Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 109

“Are you human or a demon?” the young officer glared at the green-haired woman, his eyes filled with fear. The force of her earlier attack had revealed her overwhelming strength.

The green-haired woman didn’t waste time with words. Her form blurred as she transformed into a green shadow, moving like a ghost towards the young officer.

The officer, though a Golden Core cultivator at the early stage, found himself utterly outmatched. He was forced to retreat rapidly under her relentless assault.

Bang!

The green-haired woman suddenly struck with a powerful palm, sending the young officer flying dozens of feet, crashing hard onto the street.

Just as she was about to deliver the final blow, a stern and aged voice echoed through the air, “Heavenly energies abound, my path shall prosper, how dare you, vile demons, rampage here!”

A blazing red sword shot through the sky, aiming straight for the green-haired woman.

She quickly halted, summoning a shield of water vapor with a swift gesture to block the incoming sword.

But the power of the fiery sword was far beyond her expectations.

Boom!

The terrifying force shattered her water shield.

In the critical moment, a cane appeared, intercepting the fiery sword. The cane’s owner was a young man with his eyes covered by a black cloth.

Despite successfully blocking the sword, the youth felt a numbing pain in his hand and was forced to take several steps back.

Ahead of them stood an old man in simple, rough clothing.

“Lin Che, be careful. He might be a Golden Core cultivator at the peak stage!” the green-haired woman warned.

The recent opportunity from the end of the spiritual energy cycle and Su Mu’s spiritual rain had pushed her cultivation to the middle stage of the Golden Core realm, nearing the late stage. Yet she found herself overpowered by this elder, revealing the terrifying strength of their opponent.

Lin Che’s expression grew grave. After merging with the Heaven and Earth’s Eye, his cultivation had reached the middle stage of the Golden Core realm, and the recent opportunities had propelled him to the late stage. Despite this, he was unable to withstand the elder’s might, confirming the old man was indeed a peak-stage Golden Core cultivator.

No wonder the forces of the Southern King’s mansion dared to remain in the northern part of the city even after the Misty Army’s arrival—they had such a powerful backer.

“A bunch of wraiths and spirits, prepare to die!” the elder sneered coldly.

Hum!

He lifted his sword to his chest and ran his left index finger along the blade, infusing it with vast spiritual energy. Instantly, a storm of fiery sword qi erupted from the blade.

Huang Shuling and Lin Che’s faces paled as they desperately defended themselves.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

They struggled to hold their ground, but neither dared retreat, knowing that doing so would spell disaster for the Misty Army behind them.

“So this is the Misty Forbidden Zone, the terror of the world? I think not,” the old man scoffed.

“Long live Nine Elder!” the young officer from the Southern King’s faction cheered with excitement.

But at that moment, the old man felt every hair on his body stand on end.

In the same instant, a ripple appeared in the void, and a leaf appeared before the old man faster than the eye could see.

The old man frantically poured spiritual energy into his sword to block the leaf.

Screech!

The roaring flames couldn’t stop the leaf. It pierced through the fire, collided with the tip of the old man’s sword, and…

An unimaginable force exploded from the leaf.

In an instant, the old man was sent flying a hundred feet, crashing heavily to the ground with his sword falling beside him. His face was a picture of disbelief.

“What kind of power is this?” the old man gasped, staring up at the massive silver ginkgo tree’s image in the sky. “I have seen heaven and earth, and all living beings, and believed I had found the true path. How could I be so easily defeated?”

He couldn’t accept it. He had thought himself one of the strongest in the world, yet this tree had merely flicked a leaf to defeat him.

“You have seen heaven and earth, and all beings, but have you ever seen yourself?” came a calm, authoritative voice, like a breeze echoing through the void.

In that moment, all of Nanjing City fell silent, and countless people looked up in shock. The great entity of the Misty Forbidden Zone, the Silver Ginkgo Tree, could speak? And its words, brimming with profound wisdom, sent shivers through everyone’s hearts.

The old man stood as if struck by lightning. He wasn’t surprised the Silver Ginkgo Tree could speak; he was shocked by the profound truth in its words.

“Hahaha,” the old man suddenly laughed maniacally, “Who truly finds the path? Perhaps we are all just dreaming of being fish.”

He had believed he had found enlightenment, but now he realized it had all been a delusion. He had been nothing more than a joke.

Swoosh!

With a final, decisive motion, the old man sliced his own throat with his sword, his blood spraying wildly as he collapsed to the ground.

Everyone, both human and beast, fell into a stunned silence.

Su Mu sighed inwardly. The old man was truly talented, and if he had been willing to submit, Su Mu might have spared him. But people have their own wills, and this man chose death over submission. Su Mu could only respect his decision, even as it brought a hint of admiration.

“Give him a proper burial,” Su Mu ordered.

With those words, his presence faded away.

With the old man’s death, the battle in Nanjing City was effectively decided. There was no longer any need for Su Mu to intervene.

Indeed, the events that followed confirmed this. The young officer from the Southern King’s faction was left in utter despair. Moments later, the Misty Army overwhelmed him, leaving him no chance to escape.

Caw!

The cry of a giant crow echoed as it swooped down at incredible speed, hunting down the remaining forces of the Southern King’s faction with ruthless efficiency.

