"Junior Brother Lu, take care, I hope we'll meet again someday!" On the Baiyu Platform, Yuk Yaorao gave a graceful salute. Lu Ye clasped his hands in return and turned around to follow Yang Qing out. The Shen Hai Contention had ended, and the strong cultivators from various domains had no reason to stay. Each took their juniors and headed home. The next time the scene around the Reincarnation Tree would be as lively as this, it might be a hundred years later. Leaving the Baiyu Platform, they entered a passage, and Yang Qing continued walking forward. After a long moment, they arrived at a portal. Turning his head, Yang Qing instructed Lu Ye, "Remember this location. In the future, if you bring your juniors to participate in the Shen Hai Contention, you'll return through here." Lu Ye nodded silently, faintly catching some underlying meaning in Yang Qing's words, but he didn't hurry to ask more. Yang Qing opened the door and entered, with Lu Ye following closely behind. Instead of stepping into the room he imagined, they found themselves in an open space that resembled a stellar space magnified countless times over, with stars scattered all around, majestic and vast. Being here made one feel insignificant. Yang Qing raised his hand and gently pointed forward into the void. A ripple spread out from where his fingertip touched, expanding in all directions. When the ripple vanished, Yang Qing frowned and asked, "Tree Elder, what is the meaning of this?" Normally, his single point would open a passageway leading to the Nine Provinces, taking Lu Ye back there, but no passageway had appeared this time, which was rather strange. Without a passageway appearing, it was evident that the Reincarnation Tree was interfering, or rather, it wasn't permitting passage, though he didn't understand why. A voice, ancient and aged, abruptly sounded in this small piece of stellar space, "Dragon Monarch, do not worry. It's merely that the young friend beside you is carrying something he shouldn't have taken away!" Yang Qing raised his eyebrows, turned to look at Lu Ye, and examined him up and down. Lu Ye immediately looked a little awkward, scratching his head uncomfortably. He had acted stealthily before, thinking nobody would notice. After so much time had passed without anyone troubling him, he thought he had gotten away with it. Who could have guessed that just when he was about to leave, he got caught by the Reincarnation Tree? Despite his precautions to avoid exposure in the Taichu Realm, hiding things even when faced with opponents like Bao Shi, not using those two little things to imbue any blessings… In hindsight, thinking he was unnoticed, but having done it in the Tree World, how could the Reincarnation Tree not know? It hadn't confronted him all this time because the moment hadn't come, but now that he was leaving, the Reincarnation Tree could no longer ignore it. Yet this feeling of being caught red-handed is truly embarrassing… Yang Qing initially didn't understand what the Reincarnation Tree meant, but seeing Lu Ye's demeanor, he realized that the kid probably had taken something he shouldn't have. He couldn't help but laugh out of irritation. Other Divine Sea Realm cultivators came to the Reincarnation Tree with reverence, carefully trailing behind their elders, afraid of making a wrong step and embarrassing themselves. This kid, on the other hand, took the liberty to steal something under his watch? The little fellow is incredibly bold! He instantly barked, "Hand it over!" Lu Ye was reluctant and began to dodge the question, "What thing?" Yang Qing glared at him, "How would I know what it is? Stop blabbering, hand it over when I tell you!" The old voice spoke again, this time very gently, "Young friend, the Fairies aren't meant to be taken to the outside world. If word gets out, it would not only spell disaster for the Fairies but bring trouble to your domain as well." Yang Qing then understood what Lu Ye had stolen. He had thought the kid might have only taken some inanimate object; who would have guessed it was Fairies! This guy sure has the nerve to think it and do it! Clarified by the Reincarnation Tree, Lu Ye, unwilling though he was, could only resign himself. With a sigh, he took off the spirit beast sack from his waist and opened it. Immediately, a small head poked out, unmistakably Lü Yingying, looking suffocated, taking a few deep breaths before leaping out. Then she turned around, half her body digging into the spirit beast sack to pull out Hong Dandan. The two little fairies glared angrily at Lu Ye, with Lü Yingying shaking her tiny fist at him, angrily proclaiming, "Bad person!" Hong Dandan chimed in from the side, "Bad person!" Lu Ye touched his nose, speechless. The two little fairies fluttered their wings, flew around in a circle, and dove into a passage that appeared out of thin air, disappearing without a trace. It was clear they were sent back to the Fairy Tree World. The voice of the Reincarnation Tree sounded: "As compensation for resolving the Tree World's troubles, this old one wishes to offer a small gift to you, young friend. I hope you won't find it inadequate." As it spoke, the Void in front of Lu Ye trembled slightly, and a green leaf appeared out of nowhere. The leaf looked like