The next moment, I saw the branches of the Tree of Life suddenly transform into a giant cage, engulfing the Heavenly Dao.
The Heavenly Dao struggled, roaring in anger, but it was all in vain.
The cage slowly tightened, and that power seemed to far surpass the current Heavenly Dao.
The Heavenly Dao continued to struggle, and a terrifying force swept outwards.
The cage was broken, and then new cages appeared, constantly compressing, constantly tightening.
Finally, that terrifying force completely dissipated.
The Heavenly Dao was completely annihilated by the Tree of Life...
I suddenly returned to my body, and my perspective shifted.
I instinctively took a step back, checked my body, and found that my injuries had completely disappeared.
My body felt incredibly light, and it was filled with terrifying Mu Shen power.
And before me stood a towering giant tree, this was the Tree of Life.
"So... so this is it..." I suddenly burst into laughter, tears uncontrollably streaming from the corners of my eyes.
"Thank you..." a gentle female voice suddenly came.
I sprang to my feet, looking around, and finally my gaze landed on the Tree of Life: "Are you speaking?"
"Yes!" the female voice nodded, "I am the Tree of Life..."
"So that's how it is..." I gave a wry smile, "The Heavenly Dao is gone, right?"
"The Heavenly Dao has been reclaimed by me," the Tree of Life's voice said. "Originally, the Heavenly Dao was conceived to protect this world, to guard it for me. Unfortunately, many things happened later, and its path changed..."
"Why were you in that place?" I asked.
"I was sealed there," the Tree of Life said. "This was all the Heavenly Dao's scheme. Not only did it seal all my life force, but it also prevented me from observing the outside world!"
"And during this time, it turned this world into chaos. Cultivators defied the heavens, and it forcefully suppressed them, leading to the great war back then!" the Tree of Life's voice continued. "I saw it, but I was powerless..."
I gave a wry smile and remained silent.
"The Mu Shen power was originally the strength I gave to the world, allowing them to adapt to this world and protect it better, but the Heavenly Dao wanted to reclaim this power," the Tree of Life stated. "So, these events occurred..."
I nodded slowly, saying nothing more.
"I must thank you. Without you, I could not have emerged from there. Without your battle with the Heavenly Dao, I could not have mastered this power," the Tree of Life said. "To repay you, I can grant you any wish!"
"Grant me any wish? It's no use, it's too late..." I gave a wry smile. "I want my friends to live again, my masters to live again. Can you do that?"
"Yes," the Tree of Life's voice replied.
I froze, then my body was filled with ecstasy: "You're not lying to me, are you? Is what you're saying true?"
"Yes, but I don't have enough energy yet..." the Tree of Life said. "However, I can temporarily preserve their bodies and souls. As long as my power is sufficient, I can bring them all back to life!"
"Come! Tell me, what do I need to do, how can I gain power!" I asked loudly. "I can help you, I can do anything!"
"I need your Mu Shen power!" the Tree of Life's voice said. "Don't agree yet, I must tell you the consequences of doing this!"
"Tell me!" I suppressed my excitement. If there was a way to bring them back, I would pay any price.
And now, I was willing to believe the Tree of Life.
"Once I gain your Mu Shen power, it means you will no longer be able to cultivate. In other words, you will become an ordinary person again," the Tree of Life's voice said. "And even if they are not revived, they will not regain their previous cultivation power; they will also become ordinary people!"
"Your lifespans will not be extended, at most your bodies will be slightly stronger. You will once again become ordinary people, experiencing birth, aging, sickness, and death..." the Tree of Life's voice continued. "Even so, are you still willing?"
"Yes!" I replied without a moment's hesitation, extending my hands. "Here, take all my power! Take it all! As long as they can live again, if my power is not enough, my life is yours too!"
The Tree of Life was silent for a moment, then a leaf fell onto my palm.
I looked up. The Tree of Life was still bare. Where did this leaf come from?
"Eat it!" the Tree of Life's voice said. "Then I can gain all your power!"
Holding the leaf, a smile appeared on my face. I then put it in my mouth, chewed it with all my might, and swallowed it without hesitation.
A bitter taste spread in my mouth, and intense pain coursed through every part of my body.
I could clearly feel my body's power disappearing, my mind going blank.
The feeling of power being forcibly extracted made me incredibly uncomfortable.
But I gritted my teeth and silently endured it all, without making a sound, my heart filled with joy.
The intense pain made my body unable to support me, and I lay on the ground, face up.
I clearly saw that the previously bare Tree of Life suddenly sprouted tender green leaves, and then began to grow at an astonishing speed.
Leaf after leaf emerged from the Tree of Life. As my power vanished, the leaves of the Tree of Life became denser and denser.
Just before I lost consciousness, I clearly saw that the Tree of Life was covered in green leaves...
I don't know how long I was unconscious. I was woken up by someone.
"Brother Lu, Brother Lu, stop sleeping, the sun is shining on your butt!" Lin Chun's voice came. "You've been sleeping for days!"
My body felt incredibly exhausted, but I still forced my eyes open.
Lin Chun was crouching beside me.
Everyone else was standing around me: Lin Chun, Chen Zhi, Zuo Qing, Bei Chi...
I sat up, my face full of confusion.
I clearly remembered that we were in another place before, and there seemed to be a big tree.
But I had forgotten its name.
Looking further, Zhou Ran, Xu Feifei, Elder Yu, all stood there.
Everyone had smiles on their faces.
"What happened before?" I asked.