Under the sunlight, the ice melted, snowwater seeped into the soil, stimulating the Quandong Divine Tree's revival, as it frantically absorbed Origin Force.

A dot of yellow-green sprout drilled out from the earth, rapidly growing taller, stretching out its needle-like leaves…

The Dominating Throne stopped beside a round mound piled with Source Stone, Exuviae, and dirt.

Dragon Cypress, Ink Orchid, Yellow Stem, and Spruce stood atop the Dominating Throne, just at eye level with the top of the mound, staring straight ahead, watching the tree sprout grow into a half-meter sapling in a very short span of time.

Round Cypress led the Ant Clan to stand at a distance, watching the spectacle, all in shock.

The sapling began sprouting lateral branches, foliage growing dense.

At its tip, tender shoots kept extending, shooting up with a swish.

One meter, two meters, three meters…

An existence surpassing King-Level, entirely incomparable to the Soul-Setting God-Given Seed of the Night Fragrance.

The surrounding space seemed distorted, tree shadows swaying, light breaking into a blurry pattern.

The range of the Origin Force vacuum kept expanding.

Dragon Cypress controlled the Dominating Throne to rise and float, drifting steadily backward away from it.

By noon,

the reborn Quandong Divine Tree reached a height of twenty meters, its Origin Force vacuum spanning five hundred meters in diameter, the reach of its Origin Force impact stretching over a kilometer.

Dragon Cypress and the others were forced down to the foot of the mountains, and simply flew the Dominating Throne up the ridge, where they gazed down from above.

By mid-afternoon,

Quandong Divine Tree's trunk climbed past thirty meters, its vacuum exceeding a thousand meters, and Origin Force fluctuations covered the entire Land of Origin Force.

It seemed that the energy accumulated in the Tree Heart was depleted; the frenzied growth trend finally began to slow.

By deep night, the trunk soared over forty meters, its growth stabilizing, while the vacuum had pushed to the mountains, spreading toward the peaks.

Most Life Seed Plants of Yellow Stem and Spruce had been planted across the southeast slopes and lakeside at the mountain's foot.

Yellow Stem had measured and calculated the spot for planting the Quandong Divine Tree with care, ensuring the tree could absorb the widest range of Origin Force while staying as far as possible from its own and Spruce's Life Seed Plants.

Yellow Stem had informed Quandong Divine Tree of this in advance.

When the vacuum expanded to cover a White Fir Life Seed, the Quandong Divine Tree sensed it, and suddenly contracted its reach, retreating, and stabilized the pace at which it absorbed Origin Force.

Dragon Cypress and company retreated to Huagi Mountain's summit, staying to keep watch through the night.

The next day,

they continued to observe.

The energy stored within the Tree Heart now completely spent, the Quandong Divine Tree relied solely on absorbing sunlight, Source Stone, Exuviae, nutrients from the soil, as well as drawing water and nutrients from the air to keep growing.

The growth was still not slow.

In one day, the tree's height surpassed 45 meters.

Another day, its height exceeded 50 meters.

After five more days, its trunk reached 80 meters tall.

The Source Stones and Exuviae buried underground were being consumed in large quantities.

The mound once stacked four or five meters high above the ground settled lower day by day, now level with the earth around it.

It continued to sink.

Within the Origin Force vacuum, ordinary Worker Ants could not approach to work.

Dragon Cypress, Round Cypress, Ink Orchid, Yellow Stem, and Spruce set their claws to work, refilling the dug-up soil from before.

The mountaintop grew warmer, snow and ice melted at the peak.

They quickly dug new channels to redirect the mountain spring, bringing water over to irrigate the Quandong Divine Tree.

By the time they finished, the trunk had soared past a hundred meters.

Beneath the sky-piercing tree, upon the Dominating Throne, Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid were discussing whether to return to Xianglan Mountain first to prepare for the spring's trade with the Flame Spider Roving Merchants.

Suddenly, a faint, tired ripple of Mental Power spread over them.

"Ant Clan."

"Flower Mantis."

"Insect from the south."

"Marvelous artifact of the Outworld Civilization…"

"!!!"

"Dragon Cypress greets the Quandong Divine Tree!"

"Xianglan Mountain, Orchid Mantis Ink Orchid greets the Quandong Divine Tree!"

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid's tentacles stood at attention in unison.

"Greetings to the Quandong Divine Tree!"

Spruce quickly caught on and chimed in as well.

Quandong: "Thank you, all of you, for your hard work and help."

"Not at all."

"You're welcome."

