Over a dozen hours later, Yang Zicang, Robin Lo, and Liang Xi trailed behind the motley crew of the elderly, weak, and frail led by Chief Wang, marching beneath the hazy moonlight.
The canyon this decrepit organization had to traverse lay within an abandoned B-grade dimensional space.
Though many had entered this time-accelerated zone, the city remained wretched and riddled with scars; even ten times the current crowd couldn’t inject life into it. Hence, on the way to that B-grade dimensional space, they encountered scarcely anyone.
–The boss here was wiped out long ago, so no more monsters are spawning. But keep your guard up when entering—the terrain inside is rough.–
Calling the terrain –rough– was an understatement of monumental proportions.
The place was a maze of sheer cliffs with abysmal lighting—like traversing the perilous plank roads of Mount Hua by night. Without enhanced balance skills, someone would surely plunge to their death.
Beneath them raged a torrential flood.
Not long after…
Warren Wang stared in sheer disbelief at the dense swarm of people vaulting across the vast chasm.
They traced graceful arcs in the air, weaving around countless razor-sharp stone pillars that pierced the sky, each landing steadily onto the colossal net left on the far side for years.
–Hehe, how about that? My brother’s skills are top-notch, aren’t they?– Robin Lo said smugly.
–This—how is it possible? Flying more than a dozen people across the gorge all at once…–
Warren Wang’s head spun. Crossing over in one go—this was nothing like what he had imagined.
The group, safely landed, buzzed with excited chatter. When Yang Zicang approached, they swarmed around him, thanking him profusely.
–What’s so special about this place? Why were so many of you so determined to come?–
Yang Zicang glanced at Robin Lo, who had insisted on tagging along, and at Liang Xi, whom Robin had dragged here.
–Come with me and you’ll see. From now on, this is counted as one of your hidden treasures too.–
–Treasure?–
Warren Wang led the group along a path. Torchlight flickered, illuminating the pitch-black trail. Minutes later, they arrived before a stone door.
–The magical patterns on the door have already been cracked. Let’s go straight in.–
They pushed open the heavy door, and from within came the cheerful gurgle of running water.
–Could that be… a celestial tree?–
Beyond the door was a cramped grotto. A faint, hazy glow emanated from the depths, emanating from an ancient, gnarled sapling shimmering with an aura of treasure.
Its pale, gnarled trunk coiled like a sinuous dragon, the bark shimmering with flowing jade-like light, while the branches bore radiant leaves of every hue, cut from silhouette as if in the shape of hearts.
Everyone let out exclamations of admiration.
–What kind of treasure is this?–
–I call it the Longevity Tree.–
Yang Zicang and Liang Xi were somewhat curious. After all, hadn’t Chronos already extended his lifespan?
–Step forward and place your hand on the trunk, infuse it with one year of your life, and you’ll understand. But before you go, first inject your own natural lifespan into the Moxel. Each of you only has one chance, so don’t waste it.–
Robin Lo, clearly knowing what was going on, walked forward first, his body beginning to age to around sixty years as he moved.
–This is all the life force I have. Originally, I could only live for about sixty years at most.–
He placed his hand on the tree, and several leaves lit up. A bright red fruit the size of a strawberry formed rapidly, growing to full size in mere seconds.
Robin Lo plucked it and swallowed it in one gulp. His skin began to writhe, and soon he turned into a young man with sunken eyes.
At that moment, even the scars on his head faded significantly.
–Wow, the old man turned into a big brother!– Liang Xi chuckled.
–Watch it, or I’ll spank your butt.–
–Old man, has the Chronos you injected into the Moxel already turned into extra Chronos?–
–Try it for yourself and you’ll know, you bastard.–
Robin Lo stood up; he hadn’t taken two steps before a leaf on the tree lost its luster, withered, and fell.
–Yang Ge, you go first,– said Wang Chijian.
This young man, who looked like a high schooler, was utterly convinced now—the ability of Yang Zicang before him was nowhere near what the outside world assumed; it didn’t involve overlapping forcefields at all.
To guide so many people through the darkness with such precision past those sharp stones that would cleave anyone in two upon impact was a skill so unheard of, so formidable.
Standing on the platform in worn-out clothes, Yang Zicang nodded at Wang Chijian’s suggestion and adjusted his attire slightly. Facing the ancient and wondrous tree, the light on his chest flickered, and he began to walk forward.
Feeling his body weaken as his skin rapidly aged, Yang Zicang seemed as if he had reached the end of his life.
