Chapter 381: The Divine Tree’s Desire
The Divine Tree’s Desire
Instead, a knot formed in his chest.
"So that’s the price..."
he murmured softly.
The Heavenly Law Seed had produced an incredible reward...
but it had clearly exhausted a tremendous amount of its own strength in doing so.
Julian looked upward.
The divine tree seemed weaker than before.
Its aura no longer possessed the overwhelming majesty he had witnessed previously.
Instead, it felt as though it were struggling to remain standing against an unseen enemy.
His fingers slowly tightened into fists.
If this tree disappears...
Will I disappear with it?
The thought sent an uncomfortable chill through him.
He didn’t know exactly what the Heavenly Law Seed truly was.
Nor did he understand why it had merged with him.
But one thing had become increasingly clear.
His fate and the fate of this divine tree were now intertwined.
If it perished...
he doubted he would escape the consequences.
The silence around him became unusually heavy.
Julian remained standing beneath the tree, quietly observing every subtle change.
Then—
Without warning—
A brilliant light flashed before his eyes.
The surrounding scenery blurred.
An unfamiliar image suddenly appeared inside his mind.
Julian instinctively held his breath.
The vision rapidly became clearer.
Standing within it was a familiar figure.
Steffan.
His expression remained as arrogant and confident as ever.
He stood proudly before the entrance of the Tyson Family estate.
Behind him stood a terrifying lineup of powerful experts.
Julian’s pupils contracted slightly.
Every single person radiated an oppressive aura.
There were many...
far too many.
Just by sensing the fluctuations leaking from the vision, Julian could tell every one of them had reached the Gold Realm.
Their presence alone was enough to overwhelm ordinary cultivators.
And among them...
there were two elderly figures whose auras far surpassed the others.
Their cultivation had already reached the peak Gold Realm.
Even through the vision, Julian could feel the immense pressure surrounding them.
If they appeared in reality...
they would undoubtedly be terrifying opponents.
The image continued without sound.
Steffan remained standing confidently before the Tyson Family.
Then—
At the very end of the vision—
A brilliant golden light suddenly flickered from within Steffan’s chest.
Julian instinctively focused all of his attention on it.
His golden eyes narrowed.
"What is that...?"
The light gradually became clearer.
Hidden deep within Steffan’s body was a tiny golden seed.
Although much smaller than Julian’s Heavenly Law Seed, the resemblance was unmistakable.
Its shape...
Its aura...
Its mysterious brilliance...
Everything about it felt strangely familiar.
The only difference was its size.
Compared to Julian’s Heavenly Law Seed, the object inside Steffan looked incomplete.
Almost...
like an imitation.
"A counterfeit?"
Julian muttered under his breath.
"It looks like a smaller version..."
"A knockoff."
Even so, he could clearly sense that it wasn’t an ordinary treasure.
The tiny golden seed contained astonishing vitality.
It pulsed rhythmically, almost like a living heart.
Julian’s gaze remained fixed upon it.
At the same moment—
The enormous divine tree behind him suddenly trembled.
Its branches rustled despite the motionless void.
Leaves quivered.
Its roots released faint ripples of light.
Julian immediately turned around.
The tree’s reaction was unlike anything he had witnessed before.
It wasn’t fear.
It wasn’t anger.
It was...
longing.
An overwhelming desire surged from every branch.
Every leaf.
Every root.
The emotion was so powerful that Julian could feel it flowing directly into his own heart.
It wanted that golden seed.
Desperately.
The Heavenly Law Seed seemed almost unable to suppress its craving.
Its weakened branches reached toward the distant image instinctively, as though trying to grasp something impossibly far away.
Julian quietly watched the trembling divine tree.
His expression gradually became thoughtful.
"So that’s your target..."
He slowly looked back toward the image of Steffan.
The counterfeit golden seed continued shining steadily inside his chest.
If the Heavenly Law Seed desired it this intensely...
then that object had to possess extraordinary significance.
Perhaps...
it was exactly what the divine tree needed to recover.
Perhaps...
it was the key to resisting the mysterious force suppressing it.
Countless thoughts flashed through Julian’s mind in an instant.
Finally, he looked up at the trembling branches above him.
Julian D’Aurelius could clearly feel the overwhelming longing radiating from the divine tree toward the tiny golden seed hidden within Steffan’s body.
Its desire wasn’t born of greed.
It was instinct.
It was the desperate yearning of something incomplete seeking the piece it had lost.
"You want this, don’t you?"
His quiet question echoed through the vast, silent void.
The enormous divine tree answered with a gentle sway. Its countless branches rustled softly despite the complete absence of wind, as if acknowledging his words.
The vision dissolved.
The endless darkness faded from sight.
Julian felt the world spin for an instant before his consciousness returned to his bedroom.
Morning sunlight streamed through the window, bathing the room in warm golden light.
The red wooden box rested in his hand.
No—
It was empty.
The Mystic Life Fruit that had been inside had completely disappeared.
Julian stared at the vacant box before glancing around instinctively.
"The Mystic Life Fruits... where are they?"
A thought crossed his mind.
Almost immediately, several emerald-colored fruits materialized beside him out of thin air, hovering quietly above the bed before settling onto the blanket.
Julian blinked.
"So that’s how it works..."
He picked up one of the fruits.
Its surface was smooth and cool, faint streams of emerald light flowing beneath its skin like liquid jade.
An astonishing amount of life energy rested within it.
Compared to the Mystic Life Fruit obtained from Steffan before, this one felt even purer.
Its aura was richer.
Its medicinal power was denser.
If the previous fruit could be considered a rare treasure, then these were refined versions produced directly by the Heavenly Law Seed itself.
Julian carefully inspected it.
Its effects resembled the Nine Way Cleansing Elixir.
However...
It was noticeably stronger.
Much stronger.
Almost like an evolved form of that miraculous medicine.
At the same time, he instinctively understood another limitation.
A cultivator could only consume three Mystic Life Fruits in an entire lifetime.
After the third fruit, any additional ones would become ineffective.
It was a familiar rule among cultivation treasures.
The stronger an elixir became, the stricter its limits were.
Most supreme heavenly treasures only worked once.
Some could be used three times.
Very few exceeded that restriction.
Holding the fruit between his fingers, Julian silently calculated.
If I consume three...