Otherworldly Desert Dust

The ashes of the Thousand-faced Ghost Willow were evenly scattered around the soil of the Soul Nesting Wood. Like an intravenous drip, the nutrients were injected into the roots and stems of the Soul Nesting Wood. The trunk had already grown to the size of a thumb, and its height had reached that of an average adult.

The fragrance of the tree, the aroma of its leaves, the erosion at its roots… A fully grown Nuwa Divine Tree also played the role of Tang Monk's Meat in the natural world. On the plant level, all the evil spirits coveted a taste.

In the past, humans lacked the perspective to see this. They assumed that the predators trying to invade the Nuwa God End were inherently violent. In truth, the humans residing within the God End were also protectors of the Nuwa God End. If the plant kings wanted to truly savor this Immortal Meat, they first had to kill these human guardians of Nuwa.

Even a small Soul Nesting Wood could already ignite intense battles in this Otherworldly dimension. Let alone the God End Divine Wood that had reached the high-dimensional realm.

"It's strange. Why are these alien species so sensitive to the Soul Nesting Wood? The Soul Nesting Wood isn't particularly aggressive. Even upon maturity, it won't damage the surrounding ecosystem, won't become the natural enemy of any species, or create domination. I feel like they're not just treating it as an Immortal Treasure Spirit Root to eat but more like they don't want it to grow up," Gao Yu Yan expressed her thoughts.

At this moment, the three were resting. Wang Rui was responsible for clearing out the small predators nearby. His Vine Beauties needed combat corrections so they could be implanted with more advanced combat chips.

Wang Rui began distributing clean food and water. The three of them replenished their hosts with some nutrients and prepared for the next round of hunting. The predatory soldiers of the plant kings, who were thousands of miles away, were about to reach the battlefield. Amid this defensive war, the three of them continued to evolve...

"The Soul Nesting Wood is essentially the low-dimensional form of the Nuwa God End. While I don't know the ascension conditions for the Soul Nesting Wood, every Nuwa God End has experienced the phase of being a Soul Nesting Wood," Wu Hen disclosed frankly without much reservation.

Gao Yu Yan and Wang Rui were gnawing on hard fruits. Both simultaneously froze mid-bite, jaws dropped, maintaining a comedic tableau as they tried to chew through the peels.

"What???" Wang Rui exclaimed in a sharp tone. "The Soul Nesting Wood is the immature form of the Nuwa God End??"

"You can't understand it like that; it's not called the immature form." Wu Hen shook his head, updating these two who hadn't truly touched on humanity's core secrets. "You can think of it from the perspective of evolution..."

"Wait a minute. Since we humans have proven to be soul-code-based beings, doesn't that negate the theory of evolution?" Wang Rui interjected.

"No theory is entirely wrong, nor is any theory entirely correct. During certain stages of human evolution, the theory of evolution was the most reasonable explanation," Wu Hen explained.

"Oh, stop interrupting Wu Hen. Let him finish," Gao Yu Yan said impatiently.

Wang Rui promptly shut his mouth.

"I'm just helping you understand. From the perspective of evolution, if the Nuwa God End represents us humans with complete intelligence, then the Soul Nesting Wood corresponds to ancient primates. If you insist that humans and apes are of the same kind, there's no theoretical error, but there is an essential distinction between humans and apes. Unless all humans vanish, and an individual ape suddenly awakens, leading a genetic breakthrough for the entire ape species, then, after tens of thousands of years, they might become like us humans..."

"Similarly, the relationship between the Soul Nesting Wood and the Nuwa God End is the same."

"The only difference is that in the Otherworldly Dust, the so-called awakening, evolution, transformation, and ascension don't require vast amounts of time..."

"Our homeland grows in a steady, gradual development, where the shifting of eras, the species ladder, all require time to ferment. But in the Otherworldly Dust, with mutual contamination, spiritual factors, and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, all these elements accelerate the fermentation of life. If you think about it in the context of our old homeland, could the Soul Nesting Wood grow into a Nuwa God End? Most likely not—unless the genuine God Ends went extinct. But in the Otherworldly Dust, a world filled with opportunities and challenges, as long as it survives the challenges, it is very likely to evolve. A small Soul Nesting Wood seed eventually transforming into a Nuwa Divine Tree akin to a deity is entirely possible."

After witnessing other Nuwa God Ends and seeing Soul Nesting Wood seeds drifting like dandelion seeds across the Otherworldly dimension, Wu Hen understood this truth.

Nuwa Divine Trees perish during their nomadic journey. But they scatter their low-dimensional seeds. If these seeds take root and sprout in the Otherworldly places, endure harsh environments, and evade plant-level hunts, they have the potential to thrive and grow into an entity capable of guiding human souls to the Nuwa God End.

Wu Hen wasn't certain if the Nuwa God End he resided in was one of the lucky ones among billions of Soul Nesting Wood seeds. However, based on the information available, it seemed highly likely.

In ancient myths, "one day in heaven equals one year on Earth" somewhat metaphorically hinted that one year of evolution within the Nuwa God End equated to just one day in the Otherworldly Dust. During the early development of the Nuwa God End, the time flow inside differed significantly from the time flow outside.

"So... so we're not just defending the Soul Nesting Wood, but instead, the future little Nuwa?" Wang Rui, surprised, hadn't realized he was carrying out such a sacred mission.

"Exactly. If this little Soul Nesting Wood really ascends one day and becomes the Nuwa God End, then this branch of humanity may inherit another ancient divine myth. Their myth would recount the tale of three ancestral gods during the time of primal chaos—two men and one woman. One man owned countless seductive puppets, the other man commanded flames and was uniquely handsome, and the woman was a physically transcendent Female War God. Together, they opened the heavens and the earth, vanquishing the demons of the chaotic era..." Wu Hen said with a smile.

Wang Rui was stunned, sitting there for a long time before snapping back to reality.

"Are you saying that if this Soul Nesting Wood really grows, we three would essentially be like Pangu in their world, the beings who opened up heaven and earth?" Wang Rui speculated.

Deeply shaken by this notion, Gao Yu Yan sank into contemplation. Was it possible that humanity's earliest creation myths originated this way? Perhaps their unwavering belief that Pangu split the heavens and the earth stemmed from their Nuwa God End still being in its seedling stage. Perhaps there truly was an ancestor named Pangu who had once, like them, safeguarded their God End?

Their current Nuwa God End, prosperous with the present humanity, wasn't the solitary lucky one among billions of Soul Nesting Wood seeds. Instead, it likely thrived because of unseen predecessors who had safeguarded it long ago.