Chapter 424: The Heavenly Pillar Giant Tree

Sun Lingtong kept recalling, wanting to find a way to help Ning Zhuo from within his memories.

Then he discovered—

It was his countless injuries, many of which were life-threatening!

It was the countless long nights over the past dozen years when he could hardly sleep!

It was the long-drawn-out pain and torment.

It was... Ning Zhuo!

That's right, Sun Lingtong had also once been greedy for success, using every possible means and disregarding the consequences to improve his cultivation, wanting to ignore the drawbacks to enhance his own combat power, all to make it easier to find his Master.

Sometimes, the physical pain and trauma actually gave him a trace of solace.

The countless experiences of having to interrupt his cultivation due to pain, lying on a sickbed all day with nothing to do, were actually rare opportunities for rest and recuperation.

If a person's heartstrings are pulled too tight, they will eventually snap completely.

Sun Lingtong knew well that physical pain could sometimes become a vent for the pain of the soul.

"Little Zhuo, he has suppressed himself too harshly, for too long."

"If his mother had died completely, ending it all, that would have been fine. But instead, Meng Yao survives in the form of a mechanical construct."

"Sigh, for the sake of her son, a mother did not hesitate to transform herself into a mechanical construct. Now, for the sake of his mother, the son is reckless, so eager to cultivate other techniques, so mindless!"

"However, if it were me and my Master, I would do the same."

"Sigh... actually, it is Little Zhuo who saved me."

After looking back, Sun Lingtong suddenly realized that it was the constant growth of the people around him, constantly occupying his life, that allowed his energy to be diverted and invested in Ning Zhuo, which prevented Sun Lingtong from walking into a dead end.

Over these dozen years, Sun Lingtong had adjusted bit by bit, no longer being so extreme. On the scales of his heart, through the end represented by Ning Zhuo, he gradually balanced the end represented by his Master.

From Ning Zhuo's perspective, Sun Lingtong had brought him immense help.

From Sun Lingtong's perspective, Ning Zhuo's very existence was preventing Sun Lingtong from suffering qi deviation!

Precisely because of this, once the competition for the Molten Immortal Palace came to an end and Meng Kui became the Palace Master, Sun Lingtong was able to calmly accept the answer that his Master still could not be found.

Seeing Ning Zhuo like this, Sun Lingtong felt the same pain, and it was precisely for this reason that he punished Ning Zhuo with confinement, not allowing him any cultivation.

In doing so, he imitated his own past experiences of being injured and lying immobile on a sickbed, urging Ning Zhuo to rest, hoping the latter would realize Sun Lingtong's painstaking efforts.

"Little Zhuo's pain has lasted too long; he is luckier than me, but also more unfortunate than me!"

"Because in his mother, there is indeed still hope."

"But in this shitty thing called life, sometimes hope can make people suffer even more."

"As the boss, I cannot stand by and watch."

Sun Lingtong left a sliver of his mind to monitor the progress of the Ten Thousand Mile Wandering Dragon, then took out a jade slip and began to contemplate the "Heaven-Born Earth-Nurtured Fetal Breath Technique" copied into it.

Soon, Sun Lingtong raised his eyebrows: "This technique is truly excellent!"

Ning Zhuo returned to his own cabin, also thinking about the problems that had appeared in himself.

Sun Lingtong's recent reprimand and the decision to punish him with confinement made him feel as if he had returned to the past.

In Fire Persimmon Immortal City, over the past dozen years, he had not been without mistakes. Whenever a mistake was quite serious, Sun Lingtong would reprimand him like this.

In these repeated reprimands, what Ning Zhuo felt was Sun Lingtong's care for him.

This time was no exception.

"I went too far." Ning Zhuo sighed deeply.

"The dantian is already established, one cannot cultivate other methods... this is the most basic common sense, yet I actually insisted on going my own way."

Recalling his state at the time, Ning Zhuo also felt that he had erred too severely!

"It is my mindset that is wrong."

"The trip to the Myriad Medicine Valley gave me many gains; my shortcoming in close combat has been greatly compensated, and I can already be considered up to the standard of my peers."

