were rare, so even if there was a faction of them, it wouldn't be big. But even then, that faction would be very strong, as Runemasters were very important.

Everyone, from alchemists to blacksmiths, needed the Runemasters. So, it was no wonder how such a settlement ended up here.

It was clear from the powerful Rune Formation it had around it for protection. It was the most powerful Rune Formation he had seen in the whole Qing Empire, aside from the Rune Formation of Senter Valley base.

"Hmm, I'll visit them later. They'll be important in the aftermath."

Shen Yu shifted his focus then to the center and saw various towering buildings filling up the city. This was the main city where the main populace lived and also where the major commercial stores were.

Qing Zhiyan's carriage was passing through the commercial district when Shen Yu looked at it. His gaze then wandered further north and found a small clearing.

After the clearing, there were many more barracks and citadels which guarded a single majestic palace located at the center of it all.

A giant tree grew from the base of the palace, its branches covering the whole area of the palace. Even the citadels were affected by it.

"Hmm! Something like this is here?"

Shen Yu was surprised, seeing the tree, as he didn't expect something like this to appear in the Qing Empire. Because of the tree, he even ignored the palace and simply focused on it.

The tree's trunk was colored deep red, and even its leaves were crimson red. It was a beautiful, mesmerizing sight that he found himself immersed in.

"Damn! If I didn't know better, I would have thought it's something like a World Tree. Beauty really hides the vilest evil."

Shen Yu cursed. He didn't fall for the beauty of the tree as he recognized it at first glance. Those crimson red diamond-shaped leaves were something he remembered very clearly.

It was something the previous Shen Yu had found once, and he could never forget the horrors of it. He had barely managed to survive that encounter, after all.

"The Devourer...I didn't expect to meet it here. No wonder the Qi in the whole Qing Empire is so low and concentrated here at this plateau. It's all this fucker's fault."

He spat. Perhaps it was because his memories were affecting his emotions, but he felt an instinctive fear and hatred towards this demonic tree.

The previous Shen Yu had once visited one of the most dangerous zones of the outside world to look for a particular treasure. However, instead of finding the treasure, he stumbled upon this demonic tree, which almost resulted in his death.

The Devourer tree had a consciousness and was as intelligent as humans. It was a Tier 8 Spiritual Creature formed in special circumstances, which shaped its soul like that of humans.

It was like the Skinwalker, an anomaly. And every anomaly was a living disaster to humans.

The Devourer tree had only one ability, but that single ability was too horrifying. It could devour anything. Literally. This was what made it such a terrifying opponent.

No matter what you throw at it, it would just devour it and turn it into its own power. This was its ability. Of course, it could also affect vague things like emotions by devouring part of them.

It literally could devour anything as long as its body and soul could sustain it.

Shen Yu lightly knocked on his head and asked, "Are these feelings because I assimilated with his soul?"

[Yes, and since it's probably the most horrifying experience he's gone through, it's engraved on his soul.]

Shen Yu frowned, remembering how the previous Shen Yu had spent a month fighting with this damned tree, only to leave after almost tasting death many times.

He sighed and looked at the crimson tree in front of him. It looked so peaceful, as if it could provide warmth even if the whole world were getting destroyed. But this tree was probably the one who was destroying that world.

However, then Shen Yu noticed something and smiled.

"It's a different one, heh. I didn't think there would be more of such fuckers. Well, at least this guy is sleeping soundly due to its injuries, so I don't need to worry about it for a while."