142: Memories of the Lifebrand Ancient Tree

Memories of the Lifebrand Ancient Tree

Lu Tianzi fell into deep contemplation.

He definitely could not afford to continue with what he was doing. Otherwise, it would be nothing but a waste of his time in the precious Lifebrand Courtyard.

Even though Spiritual Essence energy from the Lifebrand Ancient Tree was still slowly filling up his inner world, this was nothing in comparison to elevating his understandings of the world laws!

Determined to succeed, Lu Tianzi decisively broke his mental connection with the Lifebrand Ancient Tree.

Since the current connection was weak, he would just have to try again, this time finding a way to establish a stronger connection with the ancient tree!

By now, he had realised that even though being able to quickly establish a mental connection with the Lifebrand Ancient Tree meant that he would have that much more time to ponder upon its secrets, what truly mattered was the strength of the connection.

With a stronger mental connection, one would only have to exert half the effort to obtain twice the benefit!

But just as he was about to send out his perception once again, Lu Tianzi suddenly noticed something peculiar.

The dew on the Lifebrand Ancient Tree… it never evaporated?

When they first entered the Lifebrand Courtyard, Lu Tianzi had realised that the dew on the Lifebrand Ancient Tree was still glistening beautifully despite half the day having already passed.

At that time, Lu Tianzi had not thought much of it.

Since then, a full day had already passed.

One would think that the dew on the Lifebrand Ancient Tree should have evaporated and be replaced by newly formed ones by now.

However, the dew that glistened beautifully on the leaves of the Lifebrand Ancient Tree had been unmoving all this while, as though it was part of the tree itself.

Curious, Lu Tianzi cast his perception over the countless drops of fresh looking dew. As expected, every last drop of them was filled with spiritual energy, fed to them by the Lifebrand Ancient Tree.

Wait, could it be that there was more to this dew than it seemed?

Well, there was only one way to find out!

Lu Tianzi's eyes shot open.

Limitless Mirror Eye!

Along with the activation of the Limitless Mirror Eye, Lu Tianzi gained the ability to directly see through the exact flow of energy within the Lifebrand Ancient Tree!

Since it was the very source of spiritual energy within the Lifebrand Courtyard, Lu Tianzi was not surprised to see that the Lifebrand Ancient Tree was filled with an incredible amount of energy.

Just like most spiritual plants, the Lifebrand Ancient Tree had developed a systematic flow of energy within it, similar to the meridians of a martial artist. This had allowed spiritual energy to reach out and nourish every last part of its body.

However, what astonished Lu Tianzi was that spiritual energy was not only fed to the tree itself, but even to the dew on its leaves!

At this point, it would no longer be an exaggeration to say that these unimpressive looking drops of dew were truly part of the spiritual existence that was the Lifebrand Ancient Tree.

With that in mind, it was no wonder that they had remained unmoving despite the amount of time that had passed.

Not to mention a single day, even if somone were to tell him that these drops of dew had existed since millennia ago, Lu Tianzi would still believe it without a second thought.

But just as he was being amazed by this new discovery, Lu Tianzi suddenly felt his consciousness slipping away, and at a rapid rate as well!

Wha-?!

Thinking that he might have overstrained himself, Lu Tianzi hurriedly tried to retract his perception and deactivate the Limitless Mirror Eye, wanting to conserve whatever energy he could.

It should have been a completely natural process, but Lu Tianzi found that no matter how hard he tried, it was simply impossible to do so!

Just what was happening?!

Lu Tianzi was starting to panic by now.

At this rate, not to mention continue cultivating in the Lifebrand Courtyard, he might even lose consciousness and collapse altogether!

He was not too worried about his safety while within the Lifebrand Courtyard. However, it would be a complete waste of his time!

After all, it was unlikely that he would be getting another chance to enter the Lifebrand Courtyard anytime soon.

But his attempts were futile.

Bit by bit, his consciousness slipped away, until nothing but darkness remained…

***

Lu Tianzi did not know how much time had passed before he regained consciousness. But when he finally did, he was shocked to realise that he was no longer in the Lifebrand Courtyard.

