The divine organization had been first to act, naming this ancient living land the Fifth Divine Star — which made people wonder whether there was any particular significance to the name. Could there truly be four other ancient stars?

Not a single major faction withdrew. All pressed forward. The journey from the Tanmu Star Domain to the Fifth Divine Star was long and arduous, with no small number dying along the way — yet now that the Tree of Life was nearly within sight, who would give up?

“This star is not large — it seems nearly exhausted. The life fluctuations are very faint.”

Even upon approach, the readings on the life detectors were extremely light, leaving many people somewhat disappointed. This was not a massive planet.

“It is shrouded in leaden clouds that block the line of sight, making it impossible to scan what lies on the surface.”

Everyone was surprised. Ordinary cloud layers should not be able to block the exploration capabilities of a cosmic warship — yet this dark grey mist cut off all manner of sensing.

The star really was small — at least relative to the Eternal Mother Star.

Ye Fan stared at the large screen, reviewing the various scanned data. He learned that this star was comparable in size to Earth, though its life essence was extremely faint.

A grey, murky mist hung over the planet, making the place look utterly desolate. What the true situation on the surface was like, no one could know.

“Descend — and be ready for combat!”

The first cosmic warship plunged into the mist and dropped toward the ground, leaving a trail of silvery-grey light in its wake. The other organizations, seeing this, followed suit one by one.

Very soon, cries of dismay came from those who had landed. Disappointment far outweighed any joy. This was a bleak and miserable planet. Across the high ridges, massive mountains, and great ravines, withered trees took root and stretched their branches toward the sky. Hardly any green could be seen anywhere — grass and vegetation were wilted and dead everywhere, as though the star had suffered some great calamity and lost all its vitality.

Ye Fan revealed a look of surprise. In that brief moment just now, he had the illusion that this ancient star had once been much larger, but had withered and shrunk over time — growing smaller and smaller — not entirely unlike Earth.

“This is a star approaching the end of its life. Its final vitality must have disappeared sometime within the last few thousand years,” said old mercenary Huo Bai.

The lakes on the surface had dried up, and many once-imposing mountain ranges had lost their grandeur — lifeless and still. Ancient trees that had shed all their leaves looked ready to topple at any moment. Many cliffs bore the scars of waterfalls that had long since run dry.

This was disheartening. When a living land approached its final days, what divine tree could still remain? It had most likely been taken away long ago.

“Look — there’s still a bit of green life over there!”

Inside the warship where Ye Fan and the others were, a mercenary fixed his gaze on a cliff face visible on the screen. The life fluctuations there were very faint, a flicker of green light barely swaying.

The ship traced a graceful arc through the air and descended. On the cliff, ancient trees and old vines intertwined — all of them withered and dead. Among the yellowed grass, a single medicinal herb stood, bearing a dozen or so green leaves, releasing its last traces of spiritual energy.

The cabin door opened, and the group filed out one by one.

“A medicinal herb half a person’s height in age — this is… Emerald Scale Orchid. To have grown to this size, it must be at least fifty thousand years old — a minor Herb King!”

There were gasps of admiration. This was a precious medicine, but sadly, as heaven and earth changed, it too had withered, sustained only by its original spiritual energy until now, its value entirely lost.

Old mercenary Huo Bai dug into the surface layer of the earth and, beneath it, discovered a dried-up dragon vein. He nodded to himself — the medicinal herb had survived by drawing from this.

“A pity. A shame. We finally found a living star, only to have come all this way for nothing,” the other mercenaries said despondently.

In the distance, warships swept across to another direction. It seemed as though a new discovery had been made over there. They, too, set out. Someone had discovered a massive stone stele and broken through a layer of restrictions, revealing an expanse of ancient structures.

One after another, abandoned cities emerged from their seals and rose to stand upon the surface of the ground.

“There really are remnants of life here — there was once a group of indigenous people. But who can say where they have gone now?”

People rushed into the cities, searching through the buildings — though sadly there were no useful implements to be found, most of what remained having been left by ordinary mortals.

“The cultivators of this star must have moved their mountain gates and the like entirely elsewhere. That is why their legacy is so difficult to discover.”

For upon those grand mountains and within the sweeping valleys of magnificent scenery, there were clearly many traces where buildings had been pulled from the earth and taken away.

“They migrated as an entire clan — to what destination?”

“This must have happened within the last tens of thousands of years or so.”

