The golden dragon's voice echoed in Chen Zhou's sea of consciousness, filled with emotion.
“My Lord, Jianmu says it is very happy.”
“It says it has waited many years and has finally found you.”
“Since you have earned the Ancestral Dragon's recognition and possess profound merit, it no longer has any worries.”
Jianmu's branches swayed gently, as if nodding or bowing in respect.
It tucked the last egg into Chen Zhou's arms. Its branches then descended, caressing the eggs as if touching a memory of a time that could never return.
“It asks that you please do not look down on them.”
“Though the transformation of heaven and earth, the damage to the ley lines, and the flow of filth have extinguished their life force over the years...”
“...they were once powerful existences capable of soaring through the nine heavens and roaming the three realms.”
“It says it is already satisfied to have met you and entrusted these children to your care.”
“You carry the inheritance of the orthodox divine path and possess such immense fortune. These children will be better off with you than with it.”
“It says it is old and nearing its end. It can no longer protect them for much longer.”
“But you are still young, and you have infinite possibilities.”
“It hopes that one day, these children will wake and soar through the nine heavens once more, letting the world know that the ancient beasts and the legacy of the divine path never truly went extinct.”
Chen Zhou asked, “And what about you?”
Jianmu's branches swayed softly.
“It says that it has already lived for far too long.”
“It has watched the world change, seen the seas turn into mulberry fields, watched old friends fall, and seen generations of new life born.”
“It should have left a long time ago.”
“It only held on because it could not bear to leave these children behind.”
“Now that the children have a better home, it can depart in peace.”
“A few thousand years is long for a mortal, but for a divine tree, it is but a fleeting moment.”
After Jianmu finished 'speaking', its branches grew busy again and began to glow.
Within that light, Jianmu's trunk began to slowly wither.
The bark cracked, leaves began to fall, and the branches drooped one by one, losing their former vitality.
“It says it will give you one last thing.”
“And a gift for these little ones as well.”
“It hopes these things will help you and these children, and perhaps restore the former glory of the divine path.”
“It says it has nothing left to leave you but this final spark of life.”
“Please do not reject it.”
As soon as the words were spoken, Jianmu's trunk shuddered violently.
Then, a rain of emerald green drifted down from the canopy.
The rain was fine and dense, like threads of emerald silk falling from the sky. It landed gently on the ground, on the eggs, and on Chen Zhou.
As the emerald rain touched the eggs, those with weak life force immediately began to glow. Some shone brightly while others were dim, but all were significantly more radiant than before.
【One of your [Life Extinguished] ancient beast eggs has been nourished by Jianmu's vitality; its status has improved to [Dying].】
【One of your [Dying] ancient beast eggs has been nourished by Jianmu's vitality; its status has improved to [Covered in Cracks].】
【One of your [Covered in Cracks] ancient beast eggs has been nourished by Jianmu's vitality; its status has improved to [Dimmed Radiance].】
【One of your [Dimmed Radiance] ancient beast eggs has been nourished by Jianmu's vitality; its status has improved to [Lingering Radiance].】
【Your [Lingering Radiance] ancient beast egg has been nourished by Jianmu's vitality; the probability of hatching a ninth stage beast has increased to 30%.】
【Your [Vibrant with Life] ancient beast egg has been nourished by Jianmu's vitality; the probability of hatching a ninth stage beast has increased to 70%.】
Chen Zhou looked at the system notifications and then at the slowly withering Jianmu.
“Actually, you do not have to die.”
Jianmu's branches swayed gently, asking why.
Chen Zhou said, “You can still live for several thousand years. That is a long time. If you only lack lifespan, that is not difficult to solve.”
“Furthermore, perhaps I can take you to see the person you wish to see.”
Jianmu's trunk shuddered violently.
The withering process stopped abruptly.
The emerald light flickered frantically, as if trembling with excitement.
Branches surged from all directions, surrounding Chen Zhou. They did not dare touch him but waved wildly around him.
“It asks if what you said is true.”
“Can you really take it to see... that person?”
“It says it must have misheard. Did it mishear you?”
Chen Zhou nodded. “It is true. Perhaps I can take you to see A Yao.”
“It asks you... how is A Yao? Is she doing well?”
“Is she still the same as before, a whirlwind of a person who meddles in everything?”
