Moving Ahead with the Original Plan

In Zhang Xuezhou's past understanding, the giant tree was powerful yet inclined to evil. After its fall, it continuously lured living beings, thus creating countless wronged souls of great cultivators on its body, who ultimately perished in resentment.

His opinion of the giant tree was consistently negative, and he feared he would suffer the same fate.

But after repeated contact, he realized that this was merely the giant tree's lingering obsession with growth.

When forming contracts with various cultivators, the other party also makes genuine contributions. However, such contributions have some flaws. If the deficiencies cannot be remedied, resulting in the death of the physical body but the immortality of the soul, the outcome would indeed be very unpleasant.

There are few cultivators like Zhang Xuezhou in the world. Some cultivators are filled with all kinds of struggles and killings on their way to the top, and the death rate is not low.

This is not simply a matter of maintaining the longevity of the physical body; it also requires avoiding being killed or harmed.

"It's time to set off!"

Within the oval-shaped crown, Zhang Xuezhou pondered everything.

He ultimately concluded that the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.

Even if he can't find the fragments of the apocalypse to replicate Donghua's liberation, he might still have the opportunity to break the contract five hundred years later.

The negative effects of this contract were not strong. Zhang Xuezhou felt that compared to the mental pressure of being possessed by Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon back then, the pressure of breaking through the darkness was insignificant.

The contract allowed for an excessively long period of operation, so long that Zhang Xuezhou was worried he would die too soon.

In comparison, this negative effect is negligible.

This is perhaps a thought that many beings who have formed contracts have had.

Unlike those pioneers, Zhang Xuezhou is truly likely to be the one to see the giant tree to its end.

Leaving aside his plan to search for fragments of the apocalypse, the body he possessed, which had been developed to the seventh level of the art of destiny, was fully qualified to die.

In reality, there might be a certain probability that seeking longevity is achievable. After all, Gene Sequence enhance the physical body. Many Sequence Holder experience mental chaos and collapse, but their physical bodies can continue to survive. Their physical lifespan is far from its limit. In reality, this can also promote the development of life techniques, and there is now an additional Spiritual Qi rich area.

Having figured everything out, Zhang Xuezhou urged the mallard ducks to start afresh.

"No, this place is perfect for sleeping. I don't feel anxious or rushed at all here, and the stinging sensation from the rushing is gone. I want to sleep here forever," the mallard groaned drowsily.

"You seem to have a hard time figuring out who's the Little Wang between us. I'm not discussing this with you," Zhang Xuezhou warned.

"I'll be Little Wang!"

The mallard ducks finally got up reluctantly and began to cooperate with Zhang Xuezhou to complete the two-way shuttle.

"We need to come together to enter this place. Can we come here often to recuperate?" the mallard asked before leaving.

"We'll see," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"It's always 'we'll see,' I don't want to hear that kind of perfunctory talk!"

"I love this place too. I'd come here even if my soul wasn't injured!"

Zhang Xuezhou looked at the top of the ancient tree.

Before signing the contract, he was indifferent to ancient and giant trees and his evaluation tended to be negative.

But the contract taking root in his soul did bring about changes. When Zhang Xuezhou examined it again, he found that he felt a sense of warmth, as if he were facing his own elder.

If he can stabilize both of his worlds, Zhang Xuezhou would indeed like to come here to clear his mind and prepare for a new journey.

As for whether he will break through the darkness or escape the giant tree's contract in the future, it depends on the environment Zhang Xuezhou faces. He has also handed over the decision to his future self and will not make any decisions arbitrarily in the present.

The spirit and the mallard leaped together, touched each other, and were then transformed into the bud-shaped chamber that supported and transported them.

An endless darkness emerged, occasionally punctuated by flashes of light.

That might belong to the spark mentioned by the ancient tree, or it might belong to the planet that hatched life.

In the vast world, humans are ultimately as insignificant as dust. The darkness, lacking light, cannot sustain the growth of any living being. Perhaps powerful beings do want to pierce the darkness, but Zhang Xuezhou is currently only indifferent because his strength is far from sufficient.

"Finally, the thought of piercing through the darkness has taken hold!"

The subtle influence brought about a change in mindset, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Many things don't need to be repeated every day; just a small idea can be introduced and perhaps take root and sprout at some point.

Although he left the decision to his future self, Zhang Xuezhou already sensed that his future self might actually do such a thing.

If humans had long lifespans, what would their final choices and outcomes be?

The thought in his heart finally turned into words on his lips. When he opened his eyes, Zhang Xuezhou saw the slightly surprised faces of many people.

"You took nine days longer to regain consciousness than before, and it took you twenty-four days to fully wake up," Ren Anran reminded her.

It's alright!

In the void, time and space lack a defined form; what feels like eternity may simply be a moment in reality, or a brief passage that feels like an eternity in reality.

Interacting with the ancient tree didn't have a lasting impact, so things weren't too bad.

"You're fine, but we are," Badun sighed. "We're genuinely afraid you'll die in here!"

"Badun, we have enough food to last. Would you like to try it?"

Naggus asked the question, clearly hoping that the number of people coming and going could increase.

Even if only Badun joins the people traversing the distortion, as long as he accompanies Zhang Xuezhou in and out several times, their survival pressure will be eliminated, and everyone can proceed with more peace of mind, eventually leading to a snowball effect.

This kind of thing requires taking a gamble, and it also requires a pioneer to emerge, and Badun has the most potential.

"I'm not sure if I can learn it," Badun shook his head repeatedly. "This requires everyone to try together!"

"Should we have Xuezhou load the food again before we start?" Ren Yisheng asked cautiously. "Our original plan was to cut the monthly supply of compressed food in half, extending it to two months. However, Xuezhou's waking hours have changed, so our previous plan might not work!"

"Zhouzi, you haven't eaten for so long, can your body hold up?"

Zhou Rihui, who was not very familiar with Zhang Xuezhou's Grain Avoidance abilities, spoke loudly, while also glaring angrily at Badun and the others.

Zhou Rihui felt that Zhang Xuezhou should first eat something, then go out for a medical check-up to find out why his health was deteriorating, rather than demonstrating his control to everyone.

"I'm in pretty good health, I won't starve," Zhang Xuezhou said, waving his hand.

"Your body isn't constantly receiving IV nutrition. No matter how much nutrition you inject, it will all be digested, and your stomach won't be full," Zhou Rihui said.

"My body is genetically very resistant to hunger and thirst. Let alone twenty days, I could lie down for a month without any problem, as long as Zhang Xuezhou replenish my energy a little. Besides, the air here is different. You all have experienced hunger many times. Drinking some northwest wind is indeed barely enough to fill you up. If you can endure the hunger, you can learn and be free sooner!"

"Well!"

Zhou Rihui was momentarily speechless. He hadn't expected that Zhang Xuezhou was also actively promoting the demonstration and was very enthusiastic about recommending that everyone have the ability to enter and exit, completely disregarding his own deteriorating health.

If he were to encounter such a situation, Zhou Rihui felt that he couldn't care less about what others were doing; at the very least, he would have to ensure his own survival before considering anything else.

Zhang Xuezhou, the person involved, had no objection. Ren Anran looked somewhat worried but did not stop him. Ren Yisheng, after making a suggestion, did not speak up to obstruct the process.

Everything proceeded as planned, and the group began to analyze and emulate Zhang Xuezhou's control in order to gain their own freedom of movement within the area.