The sheer, crushing power of Cinder’s stomp was terrifying; Fang Senyan estimated he certainly couldn't survive a single one of its heavy blows!

After that impact, the ground shook as if from an earthquake, and huge quantities of damp earth jetted out from beneath Cinder’s massive foot like a geyser, soaring perhaps ten meters into the air before raining down.

As for that strange, crippled, malformed plant, it was utterly crushed deep into the soil. Cinder then savagely stomped and ground it back and forth, all previous gentleness and tolerance utterly vanished! That incredibly malevolent aura was as if the being had instantaneously transformed from Buddha to demon!

Cinder stomped seven or eight times until an astonishing crater marked the spot, the mutated vegetation completely blended into the earth, indistinguishable. Only the most precise instruments could possibly separate it from the soil. Only then did Cinder cease—or rather, cease stomping.

Witnessing this, a thought immediately surfaced in Fang Senyan’s mind: innocence is no shield against covetous desire!

This deformed flora, though not an oak itself, had occupied this place of feng shui—this was its crime, its original sin! In the face of the massive interests of its kin, Cinder revealed the brutal nature of natural selection!

Immediately after, the sacred oak began slowly drawing in its branches and leaves. A vast network of roots started sprouting from its feet, and its bark grew rougher, covered in deep ravines. Then... judging by Cinder’s shape, it was actually transforming into a tree resembling a fossil!

Sister Wuge hurriedly cried out, "My lord, are you... are you using Eternal Residency??? But even this Holy Land isn't worth such a heavy price! And I sense this isn't even the place with the densest holy energy. Is this truly worth it?" "Eternal Residency" was a powerful innate ability held by potent Treants. It allowed them to sacrifice their mobility to root permanently in a location, rapidly evolving to harmonize completely with the surrounding environment, achieving the highest possible level of unity with the land.

This ability was typically only employed by Treants upon encountering sites of supreme feng shui or blessed heavens. And it had to be a truly exceptional blessed spot.

For Cinder to use Eternal Residency so decisively, especially before fully surveying other areas, was truly unbelievable.

Fang Senyan, however, fixed his gaze on Cinder’s contorting trunk and mused, "This old fellow is smart. He knows what to prioritize and when to retreat—Wuge, it seems Cinder’s life is nearing its end."

Sister Wuge looked at Fang Senyan, surprised. "How do you know?"

Fang Senyan smiled. "It’s like a man choosing a wife; he usually marries the one whose personality suits him best, not necessarily the prettiest among his girlfriends. Cinder realized this was the single most suitable area for his growth and evolution. Coupled with the pressing sensation of death closing in, this moment is his opportunity. Naturally, he has to seize every second to advance toward becoming a World Tree!"

Upon hearing the words World Tree, Sister Wuge’s eyes grew distant, filled with longing. Theoretically, all trees might begin life in myriad forms with diverse habits, but their ultimate evolutionary endpoint, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, could only be the World Tree! An incomparably powerful World Tree!

Once the Sindorei possessed their own World Tree, they would instantly become a distinct race capable of rivaling the entire Elven nation! For only a divine kingdom supported by a World Tree could be unbreakable, preserving the life imprints left behind for endless reincarnation!

Cinder, having enacted Eternal Residency, had now become a gigantic, fossil-like trunk, drawing all vitality inward. Beneath the ground, its roots grew and spread furiously, forming a three-dimensional net structure that threatened to engulf an area spanning nearly six kilometers!

If one were to uproot Cinder now with an indescribable force, the location would be left with an astonishing crater four or five kilometers in diameter and over three hundred meters deep, demonstrating the immense reach of Cinder's root system!

Before Cinder settled into its evolutionary slumber, it left behind five golden oak seeds, clearly entrusting Fang Senyan and Sister Wuge to plant them in other sacred areas.

This was an act of entrusting the future, and Cinder entered this final trial with the mindset of absolute success or immediate death.

Sister Wuge, bearing this grave responsibility, nervously clutched the five oak seeds and traveled throughout the Tunguska region. In her mind, she wanted to plant all five seeds right here, but Fang Senyan stopped her, telling her there might be even better Holy Lands...

