Who let him join the Sword Sect!

Chapter 545 Oranges, Old Deng's Awakening, and the Cicada's Cry
After the Water Monkey Ancestor was captured, Zhang Ze did not leave. He walked to the well and looked down, and found that a clear spring had gushed up from somewhere.

As the water rose to the wellhead, the surrounding dilapidated landscape came alive.

Even in late winter, the grass is lush and green.

Zhang Ze took a handful of the sweet spring water from the well, and after just one sip, he realized it was a rare treasure.

He quickly grabbed Ah Li, who was about to jump into the well and turn into a corpse, sinking to the bottom of the well to drink her fill, and then turned back to Chu Yang and said.

"Plant that tree for me."

"Oh, okay, here you go."

Chu Yang was stunned for a while before he reacted after being reminded by his fifth senior brother and handed the brocade box containing the saplings to Zhang Ze.

Then he retreated to his senior brother's side and looked at this legendary idol who was elusive and rarely seen.

He heard from his senior that this idol was easy to see a few years ago. When he had nothing to do, he would either go to Zha Shide for tea or stroll around the streets of Qianji Town.

It's just that in recent years, everyone has been so busy that it's become a rare sight.

'I wonder what kind of person this is?' Chu Yang thought to himself.

Ignoring Chu Yang's curiosity, after receiving the brocade box, Zhang Ze did not touch the fake lid used as a decoy. Instead, he gently stroked the bottom of the box and activated the hidden array.

In the blink of an eye, the box unfolded like a Rubik's Cube, revealing a tiny sapling in the dazzling golden light at its core.

As the golden light faded, the sapling came back to life.

As soon as it woke up, it jumped into the well just like Ah Li.

However, this time Zhang Ze didn't need to make a move. Ah Li stretched out her little hand and used a death roll to pin the sapling down.

If it can't drink the water, then no one else can touch it either.

However, even after being subdued, this little sacred tree sapling was still restless. Its roots wriggled, sometimes twisting into a circle, sometimes into the shape of the Chinese character for "father".

Finally, they twisted together, forming two arms, and bowed to Zhang Ze and A Li. After bowing, they pointed to the well, indicating that they wanted it.

Unfortunately, Zhang Ze is a scumbag; he doesn't believe in giving you what you want just because you say so.

He dug a small hole some distance from the well, threw the sapling in, and then, with a flick of his finger, drew a circle on the ground, trapping the sapling inside.

As the playful scene was being prepared, Ah Li, as if on cue, ran over with a whip in one hand and a bowl in the other, carrying a clear spring.

It wiped the water from its mouth with its arm, raised its small whip and said, "Call me master, and I'll give you a drink."

Zhang Ze gently patted A Li's head to calm her down, then took the bowl of spring water and poured it into the roots of the sapling.

In the blink of an eye, the small sapling shone with golden light and grew to more than ten feet tall.

The sapling's roots, like pythons, lashed against the barrier drawn by Zhang Ze, as if it wanted to go to the well for another drink.

Seeing the condition of the sapling, Zhang Ze whistled, thinking to himself that he had found a good thing.

The spring water in that well had been suppressed by the water monkey for countless years, its yin and yang in harmony, complementing each other. Now that the water monkey ancestor has been captured, the spring water has revealed its true wonders.

With this clear spring, the tree planting progress can probably be much faster.

Zhang Ze took out the small walnuts and contacted Xiangxiang.

"Hello, I have a situation here."

"Yes, here in Qiliang Mountain, two fellow disciples discovered an ancient well while planting trees."

"The spiritual water in the well seems to be very useful for the saplings. Hmm, yes, the layout here might need to be changed, and we should take more pictures of the base."

Afterwards, Zhang Ze discussed some specific details with Xiangxiang, such as researching the well, drawing water for irrigation, and adjusting the planting density.

After everything was settled, Zhang Ze finally remembered his two fellow disciples whom he had neglected for so long.

"Sorry, I was just discussing serious matters. You two have worked hard this time; your contributions to the sect will be recorded accordingly. Also, this..."

Zhang Ze had two jade bottles in his hands. After filling each one by the well, he handed them to his two fellow disciples.

"This isn't a good idea..." Fifth Gangqiang said, holding the jade bottle.

Zhang Ze said, "There's nothing wrong with it. This time, we were indeed unprepared and misjudged the situation here, which led you two into danger. Some compensation is only right."

Fifth Gang waved his hand and said, "That's not what I meant. What I meant was that the Goddess Li is glaring at me, and I'm scared."

Zhang Ze turned around and, sure enough, saw Ah Li holding its little leather whip, baring her teeth and looking like she was protecting her food.

Zhang Ze was speechless, thinking that he had spoiled it too much recently. It seemed that he would have to start implementing the plan of eating small meals frequently, at fixed times and in fixed quantities again tomorrow.

"Ah Li, come here for a moment," Zhang Ze beckoned.

Ah Li, "What?"

Zhang Ze, "I have a task for you."

Ah Li, "What mission?"

Zhang Ze, "wrestling with a tree."

Ah Li, "?"

Before Ah Li could react, Zhang Ze pushed her, sending her into the barrier that was trapping the tiny sapling.

