Luo Shide's heart skipped a beat, and he felt a deep sense of foreboding. The fact that the Young Master had come for him was already unsettling enough, but to come for his prized treasure as well?!! Luo Shide felt a wave of reluctance, but he still gritted his teeth and said.
"Young Master, there is no need for further words. This branch shall be a gift to you."
He could concede, he could give it up. As long as the green hills remained, there would be no shortage of firewood; losing one's life over a treasure was simply not worth it.
Yun Ming: "???"
He glanced at Luo Shide, then turned his head to look at the vibrant, gold-veined branch planted in a flowerpot beside him. Understanding the man's intent, he couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.
"City Lord Luo, you worry too much. I did not come here to seize anyone's treasure."
Luo Shide was overjoyed. If he hadn't come for his precious branch, then that was truly wonderful.
"However, since City Lord Luo intends to gift it to me, I will not let your kindness go to waste."
"I, Yun, thank you, City Lord Luo."
Luo Shide: "."
He had spoken too soon and shot himself in the foot. Was it too late to take it back? Just as this thought crossed Luo Shide's mind, Yun Ming had already stored the item away into his Phoenix Cry Ring.
It seemed it was too late. Luo Shide felt like crying without tears, and he responded with a forced, stiff smile.
"You are too kind, Young Master Yun."
Yun Ming looked at the listless Luo Shide and found it quite amusing. He hadn't expected to run into Luo Shide twice in one day. However, he wouldn't take the man's things for nothing. Yun Ming flipped his palm, and a white jade medicine bottle appeared in her hand. Yun Ming tossed it directly to Luo Shide.
"Catch."
Hearing this, Luo Shide instinctively caught the object Yun Ming threw.
Looking at the medicine bottle in his hand, Luo Shide was somewhat puzzled. Yun Ming didn't beat around the bush and explained.
"This is an Ascension Origin Pill; consider it my return gift."
Upon hearing the name of the pill, Luo Shide's eyes lit up. He had heard of the 'Ascension Origin Pill'! It was rumored to be the highest grade of pill produced by the Breaking Clan. Its effect was to improve a Soul Master's Spirit Origin to a certain extent, and it could be consumed by anyone below the rank of Soul Douluo. An improvement in Spirit Origin meant an increase in talent. The reason it was only a 'rumor' was that, aside from one accidental appearance on the market, there were no channels to purchase it. The Breaking Clan did not sell them; they only occasionally gifted them to friends.
Luo Shide hadn't expected Yun Ming to pay for what he took, but even though his treasure was gone, having this return gift made him delighted.
"Many thanks to Young Master Yun for the pill!"
Although he didn't know which would be more useful to him—the Ascension Origin Pill or that branch—it was good enough to at least break even.
Yun Ming smiled slightly.
"City Lord Luo is too polite."
"However, the main reason I came here today is to ask you a question."
Luo Shide said respectfully.
"Please ask, Young Master Yun. I will tell you everything I know."
Yun Ming nodded and continued.
"It is quite simple. I would like to know from where you obtained this Golden Tree branch? And were there any special events that occurred at that time?"
That was right; the thing planted in the flowerpot was indeed a branch of the Golden Tree. Yun Ming's final method for repairing the Dead Realm was to use the Life Core of Douluo Star—the Golden Tree—which had accompanied him for most of his previous life.
Although all of Yun Ming's experiments over the past three months had failed, he had gained some insights.
Through high-intensity monitoring with his Spiritual Power, he discovered that Douluo Star was not entirely indifferent to the Dead Realm. In fact, Douluo Star was slowly repairing the Dead Realm, but the speed was agonizingly slow; it would likely take ten thousand years to finish. However, ten thousand years was too long, and the variables in between were too great, so he thought of a way to artificially accelerate the process. This led him to think of the life core of Douluo Star: the Golden Tree!
But once he had a plan, a new problem arose: where was this Golden Tree?
The one at Shrek Academy in his previous life had been transplanted there by Tang San before he ascended to the God Realm, but Tang San had never mentioned where it was originally planted, and naturally, it wasn't in the academy's secret archives.
Based on this new problem, Yun Ming began to brainstorm. Fortunately, Yun Ming had had much contact with the Golden Tree in his previous life, and there was still a trace of the Golden Tree's life energy within his Blood Soul Core. Yun Ming spent several days using the Tracing Origin Technique on this energy, and the general direction he eventually obtained was to the southwest—the relative position of Silver River City to Heaven Dou City.
Everything after that was simple. As soon as Yun Ming arrived in Silver River City, he sensed the familiar energy, and subsequently, he arrived at the City Lord's Mansion and found the Golden Tree branch planted in the flowerpot.
Upon hearing Yun Ming's words, Luo Shide learned the name of his treasure. 'Golden Tree'—it was quite a fitting name. He looked at Yun Ming, cupped his hands in a salute, and said.
