Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 14

Rustle, rustle…

A strange sound echoed through the air.

“What is that?” one of the cavalrymen shouted.

In the depths of the forest, he vaguely saw a massive creature swiftly approaching.

Before the other cavalrymen could turn to look, a loud roar filled the air.

“It’s the sound of apes,” said the man with a full beard, his pupils shrinking in fear.

The other cavalrymen tensed up instinctively.

If it were just a few apes, they wouldn’t be so on edge. But now, it seemed like the entire mountain was filled with the cries of apes.

“Everyone, be careful,” Wen Yuchao said, his expression growing increasingly grim. “The Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range has always been home to many apes. Prepare yourselves.”

As he spoke, he was the first to take down the longbow strapped to his back.

The other cavalrymen quickly followed suit.

With the longbows in their hands, they felt a little more at ease.

These weren’t ordinary longbows; they were armor-piercing bows capable of penetrating iron gates.

“There’s an ape!” one of the cavalrymen exclaimed, aiming his longbow at a nearby ape.

Whoosh…

Before the cavalryman could release his arrow, a sharp wind sliced through the air. The next moment, the cavalryman let out a scream of pain, caught completely off guard.

The other cavalrymen quickly noticed that the man’s abdomen had been pierced by a sharp bamboo spear.

“Damn it! These apes can use weapons!” Wen Yuchao cursed. “Quick, shoot on sight!”

The conflict between man and beast was laid bare at that moment, making Su Mu further realize his place in the world.

Although he had been human in his previous life, in this life, he was just a ginkgo tree.

Humans felt threatened by the apes and would shoot them without a second thought. If humans discovered him one day and considered him a threat, they would undoubtedly try to eliminate him as well.

The cavalrymen didn’t hesitate to draw their bows and shoot. Armor-piercing arrows flew in all directions, taking down several apes on the spot.

However, among the apes, there was a particularly large giant ape, standing three meters tall. It charged forward fearlessly, swatting away the arrows aimed at the other apes.

Arrows that could pierce iron gates couldn’t harm this giant ape.

“At least a supreme-grade first-tier spirit beast,” Wen Yuchao exclaimed, his face paling.

That such a terrifying creature existed in the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range was shocking. Could the high spiritual energy levels here be because of this Ape?

“No, that can’t be right,” Wen Yuchao quickly became more vigilant. “Even an upper-grade first-tier spirit beast only has about 3,000 units of spiritual energy, but the spiritual energy levels in this area are around 9,000 units.”

Before Wen Yuchao could figure out how to deal with the situation, a terrifying white giant python, as thick as a barrel, emerged from the forest.

“A giant python!” The other cavalrymen were even more terrified.

They had seen pythons before, but never one as enormous as this. This python was at least 20 meters long.

“An upper-grade first-tier spirit beast,” Wen Yuchao muttered again, his face changing.

At this moment, even he, a seasoned cultivator, felt a chill down his spine.

Whoosh!

The terrifying python’s tail whipped towards them.

Wen Yuchao didn’t dare to be careless. He quickly channeled his spiritual power to block the attack.

Bang!

The next moment, the tremendous force sent Wen Yuchao flying.

Crack!

A tree as thick as a man’s thigh was snapped in half by his impact.

The power of the python’s strike was truly terrifying.

“Quick, the talismans!” Wen Yuchao shouted urgently.

Several of his trusted cavalrymen immediately took out jade boxes. Each box contained a talisman.

“My lord?” The other cavalrymen looked at Wen Yuchao.

Talismans were extremely valuable, and they hesitated to use them recklessly.

“Our lives are at stake. There’s no need to hold back,” Wen Yuchao ordered.

The talismans they carried this time were all fire talismans, the primary talisman available in Nanjing City.

Talismans were precious, so they had only brought ten with them on this mission.

Whoosh!

A talisman flew out, burning in mid-air and transforming into a fireball. The fireball shot forward and exploded a hundred meters away, turning the forest into a sea of flames.

The power of the fire was close to that of a second-rank spell.