At this moment, the sapling was at its most vigorous after drinking the divine water. With its brute strength and energy having nowhere to go, it kept lashing at the barrier, wanting to drink another sip.

Upon seeing Ah Li enter, it immediately changed its target, entangled with Ah Li, and prepared to start a fierce battle in the octagonal cage to vent its anger.

Because the sapling was so valuable, Ah Li didn't dare to do anything serious and had no choice but to be dragged to the ground.

Ignoring Ah Li's grumbling, Zhang Ze continued to explain the upcoming arrangements to Chu Yang and Fifth Gangqiang.

Although the magical spring hidden by the Water Monkey Ancestor has countless uses, it can be said that it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

But the dangers involved are very real.

As early as last week, Tongtongzhijia had been discussing adjusting the task allocation.

Because of the approaching tides, strange things have been happening more frequently lately, especially in these remote areas.

There are plans to send some cultivators with lower cultivation levels to areas that have already been explored to perform maintenance work.

The area beyond that was left for the older members of the team to explore.

This was actually Chu Yang and his team's last tree-planting mission. Afterwards, they would likely be sent to a relatively safe location to carry out another mission.

After hearing this, Chu Yang and his companion, though tempted by the opportunity they might encounter when they saw that tree, quickly realized that their lives were more important.

At this point, they also received two bottles of spiritual water, which was an even greater bargain.

The two nodded in agreement and chatted for a few more minutes. Chu Yang boldly asked some questions about cultivation, and after receiving their answers, he thanked them profusely.

It wasn't until dusk that they bid farewell to Zhang Ze. After each retrieving their Wind Chasing Boat from the mud pit, they flew towards the nearest Sword Sect's headquarters.

Not long after the two left, a giant ship suddenly appeared in the sky.

Lily stood at the bow of the boat, waving to Zhang Ze.

"Boss, I've brought the equipment and the men. This time, Tree Master is leading the way!"

The Tree Master that Lily mentioned was one of the more than three hundred soulless old men that Zhang Ze saved in the Holy Land, the one with grass growing on his head from Medicine King Valley.

He is the perfect person to be in charge of the research and coordination of this spiritual spring.

After Lily arrived with her people, the safety of the Well Spirit Spring was guaranteed, and Zhang Ze no longer needed to watch over it.

But he couldn't stay idle, so he got a few more saplings from Lily and planned to continue planting trees at the next location, as planned.

However, once they arrived at their destination, Zhang Ze, standing atop the mountain, felt as if he had forgotten something.

"Never mind, it's probably not that important. Planting trees is more important."

Pushing aside all distractions, he dug the hole while keeping an eye out for any potential dangers.

————The dividing line where Ah Li fell in the battle with the little sacred tree sapling————

Another summer has arrived, and the cicadas, with their orange-scented chirping, fill the air.

The small village where the well was discovered has changed completely. A well pointing straight to the sky has sprung up from the ground, surrounded by three towers that extend deep into the earth.

Lush greenery replaced the barrenness, and the houses in the style of Qianji Town with golden tiles and red walls replaced the dilapidated courtyards.

At the entrance of this village, which has been renamed Chushui Village, a strange tree is growing vigorously.

The strange tree's roots stretched out of the earth like surging earth pythons. Only half of the tree's bark remained, as if it had been cut diagonally, and beneath the exposed bark lay a golden expanse.

Keep going upwards, and on the golden, ethereal canopy of the tree, grow little oranges that are sweet and sour.

Today, these grafted little sacred trees are found all over the four continents.

No matter where you live, as soon as you open your eyes and go outside, you will always see a tree, and a civil engineering cultivator nearby who is burying amplification towers into the ground with a clanging sound.

Under the small sacred tree in Chushui Village, Qin Lang slowly opened his eyes.

The long sleep left him somewhat dazed, his memories fragmented and unfocused.

All he remembered was that he was enveloped in a black fog, and a phantom golden sacred tree guided him back to the human world.

Fortunately, the fragrance of flowers soon brought him back to his senses.

When he refocused his attention, he saw his good apprentices surrounding him, staring intently at him.

"What do you think?" Qin Lang asked.

Xiaoxue, who was hanging upside down from the tree and munching on an orange in each hand, saw that her master had woken up and could still speak, and immediately cheered.

Then he climbed down the tree and went to deliver the message.

The other disciples, though not as eccentric as Xiaoxue, were also overjoyed and came forward to offer their congratulations.

The more reliable ones began to explain the current situation to Qin Lang.

After hearing about the current situation, Qin Lang sighed.

He rose from the prayer mat, his gaze passing over the shoulders of his disciples, looking intently and deeply at the world beyond the mountains at the village entrance.

Qin Lang fell into deep thought.

Upon seeing this, the disciples immediately retreated to the left and right, so as not to disturb their master's enjoyment.

A cultivator dressed as a pharmacist, carrying a medicine chest, whispered to his junior brother beside him.

"What is Master looking at?"

The junior brother, with his bulging muscles, pointed head, the power of nine dragons, and a full beard, thought for a moment before answering.