He raised his hand and pressed it against the ancient tree. To generate each leaf consumed a year of his life.
[I have consumed a life.]
At the next moment, a gentle and warm force emanated from within the tree where his hand rested.
He looked up and saw that a solitary fruit had slowly formed on the treetop.
–Take it down quickly, or it’ll spoil!– a voice shouted from behind.
Upon hearing this, Yang Zicang promptly plucked the fruit. He first caught its light, refreshing fragrance wafting into his nostrils, then noticed the skin beginning to wrinkle. The gray-haired man’s eyes snapped open, and he quickly opened his mouth to swallow it in one gulp, closing his eyes to savor the sensation.
[Your lifespan has been extended by 10N.]
[You have replenished 87.2N.]
In an instant, it felt as though a stream of warm water spread through his body, cozying and filling every cell.
His skin rapidly plumped and recovered. Yang Zicang opened his eyes, having just injected seventy-seven years of his lifespan into Moxel, leaving himself with less than a year, yet replenished with eighty-seven.
He looked at a rapidly yellowing leaf on the branch. This tree had granted him an additional ten years on top of his original span, bringing his total life expectancy to eighty-eight.
No wonder these people sought out an information broker like Robin Lo to introduce prospects and insisted on coming here. Gaining ten extra years each, this trip amounted to a bonus of over a hundred years of Chronos for their team.
Boss Wang’s pool of funds was now even larger.
Yang Zicang turned to look at these people. –Thank you. It’s a remarkable treasure. Pity, though—can’t bring it back to Earth.–
Even securing just over a hundred extra years, they toiled so tirelessly, each striving for a chance to grow stronger.
–Bringing it back to Earth or something,– Robin Lo chuckled. –Seems to me it’s you who wants to go back.–
–Heh heh.–
Warren Wang, the boss, walked over and sighed with his hands on his hips. –Who doesn’t want to go back? If we could take it back to Earth, every single fruit would be worth heaps of cash.–
The atmosphere among them grew harmonious, as if a budding friendship, borne of hardships shared, was beginning to take root.
–Right, if I were the richest man on Earth, I’d spend tens of billions of dollars on one fruit. I’d eat it when I was on the brink of death.–
–Haha, dreams are nice to hold.–
If a person of seventy or eighty devoured it, in mere minutes they’d be reborn young, gaining another decade of life.
If such a thing appeared on Earth, it would spark pandemonium.
Too bad it rots at a terrifying speed. Never mind the intangible chance of returning to Earth—it can’t even slip out of this strange dimension.
After three hours, everyone had turned into youthful lads. The scars along Liang Xi’s body faded dramatically, with only a few of the deepest wounds still bearing traces.
–Can someone transplant it?– a voice suggested.
–If you can snap off a branch, I’ll give you every last Chronos I have.–
Warren Wang cast a contemptuous look at the greedy gleam in sight.
The Divine Tree was encircled by a stream, whose waters also emitted a faint, shimmering glow. It was unclear whether the tree nurtured the water, or the water nurtured the tree.
Its roots delved deep into the entire mountain range. Some, driven by curiosity, even took sharp implements to hack at the roots, yet could not so much as budge them.
–A pleasure doing business. Look me up next time you need anything,– Warren Wang said to Robin Lo.
–Shouldn’t you be coming directly to me?– Yang Zicang cast a glance at him.
–Haha, I’m a firm believer in honoring contracts. Cutting out the middleman is beneath me.–
Robin Lo puffed out his chest, waving a hand dismissively at Yang Zicang.
–As for this time’s compensation, just deduct it from the remaining Chronos you have exclusive rights to.–
–Offset the entire amount?–
–Where would you find such a bargain? You know perfectly well how much lifespan everyone managed to increase in total.–
–So, how much gets offset?–
–Hmm, let me think… A fifth will do.–
Dressed in thin, loose-legged trousers, Yang Zicang had no patience to haggle with Robin Lo over this issue. He walked over to Warren Wang, pulled him aside, and, feigning familiarity, draped an arm over his shoulder.
–Mr. Wang, you’re in investments, right?–
–Mhm, yeah, that’s right.–
Warren Wang glanced at the arm resting on his right shoulder. The Moxel on his chest flickered to life, and his body began to glow with a golden radiance.
A golden glow then appeared on Yang Zicang as well.
Only then did both sides manage to exchange awkward smiles, each putting up a thick face.
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