Nualis was a world with large oceans, covering almost 70% of the surface. Even the solid terrain that Liu Shu could see was filled with gargantuan swamps, rivers, and lakes. Compared to Ceperet, which had deep but not extensive bodies of water, it made the planet look like a blue, muddish-green, and white pearl floating in the void.
Interest filled her as she took in the planet. "It's quite a beautiful world. I wonder what types of creatures live and dominate the surface? Will it be humans? Some semi-aquatic beings? Perhaps another species…"
Nualis had three Moons, all smaller than Ceperet's Moon, but large enough to adorn the night sky with their figures. Some of them were visible during the day, while others were only visible at night.
"How do I… approach the planet? Do I plant one of my
While she wanted to decide on something, she first needed to know the level of technology and culture in Nualis. So, she separated a relatively thin root and created a mini portal to approach the ground.
With her stealthy maneuvers, she was able to find a spot somewhat separated from any powerful creatures and land on Nualis' surface. "Aaaaand, I've officially become a multiplanetary World Tree!"
On the side of the plants in the ground, the experience was very different. Even when her root was tiny, the aura surrounding it was anything but ignorable.
All trees, flowers, and the overall surrounding Liu Shu's landing spot instantly cowered, their roots trying to move away, as if they were terrified of angering whatever the root they were seeing was.
Liu Shu noticed instantly, so she spoke lightly. "Don't be afraid. You just need to submit to me."
Instantly, with no delay whatsoever, all plant creatures in a 100-kilometer radius bowed to Liu Shu, connecting with her aura and allowing it to permeate their beings. A message appeared in Liu Shu's eyes.
[Congratulations! You've placed the
Liu Shu was stunned. "That's… a grand name."
[System Hint: Names of locations reflect local naming conventions.]
This small explanation relaxed Liu Shu. "I see… It's not that this forest is truly 'Divine' but that the locals find it as such."
There was some surprise within Liu Shu, but not that much. After all, when choosing, she had picked up the best forest she could perceive with her senses. For it to be called in such a grand manner by locals was not that big of a deal.
"Hm~. Alright, now I have two choices on how to proceed. Do I use forceful manners, or do I try the slow approach?"
To answer that inquiry, Liu Shu decided to ask herself another question. "Am I in a rush?"
Looking around and glancing back at her world, the answer was an obvious "No." She could continue to expand without any issues while slowly and peacefully conquering this planet. Therefore, our World Tree chose to elevate the status of this forest to match the moniker 'Divine'.
"Hehe~, blessings spread out on all the flora and fauna of the Divine Forest. Those who accept it, eliminate anything that doesn't."
She was merciful with intelligent beings, but monsters and non-intelligent flora were something Liu Shu had no trouble eliminating and replacing. To add to everything, she knew that she needed to create a core area for everything, so her energy pulsed out and grabbed one of each
"
Energy spiraled out of her main body, piercing the sky and opening a hole in space. Everyone was startled, wondering, fearful, or awed about whatever their resident World Tree was doing.
Then, in the
BOOM!
The
So, like good children, they dug their roots into the ground and spread out at lightning speed. Their blessings mixed with Liu Shu's, and soon, a beast and flora war started in the
While Liu Shu was implementing reforms, the outside world was not tranquil at all. After all, the aura shockwaves from Liu Shu's energy and the young temples reached incredibly far, to the point that Liu Shu's energy made a few laps around the world.
Nualis' forces were alerted, their leaders being informed by their respective powerhouses of the terrifying aura coming from the center of the
In one of those, a group with smooth, black-skinned creatures gathered in the middle of a watery room. Their bodies were bipedal, but they didn't resemble those of a human. Instead, they had large eyes, with a lizard-like body, and large mouths. In their dark skin, you could see images of starry patterns, some with more patterns than others.
These creatures were
"How is this possible!?"
"Impossible!"
"Star Elder must be confused! We are meant to be the rulers of this world!"
The elderly Star Caeludran slapped his tail onto the muddy ground. "Silence! We, the five main amphibian races, have fought several wars over the years. Many have risen, and many have fallen. However, from the very beginning of recorded history, only we remain as the original race."