"Since Young Master Yun wishes to know, I will tell you everything I know, though I don't know much. I hope you will forgive me."
Yun Ming waved his hand.
"It is fine. Just tell me whatever you know, City Lord Luo."
Luo Shide stood up and fell into deep thought.
"I obtained this several years ago."
"About three to four years ago, a strange event occurred in the Wanfu Forest outside of Silver River City."
Wanfu Forest—Yun Ming knew this place. The soil there was loose and breathable, with plenty of sunlight and a mild climate. It was an excellent place for growing medicinal herbs outside of Silver River City and belonged to the City Lord's Mansion.
"According to the herbalists on the scene at the time, for some unknown reason, a massive wave of energy suddenly surged through the forest. Wherever the energy passed, everything—people, flowers, grass, and trees—underwent changes. The plants that bathed in the energy grew wildly, and thousands of flowers bloomed. Many medicinal herbs and trees that usually took a long time to mature were accelerated to ripeness."
"As for the people who bathed in the energy, according to my subsequent examinations, all their illnesses vanished, and they were in robust health. They all received significant benefits."
Speaking of this, Luo Shide still felt a bit of regret; he hadn't been there to bathe in it himself.
However, when Yun Ming heard Luo Shide's words, his eyes lit up. Life energy—this was definitely something that only pure and massive life energy could achieve. Therefore, it really must have been the Golden Tree.
Luo Shide continued.
"After something like that happened, I thought a divine medicine had appeared, so I immediately sealed the news and the Wanfu Forest, beginning to search the forest inch by inch, intending to discover the divine medicine."
"But for some reason, even though I turned the Wanfu Forest upside down, I gained nothing, as if the whole thing were just a dream. Yet, the wildly growing medicinal herbs and vegetation clearly indicated that it was not."
"I was unwilling to give up after finding nothing, so I investigated personally, but still found nothing at all. Just when I thought there really was nothing, my Martial Soul reacted, guiding me to a bush by the Ten Thousand Medicines Lake, where I discovered that Golden Tree branch."
"With this discovery, I naturally had to search again, but after that, I truly couldn't find anything else."
Yun Ming frowned slightly. He recalled the time Luo Shide had just mentioned and, lost in thought, asked.
"More than three years ago, do you remember the specific date?"
Luo Shide nodded and said.
"I remember, that day was August, Douluo Calendar 2644. That time was very special; it was exactly when the finals of the once-every-five-years Soul Master Academy Competition had just begun."
Hearing this, everything became clear to Yun Ming. Good heavens, wasn't that the very day they used the Clear Sky remnants as bait to lure Tang Xiao into a decisive battle! So the Golden Tree exerted its power because he had damaged the environment of Douluo Star, and the Golden Tree, as the Life Core, was triggered, causing it to erupt?!!
Although there was no other evidence, it was unlikely to be a coincidence.
As Yun Ming thought this, Luo Shide, seeing Yun Ming seemingly lost in thought, also remained quiet until Yun Ming asked again.
"Is there anything else?"
Luo Shide thought for a moment and replied.
"Young Master Yun, that is all I know."
Seeing that there were no abnormal fluctuations in his Spiritual Power or blood energy, and that he did not seem to be lying, Yun Ming nodded.
"Very well, thank you, City Lord Luo."
Having obtained the information he wanted, Yun Ming took his leave. Luo Shide bowed, and then a flash of silver light appeared before his eyes; Yun Ming was gone.
Luo Shide looked at the now-empty courtyard and the vanished Golden Tree branch, and could only mutter to the medicine bottle in his hand.
"An Ascension Origin Pill! I hope you are more useful than my treasure!"
After saying this, he returned to the room to consume the pill.
As for Yun Ming, even if Luo Shide knew his next move, he had no desire to take action. Take action for what? He had searched that place countless times; how could he not know if there was anything inside? And if, unfortunately, Yun Ming discovered a secret and truly obtained something he didn't know about, could he really snatch it from Yun Ming? That wouldn't be seizing a fortune; that would be courting death. He had better stay put!
On Yun Ming's side, after leaving the City Lord's Mansion, he headed straight for the Wanfu Forest outside Silver River City.
Arriving at the edge of the Wanfu Forest, Yun Ming sensed the City Lord's Mansion guards watching the forest from afar. Silver light flickered on his body, and he directly teleported inside.
Looking at the swaying tree shadows around him, Yun Ming once again used the Tracing Origin Technique, wanting to see if he could find that vague sensation again, but this time, the sensation was gone.
'It seems what I sensed before was the Golden Tree branch,' Yun Ming concluded.
Since the branch had been taken by him, the secret technique naturally had no effect.
If one method didn't work, he would try a second. Yun Ming closed his eyes tightly and immediately released his Spiritual Power to investigate the surroundings.
