The Divine Tree.

Having studied numerous mysterious tomes, Su Zhou naturally knew that, just as snake gods played a role in countless different mythological systems, myths and legends about divine trees were never lacking.

Within the Greater Zheng Nation Cultural Sphere alone, there was the Jianmu, the pillar connecting Heaven and Earth; the Fusang, the place of sunrise; the Ruomu, the place of sunset; the Xunmu, a lone tree that formed a forest… Besides these, there were also the Pantao Tree (Peach Tree of Immortality) and the Ginseng Fruit Tree, which granted longevity when eaten, and the Wutong Tree (Chinese Parasol Tree) where the phoenix nested.

Although these divine trees sometimes had a weaker presence, they certainly existed, living quietly like plants… That was not quite right. They *were* plants, which, although a bit awkward, was the truth.

And around the world, there were various other uniquely characteristic divine trees.

The 'Tree of Discernment' which granted wisdom, and the 'Tree of Life' which granted perfection, whose saplings were currently being cultivated at home, were among them.

In Zhu Nation (India), the 'Bodhi Tree' which brought enlightenment; in Northern Europa, the 'World Tree' that pierced through the Nine Worlds; and in Southern Europa, the 'Golden Apple Tree' given as a gift from the gods, were all extremely famous divine trees.

Things like the 'Osiris Fig Tree' of Ai Nation (Egypt), the 'Sala Tree,' 'Nyagrodha Tree,' and 'Udambara Tree' of Zhu Nation, or the worship of various secondary plants like 'Lotus Flowers' and 'Sakaki Trees,' were all derivatives of divine trees… It would be too much to list the names of every single divine tree.

They were rooted in all mythological systems, spanning across the heavens and realms. So, when Yala said that all divine trees had two supreme origins like itself, Su Zhou was not actually surprised.

He was just curious: "I wouldn't be surprised if you were sealed—but the Divine Trees usually don't do anything bad, so why were they sealed too?"

"What do you mean it's not surprising that I was sealed?!"

This immediately caused Yala to puff up with anger again. It angrily poked Su Zhou's earlobe with its tail: "Even though I myself think it's not surprising that I was sealed, you can't think that way!"

"And you have to know, as a powerful existence, sometimes merely existing is 'turmoil' and 'threat' to other minds!"

Yala's words were vague, seemingly alluding to something, and Su Zhou had no desire to delve into it… He was curious, but he also knew very well that it was best not to delve too deeply into the relationships between the gods.

Just like the snake spirit had whispered about 'karma' during the oath, if he were to learn something he shouldn't know at this time, and the source of some originally unrelated karma came knocking on his door, who knew how much trouble it would cause him in the future.

He knew that in a while, he might be running off to worlds with divine trees anyway… It would not be too late to learn about related matters then.

"Looking back, thinking carefully, the Mukoukompom's (wood centipede) power to purify filth and its extraordinary vitality are indeed very Divine Tree-like."

"If I were to travel over there, would I need to bring weed killer? Or maybe a flamethrower… Hmm, when I refine the spearhead later, I can refine it into a cross spear, which can also be used for mowing the lawn."

After satisfying his curiosity, Su Zhou continued to eat and drink heartily while his mind wandered off on various tangents.

He could feel his digestive organs 'burning' the food at an incredible speed, turning it into usable nutrients without wasting a bit, and then converting these abundant nutrients into spiritual power bit by bit.

This was the most basic form of cultivation.

As the saying goes, being able to eat a lot is also a kind of talent, and Su Zhou's talent in this regard could be described as 'thank you for your consideration, the best in the whole prefecture' among the millions of people within a few hundred *li* around Hong Prefecture.

Everyone's spiritual power had its own characteristics. Even if they cultivated the same cultivation method, their spiritual power would have subtle differences due to the person themselves.

Su Zhou's spiritual power was inclined towards 'strengthening and change', so his *Shie Mo Zhu* (Demon Devouring Overlord) ability could be used to strengthen his weapons and equipment, and even, through special methods, refine various weapon secrets from evil souls as raw materials.

In addition, according to the Zheng Nation's Five Elements theory, his spiritual essence belonged to 'fire' in its external manifestation. This meant that his spiritual power had extremely high explosive power and destructive force, but it could not create lasting effects like 'wood,' possess extremely strong material destructive power like 'metal,' be as gentle, unpredictable, and constant as 'water,' or be as thick and load-bearing as 'earth,' the foundation for all things.

"I don't know if it's because my spiritual power is growing stronger, or because of Yala… I always feel like something is there."

In fact, with the abundant supply of nutrients, Su Zhou vaguely felt that something was growing above his eyes, in the center of his forehead… Was it a third eye, or a dragon's horn? Or something like a dragon pillar, similar to a fiend crystal?

To be honest, Su Zhou didn't care at all. His ability to accept things was far beyond that of any normal person.

"Not bad, about eighty percent full!"

After finishing the large table of food in front of him, Su Zhou patted his stomach with satisfaction.

Then, he turned his head, took off the snake spirit circling his ear, and placed it in his hand.

"Yala, can I find the source of the 'curse' now?"

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Su Zhou's tone was now full of confidence and eagerness: "The one who cursed Aunt Wen and Qi Ming, or those people—can I find him or them?"

