Far away in the underground world, the deep karst cave cuts off all light, and only the sound of water dripping from time to time brings a bit of life to this dark space.

When the woman regained consciousness, she felt that everything was different.

"I ...... Dead?"

With a hint of confusion, the woman murmured softly, and the voice soon reverberated back and forth in the deep cavern.

This deep and lonely feeling made her mind clear for a moment, and she stood up and opened her eyes.

Amazingly, although the world was dark, she seemed to see everything clearly.

You can see the smooth stone walls around you, you can see the roots of plants spreading out of the cracks in the stones, and ......

A dark shadow at hand!

The woman subconsciously took a step back: "Who are you!?"

The shadow let out a sneering laugh and asked, "Who are you?"

"I ......"

The woman was a little cramped and uneasy, because the other party's question made her subconsciously feel a trace of fear.

Who am I, where am I now, and I ...... What the hell is going on?

From the moment I woke up, my mind seemed to become chaotic, and many memories were blurred. The clearest memories are the dazzling burst of fire, the heart-rending burning pain that followed, and the despair that all thoughts were lost.

And in the midst of these painful fragments, the woman finally found her name.

Zhang Ying, yes, I'm Zhang Ying, the Golden Spike Agent of the Immortal Tree, and then ......

In a daze, I only heard the black shadow say: "Congratulations, Ye Luo has returned to the roots." ”

Leaves fall back to the roots?

Hearing these four words, Zhang Ying suddenly remembered more.

She remembered her dreams, her more than ten years of hard work, and all this was gone.

"I ...... Didn't you die?"

"Death?" said the dark shadow laughed, "What about death under the Tree of Immortality? ”

"But didn't I fail?"

"Has the organization said that if you fail, you can't go back to your roots?"

The woman was stunned suddenly: "But, isn't this a matter of course? Because of me, the organization has lost so many capable officers, and even suffered a series of retaliations, why ......?"

The shadow said: "Immortal tree, tree immortal, do you think immortality is a process, or a result?"

This speculative question suddenly silenced Zhang Ying.

After 15 years of joining the organization, she will of course occasionally consider the purpose of the organization's establishment and the meaning of the word immortal tree.

Any person whose intelligence is above the level and who does not have basic worries about food and clothing will unconsciously engage in all kinds of metaphysical thinking.

As for the question raised by the shadow, it is too simple in comparison.

Immortality is, of course, a process, or the very concept of immortality rejects consequentialism.

If immortality is a result, then there is no boundary between life and death, and the so-called immortality can only be a false proposition.

Zhang Ying doesn't think that Shadow will play with words at such a time.

Shadow smiled: "So, since the process is more important, why should you be obsessed with the result? In order for the task to be successfully completed, all the hard work you have put in, the organization can see it." ”

Zhang Ying couldn't agree with this explanation: "But the organization has paid such a heavy price, and someone must be responsible for it!"

"What do you mean by the tragic price?" the shadow asked rhetorically, "Is it the death of Agent Zhang Ying of the Golden Harvest?"

Zhang Ying was stunned when she heard this.

"Am I really not dead?"

"You're just a leaf...... Oh, I'm afraid you can't understand all this now, so it's okay, come with me. ”

The shadow spoke, walking first into the depths of the cave.

Zhang Ying was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly followed, and in the process of walking, she realized that her situation was really a little delicate.

is still the appearance of the white dress and single ponytail, as if everything is still stuck at the moment before death. The magic weapons and magic consciousness in the body also worked as usual......

It's just that my consciousness seems to have a subtle connection with a certain lofty concept.

What is it?

"From the moment we become immortal green leaves, we are already closely connected to the mother tree, but only after a round of purification, we green leaves can see our own veins more clearly. Come on, come over here. ”

As he spoke, the shadow reached out and pressed against the stone wall beside him, and suddenly, an unusually thick section of plant roots retracted inward between the cracks in the stone, revealing a path that could accommodate one person.

In the depths of the trail, a dark green glow blooms.

The shadow walked in first, Zhang Ying hesitated for a moment, and stepped to follow.

The trail was rugged, but soon came to an end.

At the end, there is a huge karst cave that is extremely empty, and a large tree stands in the cave, with a thick trunk of at least 200 meters in height and a diameter of more than 30 meters.

The whole body of the tree shimmers with green light, like a piece of green jade.

Zhang Ying only glanced at it, and felt as if her consciousness was about to be sucked away by it.

"That's what it is...... Immortal Tree?"

The shadow smiled, "This is just an insignificant piece of the root of the immortal tree, the real trunk, far away from our reach, and it will last forever in a posture that we cannot understand. ”

"It's just...... "Zhang Ying couldn't believe that there were such huge trees in the world?