As his Spiritual Power spread rapidly from Yun Ming as the center, the situation in the forest appeared clearly in his mind from a peculiar third-person perspective. In that image, the visible flowers, birds, insects, and fish, as well as the invisible life and energy intensities, were all present. The surface and interior of the entire world were displayed clearly and without reservation before Yun Ming's 'eyes'.
The situation in the Wanfu Forest was indeed as Luo Shide had said. Even after more than three years, in Yun Ming's spiritual perception, the traces of those trees growing rapidly still existed. The differentiated growth layout of the area and the lingering life energy that did not belong to ordinary tree species explained everything.
However, there were only traces. Just as Luo Shide said, he hadn't found anything other than that Golden Tree branch. Yun Ming spent two hours using his Spiritual Power to search the entire Wanfu Forest, three hundred meters up and down, carefully, but he did not find anything else related to the Golden Tree. There was only a rough growth distribution map, confirming the general center of the life energy eruption.
With no other gains, Yun Ming withdrew his Spiritual Power and headed toward the center of the life eruption.
Arriving at the central area, Yun Ming saw the scene before him.
Lush ancient trees, colorful medicinal herbs, a crystal-clear lake, ethereal clouds, and a diverse ecosystem made one feel the mystery and infinite charm of nature. Although it was still far inferior to the environment of the Star Dou Core Area, it was quite good.
"This should be the so-called Forest Heart Lake," Yun Ming muttered, combining the surrounding environment.
Yun Ming searched with his naked eyes while releasing his Spiritual Power again, conducting a second close-range, dual-layered investigation, but still found nothing.
Yun Ming had a bit of a headache; the trail had gone cold! He sat cross-legged on the ground and began to think about all the information regarding the Golden Tree from his past and present lives. Well, it was mostly just research and uses for the tree.
As for the uses, the current Sea God Pavilion Master did not nourish the tree with his own body or mark it, and the techniques of later generations could not move the current tree, so that was ruled out. Regarding the research on the tree, he knew it was the life core of the Douluo plane, the Tree of Life. Therefore, the Golden Tree would not choose its growth location randomly; could there be clues in the terrain?
Thinking of a possibility, silver light flickered on Yun Ming's body, and he soared into the sky, standing in the void, overlooking the mountains and rivers below.
The Wanfu Forest faced the Tianluo River—open, bright, with balanced yin and yang; reasonable. It backed onto the tall, continuous Silver Ridge Mountain Range, secretly matching the Black Tortoise position; appropriate. At the same time, the left and right sides were also surrounded by the Silver Ridge Mountain Range, presenting a posture of protection and encirclement; the Azure Dragon and White Tiger positions were very correct.
The terrain was indeed reasonable; it should be a landscape capable of nourishing a Golden Tree. Having seen everything clearly, Yun Ming landed back on the ground.
But now there were no traces, so was it in a different dimension?
Yun Ming took out the Golden Tree branch and injected Soul Power, beginning to seek spatial resonance.
As Soul Power was injected into the Golden Tree branch, the golden silk patterns on the branch immediately bloomed with strange brilliance. Under the sunlight, it glittered like gold, as bright as cloud brocade; its nobility and beauty were breathtaking.
This time, there was finally some change. In Yun Ming's perception, accompanied by the energy fluctuations of the Golden Tree branch, the surrounding space began to ripple like water droplets falling into a lake. Once the space became chaotic, Yun Ming immediately discovered the difference in this place; a distinct spatial fluctuation appeared in layers.
Just as Yun Ming had thought, beneath the surface space, a layer of inner space was connected.
Having found the location of the inner space, a black Soul Ring lit up at Yun Ming's feet. A pure white mark appeared on the Golden Tree branch in his hand.
Yun Ming's second soul skill, 'Sky Support Mark', was activated.
Using the branch as a spear, Yun Ming channeled powerful spatial power and Anti-air Power, which swirled around the branch like two silver-white ribbons. They converged at the tip of the branch, and the color of the energy quickly dimmed, turning from light to black, finally forming a black-gold flame mixed with golden threads at the tip of the branch.
Golden Sky Support 'Annihilation'
With the preparation complete, Yun Ming thrust forward like lightning, piercing through the surface space and striking the spatial barrier of the inner space.
Crack, crack--
As the Spatial Barrier guarding the core of the plane, it was naturally incredibly sturdy. Even the violent Annihilation Black Flame of Yun Ming could not breach it instantly, causing the Spatial Barrier to groan and creak. However, the moment the golden threads on the Black Flame touched that layer of space, the barrier, which had been as solid as Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice, began to rapidly soften and dissolve.
Seeing this, Yun Ming's eyes lit up. He stepped into the Void and, with a flash, charged into the inner space. The scene within the space was exactly as he had imagined; as far as the eye could see, there was only a Heaven-Reaching Ancient Tree rooted in the Void, converting boundless energy to nourish the plane. Yun Ming touched the Gilded Tree Pattern and smiled.
"We meet again, Golden Tree."
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader