Chapter 141: Spirit of the Awakening Spirit Fruit Tree

Wang Ping narrowed his eyes, carefully staring at the golden fruit only half the size of an apple. A waft of fragrance drifted by, and his nose twitched. After careful investigation, he discovered the scent came from that golden fruit.

After entering here, his investigative technique took effect again, and in his mind appeared a coiled dragon big tree with tangled roots—a fruit tree.

Huh?

What is that?

As Wang Ping stared closely at the fruit, his heart suddenly jolted; under his investigative technique, the bark of the Awakening Spirit Tree, with its grooves and ridges, turned into countless brown little snakes, each no thicker than a thumb.

They coiled densely over the tree, their brown color matching the bark, and when motionless they seemed like dead objects, escaping detection by sight or spiritual sense.

If a cultivator rashly approached to pluck the Awakening Spirit Fruit, they would likely be devoured completely by these tree snakes.

In Wang Ping's perception, those tree snakes seemed to be early-stage second rank, with some mid-stage second rank; he sensed no late-stage ones, yet even so they were enough to feed all cultivators.

These are the guardian demon beasts of the heavenly earthly spiritual object; Wang Ping suppressed his racing heart and began to observe those tree snakes.

With these tree snakes present, no one could easily pluck the Awakening Spirit Fruit.

Wang Ping's eyes darted around; he realized he had no good way to evade the tree snakes' perception and thus pick the Awakening Spirit Fruit.

It seemed he could only fight; Wang Ping unleashed the Vajra Pestle and Heaven-Overturning Seal, while azure light flickered on his body, and an azure spiritual power armor appeared around him.

Based on the information he had gathered over the past half day, only fruit that was fully golden counted as fully mature; immature fruit was a kind of deadly poison.

Wang Ping had just examined them carefully; about ten or so fruits were already fully mature, while the remaining ones would mature at the latest within a quarter hour, at which point the illusion formation's power would be withdrawn.

Time was short for Wang Ping, so he ran straight to the nearest mature Awakening Spirit Fruit, reached the tree base, glanced at the trunk, and saw the tree snakes remained motionless.

Just as he was about to leap, an ancient voice suddenly sounded: "I never expected that after a thousand years I could still see a cultivator of the Qingdi Changsheng Gong; your aura is so pure, you must be practicing the true Qingdi Changsheng Gong, right?"

Wang Ping was startled but not flustered; having long prepared for battle, upon hearing this he turned his gaze to the Awakening Spirit Tree's trunk and said lightly:

"I didn't expect you, senior, to have already cultivated into a spirit monster form."

"Hehe, little friend, you are quite perceptive." The ancient voice sounded again; this time, an elderly human face appeared on the sturdy trunk.

"Little friend, being able to discern the external Illusion-Dispelling Formation shows you are fated; no wonder you obtained the original Qingdi Changsheng Gong."

"Senior, what do you mean? My cultivation of the Qingdi Changsheng Gong is merely a newer edition," Wang Ping said calmly.

"Hahaha! Little friend, don't be nervous; in this Spirit Realm, only we spirit monsters can sense the pure wood spiritual aura inherent in the Qingdi Changsheng Gong."

Wang Ping remained unmoved, instead shaking his head: "I truly don't understand what you're saying, senior; I came here to obtain two Awakening Spirit Fruits. If you are willing to help, could you give me two?"

Awakening Spirit Tree Spirit: ……

"Hehe, little friend, you jest; there's no such thing as a free lunch. If you agree to one condition, not only two fruits but even all one hundred and eight Awakening Spirit Fruits can be gifted to you!"

Wang Ping made an apologetic gesture and said: "Senior, please forgive my rashness; I don't know what task you have for me."

Awakening Spirit Tree Spirit: "This is quite simple for you, little friend; just use the Assimilation Method of the Qingdi Changsheng Gong to merge my spiritual body into yours, making me your personal spirit tree, and you may freely harvest the spiritual fruits on this tree."

Wang Ping's face showed a flicker of interest, but inwardly he grew wary—this tree spirit actually knew the Qingdi Changsheng Gong includes a personal spirit tree.

Wang Ping had only just broken through Foundation Establishment and had not yet chosen his personal spirit tree; this determined whether he could later cultivate a Yin Wood Body and Yin Wood Divine Thunder.

Although this Awakening Spirit Tree counts as a strange wood, Wang Ping still didn't fancy it; the crucial point was that when performing the assimilation technique, one must first place the opponent's spiritual body into his Sea of Consciousness.

Wang Ping thought to himself: This tree spirit harbors ill intent.

Yet he felt no fear; any cultivator who tries to stir trouble in his Sea of Consciousness ends up as soul slurry.

Moreover, he decided to play along to see its purpose; regardless, once inside Wang Ping's Sea of Consciousness, even if the opponent possessed Nascent Soul-level spiritual awareness, he would not fear.

