“ shì zài ……” lǐ fán méi tóu wēi zhòu ， shì shì zài nǔ lì huí yì 。 xī mén yǔ sǐ sǐ dīng zhe tā ， níng shén qīng tīng 。
“是在……”李凡眉头微皱，似是在努力回忆。西门羽死死盯着他，凝神倾听。
"Is it...?" Li Fan frowned slightly, as if trying to recall something. Xi Men Yu stared intently at him.
“ jì bù dé le 。” guò le bàn tiān ， lǐ fán què shì sǒng le sǒng jiān ， wú nài dì shuō dào 。
“记不得了。”过了半天，李凡却是耸了耸肩，无奈地说道。
"Can't remember." After a long pause, Li Fan shrugged helplessly.
“ nǐ ……” xī mén yǔ miàn sè yī jiāng ，
“你……”西门羽面色一僵，
"You..." Xi Men Yu's expression stiffened,
“ rú cǐ qí yì zhī shì ， zěn me huì qīng yì wàng jì ne ？” tā mǎn liǎn bù xìn ， dǎ liàng zhe lǐ fán 。
“如此奇异之事，怎么会轻易忘记呢？”他满脸不信，打量着李凡。
"How can such an extraordinary matter be easily forgotten?" He looked at Li Fan with disbelief.
“ xī mén dào yǒu ， bù rú gěi wǒ jiǎng jiǎng ， zhè kū zhī yòu shì hé wù 。 shuō bù dìng jiǎng zhe jiǎng zhe ， wǒ jiù xiǎng qǐ lái le yě shuō bù dìng 。” lǐ fán zé shì wēi xiào zhe jiàn yì dào 。
“西门道友，不如给我讲讲，这枯枝又是何物。说不定讲着讲着，我就想起来了也说不定。”李凡则是微笑着建议道。
"Xi Men Daoist friend, why don't you tell me about this withered branch. Maybe I'll recall something as we talk." Li Fan suggested with a smile.
xī mén yǔ wén yán ， yǎn jīng mī qǐ ， shì xiàn zài lǐ fán shēn shàng lái huí sǎo guò 。 ér lǐ fán zé shì sī háo bù jù ， shén qíng zì ruò dì yǔ tā duì shì 。
西门羽闻言，眼睛眯起，视线在李凡身上来回扫过。而李凡则是丝毫不惧，神情自若地与他对视。
Hearing this, Xi Men Yu's eyes narrowed and he scanned Li Fan. Li Fan met his gaze calmly without fear.
shì shì mō bù zhǔn lǐ fán de shí lì ， xī mén yǔ zuì zhōng méi yǒu xuǎn zé wàng dòng 。 shēn xíng zhuǎn dòng ， jiāng hù zài shēn hòu de kū zhī chóng xīn zhǎn xiàn zài lǐ fán miàn qián 。
似是摸不准李凡的实力，西门羽最终没有选择妄动。身形转动，将护在身后的枯枝重新展现在李凡面前。
Unable to gauge Li Fan’s strength, Xi Men Yu ultimately decided against making any rash moves. He turned and revealed the withered branch once more to Li Fan.
chén mò le piàn kè hòu ， fāng cái shuō dào ：“ cǐ wù de lái lì ， qí shí wǒ yě bù tài qīng chǔ 。 nà zhèn zi ， wǒ yán jiū dì mài de jìn dù xiàn rù le píng jǐng 。”
沉默了片刻后，方才说道：“此物的来历，其实我也不太清楚。那阵子，我研究地脉的进度陷入了瓶颈。”
After a moment of silence, he said, "The origin of this item is unclear to me. During that period, my research on the earth vein's progress hit a bottleneck."
“ wàn xiān méng zhì xià ， dì mài zhī lì bèi fù gài quán jìng de fáng hù fǎ zhèn láo láo suǒ zhù 。 méi yǒu jīng guò shòu quán xǔ kě ， xiǎng yào diào yòng 、 yán jiū ， dàng zhēn shì jiān nán wú bǐ 。 cháng shì le zhū duō fāng fǎ ， réng rán nán yǐ zhǎo dào tū pò diǎn 。 zhèng dāng wǒ zhǔn bèi zài huàn gè yán jiū fāng xiàng de shí hòu ……”
“万仙盟治下，地脉之力被覆盖全境的防护法阵牢牢锁住。没有经过授权许可，想要调用、研究，当真是艰难无比。尝试了诸多方法，仍然难以找到突破点。正当我准备再换个研究方向的时候……”
"Under the jurisdiction of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, the power of the earth veins was tightly sealed by a comprehensive protective array covering the entire region. Without authorization, it was incredibly difficult to access or study. Despite trying many methods, I still couldn't find a breakthrough point. Just as I was about to change my research direction..."
