“E Yun is here too, what a coincidence.”

One of the individuals who entered through the door greeted Yue Zutao and then called out to E Yun.

“Greetings to Brother Zhou.”

Although he had never met him, Chen Mobai had already guessed who the young man with the heroic chin and tiger-like features was.

“Brother Chen, this is our first meeting, but I have long admired your reputation.”

Zhou Wangshen finally greeted Chen Mobai with a smile. Pretending not to recognize him, Chen Mobai only showed a look of realization after E Yun’s introduction and then stood up to respond.

“This is Wu Zeyang, not from the twelve divisions, but he was lucky this year and succeeded in Foundation Establishment.”

The young man who came in with Zhou Wangshen greeted the three seated individuals respectfully.

“Brother Yue, Brother E, Brother Chen…”

He hesitated when facing Chen Mobai, as he was a true disciple of the same generation as Zhou Wangshen and E Yun, but remembering the rules of the Tianhe realm, where the accomplished are respected, he eventually addressed him as ‘Brother’.

“The two junior brothers are too polite, please take a seat.”

As the host, Yue Zutao brought over two more chairs, and the five of them sat in his cluttered courtyard, starting a harmonious conversation.

Zhou Wangshen brought Wu Zeyang over for the same purpose as himself, to have Yue Zutao, who had been through it before, persuade the juniors who wanted to choose the fruit of the Tree of Longevity.

“Brother Chen, if you enter the Divine Tree Secret Realm and can obtain the sap of the Tree of Longevity, I am willing to exchange it for a thousand spirit stones per drop.”

When leaving, Chen Mobai was still wondering why Zhou Wangshen would say such a thing, but E Yun’s face showed surprise as he muttered to himself.

“It seems he is cultivating the ‘Longevity Dao Body’!”

“What is the Longevity Dao Body?”

E Yun took Chen Mobai to his own courtyard, where Yuan Chiyi was already waiting.

After the three sat down, he began to explain the “Longevity Dao Body.”

“Our Shenmu Sect’s Eternal Youth Scripture actually evolved from a spell of an ancient great teaching called ‘Longevity Art’, which was a supreme mystical technique that even the great True Monarchs of the past had to painstakingly cultivate for a hundred years.”

“After mastering the Longevity Art, one can not only maintain eternal youth but also extend one’s lifespan by a third of the current realm. The higher the realm, the longer the added lifespan.”

“But the most mysterious aspect of the Longevity Art is that after mastering it, even if one’s head is chopped off or heart shattered, as long as a breath of elemental energy remains, one will not die. It is said that at the highest realm, one can even regenerate from a drop of blood, achieving immortality.”

After listening, Chen Mobai and Yuan Chiyi looked at each other, unaware of this secret.

“But what does this have to do with the Longevity Dao Body?”

After hearing this, E Yun took a sip of tea and sighed deeply.

“We, the later generations, do not possess the astonishing talents of the True Monarchs and cannot master the ‘Longevity Art’, so our predecessors divided it into the ‘Eternal Youth Scripture’ and the ‘Longevity Dao Body’.”

“The former cultivates Qi, the latter tempers the body. Once both are mastered at the highest level, one can attempt to merge them and recreate the ‘Longevity Art’.”

“However, this is just speculation. After all, in our Shenmu Sect, no one has cultivated the ‘Eternal Youth Scripture’ to the highest level, let alone the even more difficult ‘Longevity Dao Body’.”

Chen Mobai knew that the Eternal Youth Scripture had twenty levels, and the highest achiever in the Shenmu Sect, Ancestor Zhou, had only reached the seventeenth level.

“Does the Longevity Dao Body also have twenty levels?”

E Yun shook his head and held up three fingers.

“The Longevity Dao Body has only three realms: Ageless, Undying, and Eternal, corresponding to Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Elemental Infant.”

This was straightforward and easy to understand, but Chen Mobai suspected that the predecessors who divided the Longevity Art might have had a deeper understanding of Qi cultivation but not enough understanding of body tempering, hence the hasty division.

“The sap of the Tree of Longevity is the best spiritual substance to aid in the cultivation of the Longevity Dao Body. Wu Zeyang’s success in Foundation Establishment this time probably had much support from Zhou Wangshen, likely to help him enter the Divine Tree Secret Realm and obtain the sap of the Tree of Longevity.”

After listening to E Yun’s words, Chen Mobai fully understood.

However, he shook his head. Although he liked spirit stones, an opportunity like the Divine Tree Secret Realm was not something to be given away for others to benefit from.

