Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 41

“That place had a spiritual energy fluctuation exceeding four hundred thousand units, but the City Lord said it was a misreading, so I didn’t pay much attention,” Tang Xin said with a smile.

In truth, she hadn’t really taken it seriously and had only used it as an excuse to contact Su Yao.

Su Yao, relieved by the information, casually chatted with Tang Xin while discreetly conveying the details to Su Mu.

The Misty Territory

Receiving Su Yao’s message, Su Mu’s expression shifted slightly.

“The human formations are indeed formidable, but they cannot penetrate the mysteries of my fifth-tier Power of Mist.”

[Species: Spiritual Ginkgo]
[Height: 480 feet]
[Lifespan: 70 years]
[Rank: Tier-Three, Middle Grade]
[Abilities: Innate Talent Duplication, Life Essence Condensation, Heaven and Human Induction, Second-Tier Earth Fiend Transformation, Fourth-Tier Phantom Snow Eye, Third-Tier Heart of Faith, Fifth-Tier Power of Mist, Third-Tier Hearth Peering, Fourth-Tier Earth Force, Third-Tier Sword Mastery]

The fifth-tier Power of Mist was truly extraordinary.

Before this upgrade, the mist covered a radius of thirty miles.

Now, it had expanded to forty-five miles.

The Misty Lake

The number of beasts gathered here had reached over a thousand.

Even the lake was now home to spirit fish.

Suddenly, the mist above began to swirl.

A pair of enormous eyes, like the eyes of heaven, materialized within the mist.

This was the manifestation of Su Mu’s Mist Phantom Eye, combining the powers of the mist and the Snow Phantom Eye.

Unlike before, these eyes now appeared almost tangible, as if they were real.

Many of the beasts, upon seeing these eyes, instantly lost their willpower.

With a mere thought from Su Mu, more than ten beasts were instantly slain.

“No doubt about it, the fifth-tier Power of Mist is formidable,” Su Mu thought, satisfied.

But he didn’t continue the slaughter.

The Misty Lake had become his reserve for nurturing spirit beasts.

He was very careful about maintaining the ecosystem here.

As long as it thrived, it could provide him with fifty years of lifespan every day.

And that number would only grow.

But if he were to overhunt or scare the beasts away, the losses would outweigh the gains.

Meanwhile

The Su Family village was receiving an important guest.

This guest was not particularly old, perhaps sixteen or seventeen.

“Su Qing of the Su Family village greets you,” Su Qing said with a respectful bow.

“Sun Zhengping of the Sun family from Canglan Town greets you,” the young man responded in kind.

Su Qing was cautious.

The arrival of someone from the Sun family was a big deal for the Su Family village.

Canglan Town had a population of eight thousand, far more than the Su Family village.

And for a century, the Sun family had ruled Canglan Town.

This made it essential for the Su Family village to keep its true strength hidden.

“I’m not worthy of such formalities,” Su Qing said, smiling. “My father is the head of the Su Family village, not me. You can simply call me Su Qing if you don’t mind.”

“Su Qing,” Sun Zhengping quickly corrected himself.

“What brings you to our humble village?” Su Qing asked, still smiling.

“I’ve brought something for you to see,” Sun Zhengping said, opening a box.

Inside was a bright red fruit.

“A Vermilion Fruit?” Su Qing’s eyes widened.

This was a rare treasure for cultivators.

For those with talent, a single Vermilion Fruit could lead to a significant breakthrough.

However, Su Qing was wary.

His mind echoed an old saying: “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.”

“I’m afraid our Su Family village cannot accept such a generous gift,” Su Qing said, his tone firm.

“This is a token of my father’s goodwill,” Sun Zhengping insisted.

But Su Qing shook his head, resolute.

Seeing that the Vermilion Fruit wasn’t enough to sway Su Qing, Sun Zhengping’s respect for the Su Family village grew.

It showed that the Su Family village had deeper resources than he had anticipated.

Su Qing, however, was thinking about the divine tree.

With the divine tree’s life essence, a Vermilion Fruit was nothing.

This made it easier for him to remain calm.

“Perhaps this is just another of the Sun family’s tricks to test us,” Su Qing thought. “Dealing with such an established family requires constant vigilance.”

Sun Zhengping, sensing that Su Qing was not easily swayed, sighed and produced a map.

Su Qing’s heart skipped a beat.

“This is a map of Qingzhou?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

In this world, maps were valuable.

Previously, the Su Family village and nearby villages only had access to partial maps.

Sun Zhengping didn’t think much of it.

Assuming that Su Qing already had a map of Qingzhou, he didn’t hesitate to share theirs.

“Yes,” Sun Zhengping replied casually. “This is a map my family’s trading caravans have compiled over many years. How does it compare to yours?”

“It’s more detailed than ours,” Su Qing admitted.

This straightforwardness made Sun Zhengping think highly of Su Qing.

It suggested that Su Qing was open and honest, not one to hide his weaknesses.

“There are thirty-two cities in Qingzhou,” Sun Zhengping began. “We are located in the southwestern region, within the jurisdiction of Nanjing City. But the southwestern region of Qingzhou is vast, and Nanjing City cannot control everything. Most areas, like Su Family village and Canglan Town, are self-governing. Nanjing City rarely intervenes.”

He pointed to the map, giving Su Qing his first clear view of the village’s location.

The Su Family village was situated in the eastern part of the western region of Qingzhou, surrounded by the Ancient Wilderness Mountains.

Three hundred li to the east was Canglan Town, where the Sun family resided.

The Su Family village was in a mountainous area, which explained the low population.

In contrast, the area around Canglan Town was more open, with a denser population.

But Su Qing noticed a potential problem.

Canglan Town was on the border between the western and central regions.

Sun Zhengping continued, “One hundred miles east of Canglan Town is Pinghu Town, controlled by the Ouyang family, which is under the jurisdiction of Xintian City. There has always been conflict between Xintian City and Nanjing City, and it has intensified in recent years.

This has led to the Ouyang family frequently encroaching on Canglan Town. The Ouyang family is much stronger than ours, and my family is struggling to hold them off.”

Su Qing’s face darkened.

He understood why Sun Zhengping had come.

No wonder he had offered the Vermilion Fruit right away.

If the Sun family couldn’t handle the Ouyang family, the Su Family village, which was weaker, had no chance.

“I’m afraid the Su Family village can’t help you with this,” Su Qing said firmly.

Sun Zhengping hesitated.

“What is your family’s strongest cultivator’s level?” Su Qing asked. “And what about the Ouyang family?”

“My grandfather is our strongest, at the early Foundation Establishment stage,” Sun Zhengping replied. “But the Ouyang family has two Foundation Establishment cultivators and many more Qi Refining stage cultivators.”

Su Qing was silent.

Foundation Establishment?

The Su Family village didn’t even have one.

This was not a conflict they could afford to get involved in.

“Why hasn’t your family sought help from Nanjing City?” Su Qing asked, puzzled.