Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 115

“The Forbidden Zone of the Eastern Sea?”

Grand Historian Zhou didn’t think much of it. The Great Xia Empire’s understanding of the Eastern Sea’s Forbidden Zone was about the same as its previous understanding of the Misty Forbidden Zone. To the Great Xia, the Eastern Sea was just another forbidden zone like the Misty Forbidden Zone. Su Mu’s warning seemed to him like nothing more than the natural hostility between entities of equal strength.

At this moment, his thoughts were more focused on the implication that Su Mu had no intention of killing him. Even though he had previously believed that his chances of leaving the Misty Forbidden Zone alive were relatively high, receiving this confirmation from the Master of the Mist brought him a sense of relief. He realized that his back was drenched in cold sweat.

“Senior, I will certainly relay your goodwill to the Great Xia’s court,” said Grand Historian Zhou.

“I hold no goodwill towards the Great Xia. As long as we can avoid crossing paths, that is enough,” replied Su Mu.

Grand Historian Zhou did not argue. For a forbidden zone’s master to hold a “live and let live” attitude towards the Great Xia was already the greatest act of goodwill. Other forbidden zones’ masters would invade the Great Xia at the slightest opportunity. He bowed deeply to Su Mu again, then led his soldiers back.

The Southern King was stunned. Grand Historian Zhou was really going to leave him behind. He was truly being abandoned. All along, he had believed himself to be crucial to the Empire. But now, reality was telling him that this was nothing more than his own delusion.

If the Empire had intended to protect him, Grand Historian Zhou would have made some effort on his behalf. However, Grand Historian Zhou hadn’t even said a single word in his defense, which meant that the Empire had definitively abandoned him. This was the only explanation for Grand Historian Zhou’s disregard.

The Southern King’s body trembled as he felt the overwhelming presence of the ancient ginkgo tree focusing on him.

“Tree demon,” the Southern King blustered, trying to appear tough. “Do you know that I have the support of Mount Longhu? If you kill me, Mount Longhu will not let this go easily.”

His words reminded Su Mu of the robed elder in Nanjing City, who had also come from Mount Longhu. Su Mu knew of some hidden sects in the world. These sects might be powerful, but Su Mu did not believe they were stronger than the Great Xia.

If they were stronger, they would have taken control of the Great Xia long ago. After all, the largest portion of resources in the world was controlled by the major nations. Su Mu, who did not fear the Great Xia, had no reason to fear them either. Moreover, the Southern King was nothing more than a cowardly fool. Beyond his noble title, he had no value whatsoever.

With a swift motion, a leaf shot out and pierced through the Southern King’s forehead. In an instant, the noble lord of the Great Xia Empire was slain by Su Mu. Fang Zhaodong, who had been glaring venomously and shouting madly, turned deathly pale at this sight. If the tree demon dared to kill the Southern King, what was a lowly Grand Seer assistant like him?

“Please don’t kill me!” Fang Zhaodong pleaded hastily. “Lord Sacred Tree, I am willing to submit to you and help you deal with the Great Xia Empire. I know many of the Empire’s secrets, such as the evidence of collusion between Imperial Prince and Grand Seer with demonic forces.”

“Oh?” Su Mu responded with a faint smile. “Very well, then write down all these secrets and evidence.”

These things were of little use to Su Mu, but he knew they would be valuable to Su Yao. Fang Zhaodong, overjoyed, was taken to the underground world by a giant ape. The sight of the vast underground world left Fang Zhaodong even more astounded. Who could have imagined that beneath the Misty Forbidden Zone lay such a massive subterranean realm?

Meanwhile, at the Misty Lake, Grand Historian Zhou reboarded his ship, which slowly sailed toward the Sui River. Just before entering the river, Grand Historian Zhou couldn’t help but turn back to look at the ginkgo tree in the distance. He could still vaguely see the shadow of the giant tree.

Behind Grand Historian Zhou, a young boy with freckles on his face stared in awe. The conversation between the Master of the Mist and Grand Historian Zhou, though seemingly ordinary, was undoubtedly an event worthy of being recorded in history. This was the first dialogue between the Master of the Mist and the Great Xia, with both parties standing as equals.

The fact that the Great Xia had sent a high-ranking official like the Prime Minister to negotiate indicated that the Empire was treating the Master of the Mist as an equal ruler. The boy felt fortunate to have witnessed this historic moment. However, he quickly lowered his head. No matter how grand the tide of history might be, at this moment, he was only a servant of Grand Historian Zhou.

In the heart of the Misty Forbidden Zone, Su Yao’s thoughts reached Su Mu. “Lord Sacred Tree, my spies have uncovered an important secret: the Great Xia Emperor, who claims to be in seclusion, has actually spent most of his time away from the capital.”

“Oh?” Su Mu’s interest was piqued.

“My master hails from the aristocratic Xu family,” Su Yao explained. “She herself was married to the Imperial Prince, and her sister became one of the Emperor’s concubines. The Xu family has been involved in the Emperor’s secret activities. After investigating, my master discovered that the Emperor has found a new spiritual mine in an ancient cave. This mine is said to be different from others, containing a natural spiritual land.”

“A natural spiritual land?” Su Mu was intrigued.

“Some spiritual mines undergo mutations, causing the spirit stones within to develop Dao attributes,” Su Yao continued. “When these spirit stones accumulate in large numbers, they create a Dao-infused spiritual land, a place where anyone who trains within it can gain significant benefits.”

Su Mu grew more serious. “Have they already secured this Dao-infused spiritual land?”

“Not yet,” Su Yao replied. “This mine, like others before it, is home to a fearsome beast—a pangolin that has lived for an unknown number of years. To claim this mine, they must first defeat the pangolin.”

“I understand,” Su Mu said, lost in thought. Su Yao did not elaborate further. She had merely passed the information to Su Mu, leaving the decision of what to do next to him. This matter involved the Great Xia Emperor himself, and though Su Yao had amassed considerable influence, she knew she could not participate in the competition for this opportunity on her own.

Su Mu pondered the situation. This opportunity was extraordinary, but the ancient cave was located in Jiangzhou, more than ten thousand miles from Qingzhou. Even if the rewards were immense, it was beyond his reach. Su Mu turned his attention to his data panel. To change this, he could only find a solution within his own capabilities. Ultimately, he focused on the “Heart of Faith” section of the panel. To interfere with the opportunity in the ancient cave, his own strength would not suffice. But if Su Yao’s power could be greatly enhanced, things would be different.

However, he was not a god; he couldn’t simply elevate Su Yao’s strength at will. All he could do now was attempt to upgrade the ability and see if it would bring about any changes. If it didn’t, he would have to abandon this opportunity. After all, as long as he continued to progress steadily, his strength would continue to grow, so there was no need to be overly anxious. Looking at the lifespan section of his panel, he realized that he had to thank the occupation of Nanjing City, which had granted him an additional eighty thousand years of life. His total lifespan now reached ninety-three thousand years.

“Heart of Faith, upgrade,” Su Mu commanded.