Chapter 100: Shocked by the War of the Heavens, the Trees of the World Sprouting
In front of the stone tree, the five-colored divine bird Qingshenxiu recounted some major events of his past life, one by one, to Hua Tiandu.

"In my previous life, I was a disciple of the Old Mother of Mount Li, ranking seventeenth."

"After I attained the state of Ancestral God, I heard right after I came out of retreat that Jiuzhou and the other world had gone to war. My master, the old mother of Mount Li, was entrusted by King Pangu to invite other giants in the heaven to help Jiuzhou."

"However, my master was unable to seek help and was instead restrained by several other celestial giants."

"In the final decisive battle, all six stone kings from Jiuzhou participated in the battle, but they were still no match for the heroes from other worlds. Except for King Pangu who escaped back to heaven, the other five kings were all severely injured and on the verge of death."

"Later, the alien world caused a world-destroying disaster in Jiuzhou, and at the same time, four ancestral kings were separated to pursue the victory. Not only did they kill all the five kings of Jiuzhou who were on the verge of death, they also joined forces with several other giants in the heaven to destroy our Lishan Holy Land."

"In the last battle of my previous life, I watched with my own eyes as my master's body was shattered and his soul was wiped out by six stone kings of the same realm. My fellow disciples were also besieged by many disciples of the hostile stone kings and all perished..."

At the end, Qing Shenxiu's words were full of powerlessness and sadness, as well as endless hatred.

"Fifty years ago, I was reborn in this world of death. I have been practicing hard to break the mirror and evolved into the five-colored bone body I have today."

"Later, the previous Lord of Stone City, who was in charge of this area, saw that I had extraordinary potential, so he let me take over this place before he left."

After listening quietly to Qing Shenxiu's confession, Hua Tian learned about Jiuzhou's defeat and purge by alien forces.

"Fellow Daoist Shenxiu, do you know how many years have passed since that epic battle?" he asked in detail.

"Fellow Daoist Tiandu, to be honest, I actually don't know how much time it took between my death in my previous life and my awakening in this world of death." Qing Shenxiu answered frankly.

“Whether it’s a mortal or a cultivator like me, after death, we lose our perception of everything. It’s just that cultivators like me are luckier. We can be reborn in this world of death and have the opportunity to start over.”

She flapped her colorful wings a few times and flew to the other side of the stone tree.

"However, Fellow Daoist Tiandu, after you and I get out, we can ask some powerful ancestral gods for some information, which will naturally answer your doubts."

"In the past, the great war between Jiuzhou and the other world not only involved several kings and giants from the heavenly world, but even the strong men from the world of death participated in the war."

“So, the powerful Ancestral Gods in this world should have heard about this matter. It won’t be too late to inquire about the news when you and I reach the level of Ancestral Gods.”

Behind Qing Shenxiu, Hua Tiandu listened patiently and followed slowly.

The two of them walked around the stone trees, and their view suddenly became wider.

"This is the Heavenly Monument!" Hua Tiandu said in surprise.

A few dozen meters ahead, a stone tablet stood quietly.

The stone tablet is not big, about three meters high and two meters wide. One side of the tablet is engraved with densely packed tiny ancient characters, and there are also several engraved pictures, which involve both Qi training and martial arts techniques.

"Have you ever seen this kind of celestial monument before, Fellow Daoist Tiandu?" Qing Shenxiu asked in surprise.

"I haven't seen it." Hua Tiandu shook his head, and then made up some content on the spot, saying: "However, there are some relevant records of the Heavenly Stele in my sect's book 'All Worlds'."

"The book says that there are nine celestial tablets, all of which have unknown origins."

"Each of the heavenly tablets records a peerless technique, and they are interconnected, surpassing any inheritance in the world."

Hearing these secrets, Qing Shenxiu was somewhat surprised and said, "I didn't expect that the ancestor of Taoist Tiandu would be so powerful that he could find out the details of the Heavenly Stele and record them in the book for you disciples to read."

She thought for a moment and said with some regret: "I am ashamed to say that I was born in a famous family in the heaven. In my previous life, I have read many ancient books, but I have never heard of the Xuanhuang World where Taoist Tiandu was born, and I have never heard of the name of Yuhua Zhenjun, the founder of Yuhua Sect."

“The Xuanhuang World is a pure land opened up by the founder of our sect. It is hidden in the gap between the heavens and myriad worlds. Plus, our sect’s disciples have always practiced in seclusion and don’t like to go out into the world to travel around, so it is not known to the world.” Hua Tiandu saw that Qing Shenxiu had some tentative intentions, so he began to explain.

As they talked, the two came to the other side of the Heavenly Monument.

There were four large characters engraved on the stele, which was full of Taoist meaning: "Eternal Bodhi".

Seeing this, the fog in Hua Tiandu’s heart began to dissipate, and he finally understood the true appearance of this place.