“ dà yuē shì liǎng nián duō yǐ qián ， cǐ chù dì mài zhī lì bù zhī zěn me hū rán bào dòng qǐ lái 。 xiàng shì wàn lǐ zhī wài ， fā shēng le zú yǐ fù miè yī zhōu de dì mài zāi nàn 。 dǎo zhì de lián suǒ fǎn yìng 。 wǒ jiàn zhuàng dà xǐ ， dāng rán zhuā zhù zhè nán dé de jī huì ， jí qǔ wài yì de dì mài zhī lì 。”
“大约是两年多以前，此处地脉之力不知怎么忽然暴动起来。像是万里之外，发生了足以覆灭一州的地脉灾难。导致的连锁反应。我见状大喜，当然抓住这难得的机会，汲取外溢的地脉之力。”
"About two years ago, the power of this earth vein suddenly surged for some reason. It seemed like a disaster comparable to the collapse of an entire state had occurred miles away. The resulting chain reaction made me very happy. Of course, I seized this rare opportunity and drew in the excess earth vein energy."
“ ér zhè kū zhī ， jiù shì wǒ cóng dì mài zhī lì zhōng fā xiàn de 。” xī mén yǔ huǎn huǎn dào lái ， lǐ fán tīng hòu què shì ruò yǒu suǒ sī 。
“而这枯枝，就是我从地脉之力中发现的。”西门羽缓缓道来，李凡听后却是若有所思。
"And this withered branch was what I discovered from that surge," Xi Men Yu explained slowly. Li Fan listened thoughtfully.
“ liǎng nián qián ， sì hū shì chì yán fén hǎi de shí jiān jié diǎn 。 shì hóng xī tā wèi le bī chū yǐn cáng zài dì mài zhōng de chì yán ， qiáng xíng chōu qǔ dì mài dài lái de yǐng xiǎng ？” xuán huáng dì mài ， lián tōng yī tǐ 。
“两年前，似乎是赤炎焚海的时间节点。是鸿曦他为了逼出隐藏在地脉中的赤炎，强行抽取地脉带来的影响？”玄黄地脉，连通一体。
"Two years ago, it seemed to be around the time of the Red Flame's Burning Sea event. Was it due to Hongxi forcing out the hidden red flame from the earth veins?" The Xuanhuang earth vein was interconnected.
suī xiāng gé wàn wàn lǐ ， yě yǒu kě néng huì hù xiāng jiān chǎn shēng yǐng xiǎng 。 xiān qián zài cóng yún hǎi ， jiù yǒu yī zuò chén mò dǎo yǔ ， shòu dào yuǎn fāng
虽相隔万万里，也有可能会互相间产生影响。先前在从云海，就有一座沉没岛屿，受到远方
Even though separated by millions of miles, they might still influence each other. Previously, in the Cunyun Sea, a sunken island had surfaced due to the "Hundred Mountains Turned into Flatlands" effect from afar.
“ bǎi shān huà zuò píng chuān ” de yǐng xiǎng ， cóng hǎi dǐ fú chū shuǐ miàn 。 ér cǐ chù xī mén yǔ guān cè dào de dì mài yì dòng ， huò xǔ zhèng shì dāng nián gēn chì yán yī zhàn de yú bō suǒ zhì 。
“百山化作平川”的影响，从海底浮出水面。而此处西门羽观测到的地脉异动，或许正是当年跟赤炎一战的余波所致。
The anomalies I observed here might be remnants of that battle with the red flame.
