49: Chapter 49 God or Divine Material?

Nodding in understanding, Lin Xiao did not continue to ask further.

The live stream continued; in just a short while, the streamer had already lured away hundreds of dog-like monsters.

The distance between him and the Divine Tree was closing.

"It seems the streamer's luck is not bad; this distance is enough for me to act. If there are any life-type gods in the live stream, feel free to contact me. If the price is right, I won't go through the auction house. Saving on the commission means I can give you a cheaper price."

The streamer wore a happy smile, his figure leaving afterimages as he quickly appeared before the Divine Tree. He gripped the air with his right hand and clawed downwards fiercely.

A cyan light projection over a hundred meters tall emerged behind him, the humanoid projection mimicking his movements.

It clawed fiercely towards the giant tree below.

The Divine Tree, which had been standing quietly, seemed to sense danger. Its trunk shook violently, and immediately after, roots drilled out from underground.

Like thick, long venomous snakes, they pierced through the streamer's body in the blink of an eye. The streamer, pierced by the roots, first showed a look of astonishment on his face.

Immediately after, he began to tremble uncontrollably. His expression turned incredibly desperate.

The roots piercing the streamer appeared incredibly bizarre at this moment; they had clearly entered from the front of the streamer but did not emerge from the back.

The thick roots now resembled drinking straws. One could see huge lumps constantly pulsing within the roots.

Then, they were transported back into the main body of the Divine Tree. The already lush Divine Tree became even more vibrant with vitality.

At the treetop, a seven-colored rainbow even appeared.

"Tree... Tree Spirit?! Damn it... How... How could this be? Save me! Who... who can save me..."

The young streamer, who originally looked only about twenty years old, began to develop wrinkles on his face in just a moment, and his originally black hair began to turn white strand by strand.

Lu Yan watched this scene in the live stream, a look of pity appearing on his face. He sighed softly.

"This streamer is finished. I didn't expect this Divine Tree to have birthed a Tree Spirit. A perfectly good fortune has turned into a death trap. Unless a Tier 2 god can arrive in time, otherwise..."

Watching the streamer in the live stream, whose face was rapidly aging, Lin Xiao's expression also became grave.

"What is a Tree Spirit? Isn't it said that after becoming a demigod, as long as the Divine Kingdom core is not destroyed, the demigod is immortal? He is a god, after all. Could this one tree really take his life? Even if he can't win, why can't he run?"

Lu Yan shook his head upon hearing this.

"It's useless; this Tree Spirit is very cunning. It waited until the streamer got close before suddenly launching a sneak attack. Those roots, you might think they only pierced the streamer's body, My Lord, but in reality, they have already penetrated through the streamer's body and invaded his Divine Kingdom.

Those wriggling lumps inside the roots are the streamer's Divine Power source, the flesh and blood of his dead Believers, and even his own Laws.

He doesn't want to run, but he can't escape. His body and Divine Kingdom are all pinned down by the Divine Tree's roots. If he doesn't cut off these roots, the streamer can only wait for death. As for the Tree Spirit you asked about, My Lord..."

Speaking of this, Lu Yan's expression became incredibly complex.

"A Law-based Divine Object with a complete source—how do you think this Divine Tree was formed, My Lord? Why does it possess a complete Law source?"

Although he was asking, Lu Yan clearly didn't really want Lin Xiao to answer. His tone became complex and low.

"The birth of every Law-based Divine Object comes from absorbing the Law source and Divine Power source of one or even multiple gods. Laws serve as the bones, and Divine Power as the nourishment. This is how these Law-based Divine Objects are nourished.

And some powerful gods, even when near death, are not something that Law-based Divine Objects can easily erode. Before they completely die, these powerful gods will counter-erode the Divine Object. Afterwards, they completely merge with and occupy the source of the Divine Object, becoming the Spirits we know today. To protect themselves, these Spirits will kill any god who tries to plunder them."

Wang Tao and Su Xue turned their shocked gazes back to the live stream screen, looking at the Divine Tree radiating with vibrant vitality.

Could the predecessor of such a Divine Tree actually be a powerful god? They couldn't imagine what kind of encounter would make a god turn into a tree.

Lin Xiao also looked at the screen in the live stream in silence; only powerful gods are qualified to occupy Divine Objects. In other words, could the predecessor of every Divine Object with a Spirit be an elite, a genius, or even a Prodigy-level god?

Seeing the shock on Wang Tao and Su Xue's faces, as well as Lin Xiao's silence, Lu Yan couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly.

"Ordinary Divine Beings envy gods, but what do they know? Sometimes, some gods envy them. Although they are oppressed, exploited, and sometimes even poached by demigods or even gods, in most cases, they are safe and won't be coveted by others.

But once you become a god, your blood, bones, divinity, Laws, Divine Kingdom, Believers, and even your own self will become objects of others' covetousness. Whether it's refining divine weapons and armor, or crafting wonder artifacts, every single one is of immense value.

The number of gods who have fallen at the hands of our own kind is not necessarily less than those who died at the hands of other races; one might even have a chance of survival if captured by other races. But if you accidentally fall into the hands of your own kind... after all, federal law prohibits killing one's own kind. Heh."

Lu Yan chuckled at the end, the sarcasm in his laughter undisguised.

It was indeed ironic; a law meant for protection ultimately resulted in the deaths of even more gods.

Su Xue's face turned pale; she really couldn't imagine that the gods, who were so dazzling and noble in her eyes, would be in such a situation in the outside world. Shouldn't gods be high above, overlooking all living beings? How could they become... consumables?

Wang Tao's expression was also incredibly ugly. He kept muttering the terms Lu Yan had used. "Divine weapons and armor, wonder artifacts..."

They were clearly names of normal commodities, yet they were refined from gods who were once alive.

After a moment of silence, Lin Xiao looked at Lu Yan and asked, "Can these... items refined from gods be traded openly?"

He really didn't know what words to use to describe these existences. In the end, he simply let go and called them items directly.

Looking at the wealthy patron before him, Lu Yan pressed his lips together tightly. His expression shifted through various shades, and finally, he sighed.

"Yes, high-end shops within the nine major star regions all have such items for sale. The auction starting soon will also have some of these items for sale. Demigod artifact materials are the easiest to obtain, so they are the cheapest. The starting price only requires 100,000 Divine Power points. Tier 1 artifact starting prices are one million Divine Power points. If you are well-off, My Lord, you can buy some for self-defense."