Chapter 1440, The Peach Grove Opens

Translator:  Ashish

Translation Checker: Silvain

 

Yu Zi Yu stood in a rare, contemplative silence, the weight of Golden Monkey’s words settling over him like a physical shroud. Even for a being of his stature, the revelation was staggering.

 

The Peach Tree of Immortality, it was a name that carried the echoes of ancient myths, yet the reality was far more potent.

 

To live as long as the Heavens and the Earth themselves? It was a claim that defied the natural order, yet looking at the radiant bark and the shimmering leaves, Yu Zi Yu knew it was no exaggeration.

 

This was truly a Divine Tree of Heaven and Earth, a treasure whose power was as terrifying as it was sublime.

 

Lifespan, the word was simple, yet it remained the ultimate mystery of the cosmos.

 

Yu Zi Yu’s mind drifted back to Earth of the old era, the world before the Great Era of Transcendence. In those days, if a treasure capable of extending a single Human life by a few decades had appeared, it would have ignited a global war. Nations would have crumbled; the world would have been bathed in blood for a mere taste of immortality.

 

In this current age of transcendence, that desperation had only intensified. It was only because the era was still in its infancy that the current powerhouses felt invincible, for they still had lifespans stretching out to endless horizons.

 

However, time was a patient hunter. When the bottlenecks of cultivation would become harder to break, and when the ‘ancient monsters’ of this era would begin to feel the cold breath of the end, the value of this tree would not merely double, it would simply skyrocket.

 

Yu Zi Yu finally grasped the secret of the ancient Heavenly Court’s hegemony.

 

The age of the Heavenly Court was also the time when the entire epoch had reached its ultimate peak. It was a time teeming with Overlords and Hegemons. The world was filled with ancient monsters and old ancestors.

 

And even the monster terrifying Hegemons, so long as they had yet not stepped into the elusive realm of Eternity, they were ultimately bound by time.

 

Unless they found a way to reincarnate, they were all just waiting for their candle to flicker out.

 

And then came the Peach Banquet.

 

Every three thousand years, the Heavenly Court offered a lifeline. The implications were chillingly clear: to control the peach was to control the gods.

 

“No wonder,” Yu Zi Yu murmured, a soft, dangerous chuckle vibrating in his chest. He looked at the tree, his eyes burning with a new, predatory interest. “No wonder they ruled the stars.”

 

Beyond politics, he felt a personal relief.

 

With this tree, the futures of his most loyal companions, Nine Tails, Bull Demon, and the rest, were no longer at the mercy of the years. Their lives were now secured.

 

“Master… you understand how precious this Peach Tree of Immortality is, don’t you?” Golden Monkey grinned, licking his lips with an almost primal hunger.

 

He wasn’t thinking of politics; his mind was filled with what it would taste like. Surely, a fruit that granted immortality tasted like nothing else in existence.

 

“En,” Yu Zi Yu nodded. After a moment’s thought, he added, “It seems this Peach Tree requires more than just protection. We need to carefully tend to it.”

 

“Indeed,” Golden Monkey agreed, though his expression shifted, turning uncharacteristically solemn. “But Master, a word of caution: do not awaken it. Do not grant it sentience.”

 

Yu Zi Yu raised an eyebrow. He knew the Monkey understood his ability to bestow sentience, to turn flora into loyal Treants.

 

“If you turn it into a sentient being,” the Golden Monkey explained, his voice turning grim and grave, “you will turn it into a slave. The peaches it bears are its own essence, its very vitality. To be forced to bear fruit for others for eternity… it would breed a resentment deeper than any sea. No being, no matter how divine, wishes to be raised and harvested like livestock. It might even rebel. An awakened Peach Tree will be tantamount to a ticking time bomb.”

 

The silence that followed was heavy. Yu Zi Yu’s expression turned grim. He understood that darkness. If he were the tree, he would set the universe on fire before he allowed himself to be plucked.

 

However, he also had no other choice.

 

First of all, he was the one with the stronger fist. And the Peach Tree of Immortality was simply too important.

 

While he himself might not care, his loyal subordinates would need the Peaches of Immortality.

 

“I understand,” Yu Zi Yu sighed, a rare note of weariness in his voice. “I will not awaken it or turn it into a Treant.”

 

He raised a hand, and the atmosphere buckled. A tremendous suction force erupted from his palm, and with a low, tectonic rumble, the thousand-meter tree was uprooted. It didn’t fall; it was pulled into the shimmering rift of his Realm of Life.

 

The Realm of Life was overflowing with vitality, which would certainly be of great benefit to the Peach Tree of Immortality.

 

Of course, Yu Zi Yu would also need to personally create a suitable patch of fertile land for it.

 

Considering this, Yu Zi Yu took a step forward, and crossing the threshold of dimensions, he arrived inside the Realm of Life.

 

The Realm of Life was a realm of impossible vibrance. The air was thick with Life Force, so dense it felt like breathing liquid vitality.

 

Here, even the lowliest weed could evolve into a Spirit Herb given enough time.

 

Such was the overwhelming vitality of this world, far beyond what ordinary beings could imagine.

 

Now, hovering at the center of this world, Yu Zi Yu lowered his hand.

 

*Boooooom…* The Peach Tree of Immortality descended like a verdant spear, its weight shaking the very foundations of the Realm of Life.

 

“Vitality, arise,” Yu Zi Yu commanded.

 

His voice carried the weight of Law.

 

At his word, the earth groaned. Geysers of emerald Life Energy erupted from the soil, spiraling around the tree.

 

The Peach Tree of Immortality shivered, its roots plunging kilometers into the fertile earth, its trunk thickened visible to the naked eye.

 

The next moment, Yu Zi Yu’s hands moved in a blur of complex seals, guiding the latent power of the tree into the fabric of the world.

 

“Peach Grove…Open!” With that command, the peach tree trembled violently.

 

Then…

 

*Boooooom.. Boooooom… Boooooom…* In a sequence of thunderous roars, the single Divine Tree transformed into a hundred shadows. Across the landscape, new trees tore through the soil, blooming in a synchronized explosion of pink petals and golden light.

 

The Peach Tree of Immortality divides its essence, transforming into a peach grove. Not only does this greatly increase its harvest, but also saturate the area with Spiritual Energy.

 

It could be considered one of the tree’s Divine Abilities.

 

Though increasing the harvest would ultimately drop the individual quality of the fruits, Yu Zi Yu found that acceptable.

 

After all, if the true Peach Tree of Immortality bore fruit, it would take a staggering 20,000 years; 10,000 years to bloom, and another 10,000 years to bear fruit.

 

Thus, Yu Zi Yu decided to divide itself into many trees of different grades.

 

Low-Grade Peach Tree: These are the inferior Peach Tree of Immortality. Their flowers were delicate and tiny, and their fruits were small. They ripen once every 3,000 years. If a living being consumes one, they can instantly step into the Fourth Order.

 

Middle-Grade Peach Tree: These feature layered flowers and sweet, substantial fruit. They ripen once every 6,000 years. If a living being consumes one, they will attain eternal youth and immortality.

 

Top-Grade Peach Tree: Finally, the superior Peach Tree of Immortality bears fruit with purple veins and pale yellow pits. They ripen once every 9,000 years. Even for beings at the Realm of Hegemony, consuming these can significantly extend their lifespan.

 

This was the more detailed introduction that Yu Zi Yu saw through his status screen.

 

Currently, the entire Immortal Peach Grove consists of 3 top-grade, 21 middle-grade trees, and 66 low-grade trees, totaling 99 Peach Trees of Immortality.