Titan King: Ascension of the Giant Chapter 1691 Seeds of a Dying Realm

Half a month passed.

While Orion was still inside the Wishing Tree preparing for the city's relocation, Commander Thresh and Deputy Commander Edward arrived in Blackstone City, following his guidance.

The Wishing Tree radiated divine light as Orion stepped out, trident in hand. He smiled, greeting the two men standing beneath the canopy.

"Compared to the Demigod Artifact in your hand, this is the true treasure," Thresh said. He didn't look at Orion. His gaze remained locked on the Wishing Tree.

"It's the Wishing Tree, born from the roots of the World Tree," Orion said. He glanced up. He knew its value, but hadn't expected the Commander to revere it so deeply.

"You don't see its true nature." Thresh's eyes darkened, swirling with the underlying laws of reality. "Did you think it only manifested random baubles?"

Orion nodded unconsciously, confused. Does the Wishing Tree hold secrets I don't know? He instantly dismissed the thought. He wouldn't allow hidden dangers to root themselves in his domain. The uncontrollable was a death sentence.

"Words won't suffice. Watch." Thresh finally looked away, stroking his chin in thought. A moment later, he glanced between Orion and the silent Deputy Commander Edward. His gaze settled on Edward, offering a pointed reminder. "If you've made your choice, Blackstone City will be your foundation."

Before Edward could reply, Commander Thresh levitated, ascending to the absolute peak of the Wishing Tree. He touched down on a massive leaf, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes.

To Orion, the Commander appeared detached from reality—meditating in a dimension beyond the physical realm, yet exerting an immense pressure upon it. A towering phantom of a warrior clad in flowing battle robes emerged from Thresh's body like an astral projection, radiating oppressive might.

The phantom stood in the void, a long blade in hand, its eyes closed.

Suddenly, the warrior's eyes snapped open. With one hand, it drew its blade and carved an upward arc.

The void collapsed into chaos. The Wishing Tree became an abyss. The ink-like darkness surrounding Blackstone City surged inward like a raging tide. Darkness swallowed every inch of the land. The inherent terror and despair of this dreamscape manifested as an endless horde of roaring monsters.

"Immortal darkness... eternal ruin..." Orion heard disembodied whispers echoing in the gloom.

A sharp screech—like fracturing glass—shattered the darkness, snapping Orion to attention. Commander Thresh roared, a thunderclap in Orion's ears.

The warrior phantom's aura exploded. It slashed horizontally, unleashing a blinding crescent of energy that sent ripples through the chaotic dark. They weren't mere ripples. The blade's light was so intense it inverted, becoming a crescent of absolute black.

The strike tore through the mist. The darkness shredded like wet paper. Everything in the blade's path disintegrated, reverting into raw World Essence.

Orion stared, speechless. This was a realm of power he had never touched. To a layman, it was just a sword strike. But in Orion's eyes, it was an attack carrying the Will of the Realm. It was the Commander's absolute dominion—a supreme will meant to crush all enemies into dust.

A world? Or a Divine Kingdom? Orion couldn't discern its true nature.

But there was no time to think. Under the Commander's blade, the darkness trembled, and space warped. Unseen entities wailed in the shadows before shattering into nothingness.

Miles in every direction flooded with light.

Orion reacted instantly, projecting his divine light of faith to cover the cleared expanse.

Just as Orion thought the blade's light would sever everything, the energy reversed course. It surged backward, dragging the boundless darkness and an incalculable amount of World Essence with it.

The Commander absorbed the blade's light. The raw World Essence funneled through his seated form directly into the Wishing Tree.

The Wishing Tree, which had nearly stopped growing, erupted. It shot upward by inches, feet, and yards, piercing the sky and blotting out the sun. Then, just like the retreating blade, the growth inverted. The Wishing Tree shrank back to its original size, seemingly unchanged.

"That..."

It had devoured a sea of World Essence. Remaining unchanged was the greatest anomaly of all.

As Orion watched in confusion, an ethereal flower bloomed at the very peak of the Wishing Tree, right beneath the seated Commander. It blossomed, withered, and bore fruit in the span of a few breaths.

Commander Thresh stood and plucked the fruit.

"A fine prize."

The moment it touched his palm, the fruit shifted, transforming into a miniature, ethereal warrior wielding a blade.

"A demigod-tier avatar?"

Orion frowned. His senses confirmed it: the moment the avatar manifested, it possessed demigod power.

Could the Wishing Tree truly accomplish this?

He looked from Commander Thresh to the tree. Orion was intrinsically linked to the Wishing Tree; he understood its internal shifts far better than Thresh did.

The manifestation of the demigod fruit was merely a superficial display. The deeper, profound change was that the World Tree's core essence had thickened significantly. In plain terms, the fruit was simply a token of gratitude. The vast sea of World Essence Thresh had siphoned earlier was almost entirely absorbed to reinforce the Wishing Tree's foundation.

"It is indeed a demigod-tier avatar," Thresh said, descending to stand beside Orion. He gazed up at the canopy once more. "Furthermore, its attributes are perfectly adapted to the void of this Ascendant Plane. Most importantly, it can grow."

"As long as the Mirage Void exists, this avatar's power will continue to scale here." Thresh sounded pleased. Acquiring a high-potential avatar had noticeably lightened his tone. "Even if the two Ascendant Planes attempt to devour one another, the avatar will adapt. Barring any accidents, I might eventually possess another avatar at the peak of the sixth stage."

He finally tore his gaze away from the tree and looked Orion in the eye.

