Discussing the Golden Ancient Tree Again

Lin Qingxuan and Ouyang Xi heard the anger in Mu En's voice, and their hearts immediately skipped a beat.

By now, the two of them had realized that this was Sea God Pavilion. Given Mu En's Cultivation Level and Spiritual Power, how could anything happening inside the pavilion be hidden from this Limit Douluo? Especially when the commotion they had just caused had been far from small.

With uneasy hearts, the husband and wife made their way to Mu En's room on the third floor. They knocked softly on the door, and only after receiving the reply, "Come in," did they carefully enter.

Seeing how timid they looked, Mu En said sarcastically, "What? Now you know you were wrong? Feeling guilty?"

Faced with Mu En's mockery, the husband and wife moved in perfect unison. They straightened their backs and lowered their heads to their chests.

Seeing the pair like this, Mu En laughed in anger. "Good, very good. You've both graduated and even started a family. This old man is no longer your teacher, so perhaps I have no right to discipline you."

"However, I am not speaking to you now as a teacher of Shrek, but as Xiao Yi's master!"

"Look at the mess the two of you made! Faced with the methods left behind by a Level 9 Soul Engineer and Titled Douluo-level Evil Soul Master, you made no preparations whatsoever. Not only did you put yourselves in danger, you also put your son—and this old man's direct disciple—in danger!"

"What? Do you think you're invincible now? Is a mere Shrek Academy too small to contain you? Huh?!"

Mu En's words made the couple flush red with shame.

"Elder Mu, we were wrong!"

Mu En snorted coldly. "Wrong? This old man doesn't think you believe you were wrong at all!"

"There are painful matters this old man does not wish to bring up, but I have no choice now!"

"Have you forgotten that Soul Douluo Evil Soul Master from back then? A Soul Douluo-level Evil Soul Master nearly crippled Qingxuan. How much worse is this, with the methods of a Titled Douluo-level Evil Soul Master?"

"Have so many years of peaceful living made you forget even the most basic caution?"

Mu En's rebuke was stern and severe.

Lin Qingxuan and Ouyang Xi were red as fire, wishing they could bury their heads in the ground...

Meanwhile, Lin Yi was once again dragged away by the Golden Ancient Tree.

This time, Lin Yi did not panic. The familiar Golden Space appeared before his eyes once more.

"Golden Ancient Tree, is something urgent?"

"No. I simply did not expect you to possess such an opportunity."

"An opportunity?"

Light Power stirred, and a Cyan Crystal Dagger appeared. The Golden Ancient Tree's ancient voice followed.

"I did not expect you to obtain such a piece of Spirit Gold."

"Spirit Gold?" It was a term Lin Yi had never heard before.

"So-called Spirit Gold is, in truth, life force so dense that it has solidified."

"Such a large piece of Spirit Gold is roughly equivalent to the life force accumulated by the Star Dou Great Forest over two hundred thousand years."

Lin Yi immediately sucked in a cold breath. No wonder the Golden Ancient Tree called this an opportunity. Such immense life force truly deserved the word "opportunity."

"This item is compatible with your attribute and will be of great benefit to your Extreme Life."

"First adjust your condition. I will help you absorb this treasure."

Lin Yi was about to nod, but suddenly paused. "Wouldn't such immense life force be useful to you? Didn't you say a powerful existence is Devouring you? Spirit Gold should be able to help you, shouldn't it?"

Sensing the faint distrust in Lin Yi's words, the Golden Ancient Tree fell silent for a moment.

Only after a long while did its ancient voice ring out again. "I was originally an ordinary Life Ancient Tree. Later, through a fortunate coincidence, I obtained the Light Attribute and became the Golden Ancient Tree I am now. Afterward, I discovered that I had become the Plane Core. But it did not matter. The identity of Plane Core had little effect on me; it merely meant I had been moved to a place more suitable for my growth."

Realizing that the Golden Ancient Tree had finally begun revealing things to him, Lin Yi's heart stirred with excitement. He immediately held his breath and focused, afraid of missing even a single word.

"However..."

Knowing the turning point in the story was about to arrive, Lin Yi's entire body tensed. At some point, his little fists had already clenched tightly.

"One person—or perhaps I should say, one god—discovered my existence!"

"A god?" Lin Yi pondered inwardly, then quickly understood that this god was likely Shrek Academy's object of faith, Sea God Tang San. After all, the Academy History recorded that he was the one who transplanted the Golden Ancient Tree to Shrek Academy.

"That god brought me here and set restrictions upon me, making me unable to leave!"

At this point, the Golden Ancient Tree's originally ancient voice had unconsciously acquired a trace of anger.

"If that were all, then so be it. He was a god. It was only a change of location; I could endure it. But later..."

Lin Yi suddenly noticed the Golden Space change color. Its original gold faded away, replaced by black and crimson. With only a glance, Lin Yi felt endless resentment and fury assaulting his mind.

In an instant, the black-crimson color replaced the clarity in Lin Yi's eyes. Madness and bloodlust spread wildly from within his heart. If not for his Golden Tree Martial Soul barely preserving a sliver of clarity in his spiritual platform, Lin Yi's consciousness would likely have already been forcibly scattered by those overwhelming negative emotions.

Even if he did not die, he would have fallen into corruption and become an Evil Soul Master.

No one knew how long passed. Just as Lin Yi was about to lose hold, he suddenly felt a warm aura enter from his chest. In moments, it flowed through his limbs, bones, and Sea of Consciousness, erasing every trace of the madness and bloodlust within him.

