Chapter 607 - 51: World Tree Branch

"It’s practically impossible for us to defeat Su Zhou."

The leader of the Ross Country branch put it bluntly. "That kid probably has the Holy Snake Spirit Blood. The moment he stands before us, our combat effectiveness drops by thirty percent—not to mention we couldn’t beat him even at our full strength."

"The Spirit Summoning Association’s total annihilation will undoubtedly affect the world order. Once the various fringe regions and local rulers across the globe lose the control and Extraordinary Power that the Association provided, they’ll be infiltrated by the tentacles of major world powers. This will squeeze the room for every shadow organization in the world to operate. And we, of course, are no exception."

"This marks the beginning of our period of total decline!"

"They couldn’t resist Su Zhou, and neither can we... That guy’s strength is just unnatural!"

"If he were to launch a surprise attack, even the headquarters would be powerless to resist..."

The members of the Continuous Prayer Meeting were mostly wealthy elites who had joined to extend their lives and obtain Extraordinary Power. If they could also make money through this channel, that was even better.

Just as everyone was in the midst of a heated discussion about Su Zhou and the shifting global landscape, the leader of the Continuous Prayer Meeting, Kroessel, who had been quiet the entire time, let out a cough and began to speak.

"Ahem."

The golden-haired man clapped his hands. Unlike everyone else present—whether in person or by projection—who wore looks of concern, Kroessel’s expression was perfectly composed.

"We don’t need to worry about Su Zhou."

Kroessel said nonchalantly, the very picture of a man with a master plan. His eyes gleamed with confidence. "I foresaw this some time ago and have already dealt with the relevant issues."

"Rest assured. He—Su Zhou—will never be our enemy."

’As long as you lot just stay in line!’

We won’t delve into how Kroessel managed to fool the other Holy Snake Spirit believers by using a series of tactics common to the Holy Snake Spirit Clan—implication, deception, misdirection, and even using the truth to mislead.

「September 19, 2016, 2:31 PM.」

Su Zhou had already returned to Zhengguo and was now attending an internal meeting in the Kunlun Secret Realm.

"Things on Earth have settled down quite a bit."

Since it was an internal meeting and not particularly formal, many of the Holy Seats were participating via projection. The one who had just spoken was the Literary Saint.

The Literary Saint was the First Saint of the current Thirty-Six Saints, making him the nominal head of state, overseeing all political affairs and some diplomatic matters.

The Literary Saint possessed a prestigious lineage, but his own Talent was poor, and he had never cultivated seriously. As a result, his strength was only at the Extraordinary Early Stage. However, power wasn’t everything among the leadership; at the very least, the other Holy Seats treated the Literary Saint with great respect.

Since the Literary Saint was essentially singing his praises, Su Zhou nodded proudly, without the slightest hint of modesty.

’Yep, that’s me. That’s right. Keep the praise coming.’

"For the most part, the cancer that was rooted in the remote regions of Southeast Asia has been excised, and the hidden threats around the South Sea have vanished. With the fall of the Spirit Summoning Association, over seventy percent of the world’s malicious crimes involving Extraordinary Power have disappeared as well."

The Literary Saint’s voice was filled with emotion as he spoke. He looked up at Su Zhou. "Professor Su, the European Union Harmony Bureau has decided to gift you a ’World Tree Branch’ from their collection as a reward for your valiant efforts. What do you think?"

"Huh? Ah, something that valuable?"

Su Zhou hadn’t been paying much attention, but his head snapped up when he heard "World Tree Branch." He was a little stunned. "Isn’t that a bit much? A Divine Object of that caliber... they’re just giving it away so casually?"

"It’s not casual at all, actually."

The Artifice Sage commented via his projection. He had reverted to his digital form, and his voice carried a synthetic tone. "Given the power the Silent one displayed at the end, the Harmony Bureau would have had to pay a considerable price to defeat it. Besides, they have plenty of World Tree Branches in stock. There’s no need to be frugal on their behalf."

"I’m not trying to be frugal on their behalf."

Su Zhou shrugged. He couldn’t help but ask Yara in his mind, ’Hey, Yara, do you think I could use the Secret Technique to grow a World Tree, too? To keep the Wisdom Tree company?’

The Snake Spirit scoffed. "Ever heard of Gu-rearing?"

"I mean, I’ve heard of it..."

"Then that’s what would happen. Aside from twin Divine Trees like the Fusang, have you ever seen a sky-blotting Divine Wood tolerate another one competing with it for nutrients? Besides, you have no affinity with the World Tree. You won’t be able to grow it."

’I see...’ Su Zhou wasn’t too disappointed. He probably couldn’t have afforded to raise two Divine Woods anyway. ’But if that’s the case, what can this World Tree Branch be used for?’

’Maybe I can make a weapon out of it. The Blade of Annihilation is powerful, but its range is too short. I really do need something like a javelin, which would feel natural in my hands.’

’When the time comes, I’ll commission the Zhengguo Government to forge a long spear for me using their best techniques. I can also have them rework and analyze the Blade of Annihilation while they’re at it. After all, I’m no expert when it comes to smithing.’

’That way, I can use both of my preferred weapons openly on Earth instead of having to hide them.’

With that thought, Su Zhou’s doubts vanished, replaced by eager anticipation. ’Now that I have a weapon, who should I test it on?’

He quickly thought of a target.

"Speaking of the Spirit Summoning Association, I can’t help but think of the New Dawn Association, the last of the Three Great Mysterious Organizations. It must also be a threat to world stability. I’ll have to find a chance to wipe it out, too. Only then will the set be complete!"

The Daoist Saint, who had overheard this muttering, gave him a strange look. The old man stroked his beard and asked quizzically, "What’s this? Did the New Dawn Association do something to provoke you, kid?"

’They’ve been operating around the Antarctic this whole time, so they shouldn’t have had any opportunity to cross paths with Su Zhou...’

"Not really. It’s just that back in the Beast God Realm, I didn’t get the ’Grand Slam of the Five Great Beast Kings’ achievement. So now I want to see if I can get the ’Annihilate Earth’s Three Great Mysterious Organizations’ achievement."

Upon hearing Su Zhou’s casual—but clearly not joking—words, two figures sitting nearby visibly froze for a moment: Lady Ann Duo, the Water Qilin and King of the Mao Race, and Miss Jin Qiong, the Great Roc Golden-winged Bird and acting Beast King of the Feather Race.

And then, they began to tremble.

After unintentionally intimidating his allies for a bit, the meeting began to get down to business as the remaining members and projections gradually arrived.

The topic of this meeting, however, was a very serious one.

A Discussion on Policy Adjustments and Specific Action Items for Otherworld Development and Exploration.