Chapter 456: 悟道古茶树

"It's really a Great Emperor..." The big black dog jumped up excitedly, trembling all over.

"Doggy..." Little囡囡 cried out in surprise. She was almost thrown off, but fortunately, Ye Fan was beside her and quickly hugged the little one, preventing her from falling to the ground.

"It really is a figure. He... he must have noticed us. What... what should we do?" Tu Da Zui Ba, usually talkative, now stammered.

"You said he's a Great Emperor?" Li Heishui asked in surprise, keeping his voice very low.

At this moment, they were less than three hundred feet from the ancient Bodhi Tea Tree. Although other trees blocked their view, their keen eyesight allowed them to see everything there.

It was a hazy figure, indistinct. He paced around the ancient Bodhi Tea Tree as if he hadn't seen them. Above his head floated a massive bell wreathed in chaotic mist.

The bell seemed to freeze time, with surging chaos and thousands of cascading ribbons of mist, incredibly mysterious and indistinct, like the flow of the river of time.

*Whoosh*

He sat cross-legged beneath the ancient Bodhi Tea Tree, the great bell rising and falling, making him appear ethereal, as if he were merging into the vast expanse of heaven and earth, about to vanish.

Soon after, he thoughtfully stood up, gazed at the sky, and then walked away step by step. He seemed to move against the river of time, passing through the gate of time, returning to the distant ancient era.

"Great Emperor, don't go! Take me with you!" The big black dog cried out, his expression reaching an unparalleled level of excitement, about to charge forward.

Pang Bo quickly reached out with large hands, grabbing its bald tail. "Don't run around," he said. "One wrong step could lead you into the center of the Undying Mountain to your death."

Ye Fan also extended a golden hand and pressed down on Black Sovereign, preventing it from causing misfortune due to impulse. He vaguely guessed who that person was.

"Great Emperor... are you going into the Immortal Realm? Take me with you!" The big black dog cried hoarsely. If Ye Fan and Pang Bo hadn't held it back, it would have already pounced forward.

"Is he really Emperor Wu Shi?" Pang Bo was startled.

A shiver ran down their spines. So many years had passed, at least hundreds of thousands, perhaps even more ancient and distant. How could a Great Emperor still be alive?

The figure of the ancient Great Emperor vanished as if returning to the void, leaving nothing behind, like an empty dream. Only a ripple lingered, desolate and tranquil.

*Woof!*

The big black dog bared its teeth, almost biting Ye Fan and Pang Bo as it turned around. It was incredibly frustrated, its expression agitated, unable to calm down.

"Another person appeared," Little囡囡 said, still in Ye Fan's arms, pointing her small hand towards the ancient Bodhi Tea Tree three hundred feet away.

The usually boisterous big black dog suddenly became quiet upon seeing this person. It immediately lay down, like a mouse seeing a cat, and wanted to sneak away, completely losing its temper.

This person was even more mysterious; only a shadow could be seen. Where he stood was a massive black hole, and a jar carved with a ghostly face floated within it.

Not only did the big black dog wilt and try to sneak away, but Ye Fan and Pang Bo also felt their hair stand on end, ready to flee. This individual was too terrifying.

Just the aura sent chills down their spines. The black hole seemed poised to devour everyone, and with just a hint of its energy overflowing, the heavens and earth threatened to collapse.

"The Ruthless Great Emperor!"

Their hearts pounded. Was it truly the most ruthless person in history? Could he still be alive? It was unbelievable; everyone felt their scalps tingle.

Especially Ye Fan, who possessed the Holy Body. This Great Emperor specifically devoured the origins of various body types. If he were targeted, not only would he be doomed, but even a Great Accomplishment Holy Body would suffer a bitter end.

This abyss-like dark figure, whose gender couldn't even be discerned, stood before the ancient Bodhi Tea Tree for a long time, pondering deeply, and eventually departed.

"He didn't chase us. That's impossible. I've dug up his dojo and his grave. How could he let me go, given his temperament?" the big black dog muttered almost inaudibly.

