Re-entering the Kui Mountain range, reliving a past experience and taking away the fifth life's Lu Xiaoyun.
This time, it took only a day to reach the center of the labyrinth.
Once again, using the golden lock to hook their hands, once again using Lu Xiaoyun's blood on the handprint, they entered the sixth life...
...
It was already the ninth life. Li Zhengguo, carrying a bottle full of ginseng essence given to him by 'Li Zhengguo', stood before the black tomb, troubled. Where should he send Lu Xiaoyun?
Should she return to the sweet third life? Then there would be two Lu Xiaoyuns in the third life.
But he couldn't just leave her, because disappearance was harder to trace than death.
...
Tian Jing only felt a flash of darkness then light, and she found herself in a ruin.
The cold couldn't mask the once intensely familiar stench in the air. She didn't understand why she had returned to the second life.
In the second life, she didn't feel any regrets, except for the girl who pushed her, causing her to be caught by zombies.
Oh dear!
She clapped her hands, she had to remind her past self in this life to be careful of that girl.
That girl, the only one in the base she was willing to open up to and interact with.
But after she saved her, she turned behind her and pushed her.
Friendship could lead to betrayal even in peaceful times, let alone in this apocalypse.
However, she still wanted to know the reason.
Stepping out of the ruins, she faced more broken walls and collapsed buildings.
Surveying her surroundings, this should have once been a village.
Since it was a village, she wouldn't leave in a hurry. She didn't know how many years into the apocalypse it was.
With her current ability level, in this world full of powerful abilities, she was like a chicken's rib.
Going out randomly would be no different from seeking death.
Upgrading her abilities was a must.
Behind this village, there were quite a few trees...
Finding a seemingly intact courtyard, Tian Jing decided to make it her temporary base.
The moment she stepped into this courtyard, Tian Jing's hair stood on end.
Something was wrong.
The leg she had lifted immediately changed from forward to backward.
But it was too late.
She was surrounded and entangled by countless roots that abruptly emerged from the ground.
The roots entangling her continued to extend, from the rooftop to a pine tree behind the village.
"Little Pine?"
Through the gaps in the roots, Tian Jing saw a pine tree much smaller than the one on Qingsong Rock, but its crown and branches grew in a direction very similar to Little Pine.
"Who is Little Pine? I am Little Green."
Tian Jing's spiritual sense received this message.
Able to communicate?
Tian Jing immediately took out her 'coaxing Little Pine' spirit, "Hello Little Green, my name is Tiantian. I have a good friend who looks a lot like you, its name is Little Pine."
"Its favorite thing to do was to communicate with other trees, then inquire about gossip, and share its joy with me..."
"...However, recently, its interests have changed. It wants to become human."
"Actually, I know the reason it wants to become human is because it's lonely. It wants a companion like itself."
"Unfortunately, its environment is limited. Over there, there is only one pine tree with a spiritual consciousness, standing alone on Qingsong Rock, hoping I would spare it a little time."
"But I have a family and children, so I don't have much time to spare for it. I'm sorry for it, this friend. I miss it."
Tian Jing's mood became low. She truly missed Little Pine, and she indeed felt guilty for Little Pine's sincere friendship.
"It's a bit foolish."
Hearing these four words, Tian Jing was indignant, "You don't even know it, why do you say it's foolish? It's smarter than me."
"Even entering the formation was a method it thought of to help me. It knows things that span seven to eight hundred years."
"It's not something a newly ascended little pine tree like you can understand. I won't allow you to speak about it like that."
"The humans you interact with are too complex, the humans it interacts with are too simple. It's just innocent and very cute."
Tian Jing's words caused the roots on her body to tighten and loosen, and then, they simply released her.
"Forget it, I don't lack a weakling like you, you can leave."
"You're the weakling!"
Even though she was released, Tian Jing didn't give up arguing with this arrogant pine tree.
"Aren't you only level five low-tier? I was level five high-tier before."
Unirritated by Tian Jing's scorn, Little Green replied, "Don't humans have a saying about 'heroes don't boast of their past glories'? You are now level three low-tier, just a weakling."
Tian Jing sat down with a plop, "You wait, I'll upgrade right now and show you."
"By the way, protect yourself. If I absorb your energy, don't blame me for not warning you in advance."
Looking at the woman who sat beside it and began to meditate and cultivate, Little Green felt like sucking her dry with a root.
However, sensing the dense plant energy converging from all directions, Little Green hesitated. This woman's abilities were very different.
Moreover, this woman absorbed energy so quickly, and she even told it to protect itself...
Just as it hesitated, Little Green noticed the woman's abilities climbing.
Soon, she reached level three high-tier, then great completion, and was about to reach level four when the woman opened her eyes and asked it.
"Little Green, how do you feel?"
How did it feel? Having also incidentally absorbed a lot of plant energy, Little Green thought for a long time before communicating in its newly learned human voice.
"Your abilities are somewhat different."
Tian Jing stared at it in surprise, "Little Green, your voice is also very similar to Little Pine's. Is it that when you learn to speak human language, you all have this tone?"
"I don't know. Didn't you say I was a newly ascended little pine tree?"
"Heh." Tian Jing gave an awkward laugh. "Well, I was in a bad mood just now and spoke carelessly."
"Don't be angry. It's not easy for you to have spiritual consciousness. You've all endured loneliness to grow. I shouldn't have looked down on you."
"It's okay, I'm very magnanimous."
Hearing the little milk voice say such things made Tian Jing chuckle.
"Little Pine is also like this. Although it's older, its voice is like yours, like a human infant."
"So, whenever I hear it speaking with magnanimity in a childish voice, I can't help but want to laugh."
Little Green had a question, "You always mention it, you must really miss it. Then why don't you go see it?"
Tian Jing felt very lost. She didn't even know how she could return.
"I want to go see it too, but we are not in the same time-space."
"What do you mean?"
Tian Jing explained to Little Green in a simple way, "This is the apocalypse. Humans have abilities, and you have abilities too."
"The place where Little Pine and I are located is what it was like before this place became the apocalypse."
Little Green's question arose again, "What it was like before the apocalypse? Then after a few years, won't it also become the apocalypse?"
"No." Tian Jing shook her head, "It's not the same world."
"I don't understand."
"In short, it's difficult for Little Pine and this place to connect."
"Then how did you get here?"
How did she get here? She arrived in the white tomb numbered 1982.
That's right, the formation?
Perhaps, if she found the formation, she could go back.
However, she wanted to upgrade here and resolve the problems of her current life before returning.
But, she could do these things while also inquiring about the formation.
This is the 22nd century, over a hundred years difference. Have the place names changed?
Is the formation still there?