Chapter 235: Treasure Tree

"Junior Brother E is here too; what a coincidence."One of the people who just entered greeted Yue Zutao, then turned to O Yun.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Zhou."Though he hadn't met him before, Chen Mobai had already guessed the identity of the young man with broad shoulders, a powerful build, and a distinctive jawline and beard.

"Junior Brother Chen, although this is our first meeting, I've heard a lot about you."Zhou Wangshen finally smiled and greeted Chen Mobai, who pretended not to recognize him. Only after O Yun's introduction did Chen Mobai's expression clear, and he stood up to respond.

"This is Wu Zeyang. He's not part of the Twelve Divisions, but he was lucky this year and successfully completed Foundation Establishment."The young man who entered with Zhou Wangshen respectfully greeted each of the three people present.

"Senior Brother Yue, Senior Brother E, Senior Brother Chen..."When he finally faced Chen Mobai, he hesitated. After all, he was a true disciple from the same generation as Zhou Wangshen and O Yun. However, remembering the rules in the Heavenly River Realm, where the more accomplished are given precedence, he ultimately addressed Chen Mobai as "Senior Brother."

"You two junior brothers are too polite; please, both of you, sit down."As the host, Yue Zutao brought out two more chairs, and the five individuals sat in his clutter-filled courtyard, beginning their conversation in a harmonious atmosphere.

Zhou Wangshen's purpose in bringing Wu Zeyang was the same: to have Yue Zutao, who had experience, persuade those who intended to choose the Longevity Tree fruit.

"Junior Brother Chen, if you enter the Divine Tree Secret Realm and can obtain Longevity Tree sap, I am willing to exchange one thousand spirit stones for each drop."As they were leaving, Chen Mobai was still wondering why Zhou Wangshen had said this, while O Yun's face showed surprise, and he muttered to himself.

"It seems he's cultivating the 'Longevity Dao Body'!""What is the Longevity Dao Body?"

O Yun led Chen Mobai to his own courtyard, where Yuan Chiye was already waiting.After the three sat down, he began to speak about the "Longevity Dao Body."

"Our Divine Wood Sect's 'Longevity Immortality Scripture' actually evolved from an ancient grand sect's spell called 'Longevity Art.' This was a supreme mystic art that even True Monarch Yiyuan in ancient times needed to cultivate diligently for a hundred years to master."

"Once this Longevity Art is mastered, not only can one retain eternal youth, but it can also extend one's lifespan by one-third of their current cultivation realm's duration. The higher the realm, the longer the added lifespan."

"But the most profound aspect of the Longevity Art is that once mastered, even if one's head is severed or heart shattered, as long as a trace of vital energy remains, death will not occur. It's said that upon reaching the highest realm, one can even regenerate from a single drop of blood, becoming truly immortal."

After hearing this, Chen Mobai and Yuan Chiye exchanged glances; they truly hadn't known about this secret."But what does this have to do with the Longevity Dao Body?"

O Yun listened, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then sighed softly."Because our descendants do not possess the astonishing talent of True Monarch Yiyuan and cannot master the 'Longevity Art,' earlier sages separated it into the 'Longevity Immortality Scripture' and the 'Longevity Dao Body.'"

"The former focuses on Qi cultivation, and the latter on body tempering. Once both are cultivated to their highest realms simultaneously, one can attempt to merge them and recreate the 'Longevity Art.'"

"However, this is merely a conjecture. After all, no one in our Divine Wood Sect has even cultivated the 'Longevity Immortality Scripture' to its highest realm, let alone the even more challenging 'Longevity Dao Body.'"

Chen Mobai knew that the Longevity Immortality Scripture had twenty layers, and the highest achiever in the Divine Wood Sect, Old Ancestor Zhou, had only reached the seventeenth layer."Does the Longevity Dao Body also have twenty layers?"

O Yun shook his head and held up three fingers."The Longevity Dao Body has only three realms: Immortality of Youth, Immortality from Death, and True Longevity, which correspond to Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul, respectively."

This seemed simple, clear, and easy to understand. However, Chen Mobai suspected that the ancient sages who split the Longevity Art might have had a deeper understanding of Qi cultivation but insufficient comprehension of body tempering, leading to this somewhat arbitrary division.

"Longevity Tree sap is the best spiritual material to aid in cultivating the Longevity Dao Body. Wu Zeyang's successful Foundation Establishment this time likely received considerable support from Zhou Wangshen, probably so Wu Zeyang could enter the Divine Tree Secret Realm and help him acquire Longevity Tree sap."After listening to O Yun's explanation, Chen Mobai finally understood completely.

He shook his head, though. While he liked spirit stones, how could such a profound opportunity as the Divine Tree Secret Realm be given away for someone else's benefit?

