Word Count: 2,391 Words
******
Both Hun Yu and Jiu Feng were caught completely off guard when Xiao Yan's group shattered the Half-Saint tree slave and immediately charged toward the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree.
These people had no martial virtue whatsoever! They were making a break for it!
"Cunning bastards!"
"Chase them! We can't let Xiao Yan get the Bodhisattva Heart!"
Hun Yu and Jiu Feng transformed into streaks of light in pursuit. The Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe's heavily wounded elders didn't even have time to refine medicinal pills before dragging their battered bodies toward the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree. As for the other experts, they gritted their teeth and, though deeply unwilling, could only give up.
In their current state, forget about competing, they lacked even the Dou Qi to defend against a single technique from Xiao Yan's group. What was there left to fight for?!
Meanwhile, Feng Qing Er stood alone, being the only one who hadn't participated in the battles. The Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe's departing figures left her behind and forgotten, her expression growing dazed, eyes lost and uncertain of any path forward.
Xiao Yan's group led the charge and quickly reached the base of the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree. Standing beneath it and looking up, they could finally grasp just how immense and ancient this tree that had endured for untold ages truly was.
The moment they stood within its vast shade, a strange sensation swept over them, as if they were about to transcend mortality and ascend as immortals.
But before that feeling could fully settle, the Bodhisattva Heart within the ancient tree suddenly burst forth with blinding emerald radiance. The light swept out with a resonant hum, and before anyone could react, it drew Xiao Yan and his companions directly into the tree trunk.
Hun Yu and Jiu Feng both jumped in shock as Xiao Yan's group vanished.
"Where did they go?!"
Hun Yu's eyes narrowed as he spoke gravely. "They appear to have been taken into the tree trunk's inner space."
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances. Without doubt, those Half-Saint tree slaves must have been drawn inside exactly like this before being transformed into puppets!
Yet without entering the trunk, there was no way to obtain the Bodhisattva Heart!
This was the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's trial!
Hun Yu's expression shifted as a ruthless glint flashed through his eyes. He declared coldly, "We go in! There's no reason to retreat now!"
Hun Yu was decisive enough to understand the principle: if you don't enter the tiger's den, you can't catch the tiger cub. Leading the remaining Hun Clan experts to the tree's base, they too were swept up by green light and vanished into the trunk space.
Though Jiu Feng's multicolored pupils possessed mystical power, even they couldn't penetrate the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's secrets.
"Let's go, everyone together!"
In moments, the area around the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree fell silent once more, as if no one had ever been there.
Light gradually faded. Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes to find himself standing on a desolate plain. Yellow sand danced across this barren wilderness that he recognized immediately. Wasn't this the Ancient Wasteland Region they had just passed through?!
'What's happening? How did I get back out here? Where are Xun Er and the others?'
His Spiritual Strength swept outward but found no trace of Xun Er or anyone else. Just as confusion set in, the ground suddenly trembled violently. Earth-shattering roars erupted across heaven and earth as the terrifying beast tide came surging toward him!
The beast tide rolled forward like a tsunami from the horizon's edge. Within mere blinks, it had closed to within a hundred paces, surrounding him completely from sky to earth on all sides. With such overwhelming numbers, escape was utterly impossible!
Yet strangely, Xiao Yan felt neither worry nor fear. He actually felt somewhat impatient in the face of this beast tide. Frowning, he raised his palm as indescribably terrifying Dou Qi condensed within it.
With a casual sweep of his hand, the Dou Qi transformed into a mountain-like torrent that instantly obliterated all the ferocious beasts. Even those peak Rank 8 super beasts were annihilated with a mere wave.
'Hmm? I'm a Dou Saint? Did I just obtain the Bodhisattva Heart and break through to Dou Saint?'
Suddenly, new information flooded his mind: he had obtained the Bodhisattva Heart, experienced a hundred years of reincarnation, and broken through to the Dou Saint realm.
Xun Er and the others had already departed while he was refining the Bodhisattva Heart.
A mocking smile suddenly curved Xiao Yan's lips, his eyes filled with disdain. He drew a Bodhisattva Seed from his storage ring, its surface releasing faint cooling sensations.
"Even without your reminder, I would have figured it out. So that's how it is. Those Half-Saint tree slaves fell because of this soul illusion..."
"If this is all your Bodhisattva Ancient Tree trial amounts to, then it's rather boring."
Buzz!!!
