Chapter 554: A Weak Question

Seeing Xiao Yan's group instantly strike down the half-Sage tree servants and rush straight toward the Bodhi Ancient Tree, Hun Yu and Jiu Feng were both stunned.

These guys have no honor! They're sneaking off!

"Cunning bastards!"

"Chase them! Don't let Xiao Yan get the Bodhi Heart!"

Hun Yu and Jiu Feng both transformed into streaks of light and gave chase; the wounded Elders of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan didn't even have time to refine their Elixirs, yet they dragged their battered bodies toward the Bodhi Ancient Tree too, while the other powerful figures gritted their teeth—though reluctant, they could only give up.

At their current state, entering wouldn't let them compete—they wouldn't even have enough Dou Qi to defend against a single Dou Technique from Xiao Yan's group! What's the point of fighting anymore?!

At this moment, Feng Qing'er, the only one who hadn't moved, watched the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan depart, left standing alone—her expression blank, her eyes confused, unsure of where to go.

Xiao Yan's group, leading the way, quickly reached the base of the Bodhi Ancient Tree's roots; standing there, they looked up—and only then did they realize how impossibly vast this ancient tree, alive for countless years, truly was.

When Xiao Yan and the others stood beneath its shade, they instantly felt as if they were ascending to immortality.

But before Xiao Yan's group could even marvel, the Bodhi Heart of the Bodhi Ancient Tree suddenly emitted a blinding green light—a hum swept through the air, and before they could react, Xiao Yan's entire group was swallowed into the tree's trunk.

Seeing Xiao Yan's group vanish, Hun Yu and Jiu Feng were both shocked.

"Where did they go?!"

Hun Yu's gaze sharpened, and he said grimly: "They've been absorbed into the trunk's space."

For a moment, everyone exchanged glances—undoubtedly, those half-Sage tree servants had been absorbed into the trunk's space before becoming tree servants!

But without entering the trunk's space, they couldn't obtain the Bodhi Heart!

This is the Bodhi Ancient Tree's Trial!

Hun Yu's expression shifted, a ruthless gleam flashing in his eyes—he growled: "Go in! No reason to retreat here!"

Hun Yu was ruthless enough to understand that you can't catch a tiger without entering its den—he led the remaining few Soul Sovereign experts to the tree's base, and like the others, they were swept away by the green light into the trunk's space.

Jiu Feng's colorful pupils, though Shen Mi Zhi Yi, could not pierce through the Bodhi Ancient Tree.

"Come on, let's go in together!"

In an instant, the space around the Bodhi Ancient Tree fell silent once more—as if no one had ever come.

The light gradually faded, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes—and before him lay a desert plain; this barren, sand-choked Manhuang Ancient Domain, Xiao Yan recognized at once—it was exactly the place they'd just passed through!

"What's going on? Why am I out here? Where are Xun Er and the others?!"

Xiao Yan swept his Soul Force across the land—but found no trace of Xun Er or the others; just as he was puzzled, the earth suddenly shook violently, and from the heavens and earth came a deafening roar—then, a terrifying beast tide surged toward Xiao Yan!

The beast tide rolled like a wave, charging from the horizon, and in a few blinks, it was within a hundred zhang—surrounding Xiao Yan from all directions, above and below—there was no escape from this sheer number.

Yet strangely, Xiao Yan felt no fear or worry—instead, he felt a flicker of impatience; he frowned, raised his hand, and a terrifying Dou Qi coalesced in his palm, beyond description.

Xiao Yan swept his hand—and the Dou Qi became a river-like band as massive as a Shan Mai, instantly wiping out every Fierce Beast; even the Eight Rank Peak super beasts were erased with a single wave of his hand.

"Huh? Did I become a Dou Saint? Did I just obtain the Bodhi Heart and break through to Dou Saint?!" Suddenly, a stream of information appeared in Xiao Yan's mind—he had obtained the Bodhi Heart, endured a hundred-year cycle of reincarnation, and broken through to the Dou Saint Realm.

Xun Er and the others had left ahead of him during the Refining of the Bodhi Heart.

Xiao Yan's lips suddenly curled into a smirk, his eyes filled with mockery—he pulled a Bodhi Seed from his storage ring; the Bodhi Seed emitted a faint coolness.

"Even without your reminder, I knew—so this is it. Those half-Sage tree servants were trapped in this Spiritual Soul illusion..."

"If your Trial is just this, then it's rather boring."

Wum!! Suddenly, Xiao Yan's shadow spread like ink, staining the earth black—the barren land of the Manhuang Ancient Domain was swiftly drowned in darkness, then a sliver of dawn-like Golden Light burst forth from within!

