Recently, beneath the Divine Tree in the Divine Realm, gods and goddesses came and went in a lively bustle. Aside from the minor Divine Officials tasked with tending to the Divine Tree, even the Divine Sons and Divine Maidens, who seldom made appearances on ordinary days, had taken time from their busy schedules to witness the marvel said to occur only in legends.
As for what this marvel was, it was naturally the fact that the great Divine Tree of the divine race had borne two golden fruits once again after tens of thousands of years.
Older deities might know that it was not easy for the Divine Tree to bear fruit. To this day, it had only borne one fruit thirty thousand years ago.
That time, the Divine Tree took ten thousand years to bear the fruit and another ten thousand years for it to ripen and fall. Upon touching the ground, the Divine Fruit immediately transformed into a youth of immense Divine Power—the very Divine Emperor who had now reigned for five thousand years.
Since the Divine Tree had nurtured the Divine Emperor, her status and prestige among the deities rose to even greater heights.
Now, hearing that the Divine Fruit recorded only in Divine History had appeared, naturally everyone wanted to come and see.
Guarding the Divine Tree were not only Divine Officials but also the mighty Divine Dragon Chizhou. The dragon’s massive form remained coiled around the thick, towering branches of the Divine Tree. Unless a deity approached the Divine Fruit too closely, he usually couldn’t even be bothered to open his eyes.
At noon on this day, the sunlight was bright and clear. The Divine Emperor Luo Chen, wearing a golden crown and draped in a magnificent moon-white robe embroidered with gold cloud patterns, once again came to pay a visit to the Divine Tree.
Upon seeing the Divine Emperor’s arrival, the deities respectfully made way, bowing in unison and greeting, “May Your Majesty be at peace!” Their voices echoed through the clouds, reverberating across heaven and earth.
Luo Chen’s expression did not change in the slightest at the crowd’s salutations. His pace remained steady and unhurried until he reached the front of the Divine Tree.
Even when facing this Divine Tree that had nurtured him for over twenty thousand years, Luo Chen’s jade-carved face remained cold and rigid, as if he were born without knowing what a smile was.
He quietly gazed at the two Divine Fruits hanging from the tree, his eyes deep and contemplative, as if pondering something. In the end, he said nothing and turned to leave.
The young emperor’s demeanor and posture exuded an innate majesty and sternness. For several consecutive days, he had visited like this—suddenly arriving and then departing without warning—leaving the deities utterly baffled.
The deities exchanged glances, their faces revealing complex expressions as they privately speculated about the emperor’s thoughts.
Only after the Divine Emperor had gone far away did they begin to whisper among themselves, though their conversation still revolved around the two mysterious Divine Fruits.
Not long after, Luo Chen returned to his own divine hall. At this moment, the Goddess of Life, Xi Ran, having calculated the timing perfectly, entered the hall carrying a potted miniature version of the Divine Tree.
The goddess wore an emerald-green robe, with dark green spiritual plants embroidered along the hem that shimmered faintly as she moved.
Xi Ran bowed to Luo Chen, the hairpin on her head swaying gently. “May Your Majesty be at peace.”
Luo Chen gave a slight nod, signaling for her to continue.
Then, Xi Ran’s measured voice came forth. “As per Your Majesty’s request, this humble deity has recently reviewed numerous Divine Histories and combined them with my own observations of the Divine Tree. I can now roughly confirm the peculiarities of the Divine Fruits.”
Xi Ran looked up to observe the Divine Emperor’s expression and, seeing it unchanged as usual, steeled herself to continue. “For the Divine Tree to bear two fruits at once is an event that occurs perhaps once in a million years, but Divine Miracles records a brief mention of it.”
“It states that the two fruits are mutually dependent and opposing—one good, one evil; one divine, one demonic.”
Her voice grew softer toward the end, for according to the records of the Divine Miracles, it meant that the Divine Tree of the Divine Realm had nurtured a demon born with an inherently evil nature.
It must be known that the Divine Realm and the Demon Realm were now as incompatible as fire and water, standing in irreconcilable opposition. The fact that the Divine Tree had given birth to a demon was utterly absurd.
Xi Ran cautiously glanced at the noble and powerful Divine Emperor seated on the high throne, unable to imagine how formidable a demon born from the same Divine Tree mother as the Divine Emperor might be. For the divine race, this was absolutely not a good thing.
Thinking of this, Xi Ran carefully asked Luo Chen, “Your Majesty, what do you intend to do about the Fruit of Evil?”
Luo Chen shook his head and posed another question to her, “Do you know which one is the Fruit of Evil?”
Xi Ran was taken aback, her expression blank. Currently, the Fruit of Good and the Fruit of Evil looked identical, and no method could distinguish between them.
Luo Chen frowned. As a son of the Divine Tree, he had long known about the two fruits of good and evil. What troubled him most, however, was that it remained impossible to discern which was the Fruit of Good and which was the Fruit of Evil.
Seeing Xi Ran still standing rigidly in place, Luo Chen waved his hand. “Enough. You need not concern yourself with this matter any further. Leave.”
Upon hearing the Divine Emperor’s order to depart, Xi Ran immediately beamed with delight and eagerly replied, “Yes, yes, yes.”
“Wait.”
Xi Ran’s lips twitched. She looked up, forcing a smile, and respectfully asked, “What else does Your Majesty require?”
“This matter must not be disclosed for now.” He could not guarantee whether some Divine Official, upon learning of this, might take action against the unborn Divine Son.
“Yes, yes, yes.”