Word Count: 2,467 Words
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After witnessing the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's experiences from ten thousand years ago, Xiao Yan turned his attention to the small tree before him. 'So this little fellow must be the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's tree spirit.'
This tree spirit bore some resemblance to a Heavenly Flame's essence, though with one crucial difference: it couldn't be refined. The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree was more akin to a living creature, with the tree spirit serving as its soul. Unlike magical beasts, however, the tree's extraordinary longevity stemmed from its relatively simple consciousness, possessing only basic instincts.
Even if the tree spirit could somehow be refined, which it couldn't, there was no way to take the entire Bodhisattva Ancient Tree with him anyway.
Xiao Yan surveyed this unique space. His immediate surroundings teemed with vitality and lush grass, but the distant regions revealed scorched black fissures piercing through like countless tiny needles. These minute cracks pulsed with dark light, and careful observation showed they were continuously draining the space's life force.
This was undoubtedly the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's most vital inner sanctum, equivalent to where a human's soul resided. Due to that ancient battle and the invading black mist, the tree spirit had suffered grievous wounds it couldn't heal on its own. Its living space continued shrinking while even control of its body had been stripped away, forcing it into dormant slumber.
With his insight as a near 9th-tier alchemist, Xiao Yan could tell the tree spirit was at its absolute limit. If he hadn't shattered the evil consciousness's soul illusion and used the Bodhisattva Seed to reach this inner space, the tree spirit would certainly have been completely devoured within the next millennium.
Just consider: this represented the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's most vital core, its soul's very residence. For it to bring Xiao Yan, who possessed eleven Heavenly Flames, into this space was essentially gambling its entire existence.
If Xiao Yan harbored any malicious intent and unleashed an eleven-colored fire lotus, the tree spirit would be instantly obliterated.
A being that once stood at the world's pinnacle had fallen to such desperate straits. How utterly tragic.
The light clusters containing Xun Er and the others weren't meant as threats either. The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree was simply showing him that they were trapped in soul illusions created by the evil consciousness. Only by helping it reclaim control of its body could the tree release them.
Rustle rustle rustle~~~
The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree shook its branches like an impatient child pestering for candy.
After a careful examination of the space, Xiao Yan glanced at the twenty-four floating Bodhisattva Seeds, and a calculating gleam flickered through his eyes. He smiled. "Brother Tree, I can completely resolve these negative energies for you. Once I do, I'd like you to leave a branch planted in my Xiao Realm's soil."
Rustle?! (What?!)
What shocked the tree spirit wasn't the request for a branch; that was trivial, a mere flick of its limbs. What stunned it was Xiao Yan claiming he could completely eliminate negative energy left by a Dou God!
These twenty-four Bodhisattva Seeds couldn't fully eliminate the Dou God's negative energy. They could only clear the black qi floating in the tree spirit's space, allowing it to reclaim control of its body. Afterward, it would burrow into the earth's core to absorb energy, repair itself while slowly dealing with the remaining negative energy, and gradually return to its peak state.
This would take an incredibly long time, perhaps thousands or even tens of thousands of years before it could emerge again.
Now this little Dou Venerate claimed to have a solution?! Even a Dou Saint couldn't accomplish such a feat!
But the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree didn't realize that the man before it wasn't just a near 9th-tier alchemist. He also possessed one of the Dou Qi Continent's top three divine treasures, comparable to the ancient tree itself.
Whoosh—
A small black cat emerged from the void. The instant Mao Wu appeared, the tree spirit trembled in recognition. This was the Nihility Devouring Flame!
Though much weaker than the true Nihility Devouring Flame, it nonetheless possessed a portion of that power. After all, Mao Wu had nearly reached Heaven Seed Flame level!
When it came to devouring negative energy, Mao Wu was an absolute specialist!
Meow!
Mao Wu's expression turned unusually grave. This was a Dou God's negative energy. Unless the main body acted, one cat alone couldn't handle it.
"Don't worry." Xiao Yan swept his hand, drawing the twenty-four purest, highest-quality Bodhisattva Seeds before him.
"Once refined with Heavenly Flame, these Bodhisattva Seeds can neutralize the Dou God's negative energy. With their help, we should succeed." A faint smile crossed his face.
This was a Dou God's legacy! Dou Gods were the continent's most invincible existences. Even the grievously wounded black-robed Dou God had possessed sufficient strength to attempt seizing the peak-condition Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's spirit for healing, nearly beating it to death in the process. Without another Dou God pursuing him, the tree would have perished!