"I didn't expect you, senior, to understand the Qingdi Changsheng Gong so well; indeed it contains an assimilation technique, but it requires placing your spiritual body into my Sea of Consciousness—"

Wang Ping hesitated a moment, then immediately said: "I don't distrust you, senior, but this matter concerns my life and fortune, so…"

Awakening Spirit Tree Spirit: "What you say is reasonable, little friend; my action was somewhat abrupt. I will swear a Heavenly Dao Oath. Moreover, you know that if I become your personal tree spirit, not only can your protective spiritual light be upgraded to a high-grade spiritual armor comparable to a top-tier defensive treasure, but with my essence's level you can condense a Yin Wood Body, then cultivate Yin Wood Divine Thunder, and wield it to dominate the Spirit Realm—how mighty that would be!"

The tree spirit's words were highly tempting; Wang Ping felt his heart stir and was about to agree, when suddenly the Will Stars deep in his Sea of Consciousness shone brightly, the tempting voice vanished instantly, and his consciousness cleared at once.

Awakened, Wang Ping felt a lingering dread; he had almost fallen into the Dao's trap, and now he was certain this old man was definitely problematic. He inwardly sneered: Since you so wish to become my personal tree spirit, then have it your way.

In his Sea of Consciousness, as Wang Ping's thought stirred, the silver-white block he had expanded to five cubic meters was placed at the brow's passage.

"Little friend! How does that sound? I still have one hundred and eight Awakening Spirit Fruits here; that means you will have one hundred and eight spiritual treasures, and among your peers you will stand supreme."

That tempting voice continued, but it could no longer confuse Wang Ping.

"Fine! I agree, senior, but you must first swear a Heavenly Dao Oath." Wang Ping feigned interest.

In the tree spirit's green eyes a flicker of excitement passed; heavens, he never imagined that upon reawakening he would encounter a cultivator practicing the true Qingdi Changsheng Gong.

As long as he seizes this cultivator's body and refines his own essence into a personal tree spirit, he will not only gain longevity but also acquire humanity's cultivation talent.

Among the myriad races of the Spirit Realm, humanity's overall cultivation talent is extraordinarily strong; they go from birth to Nascent Soul cultivator in no more than a hundred years, and no less than fifty.

Such cultivation speed would naturally alarm other races; most crucial is their reproductive rate, which is extraordinarily strong.

Fortunately, human lifespans are extremely short; if they fail to become True Immortals, their lifespan is nearly a tenth—or even less—of other races'.

Thus, before humanity became one of the Twelve Peak Clans, who knows how many humans were seized by foreign races.

All this changed when humanity fully rose, with nine True Immortals remaining in the world; one battle shattered the heavens, directly implanting the rule that foreign races cannot seize humans into the Spirit Realm's regulations.

That battle was humanity's war to establish its status, and also their time of supreme glory.

Henceforth, within the Spirit Realm's sphere of influence (including the Lower Realm), foreign races seizing humans has become an iron law; violators will surely suffer heavenly punishment.

This is the manifestation of humanity as the supreme hegemon.

Deep in the Awakening Spirit Tree Spirit's green eyes, calculating light continually flickered.

With his spiritual awareness comparable to late-stage Golden Core, he could naturally not withstand the heavenly punishment's force.

But if the cultivator before him seeks to fuse himself into a personal tree spirit, as long as he preserves a thread of spiritual awareness via a secret method, once his spiritual body is tinged with human soul essence, when he rebels, the Awakening Spirit Tree Spirit estimates he will likely succeed.

Then, freed from his physical shackles and possessing a human body, with longevity, its immortal path holds promise!

"Little friend, I have sworn my oath; let us begin quickly! In less than a quarter hour, the fruits will mature, then they will draw many cultivators."

After swearing, the Awakening Spirit Tree Spirit directly spoke up to inquire.

Wang Ping nodded, also fearing delay, yet couldn't help asking: "Senior, can't you control their maturation time?"

The Qilin tree spirit glanced at Wang Ping, then quietly said: "This is the will of Heaven, just like you humans eating, drinking, urinating, and defecating."

Wang Ping realized, immediately sat cross-legged; the Qingdi Changsheng Gong technique circulated, and the surrounding heaven-earth spiritual qi, yuan qi, and wood qi all surged into Wang Ping's body.

Guard the mind and spirit, circulate the same-word method!

The Awakening Spirit Tree spirit's voice rang in Wang Ping's sea of consciousness, making his heart jolt—this old demon's divine sense power is formidable.

If not for the silver gate and the silver-white block, he would have simply fled.

Following the Awakening Spirit Tree spirit's instructions, Wang Ping operated the assimilation method; the Awakening Spirit Fruit Tree not far away suddenly trembled, and a large amount of wood qi surged toward him.

Wang Ping directly condensed this wood qi into a protective spirit light; almost instantly, his protective spirit light grew by one cun in thickness.

The Awakening Spirit Tree spirit silently observed all this, showing no reaction whatsoever to the absorption of his wood qi.

Instead, those green eyes stared intently at Wang Ping, and deep within his pupils appeared the scene of him employing the assimilation method.

