Fang You was already quite knowledgeable about the ancient gods.
Historically, many ancient gods had completely fallen, and the current number of top-tier ancient beings was not as great as at their peak. However, after the emergence of the mysterious system, top-tier ancient gods like the Great Sun God Venerable, the Moon Lord, and the Lord of the Nine Seas were able to advance further.
Previously, most of them had only attained entry-level for the root authority.
The power they wielded might have been 2%, 1%, or even lower.
And at the time of their birth, their cultivation realms were even lower.
For example, the Moon Lord's original noble title was 'Radiant Moon Goddess', and she wielded the complete authority of moonlight, but she only mastered that single authority.
After a long period, the Moon Lord gradually mastered authorities such as 'Night', 'Full Moon', and 'Slumber', before finally breaking through to the realm of light authority.
Throughout her long existence, the Moon Lord might have experienced ups and downs, which Fang You was unaware of, but he was certain of one thing: the Moon Lord, including other ancient gods, mastered ordinary authorities at most upon their birth.
As for the beings born from the Yinduola World Tree, they were born naturally possessing three root authorities!
"The authority of life is the strongest, about 3%."
"The authority of the world is slightly weaker, around 1.5%."
"The authority of time is weaker still, less than 1%."
Was this little? Not at all!
As long as one attained entry-level for a root authority, they could easily defeat tenth-realm existences like the Ghost-Faced Interrogator and the Lord of Black Smoke with their eyes closed.
With even stronger root authorities, they would be on par with top-tier ancient beings like the Lord of the Nine Seas.
After all, Fang You's strongest authority, the authority of lightning, was only 3%! And the value of the authority of lightning was not as high as the authority of life.
The World Tree Spirit could be considered the most powerful innate being!
If it were in the era before the descent of mysteries, it would undoubtedly have been the strongest ancient god, the God King!
"Is the Yinduola World Tree really that powerful?"
He felt there was more to it, and the great era also played a part!
The arrival of the outer celestial demons, spreading their filth, brought about the era of mysteries. Disasters abounded in the era of mysteries, and death was everywhere, but in terms of true status, the era of mysteries might have been half a notch higher than the previous era of ancient gods.
Ancient beings like the Moon Lord and others had all seen their cultivation realms improve after re-cultivating along the path of mysteries.
In fact, if not for the fall and injuries of various ancient gods in the early stages of the era of mysteries, forcing the ancient beings to spend a lot of time recovering or returning, their achievements would not have stopped there.
The Moon Lord had once said that she could still ascend further in the path of light, but any progress would require time measured in millennia and tens of thousands of years.
"Because the realm of the strange world is higher, and perhaps with the invisible push of the world's great will, the World Tree Spirit was born standing at the finish line of others!"
Vast authority power converged upon her.
Infinite cosmic might shaped her form.
The dimly perceived destiny ignited the fire of her soul.
In the distance, Liu Shang flew down from the treetop of the World Tree.
She had been awakened by the successive waves of immense power.
She had been in deep contemplation on the World Tree for over a hundred days, and her authority of life was nearing completion. However, after a moment's hesitation, she chose to come down and see what was happening.
Deep contemplation could happen anytime, but an opportunity to satisfy curiosity, once missed, was gone forever.
"Mentor, she is…?"
In the center of a ring-like object surrounded by countless roots and flying leaves, a maiden in a dress of emerald leaves floated.
Her figure was slender, with light green hair slightly dishevelled. Her hands were clasped before her chest, her eyes closed, and an awe-inspiring divine radiance emanated from her entire being.
The World Tree Spirit had, in effect, condensed a true human form.
She was not human; her race leaned towards spirits or elementals.
However, this appearance as a human maiden in an emerald green dress was not merely an illusion. This was her true form.
At the moment of her birth, her form was shaped in this very manner!
Her most intrinsic appearance.
Upon seeing the maiden, Liu Shang glanced at Fang You. After hesitating for a while, she couldn't suppress her curiosity and asked, "Mentor, is she… your daughter?"
Given the mentor's age, having a daughter would be normal… Besides, with the mentor's power, creating a daughter would be easy…
This maiden bore a seven-tenths resemblance to the mentor in her features, which Liu Shang recognized at a glance.
Mentor, mentor, no need to deny it.
Wait a minute…
Liu Shang stared at the maiden whose eyes were still closed, then gazed at her for a while longer before gradually falling silent.
Why did she vaguely feel that the maiden's face bore a slight resemblance to her own?
An illusion, it must be an illusion!
But the more she looked, the more they resembled each other, even creating an illusion of a blood connection… Why were there so many illusions!
"In a sense, you could say that."
Fang You studied Liu Shang's face and stroked his chin.
He had some guesses.
While the Tree of Life was planted by his own hand and naturally had a connection, he had not actually taken care of the Yinduola Tree of Life for a long time. It was Liu Shang who guarded it day and night, watching it grow bit by bit.
As the spirit of the tree, it was reasonable for her to shape her appearance to resemble Liu Shang.
Liu Shang stumbled back several steps. She was still an unmarried maiden, but did she have any missing memories? It didn't seem like it.
Liu Shang pondered.
Liu Shang suddenly understood, her cheeks flushing slightly.
"So that's how it is." The more she looked at the maiden, the more she liked her.
Another half a day passed, and finally, the maiden's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she opened her eyes, seeing the world for the first time.
"Dad."
"Mom."
Liu Shang fell silent.
Fang You also fell silent.
He had not yet married, nor did he have such thoughts. After all, with the demons not yet eradicated, how could he start a family?
After a long while, the maiden finally changed her address to Liu Shang to 'Aunt Liu', but she stubbornly refused to change her address for Fang You.
It could only be let go.
Although the tree spirit maiden was newly born, she was not as naive as a human infant. Newly born ancient gods naturally possessed a great deal of common knowledge. Moreover, the tree spirit maiden was a being born from the condensation of the world tree's wisdom. She knew everything the Tree of Life had seen and heard. She was not a blank slate.
However, she did not yet have a name.
She looked expectantly at the two of them, her gaze finally settling on Fang You.
"Hmm…"
"Let's call you Fang Liu Yin. That is your name."
The maiden flitted about, exceptionally cheerful, chattering incessantly.
However…
Fang You smiled but sighed inwardly.
He could not give Fang Liu Yin a complete childhood, for Fang Liu Yin was born favored by the universe and carried many responsibilities.
Setting aside the will of the great universe, Fang You certainly wished for Fang Liu Yin to become stronger, much stronger!
She was already one of the top powerhouses among the All-Fire. In the future fight against the demons, he would need Fang Liu Yin's strength.
Happiness was impossible. Fang You looked at the gentle-looking Liu Shang and pondered that it was his turn to play the villain.
So, where should Fang Liu Yin's cultivation plan begin?
…
The promotion of the Tree of Life was suppressed by Fang You using the power of Blue Star, preventing any anomalies. Furthermore, with so few places with life force left in the entire strange world now, the birth of the World Tree was exceptionally low-key.
Fang Liu Yin's birth was also like that.
Fang You merely summoned some important figures of the All-Fire to get acquainted, and he held a birthday banquet for Fang Liu Yin.
However, some ancient beings still sensed something from the depths of fate and were astonished.
Not long ago.
First Province of the Holy Court.
The Lord of Ten Thousand Beards was still watering the tree.
He occasionally raised his head, gazing upwards at the magnificent phantom of the Yinduola Tree of Life.
When he truly focused, he realized that what he had boasted to his old friend was not an empty boast. The Tree of Life was indeed a great and magnificent entity, and he had already comprehended some principles from it.
In another few decades, he would touch that threshold and advance to the tenth realm to condense a divine body of laws; it would be entirely achievable.
The future was promising!
It was just unknown whether a future existed.
He no longer harbored any complaints about working for the All-Fire, only pride—other ancient beings would not have had the chance even if they wanted it—but he still worried about the future of the All-Fire.
The All-Fire's plan was to defend against the demonic calamities with the City of Oasis, which was no longer a secret.
The Lord of Ten Thousand Beards worried that if the All-Fire were to be annihilated, he, who had remained in the Holy Court, would also not escape the disaster. However, he then thought that he had no choice, so there was no need to worry about it… Not!
A look of worry appeared on the old face of the Lord of Ten Thousand Beards.
Suddenly, his eyes widened, and countless laws converged like streams, forming mighty rivers that surged towards the heavens.
That place was…
Where the Yinduola Tree of Life was located!
"The Tree of Life… What happened to the Tree of Life?"
"Could it be…"
"But does that truly exist?"
After working for the All-Fire for several years, he, the Lord of Ten Thousand Beards, had also vaguely discovered that the All-Fire was assisting the Yinduola Tree of Life in its advancement.
He thought of 'advancement', never 'promotion'.
The Yinduola Tree of Life also had individual differences. In the past, the one guarded by the Forest Goddess was the most supreme and ancient Tree of Life.
But could the Yinduola Tree of Life advance to an even higher status?
The giant shadow of the Tree of Life was continuously growing taller.
Moreover, vast power was slowly emanating.
