Chapter Ninety-Four: A Weighty Gift

After a surge of vital force was infused into him, Chen Mu sat down cross-legged and began to mend the injuries he had suffered during his tribulation. Very soon, the necrotic flesh on his body had grown back anew.

Once his wounds were healed, Chen Mu unhurriedly took out the clothes he had worn before and put them back on. Then he rolled his shoulders and flexed his limbs, intending to test how much his physical strength had improved.

He threw a full-force punch at the air. A series of thunderous sonic booms erupted, deafening everyone present. Watching the afterimages left by his fists, the crowd stared at the terrifying might of his body and could not help thinking that it was no wonder Chen Mu had survived such a monstrous lightning tribulation.

Even so, they were puzzled. What kind of technique could forge a body this formidable? Curious as they were, none dared ask Chen Mu about it. After all, that was his private matter, and they could only wonder in silence.

After testing his current strength and agility, Chen Mu was quite satisfied. He sprinted a full circuit through the forest before coming to a pleased stop.

At that moment, the voice of the Primal Life Tree rang out in congratulations. It said that Chen Mu’s cultivation had advanced greatly, and that the first gift had already been delivered into his hands. As for the second gift, it asked him to follow it into the tree to retrieve it.

With that, the Primal Life Tree signaled for Chen Mu to enter the shrine within the tree and collect the second reward together.

Chen Mu was also curious about what this second gift might be. The first had already left him more than satisfied, and he wondered what sort of surprise the next one would bring.

Once again inside the tree, he followed the elder incarnation of the Life Tree to a sealed chamber. This space could only be entered with the Life Tree’s permission; ordinarily it was completely closed off by dense layers of plant tissue with not a single gap to be found.

Inside the chamber stood a presentation dais, surrounded by layers of sealing restrictions. On the dais lay a wooden box entwined with vines. Though plain and unadorned, the box had a certain natural beauty to it.

Upon closer inspection, Chen Mu saw that the box itself had also been sealed, as though whatever it contained were being carefully protected.

In confusion, Chen Mu asked, “Senior, is the second gift you mentioned the item inside this box?”

The elder incarnation of the Life Tree smiled. “Indeed. This is the most precious thing upon my body. I once told you that my former master had taken away the seed of the Primal Life Tree. But after that, by some miracle, I condensed another seed. This seed of the Primal Life Tree is the second gift I mean to give you.”

“Senior, you...” Though he did not yet know what use the Life Tree seed had, Chen Mu was certain it was unimaginably valuable, far beyond any measure of worth he could presently imagine.

“Take it without worry. If this were in the past, I would never again have been able to condense a seed. But now that you have healed me, it will not be long before I can do so once more.” The Life Tree motioned for Chen Mu to accept it without burdening himself with concern.

Hearing this, Chen Mu no longer hesitated.

The Life Tree opened the restriction, then parted the vines, and placed the wooden box into Chen Mu’s hands. “Young friend, this seed can bring prosperity to a barren land and alter the very environment of heaven and earth. With it, even a dead land can become a paradise. That is only one of its many wondrous uses. You may also use it to comprehend the Dao of Life. And when it grows to maturity and awakens spiritual intelligence, it can even become your helper. In short, its uses are endless. However, your current strength is still too weak. It is not yet time to remove the seal from this box. Wait until you are strong enough to protect the Primal Life Tree. Then you may claim it as your own, plant it, and cultivate a new Primal Life Tree.”

Chen Mu nodded and carefully stored the box containing the Primal Life Tree seed in a corner of his storage ring. Then he said solemnly, “Senior Life Tree, I will treasure this seed. I will never allow it to wither in my hands.”

The Life Tree incarnation nodded kindly. “That will do nicely.”

Exhaling softly, Chen Mu knew that if word of this gift ever leaked out, he would become the target of everyone’s covetous eyes. Fortunately, he was still in the remote backwaters of the Yuan Yao Continent, where no one could do anything to him yet. For the moment, he had nothing to fear.

But if he were to one day venture into a broader world, such as the homeland of his nominal master, Gu Xingyuan, or the immortal realm where Rou Er had once lived...

If the people there learned that he possessed a seed of the Primal Life Tree, he would be hunted without end. By the time he died, he might not even know how he had died.

The black pearl in his sea of consciousness was of the same kind, and in Chen Mu’s estimation it was even more extraordinary than the Life Tree seed. To those top powerhouses in the immortal realms, it was likely a peerless treasure, unique in all the world.

So if Chen Mu wished to live, he had to guard these secrets with his life and ensure they never spread.

The second gift was already so priceless; what, then, could the third be?

Chen Mu waited quietly for the Life Tree to reveal the answer.