Suddenly, the shadow beneath Xiao Yan's feet began to spread like a pool of ink, dyeing the earth black. This desolate land of the Ancient Wasteland Region was quickly submerged in darkness. Then a ray of golden dawn bloomed from within the blackness!
Golden light blooming in darkness. This eerie contrast somehow appeared perfectly harmonious.
From the depths of the endless abyss, an Asura giant with three faces and six arms rose! The three-faced, six-armed Asura statue was so immense it seemed the Dou Qi Continent itself could barely contain it, appearing to transcend the heavens with indescribable vastness.
"This soul illusion isn't bad, trying to make me intoxicated with such overwhelming power. Then I'll borrow this 'gift' you've granted me."
Xiao Yan grinned. He just wondered if this Bodhisattva Ancient Tree could satisfy his infinitely expanding 'greed.'
Forming hand seals, Xiao Yan executed the Emperor Soul Technique. His cultivation soared from initial Heavenly State through intermediate and late stages to perfected Heavenly State! Then an unspeakably terrifying Spiritual Strength began permeating the world!
As his Spiritual Strength climbed, the three-faced, six-armed Asura colossus continued expanding. Crack crack crack!! The Emperor State Spiritual Strength proved so overwhelming that even the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's soul illusion began buckling under the pressure!
The soul illusion started fracturing and becoming fragmented. Xiao Yan slowly shook his head. "Looks like you can't hold up anymore. Then break."
As his word 'break' fell, the six arms of the three-faced, six-armed Asura silhouette brought six massive soul blades together before slashing down into the distance!
This slash seemed capable of cleaving the entire Dou Qi Continent in half. Before Xiao Yan's eyes, sky, earth, and space were all split in two.
BOOM!
The entire soul illusion was severed by his Asura Soul Reaping Technique in a single stroke! Finally, like a shattered mirror, it exploded into fragments with a resounding crash.
…
Xiao Yan's vision blurred when this world exploded apart. When awareness returned, he found himself in a space suffused with verdant green. Within this space stood an ancient tree roughly thirty meters tall, as if it had existed for all eternity. The tree was entirely emerald, as if cast from the finest jade, radiating astonishing life force.
This tree was identical to the thousand-foot Bodhisattva Ancient Tree outside, simply countless times smaller!
Approaching the small Bodhisattva Ancient Tree, Xiao Yan poked it with his finger and discovered it was real—a solid, physical entity.
Rustle rustle rustle.
The small Bodhisattva Ancient Tree shook its branches, expressing that this tiny human was far too rude!
Xiao Yan looked up, and sensing that this Bodhisattva Ancient Tree possessed intelligence, he spread his palms open. "It seems I'm the first to clear your illusion trial. Shouldn't you give me some reward?"
He directly requested the Bodhisattva Heart. He was first place after all!
Under his gaze, the entirely emerald Bodhisattva Ancient Tree trembled slightly. Light clusters floated from its body one by one, hovering before Xiao Yan. The clusters shifted, revealing various images within. His expression changed drastically. The people inside were none other than Xun Er, Cai Lin, and the others who had entered with him. Clearly, they were all trapped in their respective illusions.
His face instantly darkened. With a hum, the Xiao Clan's Clan Mark erupted, instantly boosting his Dou Qi cultivation by five changes. His Spiritual Strength surged outward as the Asura silhouette manifested simultaneously.
Though this Asura figure wasn't as massive as before, the Hun Clan's Clan Mark slowly appeared on its forehead, further increasing his Spiritual Strength and raising his cultivation by another star.
This wasn't all. A dragon's roar sounded as the Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor covered his body. Terrifying fully-merged Heavenly Flame burned so intensely that space itself crackled and popped. Gripping the Heavy Xuan Ruler, murderous intent blazed in his eyes with incomparable ferocity!
He didn't care if this Bodhisattva Ancient Tree was the Dou Qi Continent's most precious tree. If anything happened to Xun Er and the others, he would definitely burn it to charcoal!
"I don't accept any threats. If you want to threaten me, even if I'm not as strong as you, I'll make sure to leave you with something to remember me by!" Xiao Yan's voice was dark and grim, like an Asura from the Nine Netherworlds.
If this Bodhisattva Ancient Tree truly intended to imprison Xun Er and the others forever, even at the cost of his life, even if it meant detonating every Heavenly Flame in his body, he would blast it to ash!
Rustle rustle rustle—
Startled by Xiao Yan's explosive temper, the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree hurriedly shook its branches, radiating goodwill toward him. It wasn't here to fight!
