Chapter 1257: Meritorious Virtue Divine Pearl

“I’ve heard that reincarnation exists in this world.”

“Given their deep affection, perhaps they’ve already rekindled their bond and journeyed to a utopian realm.”

“I will go and see. If they are there, I will stay with them. If not, I will wait for their return.”

Jiang Fan remained silent.

Losing one’s purpose renders life meaningless. The ginkgo tree had waited five hundred years after its master’s departure, solely for Lu Jiulin’s promise. Now that it had a new goal, how could Jiang Fan possibly stand in its way?

He offered a slight smile and asked, “Do you know where this utopian realm is?”

The ginkgo tree replied, “I only know it’s in a very distant place.”

Jiang Fan then asked, “Is there a way to leave the Middle-Earth Realm?” Only Sages could tear open a realm.

The ginkgo tree pondered, “No need to worry. The Middle-Earth Realm isn’t completely sealed. At certain times, rifts appear, and I will seize the opportunity.”

Jiang Fan recalled the Ancient Road to Heaven tearing through the void and leaving, and also the Chaotic Ancient Blood Marquis ripping apart the Middle-Earth Realm’s barrier to threaten him from afar. With the ancient giants descending and the world in chaos, rifts would appear more frequently than usual.

Jiang Fan looked at the ginkgo tree’s severed roots and its crown, which was split in half. After a brief thought, he pulled out a small pouch. Inside was Restful Earth. The Fixed Seed was buried in the Restful Earth; having not seen it for days, its sprout had grown significantly taller and now had a wisp of blue halo around it. Pushing it gently aside, Jiang Fan took out half of the Restful Earth and offered it to the ginkgo tree.

“This soil should be useful to you. Take it.”

The ginkgo tree stared intently, exclaiming in surprise, “Restful Earth from the Celestial Realm? You actually have it? This was a divine artifact unique to the royal family when the Angel Race governed the Celestial Realm! For us plant-kind, it has the ability to turn decay into wonder. My master once sought a single grain for me to help me evolve into a divine tree, but it was incredibly rare even in the Celestial Realm and unobtainable. You… you actually have so much?”

The Restful Earth could even allow ordinary trees to evolve into divine trees? In that case, would the Fixed Seed also evolve if it stayed in the Restful Earth for a long time? A hint of anticipation welled up in his heart; he was curious about what the Fixed Seed would grow into after becoming a divine tree.

“It’s a gift for you, take it.” Jiang Fan handed over the Restful Earth.

The ginkgo tree stretched out its roots, then pulled them back, saying, “I can’t accept it, it’s too precious!”

Jiang Fan looked at Venerable Wutong’s aged remains and said, “If they rekindle their bond in that utopian realm, then consider this bit of Restful Earth my blessing to them.”

Hearing this, the ginkgo tree could no longer refuse. Its voice choked up, “Thank you, thank you…” Jiang Fan had not only brought news of Lu Jiulin but had also sacrificed a Great Sage’s law to protect its master’s remains. Now, he was even gifting it precious Restful Earth.

After a moment of silence, the cinnabar orb in the ginkgo tree’s eye floated. Soon, a small red bead radiating a sacred, gentle light dropped out. The ginkgo tree cupped it with its roots and presented it to Jiang Fan.

“What is this?” Jiang Fan gazed at the small red bead. The gentle light it emitted made him feel very comfortable, both physically and mentally.

“It’s my master’s merit. Some people also call it the Divine Merit Bead.”

Jiang Fan was surprised, “Why are you giving this to me?” Just moments ago, the ginkgo tree had explicitly stated that its master’s merit would not be given to anyone!

The ginkgo tree said, “Keep it. If one day you reach the stage of the Five Declines of Heaven and Man, use it; it might help you enter Sagehood. Alternatively, if you find a venerable cultivator in the Five Declines of Heaven and Man who is worthy of assistance, give him the Divine Merit Bead. Consider it a legacy I leave for the Middle-Earth Realm on behalf of my master.”

Hearing the first part, Jiang Fan remained unmoved. He wasn’t even sure if he could become a Soul Transformation cultivator in this lifetime, let alone reach the Five Declines of Heaven and Man. Hearing the latter part, he pondered for a moment before putting away the Divine Merit Bead.

“Alright, I will choose a trustworthy human supreme.”

The ginkgo tree smiled, then accepted the Restful Earth. With matters here concluded, Jiang Fan should now go meet the Asura clan and plan for Taicang Great State. He took a deep breath, a hint of reluctance on his face, and said, “Tree Elder, then I’ll take my leave.”

The ginkgo tree said, “Take care. Oh, by the way, I still don’t know your name.”

“Jiang Fan.”

“Ah, little brother Jiang, may we meet again if fate allows.”

Jiang Fan nodded and walked away along the path of ethereal demonic liquid, the same path taken by the six Devil Path Venerables.

The ginkgo tree suddenly realized something and said, “Little brother Jiang, wait a moment.” It moved its thoughts. A dozen streams of ethereal demonic liquid converged, forming a spherical mass the size of a water vat.

“I sensed a bit of ethereal demonic liquid on you. Presumably, you’re using it as a weapon against enemies? Then I’ll give you another lump. You have my imprint within you, so you can now manipulate the ethereal demonic liquid just like me. This water-vat full should be enough for you to use.”

Jiang Fan was overjoyed. He still had the ethereal demonic liquid from the jade box, but what was before him was a hundred times more! If used properly, the effect would be astonishing!

“Thank you, Tree Elder!” Jiang Fan quickly took out his spatial storage device and stored it away.

In a fleeting thought, his gaze swept over the countless ethereal demonic liquid, and he couldn’t help but feel tempted. The ginkgo tree was leaving for the outside world, so this ethereal demonic liquid should be useless to it. Why not give it all to him?

As if discerning his thoughts, the ginkgo tree’s gaze became slightly serious and it said: “You cannot carry too much ethereal demonic liquid; it will bring you great karma.”

Jiang Fan was surprised, “What do you mean by that?”

The ginkgo tree said, “Do you know the origin of the ethereal demonic liquid?”

Jiang Fan was completely clueless. How long had he had the ethereal demonic liquid? How could he know its origin? However, the ginkgo tree revealed a secret that made his pupils contract sharply.

“The ethereal demonic liquid is the remnant of the first Doomsday True Devil! The ethereal demonic liquid here has existed since the Middle-Earth Realm was formed! It contains powerful demonic energy and once polluted the entire Great Barren State, causing demonic cultivation to flourish there.”

Jiang Fan suddenly understood. No wonder only the Great Barren State had demonic cultivators, while Taicang Great State and other great states had never heard of them. So there was a historical reason, and the root cause lay in the ethereal demonic liquid of the Great Barren Forbidden Zone. He immediately frowned, “What does this have to do with karma?”

The ginkgo tree solemnly said, “The ethereal demonic liquid is a unique tonic for True Devil reincarnations, capable of accelerating their growth into True Devils. If all the ethereal demonic liquid here were given to you, the Doomsday True Devil reincarnation would eventually come looking for you, bringing immeasurable slaughter. Even the amount you have is already quite dangerous. I cannot let you carry any more. When I leave the Middle-Earth Realm, I will take this entire forbidden zone of ethereal demonic liquid with me, to eliminate a hidden danger for Middle-Earth.”

Jiang Fan’s heart trembled. The ethereal demonic liquid had such a function? He immediately extinguished any desire to acquire more ethereal demonic liquid, because the contemporary True Devil reincarnation was right by his side!