Golden Light blooming from darkness—this strange sight felt strangely harmonious.

Then, from the endless dark Shen Yuan below, a three-faced, six-armed Asura Giant Image rose—taller than the Sky, thicker than the Earth!

The three-faced, six-armed Asura Giant Image was monstrously huge—as if even the Dou Qi Continent couldn't contain it, as if it had surpassed the heavens, impossibly vast, beyond description.

"This Spiritual Soul illusion is decent—you want me to drown in this power? Then I'll borrow the power you 'bestowed' upon me."

Xiao Yan grinned—wondering whether the Bodhi Ancient Tree could satisfy his boundlessly greedy heart.

Xiao Yan formed a hand seal, activated the Imperial Soul Technique—his Soul Emperor Realm surged from Initial Stage to Mid-Stage, then Late Stage, then Perfect Completion—and then, a terrifying, indescribable Soul Power spread across heaven and earth!

As Xiao Yan's Soul Force rose, the three-faced, six-armed Asura Giant Image continued to grow—KAKAKAK!! Even the Bodhi Ancient Tree's Spiritual Soul illusion began to crack under the pressure of the Imperial Soul Force!

Seeing the Spiritual Soul illusion begin to fracture, Xiao Yan slowly shook his head: "Looks like you're done. Then break."

As Xiao Yan spoke the word "break," the six arms of the Asura Shadow each gripped a Spiritual Soul Blade, merging them into one—then slashed downward toward the distance!

That slash seemed ready to cleave the Dou Qi Continent in two—in Xiao Yan's vision, the Sky, the Earth, and Space were all split cleanly in half.

Boom! The entire Spiritual Soul illusion was instantly severed by Xiao Yan's Asura Soul-Cleaving Technique—and like a shattered mirror, it exploded with a crash.

As this world shattered, Xiao Yan's vision blurred—he blinked, and found himself in a space filled with emerald green; in this space stood an Ancient Tree roughly thirty meters tall, as if eternally rooted here—its entire body a vivid jade-green, like the finest emerald, radiating astonishing Life Force.

This tree was identical to the Bodhi Ancient Tree outside, which stood nearly a thousand zhang tall—only it had been shrunk countless times.

Looking at this tiny Bodhi Ancient Tree, Xiao Yan stepped forward, poked it with his finger—and confirmed it was real, solid.

Shashasha—the small Bodhi Ancient Tree swayed its branches, signaling that this tiny human was impolite!

Xiao Yan looked up, sensing the Bodhi Ancient Tree's intelligence, and opened his palm: "I'm clearly the first to pass your illusion Trial. Aren't you supposed to reward me?"

Xiao Yan directly demanded the Bodhi Heart—he was the first!

Under Xiao Yan's gaze, the emerald Bodhi Ancient Tree trembled slightly—tiny light orbs floated out from its body, hovering before Xiao Yan; the orbs shifted, revealing scenes within—Xiao Yan glanced once, and his face changed drastically—the people inside were Xun Er, Cai Lin, and the others who had entered the Bodhi Ancient Tree with him—clearly, they were all trapped in their own illusions.

Seeing these orbs, Xiao Yan's expression darkened instantly—Wum! The Xiao Clan's Clan Mark erupted, his Cultivation Realm surging to Fifth Transformation—then his Soul Force burst from his body, and the Asura Image appeared once more.

Though this Asura Image wasn't as massive, a Soul Sovereign Clan Mark slowly formed on its forehead—Xiao Yan's Soul Force increased slightly, and his Cultivation Realm rose another Star.

This wasn't over—a Dragon Roar rang out—the Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor clad his body, the terrifying Fused Strange Fire crackled and spat through space, his hand gripping Xuan Zhong Chi—and now, Xiao Yan's eyes blazed with a merciless, unmatched killing intent!

He didn't care if this Bodhi Ancient Tree was the most precious tree on the Dou Qi Continent—if anything happened to Xun Er and the others, he would burn this tree to charcoal!

"I don't accept threats. If you want to threaten me—even if you're stronger—I'll leave you something to remember!" Xiao Yan's voice came like an Asura from the Nine Underworld—dark, low, chilling.

If this Bodhi Ancient Tree truly intended to imprison Xun Er and the others forever, he would sacrifice himself—self-detonate every single Fused Strange Fire inside him—to reduce it to ash!

Seeing Xiao Yan's explosive temper, the Bodhi Ancient Tree was startled—shashasha, it frantically shook its branches, radiating goodwill. It didn't come here to fight Xiao Yan!

On the contrary—it had a favor to ask.

"Huh?" Sensing the Bodhi Ancient Tree's goodwill, Xiao Yan frowned: "You want me to help you?"

