Chapter 260
“Wow, Chirp Chirp flew away!”
In the nursery center, the young ones gazed at Xue You, who had just flown out of the skies over Base 24, still captivated by the beauty of her radiant wings and unable to snap out of their awe.
Meanwhile, Su Ci and A-Yan had already left the center. They followed the great bird, observing the transformative effects her song brought to the land.
Under the ethereal and compassionate melody, countless lingering resentful spirits were soothed. Their deep-seated grievances dissolved, and they transformed into glimmers of light that melded into the earth, awaiting rebirth as new life.
Exhausted and unable to keep her wings aloft, the bird in the sky began to shrink. The surrounding aura of green and white light dissipated as she fell from the heavens.
A slender, pale hand reached out gently, catching the small sparrow mid-fall.
The sparrow strained to open her eyes, gazing at Su Ci’s face—the spitting image of her master. She rubbed her tiny head against his finger and softly asked, “Master… how did I do? I hope I didn’t embarrass you…”
As she spoke, drowsiness overtook her. The little sparrow closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Su Ci extended a finger to lightly stroke her tiny head.
“You did very well,” he said softly. Then, carefully placing the sparrow into a storage pouch, he turned his attention to the changes unfolding below. For the first time in a long while, he felt a spark of exhilaration.
Xue You’s song of rest had purified nearly all the lingering resentful spirits in the vicinity of Base 24—a remarkable achievement, far more efficient than simply using purification spells.
It was precisely because of this potential that Su Ci had decided to awaken the power within her.
Xue You carried the bloodline of the ancient Xuan Bird. Though diluted, Su Ci, as the Spirit of the Earth, had methods to activate her latent heritage. Even if she couldn’t maintain her Xuan Bird form for long, it could become a unique skill of hers.
The Xuan Bird’s song had uses far beyond just soothing spirits. However, fully unlocking its potential would depend on Xue You’s talents.
For now, she had performed exceptionally.
“Let’s head back,” Su Ci said.
A-Yan nodded, clasping Su Ci’s hand. Together, they vanished from the spot and reappeared in the nursery center, where they were immediately swarmed by the children.
“Su Su, where did Chirp Chirp go? Will she come back?” Xue Wei asked anxiously.
She didn’t understand why Chirp Chirp had suddenly transformed into a giant bird and flown away, but since Chirp Chirp had spoken to Su Su before leaving, he must know why, right?
Then she saw Su Ci raise his hand. Resting in his palm was none other than the tiny sparrow.
“Chirp Chirp!”
“She’s asleep,” Su Ci explained. “Let her rest for now.”
Xue Wei quickly covered her mouth, nodding vigorously. She carefully took the sparrow from Su Ci and gently cradled her in her hands.
Bidding farewell to Su Ci and the other children, Xue Wei headed to her room, followed by Little Li Hua and Qian Qian, her two little “tails.”
Seeing the children still gazing at him with curiosity, Su Ci waved them off. “Go on, continue your training.”
He then turned his attention to the wood spirits who had just arrived.
Having grown familiar with Su Ci’s personality, Mu Qing no longer knelt like he had during their first meeting. Instead, he clasped his hands and bowed deeply.
“I, Mu Qing, express my utmost gratitude to the Spirit of the Earth.”
Su Ci acknowledged the gesture and got straight to the point. “The Earth is still barren and in need of the Wood Clan’s power. Should you face any difficulties… both I and the Heavenly Dao will provide assistance.”
The Heavenly Dao…
The wood spirits froze momentarily, then turned their gaze toward the young man who was always by the Spirit of the Earth’s side. Realization dawned on their faces.
So that’s how it is. No wonder…
The wood spirits exchanged looks before bowing deeply to both Su Ci and A-Yan, their voices resounding in unison:
“We pledge to do everything in our power to ensure the Earth’s revival comes swiftly!”
Su Ci nodded in satisfaction.
Of course, if he wanted the “horse” to run, he had to ensure it was well-fed—a principle he fully understood.
So, Su Ci beckoned the wood spirits to sit before him. Considering their specific situations, he sifted through his memories and finally selected appropriate teachings. Under the surprised and delighted gazes of Mu Qing and the others, he began to teach.
Unlike the young ones in the nursery, these wood spirits already had a foundation. Their ability to take human form meant they were on the path of cultivation. However, after leaving their mother planet, their progress over the past tens of thousands of years had been slow, relying on their inherently long lifespans to survive this long.
Now, having the Spirit of the Earth personally instruct them was an unparalleled opportunity. After their initial excitement, they cherished the moment and listened intently, striving to memorize every word. Even if they couldn’t comprehend it immediately, they knew they could reflect on it later. They were determined not to waste a single second.
When the session ended, the wood spirits reluctantly departed.
Mu Qing, being the most talented among them, mastered the usage of the teleportation array after just one demonstration from Su Ci. After discussing insights with Mu Ya and the others, he led them back to Mu Pa Pa Star using the array.
Spring had arrived, and the descendants of the Wood Clan could finally reunite with their mother planet!
Mu Yuncheng quickly received the news and immediately initiated the transplantation project for the Wood Clan. In fact, he had been preparing for this for days. Everything had been arranged, including which clan members to transplant first, the specific environmental conditions they required, and where to plant them.
All preparations were complete, awaiting only the green light from the elder spirits.
Transporting all the Wood Clan members who had transformed into trees to the Earth Star had once seemed an insurmountable challenge. The time required for the journey, ensuring their growth conditions, and moving such a vast number of trees—these were problems that had plagued Mu Yuncheng endlessly.
But with the advent of the planetary teleportation array, all these issues were effortlessly resolved!