Though the white spirit python was formidable, it couldn’t withstand the power of the talisman and was severely injured, forced to retreat in a panic.

Several other apes were also burned to death.

But Su Mu’s side had more cards to play. Several spirit crows flew out, using their wind powers to blow at the fire talisman.

While they couldn’t completely neutralize the talisman’s power, they significantly weakened its effects. The winds even caused the flames to backfire, endangering the cavalrymen instead.

The cavalrymen’s faces turned pale. The giant python and giant ape were already terrifying enough, but they hadn’t expected such deadly spirit crows to be hidden here as well.

“Retreat!” Wen Yuchao made a quick decision and gave the order.

He still had a magic sword that he hadn’t used, but its main purpose was for deterrence. If they used the magic sword and still couldn’t defeat these spirit beasts, they wouldn’t even have a chance to escape.

An hour later, the cavalrymen fled the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range in a sorry state.

Originally, there were thirty cavalrymen, but only twenty managed to escape, and they were all injured.

When they returned to Su Family Village, the villagers were equally shocked.

This cavalry team came from Nanjing City, led by Wen Yuchao himself. Yet, such a powerful team had entered the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range and emerged in such a sorry state?

Deep within the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range, Su Mu relaxed after receiving feedback from the spirit beasts.

This cavalry team had given him a sense of danger, making him certain that they still had some powerful cards up their sleeves, capable of threatening him.

Fortunately, they were more concerned about their losses and weren’t willing to risk everything in the forest. Otherwise, even if he could drive them away, he might have been truly exposed.

“Now, these humans probably think the source of the high spiritual energy is the White Spirit Python, Ironback Ape, and the spirit crows,” Su Mu thought calmly. “That’s actually good for me, as it allows me to continue hiding.”

And as long as the people of Nanjing City have any sense, after suffering such losses, they won’t easily venture into the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range again in the near future.

This was crucial for Su Mu. What he needed most was time.

As he pondered, Su Mu suddenly sensed Su Yao’s thoughts.

Back in Su Family Village.

“We’ve roughly surveyed the situation in the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range,” Wen Yuchao said. “The Heavenly Pivot Spiritual Array’s assessment was correct. There are indeed dangerous spirit creatures in the mountain range. There’s a suspected supreme-grade first-tier Ironback Ape, an upper-grade White Spirit Python, and several spirit crows. Together, their spiritual energy levels add up to around 9,000 units.”

“Spirit creatures? Weren’t they called demons in the past?” The villagers of Su Family Village were terrified.

Who would have thought the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range was so dangerous?

“In any case, the area around the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range is no longer suitable for living,” Wen Yuchao advised. “My advice to all of you is the same as before—leave as soon as possible. Of course, Nanjing City won’t force you, so the decision is yours. However, Miss Su Yao, we’d like you to come with us to Nanjing City.”

“That might be for the best,” Su Yan said.

Su Yao didn’t respond immediately, instead communicating with Su Mu in her mind.

“Divine Tree, I don’t want to go to Nanjing City,” Su Yao said. “Nanjing City is eight hundred miles from the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range. If I go there, I won’t be able to pray to you as often.”

“True devotion comes from the heart,” Su Mu replied. “For me, it doesn’t matter if you’re physically near me. As long as your heart is sincere, that’s enough.”

Hearing this, Su Yao’s mind settled. She no longer resisted and agreed to leave with Wen Yuchao.

This eased Wen Yuchao’s grief. The severe losses suffered by the cavalry team had left him deeply saddened and frustrated, but recruiting Su Yao made up for the loss somewhat.

As Su Yao set off with the cavalry team from Nanjing City, Su Mu kept a close watch on her. Only when he realized that he could still sense her thoughts even when she was far away, did he finally relax.

At the same time, Su Mu rewarded the White Spirit Python, Ironback Ape, and the spirit crows with ginkgo spirit fruits.

He wanted the spirit beasts to know that fighting for him would bring them benefits, ensuring that they would be even more eager to fight in the future.