Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 93

In the dense forest, a pale yellow roe deer was curiously poking its head around. The creature was about ten feet long and five feet tall, with a patch of white fur on its rump and a pair of forked antlers on its head. Despite its larger size, it was still a typical roe deer by nature. Its eyes, filled with a mix of stupidity and innocence, revealed its simple-mindedness.

Not long ago, this deer had been attacked. Now, it had stopped, driven by curiosity to find out what had attacked it. The attacker was Huang Shuling, but she had underestimated the roe deer. Somehow, it had acquired enough power to match her strength.

The problem was that the deer wasn’t scared off by them. Instead, its curiosity kept it close by, peeking at them from a distance, which was seriously hindering their attempts to deal with other beasts.

In frustration, Huang Shuling and the Earthquake Bear teamed up to try and take down the deer. However, the deer, alarmed, quickly bounced away. With a single leap, it covered fifty feet, leaving Huang Shuling exasperated. Deer were naturally great jumpers, but this one’s power made its leaps even more exaggerated.

“We need to call for reinforcements,” Huang Shuling said with a sigh. “It’s too fast for us to catch. We’ll have to get Phantom Snow.”

The Spirit crows were faster, but they lacked the strength to deal with this roe deer. Only the Snow Mink, with both speed and strength, along with its powerful Ice Sealing ability, could handle the situation. So, they had no choice but to stalemate the deer for now.

An hour later, the Snow Mink arrived in haste.

“Ice Sealing Power!”

It immediately activated its Ice Sealing ability, trying to freeze the deer in place. The deer’s white fur bristled as panic filled its foolish eyes, clearly sensing the grave danger. This time, it fled even faster, but the Snow Mink was quick to follow, employing its Ice Sealing Power.

Within half a tea’s time, the Snow Mink, Huang Shuling, and the  Earthquake Bear had cornered the deer. The terrified animal dove headfirst into the ground, leaving its rump exposed, as if believing this would hide it from its enemies. Huang Shuling couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

“This deer is quite extraordinary. Let’s not kill it; we should take it back to the Divine Tree,” the Snow Mink suggested.

Agreeing, the three captured the deer and entrusted it to the Snow Mink to deliver back to the Misty Forbidden Zone. Meanwhile, Huang Shuling and the Earthquake Bear pressed onward. Ahead loomed a mountain 30,000 feet tall, one of the ten tallest peaks in the Ancient Wilderness Mountain Range, and a significant landmark in this ancient wilderness. Ascending this mountain meant truly entering the core of the Ancient Wilderness Mountains.

Both Huang Shuling and the Earthquake Bear grew increasingly solemn as they advanced. They could sense that this journey would be anything but easy. Their instincts were soon proven right.

As they set foot on the mountain, they felt an oppressive aura pressing down on them. The mountain was engulfed in thunderstorms, creating an overwhelmingly heavy atmosphere. Any lesser beast would have fled at the sight, but neither Huang Shuling nor the Earthquake Bear showed any sign of retreat.

They continued to climb the mountain, and the higher they went, the more intense and terrifying the lightning storms became. When they reached the 20,000-foot mark, they found the source of the thunder. It was a massive black ox, seemingly asleep, with lightning sparking from its nostrils with each breath. The ox’s size was equally impressive, stretching over 150 feet, its body appearing as if forged from meteorite iron.

“A third-tier supreme-grade beast,” Huang Shuling and the Earthquake Bear gasped, realizing the creature’s immense power. It was the strongest being they had encountered, second only to the Divine Tree itself. This was not a foe they could hope to defeat.

“Retreat,” Huang Shuling urged, and they both quickly backed away. But just then, the black ox opened its eyes, and two bolts of lightning shot out, locking onto them.

“Disturbing my sleep and then leaving without a word—don’t you think that’s rather impolite?” The ox’s voice was deep and rumbled like thunder.

However, the tone and words it used left Huang Shuling and the Earthquake Bear momentarily stunned. The ox spoke in a manner reminiscent of humans, polite and cultured, which was unexpected for such a fearsome beast.

“Daoist friends?” the Earthquake Bear echoed, scratching its head in confusion.

“Indeed,” the black ox replied. “I once stumbled into an underground chamber, a burial site left by an ancient human sage. There, I gained extraordinary cultivation knowledge and learned about human civilization. Human civilization is highly advanced. In the distant past, humans were weak, at the bottom of the food chain among the myriad races. Yet, through their intelligence and civilization, they rose rapidly and eventually stood atop all races. One of humanity’s greatest sages even had a supreme divine ox as his mount.”

Despite the oddity of the ox’s speech, which felt somewhat out of place, Huang Shuling and the Earthquake Bear both relaxed. The black ox, though terrifying in strength, seemed to be quite polite and civilized.

This suggested that it could be reasoned with, and as long as they were careful, they might avoid any life-threatening danger on this journey.

An idea sparked in Huang Shuling’s mind. Seeing how the ox revered human civilization, she decided to play along.

“I am Daoist Huang Shuling from the human race. Greetings, Daoist,” Huang Shuling said, bowing respectfully. “I was unaware that you resided here, and I apologize for disturbing your rest. I hope you can forgive us.”

The black ox seemed to enjoy this interaction immensely, its face showing pleasure and contentment as Huang Shuling spoke. It clearly appreciated this manner of communication.

“Daoist friend, you seem quite knowledgeable about human civilization. Have you ever heard of the Enlightenment Divine Tree?” Huang Shuling asked.

“The Enlightenment Divine Tree?” The black ox’s eyes flickered with a hint of embarrassment. It had never heard of such a tree, but unwilling to reveal its ignorance, it pretended otherwise. “Of course, I have heard of it.”

Suppressing a smile, Huang Shuling continued without missing a beat. “In ancient times, the sage Buddha attained enlightenment under the Enlightenment Tree. Today, we are here because we were guided by the Enlightenment Tree.”

The black ox’s eyes brightened. “Is there truly such a tree? No, you were guided here by the Enlightenment Tree?”

“Indeed,” Huang Shuling confirmed. “If Daoist is interested, why not accompany us to meet the Enlightenment Tree? At the Enlightenment Tree, there is no distinction between humans and beasts; all are equal, and anyone with sufficient insight can gain great rewards from the tree.”

“Could I truly have such an opportunity?” The black ox, in its excitement, momentarily forgot to maintain its refined demeanor.

“Whether it is true or not, Daoist friend, you will know once you accompany me,” Huang Shuling replied smoothly.

She was confident that once the black ox faced the Divine Tree, no matter how powerful it was, it would surely be subdued by the Divine Tree’s might.