Instead, he found himself in the middle of a vast plain, with nothing else in sight.

Strong winds howled as they mercilessly slammed against him, causing even his sturdy body to sway from the impact, loudly rustling in response.

Wait… rustle?

Sensing something amiss, Lu Tianzi nervously swept his perception over himself, and completely froze at what he saw.

No, it was more accurate to say that he had been frozen in place since the very moment he regained his consciousness.

After all, a tree couldn't possibly move!

Lu Tianzi was speechless.

Though as a tree, he would not be able to speak even if he tried.

It was not just limited to speaking, but there was absolutely nothing he could do!

All that he was capable of was to stand there helplessly and continue swaying along with the wind.

He became a tree? Was it an illusion?

No, that was not it.

At this moment, Lu Tianzi realised that he did not become just any other tree, but the Lifebrand Ancient Tree itself!

Somehow or rather, he had established a mental connection with the Lifebrand Ancient Tree, and was once again seeing the memories of the tree flash through his mind.

But this time, rather than having countless blurred and choppy images flash past in an incoherent manner, Lu Tianzi was able to clearly sense everything that was happening around the Lifebrand Ancient Tree.

From the looks of it, the current connection must have been far stronger than the one that he established earlier.

But how did this even happen?

Lu Tianzi thought back to what happened before he lost consciouness.

Was it when he was examining the dew that resided upon the leaves of the Lifebrand Ancient Tree?

At that time, on top of relying on the Limitless Mirror Eye, Lu Tianzi had also been probing the dew of the Lifebrand Ancient tree with his perception.

It appeared that by doing so, he had unintentionally triggered an alternative route of establishing a mental connection with the Lifebrand Ancient Tree.

After all, the numerous drops of dew were unmistakably part of the Lifebrand Ancient Tree itself.

Considering Lu Tianzi's strong affiliation with the water element, this route was far more suited to him, allowing him to establish a mental connection that was much more stable than the one he formed earlier!

Now then, what next?

Even though he was unable to turn his 'head', somehow Lu Tianzi was still able to look around and observe his surroundings.

Yet just like before, no matter where he looked, there was only the vast plain that stretched endlessly into the horizons.

A dreadful premonition slowly came over Lu Tianzi.

Was he living out the memories of the Lifebrand Ancient Tree?

But it was said that the Lifebrand Ancient Tree had existed for hundreds of millennia!

Did that mean he would have to experience all hundreds of millennia of the Lifebrand Ancient Tree's memories?

No way… right?

Lu Tianzi shook his 'head'.

There was no use worrying over such matters.

Now that the mental connection had stabilised, Lu Tianzi had regained full control over it as well.

But that was only control over the mental connection.

Even though he still had no control over what he was experiencing, if worst comes to worst, he could at least cut off the mental connection like he did with the earlier one.

For now, he had to make the best out of the situation, and try to assimilate the Lifebrand Ancient Tree's memories as his own.

He calmed his mind and continued to sway with the wind, taking in the peace and quiet of a world that was without any sort of disturbances.

At this moment, it was as though he was the only one that existed in this strange and ancient world.

The sun set, and then the sun rose again, repeating the cycle once more.

In this pristine world untouched by the hands of man, the nourishment from nature itself was unbelievably pure, allowing him to grow significantly stronger by the day.

Just like that, seven days passed with Lu Tianzi being trapped in the body of the Lifebrand Ancient Tree.

According to the Scarlet Moon Overlord, the participants were only allowed to cultivate in the Lifebrand Courtyard for a week.

But Lu Tianzi was not in a hurry to leave.

After all, despite the passing of the week, he had yet to truly benefit from this experience.

Since there seemed to be no one trying to wake his real body in the outside world, Lu Tianzi certainly was not intending to complain about being allowed to remain for a longer period of time!

The days continued to pass by, and days turned into months.

Without Lu Tianzi realising it, he had already lost track of the passing of time.