His brush with life and death had placed tremendous strain on Lin Yi's mind. He gasped for breath, his chest heaving back and forth like a bellows as he recovered from the exertion.

The ancient voice carried a hint of apology. "I am sorry. I was careless for a moment and allowed you to encounter such danger."

Lin Yi panted heavily. "How long... was I affected?"

"About three breaths."

Lin Yi froze. It had felt as though an entire century had passed just now, yet in reality, it had only been three breaths?

"I will continue. Once I finish, you will understand..."

Lin Yi slumped onto the ground, lowered his head, and gasped for air, as though he had not heard the Golden Ancient Tree's words and was simply immersed in his own world. Yet his quietly perked ears still betrayed his attention.

"Not long after that god left, he returned with another god. He forcibly fused the god he brought with me. Then, the god he brought began Devouring me. Over nearly ten thousand years, she has already Devoured almost half of me. Furthermore, as my strength weakens, the speed at which she Devours me grows faster and faster. When she completely Devours me, she will replace me as the Plane Core."

"As for those negative emotions just now, they did not come from me, but from the plane itself. The plane cannot resist a god's power. It can only rage helplessly."

Listening to the Golden Ancient Tree's account, four words surfaced in Lin Yi's mind: impotent rage. Thinking about it that way, this plane was both pitiful and rather amusing.

After hearing everything, Lin Yi thought for a long time, trying to process what the Golden Ancient Tree had said. After all, if its words were true, then the truth was simply too horrifying.

"You said just now that a god is Devouring you. But you are the Plane Core, after all. How could you be Devoured so easily?"

"Because the god Devouring me is also a living being of Douluo Continent. Moreover, like me, she is a plant—a Blue Silver Emperor. Devouring is a racial talent."

The moment he heard Blue Silver Emperor, Lin Yi completely confirmed who the two gods were.

After all, more than one person from Douluo Continent had become a god back then, so using false names was not impossible. But there was only one associated with the Blue Silver Emperor!

Sea God, Tang San.

The child born ten thousand years ago to Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao and a hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor. Lin Yi had never expected that this Sea God would still do such things after becoming a god.

After all, according to Shrek Academy's records, Sea God Tang San was said to be pure and immaculate. He and Xiao Wu, the Bone Douluo who had transformed from a hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit, had remained devoted to each other for life. Their love story was widely admired.

Yet Tang San's perfection in the records was precisely why Lin Yi had never entirely believed them. Now that the Golden Ancient Tree had said this, Lin Yi immediately found it quite reasonable.

That was more like it! Anyone called flawless as white jade was either truly virtuous or a hypocrite whose outward appearance differed from within. As someone capable of ending Spirit Hall and establishing the Tang Sect, once the continent's greatest sect, Lin Yi did not believe he could be a good person.

He could fool the honest people of Douluo Continent, but Lin Yi possessed thousands of years of Otherworld history. Tang San's little schemes would not even earn a place in the history books.

Yet the Golden Ancient Tree still seemed to find this insufficient and added more fuel to the fire. "It is not only me, the Plane Core. The Plane Will is also being Devoured. Its situation should be similar to mine."

Lin Yi was dumbfounded. This Sea God really knew how to play. He had his hands on both the Plane Core and the Plane Will. Once both arrangements succeeded, all of Douluo Continent would be in his palm. Though wasn't this timeline dragging on a little too long? A ten-thousand-year plan?

Lin Yi curled his lip inwardly, feeling somewhat disdainful toward this Sea Cucumber Tang San.

Lin Yi could understand that those who climbed to the top would not naturally be flawless good people.

But pretending to be virtuous while doing the opposite was simply distasteful.

Considering this Sea God's desire for control, even if only to ensure that he would not become some pawn or puppet in the future, Lin Yi had to stand on the same side as the Golden Ancient Tree.

Lin Yi immediately said seriously, "Golden Ancient Tree, don't worry. I'll help you. I will definitely help you!"

Though it did not understand why Lin Yi had suddenly erupted with such passion, the Golden Ancient Tree could feel the sincerity in his words.

It no longer concealed anything. "There is one more matter I must tell you."

"What is it?"

"From the moment you first saw me, you became the Child of the Plane of Douluo Continent, someone jointly chosen by me and the Plane Will."

A smile repeatedly tugged at the corners of Lin Yi's lips. He wanted to remain reserved, but he could not help saying smugly, "Your judgment really is quite good."

"However..."

The Golden Ancient Tree changed course. "Douluo Continent also has a Son of Fortune, someone chosen by fortune and fate."

"I will conceal your existence for you. I possess the aura of that Blue Silver Emperor, and through it, I can prevent you from being exposed too early to that god's eyes. But the Son of Fortune is different. Fortune and fate's favor will make him easy to discover, and that god may place some methods upon him."

Lin Yi could not help clicking his tongue. The Plane Core, the Plane Will, the Son of Fortune—this Sea God wanted all of them in his grasp. His desire to control the Douluo Plane was truly excessive. He was determined to claim it.

"I understand. I'll be careful when the time comes. If I have a chance to come into contact with him, I'll do my best to win him over. Even if I can't, I'll try my best to control him."

"As long as you understand."

This open conversation with the Golden Ancient Tree had benefited Lin Yi greatly. At the very least, he now understood who his future enemy truly was.

Although gods were indeed still far beyond the current Lin Yi, with the advantages he possessed now, gods no longer seemed quite so unreachable.

"Enough. I will first help you absorb this Spirit Gold."

"Come on!"