Divine Fruit.
It can allow other ancient trees to develop spiritual intelligence, thereby becoming your vassals.
Now, Gu Qingyang's roots can extend over thirty kilometers, which, though insignificant compared to the vast Kunlun Mountain Range.
Still, this vast area contains quite a number of ancient trees.
Some of these ancient trees reach heights of several hundred meters, while others are only a few dozen meters; the taller the ancient tree, the longer it has grown.
The difference is.
Though these ancient trees haven't developed spiritual intelligence, due to being bathed in Celestial Blood, they have accumulated quite a bit of energy.
This energy will gradually dissipate over time or completely settle, waiting until the day the ancient tree awakens its spiritual intelligence to transform this energy into its own power.
"Condense the Divine Fruit!"
Gu Qingyang tried to activate his innate divine techniques, only to see intense cyan light emitting from between the branches and leaves, then a fruit the size of a baby's fist materialized out of thin air.
The fruit was filled with surging energy, giving Gu Qingyang an impulse to consume it.
However.
Gu Qingyang did not do so.
After all, the Divine Fruit held no significant benefit for him personally.
Glancing at his data, he noticed that his Evolution Value stealthily decreased by 5,000 points.
At this sight.
Gu Qingyang couldn't help but feel a pang of pain.
"5,000 points of Evolution Value to condense a single Divine Fruit, indeed very costly. With my current Evolution Value, I can barely condense around thirty Divine Fruits."
Thirty Divine Fruits may seem like a lot, but in reality, it's not much at all.
Gu Qingyang barely managed to gather this amount of Evolution Value by devouring all the fierce beasts within thirty kilometers.
Moreover.
The Evolution Value is about to reach the threshold for a breakthrough, and Gu Qingyang's power is steadily reaching the peak of the lower third level.
If he exhausts his Evolution Value, he would immediately fall back to the initial stage of the lower third level.
Even though his realm wouldn't truly fall, his strength would definitely be compromised.
"Next step... it's time to decide which ancient tree to merge the Divine Fruit with!"
Gu Qingyang surveyed all the ancient trees within a thirty-kilometer radius, eventually setting his sights on a five-hundred-meter tall ancient tree.
This tree stood resilient and upright, unscathed by the passage of time, clearly having existed for many years.
Gu Qingyang was very curious about how this ancient tree would change after merging with the Divine Fruit.
Thinking followed by action.
Gu Qingyang used his roots to carry the Divine Fruit to the ancient tree, and as soon as the Divine Fruit touched it, it effortlessly merged into the tree's trunk.
In that instant.
The entire ancient tree lightly quivered, releasing a magnificent breath of life, as though the power of the Divine Fruit activated all the energy the tree had accumulated for years.
Simultaneously.
An emerging will force poured out from the seemingly lifeless trunk of the ancient tree.
In the next moment.
Branches swayed, and the branches of the whole ancient tree stretched like a living being, emitting a powerful aura that spread in all directions.
...
Essence: Ancient Tree
Rank: Second Grade Upper
...
"Second Grade Upper!"
When Gu Qingyang used the Eye of True Sight to look at the ancient tree, he couldn't help but feel a slight shock.
He didn't expect the ancient tree, having just developed spiritual intelligence, would immediately reach the level of Second Grade Upper, indicating its substantial prior accumulation.
Of course.
This definitely also included the power of the Divine Fruit.
But regardless, having the ancient tree reach Second Grade Upper was already something that made Gu Qingyang quite satisfied.
At this moment.
The ancient tree's spiritual intelligence was born, and it immediately perceived Gu Qingyang's presence, with a weak consciousness transmitting a sense of allegiance and reverence.
"Buzz..."
An inexplicable ripple then spread out, resembling the murmuring of a living being.
Such ripples fell upon other ears without conveying anything understandable, but to Gu Qingyang, it was clear what the ancient tree wanted to express.
"Father God!"
Such simple words already conveyed everything.
All things have spirits and naturally have their own speech; Gu Qingyang and the ancient tree were virtually of the same kind, leaving no issue for communication.
Moreover, Gu Qingyang possessed the Divine Whisper innate divine technique, allowing him to communicate with all things, making understanding the ancient tree's words effortless.
"Father God..."
Listening to the ancient tree, Gu Qingyang immediately understood that the tree regarded him as its divine creator, hence the title of Father God.
From the ancient tree's intention, Gu Qingyang could clearly feel its reverence.
"From now on, you shall be named Evergreen!"
Gu Qingyang gave it a name.
After all, since they were both ancient trees, a name was necessary.
The name Evergreen implied eternal continuity.
With the first instance of communication, the Evergreen Ancient Tree became especially proficient in using its consciousness, instantly expressing respect toward Gu Qingyang.
"Thank you, Father God, for the name!"
...
"The Evergreen Ancient Tree has become your follower, and you have gained ten points of faith!"
The sudden prompt left Gu Qingyang momentarily stunned.
Involuntarily.
Gu Qingyang looked at his data, noticing some subtle changes on the previously existing panel.
...
Name: Gu Qingyang
Essence: Ancient Tree
Lifespan: 15/10000
Rank: Third Grade Lower (153000/200000)
Divine Kingdom: Unestablished (10/1000000)
Innate Divine Techniques: Ancient Tree Roots (Third Grade), Spirit Root of the Ancient Tree (Third Grade), Divine Fruit (Third Grade), Divine Whisper (Third Grade), Eye of True Sight (Third Grade), Divine Domain (Third Grade)
...
"Faith... Divine Kingdom!"
Gazing at the slightly altered attribute panel, Gu Qingyang's eyes twitched.
As his focus landed on the Divine Kingdom, relevant information emerged.
[Divine Kingdom: Foundation of the Divine Spirit]
The introduction to the Divine Kingdom was brief, yet the term Divine Spirit made Gu Qingyang's eyes slightly narrow.
Divine Spirit!
No matter the place, it is a sanctified existence.
He didn't expect that casually using a Divine Fruit to cultivate the Evergreen Ancient Tree would unlock a completely new feature.
Gu Qingyang had a premonition that the moment he truly gathered a million points of faith power to establish a Divine Kingdom, he would undergo significant change.
"But to truly establish a Divine Kingdom might not be that easy; consuming 5,000 Evolution Value only exchanged for ten points of faith, gathering a million points requires cultivating a hundred thousand Evergreen Ancient Trees.
Calculating based on 5,000 Evolution Value per Evergreen Ancient Tree, it's astronomical!"
Gu Qingyang mused inwardly.
If he truly had that much Evolution Value, why would he waste it on establishing a Divine Kingdom? Concentrating all those Evolution Values on himself might break through to unimaginable realms, possibly even achieving invincibility.
Therefore.
Looking at the Divine Kingdom before him, Gu Qingyang felt a sense of it being rather chicken-ribbed.
It was at this moment.
Information again flooded Gu Qingyang's mind, then he saw the number of faith points increasing visibly.