Chapter 582: Long Life for a Thousand Years Transformation

The once incredibly lush trees visibly withered as specks of green light continuously drained from them.

During this time, Ruomu was not without thoughts of retaliation. The trees trembled, giving rise to countless spirits that fearlessly attacked the cultivators. Ruomu itself even lashed out with its branches, stabbing like swords.

However, the cultivators who arrived were terrifyingly powerful. All resistance proved futile and was suppressed in an instant. Even Ruomu's final, desperate strike, which withered all the purple-gold fruits at its crown, was salvaged by this group of people.

Powerless to resist, Ruomu could only watch as its life essence was wantonly extracted. Its leaves slowly turned yellow and drifted down like rain. Amidst thunderous roars, many of its branches snapped. Cracks began to appear on Ruomu's trunk.

Yet, this group showed no intention of stopping. They seemed determined not to cease until it was utterly drained.

Fortunately, at that critical juncture, another group of cultivators seemed to arrive. A chaotic battle erupted between the two sides, forcing the extraction to halt.

They successfully retrieved the green light clusters condensed in the air. As they withdrew, they didn't forget to launch a joint attack on the already devastated Ruomu. The damage inflicted by this attack seemed even greater than that from the forced extraction of its life energy. Enormous cracks continuously extended upwards from the base of the trunk, and vast sections of branches plummeted, their destination unknown.

The cultivators who had come to rescue, seeing this, abandoned their pursuit and immediately began treating Ruomu. Their efforts ultimately saved Ruomu from complete annihilation. However, the damage it had sustained was too severe to fully reverse. From that point onward, withering and decay became its constant companions.

It remained this way until many years later, when a humanoid cultivator manifested within Ruomu.

Although the scenes witnessed through the Human Life Scrying were merely fragmented images, the sheer volume of information they contained was immense. Li Fan replayed these images again and again using the Path-Transforming Stone. By combining them with previously gathered information, he slowly began to form a hypothesis.

"The cultivators who harmed Ruomu were likely those who, when the great calamity descended, advocated abandoning the Xuanhuang Realm and fleeing."

"Judging by the power they exhibited, there were likely many Immortality Realm experts among them."

"Five hundred years ago, for unknown reasons, this group attempted to return to the Xuanhuang Realm, sparking a great war."

"Sima Changkong once said that Heaven and Earth harbored extreme hatred for these cultivators, far surpassing the animosity shown towards even those of us who plunder the lands."

"Traitors... what did they steal...?"

"Could it be none other than Ruomu, which produces Immortality Fruits?"

"Hmm... given their methods, it's possible they took more than just Ruomu."

"Thousands of years have passed, yet they returned. Did they ultimately fail to escape the Immortal Ruins, or was there another reason?"

Li Fan's brow furrowed slightly. The existence of the Immortal Ruins was no secret to the Ten Immortal Sects. This group acted with such ruthlessness, leaving no room for negotiation or survival. They clearly believed they could successfully escape the Xuanhuang Realm. However, the reason for their forced return—what unforeseen circumstances compelled them—remained unknown.

With too little information, he decided not to dwell on it for now. Regardless, Li Fan finally understood why Ruomu harbored such deep resentment towards cultivators. Whether it was the wanton plundering of its fruits by humans or its subsequent brush with death, the feud between it and cultivators could be described as an unending cycle of hatred. If Li Fan had suffered such treatment, his retaliation would likely have been several times more brutal.

"After the Heavenly Venerable propagated his teachings and established the new dharma, the Immortality Fruit no longer possessed its immortalizing power."

"For Ruomu, this might actually be a blessing in disguise."

"In a sense, the transmission of the dharma could even be considered its salvation."

"Otherwise, no matter how powerful Ruomu became, it would likely still be plundered."

"Judging by its desire to prevent harm to its kind, it likely hasn't yet reached the Immortality Realm. However, it's unclear how long it has lived, and its main body is such an incredible creation that its power cannot be simply measured by the Harmonizing Dao realm."

"Again, above the Harmonizing Dao realm, yet still not achieving Immortality..."

"The chasm between the Harmonizing Dao and Immortality realms is simply too vast."

The Heavenly Physician, the Fisherman, and this Withered Wood that Li Fan had encountered were all powerful beings situated within this very realm. While this might be a mere coincidence, it nonetheless highlights the immense difficulty of "defying the principles of heaven and earth to attain immortality." Although there were many heroes and brilliant talents in the world, only a handful had achieved immortality through the new dharma.

Li Fan's gaze was profound as he remained silent for a long time.

Having concluded his analysis of the insights gained, Li Fan began to reflect.

"Being encountered by Withered Wood this time, and nearly losing my life, was, on the whole, simply bad luck."

"One might suggest that having just broken through to a new realm, I became somewhat complacent... But that wasn't the case."

"This is Tianlingzhou City, and this particular spot is a courtyard rented by the Dao Discussion Tower. Safety is absolutely guaranteed here."

"Who could have imagined that a cultivator engaged in shady dealings and selling Golden Cores would actually be a powerful entity harboring profound malice towards humanity?"

At this thought, Li Fan couldn't help but feel a touch of helplessness. Surely his main body couldn't always remain secluded, relying solely on his clones to act? After all, clones are merely clones; many divine abilities cannot be fully unleashed through them. Furthermore, they are one minor realm lower than his main body, making it a pipe dream to rely on them to cultivate to the Immortality Realm.

"It's like walking down the street and suddenly being struck by lightning. It's a completely low-probability event; one shouldn't stop eating just because of a choking scare."

"Many tasks can only be completed without a trace if my main body takes action."

"However, a method to guard against Withered Wood Daoist's ability to distort and manipulate one's thoughts still needs to be found."

"Had it not been for its deep-seated hatred for cultivators, and seemingly glimpsing my future actions, it would not have released me, wanting to use me to exact revenge on cultivators."

"I might have been lost in the treetops for an unknown duration before regaining lucidity."

"I prided myself on my willpower being sufficiently firm, yet I still possessed no means of resistance..."

"However, with the endless array of wondrous items and cultivation techniques in the cultivation world, a method to counter it can surely be found."

"I don't seek to block it completely, but merely to maintain a sliver of lucidity, which would be enough to compensate for my vulnerability."

Li Fan firmly committed this matter to memory, prioritizing it above all else. He intended to begin actively seeking information on this specific issue.

After a considerable time, once his thoughts had settled, Li Fan finally picked up the withered Ruomu branch that had been resting on the table. As he gently caressed it, Li Fan suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. Not because he had previously been in close proximity to Ruomu's main body, but because... This branch seemed somewhat similar to the material Jiao Xiuyuan used to create his clones.