Chapter 241 - 240: The Banyan Stretching Ten Thousand Li

The last time she had seen the passage to the World Tree open was after she had exchanged the fifty Otherworldly Souls for the Origin Pearls and the old man had placed them inside.

The spatial tunnel healed very quickly, and Chu Liangyu had only caught a glimpse of gray. She hadn’t gotten a clear look at its true appearance.

Curious, Chu Liangyu discussed it with the Heavenly Dao, intending to go see what the World Tree looked like.

The very next moment after their communication ended, a passage appeared in the Land of No Worries. Stepping through it would lead to the World Tree’s location.

However, what greeted her eyes was still a patch of gray. This time, though, Chu Liangyu could see it more clearly. The gray was all branches and leaves, which looked lifeless.

Chu Liangyu was descending from the treetop. She thought it would only take a few minutes to reach the bottom, but unexpectedly, she fell for about half an hour and still hadn’t reached it.

However, all she could see were the branches and leaves of the World Tree, so Chu Liangyu had no way to speed up her descent.

Fortunately, her anxiety had vanished after she returned, so she had plenty of patience now.

After another ten minutes or so, Chu Liangyu finally reached the base of the tree.

After steadying herself, Chu Liangyu subconsciously looked up. A single glance was all it took for her to be completely stunned by the sight.

The banyan-like branches stretched into the distance, so far that the naked eye couldn’t see their end. Despite the lack of sunlight, Chu Liangyu saw golden specks of light dancing among the tree’s branches.

When Chu Liangyu looked down from above, all she saw was gray, but the base of the tree was different. It was a normal green, brimming with vigorous life.

The banyan’s trunk was massive, its base spanning roughly a hundred li. Its well-developed roots emerged from the soil, but they were unlike ordinary roots. Chu Liangyu could see Origin Power being transported through them to the top of the banyan.

Seeing this, Chu Liangyu untied the storage bag filled with Origin Pearls from her waist.

She opened the storage bag and began to pour the Origin Pearls onto the roots.

The moment they touched the roots, the Origin Pearls turned into droplets of water and were absorbed.

The thousand Origin Pearls were quickly absorbed completely. Chu Liangyu couldn’t see if the gray at the top had lessened, but she could clearly feel the surrounding atmosphere become a little more cheerful.

It felt as if, after a long drought, flowers and grass had finally touched rainwater. Although there were no words, being near it felt distinctly different than before.

A smile appeared on Chu Liangyu’s face. ’Good, my efforts weren’t in vain. This should at least give the World Tree some relief.’

But this relaxed atmosphere didn’t last long before it returned to how it was when Chu Liangyu first arrived.

To put it simply, it felt like it had one foot in the grave.

"This is a long and arduous road..."

Chu Liangyu sighed and sat down. It was very quiet here, yet it didn’t feel overly still. She really liked the feeling of being here.

It didn’t just make her feel a sense of peace and tranquility; even her cultivation seemed to progress a bit faster.

But she only cultivated for a short while before stopping. She was a little worried she might accidentally absorb the World Tree’s Origin Power.

After all, the World Tree wasn’t in a good state to begin with. If she accidentally absorbed some of its energy, her crime would truly be unforgivable.

"You focus on recovering. When I have the chance, I’ll find more World Origin for you."

Chu Liangyu patted the thick tree trunk and was about to leave.

But just as she turned, a vine wrapped around her arm. Chu Liangyu froze for a moment, then looked at the banyan tree in confusion. "Is there something else?" she asked.

The banyan tree was conscious, but it couldn’t speak. It could only convey its thoughts to Chu Liangyu through its consciousness.

Chu Liangyu waited for a moment and saw a swing suddenly descend from the banyan tree. It was woven from vines, and it even thoughtfully included a backrest.

Chu Liangyu’s eyes lit up. The next moment, she sensed the banyan’s thoughts. It was telling her to sit on it, and it even said it had been prepared just for her.

"Thank you."

Chu Liangyu sat down and immediately felt a coolness like sleeping on a bed woven from bamboo. It was very comfortable, and the vines were soft, so there was no annoying feeling of being poked when she lay down.

She hadn’t slept for two months. It was fine when she wasn’t thinking about it, but now that she was, she felt a little drowsy. The gentle rocking lulled her body into a state of relaxation.

The fragrance of the vines filled her nose. It was an indescribable scent, but it was very reassuring.

Gradually, Chu Liangyu’s breathing slowed, and her consciousness faded. Not long after, she fell asleep.

She slept very, very deeply. With her body completely relaxed, she had a dream about the three major events in the history of the Beast World.

When the world was first born, living beings appeared, but their intelligence was not high. They only gradually developed wisdom over time.

The old Beast God, Chu Heguang, as the first Guardian of the Beast World, naturally wanted to promote its rapid development.

Later, his true form descended upon the Beast World. He used his Creation Power to give these Beastmen the opportunity to take human form, allowing them to live in two forms.

After their forms changed, their mindsets also underwent some changes. They began to try communicating with their peers, and the first nascent tribes gradually formed.

At this time, all Beastmen, regardless of gender, could switch between their human and beast forms after reaching adulthood.

Everything seemed to be developing in a normal direction, but this state of affairs lasted less than ten thousand years.

It was then that the unexpected happened. Among the souls going to Gui Xu to be reborn, a majority consumed their own energy to change their gender in their next life.

Most Beastmen chose to become male, which led to a gender imbalance in the Beast World during that period, with many more males than females.

The reason behind this was that, given equal abilities, females not only had to hunt but also bore the responsibility of raising cubs.

Everyone grew tired of raising cubs and just wanted to focus on themselves, not wanting their lives to be disrupted by children.

And this was only the first turning point. With few females and many males, females became a rare commodity.

Under these circumstances, males naturally wouldn’t let females accompany them on hunts. By this time, females could already have multiple Beast Husbands.

This situation lasted for tens of thousands of years. Gradually, the Beastmen of the Beast World once again began to expend their energy to change their gender.

Beastmen no longer resented being female; on the contrary, they became very willing to be female again.

With these massive gender changes, the balance in the Beast World was upset again, becoming a world with many more females than males.

This meant that females not only had to raise cubs but also had to share a Beast Husband with others.

After another few tens of thousands of years, the gender ratio in the Beast World became imbalanced yet again, returning to a state of few females and many males.

This time, Chu Liangyu didn’t even have to think to know the consequences.

However, the Heavenly Dao was thoroughly enraged. It no longer gave these Beastmen the opportunity to change their gender at will.

To punish these greedy souls, the Heavenly Dao, in conjunction with the Beast God, established numerous rules for the male Beastmen.

Most of these rules favored females, but because of this, females gradually lost their ability of Beastification.