The Heavenly Monument cannot suppress nameless people. Since the above-mentioned word "Bodhi" is engraved on it, this stone city must have been built by a stone king!
"That stone bodhi tree..."

Hua Tiandu looked at the ancient stone tree right in front of him and an epiphany came into his mind.

"This Bodhi tree must be the body of a stone king, and it is the target of the Heavenly Monument's suppression. It may have decayed by now!"

Thinking of this, he felt a little scared. If the Stone King in this city was safe and sound, he would be seeking his own death if he crossed over.

"Fellow Daoist Tiandu, fellow Daoist Tiandu..."

Waves of calls awakened Hua Tiandu who was lost in thought.

"What are you thinking about, fellow Daoist? Why are you so engrossed?" Qing Shenxiu asked curiously.

"I was thinking about the connection between this stone city, this Bodhi tree and this heavenly monument." Hua Tiandu replied.

Then, he told Qing Shenxiu all his guesses.

"I have a hunch that fellow Daoist's guess is most likely correct." Qing Shenxiu said in agreement.

"Fellow Daoist Shenxiu, I wonder how many years this heavenly monument has existed in this city?" Hua Tiandu thought of a key question and asked immediately.

“Hmm…” Qing Shenxiu seemed to be recalling something, and after a while he answered: “According to the inheritance left to me by the previous city lord, this heavenly monument and this stone city have existed here for millions of years.”

"The mayor of this city has changed countless times and passed down from generation to generation, but the stone city and the heavenly monument have existed for eternity and have continued intact."

After saying that, Qing Shenxiu waved his five-colored wings and flew up, "By the way, Fellow Daoist Tiandu, didn't you say before that you wanted to leave this place?"

She flew towards the huge tree canopy and extended an invitation, "Fellow Daoist, follow me and go with me to see the stone gate to leave this place."

Hearing this, Hua Tian did not delay and followed the five-colored divine bird and flew to the top of the stone tree canopy.

The huge tree canopy covers the void for several miles in radius. The top of the canopy is not flat, and looks like an uneven square that has been dilapidated for a long time.

In the center of the tree canopy, there stands a stone gate with countless runes flowing on it, and it is obviously sealed.

“Only those who have reached the state of a king with resurrected flesh and blood can unlock the seal on this stone gate and use it to leave this place,” Qing Shenxiu explained.

"Now, I am two realms away from the king realm, and your cultivation is similar to mine. It seems that we will not be able to leave this place in the short term."

She fluttered her wings and came to Hua Tiandu, asking, "I wonder what your plans are next? If you need anything, please tell me directly. As the lord of this city, I will definitely help you."

Looking at the cheerful five-colored bird, Hua Tiandu smiled and replied, "I appreciate Daoist Fellow Shenxiu's kindness, but I don't have any special needs right now. As long as Daoist Fellow allows me to practice meditation in the city, I will be satisfied."

Hearing such a simple request, Qing Shenxiu immediately flapped her wings and agreed. Then, she also stated her own request, "Daoyou Tiandu, I have an unwelcome request."

"Please tell me, Fellow Daoist Shenxiu. If I can do it, I will do my best." Hua Tiandu responded.

"I want to discuss Taoism with fellow Taoist Tiandu." Qing Shenxiu said, "Although I have attained the Tao of the Ancestral God in my previous life, if I continue along the path of my previous life, I am afraid I will not be able to go far, let alone cultivate into a Stoneman King and seek revenge on those enemies."

"That's why I want to exchange my magical powers with you, my fellow Taoist, to make up for my own shortcomings."

Her words were sincere, especially her persistence in revenge, which moved Hua Tian deeply.

"Fellow Daoist Shenxiu was an ancestral god in his previous life, and his cultivation is much higher than mine. I hope you won't despise me if we discuss the Dao together." Hua Tiandu replied with a smile.

What he meant was that he agreed to the other party's request.

"Daoyou Tiandu, why should you be so modest? You have found a new way and entered the Tao through formations. I don't know how many geniuses and prodigies you have surpassed in all the heavens and worlds. Why should you be so modest?" Qing Shenxiu complimented.

"Hahaha……"

Amidst a burst of laughter, the two flew down from the treetops and arrived at the northeast corner of the stone city.

In this corner, there is a palace, which is built entirely with some exotic ancient trees outside the city. It was built by a previous city lord and now becomes Qing Shenxiu's residence.

The palace has no other features except that it covers a large area and there is no decoration inside.

"Fellow Daoist Tiandu, my residence is rather simple, please don't blame me."

Listening to Qing Shenxiu's words, Hua Tiandu smiled heartily and said, "Don't worry, fellow Taoist, I'll buy some furniture."

After saying that, he took out two cushions from his Wanfa robe and placed them on the ground. He also placed a tea table in the middle with a set of tea sets on it.

After making some preparations, Hua Tiandu sat on the cushion in front of him and invited Qing Shenxiu to sit on another cushion.

The next moment, the five-colored divine bird shrank a little bit and became the size of an ordinary person, and then walked onto the cushion, just like staying in a bird's nest.

