Legend had it there was an enormous sacred tree that was rooted in the heavens and grew downward, earthward—the Ashvattha.
The laws of the natural world formed the soil from which it drew its nutrients, and the souls of all living creatures were the nourishment it needed to bear fruit.
The Ashvattha flowered only once every ninety thousand years, and it bore fruit only once every ninety thousand years.
The flesh of the fruit would split wide open, releasing a seed that had the potential to become the next Sun.
When Xu Xiaoshou opened his eyes, he found himself in a world of scorching red lava. It was a massive world with no end in sight, and it was unbearably hot.
The sight of lava bubbling furiously at his feet sent shock coursing through his veins.
Before him was a huge, ancient tree hanging upside down with skyward roots and groundward branches.
"Is that the Ashvattha?"