"My ability to fight at a distance using spells has soared, skyrocketing countless times."

"I even developed two sets of mechanical martial arts to serve as new trump cards."

"The encounter regarding the Linglong Reflection Wall has even given my Five Elements realm an incredible, heaven-shaking growth! This has huge bonuses for my combat, research, and refining."

"I also learned that I indeed hid a second talent, and it is an Immortal Talent!"

"Therefore, I became arrogant and proud, and a sense of recklessness arose in my heart. So, when contemplating the 'Heaven-Born Earth-Nurtured Fetal Breath Technique', I thought of the Spirit-Hidden Willow at the first moment."

"This kind of thinking contained my impetuousness."

"When it came to contemplating the 'Heaven-Born Earth-Nurtured Fetal Breath Technique', impatience disturbed me, causing me to lose my reason, and I actually cultivated the 'Heaven-Born Earth-Nurtured Fetal Breath Technique' myself."

"It was foolish to the extreme!"

Ning Zhuo reflected deeply and finally concluded: "I got carried away! I forgot the care Boss Sun has always shown me."

"What am I?"

"What do I have to be proud of?"

"Even if I have an Immortal Talent, don't others have it? Meng Chong has it, Yuan Dasheng has it, but what was their fate? Immortal Talent is nothing."

"Even if I have a profound Five Elements realm, so what? It wasn't something I accumulated step by step through my own strength. I was helped by sages and great powers, I was boosted by the Spirit-Hidden Willow, what is there to be proud of?"

"Must be humble, must be cautious!"

A few days later.

The silver threads in the void gradually thinned, and light suddenly appeared in the darkness ahead.

"We are about to reach our destination." Seeing this, Sun Lingtong hurriedly put away the jade slip in his hand and stared intently ahead.

The light expanded rapidly, swallowing the Ten Thousand Mile Wandering Dragon in almost an instant.

Sun Lingtong's field of vision changed abruptly; he was high in the sky, overlooking the entire forest.

Here, the giant trees were as towering as peaks, known as Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees. Each giant tree stood on the earth, towering into the clouds, with mountain rocks piled on the tree bodies, resembling individual mountain peaks.

Thousands of Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees combined into a vast forest. It was dark and sun-blocking, with an eerie aura that made one's heart palpitate.

"Thousand Peak Forest, we've arrived!" Sun Lingtong muttered to himself, his expression becoming cautious.

The Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees originated from the Jianmu.

The latter was a famous wood-attribute meritorious treasure. It grew in the center of heaven and earth, a hundred fathoms high, without branches for a hundred fathoms, with nine nodes, nine roots below, its fruit like hemp, its leaves like awns, and the gods climbed it to reach heaven.

The Jianmu was even more towering than the Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees, connecting heaven and earth, acting as a long ladder for the universe; by climbing it, one could reach heaven from earth.

The source of the Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees was the Jianmu. The Jianmu was sacred, and the Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees shared this characteristic.

Therefore, the giant trees were an excellent place for breeding gods.

Coupled with the fact that the two nations were established late, the Thousand Peak Forest had long had indigenous barbarian tribes, and the combination of natural birth and public worship led to a multitude of gods of all sizes, as complex as the stars in the night sky.

The barbarians were divided into hundreds of branches, fighting each other. The gods were supported and also led wars, attacking each other to compete for incense.

Therefore, the Thousand Peak Forest had historically been in a state of constant strife.

Today you hit me, tomorrow I hit you.

In such a state, it was naturally very chaotic. Therefore, it became the first choice for many serious criminals to avoid pursuit, and an lawless land where evil practitioners lingered.

"There are people below." Sun Lingtong piloted the Ten Thousand Mile Wandering Dragon and discovered a group of cultivators active on the nearest Heavenly Pillar Giant Tree.

These cultivators were all dressed in black robes, their faces hidden in hoods, and as they walked, a sinister wind blew, resembling ghosts, giving people a chilling feeling.

"Let's go take a look." Sun Lingtong became curious.

The Ten Thousand Mile Wandering Dragon was already in its compact state, very inconspicuous, so it flew straight down and began to follow them.