It was the world, the universe; the core of all trees, the sublimation of life; time, and also reincarnation;
The Lord of Ten Thousand Beards murmured.
The Lord of Ten Thousand Beards' eyes widened.
The Lord of Ten Thousand Beards gradually became dazed and frenzied.
It was like a towering mountain, and he was but a mere worm, unreachable and unattainable.
…
In a certain place in the strange world, the Mother of Nature, who was in seclusion recuperating, suddenly opened her eyes.
She raised her hand, and in her palm, a complete and magnificent gem appeared.
This was the authority of nature!
The Mother of Nature's power was not as great as top-tier ancient gods like the Great Sun God Venerable and the Moon Lord, but she could still be ranked in the second tier, considerably stronger than existences like the Ghost-Faced Interrogator.
This gem of natural authority was the core of the Mother of Nature's power.
However, at this moment, the magnificent authority gem began to tremble slightly. She vaguely sensed that a great power was converging in a certain direction.
Who was it?
Where was it?
The Mother of Nature emerged from her hidden sanctuary, tracing the subtle traces of authority, and finally, her gaze turned beyond the strange world, towards the location of the brilliant world crystal wall.
"Is it the All-Fire?"
"Within the All-Fire, has some strong individual condensed the root authority on my path?"
But that should not have stirred her.
Moreover, as the Mother of Nature gazed in that direction, for some reason, she felt a faint sense of reverence and adoration?
But she was one of the most ancient beings, with a status no less than that of the Moon Lord and others.
This must be an illusion!
…
"Fang Liu Yin"
"Rank: Tenth Realm Root"
"Authority:…"
"Talents: Life's Praise, World Flower, Time's Ring"
The newborn Fang Liu Yin, in addition to the nine inherent authorities, naturally possessed unique talents. Her talents were of the crimson tier, allowing her to effortlessly exert immense power.
This was also an extension of the World Tree's abilities.
Fang Liu Yin, apart from her innate nobility, was strongest in that she represented the World Tree. She was the World Tree!
Through her, the power of the World Tree could be exerted to 100%, even beyond its limits.
For example, with the talent 'Life's Praise', under Fang Liu Yin's manipulation, she could elevate an ordinary person to the mythical realm in a single thought, achieving a life leap without any side effects.
This could be considered a miracle.
Of course, he would not let Fang Liu Yin do this; using 'Life's Praise' on ordinary people would be too wasteful. This talent could also heal injuries, enhance individual potential, and so on, with myriad miraculous uses.
'World Flower' could manifest a miniature world with a single thought.
'Time's Ring' involved the power of time.
Of course, Fang Liu Yin was newborn, and all aspects were still nascent, her application of talents was rather rudimentary. Moreover, talents were just talents; their effects were mainly seen in cultivation and ability enhancement. The true power that could be displayed externally was at most one or two tenths.
Cultivating and utilizing them was far less direct than skills.
Thus, Fang You crammed Fang Liu Yin with hundreds of skills, from legendary to basic.
Fang Liu Yin learned extremely quickly.
She could master basic, common, and rare skills at a glance, and legendary skills after a little practice. Only legendary skills could challenge her for a short while.
A few days later, Fang Liu Yin, utilizing her time-based talent, had already learned all these hundred 'foundational' skills and cultivated them to a profound level.
At this point, Fang You also used his mentor's authority to fuse three core skills for her.
The names were the same, the effects similar, but the power exerted was more than ten times greater than before.
As she continued to learn and use these skills, Fang Liu Yin's authority power also slowly increased.
Soon, she condensed a spark of the root authority of wood.
Mastering a fourth root authority!
Fang You gasped.
"As expected of my daughter."
Upon reflection, it was reasonable. As the spirit of the World Tree, it was rather absurd that Fang Liu Yin had not yet mastered the authority of wood, despite already possessing three root authorities.
However, it was also possible that too many lower-tier authorities had been occupied.
The authority of growth was already controlled by Fang You.
The authority of life force was largely controlled by Liu Shang.
'Nature', one of the three core powers of the Tree of Life stage, had not been converted into authority.
After all, the great powerful being, the Mother of Nature, stood at the end of this path.
But it didn't matter; Fang Liu Yin had already overcome the obstacles ahead and directly entered the realm of the root authority of wood.
She practiced various skills and techniques.
Quickly converting her talents into combat power, and further advancing.
While teaching, Fang You did not neglect his own cultivation.
He borrowed the crimson skill 'Time's Ring' to learn and utilize it, and using it as a foundation to observe the Stele of Time, his mastery of the authority of time accelerated like a sports car, soaring rapidly.