"They disappeared. What's going on?" They all sensed something unusual. Two ancient Great Emperors had appeared one after another, then mysteriously vanished. This was very strange.

"That's not right," Pang Bo said, feeling too many discrepancies. "They didn't even glance at us just now. How could that be? Even if they were ancient Great Emperors with peaceful minds, they couldn't just treat us like air."

"I understand..." the big black dog sighed softly. "Those are imprints from before the ancient era. The Great Emperors of old left indelible marks by the ancient Bodhi Tea Tree."

Everyone was startled. If that was true, those were shadows from at least one hundred thousand, or even two hundred thousand years ago, and they remained undiminished to this day—truly astonishing.

"The ancient Great Emperors once cultivated here. That's truly terrifying..." They were amazed. Ordinary people would flee in terror, yet these figures came here to meditate.

From their demeanor, it seemed they had encountered difficulties in their cultivation and came here seeking inspiration.

"It's a pity," Pang Bo sighed lightly. "Those Great Emperors ultimately couldn't withstand the erosion of time. Even if they stood unmatched throughout history, with astonishing talent and brilliance, they eventually returned to dust."

After deducing that these were the imprints left by two Great Emperors from before the ancient era, they felt a profound sense of awe. These were the supreme protagonists of heaven and earth in their time. How many throughout history could compare?

However, even though they shook the past and illuminated the present, overseeing heaven and earth, they could change nothing. No matter how great the hero, how supreme the monument, in the end, they could not escape their ultimate fate; they were destined to decay.

They walked forward together, drawing closer to the ancient Bodhi Tea Tree. Everyone felt a sense of tranquility; the earlier restlessness and unease had vanished.

Even the big black dog, usually the most emotionally volatile, was now calm, its heart filled with peace, free from joy or sorrow, forgetting all troubles.

This was the extraordinary nature of the ancient Bodhi Tea Tree. Approaching it, everything changed. It seemed to be nurtured by the Great Dao itself, bringing a feeling of peace and serenity.

Three hundred feet was not far. Guided by Little囡囡, they passed through the ancient rustling trees, gradually drawing closer, until they truly saw this ancient tree that had existed eternally without withering.

Its bark was cracked, like unfurling dragon scales. The trunk was only about half a meter thick, shaped like a coiled dragon, winding and stretching upwards, with its highest point less than three meters from the ground.

The entire tree shimmered, each leaf unique, radiating the light of the Great Dao. It was incredibly peculiar: miniature cauldrons, divine phoenixes, immortals, divine bells, mountains and rivers, clouds, Bagua symbols... all vividly depicted. Every leaf seemed like a small world, representing a distinct Dao, shimmering with a dreamlike radiance.

The leaves varied in strange shapes, each imbued with a unique and precious Dao rhythm. The whole tree was brilliant and exceptionally dazzling, captivating anyone who beheld it.

The trunk of the Bodhi Tea Tree was ancient, imbued with grandeur and antiquity, while its leaves were natural, filled with life and Dao rhythm. Blended together, they created a mysterious and profound sight.

"One, two, three..." Little囡囡 tilted her head back and began counting the leaves. The others also felt a stir. This ancient tree had very few leaves, just over a hundred, yet it didn't look bare because each leaf was so unique that it made one forget the scarcity.

"There are exactly one hundred and eight leaves, just as the legends say. It's always this number every year, no more, no less," Tu Da Zui Ba exclaimed, wiping his mouth.

At this point, joy shattered their tranquil state of mind. They found it hard to remain calm, their emotions surging.

The big black dog's eyes glowed green like a wolf's, drool almost dripping. It darted forward in a flash, extending a large paw to grab at the tree.

*Whoosh!*

With a flash of light, a leaf shaped like a small gourd fell. It was golden all over, slipped through the big black dog's claws, landed on the ground, and instantly vanished.

The big black dog was furious. It extended its large paw again and picked a leaf shaped like a true dragon, shimmering like azure gold. Yet, just like before, it flashed with light, slipped away, fell to the ground, and vanished.

