Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San-Chapter 858: The Radiance of the Ancestral Tree

How could he not understand what Jin Miaosen meant? For nymphs, this probably wasn't some big secret. It was likely also the reason why the Blue Gold Trees had been able to continue thriving despite being natural treasures themselves. The answer was revealed in Jin Miaosen's words. Outsiders who dared to step into the inner city, would have their life force stripped away, devoured by the essence left behind by the Ancestral Tree. This explained why there was not one single nymph on the streets here that was not a Blue Gold Tree.

In other words, if he hadn't previously absorbed Jin Miaosen's bloodline, which essentially turned him into a member of the Blue Gold Tree clan, he would have already been devoured by now! And even if the Chaos Blue Silver Emperor and his divine seat could save him, it wouldn't have been a pleasant experience.

The moment he arrived and saw this towering tree, he completely believed Jin Miaosen's earlier claim that their ancestor was one of the Three Ancestors of the Solstice Empire. The aura emitted by this husk was at the Emperor level, and from the perspective of life force... it even surpassed the Crystal Demon Emperor! Faced with such a terrifying entity, even someone like Tang San couldn't guarantee his life force wouldn't be consumed.

Of course, thanks to him taking one simple precautionary measure, he was only benefiting from this. The Ancestral Tree clearly had no consciousness and only recognized bloodlines, not individuals, so as far as it was concerned, Tang San was a member of the family. Instinctively, Tang San praised his own Discerning Eye of Heaven. It sure felt good being this lucky!

At this moment, Jin Miaosen finally let go of Tang San, drew back her vines, and beckoned Tang San as she led the way toward the huge Ancestral Tree husk.

Tang San followed closely behind her, carefully stepping in the exact same place Jin Miaosen had stepped. In the presence of such a massive and non-intelligent entity like the Ancestral Tree, he couldn't afford to make a single misstep; any wrong move might lead to immediate death. However, the life energy emitted from the Blue Gold Tree was simply overwhelming. Tang San could even feel that his Chrono Croc bloodline, which had already reached the peak of the tenth order, was on the verge of taking the next step. This high-level life energy nourished his very being, and all of his bloodline imprints were being nurtured.

Any living being that came here and was acknowledged by the Ancestral Tree would undoubtedly experience an astonishing increase in cultivation. Unfortunately, this place belonged solely to the Blue Gold Tree clan, and no others would be allowed entry. Tang San entering this way was unprecedented. But who could blame him? The mysteries of the Mysterious Heaven Technique had allowed him this opportunity.

Arriving before the Blue Gold Tree, Jin Miaosen slowly sat cross-legged, facing the towering tree. In a soft voice, she said, "Respected Ancestral Tree, your child has returned. My elder brother Jin Miaolin has returned. The future Emperor of our clan has returned. Can you feel it? Please pass on the legacy to the new Emperor. Only he can make your radiance shine again."

As she spoke, she respectfully bowed toward the Ancestral Tree.

Tang San stood beside her, and he could naturally hear every word she said clearly. While surprised, he immediately formed some conclusions in his mind.

It seemed that the Ancestral Tree had sensed Jin Miaosen's words, as the light on its bark suddenly intensified, radiating and bursting forth with even denser life energy. The overwhelming aura of life became incredibly concentrated.

At that moment, an angry voice suddenly rang out, "Jin Miaosen, who allowed you to stir the essence of the Ancestral Tree?"

A powerful aura appeared abruptly, and blue-golden radiance enveloped the Blue Gold Tree. Instantly, the light that the Blue Gold Tree emitted was forcibly suppressed, and the life energy it radiated diminished significantly.

Several blue figures descended from the sky, landing before the Blue Gold Tree.

These individuals were also from the Blue Gold Tree clan, but they all looked extremely old. The one leading them had eight spikes extending from his back and glared angrily at Jin Miaosen. The blue-golden light that suppressed the Ancestral Tree's radiance came from him.

Jin Miaosen floated up and stepped back two paces, coming to stand beside Tang San.