lǐ fán kàn zhe yī jiù zài bù duàn pēn bó tǔ huáng sè dì mài zhī lì de kū zhī ， yǒu xiē bù jiě de wèn dào ：“ dì mài zhī lì ， chún jìng wú bǐ 。 zěn me huì yǒu kū zhī jiā zài lǐ miàn ？ xún cháng shù mù ， zài dì mài shēn chù bù guò shù xī shí jiān ， jiù huì bèi qiáng dà de yā lì niǎn zuò jī fěn 。 zhè kū zhī jiū jìng shì hé lái lì ， bù jǐn néng zài dì mài zhōng cháng cún 。 hái néng yǐn dòng xī qǔ bèi jìn gù de dì mài lì liàng ？” lǐ fán fù yòu kàn xiàng xī mén yǔ ：“ cǐ chù dì mài yì dòng ， xiǎng bì wàn xiān méng hái méi yǒu fā jué ba 。 fǒu zé ， shì guān fáng hù dà zhèn ān wēi ， tā men jué duì huì pài rén qián lái jiě jué cǐ chù yǐn huàn cái shì 。” xī mén yǔ miàn sè wēi biàn ， bù guò què yě méi yǒu fǎn bó 。
李凡看着依旧在不断喷薄土黄色地脉之力的枯枝，有些不解的问道：“地脉之力，纯净无比。怎么会有枯枝夹在里面？寻常树木，在地脉深处不过数息时间，就会被强大的压力碾作齑粉。这枯枝究竟是何来历，不仅能在地脉中长存。还能引动吸取被禁锢的地脉力量？”李凡复又看向西门羽：“此处地脉异动，想必万仙盟还没有发觉吧。否则，事关防护大阵安危，他们绝对会派人前来解决此处隐患才是。”西门羽面色微变，不过却也没有反驳。
Li Fan looked at the withered branch, which was still emitting yellowish earth vein energy. He asked curiously, "Earth vein power is so pure. How could a withered branch be mixed in? Ordinary trees would disintegrate into dust within moments deep underground due to the immense pressure. What's the origin of this withered branch that it can persist in the earth veins and even draw out bound energy?" He looked at Xi Men Yu again, "The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance surely hasn't noticed these anomalies yet. Otherwise, they would definitely send someone to address the隐患."
“ zhè kū zhī ， dí què yǒu zhe mǒu zhǒng shén qí de lì liàng 。 yǔ dì mài fǎng fú tóng gēn tóng yuán ， suǒ yǐ wǒ zhè lǐ xiǎo guī mó chōu qǔ yī xiē 、 yòng zuò yán jiū ， zhǐ huì bèi dàng zuò shì dì mài zì shēn de zhèng cháng bō dòng 。” kū zhī pēn fā dì mài zhī lì ， sì hū shì jiàn xiē xìng de 、 yùn hán zhe mǒu zhǒng guī lǜ 。
“这枯枝，的确有着某种神奇的力量。与地脉仿佛同根同源，所以我这里小规模抽取一些、用作研究，只会被当做是地脉自身的正常波动。”枯枝喷发地脉之力，似乎是间歇性的、蕴含着某种规律。
Xi Men Yu's expression changed slightly but didn’t refute.
cǐ kè zhú jiàn jiǎn ruò ， zuì zhōng bù zài yǒu dì mài néng liàng liú chū 。 xī mén yǔ xiǎo xīn yì yì dì jiāng yù píng shōu qǐ 。
此刻逐渐减弱，最终不再有地脉能量流出。西门羽小心翼翼地将玉瓶收起。
"This withered branch indeed has some mysterious power, seemingly originating from the earth veins themselves. That’s why I only draw a small amount for research and it’s seen as normal fluctuations," Xi Men Yu said.
“ yǔ dì mài tóng yuán ？” lǐ fán xì xì pǐn wèi zhe zhè jù huà 。 xī mén yǔ zé shì cóng chǔ wù jiè zhōng ， qǔ chū yī kuài shí bǎn 。
“与地脉同源？”李凡细细品味着这句话。西门羽则是从储物戒中，取出一块石板。
The withered branch seemed to emit energy intermittently, following certain patterns.
shì shì cóng mǒu chù yán shí qiáng bì zhōng bō lí kāi lái ， hén jì jí wéi gǔ lǎo 。 xiàn tiáo yě shì pǒ wèi chōu xiàng ， bù guò dà zhì néng kàn dǒng qí miáo huì de nèi róng 。
似是从某处岩石墙壁中剥离开来，痕迹极为古老。线条也是颇为抽象，不过大致能看懂其描绘的内容。
The energy flow gradually weakened until no more earth vein energy was released. Xi Men Yu carefully put away the jade bottle.
xǔ xǔ duō duō de xiǎo diǎn ， dài biǎo zhe rén lèi 。 zài dà dì shàng jì sì 、 shēng huó 。 ér zài dì xià ， zé shì shēng zhǎng zhe yí gè dào zhe de dà shù 。
许许多多的小点，代表着人类。在大地上祭祀、生活。而在地下，则是生长着一个倒着的大树。
"Originating from the same source?" Li Fan pondered this statement. Xi Men Yu then took out a stone tablet from his storage ring.
shù gēn mì mì má má ， zhā gēn yú dà dì de měi gè jiǎo luò 。 shù guān què shì shēn rù dì dǐ ， zhí dá dì xīn 。
树根密密麻麻，扎根于大地的每个角落。树冠却是深入地底，直达地心。
It appeared to have been carved from some ancient rock wall, with very old and abstract lines that were mostly understandable.
