Chapter 555

After witnessing the Bodhi Ancient Tree's experiences from ten thousand years ago, Xiao Yan scrutinized this tiny Bodhi Ancient Tree and thought: "This thing before me must be the Bodhi Ancient Tree's tree spirit."

This tree spirit resembles the origin of Strange Fires, but unlike them, it cannot be refined—because the Bodhi Ancient Tree is more like a living being, and this spirit is its Spiritual Soul; yet unlike beasts, the Bodhi Ancient Tree survives so long simply because it possesses low intelligence and only basic instincts.

Not only can this tree spirit not be refined, but even if it could, the Bodhi Ancient Tree itself could not be taken away.

Xiao Yan began to observe this peculiar space; although the area he stood in teemed with life and was carpeted with green grass, when he gazed farther out, he noticed blackened cracks in the space, like countless fine black needles piercing in.

These black needles were minuscule, exhaling black light; upon closer inspection, one could see these black rays continuously absorbing the life force of this space.

Without doubt, this was the core inner space of the Bodhi Ancient Tree—the equivalent of a human's Spiritual Soul—but due to the great battle and the influence of those black mists, the tree spirit had been severely wounded, unable to heal, its living space constantly compressed, until finally even control of its body was stripped away, leaving it to slumber here.

With Xiao Yan's near-Nine Grade Alchemist's vision, he knew the tree spirit was on the verge of collapse; had he not shattered the evil consciousness's soul illusion and used the Bodhi Seed to reach this inner space, the tree spirit would surely be obliterated and consumed within the next millennium.

Imagine—this is the Bodhi Ancient Tree's most core inner space, its very Spiritual Soul; yet the Bodhi Ancient Tree had to bring Xiao Yan, a man possessing eleven Strange Fires, into this place—equivalent to risking its entire life.

If Xiao Yan had truly harbored ill intent and unleashed the Eleven-Color Fire Lotus, the tree spirit would be instantly annihilated.

Once a supreme being of the world, now reduced to such a state—how tragic.

And those light orbs surrounding Xun Er and the others? The Bodhi Ancient Tree wasn't threatening Xiao Yan—it was telling him that Xun Er and the others were trapped in soul illusions crafted by the evil consciousness; only by helping it reclaim control of its body could it free them.

Shusha-shusha~~~ The Bodhi Ancient Tree swayed its branches, like a child urging Xiao Yan to buy candy.

After carefully examining it, Xiao Yan glanced at the twenty-four floating Bodhi Seeds, his eyes flickering with unusual light as he smiled and said: "Ancient Tree Brother, I can completely eliminate these negative energies. After I help you, I'd like you to leave me a branch on Xiao Realm's soil."

Sha!? (What!?)

What startled the Bodhi Ancient Tree's spirit wasn't the request for a branch—that was trivial; what shocked it was Xiao Yan claiming he had a way to utterly eliminate the negative energies left by the Dou Di!

These twenty-four Bodhi Seeds cannot fully resolve the Dou Di's negative energies—they can only clear the floating black mist in the spirit's space, merely enabling the Bodhi Ancient Tree's spirit to reclaim control of its body; afterward, it would plunge into the earth's core to absorb its energy, slowly repairing itself and gradually dispelling the negative energies, then slowly regaining its former peak.

This would take an extremely long time—perhaps thousands or even ten thousand years—before it reappeared.

Now you, a mere Dou Zun, claim you can solve it?! Even a Dou Sage couldn't do it!

But the Bodhi Ancient Tree didn't know this man wasn't just a near-Nine Grade Alchemist—he also possessed a Supreme Treasure rivaling the top three on the Dou Qi Continent.

Hu—the tiny black cat emerged from the space; the moment Mao Wu appeared, the Bodhi Ancient Tree's spirit trembled—it recognized it! This was Swallowing Flame!

Though far weaker than true Swallowing Flame, it already possessed part of Swallowing Flame's power, for Mao Wu was nearing Heavenly Emperor Fire!

To consume negative energy—Mao Wu is the expert!

Miao! Mao Wu's expression turned grave; this was Dou Di-level negative energy—unless it was its true form, even a cat like it couldn't handle it.

"Relax." Xiao Yan waved his hand, and the twenty-four purest, highest-quality Bodhi Seeds flew before him.

"These Bodhi Seeds, when refined with Strange Fires, can neutralize the Dou Di's negative energy. With their help, it should work." Xiao Yan smiled faintly.

These were Dou Di relics! The Dou Di were the most invincible beings on this continent—even a wounded Black Robe Dou Di had the power to seize the Bodhi Ancient Tree's spirit during its peak to heal himself, and had nearly killed the fully powered Bodhi Ancient Tree; had another Dou Di not pursued and attacked, the Bodhi Ancient Tree would already be dead!

The final negative emotions of its death, ten thousand years later, had invaded the Bodhi Ancient Tree's consciousness, forming an evil consciousness.

Imagine how terrifying a Dou Di truly was!

If he could devour these negative energies, Xiao Yan had no idea what might happen!

What Bodhi Heart? Isn't the most precious thing here these relics left by the Dou Di?!

Xiao Yan licked his lips; he had to try—this was a Dou Di's legacy, he had to take a chance, a little greed! If he succeeded, this would be more precious than the Bodhi Heart!

Xiū—a single crystal-clear Bodhi Seed shot toward Mao Wu, who opened its mouth and swallowed it whole.

Xiao Yan formed a hand seal, unleashing the full power of the Heavenly Flame Three Mysteries Transformation; the Seven-Colored Clan Mark appeared on his forehead, his Cultivation Realm instantly surging to Fifth Transformation, boundless Dou Qi flooding into Mao Wu without restraint!

