Chapter 2: The Tree of Life
Molei’s body visibly paused, then quickly returned to normal.
“Is that Bai Ye? Long time no see.”
Molei was sharp-witted; after a rapid flurry of thoughts, she pieced together many things.
“We had no chance to cooperate on Blazing Sun Star, and in this world, there’s even less of a chance.”
Molei’s words carried multiple implications. Roughly, she meant that she wouldn’t reveal Su Xiao’s information, and as leverage for holding that intel, Su Xiao shouldn’t actively seek her out either.
“That’s for the best.”
Su Xiao released Molei’s shoulder and vanished into the crowd.
“Molei, who was that?”
The little girl with the chubby face asked, while the guy beside her, Ascension Brother, remained silent.
“An old friend. Little Bun, once we enter the world, I’ll find you and beat you to a pulp.”
Molei’s expression turned cold, her eyes lowered as she stared at the chubby-faced girl ahead.
“I’m so small, and you have thoughts like that? Pervert.”
“Shut up, you creature of unknown composition. You… killed my only friend.”
The killing intent in Molei’s eyes was undisguised.
“Doesn’t matter if those guys are around?”
The chubby-faced girl glanced at a few figures in the crowd—powerful auras she could sense even from a distance.
“Someone will deal with them. I just need to kill you.”
As Molei finished speaking, spatial fluctuations appeared, and dozens of contractors were teleported away. A few seconds later, the second wave of teleportation arrived.
It wasn’t until the sixth wave that Su Xiao was teleported. Since the distance this time wasn’t far, the transfer was stable.
Squeak, squeak～
The chirping of insects reached his ears. Sunlight filtering through the leaves cast dappled shadows on the fallen leaves below.
Birdsong and insect calls mixed with the distant, ethereal cries of monkeys. A beetle the size of a palm crawled up the trunk of a “sky-reaching tree,” each of which was nearly three meters thick and seventy to eighty meters tall, towering in this primeval forest, greedily snatching sunlight and underground water.
Su Xiao stood up among the banana leaves. The unique scent of a tropical forest filled his nostrils—not unpleasant, much fresher than the air of the Wasteland Star.
As far as the eye could see, there were thick tree trunks and densely growing broadleaf plants and shrubs.
Buzz～
A wasp the size of a peanut flew over, its wings vibrating so fast they became a blur. Its pincer-like mouthparts indicated it was carnivorous.
This supernatural creature wasn’t targeting Su Xiao but rather Bubu Wang behind him.
“Woof!”
Bubu Wang barked, signaling a fight to the death. The first battle of this world would be started by him, Bubuteni.
Buzz～
Woof!
The battle began, fierce and intense. After a dozen seconds, it ended. Bubu Wang happily munched on the supernatural wasp, having removed its head, wings, and stinger, temporarily ignoring the sting on his nose.
[Entering World: Primordial Continent]
Location: Hunting Grounds (Lush Forest)
World Difficulty: Lv.59 ~ Lv.68 (Primordial World)
World Source: 0%
World Introduction: The power of life has been fully unleashed. This is the territory of overlord creatures and native tribes.
[Primordial Era 23: The Tree of Life stands tall on the Primordial Continent. It has absorbed too much life force and supernatural power, making it overly massive. One day, a group of natives gathered beneath the Tree of Life, awestruck by the sight before them.]
[The natives beneath the Tree of Life began to worship this giant tree. Perhaps due to their worship, or natural evolution, fruits fell from the Tree of Life. These fruits, meant to be absorbed by the roots, were picked up and eaten by the natives. Their life forms underwent a qualitative change—some became stronger, others more beautiful, and some could control lightning and cold.]
[The natives settled near the Tree of Life, worshipping it day after day, waiting for its fruits to fall. As their skin grew smooth, they gradually developed a sense of shame, weaving clothes from various materials. At some point, they began to call themselves elves.]
[Primordial Era 75: The elves realized that living near the Tree of Life was a mistake. This divine tree was draining their life force, hastening their deaths. A migration began.]
[Primordial Era 827: Elven nations emerged one after another. War, greed, power…]
[Primordial Era 1027: The elves discovered that the Tree of Life, once called the divine tree, was actually absorbing the life force and supernatural power of all things. A flame ignited in their hearts—the fire of rage. They refused to face extinction.]
[Primordial Era 1280: Flames engulfed the Tree of Life. After personally setting the giant tree ablaze, the remaining hundred or so ancient elves roared beneath it, their bodies wreathed in fire. They were to become pioneers, ending the Primordial Era. Having experienced nations, internal wars, supernatural civilizations, and racial destruction, they knew the Tree of Life was greedy. This giant tree was absorbing the life force of all living beings and plants in the world, and within it, something was gestating.]
[The flames dyed the sky red—no, the entire sky was burning. The earth turned to scorched soil. The ancient elves, with their glory and will, became ashes on the ground.]
[The Tree of Life, thousands of meters tall, burned through and collapsed, leaving only a hundred-meter-high stump. A dragon covered in flames crawled out from the stump, roaring at the sky. It was what the Tree of Life had nurtured, but it was destined to be buried with the ancient elves.]
[When the flames on the Tree of Life died out, the hundred-meter stump turned pale white. The life force and supernatural power it had absorbed burst forth in an instant.]
[Thousands of years later, on a continent covered in ashes, silent to the point of suffocation, a sprout emerged from the charcoal, basking in sunlight and rain. Alongside it was a struggling human tribe, once the ancient elves’ greatest enemy, now on the brink of extinction. The former foes became the humans’ last lifeline. The ancient elves entrusted their hope of continuation to them.]
[Countless ages later, this continent became vibrant again. Vegetation grew unusually tall, and the water, rich in plant life force, could even slightly heal injuries.]
[Countless supernatural creatures inhabit this land. Several overlord creatures each claim vast territories. The native tribes are also rulers here, competing with supernatural beings for survival resources.]
[Supernatural creature groups are not to be underestimated. Overlord creatures sit at the pinnacle of individual combat power, but even they won’t easily provoke certain native tribes.]
[Announcement (Void Tree): This is a survival-type world. Food, fresh water, and other resources in storage spaces are sealed.]
[Announcement (Void Tree): This is a seventh-rank survival-type world. All recovery items are sealed in storage spaces. Participants in this trial can obtain recovery items through other means.]
[Tip: Main Quest·Spoils of War has been released.]
[World, begin!]
…
The world introduction contained a lot of information, but most of it covered the world’s evolution. The ancient elves didn’t need immediate consideration; after so many years, all that might remain of them were some giant stone sculptures.
Aside from other contractors, there were three types of enemies to watch out for in this world: supernatural creatures, native tribes, and overlord creatures.
As for overlord creatures, Su Xiao naturally hoped to encounter as many as possible, as killing them would yield overlord chests and plenty of world source.
Regarding native tribes, he decided not to engage for now. The reason was that communication would be difficult—it would test his charm attribute too much. As for Bubu Wang, who had high charm, unfortunately, in the eyes of the natives, he might just be food.
“Bubu, search the nearby…”
Su Xiao’s words trailed off, and his cheek twitched slightly.
“Woof?”
Bubu Wang tilted his head, looking at Su Xiao with confusion. He seemed unaware that his mouth had swollen several times over, the result of being stung by the supernatural wasp earlier.