And the negative emotions unleashed at death had, ten thousand years later, invaded the tree's consciousness and formed an evil will.
Just imagine how terrifying a Dou God truly was!
If he could devour this negative energy, Xiao Yan had no idea what might result!
The Bodhisattva Heart? Surely the most precious thing here wasn't the heart at all, but this Dou God's remnant legacy!
Xiao Yan licked his lips. Something left by a Dou God demanded investigation no matter what. He had to be greedy here! If he succeeded in claiming even a fraction of it, the gain would surpass even the Bodhisattva Heart in value!
Swoosh—
Xiao Yan tossed a crystalline Bodhisattva Seed to Mao Wu, who opened wide and swallowed it whole.
His hands formed seals as the Skyfire Three Mysterious Change erupted to its fullest extent. The seven-colored Xiao Clan Mark blazed on his forehead, instantly boosting his cultivation by five changes. Endless torrents of Dou Qi poured desperately into Mao Wu!
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
Supported by Xiao Yan's massive Dou Qi infusion, black flames billowed skyward. A full hour of relentless refinement passed before the Bodhisattva Seed finally began to melt, transforming into wisps of pure energy tinged with emerald green. This pristine essence swirled around Mao Wu, adding touches of verdant light to the black flames.
"Go! Devour it!" Xiao Yan thrust his palm forward. Mao Wu spat out a roiling ball of black flame that surged toward the oppressive gray-black qi hovering above the tree spirit's crown.
This was the Dou God's negative energy suppressing the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's spirit, and it represented only a tiny fraction. The tree's main body contained massive amounts of this malevolent force.
BOOM!!
Black flame and black qi collided in a violent explosion. The Nihility Devouring Flame's innate ability was to consume all things in existence, but the black qi proved formidable opposition. After all, it originated from a Dou God!
Sizzle!
The moment the two forces clashed, the Bodhisattva essence appeared and began neutralizing the black qi. Once weakened, the Nihility Devouring Flame unleashed its full devouring power and rapidly consumed the diminished energy.
'It's working!'
Xiao Yan's heart leaped with joy. He immediately sat cross-legged, merged the ten remaining Heavenly Flames in his body into a new composite flame, and tossed in another Bodhisattva Seed to refine with desperate intensity.
Even with the Flame Mantra pushed to its absolute limits, the Dou Qi required for refining seeds and sustaining the Nihility Devouring Flame's consumption remained enormous. His reserves quickly ran dry.
Just as his Dou Qi bottomed out and he prepared to consume medicinal pills, the tree spirit, which had been quietly watching the entire time, finally reacted. With a gentle shake, it extended a verdant shoot that slowly unfurled into an ancient emerald cushion. Then a slender branch reached out, carefully lifting Xiao Yan and setting him upon the seat.
Bang!
Xiao Yan's body trembled violently the instant he touched that ancient cushion. Torrents of terrifyingly pure energy surged into him like a tidal wave, flooding every fiber of his being. Every pore on his body seemed to burst open at once as visible streams of clear qi slowly seeped from the crown of his head.
'What incredible life force!' Xiao Yan's heart shook. This didn't merely restore Dou Qi; it dispelled fatigue, revived his spirit, and even replenished his Spiritual Strength! This was absolutely the most life-nourishing energy in all of existence!
Crackle crackle!
The flood of pure energy poured continuously into his body, producing cascades of crackling sounds from within. Under this frenzied infusion, his previously depleted Dou Qi was completely restored within mere moments. Moreover, the Dou Qi now contained within him seemed even denser than at his previous peak.
'No wonder even a Dou God wanted the tree spirit for healing!'
The current tree spirit was far from its prime, yet it still possessed such pure life force. It truly deserved recognition as one of the Dou Qi Continent's top three divine treasures!
Xiao Yan sensed the changes within his body and drew a sharp, involuntary breath. The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's energy was incredibly pure, requiring absolutely no refinement before converting directly into absorbable Dou Qi. In other words, this tree was an eternally inexhaustible fountain of power. With it present, one would never need to worry about Dou Qi depletion.
But the most terrifying aspect wasn't even this. The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree appeared to possess a capacity-expanding effect. If Xiao Yan's body could normally store a certain fixed amount of Dou Qi, the ancient tree could actually increase that fundamental limit. While restoring his energy, it was imperceptibly enlarging his body's container for storing Dou Qi.
