Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 96

The addition of the mermaid and the black ox bolstered the strength of the Misty Forbidden Zone.

With the black ox now settled, Su Mu turned his attention to the mermaid. She trembled in fear, vastly different from the black ox. Unlike the ox, who had a fascination with human civilization, the mermaid’s lifestyle was entirely fish-like. Consequently, she had no habit of wearing clothes, providing Su Mu with quite a pleasant view. Although Su Mu was no longer human, he still found her appearance pleasing. After all, beautiful things are universally appreciated by all living beings.

“Submit or die,” Su Mu declared bluntly to the mermaid.

He treated the mermaid differently from the black ox because, unlike the ox who had shown kindness to his subordinates, the mermaid, though not inherently malicious, had indeed aided the giant crocodile in chasing Huang Shuling and the Earthquake Bear.

The mermaid’s face lit up with joy, as if she had just been given a second chance at life. Tears of relief welled up in her eyes, and as they fell to the ground, they turned into pearls.

Bowing low before Su Mu, her figure was fully revealed, her curves on display. Su Mu mused that if he were still human, even knowing she was a fish, he might still find her irresistible. As it stood, he simply found her visually appealing. By sheer beauty alone, the mermaid surpassed even Su Yao and Huang Shuling.

As a reward for her submission, Su Mu granted the mermaid a drop of Life Essence. Seeing this, the black ox, now named Niu Wan Jun, began to ponder. It had realized there was a difference between being a guest in the Misty Forbidden Zone and being a member.

The green liquid was clearly an exclusive benefit for members. Though tempted, Niu Wan Jun still held onto its pride and had no intention of submitting.

“Lord Divine Tree,” the mermaid said after absorbing the Life Essence, “I would like to return to the mountain pool.”

“You wish to bring those flying fish here?” Su Mu asked.

The mermaid nodded. “Exactly.”

“Very well,” Su Mu agreed.

According to Huang Shuling, the mountain pool contained nearly a thousand flying fish. If the mermaid brought them to the Misty Forbidden Zone, it would further enhance the zone’s strength.

While the Misty Forbidden Zone continued to grow stronger, a grand meeting was taking place in the imperial court of the Xia Empire.

“Everyone, the world has been too unusual lately,” said Liang Chengchu, the head of Heaven and Earth Pavilion. “The spiritual energy levels have far exceeded our estimates, proving that we underestimated the intensity of this second spiritual energy cycle. Based on the data collected from various provinces, we have determined that the growth rate of spiritual energy in this second cycle is three times that of the first. We made a serious mistake by relying on the first cycle’s experience.”

The gathered imperial ministers all wore grave expressions.

“Lord Liang, given your current estimates, how do you see the situation developing?” asked the Xia Emperor from his dragon throne.

“An upheaval is imminent,” Liang Chengchu replied. “This is a disaster beyond our control, possibly even a catastrophe.”

“Lord Liang, isn’t this a bit of an exaggeration?” one minister questioned.

Liang Chengchu lowered his eyes. “No, I may even be underestimating the coming turmoil.”

“Your Majesty,” said Li Tianming, the head of Green Hills Mansion, “our investigations suggest that Lord Grand Seer Xuan and the Heaven and Earth Abyss demon cultivator investigation team have likely met with misfortune in the Misty Forbidden Zone. I request that Your Majesty authorize the use of the Qingzhou Sword to strike against the Misty Forbidden Zone.”

The Xia Emperor waved his hand. “Do not act rashly. We must take Lord Liang’s words seriously and proceed with caution until the situation becomes clearer. We will decide how to deal with the Misty Forbidden Zone after this upheaval unfolds.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Li Tianming replied, secretly relieved. The Qingzhou Sword was indeed powerful, but it came with significant limitations, one being the enormous resources required to wield it. The cost was staggering.

Meanwhile, in the Misty Forbidden Zone, Su Mu’s subordinates continued their campaign through the core region of the Ancient Wilderness Mountains, bringing back large numbers of beasts. Su Mu showed no mercy, harvesting whatever he could from them. Before long, he had accumulated 64,000 years of lifespan.

Su Mu turned his attention to his status panel. Eventually, his focus settled on the Earth Fiend Transformation. This transformation was crucial to his own strength. With enough lifespan accumulated, Su Mu naturally wouldn’t forget to enhance it.

“Enhance!” he commanded.

In an instant, 50,000 years of lifespan disappeared, and the Earth Fiend Transformation surged to the sixth-tier. This enhancement far exceeded Su Mu’s expectations, bringing a complete metamorphosis that surpassed any previous breakthrough.

First, Su Mu’s height increased from 730 feet to 750 feet. Though the increase was modest, his roots extended from 4000 feet to 8000 feet, and the fibrous roots and tendrils from the main roots now reached 15,000 feet deep. Additionally, his branches could now be fully extended by focusing his attention on them.

At that moment, 80 miles away on the outskirts of the Misty Forbidden Zone, an owl was flying by. This was one of the Xia Empire’s surveillance owls, monitoring the zone. Suddenly, a ginkgo branch shot out like lightning.

Pfft!

In an instant, the second-tier owl was smashed to bits, turning into a mist of blood. The branch had been wielded by Su Mu.

“I can extend it even further,” Su Mu realized, his excitement growing.

He then destroyed several more surveillance owls, eventually confirming that his branches could reach up to 100 miles. This discovery was significant for Su Mu. Until now, his attacks had been confined to within the Misty Forbidden Zone, with his influence limited outside the zone. But now, he could extend his reach beyond the zone by 20 miles.

Unlike his previous use of leaves to destroy the Heavenly Pivot Spirit Array, which had drained him to the point of needing days to recover, these branch attacks were sustainable, representing a major breakthrough for him. As the Earth Fiend Transformation continued to advance, Su Mu was confident his branches would reach even farther.

Returning to his status panel, Su Mu saw that he still had 14,000 years of lifespan remaining. Considering that his Metal Splitting Power affected the lethality of his branches, he decided to spend 13,500 years upgrading it from first-tier to fifth-tier.

[Species: Spirit Ginkgo Tree]

[Height: 760 feet]

[Lifespan: 500 years]

[Rank: Fourth-tier, Middle grade]

[Abilities: Innate Talent Duplication, Life Essence Condensation, Heaven and Human Induction, Sixth-tier Earth Fiend Transformation, Sixth-tier Phantom Snow Eye, Fifth-tier Heart of Faith, Seventh-tier Power of Mist, Fourth-tier Heart Peering, Sixth-tier Earth Force, Sixth-tier Sword Mastery, Sixth-tier Water Breathing, Fourth-tier Bloodsucking Power, Fifth-tier Metal Splitting Power]

At that moment, Su Mu noticed that his body was releasing spiritual energy, causing a spiritual rain to fall throughout the Misty Forbidden Zone.