At the center of Stone Village, the old Willow Tree that had survived the tribulation and been reborn stood quietly.
Hundreds of emerald-green branches swayed gently in the breeze, radiating a soft, lustrous glow that sheltered this small world.
Ye Xuan stood beneath the tree, his white robes as pristine as snow. He made no effort to reveal his power, yet the natural Dao resonance flowing around him stirred a strange response from the space nearby.
"Master."
Ye Xuan spoke again, his tone carrying a measure of respect.
"Rustle..."
The willow branches trembled softly, as though answering him.
A moment later, a warm yet boundless Divine Sense echoed in Ye Xuan's Consciousness Sea, tinged with undisguised astonishment.
"It's only been a few short years, yet you've already reached this level."
Willow Deity's voice was neither masculine nor feminine, but held the weight of ages and boundless wisdom. "And the power within you... seems entirely unlike the methods of this age. You don't cultivate the Heaven and Earth Rules. Instead, it seems as though you reject this universe, forming a world of your own."
Even Willow Deity, who had once been an exalted Immortal King, was shaken by Ye Xuan's state.
She could sense that although Ye Xuan stood before her, he seemed to have stepped beyond the Five Elements and Three Realms, free from the causal bonds of this world.
"Your insight is as keen as ever, Master."
Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "This isn't the place to discuss it in detail. Please allow me to explain."
As he spoke, light shone from between Ye Xuan's brows. A radiant little figure of his Primordial Spirit stepped out and followed a drooping willow branch straight into the Divine Kingdom within Willow Deity.
It was a hazy, chaotic world.
There was no sky