Chapter 115: Planting Trees, Planting Trees

To gain, one must give. In the multiverse and across all realms, there is no love or hate without cause; all things follow the principle of equivalent exchange.

"Please speak, Immortal. Never mind a few tasks; even if there were dozens, I would do them all for you," Zhu Qizhen replied hurriedly.

"The first task: I will give you some seeds. I need you to help me plant trees," Yang Xin said.

Zhu Qizhen was stunned. He had braced himself for a massive sacrifice, yet the condition Yang Xin proposed was so... inconceivable.

"Plant trees? Does the Immortal wish to green the deserts? Can planting trees truly contribute to the prosperity of human destiny?" Zhu Qizhen asked instinctively. He regretted the words the moment they left his lips, fearing he had offended Yang Xin with his prying, and quickly patted his chest to remedy the situation: "Rest assured, Immortal. Is that all? It is no problem at all; leave it to me."

"There is no harm in telling you. The trees I want you to plant are not ordinary trees; they are Divine Trees," Yang Xin said calmly.

"Divine Trees?" Zhu Qizhen was startled once more, feeling a chill in his heart. Anything involving the word "divine" was never simple.

"Yes, Divine Trees. Since you intend to walk the path of an Ancient Human Emperor, you must consolidate your regime internally and expand your borders externally. The path of an Ancient Human Emperor is not a banquet; it is paved with endless blood and carnage. When an Emperor rages, a million corpses fall, and this blood and these corpses are the best nourishment for the Divine Trees," Yang Xin said coolly.

"Are you referring to the Divine Tree of the Otsutsuki clan from *Naruto*?" Zhu Qizhen’s eyes widened. Having been exposed to modern anime while in the illusion, he understood exactly what Yang Xin meant. A shiver ran down his spine, and he completely abandoned any thought of becoming Yang Xin's enemy.

Zhu Qizhen had originally planned to feign compliance while probing for Yang Xin’s weaknesses, intending to eventually have martial arts masters surround and eliminate him. Yang Xin had scattered the *Bixie Sword Manual* throughout the pugilistic world, and the ambitious Zhu Qizhen had done the same, knowing the manual was perfectly suited for eunuchs. The palace was teeming with them, and he had already quietly trained over a hundred small eunuchs in the sword technique as a secret trump card.

He had thought his plan foolproof, but hearing about the Divine Tree, he lost all hope. If Yang Xin could produce such a thing, he clearly possessed the ability to control it. Even if Yang Xin’s strength were vastly underestimated, he was at least on par with the Sage of the Six Paths.

The Sage of the Six Paths! Never mind his various flashy, heaven-defying offensive jutsus; even a simple Shadow Clone technique would be enough to make one’s life a misery. How could one know if the Yang Xin before him was the original or just a clone? One could exhaust every scheme and put in exhaustive effort, only to find they had been fighting a clone all along. Even if it were the original, there was no way to stop him—a simple Kamui or Flying Thunder God technique would allow him to escape any encirclement, leaving one unable to even touch the hem of his robe.

Zhu Qizhen took a deep breath. Since he could not be an enemy, he had no choice but to be an ally.

"How can a sparrow understand the ambition of a swan?"

The sparrow may lack the grand aspirations of the swan, but the swan, likewise, has no interest in the petty goals of the sparrow. Emperor Zhu Qizhen of the Ming Dynasty could only comfort himself with a sigh.

Why did Yang Xin want Zhu Qizhen to plant these trees? Because he discovered that the Divine Tree, modified by his Treasure Distribution System, could transmit chakra across dimensions. Yang Xin hadn't planted any trees in the *Smiling Proud Wanderer* world, yet he could feel the Divine Trees he had planted in the Marvel Universe continuously providing him with chakra.

Through detailed analysis, Yang Xin found that while the chakra converted from the energy of the Dark Dimension was vast and near-infinite, its quality was the poorest. Chakra from the energy of the Marvel Prime Universe was slightly better; chakra from the flesh of hell demons was barely acceptable; and the quality was highest when the trees absorbed the flesh and blood of martial artists.

