Eternal Life and the True and False World Trees

Rosen's thoughts turned sharply—he decided to return the Ancient God's Chisel to its original position.

Then, just as he had arrived, he would leave exactly the same way.

If someone truly intended to use him to remove the Ancient God's Chisel from the Sky Pillar, then whoever was behind it would not stand idly by and let him walk away.

Sure enough, before he even stepped out of the Relief Mural's inner realm, a phantom figure appeared at the exit.

The figure wore no clothing whatsoever, standing before Rosen completely unashamed, as if such a thing was only natural—as if wearing clothes was what would have been strange.

"Glad to see you here..."

The figure spoke words of joy, yet its voice carried no emotion, as if spoken by a machine.

"Who are you?" Rosen asked cautiously.

"I am the Eternal Will Fragment of the World Tree. I have sensed the small World Tree you have hidden..."

The figure responded.

"You mean... you're the World Tree from the previous Ancient God Era? The one that mastered the Law of Worlds and created the Primordial Humans?"

Rosen asked in shock.

If this figure was not lying, then he had just come face-to-face with one of the greatest legends in existence.

"You are wrong."

The figure denied it outright. "I am indeed the World Tree that created Primordial Humans, but the one that mastered the Law of Worlds—that was the small World Tree."

"You're saying... the real World Tree doesn't wield the Law of Worlds?"

Rosen asked in surprise.

"Of course not. The small World Tree's core is Worlds, while the real World Tree's core is Stone Worlds—stone, not worlds."

The figure answered without hesitation. "You are now standing inside the trunk of the World Tree."

"Can you explain in more detail?"

Rosen couldn't help but press further.

His instincts told him—this phantom figure might hold the true history behind the Ancient Gods and the Primeval Origins of the Main World.

Faced with Rosen's questions, the being that called itself World Tree showed no intention of hiding anything.

According to the figure, the World Tree and the Ancient Gods were both Eternal Beings—entities that had been born naturally within the universe, each inherently possessing boundless, supreme power.

The Ancient Gods were flesh-and-blood lifeforms, whereas the World Tree was a form of ever-growing stone tree.

Before they encountered one another, both had simply wandered the cosmos, driven by the instinct of their existence.

And in the beginning, neither of them even possessed intelligence.

The reason was simple: even if a person were born infinitely intelligent, if they were imprisoned in a dark, empty room for millions of years, without any intelligent being to interact with, that person would never develop wisdom.

It was only when the Ancient Gods and the World Tree finally met that they began to communicate.

The exchange between two Eternal Beings—two solitary existences—ignited the spark of wisdom.

And after countless years of wandering the cosmos together, a new concept was born between them.

The concept of friendship.

However, friendship, when taken to the extreme, could only breed resentment.

After all, every lifeform was an independent entity from birth—no two beings could ever be completely identical.

Their likes and dislikes, their personalities, their desires and aversions—sooner or later, they would find themselves at odds.

The closer two friends became, the more flaws they would notice in one another.

And especially when one began to believe they were superior to the other.

Both were Eternal Beings, yet in terms of raw power, the World Tree was far stronger than the Ancient God.

However, when it came to intelligence and wisdom, the Ancient God far outpaced the World Tree.

Over time, the Ancient God developed the emotions of arrogance and jealousy—arrogance in believing the World Tree was intellectually inferior, and jealousy in believing that a lesser mind did not deserve such overwhelming power.

Then, one day, the Ancient God proposed an idea:

They would each sacrifice a portion of their essence to create new life, mimicking each other in the process.

The universe with only the two of them was far too dull, and they wished to fill the lifeless, empty cosmos with vibrant existence.

The World Tree loved this idea.

So, the World Tree imitated the Ancient God, expending a vast portion of its own essence to create the Primordial Humans.

The Ancient God, in turn, imitated the World Tree—and created the Small World Tree.

At that time, the World Tree had no idea that this was all part of the Ancient God's scheme.

In creating the Primordial Humans, the World Tree had given its all, holding nothing back, thus consuming an immense amount of its own essence.

But when the Ancient God created the Small World Tree, it was merely a shell without true substance, having cost only a fraction of its own essence.

As a result, the balance of power between the two Eternal Beings was reversed—the World Tree, having spent far more than the Ancient God, was now weaker.

And so, the Ancient God seized the opportunity—waiting until the World Tree was at its weakest, and struck it down.

The World Tree's core was forged into what is now the Ancient God's Chisel.

The World Tree's trunk was reshaped into a weapon.

And the World Tree's leaves—they were used by the Ancient God to fill the hollow essence of the Small World Tree.