Based on common knowledge, Sister Wuge staunchly refused to believe Fang Senyan, but reality was rapidly shattering her confidence. Carrying the remaining four seeds, Fang Senyan and Sister Wuge returned to the standby Gulf Stream jet. Fang Senyan informed the pilot, "Our next destination is northern Ukraine, the Chernobyl region!"

The pilot instantly exclaimed in shock, "We’re going to that cursed place? Are you mad?... As you command."

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster was the most severe nuclear accident in human history, bar none.

Its radiation level was equivalent to 500 atomic bombs dropped on Japan by the United States. The explosion completely destroyed the reactor, leaking over eight tons of highly radioactive material. The dust scattered with the wind, even threatening Europe. To this day, the surrounding area remains a dead city, uninhabited by choice.

Fang Senyan brought Sister Wuge here because he was almost certain that these so-called Sacred Lands were precisely areas possessing a certain degree of nuclear radiation!

Although the Tunguska event remains an unsolved mystery, the most accepted scientific theory posits a nuclear explosion. And while the terrifying residual radiation from a nuclear blast is deterrent, organisms that survive and mutate under it have a high probability of evolving dramatically.

Normally, the process of evolution is incredibly long and arduous, but spurred by nuclear radiation, this process, which might take millennia, is compressed into a short span! It must also be noted that organisms surviving and mutating under high radiation tend to become larger, fiercer, and possess significantly heightened aggression.

Therefore, nuclear radiation, fundamentally, is both a fatal danger and the driving force for biological evolution toward higher life forms. For the Sacred Oak Cinder, advancing to World Tree status was a form of transmigration; with the push of nuclear radiation, its chances would undoubtedly soar!

However, in the world of Middle-earth, radioactive ore veins like uranium are extremely rare. Thus, the only truly miraculous locations had long been seized by prior World Trees. This is why Cinder reacted with such ecstatic joy upon encountering a nuclear radiation zone! If its chances of breaking through to World Tree status in its previous confined state were only 5 or 6 percent, now they skyrocketed to fifty-fifty—hence the desperate urgency in its actions.

Once they confirmed that Earth held powerful allure for all manner of trees, the next steps fell into place naturally. The Sindorei Elves, who subsisted upon trees, were naturally inclined to decide on migration. And after Sister Wuge, blushing, was led by Fang Senyan into the thicket, the sounds of gasps and suppressed moans were heard first. Finally, after about an hour, whispers emerged, followed by Sister Wuge’s surprised and hesitant voice: "Th-this... is this really possible?"

Three hours later, Fang Senyan received notification from the Nightmare Imprint:

"The strength of the Sindorei tribe has increased significantly."

"The Sindorei tribe has officially separated from the lineage of the Middle-earth Elves, becoming an independent race on Earth."

"Sindorei Leader: Wuge Sunstrider's relationship with you is currently Worship."

"The Sindorei tribe has been granted the title conferred by the spatial dimension: Unique!"

"Effective immediately, all related personnel from the Sindorei tribes in other parallel subspaces will suffer irreversible destructive impact within one hour. Apart from this space, no further plot characters will appear in any other parallel subspace."

"Notice: Your relationship with two powerful plot characters bearing the Unique title has reached Worship."

"Milestone progress achieved: 1/2."

"Notice: Silver-Tier Milestone: Reign Unchallenged unlocked!!"

"This title, when equipped, grants +1 to Legendary Status."

"Bonus Attribute: Keystone. Titles possessing the Keystone attribute can perfectly replicate the bonus attributes of other titles. After perfect replication, the Reign Unchallenged title will gain the bonus attributes of the other titles, but the other titles will disappear simultaneously. The Keystone attribute can possess up to five additional bonus attributes. If a replicated attribute needs to be reset to blank after perfect replication, it will cost 100,000 Universal Points and 10 Merit Points."

Upon receiving this notification, Fang Senyan’s Legendary Status instantly jumped to +3, and Reef’s climbed to +2. More astonishingly, clear text now appeared beneath Fang Senyan’s +3 Legendary Status: "You are now a renowned, legendary figure, whose stature few celebrated heroes can match. In the Nightmare World, where you can act as you please, should you choose to be a hero, your name will be revered for ages; should you choose to be a tyrant, you are destined for eternal infamy!"