Everyone in the room was unconvinced, but they listened to the Star Elder. The being's bluish eyes swept the room. "The reason that we've avoided calamity after so many centuries is none other than our innate precognition abilities. We, naturally born as prophets, are beings who can reign with ultimate power. Nevertheless, the vision I saw told me that, if we dared to lash out our tails to the being from the stars, it would be our doom."
A female Star Chart Caeludran stood up, her lizardly facial features showing evident anger. "That's impossible! We've defeated the primitive Humans, beings with incredible potential. We even managed to plot against the
The Star Chart Elder sighed. "Vyrella, you know perfectly well that it was a matter of luck. When we discovered humans, they were nothing but primitive beings, yet in a century of war, they evolved at a pace we never thought possible before. The Sylvans have unmatched individual strength, despite their low reproductive cycles. If we were able to number them 1000 to 1, do you think we would have any chance against them?"
Another young man, with a body a head taller than others and seven star patterns, spoke up. "Star Elder, can't we conspire against it?"
The Star Elder shook its head. "You, young ones, must understand that our greatest strength is not our physical might nor our spellcasting. We are as we are due to our flexibility when dealing with new problems. That's how our ancestors liberated us from being a lowly race and pushed us to new heights!"
Everyone looked at the elderly Star Elder with a frown. Eventually, though, no one decided to complain. Well, all except one.
Vyrella slammed the table made out of hardened mud. "Since we've become cowards, I will be the one leading our race to glory! The
The Star Elder waved his hand, dismissing her. "If you want to die so badly, then go and do so."
Vyrella hissed her tongue and walked out. The city they lived in was half-covered in water, some areas having sunk into puddles. However, that was not a single problem. Vyrella dove into the mud on all fours and began swimming away, her tail helping with her movements. Using the slippery nature of her kin, she moved incredibly quickly.
As she swam and surfaced from time to time, Vyrella managed to see the tall tree in the distance. 'World Trees, the only beings that no amount of plotting will bring down. Thankfully, they are not our enemies. World Trees are neutral beings of nature, helping the world cycle and transform.'
Even when most of the powerful creatures in Nualis were amphibious, they respected World Trees and Life Trees all the same. Still, unlike Ceperet, World Trees didn't have an active part in most civilizations. Only those led by Sylvans or other plant species revolved around them.
Still, since the beings in Nualis had yet to reach high levels, World Trees were unable to spread their roots to continental levels, limiting their actual influence and abilities.
Vyrella reached her home and grabbed a bird-like creature. Then, she moved to the warehouse of her house and picked several large leaves. Dipping her finger into a processed mud-like material, she began writing down symbols for communication. "I will need to contact my links on the other four major races. Let's see… I will reach out for Tornak from the Ember Salamanders, Grumval from the Cave Titan Frogs, Mirelle from the Silt Weaver Midskippers, and Lunavi from the Mistveil Fairies."
She prepared for a while, speaking to them about how they were going to need to gather a few armies to conquer the Divine Beast Forest once and for all. Her motivations were not clear, but she promised them endless honor and achievements that would mark a new starting point in history.
Meanwhile, not knowing that just her arrival seemed to have stirred all the major powers in the world, our Liu Shu continued to spread her roots out, covering and also "cleaning up" the Divine Beast Forest. With the help of her Temples, it would not take longer than a week to have everything under control.
"Perfect! There were three annoying beasts at Level 89, but well, a few lashes were enough to kill them. They even gave me a few points of Experience. Not much, though…"
She was also wondering if they were the reason that no one dared to settle down in the large Divine Beast Forest. Regardless, now they were no more, so Liu Shu forgot about them.
"Hm… Now, what should I do with the small World Tree and two Life Trees I found? They are low-level and stubborn."
Liu Shu eventually chose to use her aura on them. It took just a few minutes to crumble their spirits and make them surrender. "Wow! This was not possible in the past~. I've become strong!"
And so, everything in the over 200 kilometers in span that the