Mysterious Sapling

This world is unusually peaceful.

A gust of wind blew by, and the small tree in the center rustled, the sound echoing throughout the entire world.

Ning Qi and the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm remained ten miles away.

Ning Qi tried to step forward, but a pattern even denser than the barrier he had encountered when entering the portal appeared, blocking Ning Qi path.

He knew that he would probably need a key to open it again, and this time it would be significantly more difficult than before.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm paused behind, its gaze still fixed on Ning Qi with suspicion and uncertainty.

It was only when Ning Qi passed through him and they made contact that he truly understood Ning Qi's identity.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm never expected that Ning Qi was actually the will of the small world beneath it...

But then he immediately dismissed the idea, thinking, "How could that be?"

After all, the will that arises in a small world can only be the same as his.

Although it is the will of the world, the will is limited by the scope of the world itself and is trapped within the world, so it should be unable to leave.

Then how could Ning Qi be the will of the small world below him?

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm was filled with doubt and contradiction at this moment, feeling that this could not possibly happen.

Ahead, Ning Qi did not try to move forward again, but instead stared intently at the small tree in the center.

This place is the center of the world, and also the last secret place in the Mountain and Sea Realm.

All the secrets are hidden within a circular area with a radius of ten miles ahead.

Ning Qi moved his hand, and he felt the withered leaf between his fingertips sway more frequently and more powerfully, generating a greater pulling force that Ning Qi could feel even without careful perception.

Ning Qi immediately understood that the withered leaf came from the small tree ten miles ahead.

The little tree looked sickly; half of it was withered and yellow, while the other half was covered in new green leaves.

It possesses both tenacious vitality and signs of decay, a single tree embodying both prosperity and decline, which is quite contradictory and strange.

It's even difficult to determine whether it will be reborn or die; everything is unknown.

The side with the newly green leaves faced Ning Qi and his group, while the withered and yellow side was on the other side.

The green half of the leaf that Ning Qi Ning Qi was different from the others, and it was constantly changing.

Ning Qi saw leaves from ordinary trees such as willow, palm, elm, and sycamore, as well as leaves from various spirit trees, flowers, grasses, and Vines...

Each leaf shimmered with its own light, translucent and crystalline, like a precious jade leaf, full of magical Demonic Power.

And through the new green, one can look towards the withered and yellow side.

That side, however, presented a completely opposite appearance, all withered and yellow, entirely the same kind of leaf.

The leaf was exactly the same as the withered leaf in Ning Qi's hand; it was impossible to tell what kind of leaf it was, and there was nothing unusual about it.

But what surprised Ning Qi even more was that a thick branch had been broken off from the withered half of the tree, leaving a large gap in the sapling and giving it a strange, incomplete beauty.

Looking through the sapling at the other side of the world, Ning Qi realized that the whole world was actually in a similar state to the sapling.

When he first entered this world, he saw a world bathed in sunshine, with lush green grass and flowers everywhere, a scene full of vitality.

But it wasn't until he arrived here and truly looked across the ten-mile area ahead that Ning Qi observed the truth of the entire world.

The opposite half of the world was devoid of sunlight and lush greenery; instead, it was shrouded in dark clouds, with withered and yellow earth spreading across the ground, and at the very end, large swathes of scorched earth appeared.

Ning Qi's mind stirred slightly, not understanding why this world presented two such drastically different scenes.

But was this phenomenon caused by the sapling, or by something else?

After looking at the sapling, it became clear that the core area with a radius of ten miles ahead was actually only half a meter tall, and the area it occupied was very small.

The remaining area is also clearly divided into two halves.

Above the sky, a blurry figure could be faintly seen, nailed to the dome.

Energy was constantly being released from its body, most of it hanging down and flowing into the small tree in the center, while the rest flowed to both sides.

The sapling swayed slightly in the gusts of wind, seemingly saved from completely withering by the infusion of energy.

Ning Qi looked at the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm behind him.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm walked to his side, pointed to the blurry, cloud-like existence in the sky above, and said, "That is my original will."

Upon hearing this, Ning Qi was still taken aback, even though he had already guessed it the moment he saw it.

The Mountain and Sea Realm is a spirit realm. The powerful will born from the spirit realm is being trapped in this space with a radius of ten miles, which is truly lamentable.

