Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 105

The clouds in the west churned, the golden eyes radiating an imposing and effortless authority.

In the east, the mist swirled, with the white eyes appearing calm and unfathomable.

These two pairs of eyes engaged in a historic stare-off, unnoticed by the rest of the world.

Perhaps, this was the first time in the entire history of the spiritual revival that two beings of the fourth tier had faced off. Yet, despite the monumental significance of this encounter, it caused little stir. The owners of these eyes did not roar at each other, nor did they engage in a fierce battle.

After merely three breaths, the eyes withdrew into the clouds and mist, respectively. The two sides tacitly agreed not to cross the twenty-mile boundary between them, which now seemed to mark their territorial divide.

A moment later.

In the center of the Misty Forbidden Zone, Su Mu’s consciousness retreated from the boundary, over 400 miles away.

“Peak of the fourth tier, or possibly fifth?” he mused, his thoughts heavy with concern.

Through the brief exchange, Su Mu realized that the flood dragon’s strength far exceeded what Huang Shuling and the others had estimated. This was at least a peak fourth-tier existence.

Clearly, there was more to the Kunlun Plateau than met the eye. Otherwise, the world’s spiritual energy levels alone could not have sustained such a powerful being.

Fortunately, Su Mu had elevated his Power of Mist to the eighth level, making it impossible for the flood dragon to fully gauge his capabilities, and thus, it refrained from provoking him. This mutual understanding allowed both sides to maintain a delicate balance.

Just as Su Mu suspected, high in the clouds of the Kunlun Plateau, a colossal golden dragon, stretching 1,300 feet long, lay coiled. Its eyes reflected a mix of confusion and wariness. Until now, it had never realized that such a formidable presence existed in the Ancient Wilderness Mountains below.

In its perception, the Ancient Wilderness Mountains were an enigma. The presence there seemed to be of the fourth tier, yet there was a deeper, more profound energy hidden within, which the dragon could not fully discern.

Unable to see through this presence, the dragon decided against engaging in conflict. With the Great Era upon them, it needed to focus on advancing its own power. Fighting with a strong adversary would only waste time, an unwise course of action.

The golden dragon then closed its eyes again, resuming its absorption of the world’s spiritual energy.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The Mist Army had completely taken control of the Ancient Wilderness Mountains and Wushui River. The Great Xia Empire was powerless to stop it.

In Taikang City, the high officials requested the Emperor to emerge from seclusion. However, the Emperor remained indifferent, leaving the officials to make decisions on their own. Ultimately, they resolved not to surrender Fang Zhaodong. Despite the Misty Forbidden Zone’s immense power, handing over a court official would severely undermine the empire’s dignity.

The officials were unaware that Su Mu, upon learning of their decision, only sighed in contentment. This allowed him to continue using it as an excuse to further expand the Misty Forbidden Zone’s territory.

However, deep down, Su Mu did harbor some anger. The actions of the Great Xia Empire showed that they felt no remorse for attacking him with the Qingzhou Sword. If that were the case, then he would have to force them to regret their decision by hitting back hard. Only by doing so could he ensure that the empire would think twice before attempting to challenge him again.

Su Mu’s consciousness extended through the mist, focusing on a city by the Wushui River.

This city was not unfamiliar to Su Mu. He remembered it as “Nanjing City.”

Nanjing City was where Su Yao was first discovered and was also the first city to come into contact with the Misty Forbidden Zone. The Heavenly Pivot Spirit Array that he had destroyed had been located in Nanjing City as well. This city was far more significant than the fortresses in the Ancient Wilderness Mountains or even Su City. It was an ancient city, standing for over a thousand years.

Su Mu was curious to see if such a city could withstand the Mist Army. However, before he could issue the order to attack, chaos had already erupted across the world.

Being situated in one of the areas with the highest concentration of spiritual energy, Su Mu could perceive the changes in the world more clearly than most beings. But even he could not predict the exact timing of the events that followed.

At dawn on the second day, as the Great Xia Empire was greeted by the morning light, the earth groaned with a terrifying roar, as if tectonic plates were colliding. In many places, devastating earthquakes occurred.

The Ancient Wilderness Mountains, where Su Mu resided, were located on a tectonic boundary, making it a region prone to frequent earthquakes. Without Su Mu, this area would undoubtedly have been struck by a cataclysmic earthquake.

But Su Mu was prepared. His roots were deeply entrenched in the soil, and he channeled the power of the earth to its utmost, stabilizing the ground within the Misty Forbidden Zone. While other parts of the Ancient Wilderness Mountains suffered severe quakes, the land within the Misty Forbidden Zone remained unshaken.

In the aftermath of this disaster, the status of the Misty Forbidden Zone rose even higher in the eyes of the world’s beasts.

Meanwhile, the entire world was in turmoil.

