Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 174

The shockwave from the defeat of the twenty-nation naval alliance at the Misty Forbidden Zone rippled across the entire world. 

Previously, cultivators of different countries paid little attention to forbidden zones outside their own territories. But now, after witnessing the near-total destruction of the combined forces in the Misty Forbidden Zone, the world had no choice but to acknowledge its terrifying power.

The Misty Forbidden Zone, along with the Eastern Sea Forbidden Zone and the Devil’s Forbidden Zone, was officially recognized as one of the three most terrifying forbidden zones in the world. Before this, only the Great Xia Empire had ranked the Misty Forbidden Zone among the top three. Now, it was a consensus across all nations.

While turmoil spread throughout the world, the Misty Forbidden Zone itself grew increasingly tranquil. The great battle not only solidified Su Mu’s authority but also brought a sense of peace and stability to the creatures within the zone. 

Previously, many of them had feared their existence as monsters, always worried that one day the human cultivators would wipe them out. But now, those fears had dissipated entirely.

This newfound sense of security made the Misty Forbidden Zone immensely attractive to monsters from other regions. Despite knowing the dangers, many sought to join, willing to risk their lives for a chance to be part of the zone. Surprisingly, it wasn’t just monsters—there were even humans with similar ambitions.

Su Mu, however, paid little attention to these developments. Instead, he focused on assimilating the spoils of the recent battle. Although the number of enemies he killed in this battle was far fewer than in the battle against the Nanzhao Kingdom, the quality of the cultivators was significantly higher. Many of them were Nascent Soul and Divine Transformation experts, each with thousands of years of life force.

As a result, Su Mu gained an astonishing nine million years of lifespan from this battle. With this newfound energy, he decided to continue an experiment he had started earlier.

His abilities had reached their peak at the tenth tier, and he had noticed that two of them seemed to have the potential to merge.

“Power of Mist, Phantom Snow Eye, merge!”

With a single thought, Su Mu initiated the fusion. In an instant, 1.2 million years of lifespan vanished. He felt the presence of the Power of Mist and the Phantom Snow Eye in an unseen, ethereal space. Slowly, the two began to intertwine.

Su Mu’s anticipation grew. The Power of Mist, though not as strong as some of the abilities he had acquired later, was foundational. It was the core of his initial survival and the basis for the development of the Misty Forbidden Zone. Thus, it held a special place in his heart.

After several breaths, the Power of Mist and Phantom Snow Eye disappeared from his list of abilities. In their place, new text emerged.

“Mist Illusion Realm, Level 1.”

A new ability had been born: the Mist Illusion Realm. The Misty Forbidden Zone remained shrouded in mist, but the nature of the mist had fundamentally changed. Su Mu could now clearly sense spatial fluctuations within the mist, indicating that the space it covered had become an independent realm. The mist had merged with the void, transforming this section of the void into a separate dimension.

Su Mu was reminded of the Kunlun Plateau, which, due to the presence of the Plateau’s Will, had also become a separate space. Now, the Misty Forbidden Zone had undergone a similar transformation, and Su Mu had become a presence akin to the Plateau’s Will.

The mist was no longer just a means of obscuring vision and perception. It now had the power to induce illusions. The creatures within the Misty Forbidden Zone sensed the change, but Su Mu did not intervene. 

Those who could adapt to this new environment would stay; those who couldn’t would be naturally eliminated. With more and more beings flocking to the Misty Forbidden Zone, the Mist Illusion Realm would help Su Mu refine and select the strongest.

Next, Su Mu turned his attention to the Earth Fiend Transformation and Earth Force. These two abilities were also complementary in nature.

“Merge!”

Su Mu initiated the fusion of these abilities as well. Given that Earth Fiend Transformation had always required more lifespan to upgrade, the fusion process consumed significantly more energy.

In a flash, 1.5 million years of lifespan were expended. Earth Fiend Transformation and Earth Force vanished, replaced by “Earth Origin, Level 1.”

This new ability stunned Su Mu. It granted him control over the fundamental essence of the earth itself. The most central aspect of this power was the ability to appoint earth spirits within the domain he controlled. This touched upon the true principles of the earth, even the Dao of the Earth itself.

Su Mu then turned his attention to his Sword Mastery ability and Metal-Splitting Power. He believed these two abilities could also be fused, though the Metal-Splitting Power was still at the eighth tier and needed to be upgraded first. 

Without hesitation, he invested 200,000 years of lifespan to raise the Gold Splitting Technique to the tenth tier. Then, he used 1.2 million years of lifespan to fuse the two abilities.

The Sword Mastery and Metal-Splitting Power combined into “Sword Control, Level 1.” Though only a slight change in name, the power had increased threefold. A technique had evolved into a mastery, drastically increasing its lethality.

Su Mu checked his remaining lifespan. He had consumed 4.1 million years from the 9 million he had gained, plus his original stockpile, leaving him with 3.1 million years.

He then used 200,000 years to upgrade his Heart of Faith to the tenth tier. Another 220,000 years were used to raise Heart Peering and Bloodsucking Power to the tenth tier each. Finally, 1.2 million years were invested in raising Life Anchor to the fifth tier.

After all these expenditures, Su Mu took stock of his current status:

[Species: Spirit Ginkgo Tree]

[Height: 1330 feet]

[Lifespan: 3.1 million years]

[Tier: Sixth Tier, Lower Grade]

[Abilities: Innate Talent Duplication, Life Essence Condensation, Heart Origin World, Heaven and Human Induction, Boundless Fulfillment, Reincarnation Fragment, Indestructible Golden Body, External Incarnation, Heavenly Thunder Dao Technique, Tenth-tier Water Breathing, Tenth-tier Heart of Faith, Tenth-tier Heart Peering, Tenth-tier Bloodsucking Power, Fifth-tier Life Anchor, Earth Origin, Level 1, Mist Illusion Realm, Level 1, Sword Control, Level 1]

The remaining tenth-tier abilities were incompatible with each other and could not be fused. Su Mu realized that for two abilities to merge, they had to share some degree of compatibility.

“I wonder if Heart Origin World can be fused with Heart Peering?” Su Mu mused.

Heart Origin World was an ability without a defined tier, so theoretically, it couldn’t be upgraded. However, his recent successes with upgrading his tenth-tier abilities gave him an idea. After some consideration, Su Mu decided to give it a try.

As he began the fusion process, he sensed a faint but noticeable drain on his lifespan. Judging by the rate of consumption, Su Mu estimated that the process would require approximately 3 million years of lifespan.

“Heart Origin World and Heart Peering, merge!”

Su Mu commanded the fusion.

In that instant, the Heart Origin World shook violently.