I am the sacred tree, evergreen for eternity.

At the summit of the sacred mountain, the ten-zhang-tall elm tree greeted the morning light.

Yu Su's consciousness returned from the abyss and fell back into her body, which was rooted a thousand feet deep.

The branches and leaves rustled a few times, like a traveler shaking off the dust from his robes.

He absorbed the life and death he witnessed in the abyss into the depths of his consciousness, grinding them together with the rhythm of this world flowing day and night.

Then, using inspiration as his brush, he painted a scroll depicting mountains and seas, and made the first stroke between the sky and the earth.

A serene and profound aura wafted from the mountaintop, across the ridges, across the rivers, and across the land where every totem pole stood.

The Xia clan members stopped what they were doing.

They looked up at the sky—

In the void, a towering tree shadow slowly took shape.

The tree trunk is as thick as a mountain range, and the canopy spreads out like a cloud cover. Every branch and leaf shimmers with iridescent light, enveloping the entire Xia clan's territory in a warm glow.

Without any command, all the Xia clan members knelt down in unison.

At the same time, facing the direction of the sacred mountain, we bowed and chanted prayers.

"By the Tree God!"

The tree shadow stood in the void for a dozen breaths, then, like ink spreading into water, it slowly diffused and disappeared into nothingness.

At the summit of the sacred mountain, Yu Su withdrew her spiritual light.

It turned out to be the case.

Seeing the world, seeing all living beings, seeing oneself—these three are not sequential, but rather a fusion of experiences.

Heaven, Earth, and Man are interconnected and form a unified whole.

This is the first stage of "seeing the divine"—

Fa Tian!

From then on, he was no longer that old elm tree trapped on the mountaintop, unable to move.

His spiritual light can reach every inch of land covered by the spiritual field, and his divine form can descend upon the location where every totem pole stands.

only……

His appearance is still very simple.

Although the tree shadow was majestic, it only had an outline and lacked spirit.

Yu Su needs time, countless strokes and refinements, to refine his brushwork from rough to delicate.

He is a tree, so he is not in a hurry.

He withdrew his spiritual sense, and the flowing patterns on the tree trunk gradually subsided.

Suddenly, a faint fluctuation came from the edge of the spiritual field.

Yu Su's attention shifted in that direction—

It wasn't the territory of the four tribes, nor the area covered by the totem poles, but a place much farther away, so far that his senses could barely reach its edge.

That heart of stone.

After the giant serpent in the abyss died, its stone heart shattered and the turbid air dissipated.

However, that pure aura of death was deeply imprinted on Yu Su's consciousness.

The depth and weight of that power was no less than that of the deity who once tossed mountains with a flick of his hand.

Yu Su's spiritual consciousness extended forward along that wisp of energy, inch by inch, like roots slowly advancing in barren soil.

One thousand miles, two thousand miles, three thousand miles...

Even with spiritual awareness stretched to its limit, it still couldn't reach the source.

He withdrew his spiritual sense, and the tree canopy swayed slightly in the wind.

The wilderness is vast and boundless, with deep mountains and seas.

The territory now occupied by the Xia clan spans over a thousand miles, a scale that would have been unimaginable a hundred years ago.

But on this boundless, desolate land, it is but a drop in the ocean.

……

Eastern Tribe, Council Hall.

A brand-new map of the territory was laid out on the stone table, with the area marked by charcoal pencils expanding even further than it had been a few years ago.

The boundaries of the four tribes are intentionally or unintentionally blurred on the map—not because the survey was unclear, but because they didn't want to distinguish them so clearly anymore.

Xuan sat in the main seat, Qi sat opposite him, and Meng and Feng stood on either side.

On the stone table lay a withered yellow leaf engraved with the character "夏" (summer). The veins of the leaf had long since faded, but the strokes of the character were still clear.

Xuan stood up, and his aged fingers drew a circle on the map, encompassing the territories of the four major tribes.

"Over the years, the four tribes have each guarded their own territory."

"In the east, we mine and smelt iron; in the west, we cultivate medicinal herbs to ward off miasma; in the south, we open waterways for trade; and in the north, we hunt and store grain."

