Chapter 659: You're Going to Die, Go to the Heavens

Chapter 659: Chapter 15: You’re Going to Die, Go to the Heavens

Then, Zhou Buyi heard an incredibly rude statement.

“Zhou Buyi? You’re going to die soon!”

Zhou Buyi: “…?”

‘So, it’s finally happening? Just as I thought. Su Zhou is furious that I’ve been using him as a tool to drive society forward. Is he here to kill me?! It’s a pity, but I can’t die yet. Let me see how many of my Wood of Continuation avatars are available. I’ll hide first and figure out the rest later…’

However, before Zhou Buyi’s flurry of internal thoughts could conclude, Su Zhou, still catching his breath, continued with a grave expression, “Haven’t you felt it yourself? If you continue cultivating the Divine Wood Dao, you will one day find yourself in direct opposition to the Immortal Banyan Tree beneath your feet!”

“…Didn’t He already follow your advice and cease His surface activities?”

Zhou Buyi was somewhat baffled. Having studied the Divine Wood for many years, he had long known that the Immortal Banyan Tree’s roots already crisscrossed the entire globe, reaching even into the planet’s core. “Ultimately, the surface of our planet is merely the shell of an egg. It occupies the most nutritious part of the inner crust. Surely it wouldn’t be so idle as to compete with us for nutrients on the surface?”

“That’s a good point… so why would the Immortal Banyan Tree…”

Su Zhou thought for a moment and realized he had a point. He was instantly convinced. Seeing this, Shao Qiming, who could not bear to watch any longer, shook his head and stepped forward. “Azhou doesn’t really understand this aspect of it. Allow me to explain.”

Zhou Buyi wasn’t very familiar with Shao Qiming, but he was well aware that he was Su Zhou’s friend. His personality was gentle and courteous, carrying the air of a refined scholar—a stark contrast to Su Zhou.

The man did indeed possess Divine Wood Power. In terms of his aura, it was denser than Su Zhou’s—or rather, it made up a larger proportion of it. Therefore, he had never doubted that the man possessed a Divine Wood Inheritance.

Now that Shao Qiming was offering his own perspective, Zhou Buyi was all ears.

In truth, the answer Shao Qiming provided was simple.

“The Spiritual Qi of this world is changing. Everyone knows that.”

Shao Qiming activated his personal terminal, projecting an image into mid-air. He pointed to a 3D model of the planet and explained in detail, “As you can see, with the Third New Southern Celestial Capital as the epicenter, the proportion of Wood Attribute Spiritual Energy across the entire planet is spreading and steadily increasing.”

“I’m well aware of that. The Divine Wood is changing this world, which is precisely why I was the first to cultivate the Divine Wood Dao.”

Zhou Buyi nodded. He was rather curious about the personal terminal in Shao Qiming’s hand but figured it was some Kunlun Secret Treasure and didn’t dwell on it. “Logically, I should be the one who cultivates the fastest and has the greatest advantage in this environment—and that has indeed been the case. So why do you say that if I continue on this path, I don’t have long to live?”

“Because your Cultivation has gone so far that you’ve essentially become another Divine Wood.”

With that, Shao Qiming offered an analogy. “With your current knowledge of astronomy, it should be easy to understand. All life on Earth ultimately depends on energy from the sun, right? Without the sun, ninety-nine percent of all living things could not survive. The Divine Wood is the same.”

“The current Divine Wood is absorbing the planet’s energy to transform the entire world’s Spiritual Qi environment. This forces nearly all Cultivators to, passively or actively, enter Its ecosystem. For Cultivators, the Divine Wood has replaced the planet’s natural Spiritual Qi system. By producing immense amounts of Wood Element Spirit Energy, it has become the very sun of their Cultivation.”

“But what if, one day, the sun refused to provide its light and heat to a particular creature? And what if no one else could give that creature anything derived from the sun, either? How far from death would that creature be?”

It was a simple and easy-to-understand analogy. Shao Qiming shrugged. “It’s the same between Divine Woods. You’re not that strong yet, so the Immortal Banyan Tree might not have noticed you. But if He does, you can expect to be plunged into a state of Spiritual Qi deprivation in this era of Spiritual Energy Revival.”