During the waiting period for the weather to warm, news of the teleportation array had been carefully guarded. Although the captain of the operations team, Yan Ping, seemed to have suspicions, he was clearly a wise man who knew when to stay silent.
Thus, they spent the winter in peace.
With the help of the powerful wood spirits, the first group of Wood Clan members was soon transferred from Mu Pa Pa Star and planted in the mountain range west of Base 24.
This mountain range had already been fully purified. With spring’s arrival, vegetation was beginning to take root and sprout, aided by the spiritual energy in the area.
The arrival of this group of wood spirits quickly turned an entire hillside verdant.
The initial batch consisted of children who had transformed into plants within the last ten years. Their root systems were the shallowest, making them easier to transplant and less susceptible to harm.
Before the transplantation, Mu Yuncheng had already notified the children’s parents and obtained their consent.
Watching the young saplings sway gently in the breeze on their mother planet’s soil, Mu Yuncheng’s eyes grew misty. Unable to suppress his emotions, he turned to Mu Qing and asked, “Elder, these children still have a chance to regain their consciousness, don’t they?”
“Of course!” Mu Qing replied confidently.
Though these children might not have the privilege of receiving teachings directly from the Spirit of the Earth, the mother planet’s environment was inherently the most nurturing for plant life.
The unique spiritual energy that could only be born on the mother planet was the key to all beings awakening their intelligence.
Moreover, with powerful wood spirits like them present, teaching the young saplings to awaken their consciousness was also a part of their cultivation.
Even if these children couldn’t fully return to human form, merely gaining sentience was entirely achievable. Mu Qing had absolute confidence in this!
His confidence inspired Mu Yuncheng, filling him with hope for the future.
Afterward, Mu Qing sent the other wood spirits back to Mu Pa Pa Star to continue the transplantation work and called Mu Yuncheng aside to ask him a few questions in a low voice.
“The official name of the mother planet…”
Hearing Mu Qing’s primary concern, Mu Yuncheng hesitated for a moment before explaining the current situation to the elder.
Mu Qing, having lived in seclusion for many years, and as a wood spirit with a simple and serene temperament, lacked a deep understanding of the complex scheming among humans.
“So you’re saying that if the Star Alliance discovers this is our mother planet, they might send people to take control of Earth Star, which could complicate the transplantation efforts of the Wood Clan?”
Mu Yuncheng nodded.
The Star Alliance, composed of various nations, represented their collective interests. Even the simplest decisions often required prolonged discussions and negotiations, with outcomes that might not align with expectations.
If the Star Alliance were to officially take over Earth Star, the activities of the Wood Clan on the planet would undoubtedly face restrictions.
But this concern wasn’t solely about the Wood Clan’s interests. Would the interstellar humans respect and cherish this land as the Wood Clan did? Would they treat the Earth Spirit’s will as their ultimate directive and execute it unwaveringly?
Over the millennia, countless planets had been stripped of their resources and abandoned—a fate the Wood Clan had witnessed time and again. Even Mu Pa Pa Star was one such example.
And tracing back to tens of thousands of years ago, hadn’t their ancestors abandoned the mother planet as well?
Of course, Mu Yuncheng harbored no intent to assign blame. After all, he himself was part of humanity. Without their ancestors’ initial exodus into the stars, the current prosperous interstellar civilization wouldn’t exist, nor would the present-day Wood Clan.
But now that the Earth Spirit had entrusted the Wood Clan with the mission of reviving the mother planet, he was determined not to betray that trust.
After hearing Mu Yuncheng’s analysis, Mu Qing nodded in agreement. “Indeed, now is not the right time.”
Back then, he had been too young to comprehend much. If he had known the situation of the mother planet, he would have chosen to stay and face its fate together!
And now, he would not allow anyone to become an obstacle to the mother planet’s revival.
“But rest assured, I have already submitted the application to change the name of Prison Star to Earth Star. We should receive the official decision soon.”
Hearing this, Mu Qing finally appeared satisfied.
What bothered him most was not the other matters but rather the fact that the mother planet was used as a prison. Knowing it could be renamed was enough to soothe him.
Thus, the Wood Clan’s relocation work continued to progress methodically, gradually transforming the entire mountain range into a vibrant green expanse.
From that day on, the little sparrow’s first task upon waking was to transform into the Celestial Bird and guide wandering souls to rest.
At first, she could only maintain her form for half an hour.
But with daily practice and repetition, her endurance improved, and she could fly for longer periods and cover wider areas.
The disappearance of large numbers of wandering spirits reduced the generation of new resentment, while spring’s arrival brought a resurgence of the purification grasses. As a result, the clearing of blood mist seemed to accelerate, rapidly spreading outward from Base 24.
Without the energy and concealment provided by the blood mist, monsters became significantly weaker when exposed.
And so, after hibernating for an entire winter, the cub squad began deploying again!
This time, they were allowed to use 244H as their transportation. The ship’s AI would locate monsters in advance and provide detailed information about their positions. Once preparations were complete, the squad could board the ship using the teleportation arrays.
Joining the battles alongside the cub squad were the increasingly lucid beasts.
Though still unable to return to their human forms and having forgotten much of their pasts after living as wild animals for so long, their innate combat instincts remained sharp. They eagerly fought alongside the cubs.
On Earth Star, everything seemed full of life and renewal.
About half a month later, Mu Yuncheng finally received a response from the Star Alliance.
Good News: Prison Star was officially renamed Earth Star.
Bad News: Over the past few months, the sharp increase in ordinary soldiers awakening abilities and the significant improvement in the planet’s livability had attracted attention. The Star Alliance decided to send a large military force to garrison Earth Star and take full control of the planet.
