Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 114

When the colossal Sea Monk emerged, everyone aboard the two imperial ships felt a chill run through their bodies. The sheer size of the creature was overwhelming. Despite only revealing its upper half, the ape stood over four hundred feet tall, making it impossible to imagine its full size. The aura it emitted was suffocating.

“A third-tier supreme grade beast!” Grand Historian Zhou gasped, drawing in a sharp breath.

“Honored guests, please disembark and proceed on foot,” the Sea Monk rumbled, its voice as deep as thunder.

The ships docked, and the three hundred personnel aboard Prime Minister Liang’s ship remained on board, while ten elite guards escorted Fang Zhaodong as they followed Grand Historian Zhou ashore. The Southern King was carried by a giant ape.

As they stepped into the innermost region of the Misty Forbidden Zone, their dread only deepened. They had been astonished by the sight of the Misty Lake, but now they realized that was nothing compared to the true horrors of this core area.

After walking a short distance, they encountered a white python, two hundred feet long, exuding the aura of a third-tier lower-grade beast. Next, they saw a one-hundred-foot tall giant ape, also at the same level, followed by a one-hundred-eighty-foot-tall brown bear, also a third-tier lower-grade beast. They even saw a nearly twenty-foot-long white mink, a third-tier middle-grade beast.

With every step, their terror grew. This truly was a kingdom of demons, and its overall strength could rival that of the Great Xia’s imperial capital.

Eventually, they arrived before a massive ginkgo tree, standing eight hundred eighty feet tall. Its aura seemed to merge with the void, making it impossible even for Grand Historian Zhou to gauge its full power. The ginkgo tree was unlike any other tree. Its branches, trunk, and leaves all seemed to be etched with traces of the Dao. Standing before it, Grand Historian Zhou, despite being at the peak of the Golden Core realm, felt his own insignificance.

“Zhou Zichang greets the Master of the Mist,” Grand Historian Zhou said, suppressing the turmoil within him and maintaining as much composure as possible. However, deep in his eyes, a flicker of curiosity remained.

As the Grand Historian of the Great Xia Empire, one of his core duties was to record the most significant events and beings in the world. Among the many powerful entities today, the Master of the Mist was undoubtedly one of the most important.

This was why Grand Historian Zhou had come to the Misty Forbidden Zone. He wanted to gain a deeper understanding of this forbidden master so that he could record it in the annals of history. If he failed to do so, he would be unfit for his role as Grand Historian.

“Since the Great Xia has handed over Fang Zhaodong, the Misty Forbidden Zone will not invade any more cities,” Su Mu said calmly. “As for Nanjing County, it now belongs to the Misty Forbidden Zone, and the Great Xia Empire would be wise not to trespass.”

“Monster! You monster!” came a crazed shout. “Zhou Zichang, you’ve seen how terrifying this monster is! Aren’t you afraid that one day this monster will overthrow the Great Xia’s rule?”

The speaker was Fang Zhaodong, who, realizing that his chances of survival were slim after being brought into the Misty Forbidden Zone, had descended into madness.

Su Mu did not react with anger but instead looked at Grand Historian Zhou with interest. “He makes a good point. Aren’t you worried?”

Grand Historian Zhou remained unperturbed. “The Sun Valley Zhou family was founded 3,700 years ago by our ancestor Zhou Tanxi during the previous cycle of the heavens when the Yu Hua Immortal Dynasty and the philosophers ruled the world. Back then, our ancestor Zhou Tanxi served as the Prime Minister of the Yu Hua Immortal Dynasty.”

Fang Zhaodong, understanding the implications of Grand Historian Zhou’s words, breathed heavily, his eyes burning with fury.

“The fall of the Great Xia’s rule would not be an unacceptable outcome for my Zhou family,” Grand Historian Zhou continued. “For even if the Great Xia falls, a new dynasty will rise to take its place. Our family’s duty is to continue recording history.”

“Curse you! You aristocratic factions are nothing but a bunch of disloyal, treacherous parasites feeding off the nation!” Fang Zhaodong cursed, his voice full of rage.

Indeed, many factions in the world today were similar to the Zhou family. These included aristocratic families and sects whose histories were even older than the Great Xia, having survived through multiple dynasties. Whenever a regime changed, these factions would adapt, switching allegiances and emerging as heroes of the new order—an infuriating reality.

Su Mu chuckled. He had little interest in the internal power struggles of the human race. Whether it was aristocratic families, sects, or empires, they were all the same in his eyes. After all, he was a force independent of these entities.

“So, it seems your primary purpose here is not to negotiate for the Great Xia’s interests,” Su Mu said.

“The interests of the Great Xia do not require my negotiation,” Grand Historian Zhou replied. “You are a lawful entity. The high officials of the Great Xia fear that you will ravage Qingzhou, but such an event was never going to happen, so why waste time discussing it? Instead, I am more interested in understanding just how powerful you truly are.”

“How powerful am I?” Su Mu smiled softly. “When I look back, the mundane world seems distant; sitting in forgetfulness, I am but a mayfly. Among the heavens and myriad worlds, I am just another ephemeral creature. How powerful could I be?”

Far from dismissing Su Mu as insignificant, Grand Historian Zhou felt even more awed. The ginkgo tree was already formidable, yet it remained so humble. Such a mindset, he realized, was perhaps more terrifying than the tree’s power itself.

“Then may I be so bold as to ask, what is the path for all beings in this world?” Grand Historian Zhou asked.

“Whether demon or human, all are merely forms,” Su Mu replied. “If one is not bound by form, then the great heavens are right before their eyes. Your Zhou family has persisted for 3,700 years. Have you not yet seen through these illusions?”

This was Su Mu’s genuine insight. Whether he was human or a tree, it made no difference in the eyes of the Dao. All beings suffered. In the end, all living beings were nothing more than pitiful creatures struggling to cross the sea of suffering.

Grand Historian Zhou was profoundly shaken. At that moment, he felt as though he had been struck by a great revelation. For a historian like him, the greatest mistake was to view the world through a lens of personal bias, as it would taint the history he recorded. Only by freeing himself from the constraints of form could he truly find his own path.

“With a single word, one transcends; what need is there for a thousand volumes?” Grand Historian Zhou bowed deeply to the ginkgo tree.

To him, Su Mu’s words were worth more than a thousand tomes of wisdom.

“If I learn the Dao in the morning, I can die content in the evening,” Grand Historian Zhou said sincerely. “If the senior wishes to kill me now, I will have no regrets.”

Su Mu did not respond to this, instead saying, “Go and tell the Great Xia Empire to beware of the Eastern Sea’s Forbidden Zone.”

In Su Mu’s eyes, the real enemy was never the Great Xia, but the Eastern Sea’s Forbidden Zone. Beneath that sea trench lay a passage to the Spirit Realm. If the Great Xia could one day aid in resisting the Spirit Realm, then it would have value to him.

As for whether Grand Historian Zhou would report his experiences in the Misty Forbidden Zone to the Great Xia, Su Mu no longer cared. In the past, he had been concerned because his strength was insufficient. But now, he had become strong enough to coerce the Great Xia into handing over Fang Zhaodong. Even after capturing the Southern King, the Great Xia had not dared to retaliate. How could he possibly fear them now? Letting the Great Xia know some of his capabilities would only serve to further intimidate them, making them more cautious in the future.