Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 107

At the center of the Misty Forest, the mushroom cloud gradually dispersed, revealing the towering Silver Ginkgo Tree for the first time to the world. This first appearance brought unimaginable shock and awe to all who witnessed it.

The tree stood like it was forged from bronze, its leaves meticulously carved from jade by the finest artisans. Beside the tree coiled a colossal mist dragon, a staggering ten thousand feet long. Above the tree, the Kongtong Seal was held at bay by the mist dragon, unable to press down any further.

“How is this possible?”

“This must be a nightmare… it has to be.”

Countless cultivators from Green Hills Mansion felt the color drain from their faces as they staggered in disbelief. The sight was a massive psychological blow to them.

The Prince of the South’s pupils constricted, his fingers visibly trembling.

“Humans!”

A calm yet commanding voice, like the sound of the heavens, suddenly echoed from the depths of the mist. Many who heard it couldn’t help but think that this must be the voice of the Misty Forest’s ruler.

At the same time, the clouds around the Misty Forbidden Zone began to tremble, as if foreshadowing a great terror.

And then, in that very moment, the colossal mist dragon above the Silver Ginkgo Tree moved.

This ten-thousand-foot mist dragon was a manifestation of the eighth-tier Power of Mist, and Su Mu was utilizing it for the first time—fully unleashing its power. This time, Su Mu was truly enraged.

“Roar!”

A primordial dragon’s roar echoed through the heavens, and onlookers saw the enormous mist dragon surge out of the Misty Forbidden Zone. Its immense body seemed like a moving mountain range of mist in the sky, creating an indescribable sense of pressure and suffocation.

The first target was the Kongtong Seal above. With a fierce swipe of the mist dragon’s tail, the vast, sun-blocking Kongtong Seal was sent flying, rapidly shrinking into a fist-sized golden seal. However, the power contained within the Kongtong Seal was immense, and it quickly transformed into a streak of light and fled.

The Sky Mang Spear also tried to escape, but Su Mu had learned from experience and wasn’t about to let it slip away. The mist dragon’s claws suddenly seized the spear, holding it firmly. At that moment, two of the Great Xia Empire’s eighteen National Treasures fell into the hands of the Misty Forbidden Zone.

But Su Mu’s retribution was far from over. In the next moment, the mist dragon flew toward the distance at incredible speed. Within mere breaths, it reached the outskirts of Green Hills City. To the horror of countless onlookers, the mist dragon charged straight at Green Hills City.

Green Hills City was protected by the Seven-Star Formation. When the formation sensed the impending danger, six beams of light emerged, forming a protective shield over the city to resist the mist dragon’s assault.

Crack!

The people within Green Hills City felt the entire city tremble violently. The protective shield formed by the six beams of light was forcefully shattered by the mist dragon, leaving a gaping hole. Not only that, but the city’s 300 foot formidable walls were also smashed apart by the dragon’s impact.

The resulting shockwave devastated half of Green Hills City. The Seven-Star Formation was destroyed, and the city walls were breached. This was a strike of unimaginable power, surpassing even the attack of the Kongtong Seal.

Outside Green Hills City, countless beasts had gathered. Previously, the people inside the city felt no concern, believing the Seven-Star Formation and their ancient city walls would protect them. But now, with the formation shattered and the walls broken, the beasts poured into Green Hills City like a flood breaking through a dam.

Meanwhile, the destruction of the Seven-Star Formation in Green Hills City affected the other six formations. The weakened defenses of these six cities led to their downfall as well, as they were overrun by beast armies.

The entire Qingzhou Province was plunged into true calamity.

In the Misty Forbidden Zone, Su Mu was unsurprised by Qingzhou’s fate, but he didn’t dwell on it. This was his retribution. After the mist dragon delivered its devastating strike, Su Mu felt a wave of emptiness within him. Defending against two National Treasures from the Great Xia Empire and fully unleashing the mist dragon had drained all his spiritual energy. It was undoubtedly the greatest expenditure of energy he had ever experienced.

And the consequences were catastrophic. Qingzhou had descended into an apocalyptic disaster. As Su Mu surveyed his surroundings, his heart remained heavy. Previously, no calamity had reached the core of the Misty Forbidden Zone, but this time, it had suffered immense damage.

The water level of Mist Lake had yet to recover, and thousands of the beasts around him had perished. Fortunately, he had ordered his key subordinates to retreat underground beforehand, sparing him further anguish. This also affirmed the wisdom of his decision a year ago to construct an underground world.

“Divine Tree,” several of Su Mu’s subordinates emerged from the underground world, their expressions darkening as they saw the devastation around them. They had long considered the Misty Forbidden Zone their home, and now that it had suffered such damage, they were anything but pleased.

“This time, the Great Xia has gone too far!” Lin Che couldn’t help but say, his voice deep and troubled. Unlike Huang Shuling, Lin Che was still entirely human. Even so, the actions of the Great Xia Empire had made it impossible for him to defend their behavior.