The elder incarnation of the Life Tree slowly spoke. “Chen Mu, you must understand that not every beast will value your divine bloodline or the dragon blood flowing through you. Especially the True Spirits. In their eyes, your dragon bloodline is actually something inferior. As for your divine bloodline, while it can suppress True Spirits to a certain degree, beastkind and the True Spirits are both descendants of the Spirit Ancestor. What they revere is the Spirit Ancestor, not the Divine Clan. Thus some proud True Spirits will not place your divine bloodline in their eyes, and may even develop greed or hostility toward it. This third gift is a means for preserving your life within their tribes: a seal art capable of communicating with and commanding all Primal Life Trees, the Primal Ancestral Seal. This seal art is beyond the reach of beastkind and True Spirits alike. Once you master it, you will be able to use the Primal Life Trees within those True Spirit clans, restrain those beastly True Spirits, and even use the Primal Ancestral Seal to uncover the inheritance and secrets of any clan. However, that presumes you are able to come into contact with the Primal Life Tree.”

Hearing this, Chen Mu felt a chill run down his scalp.

Mastering the Primal Ancestral Seal would allow him to command every Primal Life Tree?

Controlling the Life Trees would be the same as seizing the lifeline of these beastly True Spirit clans. It would be equivalent to holding authority over an entire tribe.

If the demon race ever learned that Chen Mu could control their Primal Life Trees, he would be the first one they sought to destroy. On the other hand, if he could truly control a Primal Life Tree, then he would in effect control these demon races.

It was a double-edged blade. Used well, it would be a tremendous boon. Used poorly, it would doom him to a lifetime of pursuit.

The Life Tree incarnation paid no mind to Chen Mu’s complex emotions. It directly inscribed the pattern of the Primal Ancestral Seal into his sea of consciousness. A jade-green seal mark entered the center of his brow and vanished, and within his sea of consciousness appeared both the mark itself and the method to comprehend it.

One gift from the Life Tree was heavier than the last. Chen Mu’s mood grew complicated, and he could no longer feel joyous. Such heavy treasures resting upon his person would only keep him in constant unease, forever afraid that they might leak out and bring calamity upon him.

But the Life Tree did not care about any of that. It could see that Chen Mu would surely become an unrivaled powerhouse in the future, and what better way to strengthen him than by placing a little pressure on his shoulders? More importantly, these things would absolutely be of use to him later. So the Life Tree merely watched Chen Mu with a gentle smile.

Chen Mu let out a long sigh, then solemnly cupped his fists in salute. He truly did not know how to thank the Life Tree for the three gifts it had bestowed, especially the latter two. If used properly, they might even allow him to command the entire demon race.

Yet for the Primal Life Tree, this was fair enough. After all, Chen Mu had saved it from the brink of death. Exchanging that salvation for its own seed and inheritance was only natural.

What’s more, Chen Mu still had not fully grasped just how important it was that he had healed the Primal Life Tree. Once it recovered, this world, which had been ruined by countless wars over the ages, would slowly begin to revive. Perhaps before long, new experts at the Soul-Formation realm, or even higher, would appear.

During this period, the various fourth-rank beasts deep within the Starfell Mountain Range had all sensed the change in the Life Tree and had come one after another to pay their respects.

Although some of the beasts held a degree of hostility and suspicion toward the humans of Stargazing Valley, they did not show it. They had heard rumors about these humans. The one leading them was a bloodline superior, and for native beasts like themselves, a bloodline superior was exactly what the words implied: someone far above them in status.

They might not approve of such a superior, but they absolutely could not show disrespect. That was an iron law within the bloodline hierarchy of the demon race.

During this time, many demon clans also came specifically to thank Chen Mu. After all, Chen Mu had saved the Primal Life Tree, which was the same as saving their entire habitat. Their goodwill toward him did not come from any bloodline affinity, but from sincere gratitude for everything he had done.

When they learned that Chen Mu and the others had been pursued all the way here by a human Soul-Formation expert, the fourth-rank beasts all volunteered to teach Zhong Tianyao a lesson.

Chen Mu was delighted to hear this. If Zhong Tianyao could be eliminated, so much the better. He quickly discussed the matter with his father, his elder brother, Gu Xingyuan, and the others from Stargazing Valley, asking them to remain here for the time being under the care of a bear demon. Meanwhile, he would lead several fourth-rank beasts to kill Zhong Tianyao, and once the matter was settled, he would bring everyone away.

Thus, a mighty procession of beasts followed behind Chen Mu as they set off to find Zhong Tianyao, who was lost in the forest and trying to make his way into the depths of the mountain range.

The moment the beasts entered the range of Zhong Tianyao’s divine sense, their overwhelming aura crushed down on him, making his heart quake with fear.

Of all things, the one he least wanted to encounter was a fourth-rank beast. Yet now several had appeared in great force, and worst of all, they were following behind Chen Mu.

Chen Mu himself he did not take seriously, but the beasts were another matter entirely. He was no longer at the peak of the Soul-Formation realm. Even at the height of his power in ages past, he could not have defeated this band of demons. So, with a dark sigh, he could only choose to flee.