Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 13

Wen Yuchao was overjoyed. “Village Chief Su, your broad-mindedness and deep love for your granddaughter truly command my respect. Rest assured, when Su Yao arrives in Nanjing City, she will be treated as the top priority among our talents.”

“That’s very reassuring,” Su Yan replied, his face beaming with satisfaction.

“However, before we proceed to Nanjing City, we need to first investigate the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range,” Wen Yuchao added.

“Entering the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range?” Su Yan echoed, his expression puzzled. Outwardly, Su Yao appeared unconcerned, but inwardly, she immediately became more attentive.

“It’s suspected that a powerful demon has appeared within the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range, and the City Lord has sent me to investigate,” Wen Yuchao explained.

“A demon?” Su Yan was taken aback. “Could this be a misunderstanding? Su Family Village has stood here for over a thousand years, and we’ve never encountered any demons.”

“It could indeed be a misunderstanding,” Wen Yuchao admitted, not withholding the truth. He had no reason to be secretive with the simple village folk. “However, the Heavenly Pivot Spirit Array has detected an area within the mountain range where the spiritual energy levels are far beyond the norm.”

“The Heavenly Pivot Spirit Array is a third-tier ancient array, and its accuracy is extremely high. We can’t afford to overlook this,” Wen Yuchao continued. “In fact, with the changing times, it might be best for Su Family Village to relocate farther from the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range.”

Su Yan shook his head. “I appreciate your concern, Lord Wen, but our village has been rooted here for over a millennium. It’s not easy for us to simply up and move.”

Wen Yuchao did not press further. He understood the attachment these villagers had to their ancestral lands.

“The Heavenly Pivot Spirit Array…” Su Yao’s heart raced as she processed the information, her thoughts were quickly relayed to Su Mu, who was also deeply concerned.

“A third-tier array,” Su Mu mused, feeling a growing sense of unease. A third-tier array was at the level of Golden Core cultivators in the human world—something to be taken very seriously.

The fact that the Heavenly Pivot Spirit Array was invisible and intangible meant that he couldn’t even attempt to destroy it, as there was no clear point of attack.

At that moment, Su Mu felt a profound sense of powerlessness.

“Caw, caw…” The spirit crows began to call out, sensing Su Mu’s heavy mood. The surrounding spiritual energy seemed to grow more oppressive in response to his tension.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” Su Mu reassured them, calming the crows with a gentle movement of his branches.

Despite the oppressive situation, Su Mu wasn’t about to give up. If humans approached, he would take them down one by one. With the help of his Power of Mist, he was determined to turn the area into a deadly trap for anyone who dared enter.

After all, even though Su Mu was human in his previous life, he wasn’t going to let that stop him from defending himself now. Moreover, there might be a way to deal with the Heavenly Pivot Spirit Array.

“Su Yao, help me gather more information about this Heavenly Pivot Spirit Array,” Su Mu mentally instructed her.

Back at Su Family Village, Su Yao, understanding Su Mu’s request, turned to Wen Yuchao with a question. “My lord, has the Heavenly Pivot Spirit Array detected the presence of a powerful demon within the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range?”

“Not exactly,” Wen Yuchao replied, not suspecting anything from her inquiry. “The array monitors spiritual energy levels to identify unusual occurrences. The specifics still need to be investigated on-site, which is why we’re here.”

“I see,” Su Yao said, nodding thoughtfully.

Deep within the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range, Su Mu sighed in relief.

“So, it has only detected an anomaly in spiritual energy levels, not my presence specifically?” The pressure on Su Mu lightened considerably. If that was the case, there might still be a way to cover his tracks. He considered his “Power of Mist” ability.

The Power of Mist had inherent properties for masking and hiding, but it wasn’t currently enough to completely obscure his presence. The most likely reason was that its tier was too low.

“My Power of Mist is at the second tier, while the Heavenly Pivot Spirit Array is at the third tier. What if I elevate my Power of Mist to the third tier?” Su Mu pondered.

To copy an ability required the consumption of 300 years of life force. Elevating it to the second tier required 500 years, and raising it to the third tier would demand 1,000 years.

Su Mu checked his status:

[Species: Spirit Ginkgo]
[Height: 170 feet]
[Life Force: 550 years]
[Tier: Second-Tier Upper-Grade]
[Abilities: Complete Spirit Infusion, Congeal Spirit Ginkgo Fruit, Innate Talent Duplication, Second-Tier Phantom Snow Eyes, First-Tier Heart of Faith, Second-Tier Power of the Mist]

Though he had accumulated more life force over time, he still fell short of the 1,000-year threshold.

“I still have time,” Su Mu thought. “The humans are merely suspicious; they haven’t confirmed anything yet. If I can delay their investigation, I can buy the time needed.”

Immediately, Su Mu sent a mental command to the surrounding spirit beasts: “If any humans enter the mountains, stop them. Do not let them get close to me. In the meantime, focus all efforts on hunting.”

The spirit creatures, including the Snow Spirit Mink, the White Spirit Python, the Ironback Ape, and the spirit crows, sprang into action.

At the edge of the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range, a cavalry unit of thirty men, having rested in Su Family Village, now ventured into the mountain territory. It was already mid-morning, and the sun had been shining for some time.

“Vice-General, the further we go, the thicker the fog seems to get,” remarked the bearded cavalryman.

Su Mu’s Power of Mist primarily focused on an area within a three mile radius, but the fog extended beyond this, affecting other regions as well.

“Indeed, something feels off,” Wen Yuchao murmured, his brow furrowing. Fog in the mountains was normal, but by this time of day, it should have started to dissipate. This persistent fog was unusual.

“However, there’s no need to be overly concerned,” Wen Yuchao reassured his men. “With the revival of spiritual energy, it’s not surprising that the mountains are behaving differently than before.”

As the leader, Wen Yuchao had to remain calm and composed to maintain morale. However, as they pressed on, the fog only grew denser and more unsettling. It seemed to affect their senses, causing a strange disorientation.

Unbeknownst to them, half an hour passed as they traveled without realizing how little progress they had made. To test this, Wen Yuchao left marks on nearby trees.

After another quarter of an hour, he inspected the trees and noticed the marks were exactly where he had left them earlier, indicating they had been moving in circles. The other cavalrymen also noticed this and became visibly uneasy.

“There’s no need to panic,” Wen Yuchao said sharply. He pulled out a compass from his pouch, a sight that brought relief to the troops.

The compass was part of a set, with its counterpart located in Nanjing City. The compass needle would always point toward the parent compass, allowing them to determine their direction.

“Nanjing City is to our southeast,” Wen Yuchao announced. “We just need to keep moving in the opposite direction, which will lead us northwest, deeper into the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range.”

With the compass to guide them, the cavalrymen were finally able to break free from the disorienting fog and continue their journey.

Six miles away, Su Mu observed the situation with a cold glare. “These human soldiers are more resourceful than I expected,” he muttered to himself.

Initially, Su Mu had hoped the fog would be enough to keep the humans at bay. Now that they had proven more resourceful, he would have to resort to force.

Unaware of what lay ahead, Wen Yuchao and his cavalry continued to press forward, confident that they were close to uncovering the secrets hidden deep within the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range.