Heavenly Tomb
At the entrance to the True Heavenly Tomb, Richard's figure appeared.
After parting ways with the Spirit Emperor and the others, he chose to come here.
There is a tree here, Dao Tree that Break Nine Quasi-Emperor Level.
Richard took a step forward and immediately appeared in an unnamed space. Not far away stood a colossal tree that reached the sky, its roots penetrating the earth's veins and entwining the Great Dao. This was Richard's target - the Dao Tree.
This tree has pretty good abilities; he thinks Xiao Yao would like them.
Upon seeing someone approaching, the Dao Tree transformed into a tall, ancient-wood-colored man, with branches and leaves forming his hair and bark his armor.
"Who are you?" he asked sharply.
Richard did not answer, but slapped down, immobilizing the Dao Tree, and then took a portion of its essence.
A branch extended from his body and swallowed this part of the source.
"Is that enough, Xiao Yao?" Richard asked. While the Dao Tree was still there, they could pluck a little more if needed.
"That's enough. But the essence of this little tree smells quite good, Father. May I have a little more? Just a tiny bit."
A clear, melodious female voice echoed in Richard's ears, carrying a hint of coquetry. Compared to Xiao Yao's original Tree of Life, the Dao Tree was indeed just a small tree.
It is actually hundreds of miles high, standing on the ground as if it reaches the heavens.
But to the Tree of Life itself, it is merely a tiny speck.
"Eat, just don't finish it all." Richard reached out and took out another piece of Origin from the Dao Tree.
Only a small portion is left to maintain its status and life.
"Thank you, Father." Xiao Yao cheered, then devoured the large chunk of essence again, as if savoring a delicious treat.
"Tell me, what abilities did you gain?" Richard asked.
"Oh, this one." A girl who looked no more than seven or eight years old quietly appeared.
She was as slender as a newly sprouted willow.
Her skin was a pale bluish-white jade color, with a warm, luminous glow reminiscent of grass and trees; where her fingertips touched it, even tiny pebbles seemed to sprout new shoots.
A head of soft, dark green hair hung loosely, with a few scattered green lights occasionally condensing at the ends, like morning dew that had been hidden all spring. Her pupils were a very light turquoise, clean and clear, and looking into them seemed to reveal the thin mist and newly sprouted leaves in the forest. She was innocent of the world, yet she carried a trace of innate wood spirit vitality.
She wore a light green dress woven from tender leaves and vines, which moved without wind as she walked, and tiny green buds would silently sprout wherever the hem swept.
The aura is light and subtle, full of vitality yet not overpowering.
"Father, I can come out and play now!" Xiao Yao said happily.
This isn't just about the ability to transform; if it were just that, Xiao Yao would have been able to do it long ago.
In order to help Xiao Yao better integrate with the world and strive to evolve into the World Tree as soon as possible, Richard usually asks Xiao Yao not to transform into human form and to coexist with the world in her original form.
Now that she has absorbed the essence of the Dao Tree, Xiao Yao has gained several new abilities.
One of them is the origin of life: Ten Thousand Woods Return to One, rapidly giving rise to a legion of plant puppets.
Xiao Yao combined this with her ability to transform, so that she could create countless Clone and no longer be confined to the Origin World. She could then travel around with Richard.
In addition, the Dao Tree has another impressive ability – Dao Principles: Dao Rule Entanglement Seal, Wood Origin Erosion, and Spatial Rooting Domain Lock.
This ability possesses excellent defensive capabilities, allowing Xiao Yao to become a solid barrier in the Origin World.
Not bad. Although the Dao Tree is a bit weak, its abilities are still quite good.
Richard released the Dao Tree.
Although it has lost most of its original essence, it is only slightly weakened and still Break Nine cultivator; its cultivation level has not dropped.
Hopefully, Fang Ping will still be able to use it.
Of course, nothing is certain now, and it's possible that it could be snatched away by other powerful individuals.
There's nothing we can do about that.
However, the emperors probably wouldn't value the Dao Tree at its current level of Break Nine level, unless it becomes stronger and approaches the strength of the emperors, then it would have no use.
Richard turned around and, with Xiao Yao's avatar, headed deep into the Heavenly Tomb. Besides the Dao Tree, there were also projections of many emperors here.
These are all excellent talents, and Richard wants to try to recruit a few of them.
In particular, Zhan, Mie, and Ba are of good character. Once they are successfully recruited, they can be used without worry.
The Dao Tree was left standing there, completely bewildered. Who was this? They ran over and, without a word, plundered most of its life essence, almost killing it.
The key is that its strength is too terrifying, leaving it completely powerless to fight back.
Do the emperors have this power? They seem even more terrifying than the emperors.
What could Dao Tree say? He could only move to a new place, tears welling up in his eyes, and silently lick his wounds in a secluded corner.
Richard had already entered the Heavenly Tomb, had no idea what the Dao Tree was feeling.
The interior of the Heavenly Tomb is a huge testing ground.
The emperors set up many checkpoints here.
As long as you pass the emperors' tests, you can receive rewards, including various emperors' unique skills, level rewards that directly increase your strength, and more.
It can be said that as long as you can pass all the Emperor-level challenges here, even if you weren't even Heavenly King before entering, you can still reach the Break Eight or even be close to the Break Nine, and leap into becoming a supreme powerhouse.
However, Richard wasn't there to take on any challenges, and these rewards were of no use to him.
Although he was somewhat curious about those imperial techniques, they were just things he could easily master.
Among these projections of emperors, some of the projections left by emperors are rather rigid, only acting according to the Rules.
Some of the projections left behind by emperors are very flexible, almost like Clone.
Even the projection of the Spirit Emperor was a bit more special. In the original story, he was tricked by Fang Ping into wanting to become an independent life form and have no further connection with his original body.
This is a complete betrayal for the Spirit Emperor. It's unknown what the Spirit Emperor thinks of this projection and how he intends to deal with it.
Since the Spirit Emperor didn't come, Richard didn't bother with it either. He just left the projection there and waited for the Spirit Emperor to deal with it himself.
Richard, with Xiao Yao in tow, arrived at the level where the Zhan Heavenly Emperor.
This is a Small Space, within Small Space, in a tranquil environment, stands a thatched hut.
The room was filled with countless books, all the battle techniques related to the Origin Dao that the Zhan Heavenly Emperor had compiled throughout his life.
With a little effort, even the most powerful warriors can find a battle strategy that suits them.
For a master of the Origin Dao, this room full of books represents their foundation.
Having these tactical combinations is equivalent to bridging countless years of accumulation.
Richard pushed open the door and entered.
Then came a tall and upright figure with a deep and awe-inspiring presence. His body was surrounded by crimson blood energy, exuding an imposing aura without anger.
This is the leader of the Four Emperors of the Extreme Dao - the Zhan Heavenly Emperor.
Beside him stood a powerful woman with a quiet demeanor, arranging books. She was Shuxiang, the Spirit Emperor's maid, responsible for looking after the Second Cat and managing the affairs of the War Hall.
A fat cat, resembling Cang Mao, was holding a book and reading with a pained expression, glancing at the door every now and then, as if trying to slip away at any moment.
This is Cang Mao's projection, which Cang Mao calls Second Cat.
There was also a Third Cat statue at the location of the Spirit Emperor's projection.