Chapter 238 - 200: Surging Undercurrents

Chapter 238: Chapter 200: Surging Undercurrents

Before the Emperor’s throne in the divine hall, Zhang Ji stared for a moment but ultimately decided not to sit down.

He had sat on it back when he was playing the game, but now... he just wasn’t interested.

Defeating Yilin Bona gave Zhang Ji a clearer understanding of his own strength.

At this point, he was easily comparable to an average Super S-rank.

He had felt the power of a Divine Skill.

It was truly extraordinary, but aside from certain special mechanics, it was simply a matter of a higher magnitude and more condensed energy.

In terms of magnitude and intensity, Zhang Ji was no weaker than a Super S-rank.

In other words, he already possessed the strength to fight an ordinary Demigod.

Walking out of the main hall, Zhang Ji rose into the air and looked toward the enormous, withered tree behind it.

Zhang Ji’s Spirit probe roughly estimated the World Tree’s height to be over one hundred and seventy thousand meters.

’I can’t imagine how many resources this World Tree must have devoured to reach this state.’

’And yet it was destroyed in a single blow. What a shame.’

However, even as a charred husk, its trunk was a top-tier material, no less valuable than Celestial Copper.

At the very least, it could be used as firewood.

Whether for Alchemy, Artifact Refining, or simply as fuel, it would burn for a very, very long time.

With a flicker of thought, Zhang Ji shot a blast of energy from his fingertip, striking a small branch.

The impact left a gash on the World Tree, but Zhang Ji’s attack failed to sever the branch.

Zhang Ji struck again, finally managing to break off a piece.

The branch was over ten meters long. It was pitch-black not only on the surface but inside as well, completely devoid of life.

"It couldn’t be more dead..."

A grave expression appeared in Zhang Ji’s eyes.

A complete, adult World Tree is a creation on the level of the Mythical Nine Stars.

This particular tree had even served as the foundation for a Divine Emperor’s apotheosis, meaning it had been upgraded beyond the norm.

One could say it was infinitely close to the Supreme level.

Yet even so, it was annihilated in a single blow.

Even now, Zhang Ji couldn’t quite imagine what kind of attack could do that.

After all, he had only seen it in a background cutscene back then—a few flashing images, and then nothing but the burning World Tree and the shattered Divine Country.

’Forget it. There’s no point thinking about that now.’

Zhang Ji stored the World Tree branch, then took out Yilin Bona’s coronet and plucked the red gemstone from its center.

The red gemstone was crystal clear, and energy seemed to flow within it.

Just by holding it, Zhang Ji could feel it was easier to absorb external energy.

The aether particles showed an affinity for him.

Or more accurately, they showed an affinity for the seed in his hand.

The World Tree itself is capable of converting energy.

It could directly convert void energy into the various energies required by all living things.

This was the main reason it was called the World Tree.

Possessing it was equivalent to having a complete, self-sustaining ecosystem.

’Let’s plant it first and see what happens.’

Using his Spirit, Zhang Ji planted it in the center of the Ship of Hope’s interior.

After being planted, it didn’t change much, remaining in its seed form.

Originally, it was supposed to be watered by the defeated Yilin Bona’s "tears of the soul," after which it would absorb the Spiritual Energy of the entire Divine Country to grow into a sapling.

This time, however, Zhang Ji hadn’t given her any time to cry.

And it wasn’t like Zhang Ji was going to force her to cry.

Of course, Zhang Ji had another way to make the World Tree sprout.

Shennong’s Dew.

Zhang Ji had ordered Robby to burn countless Spirit Stones to refine a massive amount of the dew. Of course, it wasn’t all for the Bodhi Tree.

’How much could the Bodhi Tree possibly consume?’

’The rest was, of course, for this little one.’

He tilted the bottle of dew, letting it drip onto the World Tree seed.

Every single drop was absorbed instantly, with none going to waste.

Only after he had poured more than half the bottle did it finally change.

A soft red light began to glow. Suddenly, its crystalline shell cracked open, and a tender, reddish sprout emerged. Then, it visibly unfurled, growing upward as two roots extended from its base and burrowed deep into the soil.

After reaching the edge of the Ship of Hope, its two roots didn’t stop. They easily pierced through the ship’s barrier, crossed dimensions, and stretched out into the void beyond.

At the same time, its trunk above ground shot up to the dome of the Ship of Hope.

But it didn’t stop there; it continued to grow.

A dense canopy of branches and leaves pressed against the dome of the Ship of Hope. Imperceptibly, the World Tree’s leaves secreted a substance that began changing the spatial properties of this small world, making it more stable and malleable.

Suddenly, Zhang Ji’s Spirit detected the Ship of Hope expanding outward.

Its space had been enlarged by the World Tree.

The World Tree also shed numerous substances. These energy-rich materials were very similar to what the Ship of Hope originally produced, indicating it had already adapted to this world’s intrinsic systems.

Zhang Ji noticed that the various plants growing inside also began to grow faster.

This was the miracle of the World Tree: it could coexist with a world, forming a symbiotic cycle.

Zhang Ji then poured the rest of the Shennong’s Dew onto the World Tree sapling, allowing it to grow even more.

Soon, a giant tree over a thousand meters tall stood within Zhang Ji’s Ship of Hope.

For now, however, it was still just a World Tree sapling.

Nurturing it to maturity would require a colossal amount of resources.

