Chapter 1155: Trade

"What's wrong?" Zu An asked, puzzled.

Yu Yanluo explained, "The Fiery Silver Tree typically grows in places rich in spiritual energy, essentially gathering the essence of heaven and earth. Although it's not a fierce beast, it does possess a certain aggressiveness and a strong sense of territory. Once you approach it, it will begin to attack. Some of our miners were injured by this type of tree back then."

"Is it strong?" Zu An looked at the entirely red tree in the distance, feeling the heat wafting towards him. *This thing must be fire-elemental, right?*

"That's hard to say. Each tree's strength varies greatly depending on its age and size," Yu Yanluo said. "This tree in front of us is so thick, it must be quite powerful."

"But it can't be stronger than that Mimic-Scaled Deathworm," Zu An said with a smile. Since he was determined to get the Wuyang Jade, he naturally wouldn't back down now.

"Mimic-Scaled Deathworm?" Yu Yanluo was surprised. "How do you know the name of that strange worm?"

"I just made it up based on its appearance," Zu An said, finding a convenient excuse as it was hard to explain.

Yu Yanluo recalled the strange worm's characteristics. "It's quite fitting, actually."

Zu An released her hand and slowly walked towards the tree.

Calling it a tree felt more like describing a large patch of flowers. Its patterns resembled rubies, and its surface shimmered as if flames flowed within it.

Its branches were adorned with many small, silvery-white flowers, but upon closer inspection, they weren't white flowers at all, but clearly burning flames!

*How high must the temperature be to burn into such a pure white?*

Zu An realized why he had felt dizzy from the start—the oxygen in this area had been largely consumed by the heat.

He finally understood why Wuyang Jade was so rare. First, the Fiery Silver Trees were hard to find. Second, even if found, ordinary people wouldn't just struggle to mine it; merely approaching it would likely cause them to suffocate to death.

*By the way, this space isn't that large, and there are no vents to the outside. How does this fire keep burning without going out? And didn't they say open flames were prohibited in the mining area? Doesn't this thing risk blowing up the entire mine?*

As if sensing his approach, the Fiery Silver Tree reacted. All its branches rustled loudly, then began to move.

The large patch of flowers on the ground suddenly rose upright, its base shrinking until its entire body transformed into a tree several meters tall and thick enough for three people to encircle with their arms!

*No wonder this thing is called both a tree and a flower.*

At that moment, a massive red flower, somewhat like a sunflower, suddenly appeared at the top of the tree's canopy. For some reason, Zu An couldn't shake the feeling that it was the tree's head.

*It's really become a spirit!*

However, this was a cultivation world, so he was already accustomed to such sights.

Seeing the large, disk-like face seemingly glaring at him, Zu An felt a bit awkward as he tiptoed closer. He cupped his hands and bowed, "Brother Tree, I'd like to borrow some of the Wuyang Jade beside you. I won't harm you, so I hope you'll grant me this convenience."

Yu Yanluo let out a giggle, thinking, *This guy is quite amusing, talking to a tree.*

But her eyes immediately widened because the tree spoke. Although its voice was quite guttural, she could vaguely understand: "No lending!"

Yu Yanluo: "???"

*Trees can talk?*

While she had heard legends of treants, they were just legends, and no one had seen one in ages.

Zu An was also startled. Before he could say anything else, the Fiery Silver Tree grew impatient, lashing its slender branches directly at him. Small, silvery-white flames flickered on them, like fiery whips. Being struck by one would surely be painful.

He dodged with a flash. Seeing this, the Fiery Silver Tree waved all its branches, truly weaving them into a dense net of fire.

Zu An drew out the Tai'a Sword, parrying and blocking, quickly chopping off sections of branches.

The Fiery Silver Tree cried out in pain and quickly retracted its branches, wary of the divine weapon in his hand and unwilling to directly clash with its branches. It then shook violently, causing all its silvery-white flowers to fall off and fly towards Zu An.

At first, they appeared as tiny specks of flame, but they quickly expanded with the wind, transforming into blazing fireballs. The surging flames and extreme heat were so intense that even high-level cultivators would have to avoid them. Even Yu Yanluo, standing further away, couldn't help but retreat several steps. She hastily warned, "Zu An, be careful!"

Zu An, however, felt a bit strange. He only felt slightly warm, far from the overwhelming power these fireballs exhibited. At that moment, he felt a faint warmth from the pendant on his neck. His heart stirred—this was the flame-shaped pendant Da Manman had given him, out of concern that her unique black flames might harm him.