“Does she still love to smile?”
“Has she... has she ever mentioned it?”
Chen Zhou remained silent for a moment, carefully choosing his words.
“She is doing well.”
“Though her state is somewhat unique, her will and memories remain. She is still protecting what she wishes to protect.”
“If she knew that tens of thousands of years later, an old friend from her past still missed her, I think she would be very happy.”
As Chen Zhou spoke, a sense of confusion radiated from Jianmu's trunk.
“It asks you... her past?”
“What does that mean?”
“Is A Yao dead?”
Chen Zhou thought for a moment before answering, “She should be dead.”
“Her current state cannot truly be called living. She is only a remnant soul residing within a dream.”
Jianmu's branches stiffened. The emerald light dimmed instantly, as if something inside it had shattered.
“It says it does not matter.”
“It says that as long as it can see her, even if she is only a remnant soul, it will be satisfied.”
“It says it thought it would never see her again in this lifetime.”
“It says it has many things it wants to say to her.”
“It wants to tell her that it has waited for her for many years, and that it misses her dearly.”
Chen Zhou nodded. “Then, are you willing to come with me?”
Jianmu's branches immediately began to wave frantically. The emerald light surged as it nodded desperately.
But soon, the light dimmed again. Its branches drooped with an indescribable sense of anxiety and hesitation.
“It says it is willing, of course, but it cannot go with you.”
Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”
“It is a divine tree, an auspicious spirit beast body. To demons and evil spirits, it is a supreme medicinal ingredient.”
“The world has changed, filth flows everywhere, and evil spirits are rampant.”
“If something like it leaves the cover of the Eternal Scars and goes outside, it will bring you a great deal of trouble.”
“It does not want to burden you.”
Chen Zhou smiled after hearing this.
“It does not matter.”
“I have many auspicious ones at home.”
“Since you know A Yao, you should also know that she has a divine technique capable of concealing one's destiny and obscuring heavenly secrets, known as Cloud Sea Resplendence.”
“She has already passed this divine technique on to me.”
“I can obscure not only my own heavenly secrets but also those of my believers and everyone around me.”
“Furthermore, I previously encountered the divine senses of two false gods who coveted you. I happened to deal with them both personally.”
“One was named Zhu Pan, and the other was Qing Lu.”
“Both were Sky Monitoring Four Direction Envoys of the Central Province.”
Jianmu shuddered violently. The emerald light flickered frantically, both terrified and shocked.
Chen Zhou stated bluntly, “So, you need not worry about trouble. Since I dare to take you with me, I have the ability to protect you.”
Could such a good thing really be happening?
Jianmu immediately split its own trunk. A massive crack extended from the roots to the canopy, with emerald liquid flowing inside like blood.
The crack grew wider and deeper until finally, an emerald crystal slowly drifted out from the depths of the trunk.
The crystal was the size of a fist and irregularly shaped, like a piece of jade polished by the ages.
【You have obtained the Jianmu Origin Core】
Even a second's hesitation would be a sign of disrespect toward A Yao.
In any case, it had already entrusted the descendants of its old friends to this lord. Packaging itself up and delivering itself to him was not a bad idea either.
Even the Ancestral Dragon was respectful to him and recognized him as master. Seeing how that dragon had grown so sleek and glossy, it was clear this lord's merit and fortune were of the highest quality.
So what was there to fear?
It was time to leave!
Jianmu's trunk began to exert force, attempting to pull its roots out of the ley line.
Rumble—
The entire underground space shook. Countless cracks opened in the ground as the ley line frantically spewed filth energy.
The roots were too deep and too dense. After pulling for a long time, only a small portion had been unearthed.
Jianmu seemed to have exhausted its strength. The entire tree slumped down into a massive heap.
“It says it cannot pull itself out.”
“It has been rooted here for too long. Its roots have grown into one with the ley line and are difficult to separate.”
“It says it is useless for being unable to do even this small task.”
Its branches hung down, swaying gently with an indescribable sense of dejection.
Chen Zhou looked at the massive tree that shrouded the heavens and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
“Can you not simply shrink yourself?”
Jianmu's branches stiffened. Then, a sense of embarrassment radiated from the trunk.
“It says... it forgot.”
The golden dragon's voice also carried a hint of amusement.