“We’ve exercised restraint all year,” Huang Shuling added. “With our strength, we could have expanded long ago, far beyond many small nations. But to avoid causing suffering to the people of Great Xia, we chose not to. Yet, in return, the Empire has repeatedly pressed us. We care about the people of Great Xia, but those in power couldn’t care less. It’s utterly absurd.”

“Why does the Great Xia do this?” the White Spirit Python asked, bewildered. “We haven’t attacked them continuously. Shouldn’t they maintain a truce with us, rather than escalating matters and seeking to destroy us?”

Other beasts were equally baffled. They found the thinking of the Great Xia officials bizarre, almost as if each one had some sort of mental illness.

Lin Che explained, “Humans have two sayings: ‘Those who are not of our kin are sure to be of a different heart,’ and ‘How can one allow others to snore beside their pillow?’ These two phrases perfectly explain the mindset of the Great Xia officials. In their eyes, even if the Misty Forbidden Zone doesn’t attack them, the fact that it isn’t a human-controlled territory is a crime in itself. And with the Misty Forbidden Zone being so powerful, it threatens them, making them even more uneasy and intolerant.”

Su Mu sighed inwardly. The others didn’t know, but his soul was also human. He genuinely didn’t want to sever ties with the Great Xia. He had only wished to quietly manage the Misty Forbidden Zone and the underground kingdom without posing a significant threat to the Empire’s interests.

But it seemed that his desires were merely wishful thinking. He wanted peace, but the Great Xia had no intention of reciprocating.

“Divine Tree,” Su Yao’s voice echoed in Su Mu’s mind, her tone icy. Clearly, she had also learned of the recent events. “I’ve discovered that the initial deployment of the Qingzhou Sword was ordered by the deputy Grand Seer Fang Zhaodong. He is the root cause of all this. I will bring him to the Misty Forbidden Zone for judgment, no matter what.”

“Fang Zhaodong?” Su Mu mused. “The Great Xia Empire is willing to risk a complete fallout with us for this man. He must have an extraordinary background.”

“Indeed,” Su Yao confirmed. “Fang Zhaodong is connected to the Imperial Prince, and his sister is the Crown Princess of the Empire. With such backing, the Empire would rather clash with the Misty Forbidden Zone than hand him over.”

Su Mu understood, his tone turning cold. “If the Great Xia has made such a decision, then they should be prepared to face the consequences.”

“Master Tree, are we declaring war on the Great Xia?” the Purple-Gold Mosquito asked eagerly.

Su Mu’s consciousness swept over his subordinates, who included both humans and beasts. He spoke calmly, “The common people of the Great Xia should not be confused with their corrupt officials. The fault lies with the Empire’s leaders, not the innocent populace.”

“We understand,” his subordinates replied. “After all, people like Lin Che, Huang Shuling, and the folks of Su Family Village are good people.”

Their interactions with Lin Che and others had helped them avoid developing a bias against humans.

“But if the Empire’s leaders care so little about the suffering their actions cause the common people, then we will be the ones to protect those innocent souls,” Su Mu declared.

Rumble!

As Su Mu finished speaking, vast amounts of mist surged out from the Misty Forbidden Zone, spreading towards the Ancient Wilderness Mountains and beyond. Accompanying the mist was the mighty army of the Misty Forbidden Zone.

Nanjing City.

A day ago, Nanjing City had been on the brink of collapse. Fortunately, the Sky Mang Spear had arrived just in time, delivering a devastating blow to the beast army outside the city. Tens of thousands of beasts were killed, giving the city a moment to catch its breath. Without this intervention, Nanjing City might have already fallen.

But after that, the Prince of the South provoked the Misty Forbidden Zone and failed. As a result, the beast army, initially defeated, regrouped and returned.

On the city walls, Li Qianjue and Wen Yuchao were covered in blood, having fought relentlessly for days. They didn’t hide behind the lines but instead led by example, battling on the frontlines. It was thanks to their efforts that Nanjing City had repeatedly repelled the beast army’s assaults, even without the protection of the city’s formation.

“City Lord, can we hold out?” Wen Yuchao asked, exhaustion evident in his voice. He was fighting purely on willpower at this point.

Li Qianjue’s expression was resolute. “Even if we can’t, we must. If the city falls, countless civilians will become food for the beasts.”

Hearing this, Wen Yuchao’s heart trembled, and his eyes quickly regained their determination.

“What’s that?” someone suddenly exclaimed. “Mist? Why is there mist spreading this way?”

The two leaders immediately looked out toward the horizon. They, too, saw the vast expanse of mist spreading from the southwest.

Their pupils constricted.

They were all too familiar with this kind of mist—or rather, few in the Great Xia Empire weren’t familiar with it now. The sight of mist brought to mind the Misty Forbidden Zone.

But mist was rare around Nanjing City. So why was it appearing now?

A sense of foreboding gripped their hearts.