Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 172

Out of the more than five thousand who entered Su Mu’s Inner World, only three hundred remained.

This showed that despite Su Mu’s immense power, the overall sentiment among the human cultivators was more hostile than devout.

However, for Su Mu, having these three hundred survivors was more than enough.

He also noticed that among these three hundred, four individuals had developed a heart of faith.

This ratio was surprisingly high.

One of these three hundred particularly caught Su Mu’s attention—Minister Liang of the Great Xia Empire.

To his surprise, Minister Liang bore no ill will toward him. While Minister Liang had not yet developed faith, his lack of hostility was noteworthy.

Before Su Mu could dwell on Minister Liang’s intentions, several voices drew his attention.

“Great Lord of the Mist, please spare my life. I promise I will be of use to you, but if you must kill me, I accept it without regret,” Yang Xuan of the Great Xia Empire pleaded.

“Divine Tree, please don’t kill Mo Wani. It’s not that I’m afraid of death, but there are many unfulfilled wishes I still have,” Mo Wani of the Solomon Empire begged, her tone filled with a pitiable sincerity.

Both had developed a heart of faith, proving their words were genuine. However, Su Mu noticed a stark contrast between them and the others—Suo Wo Zhaohe of the Ancient Tomb Empire and Lucas of the Haori Alliance were fanatical in their devotion.

Standing amidst a sea of corpses, the two displayed an expression of sacred fervor, even laced with a hint of anticipation.

“Before the divine, Suo Wo Zhaohe is willing to offer her life to you.”

“Legend has it that if one is slain by a god, their soul will enter the god’s divine kingdom. That is my lifelong dream,” Lucas declared, looking toward the heavens with an expression of eagerness, seemingly waiting to be struck down.

Su Mu found himself at a loss for words. While Yang Xuan and Mo Wani appeared to be relatively normal believers, Suo Wo Zhaohe and Lucas were outright zealots.

Both had significant identities—Suo Wo Zhaohe was the younger sister of Suo Wo Shengde, the former Grand Marshall of the Ancient Tomb Empire, and though Suo Wo Shengde was dead, the Suo Wo family remained the most powerful family in the empire, second only to the imperial family. Lucas, on the other hand, hailed from the Golden Flower family, one of the top three noble families of the Haori Alliance.

At this moment, Su Mu communicated his thoughts to Su Yao, who then spoke on his behalf.

“Those who were struck down by the Divine Tree did so because they were blasphemers. Those of you who survived, you have passed the god’s test of the heart, so you need not fear death,” Su Yao explained.

The three hundred survivors were visibly moved, growing even more convinced of the god’s profound power.

Indeed, they had harbored no thoughts of blasphemy or offense toward the Divine Ginkgo Tree.

Unexpectedly, the Divine Tree could discern this, further reinforcing their belief that it was a true deity.

The human heart is exceedingly complex. How could one who is not a god possibly see through it?

“Su… Su Yao, can we leave now?” He Liangyue asked, her voice trembling.

The events of the day had clearly shaken her to the core. Her revered superior, the brightest rising star of the empire, was actually a disciple of the Misty Forbidden Zone. And from the way things appeared, Su Yao held a high position within the forbidden zone.

“Of course you can,” Su Yao replied.

“No, I don’t want to leave!” Lucas quickly interjected. “This place must be the Divine Tree’s kingdom. I refuse to leave the divine kingdom. Please, Divine Tree, kill me and take my soul into your kingdom forever.”

“I won’t leave either,” Suo Wo Zhaohe declared. “Coming to the divine kingdom is the greatest blessing of my life. I’d rather die than leave.”

“…” Su Yao, as Su Mu’s first disciple, found herself at a loss for words. She felt these two had somewhat unusual minds.

“Don’t worry. While it might not be true for others, you both can return here whenever you wish, even if you leave now,” Su Yao reassured them.

