Chapter 158: The Phantom of the Giant Tree Shrouding the World

With a single tear in space-time, Sangsang slew an energy beast. Upon its death, the beast's body dissolved, leaving behind only an irregular crystal. This crystal was exceptionally pure and non-elemental, capable of being absorbed by anyone regardless of their physical constitution. However, the aura of annihilation and death permeating the air did not dissipate, and the Heavenly Emperor strolled over to incorporate it into his cosmic first-prize collection.

The Other-Dimension Research Institute had been established for over ten thousand years. While it might have once been a genuine scientific institution, it now resembled an agency for trials and tribulations. Most of the researchers here held merely nominal titles, drawn solely by the allure of the outer energy beasts; virtually no one conducted actual research. Their latest achievement report had been published over four thousand years ago. Because the institute was self-sufficient and required no government funding, it had avoided closure, persisting under a false banner as a place for trials and recuperation.

Upon entering the institute, Little Gold immediately immersed himself in the database, unable to tear himself away. Sangsang also began reviewing long-dust-covered historical research records. Although past conditions differed from the present and many research findings were not yet recognized by the outside world, they still provided Sangsang with numerous insights and assistance.

According to their past research, energy beasts were products of another dimension—a point Sangsang agreed with, as the entire Heavy Water civilization might well be an extension of another dimension. However, Sangsang took issue with the theory that the aura of annihilation and death was the lingering resentment of the world's will after the other dimension perished.

That other dimension had been utterly destroyed, and the world's will would have perished first. The energy was like chaos—wild and intensely violent. Far from possessing the absolute stillness of annihilation, it lacked even a moment of pause. The energy specimens exhibited an inherently positive-leaning aura; there was no negative death-qi or resentment residing in that space. Rather than believing it to be the resentment of the world's will, one might as well believe that the other dimension harbored true gods, and this was the resentment left behind after a god's death.

Sangsang was more inclined to believe that these auras of annihilation and death were likewise the unconscious products of the Heavy Water World Tree, much like the existence of the Heavy Water Lifespan limitation. After all, this was the very place that had caused the fall of the First Chancellor.

Of course, Sangsang kept this conjecture to herself, sharing it only with the Heavenly Emperor and Little Gold.

On the other hand, regarding the Phantom Drifting Dragon, the historical records contained a vast amount of documentation. Because researchers had long failed to find a cause, the matter had eventually been shelved and left unresolved. However, the remaining records saved Sangsang a great deal of effort.

The research indicated that the Phantom Drifting Dragon was actually a gigantic tree. The conjecture that the Heavy Water civilization originated from the World Tree was related to this phenomenon. The root system of this colossal tree was located in another dimension, while its trunk and canopy enveloped the entire Heavy Water world. It existed within the gaps of space and time, visible only to those whose spatial-temporal laws surpassed the fourth realm and who utilized spatial-temporal power.

At the time, this discovery had caused a sensation.

Unfortunately, a phantom was merely a phantom; no one had ever found the tree's true body, not even practitioners at the peak of the Universe rank.

Thousands of years had passed since the latest timestamps in those records, and it remained unknown whether the World Tree phantom had undergone any changes. Sangsang and the Heavenly Emperor split into two groups, escorted by powerful experts as they traversed the starry expanse to record the phantom.

Ever since the discovery of the ancient World Tree branch—especially after the collapse of the secret realm in Island Number One, when collected secret realm energy specimens were verified to possess World Tree attributes, and negotiations with the Wood Clan confirmed it did not belong to any known World Tree—the importance of the ancient World Tree branch in Sangsang's possession had skyrocketed infinitely. There were even claims that whoever possessed the branch could find the true body of the World Tree, converse with the world's will, and solve the riddle of the Heavy Water Lifespan limitation. From that moment on, Sangsang was thrust into the spotlight.

Sena was currently managing the faith zones left behind by the departed Saintess of Hundred Flowers and was too far away to rush over. Acting as Sangsang's substitute assistant to shield her from the storms of the outside world was Aslan, who had recently emerged from seclusion, alongside Boya, who had tagged along out of sheer boredom to watch the spectacle.

