Even if his plan to self-destruct his golden core succeeds, he will still be no match for them.
Invincible! The Divine Tree Ancestor is truly invincible. Hmm, if there's anyone in this realm who can rival him, it's probably only the Treasure God hiding in that garbage dump.
The Divine Tree Ancestor watched with a smile as Xiao Wenbing's expression changed. After a moment, he said in a smug tone, "Young friend, let me tell you the truth: I am only at the Golden Core stage."
"Golden Core stage?" Xiao Wenbing forced a smile and said, "You're joking, sir."
"Do you think an old man like me would lie to you?" Ancestor Shenmu shook his head, speaking with a half-smile.
"This..." Xiao Wenbing was taken aback, unsure how to answer. However, given his status, he shouldn't be lying to him.
However, to say that all the plant ancestors in this realm only have the cultivation level of the Golden Core stage to this day, I'm afraid very few people would believe it. After thinking for a moment, Xiao Wenbing suddenly pointed to the body that the Divine Tree Ancestor had conjured and said, "If you only have the cultivation level of the Golden Core stage, how could you conjure a physical form?"
"This isn't my true form. Did you think my true form could transform?" (Invincible Dragon Bookstore)
Xiao Wenbing looked up at the endless tree trunks and the branches that blocked out the sky, shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "I don't know."
"Little friend, this is just the simplest illusion technique of our Divine Tree Clan. In fact, my cultivation has reached the Golden Core stage, which is already top-tier."
Just then, a leaf drifted down from the sky, and Xiao Wenbing glanced at it unintentionally, never looking away again.
Above that fallen leaf, one could vaguely see a volcanic eruption, lava splashing everywhere—a scene of apocalypse. His gaze followed the leaf as it fell to the ground. Without a sound, the leaf shattered into countless fragments, dissipating into the air.
"Alas...another planet has been destroyed." The Divine Tree Ancestor sighed deeply.
"What? A planet?" Xiao Wenbing asked in surprise.
"Yes, each leaf here represents a planet in this world. Once a leaf falls, it means that the planet has turned into cosmic dust."
Xiao Wenbing looked up at the endless expanse of leaves, a glimmer of hope appearing in his eyes. Within his sight, he could see several leaves drifting slowly down at any moment. But how many leaves lay beyond his reach?
“My body was the first life created by the Creator God when he created this world. Every time my torso grows a little, this world expands a little. Every time there is an extra leaf on a branch, this world forms another planet.” The Divine Tree Ancestor looked at him and asked, “Now you know why I look so young.”
Xiao Wenbing had a sudden inspiration and said, "You mean this world is still expanding and new planets are still being created?"
"You're very clever, little one. In this world, thousands of planets are ravaged every day for various reasons. But, just as often, many more planets are in their nascent stages. If one day this world stops expanding and the number of new leaves exceeds the number of fallen leaves, then that will be the beginning of my aging."
Xiao Wenbing gave a bitter smile and said, "I really hope that day will never come."
According to the Old Ancestor Shenmu, the cultivation world is this universe, and the universe is currently expanding continuously. The day the universe stops expanding will be the day it begins its decline and gradually perishes.
"What flourishes must decline, what rises must fall. This... is a natural law that even the gods cannot avoid, and I, of course, am no exception," said the Divine Tree Ancestor calmly. Having lived for countless years and witnessed too many births and deaths, his tone naturally carried a touch of indifference.
Xiao Wenbing was enlightened. He looked up at the main body of the Divine Tree Ancestor and finally understood why this tree was so enormous that it made people feel uneasy. Its trunk represented the universe and its leaves were planets. Such a great existence could not be presented without such grandeur.
His gaze returned to the phantom before him, and he respectfully asked, "May I ask, Ancestor, how many cultivators are there in our cultivation world?"
"countless."
"So, how does our power compare to that of the Demon Realm?"
The Divine Tree Ancestor chuckled and said, "The Demon Realm has existed for less than one percent of my time. If we consider the total population, even our demon race could wipe them all out."
"If that's the case, why did such a catastrophe occur three thousand years ago?"
The Divine Tree Ancestor smiled bitterly and said, "Because the cultivation world is too vast. Even I can only barely control two-thirds of the spirit race. I am powerless to do anything more than that. Moreover, when the Demon Realm invaded back then, we, the three races and the Heavenly Thunder Palace, stood by and watched without taking the lead."
