The sacred tree condenses immortality

This was already the sixth cup of spiritual tea Li Fan had drunk.

The tea was named [Warm Spring Sun], and it cost eight hundred contribution points per cup.

It was said that the tea tree needed to be cultivated in a cave environment with no rain all year round, facing the sun.

It sprouted once every three years, and its yield was scarce.

After drinking it, a warm current would naturally emerge in one's body, making one feel as if bathed in sunlight, with the effect lasting for several days without cessation.

However, even this widely popular good tea still failed to dispel the chill in Li Fan's heart.

This was the third time Li Fan's true body had directly faced a true Great Power since he stepped into Reincarnation in the Xuanhuang World.

The first time was when his Clone was discovered by Heavenly Doctor, who, following the sensation, directly broke into his tianxuan mirror private space.

The second time was when he was in closed-door cultivation in Tian Yu State, comprehending the Great Five Elements Nirvana Sword, and Old Fisherman, attracted by the Celestial Killing Qi contained within it, suddenly appeared.

And this time's encounter, compared to the previous two, was even more startling and caught him off guard.

It was also more perilous.

At least Old Fisherman himself was crazy and muddle-headed, bearing no ill will towards Li Fan; instead, he even gave him an Opportunity.

The time with Heavenly Doctor, Li Fan was greedy for the reward of a hundred thousand contribution points and actively provoked him. Although at that time he didn't understand the principle of needing to restrain his mind in front of a Great Power, which led to the other party detecting clues, at least Li Fan's true consciousness was clear, and with Huan Zhen protecting him, it was actually a false alarm.

Only this time…

Xiu Mu arrived extremely abruptly and was impossible to guard against.

His methods were also terrifying; even now, recalling them, Li Fan still feels a heartfelt lingering fear.

“Unlike Heavenly Doctor's method of seeing through people's hearts, Xiu Mu, or rather [Ruo Wood], can directly twist and change a Cultivator's thoughts and cognition.”

“But the Cultivator himself will not feel anything abnormal…”

“No wonder Xiu Mu said earlier that the Cultivators whose Golden Core were extracted were all [voluntary].”

Li Fan recalled his thoughts and reactions at the time, and a chill surged in his heart again.

He drank another cup of [Warm Spring Sun] to calm his nerves.

“Sympathy for one's kind is a natural law.”

“But when I followed him and saw the scene called [Frying Longevity], not only did I not feel danger or sorrow, but I even felt it was very reasonable.”

“I even wished I could replace them…”

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, and the hua dao stone in his mind continuously replayed the scenes before [Ruo Wood].

At this moment, the influence of [Ruo Wood] had disappeared.

Even if Li Fan regarded all living beings in the world as tools, when he saw Cultivators hanging from branches like fruits, he would still instinctively feel bursts of trepidation.

This was the normal and expected reaction.

“At Xiu Mu's place, my perception, after being twisted, seemed to have been guided in some way, becoming extremely extreme.”

“One could say it was a bit insane.”

Li Fan would not deny that, deep down, he might indeed have had a hint of similar thoughts.

But humans are inherently complex aggregates of spirit, sometimes even self-contradictory.

Of course, one cannot regard a thought that occasionally flashes through one's mind as one's true worldview.

“This Xiu Mu is very wrong.”

“He seems to harbor extreme hatred for the Cultivator group.”

Li Fan naturally would not believe that, with [Ruo Wood]'s cultivation, selling Golden Core was merely to obtain contribution points.

Luring Cultivators into [Frying Longevity] to become a part of the production line was also secondary.

Perhaps the main purpose was to spread his idea that “Cultivators can also be like fruits.”

Such heresy would certainly not be tolerated by the Cultivator community. The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance should also conduct corresponding monitoring and restraints, so Xiu Mu could not act openly.

“Revenge, huh…” Li Fan's eyes flickered.

Heaven and earth birth spirits, Ruo Wood cuts their longevity. Drawing life to produce longevity fruit, consuming it grants longevity.

During the time his mind was controlled by Ruo Wood, many scenes continuously appeared in Li Fan's mind.

It was a towering tree, completely different from the withered tree it was now.

Reaching the sky and standing tall, lush and vibrant, full of life.

No Cultivators were hanging.

At the very top of the tree, only a few crystal-clear, purple-gold intertwined strange fruits were produced.

On the surface of the fruits, different patterns could vaguely be seen.

There were trees, mountains, and exotic beasts.

The patterns on the purple-gold fruits were all different from each other, with no repetition.

In the fleeting scenes, Li Fan also saw that, later, humans occasionally visited.

Initially, it seemed they had no cultivation and were all dressed as Mortals.

Only a very small number of lucky ones could painstakingly climb to the top of the tree and successfully take the purple-gold fruits.

But later, humans appeared more and more frequently.

Their strength also grew stronger and stronger.

Some even climbed the towering giant tree as if walking on flat ground.

The number of purple-gold fruits picked naturally increased.

Thus, [Ruo Wood], which had originally allowed the outside world to take whatever it wanted, also changed accordingly.

Many Spirit Monsters evolved and were born on the tree, serving as a defense system to block those who wanted to take the fruits.

After this, it was finally quiet on Ruo Wood for a long time.

But good times didn't last.

When humans returned again, their strength had undergone earth-shattering changes.

In groups, wearing strange clothes, they could fly, escape into the ground, and wield the energy in the air to fight.

The Spirit Monsters evolved by Ruo Wood were simply no match.

They occupied Ruo Wood and took it for themselves.

And they assigned special personnel to guard it, coming to pick a certain number of fruits every once in a while.

…

“Xuantian Sect?”

The clothing style of those humans in the scene was very peculiar and easy to recognize.

It was extremely similar to what Li Fan had seen on the remains of the Xuantian Sect Dharma King in Senior Sister Zhao's illusion before.

The Xuantian Sect ruled this place for a long period of time.

When the scene changed again, what appeared on [Ruo Wood] were the Cultivators of the Immortal Dao Ten Sects.

“Is it longevity fruit?”

Li Fan's gaze swept over the withered wood on the table, and his heart stirred.

He pondered for a long time, then recalled again.

During the period when the Immortal Dao Ten Sects occupied [Ruo Wood], the yield of purple-gold fruits at the top of [Ruo Wood] slowly became scarce for some unknown reason.

Each time, it seemed to be Cultivators from different sects who came to pick the fruits.

After this, who knows how much more time passed…

One day, dozens of Cultivators exuding powerful auras suddenly burst in.

After easily killing the guarding Cultivators, they did not directly plunder the purple-gold fruits.

Instead, they looked at [Ruo Wood] in front of them, discussing something unknown.

They seemed to be arguing very fiercely.

But in the end, they reached an agreement.

The next scene made Li Fan's pupils suddenly contract.

They set up a huge formation, trapping [Ruo Wood] within it.

Black chains, like long needles, pierced into various parts of the tree.

Then, a continuous stream of life Qi was extracted from it, converging into a green light sphere in the air.