In his mind, he was no longer Lu Tianzi, but had become Lifebrand Ancient Tree itself.

Around him, the wild grass of the vast plain changed with the seasons.

In winter, they grew dry and withered, yet stubbornly lived on.

In spring, they regained their vitality, growing vibrantly by the day.

In summer, they wore the colour of a beautiful gold under the bright and glaring sun.

In autumn, they swayed with the howling winds once more.

Before Lu Tianzi knew it, years had passed. He had witnessed the changing of the seasons more times than he could count. Other trees had also started to grow in the surroundings, slowly forming into a sparse forest.

And then something new happened.

A young couple appeared in the woods, and worked hard to construct a small wooden house right beside him. They lived a simple yet happy life, relying on each other as they grew fruits and hunted small animals for food.

Of course, it was not all smooth sailing for them.

At times, they were unable to obtain sufficient food, and had to endure the hunger pangs that followed.

At times, they were injured by the very animals that they were trying to hunt, and had to bear with the painful wounds.

At times, they contracted illnesses, and had to alleviate their conditions with general herbs.

Even so, they were contented as long as they were in the company of each other, and continued living on in happiness.

Overlooking the house, Lu Tianzi watched on as the couple experienced the different aspects of life, slowly ageing with the passing of the years.

This couple were mere non martial artists, and did not embark on the path of cultivation. But even taking that into consideration, their lifespans were considered shorter than average, passing on even before they hit the age of sixty.

Coincidentally or not, it happened in a single night, with both of them firmly holding onto each other's hands as they passed away in their sleep.

Lu Tianzi sighed in his heart.

Life.

Although the quality of life that this couple led could have been improved in many areas, they were contented with what they had. Up to the very end, they had appreciated whatever fate brought to their table, and lived out a life without regrets.

This could also be said of the wild grass and vegetation that refused to bend to the elements of nature. They, too, had to deal with whatever fate brought to them. Yet even though they had yet to obtain sentience, they stubbornly held on, living out their lives to the fullest.

At this moment, Lu Tianzi felt like he was starting to gain the faintest insight into what life truly entailed…

***

Back in the Lifebrand Courtyard, Marshal Xianming continued to wait patiently while watching the two hundred youngsters in their silent meditation.

It was already the third day since they had started cultivating in this precious cultivation ground, and he could sense that most of them had still yet to succeed in establishing a mental connection with the Lifebrand Ancient Tree.

However, Marshal Xianming was not surprised.

After all, this was not a simple task even for some Origin Core realm martial artists, not to mention those who were only at the Essence Condensation realm.

Right from the beginning, he had only expected a handful of them to be able to truly touch upon the world laws that were embedded in the Lifebrand Ancient Tree.

While Marshal Xianming was still in the midst of his contemplation, the Lifebrand Ancient Tree that had been motionless all along suddenly swayed, creating a gentle rustling sound that broke the silence of the Lifebrand Courtyard.

Marshal Xianming immediately froze, completely dumbfounded by what he just saw.

The swaying of the Lifebrand Ancient Tree might seem like an inconsequential matter to others, but Marshal Xianming knew exactly what it meant!

Throughout his countless years of serving in the Scarlet Moon Palace, this was only the second time that he had seen the Lifebrand Ancient Tree sway in such a manner.

The first time happened countless years ago, when the Scarlet Moon Overlord managed to touch upon one of the high tier world laws that had been embedded in the Lifebrand Ancient Tree.

But ever since then, no one had been able to replicate this feat, not even the Scarlet Moon Overlord himself!2

Or at least, not until today.

Now that he was bearing witness to such a scene once again, Marshal Xianming could not help but feel goosebumps appearing all over his body.

Back then, even the Scarlet Moon Overlord had to meditate for months before finally achieving such a feat. Yet within a span of three short days, someone within these two hundred youngsters had actually managed to replicate his achievement?

How was such a thing even possible?

Just what kind of monstrous talent must one possess in order to achieve such a thing?!

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