Thus, strictly speaking, both the Primordial Humans and the Small World Tree originated from the World Tree.

But the Ancient God had not slain the World Tree for these artifacts.

The Chisel, the weapon, the leaves—these were only side benefits.

What the Ancient God truly desired was the World Tree's Essence.

Yet, the Essence of an Eternal Being was not so easily absorbed.

For the World Tree's Will was eternal—indestructible, impossible to erase completely.

Thus, the Ancient God, using its innate abilities, transformed itself into the World, creating the Main World as a prison to cultivate the Small World Tree and the descendants of the Primordial Humans.

With each passing generation, as life multiplied and evolved, the Primordial Human gene sequence fractured into countless new intelligent species.

The Small World Tree, too, grew—spreading its roots across the Main World, flourishing into a vast ecosystem.

And through this endless cycle of reproduction and expansion, the World Tree's Essence was gradually scattered—the will contained within it weakened, thinned, until one day, it would fade to nothing.

The moment the World Tree's Will became weak enough to be ignored, the Ancient God would annihilate all life—and devour the World Tree's remaining Essence in one final act.

Back when the Ancient God struck the final blow against the World Tree, it openly confessed its reason for betrayal.

And the reason was laughable.

The ever-growing intellect of the Ancient God had led it to believe that the foolish World Tree was unworthy of standing beside it as an Eternal Being.

Yet, what the Ancient God had failed to realize was this—

A villain's downfall... always comes from talking too much.

The World Tree may not have been as intelligent as the Ancient God...

But its power was very, very real.

And so, in its final moments, the World Tree seized the only chance it had—

It created a curse.

A curse that could erode wisdom itself—diminishing intelligence, making the mind grow weaker.

With its dying breath, the World Tree secretly implanted this curse within the Ancient God's being.

By the time the Ancient God had fully fused with the world, it was too late—it could no longer stop the curse from slowly eroding its intellect.

In the end, the Ancient God had no choice but to fall into slumber in order to suppress the curse. At the same time, it distributed fragments of the curse throughout all life in the Main World, embedding it into the very essence of existence.

Because of this, many of the once-intelligent species began to lose their wisdom, and to this day, all non-intelligent life in the Main World still carries traces of the World Tree's curse.

With the Ancient God in slumber, it could no longer actively control the changes in the Main World. It could only establish laws and mechanisms that allowed the world to function on its own in accordance with its predefined rules.

But without the Ancient God's direct influence, the fragments of the World Tree's essence, scattered across all living beings, began to converge once more.

Eventually, the World Tree's Eternal Will successfully regathered itself—reincarnating within one of the Primordial Humans.

Though the World Tree had lost its former strength, its wisdom—ironically—grew sharper now that it had taken human form.

Meanwhile, the Ancient God, who had once prided itself on its intelligence, only grew more foolish in its endless slumber.

By the end of the last Ancient God Era, the World Tree had once again ascended to the status of a Great True God—and with its newfound strength, it led the Primordial Humans in rebellion against the Ancient God, attempting to strike it down while it was still asleep.

However, by that point, the Ancient God had already absorbed a portion of the World Tree's essence.

And so, in a cruel twist of fate—the Ancient God, despite being reduced to an imbecile, had surpassed the World Tree's former peak.

The Ancient God had not even awakened—yet its instinctive counterattack was enough to crush the World Tree's forces.

Unwilling to accept defeat, the World Tree unleashed its final resort—it annihilated nearly all life in the Main World, reclaiming some of its lost essence.

Then, in the final moments of the Ancient God Era, while the Ancient God was still slumbering, the World Tree launched a devastating strike, heavily wounding the Ancient God and retrieving even more of its essence.

But when the Ancient God finally awoke, a catastrophic battle erupted between the two—one that nearly obliterated the entire Main World.

The two giants depicted in the engraved mural—the one wielding the Sky-Piercing Pillar was the Ancient God, while the bare-handed one was the reincarnated World Tree.

Neither side was at their full power, but this time, the World Tree had the upper hand.

The Ancient God was defeated.

Fleeing in disgrace, it hurled the Sky-Piercing Pillar back to its original position and vanished into the dark abyss of the universe.

The World Tree, unable to pursue further, returned to the Main World—intending to fully reclaim its essence and restore the world to its original state.

But before it could succeed, the Ancient God returned—descending from the cosmic void with a new, far more terrifying power.

For the second time, the World Tree was slain.

With its dying breath, it exhausted everything in an attempt to drag the Ancient God down with it.

But this time, the World Tree's luck had run out.

