This Buddha statue the size of a tiny bean slowly floated over and came before Chu Mo, its face solemn and serious, and its expression filled with deep mercy. It looked very peaceful, giving off a feeling of closeness.

"Amitabha, thank you for your help," the bean-sized Buddha statue said sincerely to Chu Mo in gratitude.

Could this really be a person of Buddhism? Chu Mo frowned. In this place, there was no trace of Buddhism at all, how could killing a Tree Monster possibly summon a Buddha statue? There was something strange about this.

Therefore, Chu Mo did not say much, just calmly looking at the bean-sized Buddha statue without a word.

The Buddha statue, with a compassionate face, asked, "Benefactor, would you like to hear a story from me?"

Ye Qing stood behind Chu Mo, looking at the Buddha statue with a face full of curiosity. She, as a woman, harbored nothing but pure and kind thoughts in her bones, a simplicity and goodness that could also be considered a bit foolish. She had no defenses against others.

Chu Mo was different, for he had experienced far too much over these years. Back then, in the land of sin, Ding Ling's friend Wang Zhong had taught him a profound lesson. Such experiences were not few for Chu Mo, and he had heard even more.

Therefore, facing the Buddha statue, Chu Mo did not have much of a response, simply saying lightly, "Let's hear it."

"This monk is the Tree Patriarch from Tianyin Temple," the Buddha statue introduced itself with a friendly demeanor, unconcerned by Chu Mo's attitude.

"Tianyin Temple? Tree Patriarch?" A sense of perplexity rose in Chu Mo's heart; he had never heard of these two terms before. Tianyin Temple should be a monastery, a place of Buddhism. But what is a Tree Patriarch? The ancestor of these Tree Monsters?

"Tianyin Temple is a sacred land of Buddhism, from which countless great Buddhas have come forth." The Tree Patriarch did not play coy, and continued, "This monk, from the beginning, was just a tree within Tianyin Temple. Later, after receiving enlightenment from the Buddha, I comprehended the Great Dao and also became a Buddha."

A sacred land of Buddhism!

Although he could not yet be certain that this self-proclaimed Tree Patriarch was telling the truth, Chu Mo already knew that the other party was definitely someone with a significant background.

"Afterward, Buddhism collapsed, the Buddhas disappeared... Before disappearing, they hinted that we should head to the Yanhuang Domain, so, a group of Buddhists left the Luotian Immortal Domain and went to the Yanhuang Domain," said the Tree Patriarch in a low voice, his eyes revealing a hint of nostalgia.

Having heard this, Chu Mo was somewhat convinced; after all, nobody knew he came from the Yanhuang Domain, and his current identity should not be something this Buddha statue could see through.

"However, I did not wish to travel afar to the Yanhuang Domain back then. I thought that in the absence of the Buddha, it was better to find a place to spread Buddhism. Thus, I came to this sealed land on the outskirts of the Trial Field," the Tree Patriarch explained.

"Sealed land?" Chu Mo's eyebrows tightened: "Excuse the interruption, but could you first tell me about this place?"

The Tree Patriarch nodded: "Amitabha, of course. This sealed land, it is said to have appeared even before the Luotian Immortal Domain. This land has produced countless extraordinary cultivators. Even many powerhouses have regarded it as their ancestral ground. Unfortunately, later on, something went wrong with this place. It was serious enough that the ancients had to seal it off. Hence, this territory became a land under seal. But this place is too mysterious... this is something I only discovered after I arrived here."

Chu Mo listened quietly, while Ye Qing, having been lost in the conversation, seemed completely dazed and confused. She could hardly grasp what the two were talking about. However, she could feel that whatever they were discussing seemed to have a very significant connection to the world she lived in.

The Tree Patriarch then said: "After I came here, I rooted myself in this place, wanting to spread the Dharma here, to promote the compassionate and life-liberating philosophy of Buddhism."

Chu Mo nodded; this has always been the rhetoric of Buddhism. Some people think it's unnecessary—wouldn't it be over and done with just by converting oneself? With so many beings and complex minds, how could they all be converted? Every person has their own ties to fate, their own destiny; apart from oneself, who else could save them? There were even more radical voices directly pointing out problems with Buddhist teachings—putting down the butcher's knife to immediately become a Buddha. Can a person who has perpetrated mass murder and committed heinous crimes really become good just by renouncing violence?

Of course, there were also many supporters; after all, the pursuit of human kindness is a beautiful aspiration. If one could convert beings from evil to goodness, that would indeed be a deed of immeasurable merit.

Regarding this, Chu Mo's view was to convert those who could be converted without forcing those who could not be. In general, deep down, he still recognized the purpose of Buddhism. At least, they didn't do anything to outrage the heavens and the earth.

