"Elder," I have possessed spiritual awareness, meaning I too am a living being existing in this world," I wish to live a few more years," even if life holds little meaning, to live is to live." The Holy Tree's expression was deeply wistful, anciently weathered...

"And so, after understanding this upheaval, I began slowly reducing the number of Holy Fruits. I kept reducing them until we reached the current two sets. The rest of the groups, I refined into the Vital Blood of Life capable of extending longevity." Then, I concentrated it all here, "in preparation for when my own lifespan extended too long, to water myself, allowing me to linger on for a while longer after my allotted lifespan was exhausted. But now, thousands of years of savings have been emptied in a single blow, all going to waste for someone else..."

The Holy Tree pointed a finger toward the nearly empty pool of vital blood, truly looking as if he were about to weep without tears. "This was my stock of several thousand years! Just because you, you plague god, arrived, eight-tenths of it was instantly consumed..."

"Ah, I see. In that case, I cannot truly blame you."

Jun Mo Xie was exceedingly magnanimous about it. After all, whatever the Illusionary Estate gained was none of his concern. "Besides, he now knows that the growth of the fruit tree in his Hongjun Tower is within the realm of normal."

That was enough. Thinking a bit more shamelessly, almost all the Holy Tree essence the Elder saved over millennia for not bearing fruit was spent saving people, seemingly meaning he was the one who had profited at the Illusionary Estate's expense!

What if this fellow had always borne fruit honestly? Then Qian Xun would truly have been in grave danger this time... Fortunately, he had played cunningly...

"Nothing major is happening now. Let's chat for a moment. How did you get here? It seems you were originally over there, back then?"

Jun Mo Xie was quite interested. What kind of place could nurture such a strange tree? Could it be "another separate dimension?"

"Well, back then, I had only just awakened my spiritual awareness; I couldn't speak, much less mimic voices." The Holy Tree's root-covered face showed an expression of extreme dejection. "That day, a man in black suddenly arrived in my homeland. He walked around the forest once, and somehow, he took a liking to me. I don't even know where my homeland was." "Later I learned this man in black had a rather grandiose name: 'The First Young Master of Nine Hells!'"

The Holy Tree sighed mournfully. "He didn't care whether I agreed or not; without a word, he just yanked me out! Yanked me right out. How thick were you back then?"

Jun Mo Xie was somewhat stunned. At that time, this Holy Tree already possessed sentience. How long did it take a tree to gain sentience? At least a thousand or two years, right?

A tree that had grown for one or two thousand years—and he just yanked it out?

Jun Mo Xie completely ignored the Holy Tree's assertion about seeking his consent; who on earth asks a tree if it agrees before transplanting it? That would either be idiotic or brain-dead, and the First Young Master didn't seem like either of those two. "Back then, I was definitely much thinner than I am now—probably about as thick as seven or eight people embracing me," the Holy Tree admitted somewhat sheepishly.

"What? Thick enough for seven or eight people to hug? He pulled you out with just one hand? Are you serious?" Young Master Jun's eyes widened. What kind of strength would that require? That seemed excessively exaggerated!

"Of course, it's true. He only used one hand back then..."

The Holy Tree let out a long sigh. "Because the First Young Master spotted me instantly, noticing I was the straightest one. He instantly took a liking to this Holy Tree of mine..."

"Uh..." Jun Mo Xie rolled his eyes, speechless. What kind of selection criteria was that? Too unconventional. "Then I came here and took root. The First Young Master of Nine Hells even personally gave me a name." The Holy Tree continued, "He said, 'You stand so straight, just like someone being punished for misbehaving... From now on, you shall be called a Tree Under Punishment.'"

"A Tree Under Punishment? What a creative name." Jun Mo Xie's mouth twitched. This First Young Master of Nine Hells truly had a sense of humor. In all the world, isn't every tree standing? Are they all being punished?

"Actually, I never committed a crime, never committed any crime at all... So naturally, I am not being punished." The Holy Tree offered a pure explanation. "I actually wanted to lie down too, but I couldn't lie down!"

"You actually want to lie down? Should I get you a bed?" Jun Mo Xie's mouth twitched again. He was utterly defeated... Even trees want to lie down...

"Alright, enough nonsense. I'm in a hurry. The growth power you requested—should I give it all at once for you to slowly assimilate, or should I directly help you digest it within yourself?" Jun Mo Xie had lost all interest in joking around with this "pure" Holy Tree.

The Holy Tree clearly hesitated for a moment, seemingly still unsure how to choose, but the ecstatic look in the corners of his eyes could not be concealed. He genuinely hadn't expected this unreasonable person to actually keep his promise. He was so happy he nearly burst out laughing.

