Universe Fruit Tree

Eight days have passed in the Outer Domain Battlefield, and Gu Ding has already killed more than 2,800 Two-Headed Demon Race. According to his estimate, breaking 3,000 will not be difficult.

The scoring rules for the Outer Domain Battlefield are as follows: every time you break through 1,000 points, your score doubles. Breaking through 3,000 points means you'll accumulate three doublings, and the final score will be at least 14,000 points.

Of course, this kill count only counts for a single match and cannot be accumulated for subsequent entries. Each time you enter the Outer Domain Battlefield, all previous data is reset to zero.

Furthermore, Gu Ding's designated entry period is ten days. If the designated number of days is exceeded, the points will still accumulate as usual, but they will not be doubled. In other words, if Gu Ding exceeds 3,000 kills on the eleventh day, the third doubling will not count. Only if it is completed within ten days will the doubling count.

"Two o'clock, 178 kilometers." The Sea Emperor announced a route, and Gu Ding was about to set off when he was stopped. "Wait a minute, 11 o'clock, 1800 kilometers, hurry up and get there!"

"What happened?" This was the first time the Sea Emperor had ever changed his destination at the last minute, but Gu Ding still rushed off along the changed route chosen by the Sea Emperor, though he still had some doubts in his mind.

"The fruit of the Universe Fruit Tree is almost ripe. Have you noticed that these past few days, apart from the first time I asked you to adjust your direction, I have been guiding you in one direction? Even with some adjustments, the general direction has always been towards one location," the Sea Emperor asked with a smile.

"You mean to say that from the very beginning, your goal was actually that Universe Fruit Tree?" Gu Ding hadn't heard a single word that the Sea Emperor had revealed.

"That's right, but I don't know exactly when it will yield results. I'm afraid that if I tell you in advance that there won't be any results while you're here, you'll only get excited for nothing," the Sea Emperor explained.

Gu Ding had heard of the Universe Fruit Tree, but he had never seen one in person. He had always thought it was just a legendary thing, not something that actually existed. So whenever Gu Ding mentioned the name, Gu Ding was always somewhat surprised.

The Universe Fruit Tree —the name sounds like it belongs to a tree, but in reality, it's not a tree at all, not even a plant. It's a special kind of condensed energy.

"According to rumors on the SkyNet, the Universe Fruit Tree is a special energy condensation formed to release excess cosmic energy. Is that true?" Gu Ding couldn't help but ask.

"While this explanation isn't detailed, it's certainly true," the Sea Emperor affirmed. "As you should know, every universe is a relatively isolated world. To put it bluntly, this isolation is self-enclosed. Precisely because of this, if a universe produces too many powerful beings, it generates more and more energy, which cannot be released. This accumulation automatically condenses into an energy body to release the excess energy. Thus, the Universe Fruit Tree is formed."

"The Universe Fruit Tree will bear fruit after its energy accumulates to a certain level. This fruit is called the Cosmic Fruit, and it is an energy crystal containing terrifying energy."

"However, the growth of the Universe Fruit Tree itself is divided into several stages. Therefore, the energy intensity contained in the Cosmic Fruit it produces is also different. The one in this Outer Domain Battlefield is only a juvenile Universe Fruit Tree. It has been less than two million years since it was born. The Cosmic Fruit it produces can only raise the cultivation of a Low-rank God by one major level, to Mid-rank God. Of course, this is relative to ordinary cultivators. For you, one fruit will probably only raise your cultivation by one minor level."

" In Ancient Era, there was a rumor that consuming the Cosmic Fruit might grant one the chance for sudden enlightenment. However, such things have appeared very rarely from Ancient Era to the present, so there is no detailed record of such matters, and we do not know whether it is true or false."

The Sea Emperor's words completely piqued Gu Ding's interest in the Cosmic Fruit.

"How many Cosmic Fruits did the Universe Fruit Tree bear this time?"

"There are nine," the Sea Emperor said, projecting the image onto the screen.

In the projection, on a seemingly inconspicuous green sapling, there were nine fruits that looked somewhat malnourished.

Gu Ding was also taken aback. "Why does it look like a malnourished apple tree, bearing several equally malnourished fruits?"

"This Universe Fruit Tree is deliberately hiding its true nature, disguising itself like this. How could a real Universe Fruit Tree grow like this?" the Sea Emperor laughed, then continued to remind him, "Each person can only pick one Cosmic Fruit from the tree. If you try to pick a second one, you will be attacked by the Universe Fruit Tree. So, you can let others pick the remaining eight, and then try to steal them yourself."

"Such a thing is true?" Gu Ding raised an eyebrow.

"That's supposedly how it is. You should follow the rules. Otherwise, if you end up fighting with the Universe Fruit Tree, someone else might take advantage of you." The Sea Emperor wasn't entirely sure either, since the Universe Fruit Tree was extremely rare, and there wasn't much related data in his database. Some things couldn't be confirmed as true or false.

"Alright then..." Gu Ding didn't really want to fight the Universe Fruit Tree, not because he was afraid he couldn't win, but because he was afraid he might accidentally damage such a precious tree. After all, it was a rare species, and it would be a pity to destroy it.

Gu Ding sped along the road and soon arrived at the scene.

The fruit was not yet fully ripe, and Gu Ding sat cross-legged to the side, patiently waiting.

The Universe Fruit Tree was exactly the same as the one seen in the Sea Emperor's video, resembling a malnourished apple sapling. Even many of the leaves on the tree were yellowing, swaying in the wind, looking as if they might fall off at any moment.

Less than ten minutes after Gu Ding sat down, the space surrounding the Universe Fruit Tree distorted and blurred. Gu Ding looked up and saw it.

"Snap!"

Several shattering sounds rang out, and then Gu Ding saw the spatial illusion crumble and collapse, gradually revealing a colossal tree thousands of meters tall. This tree was entirely jade-white, its roots never touching the ground, floating in the void. Thousands of branches hung down from the sky, swaying gently like a waterfall. Among them, nine branches had a crystal-clear white jade sphere at their tips—that must be the legendary Cosmic Fruit.

Just as Gu Ding was about to make his move, the branches of the Universe Fruit Tree suddenly surged wildly, dancing erratically in the void. With each dance, they emitted specks of white light. These specks of light slowly floated towards the sky, like countless dandelions taking flight, and gradually coalesced in the void into an enormous phantom of a giant tree.

That ethereal figure, reaching from the heavens to the earth, its very tip touching the clouds, shimmered with starlight. In this dim, dense forest, it was like a guiding light, drawing countless powerful individuals to rush towards it.

~~~

Chapter Three is here! I finally made it before midnight! (To be continued)