Chapter Forty-Eight: The Purpose of Unique Entities

Page 1 of 3

Before the eternal night descended, the first great demon appeared on the Black Earth Continent. It was a demoness, born from a fig tree that should have withered away between heaven and earth, but instead attained sentience. From her very birth, she possessed powers far beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators, able to control roots and similar objects at will, and endowed with terrifying wood-element abilities—binding, strangling, and more.

The demoness knelt naked before Fang Zhuowei, her expression devout and reverent.

She understood all too well that everything she possessed now was granted by this elder before her; if he wished to destroy her, it would take but a single thought.

The reason she had not acted was only that she awaited the final judgment.

Life, or death...

Fear gripped her heart. She did not know what her current state truly was, but she knew with certainty that she was no longer human.

If not human, then what?

She had no answer. Nor did she know whether, as one who was no longer human, she could be accepted or tolerated by the patriarch before her.

And so, at the very moment she gained independent life, she had hastened directly to Fang Zhuowei.

She had considered running, but did not dare.

“In this world, that which is unnatural, that which is out of place, that which is neither man nor beast—these are demons. Demons may be plants that assume form, stones that gain consciousness, birds and beasts that awaken wisdom, or mortals who attain immortality. Those who live forever are demons as well, and to share the lifespan of heaven and earth is to be a demon of heaven and earth.”

“The transformation of plant into form is your destiny. I shall not interfere. Go on your way.”

Fang Zhuowei spoke, having long ago noticed the unusual fig tree. Yet, that a fig tree could attain sentience simply by listening to his teachings was something even he had not expected.

He had anticipated that the Dao De Jing might spark some profound reaction among the ancient apes, but that a plant would become a spirit was, indeed, somewhat excessive.

Then again, considering he had already witnessed the creation of worlds, this, though astonishing, was not the most overwhelming event he had experienced.

As he spoke, Fang Zhuowei’s gaze swept sidelong over the naked woman before him.

At first glance, she appeared little different from an ordinary human, but a closer look revealed subtle distinctions.

Her eyes were pure black, without the slightest trace of color.

Moreover, faint, mottled tree-ring patterns could be seen on her skin, like scars left by years of shedding bark, with flesh-colored ridges barely protruding.

“Thank you, Patriarch! Thank you, Patriarch!”

As Fang Zhuowei’s words fell, the woman quickly voiced her gratitude, her expression excited and immensely relieved.

Page 2 of 3

Not only had she learned her true nature, but she could now live openly and without fear.

With this thought, she bowed deeply several more times in Fang Zhuowei’s direction before turning and vanishing toward a distant mountain.

...

Time flew by like an arrow—a hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.

In that century, Fang Zhuowei recited the Dao De Jing over three thousand times.

Within the tribe of ancient apes, even children as young as three could recite it backwards and forwards. More cultivators arose among mortals, and the number of demons steadily increased, now well into the double digits.

One day, a particular presence caught Fang Zhuowei’s attention.

It was a phoenix tree, strikingly tall and vigorous, its branches and leaves so luxuriant that it resembled a small mountain, towering between heaven and earth—an awe-inspiring sight.

Yet that was not the most important thing. What mattered was that, as he gazed at the tree, lines of information appeared before his eyes.

Name: Millennium Phoenix Tree

Note: A special unit entity, incapable of transformation, possessing certain defensive and offensive abilities. May be transplanted to the real world at proportional size.

A jumble of information surfaced in Fang Zhuowei’s mind. Once he sorted it out, excitement lit up his face.

Special unit entities were an oddity among the sources of evolution, usually consisting of unintelligent life forms.

Though anything in the miniature world could be brought into reality, special units not only could be transported, but could be enlarged proportionally as well.

“A phoenix tree in the courtyard would be quite nice.” With a wave of his hand, Fang Zhuowei stowed the towering tree into the black hole.

...

During these centuries of preaching, Fang Zhuowei had never been idle. Though he could not, like the ancient apes, instantly gain enlightenment from the Dao De Jing, he could imitate the cultivation methods they had painstakingly developed over centuries, borrowing techniques passed down for generations in sacred lands.

These methods had been tested for hundreds of years by the ancient apes and were proven safe.

However, his talent was rather poor—among the apes, he would have been the most mediocre disciple. After centuries of arduous cultivation, he had only just begun to sense a stream of internal energy.

“Though I’ve spent five or six centuries in the aquarium world, in the real world that amounts to no more than five hours.”

Page 3 of 3

After another forty or fifty years of practicing the ancient apes’ cultivation methods, Fang Zhuowei finally discovered the reason for his slow progress.

Simply put, though his spiritual avatar had cultivated for centuries, ultimately everything depended on his physical body. In other words, his actual time spent cultivating amounted to only a few hours.

“Still, sensing internal energy is better than achieving nothing at all,” Fang Zhuowei consoled himself. The Dao De Jing transmits the Dao, and the Dao favors the gifted most.

Those without talent may spend a lifetime without advancing a step, while those of extraordinary aptitude progress by leaps and bounds.

All things considered, Fang Zhuowei’s own aptitude was not too bad—after a few hours, he could already sense the flow of Dao energy, piercing the veil of mystery.

With the first step taken, the second and third would follow. As long as he persisted daily, he would surely continue to improve.

“It’s time to leave.”

On this day, at the place where he had once preached, Fang Zhuowei stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the distance, ready to depart from the aquarium world.

After centuries, the Dao De Jing had been thoroughly transmitted, enough for the ancient ape civilization to digest for a long time. For now, he had no plans to impart other scriptures.

To bite off more than one can chew is unwise. The power of the Dao De Jing far exceeded Fang Zhuowei’s expectations. Even if the ancient apes devoted themselves solely to this one text, it would be enough to yield the fruits of civilization. Once it had been truly mastered, then he could consider teaching them other scriptures.

Withdrawing his consciousness, Fang Zhuowei’s surroundings gradually changed. When he opened his eyes again, he had returned to the real world.

Outside his window, dusk had crept in unnoticed, the sky like a wash of ink on a landscape painting.

He had spent five or six centuries in the aquarium world, which translated to four or five hours in the real world. It was now after six in the evening, and in Wu City, night was swiftly approaching.

Sensing the flow of energy circulating through his limbs and bones, Fang Zhuowei’s face filled with excitement.

The energy remained—proving that the cultivation done in the aquarium world truly had a direct effect on his physical body. This was beyond doubt.

Most importantly, under the influence of this energy, the fatigue, nausea, and other side effects caused by his cancer were rapidly dissipating.