Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 537: Jianmu World Tree

“Jianmu wood?” Lu Yang’s eyes widened as he stared at the wooden amulet incredulously. “But isn’t that the true form of the Epoch Immortal?”

Most people couldn’t recognize immortal times, often attaching the label “immortal” to anything rare and extraordinary. For instance, the common folk typically referred to little herb kings as “immortal herbs,” peerless swords as “immortal swords,” and unfathomable Dao arts as “immortal spells.”

But in truth, neither the little herb kings nor the peerless swords had reached the level to be considered “immortal.”

The Jianmu World Tree was different. It was undeniably an immortal object.

“I knew this thing looked familiar!” the Everlasting Immortal Fairy declared. “This must be a part of the Epoch Immortal. It’s just too small, else I’d have recognized it right away!” No one knows the Epoch Immortal better than I do.

Lu Yang had an odd expression. “Then how did this small piece of Jianmu wood come to be? Did the Epoch Immortal pick it off like dead skin from his feet?” An immortal’s body is indestructible. Who could possibly have hewn a chunk of wood from the Epoch Immortal’s body?

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy shot Lu Yang a disdainful look. “What are you saying? An immortal’s body is without contamination. How could we possibly shed foot skin like mortals?”

“Then this small piece of Jianmu...”

“It might have been blasted off by me.”

Lu Yang, “...”

“Though it’s also possible that the Heaven Mandate Immortals and the others had done that. Before becoming an immortal, the Epoch Immortal had claimed that he would undoubtedly ascend while the others wouldn’t. That incited mass anger and provoked multiple ambushes and retaliation from the rest. But this fragment of wood is too small. I can’t determine who exactly was responsible.”

Lu Yang pointed out, “If memory serves me right, Immortal Fairy, didn’t the Epoch Immortal only say those words to you? You were the one who spread it to the Heaven Mandate Immortal and the others.”

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy waved her hand dismissively and tried to educate Lu Yang, “The outcome’s more or less the same. Don’t get hung up on the details. You should learn from me in this regard.

“Also, ask this little lass if she has more Jianmu wood.” The fact that she could give Lu Yang a small piece of the Jianmu implies she has more of it.

“Shangguan-jiejie, may I ask what this thing is? Why haven’t I seen it before?” Lu Yang inquired politely.

“Never seen it, have you? This is only a small piece. A far larger one lies beneath the Wood Branch. It’s a charred giant tree that maintains the Wood Branch’s vitality. Our sect’s founder nearly jumped out of his skin when he discovered that giant trunk. This tree’s vibrant life force has sustained the Wood Branch for ten thousand years without decline, a testament to its formidable power.

“Our founder realized this too. The sheer vitality contained within the giant tree was unimaginable, far beyond anything the cultivation world could understand. No spirit tree recorded in ancient texts matched its properties. Thus, our founder made a bold conjecture—this was a part of the Wood Immortal’s body!” The current cultivation world was unaware of the Epoch Immortal’s title and only knew he had manifested from a tree, so they called him the “Wood Immortal” out of habit.

“Wood Immortal?!” Everyone gasped. Even Bai Ming, who had never heard of this matter, was surprised to learn that the Wood Branch’s vitality stemmed from a giant chunk of wood.

“Shangguan-jiejie.”

“Shangguan-jiejie.”

Now that everyone knew Lu Yang was holding a piece of the legendary Wood Immortal, they began addressing Shangguan Yu with “jiejie,” with even Bai Ming joining in.

“Calling me that now? It’s too late.” Shangguan Yu turned her head away to hide her growing smirk. Then, she turned back and feigned seriousness. “You’ll need to call me more times than that.”

The choruses of “Shangguan-jiejie” echoing through the air brought a wide smile to Shangguan Yu’s visage. “Come come come, one for each of you. They can keep you safe. Little Bai Ming, you get one too.” She produced five small wooden plaques and distributed them to the group.

“Keep us safe?” Lu Yang recalled how the Everlasting Immortal Fairy had mentioned that the Epoch Immortal’s ability to ward off misfortune and evil could rid Meng Jingzhou of his karmic backlash.

If the Epoch Immortal’s body were truly effective in keeping one safe, why would Qiu Jin’an have needed to borrow the national fortune’s power from Wilderness Province’s governor?

He entered his mental space, planning to consult the Everlasting Immortal Fairy, only to find her already making a decision and expanding her immortal consciousness. Initially, she wondered whether she would offend the Five-Elements Sect, but upon hearing Shangguan Yu’s words, she was on the same page as Lu Yang and couldn’t be bothered about offending anyone.

Her immortal consciousness scanned the Wood Branch. Just as she had thought, she discovered the giant trunk segment Shangguan Yu had described.

The wood was enormous, stretching through the entire Wood Branch. Though Lu Yang’s group could casually tour the Five Branches, this was only because they walked near the convergence areas of the Five Branches, shortening distances considerably.

In truth, the Five-Elements Sect’s territory was only slightly smaller than the Dao-Seeking Sect’s, spanning a full eighty thousand li. The Five Branches formed the bulk of the sect. One could only imagine how vast the Wood Branch was and how long the giant tree running through it must be. However, compared to the sky-reaching Jianmu World Tree in the Everlasting Immortal Fairy’s memories, this chunk of wood was much shorter and almost diminutive.

Within the mental space, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy conjured the giant tree’s image as she had seen it. The tree was charred black with burns from fire and lightning. Its aged bark had peeled away in multiple layers, and one attack had even pierced straight through its heartwood.

“What happened here?” Lu Yang was startled. Even an outsider like him could sense how brutal the assault on this giant tree had been.

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy fell silent for a while before speaking slowly, devoid of her usual playful demeanor. “The Epoch Immortal was attacked. The assailant used common attack methods to conceal their identity.

“At first, I thought that when I self-detonated, the Epoch Immortal had used methods like ‘Withered Tree Spring Revival’ and ‘Cicada Sheds Its Carapace,’ leaving behind a clone while his real body escaped. But that didn’t make sense. The Heaven Mandate Immortal warned us not to leave clones behind in the world, for it could be a blessing or a source of calamity. Therefore, there shouldn’t be any clone of the Epoch Immortal here.

“Seeing this Jianmu segment confirms it—this is indeed the Epoch Immortal’s true body, and much of it has already turned into nothingness!”

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy had no recollection of a battle of such magnitude when she was alive. This is a battle where immortals can perish.

“After I died, the Epoch Immortal engaged in a great battle against an exceedingly powerful opponent.” The Epoch Immortal wielded the Epoch Dao Fruit, capable of observing the past and foreseeing the future. It could also restore his body to an undamaged state. The fact that he was reduced to this condition despite everything shows how strong and terrifying his opponent must have been.

Lu Yang’s heart shuddered. “The Epoch Immortal...has passed away?”

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy shook her head slowly. “It’s hard to say for certain. An immortal’s life force far surpasses your imagination. Even without their original body, they can still survive. But in the Epoch Immortal’s case, even if he’s still alive, without his true form, his situation is unlikely to be favorable.

“The Epoch Immortal and I are different. With the Everlasting Dao Fruit, I can casually create a true body to house an immortal soul. However, the Epoch Immortal can’t do that. To an immortal, their body is of utmost importance, but in this world, it’s hard to find anything that can replace or reconstruct an immortal body.”

If even the Epoch Immortal’s true form is in such ruins, his life or death unclear, what blessings or protection can still be spoken of?