The once lush, vibrant trees began to visibly age as specks of green light continuously dissipated.
During this time, the ‘Ruomu’ made several attempts to fight back. The tree trembled, manifesting countless mystical creatures that fearlessly charged at the cultivators. Even the Ruomu itself lashed out with its branches like swords.
However, the cultivators who had come to this place were terrifyingly powerful. All resistance was futile and was immediately suppressed. Even the Ruomu’s desperate final strike—causing the purple-gold fruits at its peak to wither—was salvaged by this group.
Left powerless, Ruomu could only watch as its life essence was wantonly extracted. Its leaves gradually turned yellow and fell like rain. Amid thunderous roars, many branches snapped off with loud crashes.
Cracks began to spread across the Ruomu’s trunk, yet this group showed no signs of stopping. Their intent was clear—they would not cease until it was completely drained.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, another group of cultivators arrived. A fierce battle broke out between the two factions, forcing the extraction process to halt. The newcomers successfully retrieved the condensed green light of ball from the air and departed, but not before launching a combined attack on the already-devastated Ruomu.
This second assault inflicted even greater damage than the forced extraction of its life energy. Massive fissures ran up the tree’s trunk, causing large sections of branches to fall, their destinations unknown.
The rescuers, seeing the extent of the damage, abandoned their pursuit to focus on healing the Ruomu. Thanks to their efforts, the Ruomu narrowly escaped total destruction. However, the injuries it sustained were so severe that recovery seemed impossible.
From that moment on, decay and aging became the tree’s constant companions. Many years later, a humanoid cultivator emerged from the Ruomu, manifesting from within its essence.
The fragmented scenes witnessed in the ‘Withering Human Life’ conveyed an overwhelming amount of information.
Li Fan replayed these images repeatedly through the Dao Deviation Stone, piecing together clues with the information he had previously gathered. Gradually, he formed a hypothesis.
“The cultivators who harmed the Ruomu were likely the same group who, during the great calamity, advocated abandoning the Xuanhuang Realm and fleeing far away.”
“Judging by the power they displayed, some among them were clearly experts at the Longevity Immortal Stage.”
“Five hundred years ago, for some unknown reason, this group attempted to return to the Xuanhuang Realm, sparking a great conflict.”
“Sima Changkong once mentioned that the heavens themselves express extreme hatred for these cultivators, far more than for those of us who plunder and dominate the world.”
“Traitors… What did they steal?”
“Could it have been the Ruomu, the tree capable of producing Fruits of Longevity?”
“Hmm… Judging by their methods, there may have been something else involved.”
“Thousands of years have passed since their departure and return. Did they ultimately fail to escape the ‘Immortal Ruins’, or was there another reason?”
Li Fan furrowed his brows in thought.
The existence of the Immortal Ruins was no secret to the Ten Immortal Sects. The ruthless, decisive actions of this group implied that they had confidence in their ability to escape the Xuanhuang Realm. Yet, for some reason, they were forced to return.
The known information was too sparse, so Li Fan decided to set this matter aside for now.
Regardless, he now understood why the Ruomu harbored such deep resentment toward cultivators.
Whether it was being recklessly plundered for its fruits or nearly destroyed afterward, the enmity between the Ruomu and cultivators could only be described as irreconcilable.
If Li Fan had suffered such treatment, his vengeance would undoubtedly have been several times more ruthless.
“After the Immortal Ancestor imparted a new method of cultivation, the Fruits of Longevity no longer grant eternal life.”
“From the Ruomu’s perspective, this might actually be a blessing.”
“In a way, the Immortal Ancestor may have been its savior. Without him, no matter how powerful the Ruomu was, it would still be unable to escape the fate of being exploited.”
“Judging by its attempt to reverse the ‘Destruction of its Kind,’ it seems the Ruomu itself has not yet reached the Longevity Immortal Realm. However, given its incredible nature and ancient origin, its strength cannot be measured by simple Dao Integration standards.”
“Is it above Dao Integration but below Longevity Immortal? The gap between these stages is staggeringly vast.”
The powerful entities Li Fan had encountered recently—the Heavenly Doctor, the Old Fisherman, and now the Ruomu—all seemed to be in this intermediate realm. While this might be coincidental, it highlighted the immense difficulty of transcending the laws of the universe to achieve eternal life.
Despite the abundance of talent and brilliance in the world, the path to Longevity Immortal under the new method remained treacherously narrow, with only a few successfully attaining it.
Li Fan’s gaze deepened, and he fell silent for a long time.
Reflecting on this encounter, Li Fan began to reconsider his actions.
“Encountering the Ruomu and nearly losing my life—it was truly a matter of bad luck.”
“I was not complacent after my recent breakthrough. This was the Tianling Prefecture’s city, and the villa I rented from the Discussing-Dao Tower should have been secure.”
“Who could have anticipated that a cultivator dealing in dubious trades, selling Golden Cores, would turn out to be a powerful entity filled with malice toward humanity?”
This realization left Li Fan feeling helpless.
He could not always hide and rely solely on his clone for action. Although useful, the clone was limited—it was weaker than his true self and could not wield the full extent of his abilities. Expecting it to reach the Longevity Immortal Realm was unrealistic.
“Like being struck by lightning while walking down the street, such rare incidents shouldn’t deter me from action altogether.”
“There are situations where only my true self can act seamlessly and leave no trace behind.”
“Still, the Ruomu’s ability to manipulate and distort one’s thoughts is something I must find a way to defend against.”
“If it hadn’t harbored hatred toward cultivators and glimpsed some future act of mine, intending to use me for vengeance, I might have remained trapped in its grasp indefinitely.”
“Even with my supposedly resolute mind, I was utterly defenseless against it.”
“In the cultivation world, there are endless treasures and techniques. Surely, I can find a method to counter such abilities.”
“I don’t need complete immunity—just enough clarity to counteract this shortcoming.”
Li Fan committed this task to memory, placing it as a top priority.
After calming his thoughts, Li Fan finally picked up the withered Ruomu branch that had been sitting on his table.
As he carefully examined it, a sense of familiarity struck him.
It wasn’t because he had previously encountered the Ruomu itself but rather because…
This branch seemed similar to the material Jiao Xiuyuan had used to craft clones.