“It’s embarrassing to say that we, the bone evolvers, don’t need to eat or drink. We only need to absorb the fire energy of our own kind to break through the realm and make rapid progress. We have long forgotten all the enjoyment of our previous lives.” Qing Shenxiu said with emotion.

Then, she mentioned another reason why she wanted to discuss the Dao with Hua Tiandu, which was that after reaching the realm of Five-Colored Bone Body, even if she continued to devour the fire energy, it would be useless. Instead, she needed to make a breakthrough on her own and could not rely on external forces to achieve it.

In this way, the two began to discuss the Dao.

Tai Chi, Liang Yi, Yin Yang, Three Talents, Four Symbols, Five Elements, Six Paths, Seven Stars, Eight Diagrams, Nine Palaces…

Under Hua Tiandu's deliberate guidance and Qing Shenxiu's deliberate cooperation, the two of them conducted a systematic discussion around the Great Dao of Tai Chi.

One is supported by more than a dozen three thousand great ways, while the other was an ancestor god in his previous life. He understood the laws of the universe and has a profound foundation. The great ways he talks about are not only broad but also very profound. The two complement each other.

After thirty days of discussing the Dao, they finally stopped, and both felt that they had gained a lot.

After the discussion, Hua Tiandu saw a higher and broader world of cultivation, gained many different concepts of cultivation, and had a preliminary understanding of various aspects of supernatural powers and Taoism. He felt that his vision had been raised several levels, and the benefits for his future cultivation were self-evident.

Qing Shenxiu absorbed various concepts from the Three Thousand Great Daos. Although she did not obtain any specific methods of practice, these concepts that directly pointed to the origin of the Great Dao were enough to allow her to have many associations and gave birth to many ways of practice.

She had more ideas for her future practice, and she just needed to put them into practice one by one.

But it is undeniable that as long as she can fully follow the conceived path of cultivation, becoming the Stoneman King will no longer be an unattainable dream.
-
Time flies, and before he knew it, Hua Tian had been in Bodhi Realm for two years.

During this period of time, he and Qing Shenxiu spent every day together. As they got to know each other better and better, they became good friends and regarded each other as confidants.

On this day, Hua Tiandu realized that Qing Shenxiu was not a threat and could even be used as a helper, so he began his plan to activate the World Tree.

He placed the branch of the World Tree on the floor tiles of the city, and then took out a pot filled with the Nine Yang Holy Water which looked like a lake.

"Brother Tiandu, what are you going to do with this branch of strange wood?" Qing Shenxiu asked curiously.

As for the Nine Yang Holy Water in the pot, with its pure yang energy, she knew it must be an extraordinary treasure. In order to avoid suspicion, she did not ask about it.

"I wonder if Taoist Shenxiu has ever heard of the World Tree or Jianmu?" Hua Tiandu asked, and then explained: "This is the branch of the World Tree."

"World Tree... Jianmu..." Qing Shenxiu murmured, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"The legend of Jianmu has existed since ancient times. However, not only me, but even my master and those ancient antiques in the heavens that have existed for millions of years have never seen the real Jianmu."

“This also caused countless powerful people to regard Jianmu as a fabricated false legend.”

"But I didn't expect that I would actually see the branches of Jianmu with my own eyes today."

As he spoke, Qing Shenxiu curiously took the branch in his hand and stroked it carefully.

Hua Tian just watched her actions and did not stop her.

He saw divine light bursting out from Qing Shenxiu's hand, which could neither penetrate into the branches nor damage them in the slightest.

"What a strange Jianmu branch. Apart from being indestructible, it seems to have no other magical features." Qing Shenxiu put the branch back to its original place with a hint of confusion.

"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Shenxiu. This branch of the World Tree needs to be activated and sprouted before its magical powers can be manifested." Hua Tiandu explained with a smile.

After saying that, he picked up the pot and poured the Nine Yang Holy Water onto the branches.

Suddenly, all the falling holy water sank into the branches and was absorbed.

The branches of the World Tree exude a sense of spring coming back to life, and the entire wood shows a hint of vitality.

Seeing this situation, Hua Tiandu was delighted, thinking that his previous guess had come true.

As long as you leave the realm of immortality and without the interference of "fate", the branches of the World Tree can be activated.

Taking advantage of the good opportunity, Hua Tiandu's strong Wood Emperor Qi continued to surge out and sank into the branches of the World Tree.

Sure enough, with the continuous influx of the Nine Yang Holy Water and the Wood Emperor's Qi, numerous buds appeared all over the branches of the World Tree, and then continued to grow, until finally new buds grew out.

"The dead tree has sprouted again!" Qing Shenxiu said in surprise.

Clearly, it was lifeless when she first took action, but under Hua Tiandu's divine power and the mysterious holy water, the dead wood actually came back to life, as if she had regained consciousness in this world of death after her death.

(End of this chapter)