Somehow, the Ancient God had obtained a mysterious force of immense darkness—a power so overwhelming that it nearly erased the World Tree's Eternal Will.

Only a faint sliver managed to survive, hiding within the Ancient God's Chisel, where it remained in deep slumber.

Meanwhile, though the Ancient God perished as well, it had successfully reincarnated into its second existence.

"So, you lured me here using the Small World Tree… What exactly do you want?" Rosen asked calmly after hearing the World Tree's story.

"I don't want to die… I need your help…" For the first time, there was a ripple of emotion in the World Tree's voice.

"And how exactly do you want me to help you?" Rosen asked, his expression unreadable.

"Take the Ancient God's Chisel… and embed it into the heart of the Small World Tree," the World Tree replied. "Then… I will possess the Small World Tree and be reborn…"

The World Tree hesitated for a moment before adding, "I know how important the Small World Tree is to you. The Ancient God's Chisel is my compensation. I can also tell you how to go beyond a Great True God—how to become an Eternal Being."

"I need to think about it," Rosen said, feigning hesitation.

But in truth, he had already made up his mind—he would never agree to the World Tree's terms.

Setting aside the question of how much truth or falsehood lay within the World Tree's story, just the idea of giving up the Small World Tree was out of the question. The Small World Tree was too important—it was tied to the Ancient God's True Realm, his control over multiple laws, and even the Miracle Sequence.

If he lost the Small World Tree but gained the Ancient God's Chisel in exchange, it might seem like an incredible bargain—but in reality, it could be an absolute disaster.

The reason was simple—the Ancient God's Chisel was too high-level. So high-level, in fact, that he couldn't truly control it. Who knew if the World Tree or the Ancient God had some hidden method to reclaim it?

If things went wrong, he could end up losing both the Small World Tree and the Ancient God's Chisel—and if that happened, he'd have nowhere to cry about it.

So there was no way he would accept the World Tree's offer—but at the same time, he wasn't willing to give up on the Ancient God's Chisel either.

"Now isn't the right time," Rosen said after a moment of contemplation. "I'm not even a True God yet. The laws I wield all depend on the World Fruits of the Small World Tree. If I lose it and have to start over, forget becoming an Eternal Being—I might not even be able to reach True Godhood."

The World Tree fell silent upon hearing this—because everything Rosen said was true.

If their positions were reversed, it wouldn't give up the Small World Tree either.

"I can wait," the World Tree finally said, taking a step back. "I'll wait until you become a True God and no longer need the Small World Tree."

"In that case, I'll come find you once I've ascended," Rosen said casually, sidestepping the World Tree as he walked toward the exit of the Hidden Realm.

"Wait," the World Tree suddenly blocked his path. "Look at the darkness outside. Deep within that darkness lies the Ancient God's resting place. This realm is about to be completely swallowed by the lingering darkness. I need you to take the Ancient God's Chisel away from here."

Rosen glanced at the pitch-black void beyond the Hidden Realm.

Just as he was about to agree, an uneasy thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Why does everything keep leading back to me taking the Ancient God's Chisel away?

The entire plan about reviving through the Small World Tree—that was entirely based on the World Tree's own words.

But who could truly confirm whether it was telling the truth?

If the World Tree wasn't actually trying to possess the Small World Tree, but instead had been manipulating him all along to carry the Ancient God's Chisel out of this dark realm, then wouldn't he be falling right into its trap?

There was also a major flaw in the World Tree's story—one that it never explained.

Why was the Ancient God's Chisel in Shi Yan's hands in the first place?

If this chisel was truly crafted from the World Tree's Heart, then it should have contained a portion of the World Tree's original essence.

Why didn't the World Tree reclaim it?

If the Ancient God had already been pushed to the brink, why would it allow the Ancient God's Chisel to remain outside its control?

Inside Rosen's Mind Sea, the Secret Brass Book suddenly flipped open—beginning to record everything he had just experienced.

It recorded everything.

That meant all this information was indeed something that was unutterable, unseeable, unknowable, and unrecordable—forbidden knowledge that should not exist in the world.

Yet for some special reason, he alone was able to know these secrets without suffering any consequences.

Could it be that the World Tree was telling the truth all along, without even mixing in a single lie to mislead me?

Rosen didn't believe it. Because besides mixing nine truths with one lie, there was also the possibility of nine truths with one omission—deliberately leaving out one crucial piece of the truth. A story like that wouldn't technically be a lie, but if he blindly believed it, that missing one percent could very well lead to his complete and utter demise.

"I will become a True God before this realm collapses," Rosen said as his body dissolved into paint and faded into nothingness.