Ning Qi asked, "The Two Ancestors of Mountains and Seas actually possess such powerful strength that they can trap the will of the World Lord here?"

Beside him, the illusory image of the Mountain and Sea Realm's will gave a bitter smile. "Of course not."

He simply sat down, gazing helplessly at the main body within, and said with a wry smile, "With just the two of them, I can't be sealed away by them, but if you add that small tree inside, it's a different story."

Ning Qi was slightly surprised.

"What kind of tree is that? Has it always been like this?"

"How is this possible!" The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm suddenly gritted its teeth and said resentfully, "It has only been because my main body has been constantly supplying it with power that it has been able to reach its current state."

Ning Qi was even more puzzled.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm took a deep breath before suppressing his emotions.

"Sit down and let me finish. Anyway, you probably can't leave this world now."

In order to find out the truth, Ning Qi had no choice but to do as he was told.

The two sat cross-legged on the ground.

Ning Qi still held the withered leaf in his hand, but to his surprise, the leaf seemed to have absorbed nourishing power upon arriving here, and was slowly repairing the defects in the veins and mending the damaged leaf surface.

If he stays there any longer, the withered leaves will eventually turn back to their original green, just like the half-tree facing him, and completely regain their vitality.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm naturally sensed it as well, and glanced at the withered leaf in Ning Qi's hand.

However, his eyelids twitched noticeably, making him look quite unnatural.

It seemed that the changes in the leaves were entirely due to the absorption of his life force.

Seeing this, Ning Qi immediately put it away, and the expression on the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm improved somewhat.

However, at the moment he put it away, Ning Qi also sensed a reluctance emerging from the withered leaves.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm said, "Years ago, when Shan and Hai returned from the small world, Haoshan obtained the Inheritance Mount Buzhou and also brought out a seed from it."

"At that time, hadn't they broken up yet?"

Ning Qi had previously heard Zhao Yujun, the sect leader of the Moon Sea Immortal Sect, mention the Mountain Ancestor and the Sea Ancestor, and inquired about it.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm shook its head.

"They had just lost their teacher at that time, and Qinghai was in a coma for a long time because of it. She didn't know that Haoshan had killed her father, so their relationship hadn't broken down yet."

At this point, he seemed to smile.

"The real breakdown between the two was because they obtained that seed."

Ning Qi subconsciously asked, "Lord Realm Master, is the seed you mentioned the seed of this little tree?"

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm nodded.

"That's right, it's because of it that I was sealed away by the two of them, and that's why they broke ties."

Ning Qi listened silently, waiting for him to continue.

"Back then, after Haoshan obtained the Inheritance of Mount Buzhou, his cultivation improved extremely rapidly, and he also sensed my existence as the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm."

"So, after Qinghai awoke, he concealed her father's death, continued to use her, and then found me."

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm gleamed in its eyes, as if it were reminiscing about the past.

"At first, the two men treated me with utmost respect, saying they wanted to offer me a treasure, which was none other than that seed."

"It's also my own fault. I sensed the aura of a higher world from that seed, which aroused my greed and curiosity, leading me to accept their gift."

"But after I accepted it, Haoshan used some kind of spell to activate the seed. It immediately generated a power that I couldn't shake off even for a short time, fixing my will, as if it had parasitized me. Then it took root, sprouted, and began to grow..."

Ning Qi was horrified.

Unexpectedly, a mere seed could stabilize the will of the spirit world and even parasitize it, drawing upon its power as nourishment to take root and sprout.

If this seed had fallen into the True Martial back then, and he, as the will of the True Martial, had found it, wouldn't he have been completely powerless to resist if he were to be parasitized by it?

This sapling is in danger!

Especially from the perspective of the world's will, it may even threaten the world itself.

That's the only way Ning Qi can describe it.

Seeing Ning Qi's expression, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm immediately understood what he was thinking.

"You're right. This tree grows entirely by absorbing the power of the world. Even I, a supreme being of the Spirit Realm, cannot harm it!"

He continued, picking up where he left off:

"After Shan and Hai used the seed to immobilize me, they together seized my power. Their cultivation levels rapidly increased, making them the two strongest beings in the Mountain and Sea Realm. Thus, the Mountain Ancestor and the Sea Ancestor came into being."

