Chapter 685: A Withered Branch From An Ancient Tree

"It was in..." Li Fan's brow furrowed slightly, as if he strained to recall.

Ximen Yu stared at him, hanging on every word.

"I can't remember." After a long pause, Li Fan shrugged helplessly.

"You..." Ximen Yu's expression stiffened. "How could you forget something so important so easily?"

He studied Li Fan, his face full of disbelief.

"Fellow Daoist Ximen, why don't you tell me what this withered branch actually is? Perhaps as you speak, the memory will come back to me." Li Fan offered a faint smile.

Ximen Yu narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping back and forth across Li Fan.

Li Fan showed no fear, meeting his gaze with a composed demeanor.

Ximen Yu seemed unable to gauge Li Fan's true strength, and in the end he chose not to make a rash move.

He turned, once again revealing the withered branch he had been shielding behind him.

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure of its origin either. Around that time, my research into the earth veins had hit a dead end.

"Under the rule of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, protective arrays covering its entire territory lock the power of the earth veins tightly. Without authorization, drawing on or studying them is incredibly difficult. I tried countless methods and still found no breakthrough.

"Just as I was about to shift my research direction, about two years ago, the earth vein power here suddenly erupted without warning. It was like a chain reaction triggered by a catastrophe tens of thousands of li away, one capable of annihilating an entire province. I was overjoyed, of course, and seized this rare opportunity to absorb the overflowing earth vein energy.

"I discovered this withered branch within that earth vein energy."

As Ximen Yu recounted the tale slowly, Li Fan grew thoughtful.

Two years ago. That would be around the time of the Crimson Flame Sea Scorching event. Was this the result of Hong Xi forcibly drawing on the earth veins to force out Crimson Flame hiding within them?

The earth veins of Xuanhuang were all connected. Though separated by vast distances, they could still influence one another. Once, in the Congyun Sea, a sunken island had risen from the seafloor, affected by the distant event of "a hundred mountains flattened into plains."

The earth vein disturbance Ximen Yu had observed here might well be an aftereffect of that battle with Crimson Flame.

Li Fan looked at the withered branch, which still spouted streams of earthy-yellow earth vein power, and asked in confusion, "The power of the earth veins is pure and uncontaminated. How could a withered branch be mixed within it? An ordinary tree, submerged deep in the earth veins, would be ground to dust by the immense pressure in moments. What is the origin of this branch, that it can not only endure within the earth veins but also draw on and absorb power that should be sealed?"

He turned his gaze back to Ximen Yu. "I assume the Myriad Immortals Alliance hasn't yet discovered this earth vein anomaly here. Otherwise, given the threat to the protective arrays, they would surely have sent someone to resolve it."

Ximen Yu's expression shifted slightly, but he did not refute the claim.

"This withered branch does indeed possess some kind of remarkable power. It seems to share the same origin as the earth veins themselves. So when I siphon off a small amount for research, it only registers as a normal fluctuation of the earth veins."

The branch's eruption of earth vein power seemed intermittent, following some kind of pattern. It gradually weakened now, until finally no more earth vein energy flowed out.

Ximen Yu carefully tucked the jade bottle away.

"Share the same origin as the earth veins?" Li Fan pondered the phrase.

Ximen Yu withdrew a stone slab from his storage ring. It looked like it had been pried from a rocky wall, with ancient carvings on it.

The lines were abstract, but the depicted scene was legible enough. Countless tiny dots represented people offering sacrifices and living out their fleeting lives on the land. Beneath them, a massive tree grew inverted. Its roots, dense and sprawling, clung to every corner of the earth. Its crown plunged deep into the underworld, all the way to the earth's heart.

"I found this in a geological fault while studying changes in terrain from ancient times to now. A mortal clan from the ancient era likely left it behind.

"This isn't the only slab. I've found similar records left by ancient people all across the Xuanhuang World.

"I suspect that the so-called earth veins are nothing more than an evolution of this ancient tree's roots. And this withered branch I hold belongs to that same primeval tree," Ximen Yu explained.

"The information these mortals left behind is crude, and seen through mortal eyes, it may not show the whole picture. But precisely because they are mortal artifacts, we cultivators habitually overlook them. So these records, which someone deliberately tried to erase, have managed to survive," Ximen Yu said with a cold laugh.

"The Earth Vein Tree..." Li Fan rubbed his chin.

"No." Suddenly, he shook his head.

"Though it's incredibly similar to what I saw in that illusion years ago, there were still differences," Li Fan said firmly.

Ximen Yu showed no surprise. He considered for a moment, then said, "It's possible that the tree you saw was even more ancient.

"It might even be the predecessor of the Earth Vein Tree itself."

Li Fan started. "The Earth Vein Tree has a predecessor?"

Ximen Yu produced a handful of black stones from nowhere, crushed them, and sprinkled the dust over the withered branch stuck in the ground. The black powder was quickly absorbed, and the branch seemed to grow a shade more vigorous.

"Legend says that in the beginning there was only one Mother Tree, which governed the fate of all living beings in this world.

"Then a great calamity struck. The Mother Tree was severely wounded. A portion of its branches broke off and fell into the world."

"One of them transformed into the ancient Earth Vein Tree."

Ximen Yu spoke slowly, his gaze full of tender affection for the carefully tended branch.

A glint of sharp light flashed in Li Fan's eyes. "Fellow Daoist Ximen, where did you learn of such a thing? I have never heard of it."

Ximen Yu's eyes remained locked on the withered branch. He did not answer.

Li Fan blinked, then nodded slightly.

"Ah, now that you mention it, Fellow Daoist, I seem to recall something. It was here, in this very place, that I once encountered that withered branch."

With a casual gesture, Li Fan drew the outline of Tianling Province in the air, marking a specific location.

Only then did Ximen Yu withdraw his gaze from the branch, carefully memorizing the location. Then he wiped the map away.

"Times have changed. I have returned to that place many times over the years, but I have never seen that withered tree again. So, Fellow Daoist Ximen, do not set your hopes too high," Li Fan cautioned.

Ximen Yu gave a wry smile. "Such a wonder is indeed something you can only encounter by chance. But I've always had good luck. Once I finish my research on the earth vein theory, I will definitely go and try my fortune."

"Then I wish you success in advance, Fellow Daoist Ximen!" Li Fan cupped his hands and prepared to leave.

"Fellow Daoist Han Wuyou." Ximen Yu tossed a communication spirit talisman over. "I feel that we share a certain fate. Keep this. Perhaps we will meet again someday."

Li Fan stored the talisman and lingered no longer.

Once his figure had vanished and the cave dwelling's great doors rumbled shut again, Ximen Yu's brow furrowed deeply. "Heaven and earth hold the Ruomu Tree, day and night it consumes living years...

"Could it still exist in this world?"