Golden Ancient Tree

But they had a premonition that if they stayed here, they would surely die.

"Lord, won't you need some more time to recover?" Di Tian stepped forward and asked respectfully.

"Yes, that's right. But I've sensed that the Divine Realm's aura has vanished. There's no time to lose." A voice that sounded neither male nor female rang out. "I'll take human form to offset the injuries within me. At the same time, I can see why humanity has developed so rapidly in such a short time."

In the next moment, the silver dragon transformed into a petite girl.

Shrek Academy, Sea God Pavilion.

Xu Yanli pretended to slowly wake up.

"W-where is this? What... what happened to me? I remember there was a red figure just now..." Xu Yanli coughed twice and spoke in a deliberately feeble voice.

"You're awake? Are you all right?" Hearing the commotion, Yan Shaozhe came over and gently supported Xu Yanli by the shoulder.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I just used up a lot of Soul Power." Xu Yanli coughed as he spoke.

"Rest here tonight. I've also gotten you a pass to the inner courtyard library." Yan Shaozhe hesitated, then placed a token beside the bed. "But could we keep what happened today under wraps?"

Xu Yanli nodded, then slowly lowered his head. From Yan Shaozhe's angle, he looked a little dejected.

"Student, don't worry. I'll make it up to you. This pass is what I promised you last time. And how about this: I'll bring you here to the Golden Ancient Tree to cultivate for one day every week. What do you think?" Yan Shaozhe said, his eyes shifting.

Xu Yanli paused, surprised that the other man was willing to offer such a generous deal. Though, as far as Xu Yanli was concerned, it didn't seem to make much difference.

A cold smile curled at the corner of Xu Yanli's mouth. He raised his head and said with a smile, "Then thank you, Dean Yan."

"Focus on your cultivation. With your talent, you'll make it into the inner courtyard sooner or later." Yan Shaozhe smiled and patted Xu Yanli's shoulder. "Take your time and feel it for yourself. Cultivating here really is comfortable."

Xu Yanli nodded and watched Yan Shaozhe leave. Then he crossed his legs and slowly sensed the Soul Power around him.

Xu Yanli also sensed dense Life Force and light energy pouring into his body. They seemed to resonate faintly with his Sun Moon Holy Prayer Angel Martial Soul.

A little Unicorn suddenly came running out beside Xu Yanli, crying, "Wrry, wrry!"

Xu Yanli slowly opened his eyes and stroked his little Soul Spirit. He could sense it absorbing the Life Force, as if it were cultivating alongside him.

After patting its head, Xu Yanli closed his eyes once more and sensed the Life Force around him. He hadn't expected that this time, he would gain the Plane Life Core.

Xu Yanli closed his eyes again and found himself in a room filled with gold.

The room seemed saturated with the dense origins of life and light, yet everything here was gold, with not a trace of any other color.

"Are you the young master?" an old voice asked. "Are you the successor of the Goddess of Life?"

The old voice seemed worried he wouldn't understand, and went on to explain.

Xu Yanli studied his surroundings, then looked at the somewhat aged figure's back. "Are you the Life Core—or, rather, the soul of the Golden Ancient Tree?"

"Yes. Ever since Sea God Tang San transplanted me here ten thousand years ago, I have been ordered to protect Shrek Academy," the Golden Ancient Tree said.

Then the Golden Ancient Tree seemed to suddenly realize something. "Young master, rest assured. I will always be loyal to the God of Life, and I will always be loyal to you."

Xu Yanli paused, then asked, "Will you really be loyal to me?"

The Golden Ancient Tree fell silent for a moment. Then dense Life Force instantly flooded into Xu Yanli's body.

To an outside observer, it looked as though the Golden Ancient Tree had suddenly burst into golden radiance, which surged toward Xu Yanli.

Though the gathering was small, those tiny golden specks were the Golden Ancient Tree's origin power.

"What's going on?" Xuan Zi put down the chicken leg in his hand and looked at Mu En in confusion.

"Looks like a resonance with light. Good, good. Remember to nurture this child properly." Mu En's aged voice suddenly grew excited. "If, in the future... No, that's not right. The Golden Ancient Tree seems to be..."

A look of disbelief appeared on Mu En's face. What was going on? What was the Golden Ancient Tree doing?

Why had the Golden Ancient Tree shown hostility toward him when he had only felt a faint trace of killing intent toward Xu Yanli?

Xu Yanli felt dense Life Force continually pouring into his body. Meanwhile, a tiny Angel mark slowly formed on the forehead of the Golden Ancient Tree's aged figure.

"I, the Golden Ancient Tree, hereby pledge myself to serve you. Should I betray you, may I perish in body and soul," the Golden Ancient Tree said with utmost respect.

"Please, get up, old sir." Xu Yanli slowly opened his eyes. When he saw the Golden Ancient Tree's humanoid consciousness kneeling on the ground, he immediately helped him up.

He couldn't help it. The lingering instincts of his modern self made it impossible for him to accept an elderly person kneeling before him for so long.

After helping the Golden Ancient Tree up, a glint flashed through Xu Yanli's eyes. He smiled and said, "Rest assured. I won't ask you to do anything bad, either. I only hope you'll listen to me. If Shrek Academy ever makes a move against me, I want you to stand on my side."

"Young master, our plant race has always been loyal to the Goddess of Life. What's more, I belong to the Golden Tree race. You could say we are the Goddess of Life's high priests," the Golden Ancient Tree said.

"I believe you. But from now on, I want you to gradually reduce the Life Force you provide to the inner courtyard students, so they can no longer absorb your life energy." Xu Yanli's eyes glimmered.

"Yes," the Golden Ancient Tree replied respectfully.

Xu Yanli waved his hand. "All right, send me back now. After this, I should come here to cultivate once every week. If anything comes up, I'll come find you then."

The Golden Ancient Tree nodded and slowly sent Xu Yanli away from this core region.

Xu Yanli rubbed his chin. The Golden Ancient Tree was a truly unexpected boon.

If Shrek Academy lost the Golden Ancient Tree's protection, a lot of things would become easier.

Without the Golden Ancient Tree, Shrek Academy's defenses would be cut by more than half. And now that Buddha Ancestor Tang couldn't contact the lower realm...