Quite the opposite; it needed his help!
"Hmm?" Xiao Yan frowned, sensing the tree's goodwill. "You need my help?"
Rustle.
Xiao Yan maintained his battle stance, staring directly at the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree.
Faced with his unwavering gaze, the tree shook again. A light cluster materialized, containing the image of a ten-thousand-foot Bodhisattva Ancient Tree. However, Xiao Yan's attention wasn't drawn to the ancient tree but to the figure standing in mid-air before it. A black-robed person stood suspended in empty space, emanating an aura as if they were the supreme sovereign of the world. Under this presence, even the colossal Bodhisattva Ancient Tree appeared rather small.
Though Xiao Yan couldn't determine the exact strength level, the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree had already communicated clearly.
"Dou... Dou God..."
Thick shock filled Xiao Yan's gaze. Hadn't all Dou Gods in this world vanished?! What was happening here?
Then Xiao Yan witnessed a battle between two Gods!
In summary: ten thousand years ago, a black-robed Dou God engaged in a world-shaking battle with another Dou God. Heavily injured, the black-robed Dou God had attempted to seize the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's essence and tree spirit to heal himself. The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree counterattacked autonomously, joining forces with the other Dou God. After paying a terrible price, they finally slew the black-robed Dou God together.
Before death, the black-robed Dou God unleashed all his negative emotions such as unwillingness, anger, and hatred, forming a special black mist that invaded the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree.
This caused the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree to be continuously eroded and damaged until its intelligence was sealed. The negative energy Qing Lin had initially detected originated from that black-robed Dou God.
The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree hadn't appeared for ten thousand years precisely because those negative emotions had eroded and sealed it, locking away its intelligence. This current appearance wasn't the tree's own will but was controlled by the Dou God's negative emotions.
The goal was to attract powerful experts, transform them into tree slaves, and control those puppets to seek heavenly treasures that could completely control the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree, like a cuckoo usurping a nest.
But as it turned out, Xiao Yan directly broke that bizarre illusion. His Asura Soul Reaping Technique had slashed open space, unexpectedly awakening the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's true sealed intelligence, which then brought him into this space.
The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree hoped Xiao Yan could help eliminate that strange black mist of negative energy.
Having learned the complete story, Xiao Yan stood dumbfounded. His surprise wasn't about the tree's plight or even the ancient battle between Dou Gods, but the fact that the black mist negative energy was left by a Dou God.
One must understand, there were no more Dou Gods in this world! Hun Tiandi had been driven mad pursuing that realm. According to spiritual information left by ancestor Xiao Xuan, the reason no one could achieve Dou God status now was the world's lack of something called Origin Qi.
Back then, Xiao Xuan's breakthrough attempt had failed precisely due to lacking Origin Qi.
So then...
"Mr. Tree, may I humbly ask... does this negative emotion left by your Dou God contain any Origin Qi?"
Xiao Yan swallowed hard, his heart pounding in his throat. Origin Qi! The essential requirement for becoming a Dou God. Hun Tiandi's thousand-year grand plan existed precisely because the only known location with Origin Qi was the Tou She Ancient God Mansion, which contained an embryonic Di Tier Pill with a trace of Origin Qi inside!
With Origin Qi available, who needed that damned embryonic pill!
If negative emotions left by a dying Dou God contained Origin Qi, it could change the entire Dou Qi Continent's destiny!!
Rustle rustle rustle~~~
Unfortunately, to Xiao Yan's disappointment:
There was none.
Xiao Yan shrugged. Though he didn't know Origin Qi's specific purpose, it was certainly precious. Apparently even a dying black-robed Dou God couldn't preserve any Origin Qi upon death.
"All right then." Xiao Yan spread his hands and looked at the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree. "So you want me to use Heavenly Flame to refine Bodhisattva Seeds and help dispel the negative energy?"
The ancient tree shook. Then green light specks drifted from its body, hovering before Xiao Yan. These light specks were all Bodhisattva Seeds, their crystalline luster far surpassing the one in his possession by countless degrees.
Twenty-four seeds in total.
Xiao Yan stared at the twenty-four Bodhisattva Seeds and glanced at the small Bodhisattva Ancient Tree. He blinked before grinning. "Brother Tree, if I help eliminate the negative energy, what's in it for me?"
Wasn't this Bodhisattva Ancient Tree supposedly called the Tree of Wisdom? How come it seemed... not very bright?