“In the Divine Tree Secret Realm, basically, everyone can obtain a spiritual item under the Treasure Tree, while the Fate Tree and the Dao Tree depend on individual fortune. Although all who enter are disciples of the sect, if you encounter each other, please take care of one another.”

In the end, E Yun shared his experience, and both Chen Mobai and Yuan Chiyi nodded, agreeing to support each other if they met inside.

Time flew by quickly.

Before long, the time for the opening of the Divine Tree Secret Realm arrived.

On that day, Chen Mobai bid farewell to E Yun and Zhuo Ming and went with Yuan Chiyi to wait inside the Shenmu Hall.

Wu Zeyang had also arrived early.

There was also another newly advanced Foundation Establishment disciple, a true disciple of the previous generation’s Alchemy Division named Yan Jinye, who appeared somewhat carefree and easygoing.She seems to have a good relationship with Wu Zeyang. After arriving at the Shenmu Hall, the two of them stood together and talked.

“Perhaps Brother Zhou has also sought her out.”

Yuan Chiyi speculated, as a pill concocter, Yan Jinye was more likely to obtain the sap of the Tree of Longevity.

“Now that everyone is here, follow me.”

After waiting for a while, Sect Leader Meng Hong appeared with the head of the Transmission Department, Lu Yi. He didn’t waste any words and led the way towards the back of the Shenmu Hall, towards the three divine trees that reached into the clouds.

Chen Mobai and the others immediately followed.

The group of six, like six streaks of azure light, shot up from the ground. After flying over the Shenmu Hall, they quickly arrived at the heart of the Giant Wood Ridge, where the three Trees of Longevity stood.

Meng Hong led them to one of the divine trees that required ten people to encircle and slowly descended.

Chen Mobai and the others immediately followed suit and landed.

“After the Divine Tree Secret Realm opens, you will see three heavenly-reaching divine trees inside. Each tree holds different fortunes. What you can obtain is entirely up to you.”

After finishing his words, Meng Hong handed a wooden sword to Lu Yi beside him.

The latter bowed, his face solemn, and took it with both hands.

“Next, I will open the gateway to the secret realm. Enter as quickly as possible without delay. After it ends, you will appear here. We two old men won’t wait for you; you can find me at the Shenmu Hall later.”

After saying this, Lu Yi sat on the ground, his hands forming seals, holding the wooden sword to his chest, and began chanting, activating a spell to lift the seal.

A jet of dark light burst forth from the wooden sword, striking a certain point in the void between the three divine trees.

Zzzt!

The sound of fabric tearing echoed as a vertical slit about two meters high opened in the void.

“Go!”

At this moment, Lu Yi, having filled the wooden sword with his spiritual power, seemed strained, sweat beading on his forehead. He flung the wooden sword, and it stabbed right into the slit in the void.

The sword stuck in the gap, twisting and turning, and the vertical slit opened like it was being pried apart by hands, forming a gateway just wide enough for one person to pass through.

“Quickly, go in. This door won’t stay open for long.”

Meng Hong urged immediately. Yuan Chiyi and the other two didn’t hesitate and turned into streaks of azure light, diving towards the void gateway, nearly colliding in mid-air.

Chen Mobai hesitated for a moment, then followed Yan Jinye into the gateway.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Once all four had entered, Lu Yi immediately retracted the wooden sword and sat on the ground, gasping for breath.

“Opening this gate once drains my spiritual power completely. It’s a good thing it only opens every few years; otherwise, who would want to be the head of the Transmission Department?”

Lu Yi tossed the wooden sword back to Meng Hong with a disgruntled expression. The key to the secret realm was the Sect Leader’s responsibility to safeguard, but the task of opening it was assigned to the Transmission Department.

“Let’s go. I’ve caught a black loach. You’ve worked hard today; let’s treat you well.”

After taking back the wooden sword, Meng Hong smiled and helped Lu Yi up from the ground. The two old men left the three divine trees, chatting and laughing.

“I wonder what fortunes the four of them will find inside.”

“For the other three, getting a magical treasure or spiritual item would be quite enough, but that Chen Xian, he might gain an extra technique.”

The Divine Tree Secret Realm had opened many times, and the patterns of the three great divine trees were basically clear to those within the Shenmu Sect.

The Treasure Tree was a sure bet, the Talent Tree depended on one’s aptitude.

The Dao Tree was mysterious and profound. Since few people had gained from this tree, or perhaps most kept their findings secret, no pattern had been discerned.

After Chen Mobai passed through the void gateway, he only felt darkness before his eyes, followed by a sky full of azure light.