an ordinary leaf, even a bit smaller, about the size of a baby's palm, but it was entirely green, as if carved from emerald, vibrant with life. Although Lu Ye didn't know the mysterious qualities of this leaf, since it was given by the Reincarnation Tree as compensation, it clearly wasn't an ordinary leaf. He turned his head to look at Yang Qing, his expression seeking guidance. Yang Qing gave an almost imperceptible nod, and only then did Lu Ye respectfully say, "I dare not refuse the gift of an elder. I am grateful to the Tree Elder for the treasure!" As he held it with both hands, the leaf immediately fell into his palms, but before Lu Ye could put it away, the leaf suddenly transformed into a green light, merging into his palm. Soon after, Lu Ye felt a slight warmth on his right wrist. He rolled up his sleeve to check, finding a green leaf's mark appearing there. The mark seemed so vivid, like a real leaf attached to it, but it was merely a mark, which vanished without a trace moments later. Without any instructions from Yang Qing, it seemed there was no harm. Not wanting to ask much at the moment, Lu Ye could only suppress his curiosity. "Tree Elder, now that the matter here is settled, we bid farewell," Yang Qing said, cupping his fist. "Farewell, Dragon Monarch!" This time, before Yang Qing could make a move, a passage appeared out of thin air in front of Lu Ye. Yang Qing stepped into it first, and Lu Ye followed closely. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝘯𝘦𝘵 In a brief moment of disorientation, their vision spun. When Lu Ye came to his senses, he found himself on the spirit mountaintop in Tianzhou, facing a nondescript tree with withered leaves, seemingly dead, which was the doppelganger of the Reincarnation Tree. This doppelganger went through a cycle every hundred years, from vibrant to withered, and now it was in its lifeless state. If Lu Ye hadn't learned about its mysteries from Yang Qing, he wouldn't have paid it much attention even if he had seen it here. But it was by leveraging this doppelganger of the Reincarnation Tree that he managed to make a round trip from the Nine Provinces to some unknown distant point in the stellar space in just three months. The wonders of the world truly exceed imagination. "Senior, regarding the Tree Elder's final gift…" Only now did Lu Ye take the time to inquire with Yang Qing about the mysteries of that leaf. "You could consider it a link to the Reincarnation Tree," Yang Qing said, raising his right hand and revealing his wrist. With a slight exertion of power, a leaf mark appeared on his wrist, identical to the one Lu Ye had received. He actually had the same kind of mark. "With this mark, you can freely visit the place where the Reincarnation Tree is located in the future, of course, as long as there is no interference. Because using this thing is quite troublesome, requiring a long time to accumulate power, unlike when we used the Reincarnation Tree's doppelganger's power to reach it instantly. This might be helpful for your future travels through stellar space, like if you get lost somewhere or need to use the Reincarnation Tree as a transit point to go somewhere else. You can use this mark to reach where the Reincarnation Tree is." Lu Ye understood. If that were true, it would indeed be somewhat useful. The stellar space is vast; even though Lu Ye hadn't ventured into it yet, he knew traveling in such a broad environment required a lot of time. But if there is a fixed point that could serve as a transit, it would undoubtedly save a lot of traveling time in many situations. For now, this thing was useless to him, but you could never guarantee you wouldn't need it in the future. Swapping two little fairies for such a mark, though it seemed like a loss, the former couldn't be taken out, while the latter was a gift from the Reincarnation Tree, carrying a different significance. Yang Qing also reminded, "But this mark is for your use only; you can't bring others with it. You need to remember this point." Lu Ye nodded, "It seems the Reincarnation Tree has given this mark to quite a few people?" Yang Qing said, "Indeed, it has given it to quite a few people, so if you later use the Reincarnation Tree as a transit, you might meet cultivators from other domains, as many people use it as a transit point. This is the way Reincarnation Tree survives. It cycles once every ten thousand years, and during each cycle, it is at its most vulnerable. Usually, strong individuals from various domains use it as a transit to save time and effort, and when it needs help, naturally, people will come to its aid. This is the survival rule of the cultivation world: to gain something, you must offer something!" Lu Ye mused over this. "But overall, if someone is not favored by the Reincarnation Tree, it won't casually give its mark. Very few in the Divine Sea Realm have been given such a mark. You may have received it because you performed quite well this time, and the Reincarnation Tree sees you as promising. Perhaps next time it cycles, it will ask for your help; you should prepare yourself mentally for that." Lu Ye nodded silently, "Having borrowed its convenience, offering help when needed is the right thing to do." "It's best that you think that way."