“ zhè shì wǒ zhī qián yán jiū gǔ jīn dì xíng zhī biàn shí ， zài mǒu chù dì zhì duàn céng zhōng fā xiàn de 。 yīng gāi shì shàng gǔ fán rén zú qún liú xià de 。”
“这是我之前研究古今地形之变时，在某处地质断层中发现的。应该是上古凡人族群留下的。”
Many small dots represented humans living on the surface while an inverted tree grew underground.
“ bù jǐn jǐn shì zhè yī kuài bì huà 。 wǒ zài xuán huáng jiè gè dì ， dōu céng fā xiàn lèi sì de gǔ rén jì lù 。”
“不仅仅是这一块壁画。我在玄黄界各地，都曾发现类似的古人记录。”
Its roots spread densely across every corner of the earth, reaching deep into the core.
“ wǒ huái yí ， suǒ wèi de dì mài ， jiù shì zhè kē gǔ shù de gēn xū yǎn huà ér lái 。 ér wǒ zhè gēn kū zhī ， jiù shǔ yú nà kē gǔ shù 。” xī mén yǔ jiě shì dào 。
“我怀疑，所谓的地脉，就是这颗古树的根须衍化而来。而我这根枯枝，就属于那颗古树。”西门羽解释道。
"This was discovered during my research on historical changes in geography. It should belong to a primitive human tribe," Xi Men Yu explained.
“ suī rán zhè xiē fán rén yí liú de xìn xī ， jí wéi jiǎn lòu 。 yòu shì fán rén yǎn guāng suǒ jiàn ， wèi bì shì shì qíng quán mào 。 dàn zhèng yīn wèi shì fán rén de dōng xī ， wǒ men xiū xiān zhě men wǎng wǎng huì mò rèn jiāng qí hū lüè 。 suǒ yǐ yuán běn yīng dāng bèi kě yǐ mǒ qù de jì lù ， fǎn ér néng cún zài xià lái 。” xī mén yǔ lěng xiào zhe shuō dào 。
“虽然这些凡人遗留的信息，极为简陋。又是凡人眼光所见，未必是事情全貌。但正因为是凡人的东西，我们修仙者们往往会默认将其忽略。所以原本应当被可以抹去的记录，反而能存在下来。”西门羽冷笑着说道。
"Not just this carving. I have found similar ancient records in various places within Xuanhuang."
“ dì mài zhī shù me ……” lǐ fán mō le mō xià bā 。
“地脉之树么……”李凡摸了摸下巴。
"I suspect that what we call the earth veins are actually the roots of an ancient tree. And this withered branch is part of that tree," Xi Men Yu said.
“ bú duì 。” hū de ， tā yáo le yáo tóu 。
“不对。”忽的，他摇了摇头。
"While these primitive human records were very simple and limited by their perspective, they might not be the whole truth. But because they are from humans, cultivators often overlook them. Thus, records that should have been erased actually survived," Xi Men Yu sneered.
“ gēn wǒ dāng nián zài huàn jìng zhōng jiàn dào de ， suī rán jí qí xiāng sì ， dāng shí réng yǒu xiē bù tóng 。” lǐ fán dǔ dìng dào 。
“跟我当年在幻境中见到的，虽然极其相似，当时仍有些不同。”李凡笃定道。
"An earth vein tree..." Li Fan stroked his chin.
xī mén yǔ yě bù jīng yà 。 sī suǒ le piàn kè ， dào ：“ yǒu kě néng ， nǐ jiàn dào de nà zhū gǔ shù ， gèng wéi gǔ lǎo 。”
西门羽也不惊讶。思索了片刻，道：“有可能，你见到的那株古树，更为古老。”
"No." Suddenly, he shook his head.
