“It was in…” Li Fan furrowed his brow, seemingly trying hard to recall something.
Ximen Yu stared at him intently, listening with full concentration.
“I can’t remember.” After a long pause, Li Fan shrugged helplessly and said.
“You…” Ximen Yu’s face stiffened. “Such a strange event—how could you forget so easily?”
His expression was filled with disbelief as he scrutinized Li Fan.
“Daoist Ximen, why don’t you tell me about this withered branch? Maybe as you talk, I might remember something,” Li Fan suggested with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Ximen Yu narrowed his eyes, scanning Li Fan up and down.
Yet, Li Fan remained completely unfazed, meeting his gaze with calm composure.
Unable to gauge Li Fan’s true strength, Ximen Yu ultimately chose not to act recklessly.
After a brief silence, he finally spoke: “As for this item’s origins, I’m not entirely sure myself. Back then, my research on the earth veins had reached a bottleneck.”
“Under the rule of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, the power of the earth veins is tightly sealed by a protective formation that covers the entire region. Without proper authorization, attempting to tap into or study it is extremely difficult. I tried many methods, but I couldn’t find a breakthrough. Just as I was considering switching to a different research direction…”
“About two years ago, the power of the earth veins in this area suddenly erupted. It was as if a catastrophic disaster had occurred thousands of miles away, one capable of annihilating an entire province, triggering a chain reaction. Seeing this rare opportunity, I seized the chance to absorb the overflowing power of the earth veins.”
“And this withered branch—this is what I discovered within the energy of the earth veins.”
Ximen Yu spoke slowly, while Li Fan listened, deep in thought.
“Two years ago… that was around the time of the Crimson Flame Burning Sea incident. Could it be that Hongxi, in his attempt to force out the hidden Crimson Flame within the earth veins, caused this disturbance by forcefully extracting its power?”
The Xuanhuang Earth Veins are interconnected—though separated by vast distances, they can still influence one another. In the past, in the Congyun Sea, there was a sunken island that emerged from the ocean due to the distant event of “A Hundred Mountains Flattening into Plains.”
The seismic activity Ximen Yu observed here might very well be the residual shockwaves from the battle with the Crimson Flame back then.
Looking at the withered branch, which was still continuously emitting a yellowish-brown energy from the earth veins, Li Fan asked with some confusion:
“The power of the earth veins is supposed to be pure and pristine. How could a withered branch be mixed into it? Ordinary trees would be crushed into dust within mere moments in the depths of the earth veins due to the immense pressure. What exactly is the origin of this branch? Not only has it endured in the earth veins, but it can also draw upon and absorb the suppressed energy within?”
Li Fan then turned his gaze toward Ximen Yu once more.
“I assume the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance hasn’t detected the disturbances in the earth veins here yet? If they had, considering this concerns the safety of their grand protective formation, they would have definitely sent people to eliminate this hidden threat.”
Ximen Yu’s expression shifted slightly, but he did not deny it.
“This withered branch does indeed possess some kind of mysterious power. It seems to be of the same origin as the earth veins, so my small-scale extractions for research have only been perceived as natural fluctuations of the earth veins themselves.”
The withered branch’s emission of earth vein energy seemed intermittent, following a specific pattern. At this moment, the outflow was gradually weakening until finally, no more energy seeped out.
Ximen Yu carefully stored the jade bottle containing the branch.
“Of the same origin as the earth veins?” Li Fan pondered over these words carefully.
Ximen Yu then retrieved a stone tablet from his storage ring. It appeared to have been separated from an ancient rock wall, bearing extremely old marks.
The carvings on it were abstract, but the general depiction was still somewhat understandable.
Countless tiny dots represented humanity. They worshiped and lived upon the earth.
Meanwhile, beneath the surface, an inverted great tree grew.
Its roots spread densely, anchoring themselves into every corner of the land.
Yet its crown extended deep underground, reaching the very core of the earth.
“This is something I discovered in a geological fault while studying the changes in ancient and modern landforms. It should be a relic left behind by an ancient mortal civilization.”
“And it’s not just this mural. I have found similar ancient records in various places across the Xuanhuang Realm.”
“I suspect that what we call the earth’s spiritual veins are actually derived from the roots of this ancient tree. And this withered branch I have belongs to that very tree.”
Ximen Yu explained.
“Although the information left behind by mortals is extremely simplistic, and their perspective may not reveal the full truth, it is precisely because it comes from mortals that we cultivators often choose to ignore it. As a result, records that should have been erased have instead managed to survive.” Ximen Yu sneered.
“The Tree of Earth’s Veins…” Li Fan stroked his chin.
“No, that’s not right.” Suddenly, he shook his head.
“It’s very similar to what I once saw in an illusion, but there were still some differences.” Li Fan said with certainty.
Ximen Yu was not surprised. After thinking for a moment, he said, “It’s possible that the ancient tree you saw was even older.”
“It might even be the origin of the Tree of Earth’s Veins.”
Li Fan was astonished. “The Tree of Earth’s Veins has an origin?”
Ximen Yu took out several black stones from somewhere, crushed them, and scattered the powder onto the withered branch planted in the ground. The black powder was quickly absorbed, and the branch seemed to regain some vitality.
“It is said that in the beginning, there was only a single Mother Tree that governed the lifespans of all living beings.”
“Then, a great catastrophe occurred, and the Mother Tree suffered severe damage. Some of its branches broke off and fell into the world.”
“One of them became the ancient Tree of Earth’s Veins.”
Ximen Yu gazed at the carefully nurtured withered branch with deep affection as he spoke slowly.
A sharp glint flashed in Li Fan’s eyes. “Where did you learn of this, Daoist Ximen? I have never heard of such a thing.”
Ximen Yu kept his gaze fixed on the withered branch and did not answer.
Li Fan paused, then nodded slightly.
“Ah, after hearing you say this, I seem to recall something. Back then, I encountered that withered branch right here.”
Casually, he sketched out a map of Tianling Prefecture and marked a location.
Only then did Ximen Yu shift his focus from the branch and firmly memorize the location before erasing the map.
“Times have changed. Over the years, I have revisited that place many times, but I have never been able to find that withered tree again. Daoist Ximen, you should not place too much hope on this.” Li Fan cautioned.
Ximen Yu chuckled, “Such a rare object can only be found by chance, not sought after. But I’ve always been lucky. Once I finish my research on the Theory of Earth’s Veins, I will definitely try my luck.”
“Then allow me to wish you success in advance!” Li Fan cupped his fists in salute, preparing to leave.
“Han Wuyou, was it?” Ximen Yu tossed a communication talisman over. “I feel like there’s some fate between us. Keep this. Perhaps we’ll meet again in the future.”
Li Fan stored the talisman away and did not linger.
Once his figure disappeared, the doors of the cave mansion closed once more.
Ximen Yu furrowed his brows deeply. “In Heaven and Earth stands the Ruòmu tree, by day and night it wanes yet fosters eternal life…”
“Could it still exist in this world?”