“This planet still has faint life fluctuations. Some of the dragon veins underground must not yet have fully dried up.”

Before long, violent explosions rang out from the distance. A warship had been destroyed, blazing with blinding light. Many other ships rushed toward it.

“A vast altar has been discovered! Upon it is actually enshrined a sprout of the Tree of Life — surging with life essence!”

The Holy Light Mercenary Corps summoned its members to gather there. Wanting a share of the prize, Ye Fan, Huo Bai, Dao Yi, and the others rushed to join them.

This discovery had been made by the Brahma Clan. They had stripped away a sealed banner and revealed an altar the size of a small mountain, constructed from black crystal stones on a grand scale.

At the very center of the altar lay numerous offerings — several gleaming white holy bones, some dried bloodstains, scattered magical instruments — but most conspicuous of all was the jade plate at the center, elevated high upon the platform, radiating an astonishing life force.

Within the snow-white jade plate lay a tender branch roughly a chi in length, bearing a dozen or so vivid green buds, their life essence swirling — yet sealed within the jade plate, unable to escape.

“The Ancient Tree of Life!”

Those who had rushed over cried out in recognition. The battle just now had broken out precisely because of this.

“This is the most tender cluster of divine buds from the Ancient Tree of Life — its very essence.”

Someone charged forward, only to discover that the holy bones on the altar, the dried bloodstains in the channels, and the other magical instruments all began to glow, sweeping those people aside with tremendous force.

“There is a powerful restriction on the altar — do not attempt to assault it by force. Break it carefully.”

People from all factions worked together, trying to undo the ancient altar. With a branch of the Tree of Life now visible, this was absolutely a divine-grade precious medicine — capable of reviving the dead and restoring flesh to bones, also containing fragments of the Great Dao.

Ye Fan furrowed his brow and did not rush forward, observing from a distance. Old mercenary Huo Bai was equally cautious and apprehensive, standing at the back of the crowd.

The divine organization arrived. Their black warship blotted out the sky overhead and shot down a beam of piercing light, dissolving part of the restriction.

“The Divine Tree of Life — God, has this immortal medicine truly been found!”

Suddenly, cries of alarm rang out from the distance. Warships were locked in battle, powerhouses were rushing through the air, intense clashes erupting — and all of it poured into a range of mountains.

Boom!

At the same time, the altar erupted in a cloud of dust and smoke, broken by the combined efforts of everyone present. In the ensuing chaos, the tender sprout of the Tree of Life was seized by someone — no one could tell who.

A hundred li away, in the depths of the mountain range, rosy clouds blazed toward the sky and auspicious radiance surged upward. Clearly visible even from this great distance, many people turned and rushed in that direction. Compared to the true Ancient Tree of Life, a small section of tender sprout was nothing to speak of.

In just a hundred li, a great number of people shed blood. Seeking to reduce competition, they ambushed one another in secret — even the divine organization was covertly attacked, with one of their cosmic warships sustaining damage to a section of its hull.

People charged in chaos into the mountain range, leaving behind a trail of bodies and blood. The value of an immortal divine tree could move even a great emperor to act, to say nothing of these individuals.

“Ah…!”

Cries of anguish rang out from all directions. Dozens and hundreds of people perished — yet none could draw near the wondrous tree. A fearsome grand formation was in place here.

The mountain range was towering, the peaks magnificent. This should by rights have been a precious land brimming with immortal energy, a place of soaring transcendence and imperial ascent — but now it was dried and withered.

Ancient trees abounded, all of them gaunt and skeletal, most having fallen to the ground, crumbling to dust underfoot the moment they were stepped upon. In the deepest part of this mountain range, green radiance billowed upward. A single immortal tree had taken root at the center of the forest.

Everything else around it had withered and died. The spring water had lost its spiritual energy. Only the ancient tree standing beside the pool — barely more than a meter tall — released its life essence.

For a tree, it was truly diminutive, standing no more than 1.2 meters at its greatest height. Yet its trunk was vigorous and gnarled, its bark cracked into patch after patch, like a dragon curled in slumber.

Upon it, green radiance flickered from its leaves like immortal rainbows dancing through the air, light and mist swirling in mysterious beauty, drawing one instinctively near.

And from this place arose a deep, rolling Dao-sound that circled the ancient tree — a primordial resonance, like the voice of creation at the dawn of heaven and earth.

“It really is the Ancient Tree of Life — to think… that it would actually have been left behind!”

