Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 120

“Fourth-tier lower grade?” The white-haired elder muttered in surprise. He hadn’t expected to encounter a fourth-tier lower grade entity here, but considering that even a fourth-tier supreme grade being had appeared, a lower grade wasn’t so surprising.

However, the mention of the “Ancient Enlightenment Tree” piqued his interest.

The white-haired elder recalled that in his era, there were indeed legends about the Ancient Enlightenment Tree. But he had never seen the tree himself, and there was no concrete evidence proving its existence in the ancient times. However, considering that the black ox was a fourth-tier entity, its words carried some credibility.

Could it be that this ancient ginkgo tree was truly the Ancient Enlightenment Tree?

Despite his usual tendency to regard himself as a senior expert in front of these younger beings, the white-haired elder coughed twice to hide his ignorance and avoid being looked down upon by these juniors. “Ahem, so you are the Ancient Enlightenment Tree. No wonder you have gained such strength in just a year since the spirit resurgence.”

“Do you also know Senior Su?” the black ox asked, looking at the white-haired elder.

The black ox was still somewhat skeptical about Su Mu being the Ancient Enlightenment Tree.

“Not exactly,” the white-haired elder replied. “But in my era, I had heard tales of the Enlightenment Tree.”

“It seems you are a senior expert as well,” the black ox said with respect.

With this, the black ox no longer doubted Su Mu’s identity. While he hadn’t heard of Su Mu himself, the white-haired elder, who was more powerful than him, had no reason to deceive him.

However, the white-haired elder had little interest in continuing the conversation with the black ox. He seemed to sense something, and his expression turned to one of uncertainty.

“A dragon vein? Is it just my imagination?” he murmured, suddenly looking tense.

As if to confirm his suspicions, the gray stone began to tremble in mid-air.

Whoosh!

The next moment, the gray stone began drilling into the ground on its own.

“It’s not my imagination!” the white-haired elder exclaimed, swallowing hard.

He then looked at Su Mu in shock. “Is there a dragon vein here?”

Su Mu’s thoughts stirred as he recalled the appearance of the energy-formed Earth Dragon after his Earth Force had upgraded to the eighth tier.

With a smile, Su Mu responded, “If you want to know, why not go and see for yourself?”

After all, within the Misty Forbidden Zone, Su Mu had no concerns about the white-haired elder taking anything from him. In the ancient cave, the elder might have been able to stand against him, but here, the elder had no chance.

“Can I really go down?” the white-haired elder asked, excitement lighting up his face.

Su Mu did not reply directly, but his silence was enough of an answer. Without hesitation, the white-haired elder followed the gray stone into the depths of the earth.

Once underground, the elder discovered a vast subterranean world. The sheer scale of this underground world, with its lack of artificial markings, left the elder in awe once more. Soon, he spotted the energy-formed Earth Dragon at the deepest point of the underground world. This dragon, spanning ten thousand feet in length, coiled there like a living creature.

“A dragon vein, it really is a dragon vein!” the white-haired elder exclaimed, his excitement growing. “In ancient times, all the dragon veins in the world were severed by the Demon Lord. Since then, no dragon vein has existed in this realm, yet here is one!”

The severing of the dragon veins didn’t happen during the spiritual decline era or the previous spiritual resurgence. It was during the ancient era, ten thousand years ago, that the world saw the extinction of living dragon veins. While dragon veins and spiritual veins might seem similar, they are fundamentally different. The latter is merely a conduit for the earth’s spiritual energy, while the former can bear the world’s fate and imprint the Dao.

In ancient times, places with dragon veins were either sacred grounds of sages or the palaces of emperors. Knowing this, the white-haired elder understood the unparalleled fortune contained within a dragon vein.

What shocked him even more was the realization of what a dragon vein’s presence here implied. As he observed, the gray stone floated before the dragon vein, playing with it like a dragon playing with a pearl.

Su Mu’s consciousness stirred. The energy-formed Earth Dragon created by his eighth-tier Earth Force was indeed the legendary dragon vein. Furthermore, he sensed a peculiar connection between the gray stone and the dragon vein.

At that moment, the white-haired elder’s attitude abruptly changed. In the underground world, he knelt down in the direction of Su Mu above.

“Junior Bai Qianzhang pays his respects to Senior,” the elder said, his face full of shame and embarrassment. “I was ignorant of your true identity, and arrogantly considered you a peer. I am deeply ashamed. Five thousand years ago, the head of the Yuhua Immortal Court’s Sky-Watching Division, Jue Chenzi, foresaw a great calamity descending upon this world. To preserve a thread of hope for the world, he spent a thousand years secretly extracting fifteen different elemental spiritual veins, forging them into a Great Earth Spirit Pearl. A thousand years later, this Great Earth Spirit Pearl gave birth to an Earth Spirit, which is this humble junior.”

Su Mu was surprised, not expecting such a backstory from the white-haired elder.

An Earth Spirit?

This immediately reminded Su Mu of the Earth God from the myths of his previous life. Bai Qianzhang’s appearance was indeed similar to that of the Earth God.

“No matter how many spiritual veins there are, they cannot change the fundamental nature of a spiritual vein,” Bai Qianzhang continued. “I am inherently limited by the spiritual vein and could never break through to the fifth tier, even in a spiritual resurgence era. However, if the Spirit Pearl and I could be integrated into the dragon vein, I could break these chains and have a chance to advance.”

“Do you regret coming here?” Su Mu asked calmly.

Bai Qianzhang’s body trembled. “Senior, are you saying you agree to let the Spirit Pearl and me integrate with the dragon vein?”

“If I did not agree, why would I let you come here?” Su Mu replied.

Tears welled up in Bai Qianzhang’s eyes. “Go ahead,” Su Mu said softly.

Bai Qianzhang and the Spirit Pearl seeking to integrate with the dragon vein was exactly what Su Mu wanted. The Earth Dragon Vein, like the Misty Flood Dragon, was entirely under his control. By integrating with the Spirit Pearl and Bai Qianzhang, they too would be bound to him, unable to escape his grasp.

Bai Qianzhang, overwhelmed with gratitude, kowtowed nine times in Su Mu’s direction before turning into a shadow and merging into the Earth Spirit Pearl within the dragon vein. The Spirit Pearl then moved to the abdomen of the dragon vein, as if becoming its dragon pearl.

Massive amounts of energy, indescribable in scale, burst forth from the Spirit Pearl, rapidly aiding the dragon vein in further forming its body. It must be remembered that this Spirit Pearl contained the energy of thirteen spiritual veins. Su Mu was delighted by this development. Without the Spirit Pearl’s integration, it would have taken an unknown amount of time for the dragon vein to fully form. But now, with the Spirit Pearl’s help, the process had been accelerated by countless years.

At the same time, Bai Qianzhang was equally thrilled. As an Earth Spirit, he was born with a significant flaw—he had spiritual intelligence but no soul. This meant he had to remain hidden deep in the earth, never daring to stray far from the Spirit Pearl. Otherwise, if exposed, his spiritual intelligence would dissipate easily. Now, by merging with the dragon vein, the unique energy of the dragon vein quickly helped him form a soul.

Half a cup of tea later, laughter echoed from within the dragon vein.

“To evade heaven’s will, to escape cause and effect, all these chains bind my true self;
To follow heaven’s will, to accept cause and effect, today I finally understand who I truly am;
Once one sees the Dao and finds their true self, what fear is there of old chains?
All chains in this world are but dreams, formless, without substance, and without self.”