I am a ghost messenger, why do I need a long life?

I'm only fighting with you because I'm full.

Xu An was extremely open-minded and was not moved at all by the words of the winged creature.

If he is locked up here for thousands of years, it will be him who will get moldy, not himself.

Is it necessary for him to spend his precious time just to keep him company and entertain him?

Thirty-six strategies, walking is the best.

After crossing the entrance door, Xu An returned to the inner room of the underground palace and stood on the field with light clouds and a refreshing breeze.

This place really seems like a small world of its own, or a pure land of gods, filled with tranquility and peace everywhere.

He glanced around but did not see the owner of the underground palace. On the empty ground, only the extremely thick trunk of an ancient tree, as thick as Yuhua, stood.

The petals fluttering like a rain of flowers fell all around the tree, looking full of loneliness and sadness.

With a slight movement in his heart, Xu An took a step forward and approached the sturdy ancient tree.

There is no dry and piled bark on it, only a tree trunk as smooth as jade.

Reaching out to touch it, Xu An felt a warm power passing through his fingertips.

In a flash, he seemed to hear heavenly music in his ears, and the afterglow of the avenue was swaying before his eyes.

This power has passed through the long river of time, from thousands of years ago to the present.

It is hard to imagine what kind of tree this is that can grow to this size.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and there was an answer in his heart, ready to come out.

At the moment when Xu An was thinking, a faint radiance bloomed from the ancient tree that looked like a jade flower, and the figure of the master of the underground palace, whose upper body was visible and whose lower body was transparent, was condensed into a picture.

He was dressed in white clothes as white as snow, with eyes and eyebrows as beautiful as paintings. He looked at Xu An staring at the tree and said:

"So you discovered it..."

Xu An quickly clasped his hands together and said politely:

"Senior, I didn't mean to offend you."

The master of the underground palace shook his head and said:

"How can this be considered an offense? There are countless creatures in the Three Realms, and whether they are birds or beasts, they all know that they can find shade under a big tree."

"Although my tree is not big, it is so unique after all. It is understandable that you want to look at it and touch it."

Xu An looked at the master of the underground palace, who looked so humble, and couldn't help asking:

"So, this tree is the fleshly body of the predecessor?"

The master of the underground palace nodded and said:

"You are very smart and have answers to many questions, but you are not sure. This is not good. If you want to become a strong person, you must establish strong beliefs.

"You must know that even if the road ahead is filled with countless difficulties and obstacles, they cannot stop you from making progress towards the strongest. This is the mindset that those who have achieved enlightenment should have."

Xu An was slightly stunned when he heard this.

What the master of the underground palace said was very true. What he said were things he had never considered since he started practicing.

Firm belief, firm cognition, and self-doubt are indeed what a cultivator must possess when striving to become the strongest.

"Been taught a lesson."

With a sigh of relief, Xu An looked at the ancient tree that had turned into jade.

He noticed the tree when he stepped into the underground palace, and he had a guess in his heart when he entered the pass.

The fundamental reason why there is no coffin in the entire underground palace from beginning to end may be that the inner hall of the underground palace is the coffin itself!

This is where the owner of the underground palace is buried, and it is his pure land after death.

And in this pure land, the ancient tree that has also lost its vitality but still retains its aura is its body.

At this moment, after the answer was confirmed, Xu An felt puzzled again and asked:

"Senior, as you said before, we are not your ideal successors. It is because you are not human. Therefore, the inheritance method is more suitable for the tree tribe, right?"

The remaining soul remained alone for thousands of years, never seeing the light of day and never meeting outsiders.

At this moment, facing Xu An, the master of the underground palace wanted to talk to him more. After hesitating for a moment, he explained:

"That's indeed the reason. Although I eventually cultivated a human body, and the methods I practiced are already interoperable among Xiantian cultivators and those above them, if I were a member of the tree clan, my cultivation would definitely be faster."

Xu An said seriously:

"Although you were a member of the Tree Clan, you still took action during the ancient war, displaying your divine power and protecting the three realms. Even after your death, you were still so generous, putting aside your prejudices and giving me immortal treasures. I admire you from the bottom of my heart."

The master of the underground palace chuckled and looked at Xu An and said:

"When the nest is destroyed, all the eggs will be broken. As I said, all the creatures in the Three Realms know that a big tree can shelter them from the wind and rain and protect them. As the strongest tree in the Three Realms in the past, I should do something, not to mention..."

Having said that, the master of the underground palace fell silent.

He recalled the distant memory of the person who planted him and nourished him with divine soil and fairy springs.

When that person left, he specifically instructed that in the years to come, he would be the sacrificial deity protecting that land.

Wherever his shade covers, he ensures that all living things on that land are healthy, happy and grow healthily.

Looking back on the past, he believed that he had kept his promise to that person, but unfortunately he never saw the person who had carried him down with his own hands again.

The old people from that time are long gone.

However, during the ancient war, he clearly saw a successor who was similar to him.

The same extraordinary genius, the same person who single-handedly turned the tide of the war and preserved the newly born Three Realms.

Xu An saw that the owner of the underground palace didn't say anything and was wondering whether he should continue asking.

Suddenly, the passage connecting the test level twisted.

Yang Wei and the fat Taoist priest retreated from inside.

The two men looked pale, their breathing was rapid, and they even had a lot of injuries on their bodies.

After seeing Xu An and the master of the underground palace, the two of them bowed slightly and said:

"The difficulty of this level, Senior, is beyond our imagination. We are not good enough in cultivation and currently have no way to pass it!"

Upon hearing this, the master of the underground palace smiled and said:

"If it were easy, I would have let you pass. Wouldn't it be too easy to obtain my inheritance?"

"That's all right. With the inheritance mark here, you can come back here and challenge us at any time. Let's stop here for today."

The fat Taoist priest and Yang Wei nodded, then looked at Xu An and said:

"Mr. Xu, have you ever entered the customs?"

Xu An did not intend to hide it from them and explained:

"I can only barely reach the second level. I can't be compared with Fatty and Lord Yang. I'm ashamed."

The fat Taoist priest and Yang Wei looked at each other when they heard this, and saw expressions of surprise in each other's eyes.

However, this is not the focus of the current discussion. The fat Taoist said to the master of the underground palace:

"Senior, outside your underground palace, there are a bunch of monsters with many hands. What are they?"

The master of the underground palace explained:

"They are formed from the essence of plants and trees, combined with the obsessions of the dead souls of the past. They don't harbor much malicious intent, but they lack intelligence and act entirely on instinct. You have the mark of inheritance on you, so you won't be attacked. Go ahead and rest assured."

"Since that's the case, Senior, we'll take our leave first. We have many things to do in the Yangzhou Yin Court and can't stay for long."

Yang Wei bowed and said goodbye, and Xu An and the others followed behind him, leaving the underground palace along the same route they came.

When he was about to leave, Xu An raised his eyes and looked at the star map above his head, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind.