Gǒu? Hibernation!

The night was deep and silent.

Ox Ridge Settlement was pitch black, not a single light visible.

Old Man Yu, carrying an iron shovel and a cloth bag, braved the cold wind and quietly approached a corner of the Spirit Field.

After confirming no one was around, he began to dig. First, he shoveled away the loose soil on the surface, then took the best layer from underneath.

It was foreseeable that the growth of spirit rice in this area next year would be somewhat poorer.

However, fortunately, the impending Black Annihilation Wind Disaster would also allow the Spirit Field to recover somewhat.

Next year, more fertilizer would be needed for these excavated areas.

Compared to his own Rare Species sapling growing more robustly, this loss was entirely worth it in Old Man Yu's eyes.

Thus, after four or five trips of carrying soil, Old Man Yu cleared away any traces on the surface of the Spirit Field and silently returned home.

After closing the door, Old Man Yu looked up. The moon was now completely obscured by dark clouds.

"No moon tonight, I wonder if you can cultivate."

Old Man Yu muttered to himself, but still climbed onto the wall and looked at the small tree that seemed to have grown out of a square, dry well.

Throughout the day, he had used the angle between the wall and the small tree to build thick stone walls on the other two sides of the sapling.

In essence, he had built a square house for the little tree.

He had even deliberately increased the space, about four or five square meters, to avoid the sapling feeling cramped.

Finally, there was the roof. Since the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster had not yet arrived, and he was afraid of hindering the sapling's growth, Old Man Yu had not immediately covered it with the prepared thick wooden planks.

Although the addition of this stone-built house in his own yard was somewhat peculiar, he had deliberately raised this section of the wall considerably, just enough to cover the topmost branches and leaves of the sapling.

Even without the wooden planks, it couldn't be seen from the outside.

Moreover, he planned to close the main gate tightly tomorrow, even blocking it with stones, and not let anyone else in.

If anyone with no sense of propriety were to jump over his wall and discover the Rare Species sapling he had protected so thoroughly.

Then, Old Man Yu would have no choice but to act as a bandit cultivator.

After all, what good person would climb over his wall?

At this moment, looking at the small tree in the little room stretching its branches and leaves, his previous fatigue vanished.

Perhaps it was because of the name he had given it earlier, and his meticulous care for so many days, that he felt an inexplicable closeness to this sapling.

It was as if he were looking at his own child.

But...

Thinking of something, Old Man Yu's expression dimmed, and he looked towards New Moon Blessed Land.

It was so late, by all rights, his three sons should have entered the Blessed Land and settled down.

He wondered if there would be any changes in the Blessed Land this year.

Fortunately, after this ordeal, his three sons had all grown significantly, which was his greatest comfort.

At this moment, Yu An, 'hiding' in the small room, was diligently cultivating.

Fetal movement was a long-term process; it wasn't as if sensing the rhythm of heaven and earth once meant no further sensing was needed.

In fact, at this realm, one needed to constantly sense and deepen the connection with the rhythm of heaven and earth. The deeper the realm, the greater the benefits.

At the very least, Yu An felt his soul was constantly growing. In the previous half-year, he bathed in sunlight and absorbed nutrients from the earth daily, yet his growth was still agonizingly slow, with almost no visible progress.

But ever since he sensed that rhythm, breaking through the shackles of cultivation, his growth speed had become a thousand miles a day.

Of course, the Spirit Stones provided by the Yu family played a part, and the soil in the Spirit Field also helped him.

But the most important factor was the growth of his soul.

Although this growth was invisible, it could be clearly felt.

And the growth of the soul meant Yu An could better control his tree body and absorb nutrients from Spirit Stones and Spirit Soil to a greater extent.

Because of this, Yu An spent most of his mental energy immersed in cultivation every day.

Especially with the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster approaching, if he didn't work harder, it would be too late.

As for whether he could continue cultivating after the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster arrived, Yu An was uncertain.

According to the information he learned from the Yu family, plants in this world generally entered dormancy and hibernation in winter, 'hiding' all their vitality.

But these were ordinary trees and plants. The Yu family had no information about Rare Species.

All their knowledge about Rare Species came from hearsay.

Yu An, having not yet experienced the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster, was also unclear. Only a vague tremor from the source of his life told him that this winter would be difficult to endure.

Even for him, a Rare Species.

That was why he had to cultivate with all his might before the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster descended. Every bit of improvement increased his chances of survival.

He also saw the house Old Man Yu had built for him. Perhaps because he was human in his previous life and still retained his soul in this one, he felt no aversion to this small house.

Instead, he felt a vague sense of security.

Even if this stone house was no match for the insectoids, having this layer of protection was at least better than nothing.

It was just that he couldn't control all his roots yet, to pull himself out of the soil and transform into a mobile Treant. Otherwise, he wouldn't mind changing locations, preferably digging a hole in a large mountain and hiding within its core.

Even if he still had to face the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster, that intangible, formless ability to strip away life from nothingness, at least the thick mountain would serve as a barrier. The bone-chilling wind wouldn't reach him directly, and he could also evade the insectoids.

It was a bit cowardly, but it was safe.

As long as he could survive the first few Black Annihilation Wind Disasters and grow to Juvenile Stage Three, equivalent to the Qi Refining realm for humans, and awaken a Divine Ability, he would have the true foundation to establish himself in this world.

As a Rare Species with a lifespan far exceeding humans, considered long-lived, even hiding for a few decades wouldn't mean much in his eyes.

Because his lifelong goal was immortality.

As long as he could achieve this goal, then his hiding during his weak period couldn't be called hiding, but rather lying in wait!

Old Man Yu watched for a moment, then quietly jumped off the wall. He then closed the bedroom door, opened the wooden plank leading to the cellar, and tossed the cloth bags piled in the room into the cellar one by one. Finally, he jumped in himself.

The oil lamp in the cellar had been lit. Old Man Yu first took out a Spirit Stone, then picked up a bag of soil dug from the Spirit Field, and entered the tunnel.

Soon, he appeared in a space formed by countless root tendrils.

First, he expertly crushed the Spirit Stone, then evenly spread the soil. Watching the tree roots absorb it rapidly, a smile appeared on his face.

"Eat up, eat with all your might."

On the other side, in the blessed land, Yu Dashan and the other two had just settled down. All three of their faces were etched with exhaustion.