"It's as we should."

Dragon Cypress, Ink Orchid, and Spruce all turned toward Yellow Stem in sync: Divine Tree has a violent temper? Isn't this quite genial?

Yellow Stem: "..."

Yellow Stem asked with concern, "Quandong Divine Tree, how is your recovery? Do you have enough Source Stone?"

Quandong: "Source Stone is sufficient—stop wasting it heedlessly."

Quandong: "I'm doing quite well. For now, my trunk can barely bear my full power."

Yellow Stem pointed at Spruce and introduced, "This is Long Shield Grasshopper Warrior Spruce. It has nurtured a Green Shura God-Given Seed. Quandong Divine Tree, when do you expect to recover to your peak? Should we wait till next year to plant?"

Quandong: "No need. With half a month's further recovery, I can contract my Origin Force impact to the east side of the mountain range."

The Quandong Divine Tree understood what Yellow Stem really meant and said directly, "By next spring I can flower and fruit. If I form just three fruits, the burden will be small, and they'll reach maturity for consumption within ten years."

"Understood. Thank you for your effort!" Yellow Stem answered happily and obediently.

Dragon Cypress raised a claw, "Quandong Divine Tree, may I ask a small question?"

Quandong: "Ask away."

Dragon Cypress: "If you retain four fruits, what is the ripening cycle?"

Quandong: "It would take over fifteen years."

The Quandong Divine Tree explained, "Three fruits is a threshold—for anything more, the burden on me grows."

Quandong: "Moreover, today's Origin Force environment is terrible. I can't totally open up to absorb Natural Primordial Force, or Yellow Stem and Spruce's Life Seed Plants wouldn't grow properly. If we try for four fruits, my daily Source Stone use would surge to 800 pieces."

Dragon Cypress considered letting White Willow get a Soul-Setting Fruit as well.

Against the Termite Kingdom, White Willow would handle aerial scouting—with the powers granted by a Soul-Setting Fruit, it'd be easier for everyone to communicate at any time.

Dragon Cypress calculated silently.

If Quandong Divine Tree condensed four Soul-Setting Fruits at once, the investment for the fourth fruit alone would cost up to 5.5 million Source Stones.

The price was too steep.

"I see. Then let's forget it." Dragon Cypress had to abandon the idea helplessly.

Ink Orchid glanced left and right, raised a claw to ask, "Quandong Divine Tree, why haven't you left?"

Ink Orchid's claw tip gestured slightly to the sky.

"Clever Flower Mantis Warrior!"

"The Orchid Mantis tribe's warriors are always smart, a wise race not inferior to the Flame Spider."

The Quandong Divine Tree had warm praise, clearly in a good mood. Pausing, it answered seriously, "It's simple: I'm not sure what I'll face if I leave. I'm timid, hesitant, waiting for those departed Shield Grasshopper Warriors to return. Once I'm certain of the circumstances, I'll decide whether to stay or go."

"Oh—"

Ink Orchid beamed, "You are a wise tree."

You stole my question? Dragon Cypress shot a look of disdain.

Yellow Stem and Spruce felt speechless and choked up.

The Quandong Divine Tree took the initiative to ask, "Any further questions?"

Ink Orchid: "Yes!"

Ink Orchid: "Do you know the exact location of the Flame Spider Kingdom in the previous Origin Force Era?"

The Quandong Divine Tree reflected a moment, "Southeast coast, tropical rainforest, due east of Olive Mountain, about 100 kilometers."

Quandong: "The Flame Spider Kingdom was once a massive Insect Kingdom of a hundred thousand square kilometers."

Quandong: "You're looking for the Flame Spider Kingdom's treasury of Source Stones, aren't you? Don't waste time searching for nothing. Back then, when the other tribes discovered the Flame Spider Tribe had vanished, warriors rushed to check immediately."

Ink Orchid: "They didn't find it?"

Quandong: "No, they didn't."

Dragon Cypress asked, "Was there really no warning at all?"

Quandong: "None—"

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid fell silent.

Quandong turned the question, "Ink Orchid, Dragon Cypress Ant King, your Land of Origin Force is called Xianglan Mountain?"

"Yes!" Ink Orchid answered quickly.

Quandong: "Are there many similar Lands of Origin Force on today's Cloud Trace Continent?"

Ink Orchid: "Not many…"

...

Quandong asked questions.

Ink Orchid replied, describing in detail the current state of the Cloud Trace Continent.

They chatted on until night fell.

After a night's rest,

the next day, Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid bid farewell and left.

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