"If I digest it for you, the benefits you gain will manifest quickly; it wouldn't be surprising if it were immediate," Jun Mo Xie explained. "If you slowly absorb it bit by bit, it might even resolve a major crisis for you when you need it most." Jun Mo Xie clearly laid out both options: "These two plans each have their own merits. The suggested direction has been given to you; how you choose remains up to you."

The Holy Tree considered for a long time, finally gritting his teeth: "I... I still choose to slowly digest it myself..." For him, adding a few years of growth strength was no longer important right now. Since there was no longer a large amount of vital blood to assist, the goal he previously aimed for had become a pipe dream. Perhaps everything would have to start from scratch again. However, the second option mentioned by Young Master Jun—that it could "resolve" a major crisis—did move him. The tempering of heaven and earth's wind and frost, and the merciless erosion of time, perhaps the terrifying Thunder Tribulation when he finally managed to take human form...

Therefore, the Holy Tree immediately chose the second option: choosing the timing for independent refinement, allowing slow digestion to achieve the most perfect effect, which would be more beneficial in the long run.

"Very well, I am starting now. Prepare to receive it." Jun Mo Xie acted without hesitation. He extended his left hand, and a ball of emerald-green light slowly formed in his palm, gradually increasing to the size of a soccer ball...

The Holy Tree looked at that emerald-green spiritual light of life again, and involuntarily, his mouth began to water again...

Slowly, Jun Mo Xie condensed this light sphere until it was even larger than a soccer ball before stopping his cultivation. Then, with a wave of his Primal Creation Skill's spiritual energy, he enveloped the light sphere, essentially wrapping this green light ball in a milky-white protective film.

"When you wish to use the wood source power, you just need to use a slender root to puncture this film. Then, however much you want, you can take. If you don't intend to use it all, you can also control the spiritual energy to reseal the breach. If preserved carefully, it should be able to be stored indefinitely." Jun Mo Xie explained the specific usage method in detail.

Today's haul was considerable, so Jun Mo Xie naturally wasn't going to be stingy. Although this tree was somewhat spineless, it was honest and lacked any deceitful intentions. Since the other party treated him this way, Jun Mo Xie naturally wouldn't be miserly.

"Thank you, thank you... This time, I truly thank you!" The Holy Tree accepted the green light sphere enveloped by spiritual energy as if it were a rare treasure, trembling with excitement and tears welling up. He never imagined the other party would willingly give him so much growth power...

This one was much larger than the sphere he used to nourish himself previously, and it was also much purer in quality. Its growth power was naturally far more vigorous, greatly exceeding his expectations. It seemed his original hopes of the other party actually keeping the promise to give him "Life Force" were long gone. He’d have been happy if he wasn't killed.

Considering the growth power he obtained, if he managed it properly, he could completely replenish that vital blood in a short time, perhaps even achieving greater benefit. Moreover, the Primal Creation Spiritual Energy wrapped around the "Life Force" was a miraculous energy unseen by the Holy Tree before. Though small in quantity, it was enough to open a brand-new door for him...

In fact, in this world, besides Young Master Jun himself, only Mei Xueyan had the fortune to obtain the physical form of Primal Creation Spiritual Power. For the Holy Tree, although today brought heavy losses, this opportunity would have an unimaginably significant impact on its future!

But this fellow was too honest. Saying "This time, I truly thank you" implied that the previous thanks were all false...

Jun Mo Xie smiled faintly and paid it no mind. Given his actions just now, if the other party still offered sincere thanks, then that person must be either brain-dead or an idiot. The Young Master carefully stored Qian Xun's body inside the Hongjun Tower, waved goodbye, and was now quite eager to return home...

Having gained such immense benefits, the Holy Tree was reluctant to see Jun Mo Xie off, stopping him at the doorway and tugging at his sleeve: "Uh... Elder, could you please relay a message to the juniors of the Illusionary Estate?"

"What message?" Jun Mo Xie turned around to look at him.

"Tell them to stop sending people here to check for 'compatibility levels'... They send someone every hundred years, and I'm about to break down!" The Holy Tree sounded truly distraught. "If this place truly can't do without someone, they can send someone who can live a bit longer!"

"Oh?"

"Although I am just a Tree Under Punishment, I have developed human emotions. And they replace the person on average every two or three hundred years. By the time I get familiar with the predecessor, and before I can deeply understand them, they are replaced... This feeling—it's agonizing!" The Holy Tree was deeply conflicted. "This feeling is like... watching my friends leave abruptly one by one, never to return... It's like what you humans call an elderly person sending off the young ones. This cycle of torment, I really can't stand it anymore."