Chapter 409: Mysterious Little Tree

This world is exceptionally peaceful.

A gust of wind blows by, the central small tree rustles, and the sound remarkably echoes throughout the entire world.

Ning Qi and the Mountain and Sea Realm Will remain ten miles away.

Ning Qi attempts to step forward, but a pattern more densely woven than the barrier encountered upon entering the portal emerges, blocking Ning Qi’s path.

He knows he likely needs a key to unlock it, and this time the difficulty clearly surpasses the previous challenge.

The Mountain and Sea Realm Will stands behind, eyes still scrutinizing Ning Qi with suspicion.

Just now, Ning Qi passed through him, and upon contact, only then did he truly comprehend Ning Qi’s identity.

The Mountain and Sea Realm Will was shocked to discover Ning Qi is the will of the micro-world beneath him...

Yet considering this point, he denies it in his heart—how could it be possible?

After all, the will born of a micro-world should be like him.

Even as a World Will, the will is restricted by the world’s boundaries, confined within the world, unable to leave.

So how could Ning Qi be the will of his micro-world?

The Mountain and Sea Realm Will’s heart is filled with doubts and contradictions, convinced this can’t happen.

Ahead, Ning Qi doesn’t attempt to move forward again but instead gazes intently at the small tree in the center.

This place is the core of the world, the final secret of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

All secrets are hidden within a ten-mile radius circular area ahead.

With a flick of his hand, Ning Qi feels the remnant leaf between his fingers sway more frequently and vigorously, producing a stronger pull that he perceives even without focusing.

Ning Qi immediately understands that the remnant leaf originates from the small tree ten miles ahead.

This small tree is sickly, half yellowed and half fresh green.

It embodies the tenacity of life and the sign of decay, a tree combining flourishing and wilting, quite contradictory and eerie.

It’s hard to determine whether it will lead to rebirth or death; everything remains unknown.

The half that is green faces Ning Qi and his companions, while the yellow side is on the other.

On Ning Qi’s side, he sweeps across the green half, noticing each leaf differs and continually changes.

Ning Qi sees willow leaves, palm leaves, elm leaves, phoenix tree leaves from ordinary trees, also leaves from various Spirit Trees, flower and grass leaves, vine leaves...

Every leaf emits its own brilliance, transparent and crystalline, like leaf-shaped jewels, filled with magical power.

Looking through the green leaves towards the yellowed side.

That side, however, presents a completely opposite appearance, all yellowed, consisting entirely of the same type of leaves.

The leaves indistinguishably resemble the remnant leaf in Ning Qi’s hand, no discernible tree type, with no unusual features.

Yet what surprises Ning Qi more is the yellow half of the tree has a large branch missing, leaving the small tree with a substantial gap, creating a peculiar incomplete beauty.

Through the small tree, Ning Qi observes the other side of the world and discovers that the entire world mirrors the status of this tree.

Upon entering this world, it appeared sunny, lush with green grass, and flowers abounding, full of vitality.

But reaching this place, truly seeing through the ten-mile radius area, Ning Qi perceives the world’s reality.

The opposite half of the world lacks sunlight, no green grass but is shrouded in clouds, with the ground overtaken by yellowing, even reaching vast stretches of scorched earth.

Ning Qi’s heart stirs, confused as to why this world manifests such starkly different scenes.

Is the tree causing this phenomenon, or is it from something else?

Examining the small tree, the core ten-mile radius area has this tree no taller than half a meter, only occupying a tiny space.

The remaining region is distinctly divided into two halves.

Above in the sky, a vague presence is visible, nailed to the dome.

From its body, energy continually leaks, mostly cascading downwards, infusing into the central small tree while the rest flows to both sides. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The small tree sways lightly in the wind, seemingly staying alive only due to the infusion of energy.

Ning Qi glances at the Mountain and Sea Realm Will behind him.

The Mountain and Sea Realm Will steps beside him, pointing to the cloud-like presence in the sky, saying, "That’s my true will."

Upon hearing this, despite having some suspicions upon seeing it earlier, Ning Qi is still taken aback.

The Mountain and Sea Realm, being the Spirit Realm, has strong willpower born from it, trapped within this ten-mile space, genuinely lamentable.

Ning Qi asks, "The Mountain and Sea Ancestors possess such powerful forces to confine the Realm Venerable’s will here?"

Beside him, the Mountain and Sea Realm Will’s projection chuckles bittersweetly, "Certainly not."

He simply sits down, seemingly powerless while gazing at his true self therein, smiling wryly, "With just those two, I wouldn’t be sealed, but if the small tree there is added, it’s different."

Ning Qi is slightly startled.

"What kind of tree is it, has it always been in this state?"

"Impossible!" The Mountain and Sea Realm Will suddenly clenches his teeth, resentfully saying, "It’s solely by continuously receiving energy from my true self that it maintains its current state."

Ning Qi is even more perplexed.