I am the sacred tree, evergreen for eternity.

The shadow grew closer and clearer.

It's not a hallucination.

One, two, three...

Hundreds of beams of light merged into one in the gray-black sandstorm, like a river of light flowing upstream.

The first thing to break through the sandstorm was a thick-backed, long-handled battle sword.

There is no dazzling brilliance on the blade, only a simple sense of power.

The man wielding the knife wore jet-black iron armor, the plates of which were linked together by fine iron rings, covering from his shoulders to the back of his knees.

The helmet covered most of his face, leaving only his eyes visible.

The moment those eyes pierced through the sandstorm and landed on Qi, Qi almost dropped his knife.

"The...the Grand Commander?!"

Qi took off his helmet, his gray hair was messed up by the wind, and there was a new scar on his forehead.

He didn't speak, he just looked at Qi.

Looking at this young man whose blood flows with the spirit of the wind.

Looking at his body covered in blood and wounds, and at the team members behind him who were also disheveled but had bright eyes.

Yu's legs went weak, and he knelt down on the sand.

He wanted to call out "Father," but only managed a choked, breathy sound.

One by one, more than a dozen second-generation wanderers who had committed serious crimes and were exiled to the mountains and seas knelt down.

Their foreheads pressed against the cold sand, their shoulders heaving violently.

The wind and sand howled overhead, while the light shimmered on the armor.

Hundreds of expeditionary soldiers stood tall, silently witnessing, like a black wall.

Qi stepped forward and placed his palm on his son's head.

"stand up."

"Get up, all of you."

"You...did a great job!"

……

In the lobby of the desolate inn, the brazier was burning brightly.

The animal-hide curtain was lifted, and the black-armored iron army filed in.

The people from different ethnic groups at the tables simultaneously stopped talking.

A dwarf covered in grayish-white fur put down the ore he was holding, his dark yellow eyes full of scrutiny.

Its gaze swept over the sharp, angular armor, weathered by wind and sand, and finally landed on Qi.

"Two hundred people," it muttered in a low voice in the local language, so low that only its own kind could hear it.

"To save those twenty people?"

"They actually sent two hundred reinforcements?!"

The other members of their kind didn't respond, but instead poked at the ore with their claws, making a soft clanging sound.

At another table, a tall figure covered in scales was huddled in a corner.

Those vertical pupils reflected the figures of the black-armored soldiers, and a low, ambiguous snort escaped from his throat.

"Humans...are stupid." The alien language was spoken haltingly, and the tone was complex.

"But it's quite interesting," his companion on the other end picked up the conversation. "Isn't it?"

They looked at each other and said nothing more.

Those gazes followed the black-armored warrior until they disappeared into the depths of the corridor.

Inside the Dead Tree Space.

A faint light seeped from the dark tree trunks, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Qi stood under the tree, facing Li, who looked like a young boy.

This was a formal negotiation between the Xia Kingdom's Grand Commander and the Yuan Clan; there were no pleasantries or formalities.

"This human expeditionary force is expected to number one thousand."

Qi's voice echoed in the empty space, each word clear and distinct.

"I will lead two hundred elite troops ahead."

"A larger force will follow, and the route will be improved along the way. They are expected to arrive in batches within two years."

Li Xuebai's pupils reflected the eerie light of the dead tree, like two bottomless ancient wells.

"King Yuan has given an order," he said.

"The Yuan Clan will fully cooperate and lay out supplies along the route in advance."

"After all, even though we are separated by life and death, we always live in the same mountains and seas and believe in the same totem."

Qi stared intently at Li.

Looking at that young, bloodless face, and those cold yet unusually determined eyes.

"it is good."

He only said one word.

Right at this moment.

The dead tree moved.

A tremor that surged from the roots and spread throughout the entire tree trunk spread along the ground.

The dry, cracked bark began to peel away, revealing a warm, life-giving golden light through the cracks.

On the withered branches, tender buds broke through the bark.

One piece, two pieces, ten pieces, dozens of pieces...

In the blink of an eye, the tender buds unfurled and transformed into complete leaves.

Golden light flowed through the veins of the leaf, as brilliant as the rising sun.

The edges of the leaves, however, faintly glowed with a grayish-white light, an aura of death.

Life and death, on the same tree, are distinct yet intertwined.

A beam of light, black and white, shot up from the tree canopy, pierced the hull of the ancient ship, and pierced the clouds.

The powerful energy of the earth flowed from the tree trunk, surging in all directions.

That force permeated every corner of the inn, shining evenly on all the travelers like the early spring sunshine.

The alien races in the hall simultaneously stopped breathing.

The grayish-white furry dwarf suddenly stood up from his seat, knocking over the ore in front of him with his paws, which clattered and rolled all over the ground.

The tall figure covered in black scales had already stood up, his vertical pupils narrowed into thin slits.

"What...what kind of power is this...?"

A powerful sense of awareness permeated the air.

However, no one answered.

Qi's body trembled violently, and spiritual light automatically circulated within him, causing the bottleneck in his pursuit of the ultimate law to quietly crumble.

In the corner, three elderly figures slowly straightened up.

Xuan, Meng, and Feng—the older generation of powerful warriors who have fought their way up from the era of the Divine Tree Valley.

The moment they stepped onto the pioneering path, they were prepared to be buried in the wild mountains and seas, but now...

Nourished by the power of the earth, they felt their depleted life spring begin to flow again.

The old wounds left by battles and the hidden ailments buried by a century of wind and frost are gradually recovering, and a higher door is slowly opening.

Li looked up at the brilliant golden spirit leaves, her snow-white pupils reflecting the black and white light.

Even he, an immortal member of the Abyss Clan, felt the sublimation and transformation of the power of death.

"By the Tree God..."

Everyone turned toward the tree spirit and recited prayers.

……

The top of the sacred mountain.

Black and white light intertwined on Yu Su's torso.

Golden lines are engraved from the roots and extend to the tips of the branches.

Yu Su's consciousness slowly rose from the depths of meditation.

See the world, see all living beings, and then see yourself.

Seeing is not the end, but a new beginning.

When his consciousness truly entered the mountains and seas and became a part of them.

The barrier that stood between "seeing" and "doing" quietly disappeared.

"I see how radiant all living beings are."

"This is how all beings should see me."

He finally completed the second stage of his transformation into the [Divine Enlightenment] realm—

"Site selection".

At the same time, he felt it.

The Xia Kingdom and Yuanluo, those few branches are evolving.

The leaves of the euphorbia pulcherrim swayed gently in the wind, remaining calm and serene.

He is a tree, unmoved by the increase of its rings, nor complacent about the abundance of its branches and leaves.

However, he did not withdraw his spiritual consciousness.

He gazed into the distance, his gaze stretching deeper into the wilderness.

He "saw" that once vibrant, self-sufficient oasis.

The oasis is now dead.

Instead, a shadow that is constantly engulfing and expanding has taken its place.

In the deepest shadows, a twisted and chaotic malice is about to awaken...