Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 85

The scale of the human exploration into the Misty Area could rank among the top expeditions into various forbidden zones across the world. Such a large-scale operation led the various human factions to believe that they could thoroughly investigate the Misty Area.

However, no one anticipated how quickly and abruptly this exploration would end—practically coming to a screeching halt.

Within a single day, a large number of misty skeletons emerged from the Misty Area. These skeletons were each as powerful as the human cultivators at the Foundation Establishment level, and they were as intangible as the mist, impossible to destroy.

Anyone who ventured more than twenty miles into the Misty Area did not survive. Outside the twenty-mile perimeter, many people managed to survive, but they knew almost nothing about the hidden secrets within the Misty Area.

The only thing the survivors knew was that misty skeletons existed within the twenty-mile boundary of the Misty Area. Beyond that, the inner regions of the Misty Area remained shrouded in mystery. The appearance of the misty skeletons in the Misty Area caught the attention of major factions across the Great Xia Empire. Many believed that the inner region of the Misty Area was the habitat of the misty skeleton species.

Simultaneously, the Misty Area’s rating in the eyes of the Great Xia Empire and other global powers was elevated to a “Calamity Zone.” To this day, there were only thirteen such zones in the world, with the Misty Area becoming the thirteenth.

The other twelve calamity zones included places like the Forbidden Sea Region of the Eastern Sea and the Vedic Desert Zone of the Roman Empire, each a terrifyingly infamous place that struck fear into the hearts of people everywhere.

Of course, the news surrounding the Misty Area wasn’t all bad. At the very least, people discovered that the outer region of the Misty Area was still exploitable. Due to the presence of the mist, the outer area was rich in both beasts and spiritual herbs, which were highly sought after by many.

Therefore, the Misty Area remained a hotbed of interest. Occasionally, a few individuals, driven by desperation or a desire to change their fate, ventured into the inner region, hoping to find fortune. However, the harsh reality was that those who entered never returned.

While the world’s attention was focused on the Misty Area, no one knew that something unusual was happening deep within the Forbidden Sea Region.

In the depths of the Forbidden Sea, within an underwater trench, a section of space began to bulge as if something from the other side was pressing against it.

The outline of the bulge vaguely resembled a massive hand, with the handprint spanning a hundred miles in diameter. The sheer size of this hand suggested that the creature it belonged to was unimaginably large.

As this hand pressed against the space, the trench itself began to ripple with chaotic energy. Several shadows seized the opportunity to slip through the disturbed space and enter the trench. These shadows, seemingly fearful of whatever lay beyond the chaotic space, quickly dispersed into the surrounding sea.

One of these shadows inadvertently swam into an underground river.

“This underground river has a dense concentration of spiritual energy. The source must be even more abundant,” the shadow mused. It was a monstrous creature with a human-like face and the body of a fish. The creature exuded a terrifying aura, clearly a third-tier supreme-grade existence, very close to the fourth tier—stronger than even Dongfang Xuan.

Its immense power made it incredibly fast, and within a few hours, it reached the underground river beneath the Misty Area. The water system of the Misty Area was under the guardianship of the Sea Monk, who was immediately alarmed by the presence of this humanoid fish monster.

However, the Sea Monk quickly calmed down, sensing a familiar presence descending upon the underground river.

The humanoid fish monster, oblivious to this development, saw the Sea Monk. “A sea-born giant ape? Tell me, where is this place? Answer honestly, or die!” it demanded with a cold, sinister tone. The Sea Monk, however, only regarded the monster with a mocking gaze. Enraged, the humanoid fish monster snarled, “You dare court death?”

At this moment, the monster was brimming with confidence. It knew it had entered a “mayfly world.” Though it was insignificant in the Spirit Realm, it felt invincible in this small, fragile world. Upon entering, it felt an exhilarating sense of freedom, a desire to dominate and destroy anything that displeased it. But in the next moment, its body suddenly froze.

Above, the mist began to swirl, and a pair of enormous misty eyes appeared. As soon as its gaze met these eyes, the humanoid fish monster’s mind went blank. It felt as though it had been pulled into an icy, snow-covered world.

Though powerful, the monster was no match for Su Mu’s middle-grade fourth-tier spiritual power, especially when combined with the sixth-tier Power of Mist and the sixth-tier Phantom Snow Eye. Even an ordinary fourth-tier creature would struggle against such a force, let alone a third-tier supreme-grade monster.

“Heart Peering,” Su Mu murmured as he delved into the creature’s mind, seeking information.

[Species: Yí Fish]
[Height: 100 feet]
[Lifespan: 3,600 years]
[Rank: Third-Tier, Supreme Grade]
[Abilities: Water Manipulation, Water Escape, Giant Fish Form, Water Vortex]

What Su Mu learned from the creature’s memories deeply moved him. The Yí Fish hailed from the world beyond the trench, a place known as the “Spirit Realm.” Even during the Era of Spiritual Decay, the Spirit Realm remained prosperous, with over a hundred great Dao sects still in existence.

As a third-tier supreme-grade fish demon, the Yí Fish was incredibly powerful. If not for encountering Su Mu, it could have easily become a dominant force in this world. Yet in the Spirit Realm, such a creature was nothing special.

At that moment, the Yí Fish shook off the illusion, a testament to its strong mental fortitude. “What…what kind of being are you?” it stammered in fear. “How can a world as insignificant as this harbor such a terrifying existence? You dragged me into an illusion—what manner of horror is this?”

Su Mu felt no sympathy for the Yí Fish. It held little value to him, and with his subordinates already forming a stable structure, he had little interest in recruiting another creature unless it had an extraordinary ability.

Su Mu’s tree roots shot forward, piercing the Yí Fish, killing it instantly. This act granted Su Mu 3,600 years of lifespan. Including his recent gains from killing Dongfang Xuan and harvesting the lifeforce of numerous humans in the Misty Area, Su Mu had amassed a considerable amount of lifespan.

[Species: Spirit Ginkgo]
[Height: 710 feet]
[Lifespan: 23,000 years]
[Tier: Fourth-Tier, Middle Grade]
[Abilities: Innate Talent Duplication, Life Essence Condensation, Heaven and Human Induction, Fifth-Tier Earth Fiend Transformation, Sixth-Tier Phantom Snow Eye, Fifth-Tier Heart of Faith, Sixth-Tier Power of Mist, Fourth-Tier Heart Peering, Sixth-Tier Earth Force, Sixth-Tier Sword Mastery, Sixth-Tier Water Breathing, Fourth-Tier Bloodsucking Power]

Twenty-three thousand years of lifespan. For the previous Su Mu, this would have been a tremendous gain. But now, it was far from enough. To upgrade a sixth-tier ability to the seventh tier, he would need a full 50,000 years of lifespan.

It seemed that even with his extraordinary advantages, reaching a higher level of power in a short time was no longer possible. He would have to start accumulating strength more gradually.

“Looks like I’ll need to accelerate the expansion of the Sui River,” Su Mu thought.