"Each has its strengths and weaknesses."

Xuan's fingertips traced from east to west, and from south to north.

"It takes two months to transport ironware to the western border, and it takes three mountains to deliver herbs to the northern region. Cargo ships to the southern border are blocked by water demons, and ores from the east are just piling up in warehouses and getting moldy."

He placed his palm on the center of the map, his five fingers curled up.

"When divided, strength is scattered; when united, strength is gathered."

"This incident serves as a lesson. If the Xia family had been a unified entity from the beginning..."

"Qingxi Town will not be isolated and helpless, and the snake in the abyss will not wait until we gather before it is surrounded and wiped out."

He removed his hand from the map, his gaze sweeping over Qi, Meng, and Feng in turn.

"Therefore, I propose that the four tribes be merged!"

"No longer distinguishing between the East, West, South, and North."

"We only have one name: Xia."

The council chamber remained silent for a long time.

The wind spoke, its tone even: "How to merge? Who will be in charge?"

"The council chamber." Xuan tapped the map a few more times with his finger. "Each of the four tribes will nominate a representative, and major matters will be decided jointly."

"What about marching and fighting?" Meng asked. "We can't have to wait for three days of arguments in the council every time we need to mobilize troops."

"Commander-in-Chief," Xuan replied decisively, "Elected by the council, with full decision-making authority during wartime, and power handed over after the war."

Qi remained silent. His gaze lingered on the withered yellow leaf for a long time.

"Uncle Xuan," Qi finally spoke, "I have no objection to you becoming the first Grand Commander."

Xuan shook his head and pushed the leaf in front of Qi.

"I'm getting old..."

"The Xia family needs to move forward; they can't be held back by us old folks."

Qi frowned slightly and turned his gaze to Meng.

Meng, who had been sitting upright on the stone bench, suddenly swayed as Qi looked at him, pressing his left hand against his lower back and making a pained expression on his face.

"Ouch... my old back pain, the frostbite from the Northern Region has flared up again." He rubbed it and grimaced. "You guys discuss it, I'll just listen."

Feng picked up the stone bowl, took a sip of millet wine, and slowly continued the conversation.

"Don't look at me, I have a lot to worry about in southern Xinjiang."

"The commander-in-chief needs to travel all over the four towns; I don't have the legs for that."

The three of them finally focused their attention on Xuan.

Xuan leaned back on the stone chair, his hands clasped over his abdomen, his eyes closed, his breathing steady, as if he were taking a nap.

Qi held the withered yellow leaf, his fingertips tracing the character "summer" on its veins.

After a moment of silence, he put the leaf into his bosom.

"good--"

"Then I'll take over for now."

"I will step down once a suitable candidate is found."

Xuan opened his eyes a crack, glanced at Qi, and then closed them again.

The news spread very quickly.

The elders of the four tribes were summoned to the Eastern Tribe and locked in the council hall, arguing for five whole days.

They argued about the merger bylaws, the number of seats in the council, and the boundaries of the president's powers and responsibilities.

On the morning of the sixth day, a piece of the "Xia Kingdom Treaty" carved into a stone slab with an iron hammer was carried out.

There are twelve in total, and each one has the handprints of the elders of the four major tribes imprinted on it.

The very first rule is outlined in dark red animal blood—

The Xia Kingdom has always regarded the tree god as its totem.

A devout faith, never to be abandoned!

Subsequently, the treaty stipulated the basic framework of the Xia Kingdom: the council hall was the highest decision-making body, and the Grand Commander was the supreme commander in times of war.

The four tribes were changed into provinces, each with a garrison commander appointed by the council.

The first president, Qi.

On the day the covenant was proclaimed throughout the four provinces, Qi stood in the central square of the Dongfang clan, facing thousands of clansmen who had gathered there.

He held the withered yellow leaf with the character "summer" carved in his hand and offered it again on the altar under the branch of the tree god.

His voice wasn't loud, but it was deafening.

"By the Tree God."

"The Xia Kingdom is established!"