Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 5

[Species: Azure-Scaled Eagle]
[Length: 30 feet]
[Lifespan: 150 years]
[Rank: First-Tier, Upper Grade]
[Abilities: Azure-Scaled Feathers, Armor-Piercing Talons]

The eagle possessed two abilities, and its rank was the same as Su Mu’s. No wonder it was so large.

“This Azure-Scaled Eagle isn’t just passing by,” Su Mu quickly became alert. The eagle was circling above him, its gaze fixed intently on his location.

“It’s targeting the Spirit Crows and Snow Spirit Mink, but it seems wary of me, so it’s hesitant to descend,” Su Mu speculated. This realization spelled trouble.

As expected, the Azure-Scaled Eagle had indeed noticed the ten Spirit Crows and was looking to hunt them. However, it couldn’t shake a feeling of unease whenever it looked down at the ginkgo tree below.

This hesitation kept the eagle at bay.

“If it dives down, I can catch it off guard,” Su Mu thought. Despite his wariness of the Azure-Scaled Eagle, he wasn’t afraid. In fact, he was eager for it to descend. Once it was on the ground, the battlefield would be in Su Mu’s favor.

But the Azure-Scaled Eagle was extremely cautious and didn’t make a move.

At the same time, the ten Spirit Crows and the Snow Spirit Mink had sensed the presence of the eagle. They no longer dared to frolic freely and huddled near Su Mu, trembling with fear.

Even though they had become spirit-infused, they were still vastly outmatched by the Azure-Scaled Eagle.

“I need to lure it down,” Su Mu decided. Prolonging this standoff was not an option. Although he was a tree and theoretically shouldn’t mind a standoff, Su Mu worried that the eagle’s prolonged circling might attract the attention of other predators.

“The Azure-Scaled Eagle is hesitating because it’s wary of me,” Su Mu reasoned. “So, I need to make it think I’m weak.”

His plan was simple: feign weakness.

For this plan to work, the Azure-Scaled Eagle would need to be intelligent but not overly so. If the eagle had human-level intelligence, Su Mu’s ruse would fail.

Su Mu guessed that the eagle wasn’t that smart. Otherwise, it would have considered using fire against him—trees are most vulnerable to flames.

With a plan in mind, Su Mu focused on his mysterious internal energy. He pulled it back, suppressing the aura it emitted.

In a matter of moments, Su Mu’s aura diminished rapidly, making him appear as weak as the Snow Spirit Mink.

The Snow Spirit Mink and the ten Spirit Crows looked on in confusion, clearly worried about Su Mu’s sudden apparent weakness.

In the sky above, the Azure-Scaled Eagle’s senses were even sharper than those of the Snow Spirit Mink and Spirit Crows. It immediately noticed the change in Su Mu’s aura.

Though puzzled, it didn’t dwell on it. The eagle, despite its intelligence, didn’t understand complex tricks and schemes.

Crack!

The air exploded as a shockwave rippled through the clouds.

The enormous body of the Azure-Scaled Eagle plummeted downwards.

As it descended through the forest, no tree could stand in its way—they were all shattered upon impact.

In just two breaths, the eagle had dived several hundred feet, arriving right before Su Mu.

The Snow Spirit Mink and Spirit Crows were paralyzed with fear. Faced with the eagle’s predatory descent, they had no chance of escaping.

But in that instant…

Rip!

Five hundred leaves shot out like an all-encompassing net, enveloping the eagle entirely.

If it were any ordinary creature, Su Mu’s leaves would have shredded it to pieces instantly. However, when the leaves struck the Azure-Scaled Eagle, it was as if they were cutting into solid iron.

“This defense is ridiculous,” Su Mu cursed inwardly, though he wasn’t entirely surprised. Compared to the Azure-Scaled Eagle, Su Mu had a significant advantage—he knew about the eagle, but the eagle knew nothing about him.

The eagle’s formidable defense was likely due to its Azure-Scaled Feathers ability.

Su Mu had anticipated this.

The five hundred leaves, though unable to injure the eagle, succeeded in restraining it.

In the next moment, countless fibrous roots burst out of the ground like swords, stabbing into the eagle.

At last, blood appeared on the eagle’s body.

However, these wounds were still not fatal.

“In that case…”

Buzz!

Su Mu activated his main root.

In an instant, the root shot out like an unparalleled spear.

The main root’s destructive power far surpassed that of the leaves and fibrous roots.

In a flash, the Azure-Scaled Eagle’s body was pierced through.

“Screech!”

The eagle let out a pained scream.

At the same time, Su Mu felt a tearing pain in his own body.

He quickly retracted the main root back into the soil.

“This was a desperate move. I can’t do this again,” Su Mu thought, determined never to experience such pain again.

Though Su Mu refrained from using the main root any further, the Azure-Scaled Eagle was left with no chance of survival.

Su Mu’s other fibrous roots immediately exploited the wound, burrowing into the eagle’s body.

Inside, they shredded its organs into pieces.

Su Mu had no intention of taming the Azure-Scaled Eagle. Its power was too great, far beyond his ability to control.

A few breaths later…

[Lifespan: 155 years]

The lifespan section of Su Mu’s panel surged by 150 years.

Without hesitation, Su Mu channeled 100 years of lifespan into his two remaining main roots.

One main root completed its spirit infusion, and his rank advanced to the first tier, supreme grade.

The other main root also completed its spirit infusion, pushing his rank to the first tier, perfected.

“All my leaves and roots are now fully spirit-infused. The next step is to infuse the trunk.”

The trunk included both the main trunk and the branches.

With only 50 years of lifespan remaining, it wasn’t enough to spirit-infuse the trunk.

He checked his panel again.

[Species: Spirit Ginkgo]
[Height: 80 feet]
[Lifespan: 50 years]
[Rank: First Tier, Perfected]
[Abilities: 500 Spirit-Infused Leaves, 100 Spirit-Infused Fibrous Roots, Three Spirit-Infused Main Roots, Congeal Spirit Ginkgo Fruit]

Su Mu knew he would need to be patient and continue accumulating lifespan.

With the Snow Spirit Mink and the ten Spirit Crows assisting him, his rate of accumulating lifespan had significantly increased.

On average, he was now gaining 30 years of lifespan per day.

The Azure-Scaled Eagle’s corpse was highly beneficial to the Snow Spirit Mink and the Spirit Crows.

After consuming the eagle, Su Mu could feel their auras growing stronger.

This made them even more dependent on Su Mu.

Su Mu only needed the lifespan; he didn’t need the corpse.

While Su Mu absorbed the lifespan, the Spirit Crows and Snow Spirit Mink grew stronger by consuming the corpse.

Nine days later…

[Lifespan: 325 years]

“The time has come,” Su Mu thought, filled with anticipation.

Whoosh!

He channeled 300 years of lifespan into his trunk.

The trunk began to tremble violently.

This process lasted for about half an hour.

When it was over, Su Mu’s panel had undergone a drastic transformation.

[Species: Spirit Ginkgo]
[Height: 110 feet]
[Lifespan: 300 years]
[Rank: Second-Tier, Lower Grade]
[Abilities: Complete Spirit Infusion, Congeal Spirit Ginkgo Fruit, Innate Talent Duplication]

Su Mu had broken through the first tier limit, advancing to a second tier life form.

This transformation was comprehensive.

It was a true evolution.

The trunk connected all his leaves and roots, causing every cell in his body to undergo a metamorphosis.

His lifespan, which had dropped to 25 years, had now increased to 300 years after advancing to the second tier.