The Southern King’s forces were utterly defeated.

Elsewhere, Li Qianjue gazed up at the image of the Silver Ginkgo Tree in the sky. Compared to the tree, he seemed insignificant, like an ant, yet his spine remained straight, his posture unyielding.

“Senior, may I ask what you intend to do with Nanjing City?” he asked, his voice carrying the light of defiance in his eyes. He was not afraid to die; his only concern was for the million residents of Nanjing City.

Earlier, he had gambled by opening the gates to let the Misty Army in, hoping they would adhere to their code of conduct. But deep down, he wasn’t entirely sure. If he had gambled wrong and the Misty Army began slaughtering as the other beasts did, his guilt would be beyond redemption.

“What should I do?” The branches of the Silver Ginkgo Tree’s image swayed gently, almost as if laughing.

“I and the Great Xia have always kept to our own territories,” came the voice, echoing like a decree from the heavens. “But the Great Xia has repeatedly provoked the Misty Forbidden Zone, first by sending people into the mountains, which I could overlook. But now, twice they have used their treasures against me. What do you think I should do?”

Li Qianjue bowed his head in shame. Many cultivators in the city also lowered their heads. When it came to the Misty Forbidden Zone, it was clear that Great Xia had been in the wrong.

But then Li Qianjue’s face turned ashen. “Senior, are you planning to destroy Nanjing City?”

To him, the words of the Silver Ginkgo Tree seemed to indicate a complete break with Great Xia, which could only mean disaster.

“The high officials of Great Xia are all wise men,” Su Mu replied. “When they chose to confront the Misty Forbidden Zone, do you think they didn’t consider the possibility of retaliation? Did they not consider what might happen to the people of Nanjing City if the Misty Forbidden Zone were to strike back?”

Li Qianjue’s face drained of color, turning even paler. Countless people in Nanjing City clenched their fists, their expressions darkening. The answer was obvious. The officials of the Great Xia, with all their wisdom, surely foresaw the consequences. Yet they still attacked the Misty Forbidden Zone, proving they didn’t care about the lives of the citizens of Nanjing City or Qingzhou Province.

If even the high officials didn’t care about their lives, what right did they have to question the actions of the Misty Forbidden Zone’s ruler? Many prepared themselves for the worst, blaming not the Misty Forbidden Zone, but the cold indifference of the government and their own unfortunate fate.

“However, whether human or beast, all are living beings, and in my eyes, there is no difference,” the Silver Ginkgo Tree continued. “The fault lies with the high officials of Great Xia, not with the common people. Since the officials do not protect you, this place will now belong to the Misty Forbidden Zone, and I will be the one to protect you.”

As these words fell, the entire city fell into a deathly silence.

The people of Nanjing City were stunned. The officials of Great Xia had disregarded their lives, recklessly attacking the Misty Forbidden Zone. Yet, in the end, it was the Misty Forbidden Zone that cared for their lives and offered to protect them?

After the silence, the city erupted in joyous cheers. The shouts were filled with the exhilaration of surviving a catastrophe and the deep gratitude toward the Silver Ginkgo Tree.

“Divine Tree.”

“We offer our respects to the Divine Tree.”

Soon after, a majority of the people in the city began to kneel and bow to the image of the Silver Ginkgo Tree in the sky.

Their gestures were filled with utmost sincerity.

Li Qianjue and Wen Yuchao also found it hard to believe. But quickly, they were overwhelmed by a deep sense of gratitude.

Saving the lives of a million people in Nanjing City was their greatest wish. For that, they were willing to sacrifice themselves.

Now, Su Mu had fulfilled their wish.

In response, they were more than willing to give their lives for Su Mu.

The next moment, the two men also knelt down.

However, Su Mu did not respond to the cheers.

The image of the Silver Ginkgo Tree in the sky quickly faded away like a bubble.

Nanjing City remained shrouded in a light mist, but it was only a thin veil of fog that did not hinder the people’s daily lives.

“Three hearts of faith.”

Su Mu could sense the lines of faith forming in his sea of consciousness.

Many beings had faith in him, and the number of believers had long since reached the thousands.

However, only a few had reached the level of possessing a heart of faith. Up until now, only Su Yao and Su Yan had achieved this.

Today, after he first released the spiritual rain and then forgave the people of Nanjing City, the number of beings who placed their faith in him had surged into the tens of thousands.

He had gained three additional hearts of faith.

This demonstrated just how difficult it was to form a heart of faith.

Nanjing City had a population of over a million people, but only three new hearts of faith emerged from it!

The odds were less than one in thirty thousand.

Despite this, Su Mu was still pleased.

It confirmed that his approach was correct.

Even with such low odds, with a large enough base population, the number of hearts of faith could still increase.

Currently, his faith power was at the fifth tier.

Each heart of faith holder contributed 15 years of lifespan to him daily.

With five hearts of faith, he now gained 75 years of lifespan every day.

This was undoubtedly a steady stream of lifespan income.

Additionally, the individuals who held a heart of faith were worth cultivating.

Their loyalty was beyond doubt.

Moreover, even those who merely had faith in him were not to be underestimated.

Though they were less valuable individually compared to those with a heart of faith, their sheer numbers made up for it.

For example, during this incident alone, Su Mu felt a massive influx of faith power flowing into him.