He opened his eyes to find himself in mid-air, plummeting straight towards the ground.

He immediately circulated his spiritual power and used a flying technique to halt his descent.

Then he floated in the air, surveying his surroundings.

He found himself in an endless forest.

Towering trees shrouded in mist and clouds, lush and verdant as far as the eye could see.

Chen Mobai landed on the ground, stepping lightly to find a thick layer of fallen leaves accumulated in the soil.

He approached one of the large trees and discovered it was a Red Sun Spirit Tree.

Could he still be in Giant Wood Ridge?

With this doubt, Chen Mobai used his flying technique and landed on the canopy of the tallest nearby tree. Finally, he saw something different.

In the distance, where the horizon was indiscernible, stood three heavenly-reaching divine trees, unlike the central cluster in Giant Wood Ridge. Here, the three divine trees were separated, each at the edge of the sky.

Chen Mobai estimated the distance; the divine tree to the east seemed closer to him, so he flew in that direction first.

As he flew, a thought suddenly struck him.

How does one exit this Divine Tree Secret Realm?

Surely it wasn’t like E Yun, who, after losing consciousness, woke to find himself back in Giant Wood Ridge?The divine tree seemed not far from Chen Mobai, but it took him a full three days and nights of flight before he finally beheld its true visage.

Its bark was a uniform grey, its presence majestic, with a trunk that soared straight into the clouds, its top invisible to the eye, as if it truly reached the heavenly palace.

“Brother Chen, what a coincidence.”

As Chen Mobai landed, Yan Jinye also flew over. She greeted him proactively, then circled the divine tree, locating a cracked piece of bark. She took out a medicinal hoe and began to work.

“Sister Yan, are you trying to collect the tree sap?”

Chen Mobai inquired.

“Indeed, it seems Brother Zhou has also sought you out.”

Yan Jinye replied while working, but soon she shook her head in resignation.

Her medicinal hoe couldn’t even scratch the divine tree’s spiritual aura, let alone collect any sap; she couldn’t peel off a single piece of bark.

“It seems this deal won’t work out. Brother Chen, I’m heading up.”

After speaking, Yan Jinye greeted Chen Mobai, then stretched out her right hand to touch the divine tree, infusing it with her spiritual power.

A flash of silver brilliance, and she vanished on the spot.

Chen Mobai immediately went to where she had disappeared, sensing something akin to a teleportation array.

After circling the divine tree twice more and finding no other method, he too extended his right hand, touching the bark and infusing it with spiritual power as described in the texts.

A familiar sensation came over him, and when he opened his eyes again, he felt a fierce wind howling, the air around him suddenly thin.

Looking down, he found himself standing on a tree branch, seemingly within the canopy of the divine tree.

At the very end of the branch he stood on hung a fist-sized emerald fruit.

Chen Mobai looked around and saw that not only his branch, but most of the branches had a differently colored fruit at their tips.

Based on past experience, these fruits contained his opportunity.

He looked carefully and indeed saw Yan Jinye, who had ascended before him, approaching a yellow fruit with joy and plucking it.

“Brother, I’m heading down first.”

After securing her prize, Yan Jinye called out to Chen Mobai from a distance, then once again infused the branch under her feet with spiritual power.

A flash of silver light, and she disappeared from atop the divine tree.

Chen Mobai tried to use his flying technique but found he couldn’t leave the branch beneath his feet, as if there was a force forbidding flight.

That meant he could only take his own fruit.

But Chen Mobai was not yet ready to give up. He took out a glass bead used for cultivating spiritual power from his storage bag, attempting to use it to pluck the fruit from the neighboring branch.

However, as soon as the bead left his palm, it lost contact with the spiritual power he had infused, and it plummeted from the high altitude.

Chen Mobai then resigned himself to his fate.

He shook his head, plucked his emerald fruit, and then, mimicking Yan Jinye, left the canopy of the divine tree.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back at his original position, his hand still on the bark of the divine tree.

Chen Mobai tried to infuse spiritual power again, but it seemed his spiritual power had already left a mark within the divine tree, and it did not transport him back to the canopy.

With a sigh, Chen Mobai was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something.

In his dantian qi sea, besides the eternal spiritual power, he also possessed pure yang spiritual power.

He turned around and gave it a try.

A flicker of silver light, and Chen Mobai was back atop the divine tree.

Looking at the purple fruit before him, he fell into deep thought.

Most of the true inheritances of the Shenmu Sect cultivated dual-phase techniques, possessing two types of spiritual power.

Surely he couldn’t be the first to discover this bug?