"Elder, why are you stopping me?" Jin Miaosen asked coldly.

The elder angrily responded, "How dare you disturb the Ancestral Tree's essence so lightly? You think you can forcibly stir it just because you are its direct descendant?! That is a crime you cannot possibly compensate for!"

Jin Miaosen replied coldly, "Elder, take a look at who this is." As she spoke, she gestured toward Tang San.

The elder, along with two other elders who had six spikes on their backs, almost simultaneously turned their gaze toward Tang San. When they saw his appearance, they couldn't help but be stunned.

The elder frowned deeply, then his eyes widened. "You are... Jin Miaolin?"

Before Tang San could speak, Jin Miaosen quickly replied, "That's right, my elder brother has returned. As Father's true heir, my brother naturally deserves to be blessed by the radiance of the Ancestral Tree and receive the support of its essence. Haven't you noticed? My brother has already become a Great Nymph King. He is now qualified to inherit the will of the Ancestral Tree and lead our clan back to its former glory."

The elder's expression changed drastically, and he asked, "Jin Miaolin? Is he really Jin Miaolin?"

Jin Miaosen replied coldly, "How could this be false? The radiance of the Ancestral Tree is the proof."

The radiance of the Ancestral Tree was the simplest, most direct, and most effective way to confirm the identity of a Blue Gold Tree clan member. Ordinary members of the clan wouldn't lose life force by being next to the Ancestral Tree, but neither would the tree react to them. Only those with the direct bloodline of the Ancestral Tree could be blessed by its radiance.

This was painfully obvious at this moment—even the elders standing before them, of which the leader was a Great Nymph King, did not produce any kind of reaction. Only Tang San and Jin Miaosen had the radiance of the Ancestral Tree merging with them of its own will.

The elder watched as the blue-golden light continued to drift toward the siblings, his expression growing darker. "Even if he truly is Jin Miaolin, whether he can inherit the radiance of the Ancestral Tree still requires confirmation from the elder council. How can you make such decisions on your own? Do you even understand the trouble that stirring the essence of the Ancestral Tree could cause? The Ancestral Tree would become weaker, unable to protect our clan. During that time, if no Emperor is born, our clan will fall into dire straits, like the time after your father's fall. As the Grand Elder of the clan, I will never allow such a disaster to occur again."

Jin Miaosen finally lost control of her emotions and angrily said, "All that talk about protecting the clan is just for your own sake. My brother and I are both direct descendants of the Ancestral Tree. We both have the right to inherit the radiance of the Ancestral Tree's essence. When my brother left to travel, you took advantage of my youth, seizing power and splitting the essence of the Ancestral Tree for yourself, allowing you to become a Great Nymph King. I've asked many times to inherit the Ancestral Tree's radiance, and you always blocked me, using the excuse that I'm a woman and thus unfit to inherit. As if that even matters to our clan! Now that my brother has returned, do you still plan to hide behind these lofty words? Don't forget, the radiance of the Ancestral Tree will always shine on its children first. My brother became a Great Nymph King through his own power, and here, you don't stand a chance against him."

The Grand Elder's face darkened as he looked at Jin Miaosen, caught off guard by this sudden turn of events. Who would have thought that Jin Miaolin would suddenly return? The kid had been missing for decades!

The previous Emperor had only left behind these two children, and Jin Miaosen, in her determination to inherit the Ancestral Tree's radiance and essence, had even refrained from producing offspring through splitting.

The temptation of power is not something easy to ignore, and now, Skytree City did not have a city lord. The elder council of the Blue Gold Tree clan always managed it. After paying a hefty price, the Grand Elder had even secured the support of the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor and the Parasol Tree Nymph Emperor, who were also, like all other trees, from the Ancestral Tree's lineage. This allowed the Grand Elder to remain in control.

As he was not a direct descendant of the Ancestral Tree's bloodline, he could not inherit its essence. He could only absorb its aura slowly, bit by bit. But with the long lifespan of the Blue Gold Tree clan, the Grand Elder firmly believed that, given enough time, he too could achieve Emperorhood.