“Jianmu used to serve as a bridge connecting the three realms, so it had to grow massive to support heaven and earth.”
“It has grown accustomed to being this size and forgot it could shrink.”
“It says it will try right now.”
Jianmu's trunk began to glow.
Emerald light surged from the depths of the trunk, enveloping the entire giant tree.
Then, the giant tree began to wither. It went from shrouding the heavens to decaying into a pile of rotten soil in just a few moments.
A short while later, a branch about the thickness of a forearm sprouted from the rotten soil. It was emerald green with a few tender leaves, looking like a fresh cutting from a tree.
The branch hopped out of the light and landed on Chen Zhou's shoulder, swaying gently as if showing off.
“It says, look, I can move freely now.”
“It can go with you now and see A Yao.”
Chen Zhou studied the branch on his shoulder and then looked at the massive pile of withered trunk and roots at the base. He remained silent for a moment.
“Your aura... why is it so weak?”
He could sense that the branch's aura was very weak, not even reaching the first stage, inferior even to a newborn demon.
“It says it is fine.”
“It says it had to disperse all its power to become small.”
“Plant type auspicious spirits and demon races are almost entirely devoid of combat ability.”
“But the Heavenly Dao is fair. It grants them longer lifespans than other beings of the same stage, and they can even survive through grafting and transplanting.”
“Its original body is gone, and only this small branch remains, but it can grow back.”
“This is a unique talent of vegetation.”
“It says it gives the divine fruit to you.”
“It is the essence condensed from its divine tree body. Though it cannot compare to the complete Jianmu, it is still a rare treasure.”
“It hopes you will accept it.”
As soon as the words were spoken, a tender green sprout suddenly emerged from the pile of withered trunk.
The sprout was small, only about a finger's length, with two tender leaves at the tip that looked like newborn emeralds.
At the very top of the sprout hung a fruit.
The fruit was the size of a fist and shaped like a heart, flowing with emerald light.
A system notification rang in Chen Zhou's mind.
【You have obtained a Jianmu Divine Fruit】
【Ninth stage heavenly treasure】
【The only fruit condensed by the ancient divine tree Jianmu before its death, exhausting all its life force.】
【Contains the purest life dao rhyme and vegetation essence in the world.】
【After consumption, it can significantly improve the grade and aptitude of plant type auspicious spirit beasts. There is a chance to enlighten a new Jianmu, and a small probability of enlightening other ancient divine trees.】
【It can also be used to refine ninth stage pills, divine artifacts, or for other unknown purposes.】
“It says it gave all its power to this fruit in hopes of helping you.”
“Consider it its repayment to you.”
Chen Zhou looked at the sprout and then at the small branch on his shoulder, remaining silent for a while.
“Even so, it will take a long time to grow from a small branch back into a towering tree, will it not?”
“Are you truly willing to give up tens of thousands of years of cultivation just for me to take you to see A Yao?”
The small branch swayed gently.
“It says it does not matter.”
“It actually hates itself quite a bit.”
“Because it was the last one left behind.”
“It is only a tree. It had no great use and could not follow its old friends to the Central Province to join that battle of certain death.”
“It has been rooted here ever since, only able to hide and linger on while guarding these children who would never wake.”
“It is very grateful to you. Grateful that in the final moments of its life, you can take it to see the person it wants to see most.”
“To it, this is already the greatest blessing.”
“It does not matter if it never grows into a giant tree again.”
“It just wants to see A Yao once. it misses her so much.”
“It is very happy.”
The small branch swayed gently, its emerald light flickering as if it were laughing, or perhaps crying.
“It says it is actually very afraid. It fears A Yao no longer remembers it.”
“In the past, it was so large. Though it could not move, every time A Yao was free, she would bring many old friends to rest in its shade.”
“It was thick and tall enough to provide shade for everyone.”
“It remembers once when A Yao leaned against its trunk with her eyes closed, saying, ‘Jianmu, oh Jianmu, if only you could move. I would take you to see the world outside.’”
“At that time, it really wanted to tell A Yao that even though it could not move, it could see, hear, and feel.”
“It could feel A Yao's happiness, her sadness, her reluctance every time she left, and her joy every time she returned.”
“It thought those days would last forever.”
“Until the end of time.”
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