"This is no simple Wishing Tree. It is a seed scattered by the World Tree of an Ascendant Plane facing an existential threat. This tree represents hope."

Thresh seemed to find the confirmation he sought in Orion's expression. His tone turned distant. "However, for you, for our allies, and for the subjects within your domain, 'Wishing Tree' remains a more fitting name."

Orion followed Thresh's gaze back to the tree. "Are you saying the Will of the Realm of the Titanion Realm sensed the crisis, preemptively scattered seeds, and divided its core essence? Are the situations on the other four continents identical to ours?"

Orion had anticipated the catastrophic clashes that would define a war between two Ascendant Planes. He envisioned the countless races and powerhouses that would be buried in foreign lands fighting for resources and factions. But he hadn't foreseen the Will of the Realm taking such anomalous, desperate measures before the war had even officially begun.

"You should understand the difficulty of a World Tree scattering seeds. Can your Divine Kingdom do it?" Thresh threw Orion a sidelong glance. Orion was a demigod with his own Divine Kingdom; he didn't need the basic mechanics explained to him. "It can't."

"Not to mention scattering four seeds at once. I suspect the other cities are merely decoys," Thresh continued. "You and Blackstone City are the true hope of the Will of the Realm. You are the Titanion Realm's last way out."

Thresh's eyes held unconcealed contempt. It wasn't aimed at Orion personally, but at the overarching weakness of the Titanion Realm.

"Bluntly speaking, your collective strength offers the Will of the Realm no security. Even with our backing, we are outsiders. Who among us would truly tie their lives to the Titanion Realm? Who would bleed for it unconditionally? Forget us—even you four Masters of the continent have your own agendas."

Thresh's words stripped away Orion's veneer of supreme glory within the Titanion Realm.

"I..." Orion started, then stopped. He forced out the single syllable, unable to articulate a defense.

Thresh was right. Except for Orion and his Stoneheart Horde, everyone else was an outsider, including their allies in the Champions Alliance. The root of the Will of the Realm's insecurity was the insufficient strength of Orion and his Horde. Even though Orion currently possessed power rivaling a sixth-stage demigod, it was only rivaling.

He had achieved this level through the Will of the Realm force-feeding him power, combined with the Demigod Artifact Thresh had gifted him. Crucially, his power was bound to the Titanion Realm; outside of it, he couldn't unleash his full potential. With such severe limitations, how could the Will of the Realm feel confident?

If Orion were as strong as Thresh, the Will of the Realm wouldn't have resorted to sending a mere four cities as bridgeheads.

Contrast that with the Mirage Void. It was constantly encroaching on the Titanion Realm. Any area not bathed in the light of faith was forcibly dragged into the dreamscape. Stripping away appearances, the harsh reality was that the Titanion Realm was losing ground in this clash of Ascendant Planes. It was far more susceptible to enemy influence.

Am I... too weak?

Am I... weak?

I... weak...

Orion spiraled into deep contemplation. The revelation hit him like a physical blow, plunging him into a paradoxical state of stagnation, paranoia, deep insecurity, and self-doubt intertwined with self-affirmation.

Sensing Orion's turmoil, the trunk of the Wishing Tree opened, drawing him back inside.

"Commander," Deputy Commander Edward finally broke his silence. He had been quietly observing the exchange.

"Do you remember what Hulk was like when you first met him?" Thresh countered, ignoring Edward's unspoken question.

Before Edward could respond, Thresh continued, seemingly talking to himself. "I remember him leading his people into the Valkorath Realm. He was just a Lord then, yet he dared to hunt Arch Lords. The things he did, the scale of his ambition... neither Leonidas nor the assassins were capable of that."

"I watched him from Blade's Edge Peak. Back then, Hulk was burning with ambition. Trident in hand, his battle intent was overwhelming."

Thresh's words pulled Edward into his own memories.

"Back then, Hulk had an edge to him," Edward mused. "He was savage, bloodthirsty, fiercely competitive, and wildly ambitious... Now, he's stronger."

"Wait... it feels like it's been a long time since I've actually seen him fight... How long has it been?" Edward's realization dawned under Thresh's guidance.

"When two Ascendant Planes clash, there is only one outcome: survival or annihilation," Thresh stated. "Hulk hasn't engaged in a true life-or-death struggle with a peerless expert in a long time. Both he and his trident need to be sharpened again."

Thresh looked at the Wishing Tree once more, but this time, his focus was on Orion within its core.

"To speak plainly, neither he nor the rest of you have ever truly considered challenging me. Let alone defeating me. Wouldn't it be glorious to defeat me and become the new Commander of the Champions Alliance? Have you ever thought about it?"

"You haven't. And for that, I despise you." A faint, mocking smirk played on Thresh's lips, contempt evident in his eyes. "In that regard, you're all inferior to Clown. At the very least, he always had the drive to climb higher. He was just too impatient and chose the wrong path."

"Allies... allies..." Thresh sighed, the mention of their fallen comrade draining his enthusiasm.

"Hulk won't be much use in this state. You take over the city's relocation." Thresh turned and began walking away, casually dropping the massive responsibility onto Edward's shoulders.

"My previous display caused quite a stir. That level of absolute destruction will definitely attract the attention of certain entities. I need to go for a walk."

Edward watched Thresh descend the mountain. He then looked up at the Wishing Tree. Thresh's words had struck a chord within him as well, and he desperately wanted a moment of quiet reflection.

But duty called. The task was in front of him, and he had no choice but to see it through.