Deep within a hidden valley inside the secret realm, Gu Tian gradually had his Wind Wyvern descend toward the ground. His eyes locked onto a small cave not far ahead. Pulling out his signal detector, he checked its readings once more before heading deeper into the cave.
Inside, the darkness was absolute. It was as if all light had been devoured, leaving nothing but an abyss. Gu Tian carefully navigated through sharp rocks and the uneven terrain, his footsteps echoing faintly against the stone walls.
Then… at the very end of the cave, he stumbled upon a breathtaking sight.
Countless gold and black saplings filled the space, yet among them, a particular glow radiated—almost as if beckoning him forward. Gu Tian smirked slightly before stepping ahead.
And at last, what he found left him stunned—a colossal tree.
It was so enormous that it defied logic, towering in a cave that should have been far too small to contain it. Its massive branches extended endlessly, piercing through space itself, stretching into other dimensions.
Gu Tian stared at the tree calmly, and a flood of information appeared before him.
[Name: Tree of Chaos]
[Power Level: Legendary Low]
[Species: Primordial Tree]
[Elements: Wood, Spirit, Light, Darkness, Chaos, Void, Time, Samsara, Stars]
[Special Abilities: Dimensional Rift (SSS+), Time Manipulation (SSS+), Chaos Roots (SSS+), Birth and Death (SSS+), Starburst (SSS+), Devouring Vines (SSS+), Razor Leaves (SSS+), Light and Darkness (SSS+), Ancient Forest Spirit (SSS+)]
[Potential: Emperor Peak]
[Evolution Paths: 0]
[Evaluation Compared to Legendary Beasts: ???]
Gu Tian's pupils dilated slightly before he… casually took out a snack and began eating.
A hoarse, ancient voice resonated from the towering tree.
"You're one of the few who have seen me and yet do not tremble in fear."
The deep voice echoed throughout the cavern, but Gu Tian remained unfazed, merely offering a slight smile before replying.
"Just because I don't show it… doesn't mean I'm not afraid."
The Tree of Chaos let out a low chuckle.
"Yet your heartbeat, your spirit domain, your blood flow… even your body itself… shows no trace of fear."
"If I had to guess… death itself cannot claim you, can it? Haha… I'm starting to like you already!"
Its powerful laughter rumbled through the cave as its branches swayed ever so slightly, as if testing something.
Then, suddenly
The Tree of Chaos unleashed an overwhelming force. Light and darkness merged into a swirling mass, spreading across the secret realm. Time itself froze, as though the world had been trapped in an eternal void.
But in just a few moments, time resumed its natural course, followed by the tree's hoarse laughter.
"Haha… I see, I see… Very well. Let's make a wager, shall we?"
With that, the Tree of Chaos slowly retracted its massive branches from across dimensions, causing the entire Secret Realm of the Immortal Tree to tremble violently. The ground cracked, and the dark sky above warped unnaturally.
"What is happening…?" Wu Shuang stared wide-eyed as the Tree of Chaos rapidly began to decay.
Then
The Tree of Chaos gathered its remaining strength and created a sapling, using the last of its power before its gigantic form collapsed, shrinking into a tiny tree with alternating golden and black radiance.
Just before all its energy faded, the tree spoke one final time.
"I entrust my child to you… Though I no longer have the power to force you, please…"
"I beg of you… I cannot wait any longer…"
The Tree of Chaos had sacrificed its lifespan to glimpse into Gu Tian's future, before perishing completely, leaving behind its sapling in Gu Tian's care.
Gu Tian gazed at the small tree, a faint smile playing on his lips as he stepped closer.
"You made the right choice… but let me ask you something."
His golden eyes flickered with a deep curiosity.
"What did you see in my future?"
"For you to willingly sacrifice at least another ten years of life… just to witness it?"
The Tree of Chaos let out a soft chuckle, but it did not answer. Instead, its form gradually withered away, fading into nothingness.
Gu Tian smirked. He had already guessed the answer, so he did not hesitate—he quickly stored the remains of the Tree of Chaos in his spatial ring and immediately formed a contract with its sapling.
[Name: Sapling of Chaos]
[Power Level: Black Iron Low]
[Species: Primordial Tree]
[Elements: Wood, Spirit, Light, Darkness, Chaos, Void, Time, Samsara, Stars]
[Special Abilities: Dimensional Rift (SSS+), Time Manipulation (SSS+), Chaos Roots (SSS+), Birth and Death (SSS+), Starburst (SSS+), Devouring Vines (SSS+), Razor Leaves (SSS+), Light and Darkness (SSS+), Ancient Forest Spirit (SSS+)]
[Potential: Emperor Peak]
[Evolution Paths: 0]
[Evaluation Compared to Black Iron Beasts: F]
Gu Tian glanced at the information and let out a small chuckle. The F-rank evaluation was likely due to the sapling being too weak to activate any of its abilities. However, he didn't mind at all. He never intended for it to be a combat beast in the first place.
What truly interested him was its Dimensional Rift (SSS+) ability a power that allowed its branches to pierce through dimensions and connect to other worlds. If combined with Chaos Roots (SSS+) and Devouring Vines (SSS+), the tree would be able to spread its roots across dimensions, absorbing resources from multiple realms to nourish itself.
At first, Gu Tian had entered this secret realm searching for the Immortal Tree, which was said to grant a second life. But what he had found instead far exceeded his expectations.
The Birth and Death (SSS+) ability was a power that linked the life and death of all his contracted beasts.
For example… if Gu Tian and all four of his contracted beasts were to die, as long as one of them was the Sapling of Chaos, then Gu Tian would not perish.
As long as at least one of his beasts remained alive, Gu Tian could revive through it.
A maniacal laugh erupted from Gu Tian.
But just then
The secret realm began to tremble violently!
A deep cracking sound echoed from the ground, and chunks of rock began collapsing from the cave ceiling.
Gu Tian immediately understood—this realm had been sustained by the Tree of Chaos, and now that the tree had perished, the entire secret realm was collapsing!
"Judging by how it feels… I'd say I have about three days before everything crumbles."
After a brief moment of thought, Gu Tian hurriedly collected the gold and black saplings he had seen earlier, storing them within his spirit domain.
Then, his body transformed into liquid blood, rushing out of the cave at high speed.
His golden eyes scanned the surroundings as he moved, searching for hidden treasures or unique energy sources within this collapsing realm.
But what he found wasn't treasure at all.
Instead, it was a horde of tree-type beasts, all thrown into chaos.
Even Emperor-rank trees were among them.
The entire forest had gone berserk.
Their eyes glowed crimson, their branches thrashed wildly, and some even fought amongst themselves in a frenzy.
A dark energy pulsed throughout the realm, spreading madness to everything within it.
Gu Tian instantly recognized what was happening—ช
This was the aftershock of the Tree of Chaos' death.
Without hesitation, Gu Tian pulled a special talisman from his spatial ring and hurled it into the center of the realm.
BOOM!
The moment the talisman touched the ground, an immense burst of spirit energy erupted toward the sky
A beacon that immediately drew the attention of every single living creature in the realm.
All the berserk tree beasts suddenly froze in place.
The madness in their eyes slowly faded.
The dark energy that had clouded the realm dissipated.
Gu Tian smirked slightly before turning away. And without a single word, He walked out of the secret realm.