Raymond covered his face and said in terror, "Sorry, sir, I never thought he would be able to survive. The Dark Tree can devour everything, even the souls of cultivators, but I didn''t expect that guy to walk out of the mine alive."


    After taking a few deep breaths, Raymon continued, "Don''t worry, Master Barker. As far as I know, the guy named Wilbur has agreed to help the town''s residents. Today, he''s nning to enter the Ezekiel Mine and kill the Dark Tree on their behalf. Heh, does he think he can kill the Dark Tree by himself? That''s a death wish. I believe that we don''t need to worry about him at all. We just need to wait quietly, and we''ll have results soon."


    "Let''s hope so. Alright, Raymond, you may leave."


    "Yes, Master Barker."


    As Raymond left the basement and the door closed behind him, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was a being made entirely of ck liquid. The being spoke calmly, "Raymond is bing more and more useless. Why don''t I just kill him."


    Barker said, "Let him live to handle some of the mundane tasks. My lord, you don''t need to worry. This is just a minor hup. Even if Fremont himself was here, with the power of the Dark Tree, killing him would be as easy as crushing an ant."


    "Let''s hope there are no more surprises. Give me another twenty years, and I''l make you the most powerful cultivator in this dimension. My mother''s position will be mine."


    The liquid being then merged into Barker''s body and vanished. Barker stared at the flickering candle and was lost in thought. The liquid being was actually a seed of the Dark Tree. Years ago, Barker discovered the mysterious power hidden beneath the Ezekiel Mine.


    The mine was built as a cover originally. What Barker truly sought was the mysterious power below, which originated from the Dark Tree. By a stroke of luck, Barker obtained a seed of the Dark Tree and now nurtured it inside a dark basement, forming a soul contract with it.


    Over the past thousand years, the seed of the Dark Tree had been growing, and it called itself Adam. Barker realized a severe problem. Adam was actually incredibly ambitious. For the past millennium, the soul contract had been dominated by Barker, and he managed to restrain Adam. However, Adam''s power had grown immensely, surpassing Barker''s. The power of the soul contract no longer posed a fatal threat to Adam.


    This meant that although Barker had helped Adam, he might be Adam''s prey and be devoured by him over time. Initially, Barker believed that possessing the seed of the Dark Tree meant possessing its power, but it seemed that this came with both advantages and drawbacks. Even though Barker had extended his life by a thousand years using dark magic, the soul contract was bing a trap that would ultimately lead to his downfall if he did not address it in time.


    Barker had been tormented by his defeat to Fremont for a thousand years. He longed to kill Fremont. However, Fremont had never returned to Anderson town all this while, prolonging Barker''s resentment.


    Now, after a thousand years, the soul contract with Adam was bing a shackle draining Barker''s soul. Barker could die and vanish, but he would never allow anyone to outsmart him again. Over the millennium, Barker had grown indifferent to many things, including life itself. After all, a thousand years was a time long enough for ten human lifetimes. Through this long ordeal, Barker hade to value his dignity and pride above all else.