Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 98

In this world, there are many ancient sects. However, over the past three thousand years of the Spirit Desolation Era, the age of sects had passed, and they had gone into hiding. Now, with the revival of spiritual energy, these sects are reemerging. The foundation of these sects might even surpass that of the Great Xia imperial court.

Minister Liang, with a grim expression, said, “These sects are eager for the world to fall into chaos so that they can profit from it.”

“Hmph,” the Grand Chancellor coldly snorted, “As long as Great Xia stands, this world is destined to remain in order.”

Outside the Misty Forbidden Zone, a group of fish swam through an underground river into the zone. The central figure among them was a mermaid. Looking at the Misty Forbidden Zone ahead, the mermaid’s delicate and beautiful face was full of disappointment.

“I’m too late.”

She had received word from afar that it was raining spiritual rain in the Misty Forbidden Zone, prompting her to rush back. Unfortunately, she was still late. Although a light drizzle remained, it was clear that the feast had ended. She would only get the leftovers.

Finally, the mermaid silently led the flying fish into the Sui River. From then on, the flying fish tribe from the mountain pool settled in the Suiriver within the Misty Forbidden Zone.

A while later, Huang Shuling arrived by the river. Seeing the mermaid looking dejected in the water, she couldn’t help but laugh, “Why are you so down? There’s a saying among humans, ‘Those who smile often are blessed with good fortune.’ With such unparalleled beauty as yours, you should smile more.”

The mermaid, with a bitter expression, replied, “Those who smile often are blessed with good fortune? That’s because those with bad luck don’t like to smile.”

Huang Shuling’s smile froze instantly.

“Why do you think you’re unlucky?”

Then, with a helpless expression, she said, “Your cultivation years haven’t been long, probably less than thirty. At your age, to have such cultivation, I’d say your luck is already quite good.”

“Her luck truly hasn’t been great,” said the Water Buffalo as it approached. “Twenty-seven years ago, there was no mermaid in the mountain pool. One day, a rift appeared in the sky, and a severely injured mermaid, carrying a young mermaid, fell into the pool. Not long after, the injured mermaid—probably the young one’s mother—died. Later, she faced numerous threats, losing companions one after another. If not for her immense talent, she might not have survived either.”

Huang Shuling was momentarily stunned, then looked at the mermaid with newfound sympathy.

“It’s okay,” Huang Shuling comforted the mermaid. “Do you know why your luck was bad before?”

The mermaid looked puzzled.

“That’s because your luck was being stored up, saved for now,” Huang Shuling explained. “It was precisely because you stored up more than twenty years of luck that you could encounter Lord Divine Tree. Trust me, now that you’ve met Lord Divine Tree, you won’t be unlucky anymore.”

“Really?” the mermaid asked.

“Just wait and see,” Huang Shuling replied.

At the same time, Su Mu extended his consciousness in all directions. After the spiritual rain, the spiritual energy in the Misty Forbidden Zone became denser.

“Can you still resist?” Su Mu thought to himself.

Recently, the Misty Forbidden Zone’s allure had been growing. However, the number of beasts attracted to it was still a drop in the ocean compared to the world’s population of beasts—insignificant. But Su Mu believed this time would be different.

With the zone’s spiritual energy significantly enhanced, he was sure more beasts would be unable to resist entering. The more beasts that entered the Misty Forbidden Zone, the more lifespan they would bring him. Su Mu could already sense that he was about to receive a significant harvest.

Meanwhile, in Green Hills Mansion, a middle-aged man with a cold gaze observed the situation. This man was Fang Zhaodong, the deputy of Dongfang Xuan, the Imperial Grand Seer. Dongfang Xuan was likely dead in the Misty Forbidden Zone. Yet neither Green Hills Mansion nor the empire seemed intent on avenging him, which fueled Fang Zhaodong’s anger. However, he was a man of cunning, biding his time until today.

The Misty Forbidden Zone was undergoing changes, and the high officials of Green Hills Mansion were all busy, providing Fang Zhaodong with an opportunity. He quickly made his way to the core area of Green Hills Mansion, arriving before an ancient pavilion.

The pavilion was heavily guarded, but Fang Zhaodong’s status was nearly equal to that of the Manor Lord. With the Lord absent, ordinary guards dared not stop him, allowing Fang Zhaodong to enter the pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, a young man was sweeping the floor. He was the permanent guard of the Qingzhou Pavilion. Seeing Fang Zhaodong enter, looking murderous, the young man hurriedly stepped forward, “Sir, what are you doing?”

“Step aside,” Fang Zhaodong coldly ordered.

The young man seemed to guess what was happening and turned pale. “Are you planning to use the Qingzhou Sword against the Misty Forbidden Zone?”

“That’s right,” Fang Zhaodong replied.

“You mustn’t,” the young man pleaded. “The Qingzhou Sword requires immense spiritual power to activate. With Green Hills Mansion’s current reserves, it can only be used once. This sword’s greatest strength is its deterrence, not its destructive power. If you use it, the beasts within Qingzhou will lose their fear, and the consequences will be disastrous.”

“Do you dare instruct me on what to do?” Fang Zhaodong retorted. “As long as the Misty Forbidden Zone is destroyed, those beasts will only become more fearful, not daring to act.”

“And if the Misty Forbidden Zone isn’t destroyed?” the young man countered.

“Ridiculous,” Fang Zhaodong scoffed. “The Qingzhou Sword is one of the empire’s eighteen supreme treasures. How could it fail to destroy the Misty Forbidden Zone? Enough talk—move aside, or I’ll kill you.”

“Then kill me,” the young man said, his face pale but unyielding.

“Hmph!” Fang Zhaodong acted decisively, but instead of killing the young man, he sealed him with spiritual power, rendering him immobile. The young man could only watch helplessly as Fang Zhaodong ascended to the second floor of Qingzhou Pavilion.

On the second floor, Fang Zhaodong stopped in his tracks. Ten paces ahead lay a sword—a simple, unadorned sword of ancient blue material. It was three feet long, with a thick spine and natural, flowing patterns on the blade, seemingly formed by water.

The sword had no flashy decorations or overwhelming aura. If seen outside, Fang Zhaodong might have mistaken it for an ordinary sword. However, it was indeed one of the Great Xia’s supreme treasures—the Qingzhou Sword!

Fang Zhaodong attempted to lift the Qingzhou Sword, but even with his early-stage Golden Core cultivation, he couldn’t move it an inch. Frowning, he descended to question the young man.

“How do you activate the Qingzhou Sword?” Fang Zhaodong demanded.

The young man hesitated. At this point, he knew he had to act. Otherwise, he had a premonition that Green Hills Mansion would face a terrible disaster.

“To activate the Qingzhou Sword, you need to make certain preparations…” the young man began, stalling for time while secretly using a spirit talisman to contact Tang Xin in Nanjing City. He considered notifying the Mansion Lord and others, but his status was too low, and he had little contact with outsiders. Thus, his spirit talisman lacked the spiritual imprints of the Mansion Lord and others, making it impossible to send them messages.

Tang Xin, his younger sister, was the only one he could contact. She too had a low status and was at a loss upon receiving the message. She immediately passed it on to Su Yao.