It was directly enhancing his cultivation foundation!
However, just as excitement surged through him, an anomaly struck. Xiao Yan discovered that a portion of the life force entering his body was being siphoned away!
'Hmm? It's the third face of the Asura Soul Reaping Technique!' His heart sank. The third face, which had shown no reaction until now, was finally stirring!
'The third face doesn't require soul essence. It needs life force!'
Xiao Yan looked inward to the depths of his soul and discovered the extremely illusory third face with its mouth slightly open, gradually absorbing the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's pure life essence bit by bit. Though only a small amount, this was the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's power. Even a tiny portion would be staggering for an ordinary person!
The first face required the energy of heaven and earth. The second face needed soul essence. The third face demanded life force. Each face had completely different requirements.
'Heh, I've really struck gold with this arrangement!' Xiao Yan secretly gave his Bodhisattva Ancient Tree boss a mental thumbs-up.
Having accepted the commission, he had to deliver results. Xiao Yan didn't dare slack off for this employer who had lived for untold ages. He frantically circulated his Dou Qi once more, desperately refining Bodhisattva Seeds while using his Spiritual Strength to guide each wisp of purified Bodhisattva essence over to Mao Wu, assisting the cat in devouring the Dou God's negative energy.
After exhausting one seed, he immediately threw in another and continued the process. Upon discovering that greater Dou Qi expenditure led to faster cultivation gains, Xiao Yan wished he could instantly burn through all his reserves. He no longer held anything back.
This was what working for the right employer looked like! The more effort you invested, the greater your returns! Brother Tree was proving to be an exceptionally good boss.
With such excellent support from management, employees Xiao Yan and Mao Wu threw themselves into their work with even greater fervor. Time ticked by second by second. When Mao Wu had finally devoured every wisp of black qi in the tree spirit's immediate space, the black flames surged outward through the spatial cracks.
They began consuming the Dou God's negative energy polluting the entire Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's body. With a resonant hum, as all the invading black qi within the tree spirit's space was purified and its suppression lifted, the small tree spirit suddenly buzzed with vibrant energy before erupting in brilliant green light.
Dazzling emerald rays burst from the tree body and flooded the space, enriching the already dense life force until it grew thicker still.
Another powerful hum resounded. Out in the Ancient Wasteland Region, a pillar of green light shot skyward from the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree. The strange black mist that had long surrounded it dissipated like morning fog under sunlight. The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's spirit had finally reclaimed control of its body!
"What's happening?!" Those who hadn't followed Xiao Yan's group into the tree trunk sprang to their feet, staring at the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree in bewilderment. Its sudden emission of such majestic life force felt completely different from before.
"This is..." Feng Qing Er, who had remained behind to await her tribe members, gazed at the ancient tree with astonishment filling her beautiful features. Though uncertain what had occurred, intuition told her this was undoubtedly Xiao Yan's doing. Only he possessed such heaven-defying abilities!
She bit her lip. Her jade-like fingers clenched into tight fists, held for a trembling moment, then fell open again, helplessly slack.
Meanwhile, inside the tree spirit's space, Xiao Yan had no intention of stopping. The Dou God's negative energy was supreme nourishment of the highest order. How could he possibly let the remainder slip away!
His refinement of the Bodhisattva Seeds accelerated continuously, from initially requiring a full hour per seed to now completing one every half hour.
Soon enough, Xiao Yan's hand grasped at empty air. Every last Bodhisattva Seed had been refined.
'None left?!' Genuine regret welled up inside him. Pockets of Dou God negative energy still lurked within hidden recesses of the tree trunk, but without Bodhisattva Seeds to neutralize them first, Mao Wu couldn't safely devour what remained.
Disappointing as it was, even overtime had its limits. No more triple bonuses to collect!
Rustle rustle rustle!!
The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's spirit shook its branches with unbridled excitement. Xiao Yan had not only helped it reclaim control but also cleared away substantial portions of the negative energy that had plagued it for millennia. The tree spirit firmly believed that once it burrowed back into the earth's core for recuperation, it could reemerge in the world within the next thousand years, once more bringing the hope of Saint advancement to the Dou Qi Continent!
Xiao Yan smiled and nodded with satisfaction as the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree expressed its joy. To have sold a favor to the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree itself... throughout all of history, past and present, he was probably the only one who could make such a claim!