What palace?1

His Imperial Majesty couldn’t enter it either… That was an unparalleled existence that they spoke of! What couldn’t the august personage do?0

Li Hao looked at the castle in the distance. As the surroundings were lit up, he could make out a thing or two. Why did… this castle appear to be… a cat? This was mystifying. The tree seemed to be randomly planted outside the castle walls and not part of the defenses as one might expect.4

What kind of place is this?0

“What palace?” Li Hao asked as he looked at the dying little tree. “You seem to lack energy. Are you dying after that last eruption?”0

Yes, he could sense that the sapling growing out of the big tree’s roots might be dying.0

“Death…” came a mental ripple. The crystalline tree swayed, ready to collapse at any time. “Don’t… think… of… entering… the palace… Not… even… though… it’s… been… discarded…”1

Li Hao could see the tree draw on more mysterious power stones hidden in the ground. The young man frowned. The tree seemed to be this place’s...0