"Within the Divine Tree Secret Realm, essentially everyone can obtain a spiritual item under the Treasure Tree. As for the Talent Tree and the Grand Dao Tree, that depends on individual fortune. Although everyone entering is a sect disciple, if you encounter each other inside, please look out for one another."O Yun concluded by sharing his experiences. Chen Mobai and Yuan Chiye both nodded, indicating that if they met inside, they would advance and retreat together.

Time passed quickly.In the blink of an eye, it was time for the Divine Tree Secret Realm to open.

On this day, Chen Mobai bade farewell to O Yun and Zhuo Ming, then came with Yuan Chiye to the Divine Wood Hall to wait.Wu Zeyang had also arrived early.

There was also another newly advanced Foundation Establishment cultivator, a true disciple from the previous generation of the Alchemy Department, named Yan Jinye, a seemingly carefree junior sister.She appeared to have a good relationship with Wu Zeyang; after arriving at the Divine Wood Hall, the two stood together, talking.

"Perhaps Senior Brother Zhou also approached her."Yuan Chiye speculated, as Yan Jinye, being an alchemist, was more likely to obtain Longevity Tree sap.

"Since everyone is here, follow me."After waiting for a while, Sect Master Meng Hong appeared with Lu Yi, the head of the Merit Transmission Department. Without any further ado, he led the way towards the back of the Divine Wood Hall, flying directly towards the three divine trees that soared into the clouds.Chen Mobai and the other three immediately followed.

The group of six rose from the ground like six streaks of green light. After flying over the Divine Wood Hall, they quickly arrived at the very center of Giant Wood Ridge, where the three Longevity Trees stood.Meng Hong led them to one of the divine trees, so massive it would take ten people to encircle it, and slowly descended.Chen Mobai and the other three immediately stopped with him, landing at the same time.

"Once the Divine Tree Secret Realm opens, you will see three sky-piercing divine trees inside. Each divine tree holds different opportunities, and what you gain depends entirely on yourselves."After Meng Hong finished speaking, he handed a wooden sword to Lu Yi, who was beside him.Lu Yi bowed respectfully, his face solemn, and accepted it with both hands.

"Next, I will open the portal to the secret realm. Enter quickly; do not waste time. After it concludes, you will reappear here. We two old men will not wait for you; you can find me at the Divine Wood Hall then."After saying this, Lu Yi sat down on the ground, holding the wooden sword loosely in his hands against his chest, murmuring incantations as he activated an unsealing spell.

A dark, black light burst from the wooden sword, landing in a certain void between the three divine trees.*Zhi la la!*A sound like tearing cloth echoed as a vertical rift, about two meters long, opened in the void.

"Go!"At this moment, Lu Yi had already filled the wooden sword in his hand with spiritual energy. He seemed to be exerting himself greatly, sweat beading on his forehead, as he flung the wooden sword from his palm, thrusting it precisely into the void rift.The wooden sword then lodged in the crevice, and with a twist and turn, the vertical rift opened up like it was being pulled apart by hands, creating a portal just wide enough for one person to pass through.

"Go in quickly; this gate won't stay open for long."Meng Hong urged them immediately. Yuan Chiye and the other two did not hesitate, transforming into streaks of green light and darting into the void portal, nearly colliding in mid-air.Chen Mobai hesitated briefly, then also rushed in, following behind Yan Jinye.

*Hoo! Hoo!*After all four had entered, Lu Yi immediately retracted the wooden sword, sat on the ground, and gasped heavily.

"Opening the gate just once exhausts all my spiritual energy. Thankfully, it only opens once every few years, otherwise, whoever wants to be the head of the Merit Transmission Department can have it."Lu Yi grumpily tossed the wooden sword to Meng Hong. The key to this secret realm was kept by the Sect Master, but the task of opening the gate was assigned to the Merit Transmission Department.

"Let's go. I caught a black loach. You worked hard today, so let me treat you well."After retrieving the wooden sword, Meng Hong smiled and pulled Lu Yi, who was sitting on the ground, to his feet. The two old men left the three divine trees, chatting and laughing.

"I wonder what opportunities those four will gain inside.""The other three will likely get a magic treasure or spiritual item, but that Chen Tortoise Immortal might even obtain an extra cultivation technique."

Having opened so many times, the Divine Wood Sect was basically aware of the patterns of the three great divine trees.The Treasure Tree guaranteed a baseline reward, while the Talent Tree depended on one's innate abilities.The Grand Dao Tree, however, remained profoundly mysterious. Because too few people had gained anything from it, or perhaps most kept their gains secret, no clear pattern had yet been discovered.

