Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 60

One day later, Su Yao returned to the Misty Forbidden Zone and handed the three drops of Azure Dragon Blood to Su Mu.

Su Mu was elated by this development. Su Yao’s efficiency was impressive. Just five days earlier, she had discovered that the Violet Sun Sect had three drops of Azure Dragon Blood, and now, only five days later, she had brought them to him.

Having accomplished such a significant task, Su Mu decided not to be stingy. He rewarded Su Yao with three drops of Life Essence Liquid. Su Yao, who was already at the late stage of Qi Refining, immediately advanced to the peak of Qi Refining after absorbing the Life Essence Liquid.

After receiving her reward, Su Yao didn’t linger in the Misty Forbidden Zone, as she had many affairs to attend to back at Green Hills Mansion. Su Mu fully understood this.

Once Su Yao had left, Su Mu wasted no time and absorbed the three drops of Azure Dragon Blood, gaining 21,000 years of lifespan. His total lifespan reached 23,800 years.

After some consideration, Su Mu decided it would be best to enhance his Earth Fiend Transformation, as it was fundamental to his defense and survival.

“Last time, upgrading from the second to the third tier of the Earth Fiend cost me 9,000 years of lifespan. I wonder how much it will cost to upgrade from the third to the fourth tier,” he mused.

In the next moment, as Su Mu focused his thoughts…

Whoosh!

20,000 years of lifespan vanished in an instant. Su Mu felt a sharp pang of loss, but that feeling was soon replaced by overwhelming joy. The advancement to the fourth-tier of the Earth Fiend was astonishing.

The Earth Fiend Transformation primarily enhanced Su Mu’s roots. The ground trembled as his primary root extended from six thousand feet to twelve thousand feet deep into the earth. His secondary roots and fine root hairs followed suit, reaching a depth of 2,100 feet, allowing him to influence and control the underground world directly.

Additionally, Su Mu’s height increased from 540 feet to 600 feet. Now, within the Misty Forbidden Zone, there were few trees that could match his towering stature.

Su Mu then glanced at his updated status:

[Species: Spirit Gingko Tree]
[Height: 600 feet]
[Lifespan: 3,800 years]
[Rank: Tier-Three, Supreme Grade]
[Abilities: Innate Talent Duplication, Life Essence Condensation, Heaven and Human Induction, Fourth-Tier Earth Fiend Transformation, Fourth-Tier Phantom Snow Eye, Fourth-Tier Heart of Faith, Fifth-Tier Power of Mist, Fourth-Tier Heart Peering, Fifth-Tier Earth Force, Fourth-Tier Sword Mastery, First-Tier Bloodsucking Power]

His rank had now advanced to Tier-Three, Supreme Grade.

Su Mu wasn’t certain how powerful the strongest beings in this world were, but based on the information he had gathered from Su Yao, it was clear that, at least among the known entities, his rank was among the highest.

At the edge of the Misty Forbidden Zone, the weather was gradually cooling down. The deep night was eerily silent, a stark contrast to other forests where nocturnal creatures became more active. In the Misty Forbidden Zone, however, everything seemed to be in a deep slumber.

“This place is really creepy,” a voice said.

The speaker was a human cultivator dressed in black, accompanied by eighty others. This was another investigative team sent by the human race. After the Earthquake Bear had fled into the Misty Forbidden Zone and the emergence of the Mist Skeletons, Green Hills Mansion had grown wary of the area. This time, they dispatched a stronger and more experienced team to uncover the mysteries of the Misty Forbidden Zone.

This team had honed their skills in the ancient cave mansion, repeatedly proving their prowess. Green Hills Mansion believed that this team would be able to unravel the secrets of the Misty Forbidden Zone.

“What do you think is going on here?” the sword-browed man asked again. He appeared to be in his thirties, exuding both sharpness and authority.

“There are only two possibilities for this kind of situation,” replied a scar-faced man beside him. “Either there are very few beasts here, which seems unlikely, or there is an extremely powerful presence that makes all other creatures too afraid to act. Given what we’ve been told—that the Misty Forbidden Zone might harbor a Mist Spirit—I’m inclined to believe it’s the latter.”

What the team didn’t know was that the moment they entered the mist, a powerful consciousness had taken notice of them.

“The humans have arrived, as expected,” Su Mu observed, unsurprised.

He had known that after showing the humans the Mist Skeletons last time, they would eventually send a team to investigate. “If they want answers, I’ll give them something to satisfy their curiosity,” Su Mu decided, instructing the Mist Skeletons to attack.

Almost simultaneously…

“What is that?” the sword-browed leader exclaimed as his eyes flashed with cold light.

Before he could finish speaking, the mist ahead of them began to swirl ominously.

“Captain, something’s wrong with this mist,” the scar-faced man warned.

“This… this mist seems… alive,” someone else stammered.

“Could the Mist Spirit really exist?” The faces of the other team members paled. Despite being briefed on the possible existence of a Mist Spirit, seeing it with their own eyes sent chills down their spines. After all, it was terrifying to think that something as formless as mist could be a living entity.

Their fear only deepened when, before their very eyes, a Mist Skeleton formed from the swirling fog. The aura it exuded was as powerful as that of a Tier-Two creature.

The most terrifying part, however, was that while Green Hills Mansion had initially believed there was only one Mist Spirit in the zone, they now saw multiple Mist Skeletons forming.

“Dammit,” one of the men cursed. “This place isn’t home to just one or two Mist Spirits—there’s an entire horde of them!”

The realization struck fear into the hearts of the entire team. A single Mist Spirit was manageable, but an entire horde was a different story.

As the Mist Skeletons advanced, the team found themselves under attack. Fighting these eerie creatures was far more psychologically taxing than battling ordinary beasts. Those with weaker mental fortitude couldn’t even muster thirty percent of their usual combat strength. Even those with stronger resolve found their abilities significantly hindered.

Faced with thirteen Mist Skeletons, the eighty-member investigation team was quickly overwhelmed.

The sword-browed captain made a swift decision. “Retreat!”

Unlike previous investigation teams that stubbornly pushed forward even when outmatched, he chose to retreat once he realized the situation was beyond his control.

At that moment, they were deep within the Misty Forbidden Zone. As they unknowingly retreated to the outskirts, they noticed that the Mist Skeletons weren’t pursuing them.

“Huh?” The team members were surprised. They had been prepared for a fight to the death, but instead, the Mist Skeletons halted their attack.

“Huang Xu, you’re the one who calculated the terrain data. How far in did we go?” the sword-browed captain asked a square-faced man.

Huang Xu replied, “The deepest we went was nineteen miles.”