"Why?" (Invincible Dragon Bookstore - Organizing)
"Because their invasion did not violate the laws of our realm at the beginning."
Xiao Wenbing immediately understood. The cultivation world was vast, with countless planets. Even the likes of the Dragon King, Phoenix Lord, and Divine Tree Ancestor were powerless to reach it in the face of such unimaginable distances. As for ordinary cultivators, it goes without saying that they were even further out of reach.
Of course, if there were a unified leader, such as the three supreme races and the Heavenly Thunder Palace, and if they could have rallied the cultivators in the cultivation world from the beginning, they could have easily driven them back. But judging from the tone of the Divine Tree Ancestor, it was because of some ridiculous issue with the laws that things were delayed again and again, causing tens of thousands of cultivators' planets to suffer annihilation.
Thinking of this, Xiao Wenbing felt an overwhelming indignation: "But they are not from the cultivation world."
"However, they too were created by the Creator God," the Divine Tree Ancestor said calmly.
Xiao Wenbing was taken aback, and smiled bitterly to himself, only then realizing that he and the old man had fundamentally different perspectives on things.
If Xiao Wenbing's attitude towards the Demon Realm is like how Chinese people view Japanese people, or how Pakistanis view Indian people, then it's similar to how Chinese people view Japanese people or how Pakistanis view Indian people.
So, the Divine Tree Ancestor was looking at this issue from an objective perspective, or rather, from the perspective of an extraterrestrial.
No matter how fiercely ordinary cultivators in the cultivation world fight against the people of the demon realm, it's their business, and it's not something I can interfere with. As the saying goes, if it doesn't concern me, I'll mind my own business.
Different perspectives on things often lead to irreconcilable conflicts. Xiao Wenbing had known this for a long time, so when he heard what the Divine Tree Ancestor said, he immediately gave up his plan to continue persuading him.
It's important to understand that older people tend to be more stubborn and opinionated. Therefore, Xiao Wenbing had no confidence that he could persuade this old block of wood, who had existed for countless billions of years.
"According to your instructions, senior, the three major races will still not intervene in this invasion of the Demon Realm?" Xiao Wenbing asked, gazing at the Divine Tree Ancestor.
"Yes, unless they break the rules first, even we can't take action," the Divine Tree Ancestor sighed helplessly.
"Rules? You mean..." Xiao Wenbing asked tentatively, "Does it mean that people of your status cannot easily take action?"
"That's right, we can't intervene unless a force disrupts the balance." (Invincible Dragon Bookstore)
Xiao Wenbing frowned and pondered deeply. After a long while, he finally said, "Do you mean the nine super demons?"
"Exactly. Unless an absolute power capable of overwhelming this realm appears, we will not pay any attention to it."
"You mean that unless a master like one of the three supreme races appears, you will have no choice but to remain inactive?"
“No.” Ancestor Shenmu pondered for a moment and said, “The so-called nine super demons are actually immortals who came down from the Immortal Realm. They use demonic immortal power that should not exist in this realm. That’s why they can cause a powerful impact on the rules of this realm. Only under such circumstances can we officially step forward.”
"An immortal descended from the celestial realm?" Xiao Wenbing's expression shifted, recalling the mysterious figure the Mirror God had seen at the source of the earth's veins and fire. He quickly asked, "Are there any in our realm?"
"have no idea."
"You...don't know? With your cultivation level, you don't know?"
"Of course, they are immortals, and the concealment techniques they use are beyond the scope of this world. Although in terms of pure strength, they are not as good as me, in terms of transformation, they are far superior to me."
"Is that so?" Xiao Wenbing glanced at the tall, boundless trees again and finally admitted it.
Although this old fellow only possesses the cultivation level of the Golden Core stage, the sheer volume of spiritual power it condenses represents the entire realm. While spiritual power is far less effective than immortal spiritual power, how much immortal spiritual power can an immortal mobilize? Faced with this old fellow who has existed for countless billions of years, he would likely have no choice but to retreat.
