Investigating the Giant Tree

For Zhang Xuezhou, as long as he can use his Law Power and Demon Power to fly, the difference between restoring 40% and 60% of his physical cultivation is not significant.

Dealing with Venerable Lei had taken up too much time, so Zhang Xuezhou ultimately couldn't spend much time dealing with the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root and instead began contacting the Green-headed Duck.

The journey took a long time, and Zhang Xuezhou hadn't fully adjusted yet. There were still many people in the Sinkhole No. 2 who needed him to move supplies for rescue, so he couldn't afford to waste too much time.

"When will this ever end?!"

"Over there I can only lie there and be tormented by a shrew, and here I have a shrew yelling at me too!"

"If things continue like this, I'm afraid I'll end up as heartbroken as the old master!"

"Fortunately, this place has been transformed and revitalized, and I will finally have my day!"

"By then, I, Zhang Dongfang, will be able to live with dignity!"

If you can understand the situation and listen to the feelings of the mallard, it is not difficult to judge the emotions of the mallard.

Zhang Xuezhou made continuous adjustments and eventually achieved sync with the mallard ducks, and also established a connection with them through the tree chair.

He began to actively guide them, and all that could be heard was the green-headed duck quacking frantically and angrily cursing the red-skinned dead souls as they chanted loudly to strengthen their protective power.

A pulling sensation came from the darkness, and Zhang Xuezhou roused himself, as a series of clear images appeared as light streaked across the sky.

"It's the giant tree's divine soul pulling and traversing!"

The spiritual power brought by the Heart Sutra has not yet led to a qualitative change, and Zhang Xuezhou's spirit has not been significantly improved.

His perception became increasingly clear, simply because he had replaced Donghua and thus gained access to more information.

"Could this be the bondage that Donghua spoke of?"

Giant, illusory tree branches formed a path through the void.

This is also a kind of spirit lacking a physical form, a spirit like the branches of a giant tree reaching into the endless darkness, and then constantly shrinking back towards the tree chair.

Zhang Xuezhou's three souls and seven spirits were enveloped in a flower room, just like the one Huang Daoxian presented in the battle, which, when closed, envelops everything inside.

However, the flower bud on this branch was dilapidated, as if it had been hit and riddled with holes, or as if it had decayed and deteriorated after countless years. From time to time, darkness would appear in the flower bud, making one's soul feel as if it were being pierced by a fierce wind.

Occasionally, chanting sounds arose, and specks of white light appeared, temporarily plugging the leaks in the greenhouse.

"No wonder that duck had arranged a bunch of huge rocks in a circle; it was probably imitating the shape of a greenhouse... The grand hall on the Soul-Locking Pillar might have originated from a seed of the giant tree, or it might be part of the giant tree!"

All perceptions became clear, and a much broader expanse unfolded before Zhang Xuezhou.

The giant tree draws resources from the entire world to grow, perhaps similar to the erosion caused by a special kind of fiery meteor.

Donghua not only failed to cross dimensions, but the world he lived in may have also been destroyed by the giant tree. His relatives, friends, and all his subjects were turned into dead souls in the destruction, and he himself was imprisoned within it.

Zhang Xuezhou finds it difficult to sever ties with his family, and he feels he might not be able to withstand the blows that Donghua has dealt him.

The failures he encountered were too great to bear, so it was not surprising that Donghua, feeling utterly hopeless, chose to escape.

He began to make contact with Donghua instead, and many things were only realized by Zhang Xuezhou in hindsight.

"It doesn't seem to produce that feeling that keeps me trapped!"

If it weren't for the call from himself after aligning with the mallard duck, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the giant tree's spirit wouldn't have crossed space to pull him away.

This means that the giant tree's divine soul is currently neither controlling nor influencing him.

"Is it because I'm too weak that the giant tree doesn't want me?"

"But Donghua's strength must have been limited when he was chosen, otherwise he wouldn't have needed to accept such restrictive conditions!"

"If it doesn't like me and hasn't bound me, it can choose other creatures instead of letting me wander freely!"

"Is it that you're no longer capable?"

Through continuous observation, Zhang Xuezhou also continuously deduced the results.

His forte has never been direct combat, but rather the art of survival.

When it comes to ensuring his own life, Zhang Xuezhou is indeed more concerned than the average person.

He never entrusts his life to the morality of others, but rather tries his best to take the initiative.

Not long after parting ways with Donghua, Zhang Xuezhou and the mallard duck connected and formed a mutual shuttle, and this was only his second normal shuttle.

From adjusting the time frame of the tree chair to its current return, Zhang Xuezhou is constantly deducing the relevant circumstances.

"For Donghua to break free from you, your binding force must have been severely affected at that moment, and the only thing that affected you was... the fragments of the apocalypse!"

Donghua, Zhang Xuezhou, and the Green-headed Duck are in different situations, and among them, the giant tree life form that controls them has not yet appeared.

Different life forms have completely different compositions. A person will die if their head is cut off, but a tree can grow again even if only the top part is cut off, the roots are removed, or only a section of the trunk is left, or the trunk decays.

Zhang Xuezhou witnessed the giant tree's entire life, and he knew very well that the tree's life was not yet over.

The flames of the apocalyptic fragments may be special. The instantaneous burning may have repeated the memory of the giant tree's destruction, triggering the birth of the giant tree's seeds, or it may have truly ignited them, causing the Soul-Locking Pillar to turn to ashes, leaving only the seeds to continue to lie dormant.

All of these factors involve the main hall above the Soul-Locking Pillar.

Returning to the tree chair, Zhang Xuezhou glanced at the mallard duck, which lacked control and mental strength, and then looked at the dilapidated greenhouse coming to pick him up.

Compared to everything he saw upon his return, Zhang Xuezhou's spirit saw something different this time.

It was a flame burning in the darkness, shaped like a flower bud, much more complete than the greenhouse that carried Zhang Xuezhou's soul.

In the dim light, Zhang Xuezhou also observed that inside the flower bud, there seemed to be a grand hall, a throne, and human figures.

The flame in this flower bud resembles starlight lingering in the universe, presenting a form from the past.

Zhang Xuezhou felt that it seemed to be the scene of everyone detonating the apocalyptic fragments several months ago, leaving traces in the illusory form of the giant tree.

Where are you?

If Donghua is real, and Zhang Xuezhou can truly feel its presence, then the giant tree is something Zhang Xuezhou can see, but not Zhang Xuezhou he can feel.

He could sense the flower house formed by the giant tree's spirit drawing his spirit, and he could also see the physical tree chair, as well as various images and records, but Zhang Xuezhou could not sense any life.

These seem more like a bunch of machines passively performing tasks than living, breathing entities with consciousness.

"We should go find that main hall that was hit by the apocalyptic debris, see if you still exist, or if the explosion left anything behind!"

Having resumed his practice of cloud-flying techniques, Zhang Xuezhou's flying ability is steadily recovering and improving, much better than it was a month ago.

If the supplies could be successfully transported, he thought he could search the airspace and then use the Fire Avoidance Technique to try and reach the hidden hall.