After all, its upper limit was that of a Myth-grade artifact. With a growth period that could easily span hundreds of millions of years, Zhang Ji’s meager resources were only enough to get it to this stage.

’Let’s see if I can use it to release the Wraiths here!’

Zhang Ji raised his left hand and opened a rift in the Ship of Hope’s space, revealing the World Tree’s form in the void.

It seemed to sense Zhang Ji’s intentions. Its trunk trembled, emitting invisible waves of energy.

In just a moment, a massive number of spirits began to draw near.

Their sheer numbers were enough to startle even Zhang Ji.

They were all just lingering obsessions or soul fragments.

Once, they had all believed the Divine Emperor would lead them to ascension, granting them immortality to reside forever in the Divine Country and enjoy endless bliss.

But just as the Divine Country was being raised up to transcend the dimensions of the void, that dream was shattered.

Their frenzied obsession drove the remaining particles of their souls, even after their bodies had died, to wander day after day through this Divine Country, now devoid of all life.

Beneath the World Tree, countless soul fragments were broken down into Energy Particles and absorbed.

It could absorb even void energy; a bit of soul energy was nothing, easily devoured.

In fact, during its symbiosis with a world, soul energy was its most common form of nourishment.

When the creatures of a world died, their souls would be broken down and absorbed by the tree. In turn, it would convert energy from the void and grant it to the world, accelerating its development and creating a positive feedback loop.

Zhang Ji carried the World Tree on a tour of the Divine Country, cleansing it of as many soul fragments as he could.

He planned to have his people come and process the resources here later.

The building materials, the charred remains of the old World Tree—it all belonged to him now.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to take everything in one go.

The main issue was that this was a sub-plane, not an independent space.

It was a small world carved out from the main world.

Unless Zhang Ji could precisely slice through space to separate it, he would need an enormous Spatial Artifact to take it all with him.

Clearly, a Spatial Artifact large enough to contain an entire Divine Country would be difficult to find even in the Celestial Essence Realm.

With matters settled, Zhang Ji tore open space and vanished in a single jump.

***

The cooperation with the Arcane Federation proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

Origin Star was remarkably efficient.

Near a small town on the border of the Logan Kingdom, a new city was rising from the ground.

Their transit point was located here, so the spatial rift naturally had to be protected.

It was destined to become a major economic hub.

Zhang Ji did not participate in the subsequent construction or technological collaborations, leaving Dugu Yunfeng and his team to handle everything.

Zhang Ji acted as a hands-off boss.

Dugu Yunfeng had his own agenda, of course; the Celestial Essence Realm was his true home.

Many of the benefits obtained here could also be used in the Celestial Essence Realm.

As the one in charge, he could ensure the Celestial Essence Realm was the primary beneficiary of their trades, diverting many resources back for its further development.

Zhang Ji was fully aware of this. In fact, he was using this agenda to motivate Dugu Yunfeng to work even more diligently for him.

In his eyes, both Origin Star and the Celestial Essence Realm belonged to him, so it made no difference which one was better developed.

As long as he was the ultimate beneficiary, it was all the same.

After staying in the Lan’er World for another ten days or so, Zhang Ji gave Dugu Yunfeng instructions regarding the acquisition of resources from the Sea of Taboo, then returned to Origin Star to continue his training.

Having just absorbed the Celestial Essence Realm, he was in a period of rapid growth. If not for the World Tree seed, he would never have made a special trip to the Lan’er World.

What Zhang Ji didn’t know was that news of the Arcane Federation’s activities had leaked quickly.

It wasn’t long before the Mechanical Heart Empire and the Saint Silver Church Country learned of the Arcane Federation’s cooperation with an interdimensional faction.

***

「In the Mechanical Heart Empire.」

Clad in a suit of pitch-black Demon Energy Battle Armor, the empire’s Monarch, Yuriel Daniels, wore a thoughtful expression.

"A powerful faction from another dimension..."

He was displeased.

As an ambitious man, he had no desire to stagnate. He wanted to go further—to rule the entire world.

Of course, this wasn’t merely to satisfy his own lust for power.

He was simply seeking a path to advance further.

He had been stuck at the Legend rank for millennia. To advance further, he needed to perform a great deed, one that would be sung by the people until it became a Myth.

And if he could unite the world, that great deed would surely be sufficient.

He had pushed his empire’s Demon Energy industries to their limits and developed technology at all costs, all to accumulate the power to conquer the world.

But now, this unexpected factor had appeared, disrupting his plans.

Regardless, his great work had to be completed. He just needed to investigate the background of this interdimensional faction first.

"Guards! Summon Grandmaster Martinez."

***

「Saint Silver Church Country.」

After the current Pope, Heaven Tek, received the news, he convened his Grand Bishops for an emergency meeting.

Ultimately, they decided to contact the Saint King Council to gather more specific information.

And in the shadows...

...a hidden organization known as the Crown of Sin and Thorns also began to stir.

Three of the Lord of Entropy’s twelve apostles.

The Fourth Seat, [Dream Weaver with Empty Eyes], Saya Aurora.

The Eighth Seat, [The Eternal Corrector], Vincent Mispage.

The Eleventh Seat, [Delirium Lighthouse], Lucian Dazzle.

The three, all at the Legend rank, set out for the Arcane Federation to investigate.

At this critical juncture, the Lord of Entropy did not want his grand ambition of ascending to godhood to be affected. The Saint King Council’s background had to be thoroughly investigated.