She had sensed the emergence of four new hearts of faith within the void, with Lucas and Suo Wo Zhaohe among them.

Seeing their disbelief, Su Yao suggested, “Try entering a meditative state and focusing on your hearts.”

Lucas and Suo Wo Zhaohe hesitated briefly before doing as instructed.

Moments later, their consciousnesses entered the void of faith, leaving them astonished.

Before they could fully explore, Su Mu willed them and the other cultivators back to the surface, outside of the underground world.

These cultivators would be most useful if they returned to their respective nations and became Su Mu’s extensions into the affairs of the world.

At the same time, all the nations were closely watching the events in Nanzhao Bay.

With more than twenty fleets from different countries entering the bay, such a significant event couldn’t be hidden. Besides, neither the fleets nor Su Mu had intended to keep it a secret.

As a result, the battle quickly became the focus of global attention.

“With over twenty fleets, including several Divine Transformation experts, who could possibly withstand such power?”

“I think this is the end for the Misty Forbidden Zone.”

“Hmph, this world is ultimately ruled by the human race. Even if the Misty Sovereign dares to challenge us, the united might of humanity will surely bring him down.”

Most cultivators around the world watched with anticipation.

They believed that the Misty Forbidden Zone, despite its previous show of friendliness, was still a foreign entity to them. If the opportunity arose to witness its downfall, they would be more than eager to see it happen.

Taking down the Misty Forbidden Zone would be further proof of humanity’s dominance over the world.

However, the unfolding situation didn’t match their expectations. After the twenty-plus fleets entered Nanzhao Bay, all contact was lost. No messages, no updates.

The rulers of these nations frantically tried to contact their fleets, only to be met with silence, as if the entire armada, including thousands of elite cultivators, had simply vanished.

It wasn’t until three hours later that any news emerged from Nanzhao Bay.

It came from the three hundred survivors who had left the underground world of the Misty Forbidden Zone.

However, when asked what had happened, they all remained tight-lipped, refusing to reveal any details. Even under duress, they wouldn’t disclose the truth.

On a secluded beach along Nanzhao Bay, thirteen figures stood.

These thirteen were the surviving members of the Great Xia Empire, including Yang Xuan, He Liangyue, and Minister Liang.

“Minster,” Su Yao said with a sigh, “you now know my true identity, so I won’t be returning to the Great Xia Empire.”

“Why wouldn’t you return?” Minister Liang replied.

Su Yao was taken aback, then said, “I am a disciple of the Misty Forbidden Zone. Surely you know why I was in the empire.”

Minister Liang smiled and asked, “Do you know why the Heaven and Earth Pavilion serves the Great Xia Empire?”

Su Yao seemed to understand what he was implying.

“The Heaven and Earth Pavilion does not serve the Great Xia Empire but the Eastern Wilderness,” Minister Liang explained. “We serve the Great Xia Empire because it is the unified dynasty of the Eastern Wilderness. In the past, the Great Xia Empire was almost synonymous with the Eastern Wilderness.

“But now, having witnessed the true strength of the Misty Forbidden Zone, how could we still hold such naive beliefs? If the Misty Forbidden Zone or the Misty Sovereign wanted to destroy the Great Xia Empire, it would have already fallen. The only reason the empire still stands is that the Misty Sovereign harbors no ill will toward it.”

“But the Misty Forbidden Zone is a force of the demon race…” Su Yao began.

Minister Liang shook his head. “A demon force? That’s a misunderstanding held by the world. The Misty Sovereign is a god, and he holds no bias against the human race. In the Misty Forbidden Zone, there are both demons and humans. Therefore, it is not a force of the demon race but a place akin to the ancient sanctuaries of gods and immortals.”

He looked earnestly at Su Yao and added, “Su Yao, you must strive to elevate your position within the Misty Forbidden Zone. From what I see, there will inevitably be competition among the various races within the zone. The race that holds the highest position within it may very well determine the future of this world.”