The Golden Ancient Tree is the core of life energy on the Douluo Continent, and it is also the vessel from which the consciousness of the plane is born.
Taking over the Golden Ancient Tree is equivalent to seizing control of the Douluo Continent, allowing one to ascend to godhood in one fell swoop.
In a short while, Zhongli and his group arrived at the center of the "Inner Academy," where the Golden Ancient Tree stood tall.
"Elder Mu, how can we just take his word for it and act against the Golden Ancient Tree?"
Xuanzi spoke with a grave expression, addressing Mu En.
Hearing this, Mu En glanced sideways at the clever Xuanzi, his eyes twitching slightly.
"Xuanzi, if you have the ability, you go and stop him."
Xuanzi fell silent. If he had the ability, why would he be making a fuss here? He could have just charged in directly.
"But…"
Before Xuanzi could finish, Mu En waved his hand impatiently and said, "Even if the entire Shrek Academy combined, we are no match for the Martial God. Even Tang San is no match for him. Does he need to fabricate a story to deceive us ants?"
"Xuanzi, having you is a blessing for Shrek Academy!"
Mu En's last words carried a deeper meaning, tinged with a hint of anger.
Xuanzi lowered his head, feeling somewhat lost.
"If I hadn't watched you grow up, I'd suspect you were a spy sent by the Holy Spirit Cult."
"When you lead a team, you nearly wiped out the previous generation of Shrek Seven Devils, leaving only Le Xuan alive."
"When you tried to test the Martial God, you managed to offend him to the core!"
"I… damn it!"
Mu En cursed, something he hadn't done in a long time.
In the end, it was Xuanzi's stupidity that pushed him to it.
"Elder Mu, please don't be angry. I… I was wrong."
Xuanzi lowered his head and admitted his mistake.
The system of Shrek Academy had inherent problems, especially among its higher-ups.
They had some brains, but not enough.
Could you expect a group of people who relied on strength to have much intelligence?
In the original timeline, whether it was Yan Shaozhe's actions or Xuanzi's, it was easy to see that the Shrek higher-ups truly lacked brains!
Yan Shaozhe had a bit of cunning, but he was still foolish.
Xuanzi's repeated failures in leading teams showed his lack of intelligence. When dealing with the Sun Moon Team, he even personally intervened.
Killing their students was called an accident, while injuring his own students was deceitful…
In the entire Shrek Academy, only Mu En had some wisdom, but he died early.
Zhongli overheard the conversation between Mu En and Xuanzi, but he didn't comment.
A person's code of conduct is never dictated or defined by others.
Whether others trust you or not is also unimportant.
Zhongli respected human choices!
"The Golden Ancient Tree…"
Zhongli murmured, his gaze fixed on the Golden Ancient Tree before him. The entire tree was as radiant as gold, its body amber-colored.
"Big Brother Martial God, you've finally come. Please help me…"
A very weak voice sounded in Zhongli's ear.
Its strength had already diminished by seventy to eighty percent. If a few more centuries passed, it would likely dissipate entirely, becoming someone else's stepping stone.
Hearing this, Zhongli replied expressionlessly, "I've come as promised, so naturally, I will help you."
Unlike Zhongli, the others couldn't hear the voice of the plane's consciousness. So, in their eyes, Zhongli seemed to be talking to himself.
"Thank you, Big Brother Martial God…"
Its voice was gentle and soft, like the song of an oriole.
Zhongli clasped his hands behind his back, looking up at the Golden Ancient Tree. After a moment, he spoke, "You've become so weak."
The strength of the plane's consciousness is related to its authority and the world it governs.
Tang San and Poseidon were different. Poseidon became the Sea God without seizing the authority of the plane's consciousness. At that time, the Douluo Continent was still strong.
But after Tang San became the Sea God, he seized the authority of the ocean, leaving the plane's consciousness with only about thirty percent control over the Douluo Continent.
This is why, ten thousand years later, Tang Wulin was both the "Son of the Ocean" and the "Son of Nature."
Tang San seized the authority of the ocean, and Ah Yin seized the authority of the land. The entire Douluo Continent became the Tang Family's Continent, and Tang Wulin was considered the "son" of wherever he went.
After a moment, Zhongli's body slowly rose into the air. As he ascended, his casual clothes transformed into his "godly attire."
His right arm, covered in runes, extended…
"I am the Geo Archon, Morax, wielder of the authority of the Geo (earth), commanding the power of the land…"
As Zhongli's words fell, the entire Douluo Continent trembled slightly. Boundless earth elemental energy was mobilized at this moment, rushing toward Zhongli.
The sky filled with amber-colored energy, like fireflies in the night. They gradually gathered, forming a radiant "sun."
"What… what's happening now?"
"It seems to be that… cough, that lord. He must have his reasons for doing this."
People felt the ground shaking as if a dragon were stirring beneath the earth, but they didn't dwell on it.
Most of them were ordinary people, helpless against such supernatural forces.
The peak powerhouses of the Douluo Continent, however, were trembling in fear!
Opposing this Martial God was like looking for trouble in a cesspool…
With his strength, he could obliterate the entire Douluo Continent in an instant!
If humans were to lose the land they depended on…
Such a thing was unimaginable!
The Demon Empress, the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult and the wife of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, was hiding in the depths of the ocean, not daring to show herself.
This Martial God was far stronger than her nemesis, Tang San. She couldn't muster any fighting spirit.
Besides, the Martial God had crushed Tang San, so in a way, he was her benefactor. Naturally, she wouldn't oppose him.
"Wait… wait for him to ascend…"
What else could she do?
If she wanted to stir up trouble, she could only wait for Zhongli to ascend. Otherwise, there was nothing she could do.
She had waited for ten thousand years; another hundred years wouldn't make a difference.
Countless earth energy gathered above Shrek Academy. Just as Zhongli was about to use this power to replenish the Golden Ancient Tree's "energy" and expel Ah Yin's soul, an enraged figure appeared in the sky above Shrek Academy.
"Who dares!!"
This figure held a massive hammer, his eyes bloodshot, surrounded by a red aura, as if the God of Slaughter had descended.
"Anyone who harms my wife shall die!"
The hammer swung through the air, distorting space itself.
At this moment, the Shrek higher-ups seemed to realize something!
Zhongli wasn't wrong, nor had he been "deceiving" them!
If they weren't mistaken, the person before them was Tang San's father, Tang Hao!
Tang Hao's wife, the 100,000-year-old Blue Silver Emperor!
The Golden Ancient Tree clearly had no connection to the Blue Silver Emperor. Thus, the fact that the Blue Silver Emperor had taken over the Golden Ancient Tree was confirmed!
"How… how could this be?"
Xuanzi's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Tang Hao.
Before Tang Hao appeared, he had firmly believed that Zhongli was deceiving them!
Zhongli must have had some ulterior motive for doing this!