Ning Qi asked curiously, "So how did the two of them break up?"

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm coughed, then suddenly laughed.

"Ahem, haha, those two broke up on the spot because of that seed. After the seed parasitized me, it suddenly emitted a light that enveloped them as they were trying to seize my power. Qinghai didn't know the truth about Haoshan killing her father in the small world, but after being illuminated by the light emitted by that seed, I don't know what she saw, but she actually started fighting Haoshan on the spot."

Ning Qi remained silent.

The plot development was truly astonishing to him; he never expected the two patriarchs of the Mountain and Sea to break apart in this way.

He glanced again at the small tree in the center; the appearance of this small tree could be said to be the origin of the great changes in the mountain and sea realm.

Of course, the true origin is the Inheritance from Mount Buzhou obtained by the Mountain Ancestor.

The species of the sapling was also brought by the Mountain Ancestor from the Inheritance he received from Mount Buzhou.

Thinking of this, Ning Qi frowned slightly.

"I remember that the Mountain Ancestor and the Sea Ancestor broke ties hundreds of thousands of years ago, so how come this tree only grew this big after all these years?"

When this question was raised, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm paused for a moment.

Do you know how much strength it has drawn from me over the years?

Ning Qi stared into his eyes.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm gasped slightly, "It absorbed so much energy from two of my current selves!"

"If it weren't for constantly drawing power from the Boundary Sea to replenish myself, and for the cultivators sent by Shan and Hai sweeping through the surrounding small worlds and using their energy to sustain me, I probably would have been drained dry long ago!"

Upon hearing this, Ning Qi suddenly Bai Shan Realm wanted to devour the surrounding small worlds that were mutually dependent.

It turns out it had no other choice!

"Lord of the Realm, haven't you tried to expel it?"

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm shook its head again, shaking it faster than a child playing with a rattle.

You think I haven't tried?

He pointed again to the original will nailed to the dome in the space ahead and said, "That's what happened to me after my attempt!"

Ning Qi also looked at his physical will.

Having only glanced at it before, Ning Qi now truly activated his Golden Eyes of Truth.

As if cooperating with Ning Qi's observation, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm no longer appeared as a blurry cloud, but transformed into a humanoid form exactly like his phantom.

As the humanoid figure appeared, Ning Qi immediately saw a person, just like entering an acupuncture clinic, receiving a full-body acupuncture treatment.

However, the tools used for acupuncture were not metal needles, but wooden splinters.

The figure's limbs, chest, abdomen, neck, and head were densely covered with wooden spikes, making it look like a human hedgehog.

"..."

After Ning Qi had fully seen the state of his physical will, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm returned to its previous cloud-like form.

It seems that this form takes less damage from the needles than the human form.

Ning Qi withdrew his gaze, his expression becoming even more solemn.

He asked, "Did this sapling prick you, or were these splinters made by the Mountain Ancestor and the Sea Ancestor?"

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm replied, "Both."

"At first, Haoshan used the wooden spikes he obtained to prick me. Every time his cultivation level increased, he would prick me with a few more needles. As a result, more of my power was transferred to him, and he became stronger."

"Later, after the sapling had fully grown, it pricked me quite a few times with needles, probably about one-tenth of the way."

Ning Qi frowned even more deeply.

It sounds like the Mountain Ancestor has some hidden tricks up his sleeve, and this little tree is incredibly fierce.

"Could it be that the Mountain Ancestor can control this sapling?" Neji asked again.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm remained silent for a moment.

"I don't know the specifics, but if he could truly control it completely, this wouldn't have happened."

He pointed to the sapling, "The saplings on this side of us are now showing signs of new green and vitality. You probably understand that this side of the world is controlled by the Sea of Love, while the other half is controlled by Haoshan!"

"If Haoshan could truly control this sapling, it wouldn't be in a state where half of it is withered and half is new green."

Ning Qi asked, "You mean, the other half of the withered yellow color was caused by the Mountain Ancestor?"

"Yes, Haoshan can't wait any longer to attain immortality!"

"Can't wait?"

"After so many millennia, the sapling has only grown this little. How could it possibly wait?" The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm smiled. "That's why we launched the Spirit Realm War!"