The sapling within Yang Xin had absorbed the remains of Tian Boguang and clearly indicated that the resulting chakra was of high quality. This was why he required Zhu Qizhen to plant them.

Yang Xin also insisted on secrecy to avoid being targeted as a practitioner of evil arts. Absorbing human flesh and blood to grow is universally viewed as demonic, and Yang Xin did not wish to be the object of public indignation.

He believed that Zhu Qizhen’s path of the Ancient Human Emperor would provide him with high-quality chakra, and he trusted that as he moved to higher-tier dimensions, the trees would absorb even more potent life forms, further increasing the quality.

With a thought, the sapling within him condensed a batch of seeds and handed them to Zhu Qizhen. "I will plant these in the capital, the provinces, and along the borders. Take these seeds. Wherever the Ming army expands and wherever great battles occur, plant them. Of course, you will not be working for nothing..."

As he spoke, Yang Xin patted Zhu Qizhen on the shoulder. Zhu Qizhen felt a wave of green, vibrant energy flowing through his body.

"What is this?" Zhu Qizhen asked in shock.

"The bloodline power of the Senju clan," Yang Xin said indifferently. He had his own selfish reasons for this; what if he left and Zhu Qizhen decided to cut down all the trees he had planted?

Never underestimate the jealousy of a man, nor measure the heart of an emperor by ordinary standards. As the Emperor of Ming, even a puppet emperor had the power to have those trees destroyed. To the civil and military officials, this wouldn't be a power struggle or a moral issue; it would just be the emperor’s eccentric hobby. So, why not indulge him? It was an easy way to curry favor.

Although the Treasure Distribution System had provided Zhu Qizhen with the *Human Emperor Energy Condensation Technique*, this cultivation method only raised his realm and gathered destiny; it offered no help in combat. A simple cup of poisoned wine could still end his life.

An emperor’s power does not extend to within ten paces. Within ten paces, a human emperor is no different from an ordinary man; beyond ten paces, all land belongs to the king.

With the path to immortality in sight, Zhu Qizhen would surely prioritize his safety. Even if the ancestors of the Sunflower Sect were loyal, they were still human, and human hearts are fickle. The most poisonous thing in the world is not venom, but the human heart.

How could the future Human Emperor, Zhu Qizhen, leave his safety in the hands of others? One is better off relying on oneself.

By granting Zhu Qizhen the Senju bloodline, Yang Xin provided him with the foundation for self-preservation. To maximize that safety, Zhu Qizhen would have to use ninjutsu, which required chakra, which in turn required the Divine Trees. The more trees planted, the more chakra produced, and the safer Zhu Qizhen would be.

"Immortal, didn't you say that a human emperor of this world cannot cultivate?" Zhu Qizhen asked with a mournful face.

"A human emperor cannot practice traditional cultivation, but ninjutsu is just a technique—it doesn't matter. The last emperor, Di Xin, was said to have the strength of nine bulls. Do you really think that was innate? It was acquired through training. And the Ancient Human Emperor Xuanyuan was said to have consorted with three thousand women in one night; he practiced the *Classic of Consort Arts*. These are all just techniques!"

"Rest assured, practice boldly! Use the *Human Emperor Energy Condensation Technique* as the foundation and ninjutsu as the application. Adopt the strengths of others to strengthen yourself. Besides, the Senju bloodline is extremely potent. With this trump card, your personal safety will be guaranteed to the greatest extent. Poisoned wine or assassination attempts will be nothing more than a light drizzle..." Yang Xin patted his shoulder to reassure him.

"Oh, by the way, there is one thing you should know. Wang Zhen drank from the Spring of Drowned Girl; he is no longer a eunuch." Yang Xin added softly.

"Wang Zhen!" Zhu Qizhen’s face turned deathly pale.