“ shì dì mài zhī shù de yuán tóu yě shuō bù dìng 。” lǐ fán yà rán ：“ dì mài zhī shù ， yě yǒu yuán tóu ？” xī mén yǔ bù zhī cóng nǎ qǔ chū yī méi méi hēi sè shí kuài ， niē suì le sǎ xiàng chā zài dì shàng de kū zhī 。
“是地脉之树的源头也说不定。”李凡讶然：“地脉之树，也有源头？”西门羽不知从哪取出一枚枚黑色石块，捏碎了洒向插在地上的枯枝。
"While it is very similar to what I saw in the illusionary realm back then, there were still some differences," Li Fan stated confidently.
hēi sè fěn mò hěn kuài bèi kū zhī xī shōu ， kàn shàng qù sì hū biàn dé gèng yǒu huó lì le 。
黑色粉末很快被枯枝吸收，看上去似乎变得更有活力了。
Xi Men Yu was not surprised. After a moment of thought, he said, "It's possible that the ancient tree you saw is even older."
“ jù shuō tiān dì zhī jiān ， zuì kāi shǐ zhǐ yǒu yī zhū mǔ shù ， zhí zhǎng shì jiān shēng líng mìng shù 。”
“据说天地之间，最开始只有一株母树，执掌世间生灵命数。”
"It might be the source of the earth vein tree." Xi Men Yu was surprised: "The earth vein tree has a source?"
“ hòu lái fā shēng jù biàn ， mǔ shù zāo shòu zhòng chuāng 。 gèng yǒu yī bù fèn zhī yā cóng qí shàng diào luò 。 luò yú shì jiān 。”
“后来发生巨变，母树遭受重创。更有一部分枝桠从其上掉落。落于世间。”
Xi Men Yu took out several black stones and scattered them over the withered branch.
“ qí zhōng zhī yī ， jiù huà zuò le dì mài gǔ shù 。” xī mén yǔ mǎn shì lián ài de kàn zhe jīng xīn bèi zhào liào de kū zhī ， huǎn huǎn shuō dào 。
“其中之一，就化作了地脉古树。”西门羽满是怜爱的看着精心被照料的枯枝，缓缓说道。
The black powder quickly absorbed into the branch, making it appear more vibrant.
lǐ fán yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yī sī jīng guāng ：“ cǐ shì xī mén dào yǒu yòu shì cóng hé dé zhī ？ dàng zhēn shì wén suǒ wèi wén 。” xī mén yǔ mù guāng suǒ dìng zài kū zhī shàng ， méi yǒu dá huà 。
李凡眼中闪过一丝精光：“此事西门道友又是从何得知？当真是闻所未闻。”西门羽目光锁定在枯枝上，没有答话。
"Legend says that in the beginning, there was only one mother tree controlling the fates of all living beings," Xi Men Yu said.
lǐ fán lèng le lèng ， suí hòu wēi wēi diǎn tóu 。
李凡愣了愣，随后微微点头。
"A great change occurred. The mother tree suffered severe damage, and some branches fell to the world."
“ a ， jīng guò dào yǒu zhè me yī shuō ， wǒ sì hū xiǎng qǐ lái le 。 dāng chū shì zài zhè lǐ ， céng yù jiàn guò nà kū zhī de 。” suí shǒu huà chū tiān líng zhōu dì xíng ， lǐ fán biāo shì le yí gè dì diǎn 。
“啊，经过道友这么一说，我似乎想起来了。当初是在这里，曾遇见过那枯枝的。”随手画出天灵州地形，李凡标示了一个地点。
"One of them became the ancient earth vein tree." Xi Men Yu looked lovingly at the withered branch he had been tending to.
xī mén yǔ zhè cái shōu huí kàn xiàng kū zhī de mù guāng ， láo láo fāng wèi jì zài xīn zhōng 。 ér hòu jiāng dì tú mǒ qù 。
西门羽这才收回看向枯枝的目光，牢牢方位记在心中。而后将地图抹去。
Li Fan's eyes flashed with recognition: "Daoist friend, where did you learn this? It’s unheard of."
“ shí guò jìng qiān 。 wǒ zhè xiē nián yě céng shù dù chóng fǎn gù dì ， què shǐ zhōng méi yǒu zài néng jiàn dào nà zhū kū mù 。 suǒ yǐ xī mén dào yǒu yě bú yào bào tài dà de xī wàng cái hǎo 。” lǐ fán dīng zhǔ dào 。
“时过境迁。我这些年也曾数度重返故地，却始终没有再能见到那株枯木。所以西门道友也不要抱太大的希望才好。”李凡叮嘱道。
Xi Men Yu fixed his gaze on the withered branch without answering.
xī mén yǔ shěn rán yī xiào ：“ cǐ děng qí wù ， dāng rán shì kě yù bù kě qiú 。 bù guò wǒ xiàng lái yùn qì bù cuò ， děng wǒ gǎo dìng dì mài lùn yán jiū zhī hòu ， kěn dìng huì qù pèng pèng yùn qì de 。”
西门羽哂然一笑：“此等奇物，当然是可遇不可求。不过我向来运气不错，等我搞定地脉论研究之后，肯定会去碰碰运气的。”
Li Fan was momentarily stunned but then nodded slightly.
“ nà jiù tí qián zhù xī mén dào yǒu chéng gōng le ！” lǐ fán bào quán ， zhèng yù lí qù 。
“那就提前祝西门道友成功了！”李凡抱拳，正欲离去。
"Oh, after you mentioned it, I seem to remember encountering that withered branch here," Li Fan drew a map of Tian Ling State and marked a location.
“ hán wú yōu dào yǒu shì ba 。” xī mén yǔ jiāng yī méi tōng xùn líng fú rēng le guò lái ，
“韩无忧道友是吧。”西门羽将一枚通讯灵符扔了过来，
Xi Men Yu turned back to the withered branch, memorizing its position. He then erased the map.
“ gǎn jué nǐ wǒ èr rén ， yǒu xiē yuán fēn 。 liú zhe cǐ wù ， shuō bù dìng rì hòu wǒ men hái huì zài jiàn 。” lǐ fán jiāng líng fú shōu qǐ ， bù zài dòu liú 。
“感觉你我二人，有些缘分。留着此物，说不定日后我们还会再见。”李凡将灵符收起，不再逗留。
"Times change. I have returned to this place several times over these years but never seen that tree again. So don’t hold too much hope," Li Fan advised.
děng tā de shēn yǐng xiāo shī ， dòng fǔ dà mén chóng xīn guān bì 。 xī mén yǔ méi tóu shēn shēn zhòu qǐ ：“ tiān dì yǒu ruò mù ， rì yè xiāo shēng shòu ……”
等他的身影消失，洞府大门重新关闭。西门羽眉头深深皱起：“天地有若木，日夜销生寿……”
Xi Men Yu chuckled: "Such a rare item is indeed hard to come by. But my luck has been good, and after completing my research on the earth veins, I’ll definitely try my luck."
“ tā nán bù chéng hái cún zài yú shì shàng me ？”
“它难不成还存在于世上么？”
"Then I wish you success!" Li Fan bowed and was about to leave.
"Kan Wuxiu Daoist friend," Xi Men Yu threw over a communication spirit tablet,
"I feel we have some connection. Keeping this might bring us together again someday." Li Men Yu put away the spirit tablet, not wanting to linger any longer.
As his figure disappeared, the cave entrance closed. Xi Men Yu frowned deeply: "Heaven and earth are like trees, day and night consume life..."
"Could it still exist in the world?"
"Is it...?" Li Fan frowned slightly, as if trying to recall something. Xi Men Yu stared intently at him.
"Can't remember." After a long pause, Li Fan shrugged helplessly.
"You..." Xi Men Yu's expression stiffened,
"How can such an extraordinary matter be easily forgotten?" He looked at Li Fan with disbelief.
"Xi Men Daoist friend, why don't you tell me about this withered branch. Maybe I'll recall something as we talk." Li Fan suggested with a smile.
Hearing this, Xi Men Yu's eyes narrowed and he scanned Li Fan. Li Fan met his gaze calmly without fear.
Unable to gauge Li Fan’s strength, Xi Men Yu ultimately decided against making any rash moves. He turned and revealed the withered branch once more to Li Fan.
After a moment of silence, he said, "The origin of this item is unclear to me. During that period, my research on the earth vein's progress hit a bottleneck."
"Under the jurisdiction of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, the power of the earth veins was tightly sealed by a comprehensive protective array covering the entire region. Without authorization, it was incredibly difficult to access or study. Despite trying many methods, I still couldn't find a breakthrough point. Just as I was about to change my research direction..."
"About two years ago, the power of this earth vein suddenly surged for some reason. It seemed like a disaster comparable to the collapse of an entire state had occurred miles away. The resulting chain reaction made me very happy. Of course, I seized this rare opportunity and drew in the excess earth vein energy."