Soon, strands of green light shot from Wang Ping's brow, easily inserting into the Awakening Spirit Tree; the Awakening Spirit Tree spirit showed no movement, still fully focused on staring at Wang Ping.

Seeing the Awakening Spirit Tree spirit make no move, and after waiting another ten breaths, Wang Ping anxiously shouted, "Senior, I have already prepared!"

Then the Awakening Spirit Tree spirit nodded, slowly closed its eyes; after it closed its eyes, the light emitted by the Awakening Spirit Fruit Tree seemed to dim instantly.

Immediately after, a crystal-clear green light quickly entered Wang Ping's brow along the green threads.

Wang Ping's expression calm, his eyes lightly gazing at the Awakening Spirit Fruit Tree; with five fruits left, the tree was about to agree to mature.

That is, about the time to finish a cup of tea; enough, Wang Ping's mouth corner twitched with a hint of a smile.

When the last bit of green light entered Wang Ping's brow, his consciousness returned to his sea of consciousness.

At that moment, the Awakening Spirit Tree spirit gazed at the surrounding blank silver walls, suddenly feeling something wrong—this did not seem like a sea of consciousness space; he initially wanted to retreat, but found no way out.

For a moment he felt some panic, and hurriedly shouted loudly:

"Little friend, why is this? Why have I appeared here? Quickly release me; the Awakening Spirit Fruit is about to mature—we must quickly complete the assimilation. If…"

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly discovered an extremely strong compressive force appearing out of nowhere around him; even with his divine sense power comparable to late-stage Golden Core, he could not withstand it.

This directly frightened him into panic; he hurriedly shouted loudly:

"Little friend, if I have offended you in any way, I beg your forgiveness; please do not play such jokes!"

"Little friend, I know many great secrets; don't you want to know why the Qingdi Changsheng Gong was lost? Don't you want to know why the Qing Emperor disappeared? As long as you release me, I can explain all of these to you!"

"I also know many treasures; in this mountain range there is a legacy left by a human who fell as a Deity Transformation cultivator eight thousand years ago; inside are at least 100,000 spirit crystals, and even source crystals, and even his spirit treasure is there; you don't know, that spirit treasure is just one step away from becoming an Earth-Piercing grade spirit treasure. I can tell you all of these."

The Awakening Spirit Tree spirit continually threw out various conditions; unfortunately, accompanying him was still endless pressure; it showed a look of despair, yet within despair lay a hint of hope.

He has lived so long; how could he make no preparations and rashly enter a human's sea of consciousness?

Outside, he left only one percent of his divine sense power, which was enough to crush this Foundation Establishment cultivator; before the Awakening Spirit Tree spirit disappeared, only this final thought remained.

Outside the silver-white block, Wang Ping coldly observed all this, until the Awakening Spirit Tree spirit's spirituality vanished, becoming a mass of green liquid of unknown efficacy.

In the outside world, Wang Ping slowly opened his eyes, gazing ahead at the Awakening Spirit Fruit Tree, which stood about a zhang tall, with only two fruits left, the Awakening Spirit Fruit was about to fully mature.

Wang Ping secretly sighed; actually I feel that not taking you away wrapped up, but given the circumstances, he must do so, because he does not know whether this old demon left any backup.

Before that, Wang Ping again used a top-grade spirit stone to expand the silver-white space by three cubic meters; now the silver-white space is eight cubic meters in size, enough to hold this Awakening Spirit Fruit Tree less than a zhang tall.

After the expansion, Wang Ping's brow suddenly lit with a mass of silver light, blessing them; the silver light shot out in a fan shape, quickly enveloping the Awakening Spirit Fruit Tree.

The next moment, an incredibly terrifying suction force came; the Awakening Spirit Fruit Tree's clattering tremors made the ground continually rise; Wang Ping had no time to waste like this, so he controlled the silver-white block to increase the suction.

Boom!

A large amount of earth burst up; the Awakening Spirit Fruit Tree was directly pulled up by the terrifying suction, leaving a terrifying pit on the ground.

Yet the Awakening Spirit Fruit Tree continually shrank, rushing toward Wang Ping's brow; at this moment, a human face again appeared on its trunk, though this time his expression was extremely panicked.

Whoosh!

The Awakening Spirit Fruit Tree was entirely taken by Wang Ping into the silver-white space; looking at the large pit on the ground, his mouth corner twitched—this was not his original intention.

"Leave!"

Wang Ping had just finished chanting silently; a silver light enveloped him; in less than one-tenth of a breath, his figure had already disappeared.

Almost as soon as Wang Ping's front foot vanished, his back foot saw several cultivators with terrifying auras descend.

Their first glance upon arriving here was toward the Awakening Spirit Fruit Tree.

"Old Yan! We haven't come to the wrong place, have we?"

"What nonsense! Damn it! The Awakening Spirit Fruit Tree was dug up roots and all!"

"Which scoundrel did this?"