The second cycle of spiritual energy renewal was nearing its end. As with all things, the end of this cycle was marked by a final burst of energy. The scale of this burst was even greater than that of the cycle’s beginning.

In a humble cottage, an old man sat in meditation. He had been stuck at the peak of the Qi Refining stage for years, unable to break through. Then, a sudden earthquake struck the area where he lived. Resigned to his fate, the old man ignored the quake. But the spiritual energy that erupted from the ground cracks washed over him, giving him an unexpected baptism.

Boom!

“Did I… break through?” The old man was incredulous, tears of joy streaming down his face.

Similar scenes unfolded in many places, though these fortunate individuals and beasts were few in number. Many more lives were lost to earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.

For the human race, however, a threat greater than earthquakes and volcanic eruptions loomed.

Wild animals, which typically resided in forests and mountains—areas most affected by these natural disasters—were driven from their habitats and into human settlements, triggering a beast tide unlike anything seen in the past three thousand years.

Countless beasts and birds surged from the forests, like a tidal wave, and descended upon human cities. Most people were caught completely unprepared, facing what seemed like an apocalyptic disaster.

Su Mu observed all of this with a heavy heart. Even within the Ancient Wilderness Mountains, numerous beasts fled, storming into human villages. Many smaller settlements were completely overrun by the beast tide.

Despite his power, Su Mu was unable to reverse such a vast, natural calamity. For a time, he set aside his plans for revenge against the Great Xia Empire. He and the Misty Forbidden Zone needed to seize this opportunity to further elevate themselves.

Every cycle of spiritual energy renewal offered the greatest opportunities at its beginning and end. Su Mu had already capitalized on the initial opportunity and had no intention of missing this final one. By doing so, he and the Misty Forbidden Zone would effectively claim the entire fortune of this second cycle.

Su Mu had long since informed his subordinates to be ready for this moment. As a result, they had ceased their activities in the Ancient Wilderness Mountains and Ushui River, waiting for this day to arrive.

Soon, Su Mu began to reap the rewards of this final burst of spiritual energy.

At the beginning of the second cycle of spiritual energy renewal, he had gained 130,000 years of lifespan energy. Now, at its end, how much more would he gain? Su Mu was eager to find out.

At the same time.

Nanjing City.

The city walls were lined with guards.

“Hold the line! Don’t let them breach the city!” A commander’s voice rang out in desperation.

Outside the walls, the ground and sky were teeming with beasts, like a tide crashing against the city. All the reserves of Nanjing City were brought out. In the past, the officials had been reluctant to provide talismans for missions, but now they were pouring them out like rain upon the beast tide below.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The talismans were immensely powerful, causing massive casualties among the beasts. However, the scale of the beast tide was too vast. Even those beasts that wanted to retreat found it impossible, as more and more poured in from behind.

The greatest threat, however, came from above. Without the protection of the Heavenly Pivot Spirit Array, Nanjing City had to rely on the talismans and spells of its cultivators to defend against aerial assaults. But these were no match for the swarms of birds that darkened the sky.

Within a quarter of an hour, the birds had breached Nanjing City’s defenses.

And similar disasters were not limited to Nanjing City. This beast tide disaster swept across the entire world, wreaking havoc on countless cities and severely disrupting the order of human governance. The larger nations managed to hold their ground, but smaller nations, unable to withstand the onslaught, faced the threat of annihilation.

This day would undoubtedly be remembered as a significant chapter in future history books. But for now, people were too consumed with survival to think about the future.

Roman Empire.

In the Roman Empire, a city called Andu had already fallen to the beast horde. The nearest city to Andu was Peacock City, home to the Roman Empire’s royal tombs. The Roman Empire could not tolerate the threat to this sacred site.

Suddenly, a terrifying sound echoed across a thousand miles.

Countless people witnessed a rainbow-colored light descending upon Andu City. In an instant, the entire city was engulfed in the light, and a million beasts, along with the humans inside the city, were reduced to ashes.

The world was shaken.

It was clear that the Roman Empire had deployed one of its national treasures. Many forces recognized the rainbow light as coming from the empire’s treasured weapon, the Peacock Feather.

And this was just the beginning.

Similar scenes soon played out in other great nations. Faced with this cataclysmic disaster, the great nations finally unleashed their ultimate weapons. One after another, national treasures displayed their terrifying power.

These nations were ruthless, determined to minimize the disaster’s impact by any means necessary. Without hesitation, they used their treasures to obliterate entire cities, eradicating both beasts and humans in one fell swoop.

Compared to these great nations, the Great Xia Empire appeared far more civilized. Even though the empire understood that the situation called for the use of national treasures, they were reluctant to resort to the same brutal tactics as the other nations.

“What should we do?”

“There’s no time for debate. We must use the treasures to destroy the cities. This will maximize the reduction of the beasts’ strength and minimize our losses.”

“No! That would be too cruel.”

The ministers were deeply divided in their opinions.