Everyone was moved. Many could not help but raise their heads and cry out to the sky. This was a divine affinity beyond imagining — a stroke of fortune too vast for words.

Bodies lay scattered across the ground, great patches of bloodstains everywhere — clearly a desperate struggle had just taken place. But no one could approach. All could only observe from a distance.

There was a stone stele nearby. Members of the divine organization had appeared and were studying it intently, as were representatives from several other major factions.

Upon it was recorded certain hidden truths. When this ancient land began to wither and dry up, the inhabitants had no choice but to migrate as an entire clan. On the journey, a fierce internal conflict broke out — and then they were set upon by terrifying cosmic entities. They were nearly wiped out entirely. One aged saint, fighting to his last breath, managed to break through the siege and bring the Ancient Tree of Life back to their homeland.

Beside the stele, there lay traces of someone who had dissolved into the Dao, only a gleaming white bone remaining. The aged saint had passed away into the Dao many years ago.

“So that is what happened — the people of this ancient living land were slaughtered in the cosmos. Their clan was most likely annihilated.”

“Were those sprouts on the altar offered up by him, in prayer to Heaven to protect his clanspeople?”

Many people suddenly understood, their expressions flickering between complex emotions. Their hearts were urgent with desire — but there was nothing they could do to advance.

For here existed a grand formation of Great Sage level. Several saints had attempted to break through it, all of them withdrawing with severe wounds. Others had simply died outright.

“This is a Great Sage formation. Even a powerhouse of equivalent rank might not be able to break through it — let alone anyone here without a divine mechanized armor. There is no way in.”

A group of people who had gone from elated to despairing — the divine skin ancient scroll of the Xutuo Clan had proven true, and in the end they had found this ancient star. But this was the outcome awaiting them. Even if they destroyed this entire star, this mountain range could still be preserved. Unable to obtain the divine tree, the unbearable frustration of sitting before a treasure mountain unable to claim it gnawed at everyone.

The divine organization too was at a loss. The four members who had come had not a single Great Sage among them, and all eyes flickered with an unsettled light.

“The legendary immortal divine tree — disappeared for endless ages — and now it has reappeared, yet cannot be obtained.” In everyone’s heart, it was as though a tiny worm was gnawing away.

“Return to the Eternal Mother Star — seek out powerhouses with profound mastery of Dao-runes. I refuse to believe this place cannot be opened!”

In the end, after dozens upon dozens of attempts and leaving yet another ground covered in bodies, many great clans set out, charging back toward the Eternal Star Domain.

They raced with speed, fighting for time. All wanted to be the first to return to Eternal and seize the advantage — to have their clan’s elders summon great masters to undo this formation and claim the immortal medicine.

Meanwhile, Great Sage Yan Qi of Fire Qilin Cave and his ancestral kings had besieged the Eternal Mother Star. They had tried to assault it several times but could not break through the protection of the Ancient Emperor’s Great Dao, each attempt paid for in blood.

“There is a star gate opening over there. The Ancient Emperor’s Great Dao seals this star — even we cannot force our way in. Hmm — more groups have appeared. Seize them all.”

Those rushing back from the Fifth Divine Star were spotted the moment they arrived and instantly captured by ancestral kings descending from above. One by one, their faces turned snow-white.

“Great Sage, we have discovered earth-shattering news!” A saint from Fire Qilin Cave was nearly trembling as he quietly relayed the message to Great Sage Yan Qi.

“Nine Phoenix King, something tremendous has happened. Far out in the starry void… there is actually an immortal medicine!” On another side, someone was reporting to the presiding authority of Blood Phoenix Mountain.

At the same moment, the Qilin Heavenly King and the other ancient saints all learned the same news. Each and every one was thunderstruck, personally going to interrogate the captives and view their memory seas — and without exception, every one of them was shocked to their core.

“It really is immortal medicine sprouts — this is… the Ancient Tree of Life!” Great Sage Yan Qi could not calm himself. Many cultivators had returned from the Fifth Divine Star to seek assistance, and all had been captured. Among them, one person had seized a sprout from the altar during the chaos. Though only the size of a fingernail, it was suffused with immortal energy. At this moment, it illuminated the faces of Yan Qi and Huo Qizi alike.

“We must obtain this immortal divine tree. Every immortal medicine contains secrets that would fascinate even the Primordial Emperors!” Yan Qi stared at the tiny sprout in his palm, and swiftly made his decision.