In unfamiliar places, he never took unnecessary risks with his true body.

So from the very beginning, the one that had entered was only his Bronze Dragon avatar. His true body had remained safely hidden within the Mysterious Study Room the entire time.

Standing by the window, Rosen peered through the Window of the World at the World Tree.

He saw no disappointment or anger on its face. Instead, its ethereal figure slowly approached the hollow stone sphere that housed Shi Yan's corpse and the Ancient God's Chisel. The stone sphere cracked open slightly, and the World Tree transformed into a stream of light, slipping inside before the crack sealed itself once more.

Rosen could clearly tell that the World Tree was able to manipulate the stone using the Ancient God's Chisel.

The entrance to the Hidden Realm was right there—yet instead of leaving, the World Tree chose to return inside.

That could only mean one thing—the World Tree was completely incapable of carrying the Ancient God's Chisel out of this realm.

Perhaps that endless blackness at the edge of the space was the key.

For countless ages, both the World Tree and the Ancient God's Chisel had been imprisoned in this sealed realm by that very darkness.

An ordinary person wouldn't even be able to enter this Hidden Realm—let alone escape with the Ancient God's Chisel and the World Tree.

But the World Tree believed he could.

That meant there was something special about him—something that set him apart from everyone else.

Rosen's first suspicion was the Mysterious Study Room.

Could it be that the Study Room is capable of bypassing the darkness' seal?

Could it be that the World Tree's true goal all along… was to use me to bring the Ancient God's Chisel into the Mysterious Study Room?

That would mean the World Tree was already aware of the Mysterious Study Room.

And that would explain why it targeted me in the first place.

Regardless of the real truth, he was still far too weak to deal with any of it.

The Ancient God's Chisel was simply something he wasn't qualified to control—not yet.

At the very least, he needed to become a True God first before returning to investigate.

The World Tree wasn't angry at him—perhaps because it knew he would eventually come back for the Ancient God's Chisel.

It was easy to resist for now—but no one could resist forever.

...

In Suspended City No. 63, a Reaper avatar residing inside the Mind Sea of an ordinary civilian opened the door to the Mysterious Study Room and changed the anchor point.

Only then did Rosen truly feel absolutely safe.

But he wasn't planning to leave the Suspended Empire just yet.

Since he was already here, he wasn't going to waste the months he had spent making the trip.

If this Sky-Piercing Pillar really was the trunk of the World Tree—its main body, stripped of its Heart—then that would explain why its core was relatively fragile yet still capable of regeneration.

Because even though the World Tree was made of stone, it grew like a plant.

That meant there was a good chance that somewhere inside this Sky-Piercing Pillar, there were still fragments of the World Tree's original essence—or perhaps even something valuable left behind by the Ancient God.

The Suspended Empire wasn't just the birthplace of painters—it was also the birthplace of sculptors.

The Sculptors' Guild was located in this empire, and the stone mined from within the Sky-Piercing Pillar was the perfect material for sculpting.

A sculptor inside the Pillar could easily fight opponents several Sequence levels higher.

If not for the fact that the stone's mystical properties disappeared once taken outside, the Sculptor Sequence might have been one of the most terrifying Supernatural Paths under the World Government's control.

Even though the Five Great Networks were completely sealed off from the Suspended Empire, the Mysterious Study Room remained unaffected.

Far away in Dragon Realm, his Yinglong avatar purchased a Sculptor's Supernatural Essence from the Main Temple at a high price.

By opening the door to the Mysterious Study Room, he sent the Essence inside—then reopened the door in the Suspended Empire, bypassing the Pillar's barrier and successfully retrieving the Sculptor's Supernatural Essence.

For the next few days, Rosen used the Essence as Godly Paint to paint an artwork.

The subject?

Himself.

Thus, this painting was yet another avatar.

Through this painting, he could wield the Sculptor's abilities.

However, unlike his Self-Portrait Avatars, this one had no growth potential.

The strength it had upon creation was the strength it would always have.

It couldn't share the powers of his other Supernatural Paths, and it lacked the ability to evolve alongside him.

His Divine Consciousness merged into the painting, and a new Rosen stepped out from the canvas—an avatar wielding the power of a Sculptor.

This was the weakest he had felt in a long time.

Since this avatar couldn't share his True Body's abilities, he truly had to rely solely on the Sculptor Sequence.

And since he had only just obtained this Supernatural Essence, he lacked the corresponding Sequence techniques—making him little more than an incomplete Sequence 1 Sculptor.

If he wanted to infiltrate the Sculptors' Guild without being exposed, he would have to proceed with extreme caution.

(End of Chapter)