Genhuanhuanhengyuan

A gentle breeze swept by, faintly carrying a foul scent of rot. Withered leaves rustled softly. Occasionally, a few drifted down from the treetops, vanishing without a trace before they could even hit the ground. Li Fan clearly saw the fleeting glimpses upon their surfaces: twisted, agonizing faces. Normally, anyone who witnessed such a bizarre and eerie sight would feel a chill in their heart. Yet to Li Fan in this moment, this place known as Simmering Mortal Longevity was indescribably magnificent. Taking a deep breath, the rancid, fetid air filled his lungs, bringing with it a strangely sweet aftertaste. Driven by greed, he inhaled several more lungfuls. Observing the cultivators in the tree closely, he found their eyes entirely black, pupils indistinguishable, their faces fixed with eerie smiles. Their hair had grown intertwined with the branches, serving as cords from which they hung suspended. Some of the cultivators still wore intact clothing. Others seemed to have been hanging from the branches for quite some time; their clothes had long since rotted away, reduced to tattered rags. Decaying twigs wound around their bodies, shielding their private parts while plunging deep into their flesh. "Marvelous! Simply marvelous!" Without Daoist Xiumu even needing to introduce anything, the instant Li Fan entered Simmering Mortal Longevity, he understood how everything here operated. Confronted with this ghastly sight, far from feeling alarmed or terrified, Li Fan clapped in praise. There was even a trace of envy in his tone. It was as if every cultivator in the world ought to be hanging from these branches. And to have this withered tree burrow into one's very flesh was an unimaginable honor! "Well, Fellow Daoist Yu? Did I speak the truth?" Daoist Xiumu seemed ever frailer. He coughed violently for a long time before recovering enough to speak. "Your words could not be truer, Fellow Daoist!" Li Fan nodded in agreement. "A truly magnificent creation! How should this tree be addressed?" Staring intently at the withered colossus, an obsessed look surfaced in his eyes. "Originally, it was called Ruomu. But now..." Daoist Xiumu looked up as well, his expression unreadable. "It is called Genhuanhuanhengyuan." It was an exceedingly tongue-twisting name, yet the moment Daoist Xiumu uttered it, Li Fan instantly understood the meaning it carried: *Existing since the dawn of antiquity, and continuing to endure for eternity. Towering over the river of life, supporting heaven like a wall.* "Not good. I still prefer its original name," Li Fan said, shaking his head. Daoist Xiumu gave a sullen laugh, unbothered. "A name is nothing more than a label. As time flows on, the living beings of this world change crop after crop, and their names for it constantly shift. "Yet that does not affect its existence in the slightest." For some reason, as he said this, a shadow seemed to flit across Daoist Xiumu's eyes. Li Fan concurred, "Though that may be true, the present cannot compare to the past." With every passing moment here, countless images naturally surfaced in Li Fan's mind. As a result, an immense amount of related information flowed into him. A look of reminiscence showed on his face as he murmured to himself, "Heaven and earth give birth to life; Ruomu shears away their years. Drawing forth life to bear the Longevity Fruit, consuming it grants Longevity." Hearing the verse leave Li Fan's lips, Daoist Xiumu's turbid eyeballs shifted slightly, glistening with a faint gleam. After a long silence, the two finally resumed their conversation. "Fellow Daoist Yu, you truly possess great wisdom!" Daoist Xiumu suddenly let out a long sigh. "Tens of thousands of cultivators have visited here in the past, but one whose mindset transforms as rapidly as yours is exceedingly rare." Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a low voice, "It is not that I possess wisdom, but that they are inherently foolish. "What fundamental difference is there between the cultivators here and any other living creature? "Trees bear fruit, flowers produce nectar. Beasts give birth, and birds lay eggs. "People take them for food and consider it the most ordinary thing in the world. Why, then, when it is their turn to be harvested, do they find it so impossible to accept? "Did they truly believe themselves to be the spirits of heaven and earth, the masters of all creation?" Li Fan sneered. Daoist Xiumu had prepared an entire explanation, but hearing his guest beat him to the punch left him momentarily speechless. "In my eyes, it comes down to nothing more than four words: the strong prey on the weak. "To devour others today brings only delight. If one day you are devoured by another, simply do not complain. The Heavenly Dao turns full circle; retribution never fails!" Li Fan swayed his head, thoroughly absorbed in his own words. Daoist Xiumu stared at Li Fan for a moment before sudden comprehension dawned. "So it wasn't that his perspective changed; he simply thought this way from the start. "A pity, what a pity!" Daoist Xiumu shook his head faintly. Yet Li Fan turned a deaf ear, as if he hadn't heard the old man at all. He remained fixated on the withered Ruomu before him, as if something within it held him in a deep, inescapable trance. "Still, to think such an anomaly would arise among cultivators..." Daoist Xiumu knitted his brows, lost in thought. "Cough, cough..." He suddenly erupted into a bout of violent coughing, green blood faintly trickling from the corner of his mouth. Above them, Ruomu swayed without any wind, showering countless withered leaves down around them. "A good death! A magnificent death!" Whatever scene had entered his vision, a vicious, frenzied look flashed across Daoist Xiumu's face. Then he burst into wild laughter. "Truly, the Heavenly Dao turns full circle, and even wicked men meet a harsher match! "Keeping this brat here serves no purpose; better to send him back to wreak havoc out there! "Retribution! It is all retribution!" ... After a prolonged bout of madness, Daoist Xiumu gradually regained his composure. He returned to the same demeanor he had displayed when meeting Li Fan on the outside. "Fellow Daoist Yu, now that you have inspected the site in person, you must have a clear idea of our product quality. "Shall we proceed with our earlier deal?" he asked with an eerie laugh. "Deal?" Li Fan turned his head, dazed. "Oh, that matter! No rush!" He waved a hand, actively rejecting the proposal. "Heh heh heh..." Daoist Xiumu let out that grating laugh once more. "Wondrous as this place may be, it is not where you belong. "The Xuanhuang Realm outside is far more suited to you." Li Fan was about to object, but Daoist Xiumu seized him firmly by the shoulder. Surging grey mist rose from beneath his feet, on the verge of enveloping him entirely. "Fellow Daoist, why are you in such a rush to drive me away?" Li Fan said anxiously. Daoist Xiumu gave a cold sneer and made no reply. "You wanted Golden Cores, didn't you? Might as well see a good deed through to the end—this time, I'll gift you some for free!" The grey mist completely blotted out his vision, and Li Fan could only faintly hear Daoist Xiumu speaking right beside his ear. His sight blurred, and Li Fan stumbled, finding himself back in the detached courtyard of the Dao Discussion Tower in Tianling Province. Daoist Xiumu, Genhuanhuanhengyuan, and the countless cultivators hanging from the boughs had vanished in an instant. Everything felt as though it had been merely an illusion. Only a withered, yellow branch resting quietly on the table served as proof. Free from the influence of Ruomu, Li Fan regained his normal senses. Recalling his experience just now, he felt as if plunged into the depths of winter. Yet fearing Daoist Xiumu might still be watching from the shadows, he could only forcefully suppress the terror in his heart and maintain an outward composure.