Wizard: Starting With the Knights Breathing Method Chapter 2828: 577: Earth Mother Qi and Mortal Circle!

"Indeed, this appears to be the divine tree... Even though I haven't laid eyes on it myself, I believe it could well be a descendant of the Origin Divine Tree. Perhaps it's what's left of the 'Cherry Blossom Divine Tree'.

"Sakura Ancestor..."

Levi recalled how the Heavenly Will had once journeyed to the 'Cherry Blossom Ancestor World'. Might this subterranean realm have formed from the colliding fragments of that ancient Cherry Blossom Ancestor World?

It looks like Sakura Ancestor perished eons ago, spanning countless tens or even hundreds of thousands of years, but the divine tree's body renders its nine-thousand-zhang corpse nearly eternal.

Seeing such a grand being reduced to a fossil stirred an odd sigh from Levi, who then declared, "Let's explore the area, you could discover something valuable too."

"Sure, after all this time in death, the Divine Tree Power has surely faded away. Yet this corpse alone qualifies as a ten-level earth element Divine Artifact. Integrating it into your tenth-circle wizard tower would make it outshine every Strange Wood you've gathered. It's absolutely among the finest supreme treasures." Mana explained.

With that said, the pair started scouring the underground world.

Levi summoned the Rainbow Sword Master, commanding, "Employ your Sword Qi to slice through every vein in a thousand-mile radius around the massive tree."

The Rainbow Sword Master accepted the directive and got right to the task with utmost effort.

"Levi, hurry over, I've found something."

Upon reaching the spot, Levi saw Mana facing off against a deer-shaped being roughly a zhang in height, its body adorned with patterns like cherry blossoms, all in a vivid pink hue. Atop the deer's head sprouted two bunches that mimicked cherry blossom branches serving as antlers, radiating a potent life force while displaying a strange sight of brief blooming and the mirage of life and death.

Despite its modest size, the deer projected the presence of a level 8 late-stage entity, carrying a holy air much like the Mountain God from ancient faiths.

"This... this must be the Sakura Beast."

Levi identified it at once.

Among the four essentials for Elena's progress in the Candle Dragon Bloodline was a bloodline crystal holding Sakura Beast lineage. Tales describe this beast as drawn to spots near the World Tree, and it now rang true. Furthermore, the energy from those antler-like cherry blossom branches matched precisely that of the deceased Cherry Blossom Ancestor Tree.

Levi inquired:

"Mana, could the Sakura Ancestor still be alive in some way?"

Mana responded:

"It's probably truly gone, but those antlers do hold Divine Tree Power. I think the Sakura Beast accidentally took in the Original Root that Sakura Ancestor left, channeling this power... Certain World Trees employ such a technique for rebirth."

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Should this persist, eventually the Sakura Beast's entire form will turn to wood under the lingering Divine Tree Power from Sakura Ancestor. A fresh Cherry Blossom Divine Tree would then erupt from within, using the beast's body for reincarnation and speeding up the World Tree's early development; it could begin at level 8 or 9, not like me who has to advance gradually."

"You're right... The myths sound so poetic and lovely; but the truth is brutal. I figured the Sakura Beast and Cherry Blossom Divine Tree shared some peaceful bond. In reality, it's ruthless parasitism and consumption, sigh."

"Truth be told, the legends aren't completely off; this Sakura Beast, as a fabled being, was likely a race born from the Cherry Blossom Divine Tree via its 'Creation' ability... Put another way, no Cherry Blossom Divine Tree means no Sakura Beast."

"I recall you mentioning a shortage of 'Creation' power right now, so why not save this Sakura Beast and draw out the Divine Tree Power from its antlers?"

"Would that work?"

"Why wouldn't it...?"

Mana wavered, since her essence differed from Levi's. Though over the years, Levi's influence had made her somewhat more 'wicked'.

"The old must yield to the new; rather than wasting effort on this rebirth, why not aid your own rise? Spreading power thin like that, how could it ever rival the Giant World?!" Levi proclaimed boldly, then added: "Plus, look at this adorable little deer—could you really bear to see it perish?"

Gazing into the Sakura Beast's innocent eyes, Mana abruptly saw the logic in it.

"Fine, I'll attempt to converse with it, but what if it refuses?"

The Sakura Beast couldn't speak human tongues; it was a purpose-bred entity, its existence and breeding geared toward someday enabling the Cherry Blossom Divine Tree to 'revive' via its form.

As Mana engaged with the Sakura Beast, Levi drew the entire colossal tree—foundation, roots, and underlying mineral veins—into the Eternal Star Abyss. Now that he'd attained legendary rank, the upgrade materials for Eternal Star Abyss were fully assembled too.

What a boon!

This Ninth Layer truly brimmed with invaluable divine artifacts akin to Legendary Artifacts; the haul from this expedition was enormous.

With that in mind, Levi continued stroking the hound.

"Good job, good job, you merit some commendation."

A grin tugged at the edges of his lips, impossible to hide.

This sparked a twinge of alarm in Jin. Unless it unearthed something on par with this ten-level Divine Item, it risked losing its favored spot...

"Zee zee zee." (Squeaking sound)

Jin scrambled up to Levi’s shoulder, pressing them to move faster; it had only just begun, and with half a year remaining, there was ample time to outdo the troublesome dog!

Meanwhile, after prolonged exchange with the Sakura Beast, Levi observed patiently, knowing the creature held further value as essence for Elena’s bloodline.

In this way, Elena would command two hidden elixirs of the Blood Tribulation Masters, bound to boost her cultivation pace and propel her to level 8 more swiftly.

"It's agreed, we'll bring the little deer with us."