"And this withered branch was what I discovered from that surge," Xi Men Yu explained slowly. Li Fan listened thoughtfully.
"Two years ago, it seemed to be around the time of the Red Flame's Burning Sea event. Was it due to Hongxi forcing out the hidden red flame from the earth veins?" The Xuanhuang earth vein was interconnected.
Even though separated by millions of miles, they might still influence each other. Previously, in the Cunyun Sea, a sunken island had surfaced due to the "Hundred Mountains Turned into Flatlands" effect from afar.
The anomalies I observed here might be remnants of that battle with the red flame.
Li Fan looked at the withered branch, which was still emitting yellowish earth vein energy. He asked curiously, "Earth vein power is so pure. How could a withered branch be mixed in? Ordinary trees would disintegrate into dust within moments deep underground due to the immense pressure. What's the origin of this withered branch that it can persist in the earth veins and even draw out bound energy?" He looked at Xi Men Yu again, "The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance surely hasn't noticed these anomalies yet. Otherwise, they would definitely send someone to address the隐患."
Xi Men Yu's expression changed slightly but didn’t refute.
"This withered branch indeed has some mysterious power, seemingly originating from the earth veins themselves. That’s why I only draw a small amount for research and it’s seen as normal fluctuations," Xi Men Yu said.
The withered branch seemed to emit energy intermittently, following certain patterns.
The energy flow gradually weakened until no more earth vein energy was released. Xi Men Yu carefully put away the jade bottle.
"Originating from the same source?" Li Fan pondered this statement. Xi Men Yu then took out a stone tablet from his storage ring.
It appeared to have been carved from some ancient rock wall, with very old and abstract lines that were mostly understandable.
Many small dots represented humans living on the surface while an inverted tree grew underground.
Its roots spread densely across every corner of the earth, reaching deep into the core.
"This was discovered during my research on historical changes in geography. It should belong to a primitive human tribe," Xi Men Yu explained.
"Not just this carving. I have found similar ancient records in various places within Xuanhuang."
"I suspect that what we call the earth veins are actually the roots of an ancient tree. And this withered branch is part of that tree," Xi Men Yu said.
"While these primitive human records were very simple and limited by their perspective, they might not be the whole truth. But because they are from humans, cultivators often overlook them. Thus, records that should have been erased actually survived," Xi Men Yu sneered.
"An earth vein tree..." Li Fan stroked his chin.
"No." Suddenly, he shook his head.
"While it is very similar to what I saw in the illusionary realm back then, there were still some differences," Li Fan stated confidently.
Xi Men Yu was not surprised. After a moment of thought, he said, "It's possible that the ancient tree you saw is even older."
"It might be the source of the earth vein tree." Xi Men Yu was surprised: "The earth vein tree has a source?"
Xi Men Yu took out several black stones and scattered them over the withered branch.
The black powder quickly absorbed into the branch, making it appear more vibrant.
"Legend says that in the beginning, there was only one mother tree controlling the fates of all living beings," Xi Men Yu said.
"A great change occurred. The mother tree suffered severe damage, and some branches fell to the world."
"One of them became the ancient earth vein tree." Xi Men Yu looked lovingly at the withered branch he had been tending to.
Li Fan's eyes flashed with recognition: "Daoist friend, where did you learn this? It’s unheard of."
Xi Men Yu fixed his gaze on the withered branch without answering.
Li Fan was momentarily stunned but then nodded slightly.
"Oh, after you mentioned it, I seem to remember encountering that withered branch here," Li Fan drew a map of Tian Ling State and marked a location.
Xi Men Yu turned back to the withered branch, memorizing its position. He then erased the map.
"Times change. I have returned to this place several times over these years but never seen that tree again. So don’t hold too much hope," Li Fan advised.
Xi Men Yu chuckled: "Such a rare item is indeed hard to come by. But my luck has been good, and after completing my research on the earth veins, I’ll definitely try my luck."
"Then I wish you success!" Li Fan bowed and was about to leave.
"Kan Wuxiu Daoist friend," Xi Men Yu threw over a communication spirit tablet,
"I feel we have some connection. Keeping this might bring us together again someday." Li Men Yu put away the spirit tablet, not wanting to linger any longer.
As his figure disappeared, the cave entrance closed. Xi Men Yu frowned deeply: "Heaven and earth are like trees, day and night consume life..."
"Could it still exist in the world?"