After passing through the void portal, Chen Mobai felt a moment of darkness, followed by a sky full of green light.He opened his eyes to find himself in mid-air, falling straight down towards the ground.He immediately circulated his spiritual energy, casting a flight spell to halt his descent.Then he floated around in the air, surveying his surroundings.

He discovered that this was another boundless forest.Towering trees stood luxuriantly amidst the mist, the entire landscape a vibrant green.Chen Mobai landed on the ground and, with a light step, noticed that the soil here was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves.

He landed in front of one of the large trees and realized it was a Crimson Sun Spirit Tree.Was he still in Giant Wood Ridge?Holding this doubt, Chen Mobai activated his flight spell and landed on the crown of the tallest nearby tree. Finally, he saw something different.

In the distant, immeasurable reaches, stood three colossal sky-piercing divine trees. Unlike the three divine trees clustered at the center in Giant Wood Ridge, these three were separated, far off on the horizon.Chen Mobai estimated the distance and noted that the divine tree to the east seemed closer, so he flew towards it first.

As he flew, he suddenly remembered something.How did one exit this Divine Tree Secret Realm?He hoped he wouldn't just lose consciousness like O Yun and then wake up back in Giant Wood Ridge.

The divine tree seemed not far, yet Chen Mobai flew for three days and three nights before he finally saw its true appearance.Its bark was entirely gray, its aura majestic, and its trunk shot straight into the clouds, its top out of sight, seemingly reaching all the way to the Celestial Palace.

"Senior Brother Chen, what a coincidence."Just as Chen Mobai landed, Yan Jinye also flew over. She proactively greeted him, then circled the divine tree, located a section of cracked bark, took out a medicinal hoe, and immediately began to work.

"Junior Sister, are you trying to extract tree sap?"Chen Mobai asked.

"Yes. It seems Senior Brother Zhou also approached you, Senior Brother Chen."Yan Jinye replied while working, but she quickly shook her head and gave up.Her medicinal hoe couldn't even break through the spiritual light protecting the divine tree's main body. Forget about sap, she couldn't even peel off a piece of bark.

"It seems this transaction won't be happening. Senior Brother Chen, I'm going up first."After saying this, Yan Jinye waved to Chen Mobai, then reached out her right hand, touched the divine tree, and infused it with spiritual energy.A silver light shimmered, and she suddenly vanished from her spot.

Chen Mobai immediately went to the spot where she had disappeared, feeling that it resembled a teleportation array.He circled the divine tree twice more, unable to find any other method. So, he also extended his right hand, touched the bark, and injected spiritual energy as the book described.

A familiar sensation came over him. He opened his eyes again, feeling a howling wind and the air suddenly thinning around him.Looking down, he found himself standing on a branch, seemingly within the divine tree's canopy.At the outermost tip of the branch he stood on, hung a fist-sized emerald-green fruit.

Chen Mobai turned his head to look around and found that not just his branch, but most branch tips had fruits of different colors.Based on past experience, these fruits contained his opportunities.

He looked closely and indeed saw Yan Jinye, who had ascended a step before him, on a distant branch. She had already walked up to her yellow fruit and was joyfully plucking it."Senior Brother, I'm going down first."After securing her gain, Yan Jinye called out to Chen Mobai from a distance, then once again reached out and infused spiritual energy into the branch beneath her feet.A silver light shimmered, and she vanished from the Treasure Tree.

Chen Mobai tried a flight spell, but found he couldn't leave the branch he was on; there seemed to be an anti-flight force here.This meant he could only take his own fruit.However, Chen Mobai was a bit unwilling to give up. He took out the glass bead he used for spiritual energy training from his storage pouch, intending to manipulate it to pluck a fruit from an adjacent branch remotely.

However, as soon as the glass bead left his palm, the small item and the spiritual energy infused within it lost all connection with him, plummeting directly from ten thousand meters up.Chen Mobai finally gave up.

He shook his head, plucked his own emerald-green fruit, and then, imitating Yan Jinye, left the canopy of the Treasure Tree.When he opened his eyes again, he was standing at his original position, his hand still touching the bark of the Treasure Tree.Chen Mobai tried to infuse spiritual energy again, but unfortunately, it seemed his spiritual energy had already left a record within this Treasure Tree, and it did not transport him back to the canopy.

With a sigh, Chen Mobai was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something.Besides his Longevity spiritual energy, he also had Pure Yang spiritual energy in his dantian and Qi Sea.

He immediately turned and tried it.Silver light shimmered, and Chen Mobai was back on the canopy of the Treasure Tree.He looked at the purple fruit before him and fell into thought.Most true disciples of the Divine Wood Sect cultivated the Dual-Phase Art, possessing two types of spiritual energy.Surely, he wasn't the first to discover this loophole, was he?