"Black Sovereign, don't be so wasteful!" Li Heishui complained. Even though there were 108 leaves, they shouldn't be squandered like this.

"You think this Sovereign wants to? It's just that these leaves are evil; they run away on their own. I can't catch them," the big black dog said indignantly.

"Let me try." Pang Bo stepped forward and gently plucked a red leaf shaped like an immortal phoenix.

*Whoosh!*

The moment the leaf detached from the ancient tree, it flashed with light, flew away, and sank into the earth. Just like with Black Sovereign, it couldn't be held and was allowed to escape.

"This is spooky!" Tu Da Zui Ba also stepped forward, reaching out to grab a small Bagua-shaped leaf, which flowed with five colors, mysterious and unpredictable.

However, the result was still the same: as soon as a leaf was plucked, it would escape and could not be kept.

"Stop plucking them haphazardly! This Sovereign remembers now!" the big black dog exclaimed, trying hard to think and recall. It muttered to itself, "Yes, that's it."

"What is it?" the others asked simultaneously.

"The ancient Bodhi Tea Tree can give birth to the Dao, but the leaves must be mature before they can be picked. Otherwise, as soon as you pluck them, they'll sink back into the roots and can't be taken away."

"Why is that?" Everyone was immensely disappointed. Coming to the ancient Bodhi Tea Tree was a huge stroke of luck, yet they couldn't pick any leaves.

"Unless you have an Undying Divine Root, which can also attract the leaves, only then can you keep them still," the big black dog explained.

Ye Fan's heart stirred. He had dug up some roots of immortal medicine from the Ancient Forbidden Land, and perhaps he could try them. However, he first took out the Qilin Divine Medicine seed.

*Whoosh!*

He gently plucked a leaf shaped like a small cauldron, which was wreathed in mist. It immediately adhered to the Qilin Divine Medicine seed and did not fall to the ground.

"Good! This is great!" Everyone rejoiced.

The big black dog was even more excited, saying, "Pluck them all! As long as they are far from the ancient Bodhi Tea Tree and sealed in jade artifacts, they won't be able to escape."

"These leaves aren't mature yet. Will the Dao they contain be useful?" Ye Fan didn't want to waste a precious resource.

"Don't worry, it's absolutely effective," the big black dog replied. "Two such leaves combined are enough to equal one mature Dao Leaf."

Everyone was overjoyed. With over a hundred leaves, paired up, they would be equivalent to more than fifty mature leaves—a truly peerless divine treasure!

It was well known that once the leaves of the ancient Bodhi Tea Tree matured each year, they would automatically fly into the sky, leaving the parent tree. Even when the top experts waiting outside Undying Mountain combined their efforts, they could only obtain at most thirty-odd leaves. This was nowhere near enough to distribute among all the Holy Lords and powerful figures of the entire Eastern Wasteland.

"We're rich! What an incredible stroke of luck! My grandpa spent immense effort and countless origin stones just to exchange for one from someone, but we've picked the entire ancient tree clean!" Tu Fei grinned foolishly.

Li Heishui also burst out laughing, "If those mighty figures wait outside Undying Mountain this year, they won't get a single leaf! I can't wait to see their expressions then, haha... I'm really looking forward to it!"

A lingering bell chimed softly, giving a sense of the Great Dao turning to void, as if reaching the end of the immortal path. The figure of the ancient Great Emperor reappeared—Emperor Wu Shi.

A silent black hole, annihilating all, also appeared before the ancient Bodhi Tea Tree. The Ruthless Great Emperor stood in the darkness, reappearing as well.

The difference was that this time, both Great Emperors appeared together, striking fear into their hearts and causing them all to involuntarily freeze.

"This... what happened? Did the two Great Emperors meet?"

"Impossible! The Great Emperors of old never met each other. When one was born, the other had already died; when one died, the other was born. This should just be their imprints encountering each other... what happened?" Black Sovereign wondered, full of doubt.