*It seems this pendant not only grants immunity to Da Manman's black flames but also has strong resistance to other flames? Sigh, I left too hastily this time; I didn't even have time to say goodbye to her. I wonder if she's worried.*

Amidst his thoughts, his actions were precise. He activated the Snowflake Divine Sword, and the surrounding temperature plummeted instantly. Snowflakes danced everywhere, enveloping the fireballs, which, despite their earlier ferocity, rapidly extinguished. Normally, using snow against fire would be a disadvantage, but ultimately, it depended on the level of cultivation. Coupled with the power of the Snow Phoenix, which was different from ordinary ice and snow, it achieved such excellent results.

Yu Yanluo watched from the side, her beautiful eyes sparkling with admiration, gazing at his dashing figure in the field. *Zu An is so handsome,* she thought.

At this point, Zu An had found an opening, broken through the opponent's fireball array, and directly thrust his sword towards the tree's crown.

"Stop, stop, stop! I'll lend it, I'll lend it, isn't that okay?" At that moment, the Fiery Silver Tree no longer looked imposing; it instantly shrank. It truly became significantly shorter. Its trunk suddenly softened, as if it were kneeling and prostrating itself. At the same time, its two thickest branches clasped together above its "head" like human hands, forming a gesture of surrender.

Zu An: "..."

Yu Yanluo: "..."

*It's one thing for a tree to talk, but to beg for mercy? The key is its shameless behavior; one wonders where it learned it.*

Zu An calmly asked, "Why are you willing to lend now?"

The Fiery Silver Tree replied, "I can't beat you. There's no point in fighting anymore."

Zu An said solemnly, "If my cultivation had been even slightly weaker just now, I would probably be nothing but ash. Do you have the nerve to beg for mercy?"

The Fiery Silver Tree said curiously, "If you're inferior in skill, and it's survival of the fittest, then you should accept your fate. Isn't that the ultimate truth of heaven and earth?"

Zu An: "..."

*This guy actually has a point.*

Yu Yanluo then spoke, "Why can you talk?"

"Why can't I talk?" the fiery tree countered.

Yu Yanluo: "..."

Zu An chuckled, "You don't seem to have a clear understanding of your current situation." As he spoke, he brandished the Tai'a Sword, feigning a strike.

"Don't cut, don't cut! Your sword is very powerful; it hurts me a lot," the Fiery Silver Tree hurriedly leaned back, as if dodging, then quickly explained, "I couldn't talk at first either. But I stayed here for a long time, often hearing the miners chat, and then I learned."

"How long have you been here?" Zu An asked, surprised.

"Five hundred years... or a thousand years... It's been a very, very long time. I don't know how many years it's been; time doesn't really mean anything to me," the Fiery Silver Tree replied.

Zu An and Yu Yanluo exchanged a look. *This thing has truly gained sentience.*

Yu Yanluo deliberately put on a stern face and said, "Since you understand that survival of the fittest is the ultimate truth of heaven and earth, why should we let you go?"

The Fiery Silver Tree replied, "I'll allow you to take the things here. These items seem very precious to you humans."

Zu An sneered, "I can take them now without your permission, so why should I spare your life?"

Yu Yanluo's heart warmed. *Zu An truly understands me; it feels like we're perfectly in sync.*

"Oh, that's a bit troublesome then," the Fiery Silver Tree said, scratching its flower-crown with a branch. "Right, if you spare me, I can continuously produce these jades for you here. These ores must grow near me to form in this way."

Zu An thought, *Daji will need Wuyang Jade for every breakthrough later, and she'll need more and more. Looking around now, there are only a dozen or so Wuyang Jade pieces, which definitely won't be enough.*

"How long does it take for this Wuyang Jade to form?" Yu Yanluo, beside him, quickly grasped the key point.

"About a hundred years," the Fiery Silver Tree replied.

"A hundred years?" Zu An sneered. "Are you messing with me?"

Although human lifespans were generally longer in this world, a hundred years was still too long; by then, it would be far too late.

"If you prepare some high-grade jade stones in advance and place them near me, and I nurture them diligently, it should be ten years..." The Fiery Silver Tree seemed to be observing his expression as it spoke. Noticing his frown, it quickly corrected itself, "No, one year, one year! No less. I should be able to nurture them in one year."

Zu An thought that one year was acceptable, but he also wanted to take the opportunity to bluff it. "Do you have any hidden stock? Bring it all out for me."

"I'm just a tree; how would I hide things?" The Fiery Silver Tree tilted its large flower-crown, seemingly giving him a sideways glance, as if wondering why he would ask such a foolish question.