Even in the Demon Plains of the Eastern Continent, where monsters are abundant, or in the deepest part of the Sea of Hope, there is no such behemoth, right?

The shadow asked, "Want to see the Immortal Tree in its entirety?"

Zhang Ying nodded without hesitation.

"It's good, I haven't lost my basic curiosity, it seems that this time the leaves have not made you a dead leaf. ”

Zhang Ying was puzzled: "What does it mean that leaves fall back to the roots?!"

"In the simplest way, it can also be said to be resurrected from the dead. The shadow spoke, and suddenly faded from the pitch black color on his body, revealing his true face.

Zhang Ying was taken aback: "Teacher!?"

"Long time no see, Zhang Ying. ”

"Heyu...... I thought you ......"

Fifteen years ago, this "shadow" named He Yu led her to join the Immortal Tree and became her mentor. But in a certain mission, he sacrificed himself under the crushing of the Great Qin Jin soldiers in order to cover himself.

I can't believe he's still alive!

"Everyone who joins the Tree of Immortality will receive the mark of immortality, and after 'death', return to the embrace of the roots. However, not everyone will be able to maintain their original vitality after the leaves have fallen back to their roots, and most of them will be released as dead leaves. ”

He Yu said, stretching out his hand to unfold countless changing pictures.

There is a person on each screen, most of them ordinary people who can be seen everywhere in the Western Continent. If anything's out of the ordinary...... That is, they are happier than the average person.

No matter how high or low their status or wealth is, these people always have a heartfelt smile on their faces.

"They...... Are they all agents who have experienced death?"

He Yu replied: "I understand very quickly, that's right, after experiencing a death, if you lose interest in immortality, you will be released as a dead leaf and live an ordinary happy life." ”

Zhang Ying carefully observed the crowd in the picture and asked, "Have they all lost the power of the Demon Dao?"

"Yes, that's the price of returning to the ordinary. ”

"What if you don't want to dry up?"

"Then live forever. ”

Zhang Ying asked, "Is there really an immortal life in the world?"

"Don't you think it's strange that people who have come back from the dead ask this question? In the eyes of ordinary people, how can you and I not have eternal life?"

"But you, teacher...... I'm still aging. ”

The last time Zhang Ying and He Yu met was ten years ago, and now He Yu seems to be a little older than ten years ago.

"Yes, although I can come back from the dead, the real limit of life and death has not been broken, and in a few decades, I will eventually become a part of this immortal tree......"

Zhang Ying couldn't help frowning when she heard this: "Turning into a part of the tree? Is this so-called longevity with heaven and earth, it's just a play on words." ”

"So this is not the immortality we are pursuing, and we are still far from the real immortality...... Although I once heard my teacher say that the organization was once only one step away from the finish line and fell short, at least we have been making steady progress for 2,000 years. ”

Zhang Ying was a little curious: "Steady progress?"

He Yu asked rhetorically, "How long can a demon Taoist live?"

"This ...... Depending on the individual's circumstances, it can be a few decades longer than the average person, and the biochemical domain and the mysterious domain may be longer, but the difference is not too big. Since the human race has mastered the Demon Dao, it has not been able to make a substantial breakthrough in prolonging life, and the current longest-lived person should be the Speaker of the Shengyuan, who is said to be more than 230 years old. ”

"Who lived the longest before him?"

Zhang Ying frowned, meditated hard, and said, "It is said that ...... The 7th Emperor Qin once lived to be 190 years old. ”

He Yu smiled: "So this is the steady progress of the organization." ”

Zhang Ying was stunned for a long time before she realized what the other party was saying, but before she could exclaim, the roots of the immortal tree beside her suddenly flashed twice.

He Yu turned his head to look at it and said in surprise: "So fast?"

"What's wrong?"

He Yu said: "I originally thought that this organization would go through a catastrophe and seek rebirth after decades of recuperation, but I didn't expect the opportunity to come so quickly...... It's a pity that there is no time for vacation, Zhang Ying, go to the border county, there is a task. ”

When the task was mentioned, the confusion in Zhang Ying's heart suddenly dissipated.

Although there are still many incomprehensible questions, as long as she can continue to serve the organization and carry out tasks, she will not be confused.

"By the way, how are the people under me, with their cooperation, I will be more efficient. ”

Zhang Ying mentioned it casually, but it made He Yu's face look ugly.

"Those eight people...... Didn't come back. ”

Zhang Ying was surprised: "They are also members of the Immortal Tree, don't they have leaves to return to their roots?"

"Unfortunately, there are external forces that have prevented their return...... Well, don't ask, let's get to the border county as soon as possible, we can't waste time. ”