Shh.

Xiao Yan did not break his state, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on the Bodhi Ancient Tree.

Facing Xiao Yan's stare, the Bodhi Ancient Tree swayed again; a light orb emerged, within which stood a Bodhi Ancient Tree ten thousand zhang tall. Yet Xiao Yan's gaze did not fix on the tree itself, but on the empty air before it—where a figure clad in black robes stood atop the void, a presence as if the Supreme of Heaven and Earth slowly spreading from his body. Beneath this aura, even the ten-thousand-zhang-tall Bodhi Ancient Tree appeared insignificantly small.

Though Xiao Yan did not know what realm this being had reached, the Bodhi Ancient Tree had already clearly told him.

"Dou Di."

Xiao Yan's eyes shimmered with deep shock. Hadn't all Dou Di in this world vanished? What was going on?

Then, Xiao Yan saw a battle between two Dou Di!

In short, ten thousand years ago, a black-robed Dou Di clashed in a cataclysmic battle with another Dou Di. The black-robed Dou Di was gravely wounded and sought to seize the essence and spirit of the Bodhi Ancient Tree to heal himself. But the Bodhi Ancient Tree resisted autonomously, joining forces with the other Dou Di. After paying a terrible cost, they together slew the black-robed Dou Di.

As the black-robed Dou Di lay dying, he unleashed all his resentment, rage, and hatred—negative emotions that coalesced into a peculiar black mist, which seeped into the Bodhi Ancient Tree.

This caused the Bodhi Ancient Tree to be continuously corroded and damaged until its spiritual awareness was sealed. The negative energy Qing Lin first encountered originated from that black-robed Dou Di.

The Bodhi Ancient Tree had not appeared in ten thousand years because it had been corroded and sealed by these negative emotions—its spiritual awareness locked away. This time it appeared not by its own will, but under the control of the Dou Di's negative emotions.

Its purpose was to attract powerful cultivators, turn them into tree slaves, and manipulate those slaves to seek out Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, thereby gaining full control of the Bodhi Ancient Tree and usurping its domain.

But the result? Xiao Yan shattered the eerie illusion, slashed through space with the Sword of Asura's Soul Severance—and accidentally awakened the true spiritual awareness of the sealed Bodhi Ancient Tree, which then brought him to this space.

The Bodhi Ancient Tree hoped Xiao Yan could help it eliminate those eerie black mist negative energies.

Having learned the full story of the Bodhi Ancient Tree, Xiao Yan now stood dumbfounded—not because of the tree's plight, nor the Dou Di battle ten thousand years ago, but because the black mist negative energy had been left behind by a Dou Di.

After all, there were no Dou Di left in this world! Hun Tian Di had gone mad trying to become a Dou Di. And according to the Soul Information left behind by Ancestor Xiao Xuan, Xiao Yan knew well: the reason no one could become a Dou Di now was because this world lacked something called Source Qi.

Xiao Xuan had failed to break through to Dou Di precisely because he lacked Source Qi.

Then.

"Tree Master, may I humbly ask—one thing: do the negative emotions left by this Dou Di contain Source Qi?"

Xiao Yan swallowed hard, his heart thudding against his throat. Source Qi! The absolute necessity for becoming a Dou Di! Hadn't Hun Tian Di spent a thousand years plotting precisely because the only known place still holding Source Qi was the lair of Tuoshe Ancient Emperor—where one Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill contained a cluster of Source Qi?

If there was Source Qi, who needed a damn Embryonic Pill!

If the negative emotions left by a dead Dou Di concealed Source Qi, this could change the entire fate of the Dou Qi Continent!!

Shhh-shhh-shhh~~~

But unfortunately, Xiao Yan was disappointed.

No.

Xiao Yan shrugged. Though he didn't know what Source Qi was good for, he knew it must be precious. It seemed the black-robed Dou Di had been unable to leave behind any Source Qi upon death.

"Alright." Xiao Yan spread his hands, then turned to the Bodhi Ancient Tree and said, "You want me to use my Flame to refine the Bodhi Seeds to purge the negative energy from you?"

The Ancient Tree shook its branches, and countless green specks floated out from its body, hovering before Xiao Yan—all of them Bodhi Seeds, their crystal-clear luster unmistakably purer by countless degrees than the one he held.

Twenty-four in total.

Seeing these twenty-four Bodhi Seeds, Xiao Yan glanced at the small Bodhi Ancient Tree, blinked, and smiled sweetly: "Tree Brother, if I help you purge the negative energy, what will you give me?"

Wasn't this Bodhi Ancient Tree famed as the Tree of Wisdom? Why did it seem so dim-witted!

(End of Chapter)