“…So the competition between Divine Woods is about who has the final say… a competition for dominance… I see. No wonder Su Zhou said all those years ago that two Divine Woods cannot coexist. I understand now!”

“Er…” Su Zhou had been about to admit he was just spouting nonsense to trick people back then, but since Zhou Buyi looked so serious and claimed to understand, he decided to just keep his mouth shut and look profound.

Of course, he wasn’t just spacing out. He was using his Spiritual Power—now far greater than it had been back then—to try and resonate with the Divine Wood beneath him and communicate.

Can you hear me, Immortal Banyan Tree? I’ve returned!

This was a technique the Zhengguo Action Team had once used to check if the Tree of Life was still alive. Su Zhou already knew the basics, but he had since absorbed related skills to optimize his communication efficiency.

Then, after what felt like a long few minutes to a human, Su Zhou received what was, for a Divine Wood, a very swift reply.

Hello, Su Zhou.

A vast and profound will, as if it were the land itself and the sum of all surrounding Spiritual Qi, emanated from the Divine Wood—the Immortal Banyan Tree. It began a direct dialogue with the Soul of the being standing at its apex. You say you’ve returned… but did you ever leave?

Didn’t you just become my King of Divine Wood?

The Divine Wood’s will carried a hint of confusion, as if one hundred and fifty years were but an instant to it. Su Zhou thought about it and realized that for a Super Life that could live for hundreds of thousands of years, or even eternally, a century and a half truly was no different than the blink of an eye.

But now was not the time to dwell on the perceptual differences between beings with Longevity and those with short lifespans. Ignoring Zhou Buyi and Shao Qiming, who were still in discussion, Su Zhou put the question to the tree directly: If a second Divine Wood were to appear in the world, what would you do?

What would I do… I don’t know.

The Immortal Banyan Tree’s will was refreshingly honest. If it’s as strong as me, we’ll cooperate. But if it’s weaker, I would probably try to absorb it. After all, the life-form data from another Divine Wood would be very beneficial to my own growth.

Compared to one hundred and fifty years ago, the Immortal Banyan Tree’s fluency in conversation was on a completely different level. However, its straightforward, matter-of-fact tone hadn’t changed, which Su Zhou still found quite agreeable.

Nearby, the expression of the other Divine Wood—Zhou Buyi, whose presence was likely too insignificant to have even been detected—shifted slightly. “The Immortal Banyan Tree possesses such a clear will?! And this feeling… it’s like the entire world is pressing down on me!”

Shao Qiming, however, was not surprised. Through his frequent conversations and studies with the Wisdom Tree, he had long ago discovered the truth of the Divine Wood Dao. When followed to its ultimate conclusion, one was destined to supplant the will of the world with one’s own, thereby nurturing all life as one’s own Creation.

Take the former Tree of Life, for example. It had already reached the final step, becoming the ‘Creator’ of the Beast God Realm, with all living things as its Clan.

No matter how breathtakingly talented Zhou Buyi was, the Cultivation Technique he practiced was still rooted in the power of the Immortal Banyan Tree. His Spiritual Power reserves were negligible compared to the Divine Wood, which held a significant fraction of the planet’s entire Spiritual Power. It was only natural that he would be considered part of the Immortal Banyan Tree’s Clan—a fact Su Zhou had been aware of for some time.

“…Even a Celestial Spirit Martial God cannot survive for long without Spiritual Qi.”

While Su Zhou was still communicating with the Immortal Banyan Tree, Zhou Buyi let out a long sigh, composed himself, and continued his discussion with Shao Qiming. “I’m well aware that until I break through to the level of a Celestial Spirit Martial God and become a true Limitless Immortal God, I won’t even be worthy of its notice. But I will reach that realm one day, and by then, it will likely be too late.”

“What’s more, I cannot accept the Tianzheng Alliance, which I built with my own hands, becoming the Clan of a Divine Wood. On an emotional level alone, it’s unacceptable.”

As he said this, Zhou Buyi met Shao Qiming’s gaze. Although the man’s power was far beneath his own, he did not underestimate him. “You and Su Zhou came here, so I imagine you’ve already thought of a solution. Shao Qiming, tell me, what is it?”

“It’s simple.”

Full of Faith, Shao Qiming said, “Since Earth has already become the Immortal Banyan Tree’s domain, then don’t stay on this planet.”

“Go to the Moon.”