"How would I know? But he's definitely thinking of causing trouble, ugh, he's definitely concerned about important matters in the world. Anyway, senior brother, just watch carefully and study hard."

The herbalist senior brother simply said "oh" and stopped whispering among himself and his junior brother.

He turned around and stood behind his master, his gaze fixed intently on the world beyond the mountains.

He attempted to reach even one percent of his master's level and comprehend the Great Dao.

Although he may spend his whole life trying to understand it, he may never truly grasp it.

Because Qin Lang wasn't deep in thought, nor was he concerned about the world; he was just thinking about one thing.

Looking at the tiny sacred trees that were scattered across the four continents, as numerous as the stray dogs by the roadside, he felt very confused.

"Wait, I woke up to find this thing everywhere?"

"Then what should I steal in the future?"

But no matter what Qin Lang thinks, the world does not stop according to his personal ideas.

While he was contemplating important life events and future plans, the second phase of the project was proceeding at full speed.

The small sacred tree has been planted, and now the cultivators are guiding its roots to connect and setting up amplification towers in suitable locations nearby.

Just like the strange things that happened when planting the little sacred tree, the second phase of the project wasn't much better.

Even though it's already been dug once, you can always dig up something new with each shovelful.

Central border.

The Central Continent was no longer the wasteland it had been two years ago. The cracked earth had become fertile soil, the lava had turned back into streams, and the sky had returned to its azure blue.

While the small sacred tree was being planted, Zhongzhou was also restored to life.

If you ignore the pumpkins with human faces and the chili peppers that suck your toes, this place is like a fairyland.

The two brothers, Wu Gangqiang and Chu Yang, are still working in their respective fields, but they have grown a lot over the past year.

Thanks to that bottle of spiritual water and the fortuitous encounters during their subsequent missions, both of their cultivation levels advanced by leaps and bounds. Fifth Gangqiang's rugged face became smooth and glossy from the water's nourishment.

Chu Yang would jokingly say from time to time, "Senior brother, you should change your name to Fifth Soft."

"Shut up, only a rugged look can show a man's masculinity, and that's what Langsha's sisters like."

After another routine retort, Fifth Gangqiang steered his flying sword and burrowed underground, intending to first scout out the path for the roots of the little sacred tree.

But he hadn't dug very far when he discovered something was wrong.

"Wait a minute, there seems to be something there."

A purple barrier suddenly appeared in the middle of the earth's veins, blocking the original construction route.

The complex array patterns on the purple barrier appeared and disappeared intermittently, making it seem indestructible.

Seeing this, the two experienced brothers did not act rashly.

After taking a few photos, he retreated directly from underground without disturbing the people or things behind the barrier.

Then, Fifth Strong used the small walnut to transmit the array runes he had just photographed back.

Soon, the database on Tongtongzhijia had the results.

After comparison, these array patterns did not match any of the six major sects or the minor sects that reported the missing Old Deng.

Judging from the array runes, he is probably a rogue cultivator. His cultivation level should be around the Nascent Soul stage.

The operator at Tongtong House advised the two to stay put and not to make any rash moves, as the special operations team would be there soon.

"Do you think it will be Senior Brother Zhang who comes back this time?" Chu Yang suddenly asked.

Fifth Gangqiang said, "That's probably impossible. He just happened to be passing by. I heard from the rumors that your Senior Brother Zhang has been staying in Qianji Pavilion recently and hasn't gone out."

Chu Yang: "I see. Then, senior brother, who do you think will be coming back this time?"

Fifthly, I am strong. "I hope she is a beautiful senior sister, the kind who can trample me under her feet."

She would look at me like I was trash.

Then she said, 'You can't even do this little thing right? Useless!' and threw the handkerchief at my face in disgust.

Chu Yang, "."

He looked at his senior brother with disdain, thinking that the man had washed his feet too much and his brain had gotten filled with foot bath water.

With a cold snort, Chu Yang ignored his senior brother and looked towards the horizon, waiting for the special operations team to arrive.

Before long, something that could trample them underfoot appeared in front of them.

Both Chu Yang and Wu Gangqiang gaped open when they saw that thing.

Fifth Strong exclaimed, "Isn't this the city gate of Beixi City? How did it stand up?"

He stared in astonishment at the giant robot in front of him, which resembled a Transformer, and the five characters "North Creek City West Gate" on its chest.

Chu Yang had heard that Beixi City was being renovated last month, supposedly in the style of Qianji Pavilion.

He had thought it was just adding some protective formations to the city, but he hadn't expected it to be so wild.

The west gate of Beixi City stood up, surrounded by divine light. It plunged its hands into the earth, followed by a thunderous roar.

Beneath the earth, the wild, reclusive old man, along with the land around him and the magic array he had set up, were all unearthed.

It is neat and orderly, shaped like a cube.

Then, the cube began to shrink, and after becoming only three by three, it was thrown directly into the doorway in the giant robot's chest.

A flash of light appeared inside the cave, and in the blink of an eye, the cube was teleported to another location.

Qianji Pavilion.

A space that has been opened up.

Seeing the purple cube that suddenly appeared in front of him, Zhang Ze yawned and began his new day's work.

(End of this chapter)