The Tree Patriarch said with a wry smile: "But I never expected that the waters here were too deep. The purpose of the ancient powers sealing this place may not be as simple as the legends suggest. Moreover, this world does not contain essence energy that is present in all other Cultivation Realms, not even spirit energy. Without essence energy, without spirit energy, us beings simply cannot survive. And breaking through the barrier of this sealed land, I used almost all of my strength back then."

As the Tree Patriarch spoke, he glanced at Chu Mo: "At that time, the barrier was completely different from now; the sealing force was still incredibly strong."

Chu Mo nodded, understanding the Tree Patriarch's meaning.

The Tree Patriarch continued: "So, when I realized this world was not suitable for spreading the Dharma, I no longer had the ability to leave. Or rather, even if I left, I would not escape death. Because breaking the barrier here, evidently, displeased some entities. As long as I left this place, then, I would surely not live long."

Ye Qing listened, unable to make heads or tails of it, completely bewildered. However, Chu Mo could guess the intricate and unpredictable struggles that must have existed in the Luotian Immortal Domain in those years. Many struggles were instigated by supreme beings. They would not easily come forward, but their mere decree could trigger a tremendous war.

"Later on, I discovered that although this world was sealed, everyone in it... contained endless essence energy within their bodies! Benefactor, you must have noticed as well. The people of this world, they do not understand cultivation, nor do they have the slightest clue what cultivation is. But inside their bodies, they all have an incredible amount of essence energy and considerable high realms," said the Tree Patriarch.

Chu Mo once again nodded; indeed, that was the case. In the small river village, he had already witnessed it. Including Ye Qing by his side, they were all in the same situation.

"That is to say, to survive in this world, to become strong and obtain the energy to leave this world, one must..." The Tree Patriarch glanced at Chu Mo, then at Ye Qing behind him: "Kill!"

Ye Qing's body shivered slightly, and her face turned extremely pale. She still found it hard to believe that the Tree God could do such a thing. But since this being who called himself the Tree Patriarch and had emerged from the Tree God's body said so, then, eight or nine out of ten, it might truly be as Chu Mo said!

How is it possible? How could this be? Ye Qing's heart was filled with sorrow and utter confusion.

"But I am a monk who came from Buddhism, personally enlightened by Buddha himself..." The Tree Patriarch said softly, "How could I do such a thing? Hurting others, no one from Buddhism would ever do that."

"That's true for real Buddhists," Chu Mo finally interjected at this time.

"Indeed, you're right," the Tree Patriarch looked at Chu Mo and earnestly said: "Therefore, I chose to enter nirvana, but my biggest mistake at the time was leaving behind tens of thousands of seeds and fusing my true spirit into those seeds..."

While speaking, the Tree Patriarch showed a bitter expression on his face: "Every living being wants to leave some evidence of their existence in this world. Buddhism speaks of the emptiness of all things. It is because my cultivation wasn't profound enough, that's why I couldn't see through this and left behind so many sources of chaos."

"Are you saying that all those Tree Monsters now spread throughout the world are your descendants?" Chu Mo looked at the Tree Patriarch and asked.

"Correct, from the perspective of the inheritance of living beings, that is one way to put it." The Tree Patriarch said: "But I truly only wished to leave behind a trace of my existence. I never expected that although they are seeds that fell from my body, they would make such a choice."

At that moment, Ye Qing couldn't hold back anymore and looked at the Tree Patriarch: "You, you are lying, Tree Gods are clearly all kind beings! They are the guardians of this world."

The Tree Patriarch glanced at Ye Qing and sighed: "Lady benefactor, you are unaware, things are not as you imagine them to be. If this benefactor hadn't slain this Tree Monster, a bit of my true spirit couldn't have awakened. Do you want to know what the Tree Gods you worship and respect have done? I can show you."

While saying this, the void in front of them suddenly showed a mirror image.

This was a scene from its memory.

Watching a young tree take root at the entrance of a town, gradually growing larger, Ye Qing's expression kept changing.

After becoming a large tree, in need of growth and nutrients, the large tree began to set its sights on the people within the town. Finally, it made its move for the first time. But the target it chose was a recently deceased old man.

The old man's age could no longer be discerned, and he likely died of old age.

The large tree stealthily extended its roots into the old man's grave. Then, the body of the old man visibly began to wither at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In the end, it turned into nothing but a skeleton with a layer of skin.

Thump.

Ye Qing fell to the ground, her gaze empty, completely falling apart.

She couldn't believe that this scene was real, not even in her wildest dreams.

But that was not all, the tree that gained a tremendous amount of essence energy grew even larger and more majestic overnight. It appeared very beautiful.

Everyone who passed by couldn't help but praise it.

And so, as the years passed, every elderly person who died was drained of all their essence energy by the large tree.

One day, the Tree God, which had become an ancient towering tree, was no longer satisfied.

Because the lifespan of the people here was too long!

Waiting for someone to die a natural death was too hard and too slow. It became impatient.

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