Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 69

Within the Sui River’s channel, the marmots, with their heads and small ears perked up, stared blankly across at the Wushui River. The next moment, they all realized what was happening and, with lightning speed, fled in the direction of the Misty Territory.

Just before Huang Shuling was pulled underwater, she caught sight of this scene out of the corner of her eye, causing her to almost cry out in frustration. These marmots were indeed too timid and utterly unreliable. She recalled that another name for marmots was “groundhogs,” and it was no exaggeration to say that their timidity was as real as the saying goes.

However, despite their cowardice, the marmots were quick to report back to Su Mu in the Misty Territory. Su Mu had just finished his conversation with Su Yao when he sensed the anxious emotions coming from the marmots, causing his heart to sink. If the marmots were this frightened, something must have gone wrong at the Sui River.

“Lord Tree,” a spirit crow communicated with Su Mu at that moment.

“What’s happening at the Sui River?” Su Mu asked.

“Huang Shuling has gone missing…” The spirit crow briefly explained the situation.

After hearing this, Su Mu’s expression darkened. Huang Shuling had been captured by something mysterious in the Wushui River?

This incident occurred outside the Misty Territory, making it inconvenient for Su Mu to handle. Without hesitation, he instructed a spirit crow to carry one of his leaves to the scene of the incident.

The spirit crow, now remarkably fast, reached the location in less than half a quarter of an hour. As soon as it arrived, the ginkgo leaf it carried began to emit a mist, which spread over the waters of the Wushui River. Su Mu’s consciousness followed the mist, allowing him to probe the area.

Despite the mysterious nature of the creature in the Wushui River, it couldn’t escape Su Mu’s powerful detection. In a short time, he identified a peculiar aquatic plant below the water’s surface.

[Species: Green Hair Algae]
[Length: 3 feet]
[Lifespan: 1200 years]
[Rank: Second-Tier, Supreme Grade]
[Abilities: Water Breathing Power, Binding Force]

It was a second-tier supreme-grade spiritual plant, no wonder Huang Shuling had no chance to fight back. Fortunately, the algae wasn’t highly aggressive, as Su Mu discovered that Huang Shuling was still alive, merely bound by the green-haired algae.

It seemed the connection of the Sui River to Wushui had disturbed the algae. Because this green-haired algae had lived in seclusion, likely with some ability to conceal its presence, it had remained undiscovered by humans until now.

“Water Breathing Power?” Su Mu was intrigued by this ability of the green-haired algae. However, the immediate concern was to resolve the situation. Despite being a second-tier supreme-grade spiritual plant, it was far less dangerous than the mandrake flower he had encountered before.

Su Mu could eliminate it in an instant if necessary. The complication was that the algae had fully enveloped Huang Shuling. If Su Mu attacked it directly, Huang Shuling would likely be harmed as well.

After a brief consideration, Su Mu devised a plan. If the concern was Huang Shuling’s potential harm, he could instead strengthen her. Using his life essence liquid, he quickly condensed a drop of “blue dew” on the leaf.

Whoosh!

The blue dew flew into the water and merged with Huang Shuling’s body. The life essence infused her with renewed strength.

One drop wasn’t enough—he added a second, then a third… In total, five drops of life essence liquid were infused into Huang Shuling, pushing her cultivation to break through the peak of the Qi Refinement stage and reach the Foundation Establishment stage. This greatly increased her resistance. Simultaneously, Su Mu used his Phantom Mist eyes to attack the algae.

Half a quarter of an hour later, the green-haired algae could no longer withstand the assault. However, just as it was about to be defeated, it slyly split into two, with one part diving into Huang Shuling’s body and the other half being subdued by Su Mu.

This action made Su Mu frown. The green-haired algae had a strong life force, so even after splitting in half, both parts could survive. This meant that the algae had parasitized Huang Shuling’s body. Su Mu was not about to let it have its way, as Huang Shuling was still important to him.

Deciding to go all out, Su Mu condensed three more drops of life essence liquid and infused them into Huang Shuling, boosting her cultivation further to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. This increase in power allowed Huang Shuling to firmly suppress the green hair algae within her.

Initially, the algae had intended to control her in a form of possession, but now it found itself subdued, absorbed into Huang Shuling’s body instead.

As Su Mu continued to observe, Huang Shuling’s body transformed, becoming enveloped in a green cocoon-like substance, her entire body covered in green hair. Su Mu instructed the spirit crow to carry Huang Shuling back to the Misty Territory, while he kept the other half of the algae under control.

The other half of the green-haired algae, realizing the overwhelming power of Su Mu, trembled and submitted to him without further resistance. Su Mu coldly snorted. He had less patience for subduing spirit creatures now that his forces had grown. Even though the green-haired algae had some useful abilities, if it had continued to resist, he wouldn’t have hesitated to destroy it.

Satisfied with its submission, Su Mu rewarded the green-haired algae with a drop of life essence liquid, which it eagerly absorbed. Having seen the power of the liquid when used on Huang Shuling, the algae had coveted it for some time.

“From now on, you’ll remain stationed at the Wushui River,” Su Mu instructed. He needed a subordinate to oversee this area, and the green-haired algae, being the ruler of the Wushui waters, was the perfect candidate. Su Mu then copied the algae’s Water Breathing Power ability. With this power, he could now survive in aquatic environments.

Back in the Misty Territory, Huang Shuling underwent a transformation as the green hair algae fused completely with her body. Her black hair turned green, as did her irises, giving her the appearance of a forest nymph rather than a human.

Su Mu watched in surprise at the change. He hadn’t expected Huang Shuling to undergo such a transformation. Clearly, the green hair algae had fully integrated with her, or rather, she had completely absorbed it. Moreover, the green cocoon on her skin gradually morphed into a green robe under her subconscious control.

Su Mu’s thoughts quickened as he realized he was strangely drawn to Huang Shuling. Though her beauty was undeniable—on par with Su Yao’s and of a different type altogether—Su Mu was certain it wasn’t her looks that attracted him. Instead, it was the plant-like aura she now exuded.

“Could it be…” Su Mu’s mind stirred. Huang Shuling had merged with the green-haired algae, so could she still be considered entirely human? To confirm his suspicions, he decided to read her data panel, and the results seemed to validate his hypothesis.