Volume 4, The Divine Artifacts, Chapter 209: Rules
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"Immortals from the Celestial Realm..." Xiao Wenbing murmured repeatedly. Suddenly, he raised his eyebrows and asked, "Senior, if I remember correctly, since the nine super demons are all immortals from the lower realm, then in terms of their magical power, they should be invincible in the cultivation world. But I have heard that they were killed by the three great saints. Is this true?"
“Exactly,” said the Divine Tree Ancestor without hesitation.
Xiao Wenbing looked incredulous: "If you said that my wife, who descended from the celestial realm, was killed by you, I might believe it to some extent, but... can three cultivators defeat nine immortals?"
"cannot."
"If it can't, then what's going on?"
"I can't say."
Xiao Wenbing was taken aback. He couldn't say; this old man was certainly straightforward... Oh well, since he wasn't willing to talk about it, then probably no one could force him to reveal this secret. But one thing was certain: those three sages were definitely not ordinary people; perhaps their backgrounds were even more powerful than those of immortals.
After letting his mind wander for a while, Xiao Wenbing pulled himself back to reality and asked with his last glimmer of hope, "Would the Dragon King and Phoenix Lord take the initiative to attack the Demon Clan?"
The Divine Tree Ancestor shook his head slightly and said, "What I control is the power of life, while the Dragon and Phoenix clans control the power of rules. Since the rules have not been broken, the Dragon and Phoenix clans will naturally not take action. However, there are exceptions."
“Individual?” Xiao Wenbing frowned, wondering what that meant.
"Yes, it is permissible for any member of either of these clans to participate in such an unparalleled and chaotic battle."
"A boring fight." Xiao Wenbing felt a slight bitterness in his mouth. It turned out that the cultivators' selfless defense of their homeland was nothing more than a boring game in the eyes of these supreme beings.
"And what about the nobles?"
"We are the same."
A glint suddenly flashed in Xiao Wenbing's eyes, and he asked, "You mean that as long as the nobles agree, you won't stop them, is that right?"
"Yes."
"Including those masters in the separation and union phase mentioned earlier?"
"certainly."
"Then, I would like to ask you to give me a chance and allow me to try to persuade them."
"Sure, but our Shenmu clan is a peace-loving people, and I'm afraid not many will respond to the child's call."
"It's alright, whether it succeeds or not is up to me. As long as you don't interfere, that's fine."
The Divine Tree Ancestor shook his head repeatedly and said, "Of course not. As long as you agree, I will never stop you."
Xiao Wenbing smiled and was about to take his leave when he suddenly remembered something and asked, "May I ask, senior, how did you know that I am a divine messenger?"
“I know you have divine power.”
"Oh." Xiao Wenbing suddenly realized that Mu Ling had not betrayed him, and that the old man did not know about the existence of the Treasure Divine Land, but only saw the pseudo-divine power on his body.
"Hmm, but the fact that someone could cultivate a true god's body from that garbage dump is far beyond my expectations," said the Divine Tree Ancestor with a smile.
Xiao Wenbing was taken aback, realizing his estimation was completely wrong. So the Divine Tree Ancestor knew the origins of the Treasure God! He then asked, "Did Brother Wood Spirit tell you that?"
“No,” the Divine Tree Ancestor said with a smile, “The Wood Spirit won’t say anything. It’s just that in this realm, only the Myriad Treasures Hall has a true deity. Since you have mosquitoes with divine power on you, it must have been given to you by him.”
Xiao Wenbing sighed helplessly. It seemed that even if Mu Ling didn't say anything, she couldn't escape the old man's sharp eyes.
"Brother Muling must also be from the Divine Tree Clan, right?"
"Yes, he is a wisp of wood spirit that I have nurtured for countless years. Alas... every hundred billion years, the energy I have accumulated can give birth to a wisp of wood spirit, but alas..."
"What's a pity?" Xiao Wenbing asked curiously.
“They are all my children, but now only Mu Ling is still in this realm.”
"What about the others?" (Invincible Dragon Bookstore - Organizing)
"Some of them ascended to the Immortal Realm or the God Realm."
"Ascension? They became immortals or gods!"
"yes."
"If even your descendants can become immortals or gods, why can't you?"
"I am the Tree of Life of this world. If I were to become an immortal, wouldn't I be taking this world to the Immortal Realm? Therefore, the Creator God placed a restriction on me the moment he created me, and my highest cultivation level is only the Golden Core stage."