Those who attempted to use the temple's influence to pressure Sangsang into "considering the greater good" and "showing a broad perspective" by surrendering the ancient World Tree branch for experts to study were relentlessly and ruthlessly turned away by Aslan, no matter how prestigious their backgrounds. This included Boya's paternal uncle and Bishop Anthony's paternal nephew; neither intimidation nor enticements had any effect.

Meanwhile, within the Heavy Water world itself, certain high-ranking figures had indeed been persuaded to act as lobbyists, visiting Sangsang under the assumption that her youth made her easy to manipulate, believing a few petty favors would make her relinquish control.

Fortunately, Shifeng's family wielded genuine and formidable influence within the military. No one knew what Shifeng had said to his relatives, but they consistently backed Sangsang without wavering. Moreover, Sangsang was not someone without backing who could be bullied at will. Aside from a small fraction of individuals who fancied themselves powerful enough to resort to desperate measures—stealing, robbing, and abducting—most could only huff, hurl curses, and wait to watch her make a fool of herself.

Indeed, even with Sangsang's major discoveries, everyone assumed she had simply struck blind luck; no one truly believed she could solve the Heavy Water Lifespan limitation.

If one of the top ten mysteries of the cosmos were solved by a cub under the age of thirty, every adult across the entire starry skies would lose face—especially those high-level masters who had previously attempted to unravel the Heavy Water Lifespan limitation and returned in defeat, declaring the limitation insoluble. Even if those claims were somewhat exaggerated due to vested interests, others would only hear the resounding sound of slaps to the face.

Therefore, it was deemed utterly impossible for the Heavy Water Lifespan limitation to be resolved by a cub, even a cub who had attained the fifth realm of space-time.

In recent days, the actions of Sangsang and the Heavenly Emperor splitting up to piece together the World Tree phantom were viewed by outsiders as the flailing of a cub who had lost her way, wandering the world in hopes of continuing her streak of blind luck. Had there not been enough powerful experts accompanying her, let alone the ancient World Tree branch, even her mastery of spatial-temporal laws would have been stripped away by wave after wave of ambushers.

Logically speaking, with public opinion overwhelmingly one-sided and everyone disbelieving Sangsang's capabilities, no one should have regarded her as a thorn in their side.

After all, a decisive and vital item like the ancient World Tree branch, unlike ordinary spoils of war, was subject to regulations permitting exclusive possession for a maximum of one century. After a hundred years, it had to be opened up and shared with all research institutes. A century might seem long to the Heavy Water people, but it meant little to outsiders whose lifespans reached thousands or tens of thousands of years.

Yet, reality stood in stark contrast to public opinion.

While Sangsang openly repaired the road while secretly crossing to Chencang, letting Shifeng and Muxu lead the main force to draw attention while she herself, under the protection of experts and wearing a disguise, traveled to various star systems to observe the giant tree phantom—and despite her news being tightly guarded without leaks—the main force still encountered countless ambushes daily, and wherever she stopped, people with bizarre laws always managed to track her down. At every stop, all sorts of pretexts to strike up conversations and varied, purposeful approaches emerged, with people pretending to be hunted and begging Sangsang for rescue numbering over five instances alone.

With attacks impossible to fully guard against, Sangsang simply laid her cards on the table. She brought out the main force and a military entourage, openly clearing the field along the way. Ironically, her efficiency rose significantly as a result.

Within the Eyes of Space-Time, the past, present, and future of these starry expanses continuously flashed. The disorderly phantom of the drifting dragon gradually pieced itself together. After half a year of traversing every star system, she returned to the research institute in the Heavy Water Battlefield to rendezvous with the Heavenly Emperor.

Strangely enough, no one had caused trouble for the Heavenly Emperor on his side, making his progress much faster; he should have returned much earlier. Yet he arrived a full day later than Sangsang, wearing an expression of supreme smugness, his entire face radiating the attitude of "I've done a magnificent deed, but I simply won't tell you." After handing his observational data over to Sangsang, he actually huddled together with Muxu, setting up an isolation barrier to quietly discuss some secret. When others asked, the two of them would smile mysteriously and say, "You'll know in the future."

Sangsang shook her head, merging the information collected by both parties to piece together a colossal tree phantom that enveloped the entire Heavy Water world. Compared to the records in the Other-Dimension Research Institute's database, this giant tree had grown considerably larger.