"Well… not yet." The snake spirit sized up Su Zhou, who was in excellent condition at the moment. It nodded, and then shook its head: "Your spiritual power is roughly enough, but if you want to trace the source of the curse, you must at least find the carrier of the curse… or go to the place where the curse erupted in the past, and trace the flow back with that trace of karma."

"Just wait a while. When you have stabilized your current strength, in the not-too-distant future, you will find that these petty people who curse from behind are not worth your attention at all."

Su Zhou didn't care about the last sentence of Yala's words. He only heard the word 'future'.

"Future."

Muttering this word, he felt high-spirited: "In that case, I'll wait a while!"

——Although he was still in an ordinary restaurant private room, and what was in front of him was still ordinary drinks and food, and beside him was still his friend.

Although that was the case… still.

The world around him was awakening, his friend's body had recovered, and he himself.

Everything was already very different from the 'past'!

A while ago.

Professor Zhang Fucheng of the Zheng Yi Academy returned once again to the area around the wood centipede's sewer, the section of the Fu River bank that had been cordoned off with yellow warning tape.

He stood on the bank, staring solemnly at the damaged sewage interception culvert that was being constructed and sealed not far away.

"The Mukoukompom (wood centipede) and the unknown superpower user left from here?"

"There are clearly clues, but no matter how I trace back, I can't find any… Those two demons are one thing, they do seem to have archaic bloodlines, ancient and mysterious, but why can't I trace even a single clue about that unknown superpower user either?"

He muttered to himself, feeling endlessly puzzled by the fact that his tracing talisman had failed once again.

Of course, Zhang Fucheng had already become a little accustomed to his spells failing again and again. He just couldn't understand this result.

The Zheng Yi Academy's tracing technique essentially reshaped a portion of the spiritual energy left behind by other beings using spiritual energy, and then, using the superpower law of 'the True Spirit is Unique in all Realms', restored the rough prototype of the original owner—the greater the difference in strength between the two sides, the more detailed the restored prototype would be. But if the original owner's bloodline was complex and powerful, then at most, the former could only restore a rough silhouette.

However, as long as it wasn't some ancient demon or heavenly god bloodline, it shouldn't be impossible to restore even a little image.

"Perhaps spiritual energy has not yet recovered, and my spells cannot exert their full power."

Forcibly suppressing the doubts in his heart, Zhang Fucheng frowned and thought: "At least it proves that the unknown superpower user is not cultivating the inheritance left behind by our Zheng Yi Academy, or even the orthodox Zheng Nation lineage."

"But if you say that the other party is a demon, that's not right either. Judging from the currently discovered traces of action, it is indeed a human, and should still be someone with good intentions… But maybe it's someone with the bloodline of an ancient great demon?"

This was also a rather helpless guess. After all, if someone could awaken in the old era without an inheritance, then their bloodline must be exaggeratedly strong. And Zhang Fucheng wasn't discriminating against demons—didn't the ancient Xuanyuan marry a woman from the Qingqiu clan, and didn't the Sage King Yu marry a woman from Tushan? Not to mention further back, both the Emperor Xi and Empress Nüwa were descendants of Lei Ze.

If you really wanted to calculate, which family in the entire Zheng Nation didn't have the bloodline of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors? In this modern society, where artificial organs are possible, why be so particular?

"But at least we have to figure out what his position is."

Having made up his mind, Zhang Fucheng was about to flick his sleeves and turn around to leave, but before leaving, he saw something swimming in the river out of the corner of his eye.

"Huh, strange!"

It was a water snake swimming in the water, and along with it was a large group of carp that looked thin and bony, but were inexplicably fast.

Zhang Fucheng's eyes narrowed, but since it wasn't a poisonous snake that would harm people, he wouldn't be bored enough to antagonize a small snake—but before he could continue thinking, more strange things happened.

Rustle, rustle——

Not only were there snakes and fish in the water, but all kinds of different types of worms began to appear on the ground, on the muddy banks. Some of them were wriggling and crawling on the ground, and some were flapping their wings and flying away… But no matter what type of worm, snake, or fish, the essence of their actions was to leave.

They were all fleeing in panic, away from this area, this river system, and even the entire Hong City.

It felt as if this place had been occupied by some vast existence, and they were too awed to approach.

"…This, this is?!"

Professor Zhang Fucheng of Zheng Yi Academy accidentally tore off a piece of his beard while stroking it, but now was not the time to care about this small pain. He widened his eyes, watching this scene in shock, and then raised his head and looked around the surrounding Hong City.

Then he couldn't help but gasp.

——There must be something extraordinary in this city!

"Sigh, there's no way I can solve this matter."

Hastily taking out his gold-plated mobile phone, the surprisingly trendy Zhang Fucheng's fingers trembled slightly as he clicked the 'send' button after recording the scene in front of him.

"This matter must be reported to the General Administration of Security."

P.S. Regarding the world view of this book, you can go to the related works and take a look.

Because I also read "Tomorrow's Calamity," so I'll say one thing, at least in this book, the difference between humans and demons is just a name, and the conflicts are not great.

By the way, recommending the book: "Tomorrow's Calamity," a super good, dark, funny, superpower battle story!