The spectacle of the golden Divine Tree shook the entire planet.
Broadcast stations across the globe began livestreaming it from all angles.
Short video platforms exploded with speculative analyses about the tree's species and mystical uses.
Soon, a viral claim began to spread—
"Every part of the Divine Tree is a treasure!
Even gnawing its bark grants unparalleled body refinement effects!"
This one statement spread like wildfire.
And it lit the fuse.
Millions flocked toward the Divine Tree.
By now, its main trunk spanned thousands of meters wide, rising endlessly into the sky.
The branch network covered half a city.
At this scale, even skeptics were convinced—
This was a treasure beyond imagination.
High above, Naruto sat calmly on one of the thick branches.
He overlooked the swelling crowds below, eyes as calm as still water.
None of this surprised him.
On any normal planet, if a massive golden tree suddenly sprouted from the ground, it would draw crowds.
But on a high-martial planet like this, filled with cultivation and ambition?
Curious gawkers + greedy looters = inevitable chaos.
Among the millions were countless elite warriors—
Eighth, ninth-tier fighters from every corner of the world, of every culture and dress.
They came hoping that this tree could help them break through their bottlenecked cultivation stages.
And then—even tenth-tier powerhouses began to arrive.
Their presence drew intense attention.
It was rare to see so many world-class beings gathered.
And the cause was that single, radiant, Divine Tree.
But the expressions on the tenth-tier warriors' faces weren't greedy.
They were… solemn.
Their refined senses could clearly feel it—
This tree was consuming the planet's energy—ravenously.
Every second, it absorbed staggering amounts of natural energy.
So much so, even the top cultivators felt genuine fear.
If this continued, the planet would dry up completely.
No more martial cultivation.
No more crop farming.
A world left barren.
This wasn't a blessing.
This was a cataclysm.
Suddenly, one man soared into the air.
Tall, broad-shouldered, clad in dragon-scale armor—
The legendary first-ranked powerhouse of the Dragon Nation: Long Aotian.
His voice thundered across the skies, carried by internal energy for kilometers:
"Everyone! This is not a Divine Blessing—
This is a planetary disaster!"
A booming, passionate speech followed.
He warned the masses: this tree must be destroyed.
If left unchecked, it would doom their world.
But the people below… didn't buy it.
"Bullshit! You just want it for yourself!"
"Why should you get it all? Let us share!"
"You've hogged all the good stuff for years—now you want the Divine Tree too?! I won't allow it!"
The crowd boiled with resentment and paranoia.
And then, more tenth-tier elites stepped forward—men and women in dazzling armor with divine weapons.
They supported Long Aotian's warning.
But that only made things worse.
"You're all in on it! Already divided the spoils behind our backs!"
"You just don't want us to get a piece!"
Even just seeing those high-grade weapons made the common cultivators green with envy.
And the so-called "Divine Tree is dangerous" theory?
No one wanted to believe it—because it didn't benefit them.
Naruto watched it all unfold, amusement in his eyes.
"Typical."
Below, the first wave of looters broke past the official barricades and rushed the base of the tree.
They swarmed its golden bark, trying to hack pieces off.
When blades didn't work, they used cultivation techniques and even energy cannons.
But no matter how hard they tried—not a scratch.
They battered the bark for ten straight minutes.
Still pristine.
The first batch of attackers?
Collapsed from exhaustion.
Even tenth-tier experts in the sky began to panic.
Among the attackers were seventh-tier warriors.
Their full-force assaults couldn't even leave a dent.
This Divine Tree's defense level was beyond comprehension.
Even those top cultivators would hesitate to go all out on it.
Long Aotian's expression darkened.
He clenched his fists, voice grim:
"If this goes on… we'll be too late."
"We must act—together."
"Destroy it now… or lose all hope forever."