"A tree?"

High in the sky, a fierce wind howled. Zhou Huai sat atop the broad, plaza-like obsidian back of the demonic dragon Xiao Hei, his brow furrowed.

He looked down at the alluring, shimmering green phantom below, his chiseled face tensing.

The other party condescended to disperse the murderous aura emanating from the mutated plants, and even offered to help him deal with the powerful leader of the Dawn Guild...

After all that, it turns out it was just to take back a tree?

That sounds like a really bad joke.

The green phantom below saw through Zhou Huai's reaction, but instead of getting angry, it let out a soft laugh.

"Hehehe...Young man, don't look at me like I'm a madman."

The ethereal woman gently shook her fingers, which were formed from life energy, and said in an ethereal voice, "Those are not the ordinary trees that you can see everywhere in your world, which can only be used to provide shade and shelter from the rain."

"Its name is the Sacred Tree of Origin."

As she spoke, the woman's voice rose, and the previously raging vines around her drooped.

"In the time we once lived in, in that oldest world, it was the origin of everything."

"Without it, there would be no subsequent changes in the world. You could even say that it was the initial spark that allowed all other ruins to be born."

The beginning of all worlds?

Upon hearing these words, Zhou Huai sat up straight.

His soul-seeking eyes, hidden deep within Arthur's azure gaze, contracted.

Countless fragmented clues collided and pieced together wildly in his mind!

He suddenly remembered the day Mr. Duan came to his door at the villa in Donghai City.

In that desperate moment of life and death, Mr. Duan once revealed to him the world's greatest secret—the world [N O V E L I G H T] was facing a systemic purge called version replacement!

The old versions of civilization and life will be completely wiped out! The ancient ruins that are now hidden around the world are ruins because they were all old worlds that were eliminated during version updates!

Following this line of reasoning...

Zhou Huai held his breath, his eyes fixed on the green phantom below.

Since the world this phantom once lived in possessed the Origin Tree that gave birth to other ancient worlds, doesn't that mean that the world she lived in was most likely the initial version of all worlds?

This is what is known as the 1.0 first generation!

The Origin Tree that Mr. Duan stole was probably an ultimate divine object, similar to the core of the world's origin or even the embodiment of its rules!

Now that you put it that way, everything makes perfect sense!

Otherwise, given Mr. Duan's exceptionally high standards—he didn't even care about divine artifacts like the 【Heaven-Suppressing Seal】 and the 【Life Pendulum】—why would he go to such lengths and schemes to seize a tree? And why would he go to such great lengths to bring it with him and cultivate it personally?

What he wanted wasn't the tree, but the very essence of the world! It was the ultimate bargaining chip he was preparing to survive the impending great purge!

Thinking of this, Zhou Huai shivered, a chill creeping up Arthur's powerful spine.

If Mr. Duan is someone who survived from the initial world that possessed the Origin Tree...

So, how long is the lifespan of this leader of the Dawn Guild?

"Eight times..."

Zhou Huai muttered to himself, clenching his teeth.

According to the laws of this world, and with the task prompts issued by the system, there have been a total of eight world version changes during this period!

Each version update is a cataclysmic event that wipes out all life in the old world.

And that Mr. Duan has actually lived perfectly intact from the very beginning of the first world to the present day, spanning a full eight eras!

What an incredibly long time span this is!

To contend with such an ultimate old monster who has lived for countless eras and witnessed the vicissitudes of life, how could he have previously attempted to use several clones to set up a killing trap?

It's absolutely ridiculous!

"hold head high--"

The abyssal dragon Xiao Hei beneath him sensed its master's condition. It shifted its massive body uneasily, spewing out two streams of black sulfur sparks from its golden vertical pupils and letting out a low roar, attempting to dispel the gloom for Zhou Huai.

The illusory woman below keenly noticed Zhou Huai's momentary daze.

She was very satisfied with Zhou Huai's reaction to being shocked by the truth of the world; a bewitching smile appeared on his face, which was obscured by his features.

"How about it?"

The woman's voice drifted into Zhou Huai's ears on the strong wind, "Now, do you understand why I took back that tree?"

"Are you interested in actually working with me?"

She spread her arms, which were made of green light and shadow, and softened her tone, "I can assure you that, in this filthy world today, only I can quickly improve your strength."

"Only with my help can you survive this impending purge and truly have the ability... to deal with that high and mighty Mr. Duan!"

Faced with this extremely tempting sugar-coated bullet, Zhou Huai blinked.

He regained his senses.

He admitted that the secrets of the Tree of Origin had shocked him, but he was by no means the kind of fool who would obediently take the bait just because someone made a promise.

"Don't try to fool me with these empty promises."

Arthur's deep voice rang out in mid-air, piercing through the other party's disguise.

Zhou Huai, controlling the body of this Western man, looked down at her and questioned:

"As far as I know, that Mr. Duan is a transcendent being who can ignore space, ignore the laws of attributes, and is even unbound by the rules of heaven and earth!"

"He has long surpassed the limits of SSS-level and reached a dimension that cannot be measured by common sense!"

Zhou Huai sneered, slamming his spear heavily onto the dragon's back scales. "And what about you? You don't even dare to step out of this ruin, you can only hide in this dark corner and manipulate a few vines."

"Where do you get the confidence to say you can make me strong enough to deal with a transcendent being?!"

These words were piercing to the heart.

However, faced with Zhou Huai's sharp mockery, the green phantom not only did not get angry, but instead burst into loud laughter again.

"Giggle giggle giggle..."

Her laughter grew louder, and she laughed so hard she almost fell over.

"A transcendent being? Surpassing the limits of SSS-level?"

The illusory woman laughed so hard that her fiery body trembled violently, and the surrounding vines twisted wildly in response.

Suddenly, her laughter stopped abruptly.

She raised her head, her voice low, and dropped a bombshell that would completely overturn Zhou Huai's existing understanding:

"Young man, have you made a mistake?"

"Do you really think... that guy was able to break free of the shackles of Heaven and become a so-called transcendent being because of his own pitiful abilities?"