Boom-boom-boom!! With Xiao Yan's massive Dou Qi support, Black Flame filled the sky; it took a full hour to refine the Bodhi Seed until it began to melt, transforming into wisps of clear, slightly emerald-green vapor that swirled around Mao Wu, tinting the black flames with a touch of emerald.

"Go! Swallow it!" Xiao Yan shoved forward; Mao Wu exhaled a burst of Black Flame that surged toward the vast, murky black mist above the tree spirit.

These were the Dou Di's negative energies that had suppressed the Bodhi Ancient Tree's spirit—yet this was only a tiny fraction; the Bodhi Ancient Tree's true body was saturated with far greater quantities of these negative energies.

Boom!! Black Flame and black mist collided instantly; Swallowing Flame's unique ability was to devour all things—but the black mist was no easy foe, for it was a Dou Di's creation!

Zī! As Black Flame met the black mist, the Bodhi Seed's clear vapor appeared, neutralizing the black energy; once weakened, Swallowing Flame unleashed its devouring power and rapidly consumed it.

"It works!"

Xiao Yan's heart leapt with joy; he immediately sat cross-legged, fusing his remaining ten Strange Fires into a new Strange Fire, then tossed another Bodhi Seed into the Fused Strange Fire and began refining it desperately.

Even with the Burning Scripture pushed to its limit, the Dou Qi required to refine the Bodhi Seeds and support Swallowing Flame's devouring was immense—and his reserves were quickly depleted.

Just as Xiao Yan's Dou Qi faltered and he prepared to swallow an Elixir, the Bodhi Ancient Tree's spirit, which had been watching silently, finally reacted; it shook violently, and a tender green sprout slowly extended, forming a green, ancient meditation cushion; then the Ancient Tree extended a branch, lifting Xiao Yan and placing him upon the cushion.

Bang!

The instant his buttocks touched the ancient cushion, Xiao Yan's body violently trembled; a torrent of terrifyingly pure energy surged into him like a flood, and at that moment, every pore of his body seemed to explode open, and a visible clear vapor slowly seeped from the crown of his head.

"What terrifying life force!" Xiao Yan's heart jolted; this wasn't merely rapid restoration of Dou Qi—it could also dispel fatigue and restore Spiritual Power and Soul Force! This was undoubtedly the most nourishing life energy in the heavens and earth!

Crackling!

A tidal wave of pure energy continuously surged into Xiao Yan, causing a series of crackling sounds within his body; under this furious infusion, within mere instants, Xiao Yan felt his previously depleted Dou Qi fully restored—and even more concentrated than during his former peak.

"No wonder even the Dou Di wanted the tree spirit to heal themselves!"

Even now, far below its peak, the Bodhi Ancient Tree's spirit still possessed such pure life force—truly deserving of its rank among the top three Supreme Treasures of the Dou Qi Continent!

Sensing the changes within him, Xiao Yan couldn't help but draw a sharp breath; the energy within the Bodhi Ancient Tree was extraordinarily pure—requiring no refinement whatsoever to be absorbed as Dou Qi. In other words, the Bodhi Ancient Tree was an inexhaustible source of Dou Qi; as long as it existed, one would never fear depletion.

But the most terrifying aspect wasn't this—it seemed the Bodhi Ancient Tree also possessed a capacity-expanding effect; for example, Xiao Yan's body had a fixed capacity for storing Dou Qi, yet the Bodhi Ancient Tree could increase that fixed value—meaning, while restoring Dou Qi, it subtly expanded the container holding it.

It was essentially aiding Xiao Yan's Cultivation!

Yet just as Xiao Yan rejoiced, an anomaly occurred—he realized part of the life force the Bodhi Ancient Tree had injected into him had been stolen!

"Hm? It's the Third Face of the Asura Soul-Cutting Technique!"

Xiao Yan's heart sank; the Third Face, which had remained utterly silent until now, finally reacted!

"The Third Face doesn't need Spiritual Soul essence—it needs Life Force!"

Xiao Yan's inner vision revealed the insubstantial Third Face slightly opening its mouth, slowly absorbing the Bodhi Ancient Tree's pure life essence; though only a tiny amount, this was the power of the Bodhi Ancient Tree—even a little was terrifying to ordinary beings!

The First Face required Heavenly Energy, the Second Face required Spiritual Soul essence, and the Third Face required Life Force—all three demanded entirely different things.

"Heh, this job paid off big time!" Xiao Yan silently gave the Bodhi Ancient Tree boss a thumbs-up.

Paid to work, duty fulfilled—he dared not slack off with this boss who had lived countless years; he once again unleashed his Dou Qi in frenzy, desperately refining more Bodhi Seeds, then using his Soul Force to guide each wisp of Bodhi essence toward Mao Wu, aiding it in devouring the Dou Di's negative energy.

After consuming one Bodhi Seed, he tossed another into the furnace to continue Refining, and discovered that the more Dou Qi he expended, the faster his Cultivation Realm improved; Xiao Yan wished he could instantly expend all his Dou Qi, and no longer hoarded it.

This is what true wolf culture is! The more you give, the more you get! The Ancient Tree is a great boss.

With a great boss supporting them, Xiao Yan and Mao Wu worked even harder. Time passed second by second; once Mao Wu had devoured all the Black Flame in this space, the Black Flame began surging outward through the cracks in the space.

It began devouring the negative energy of the Dou Emperor that had contaminated the entire Bodhi Ancient Tree. With a hum, as all the Black Flame that had invaded the Spirit Space was purified, the suppression lifted—and the tiny Spirit suddenly emitted a buzzing sound, followed by a brilliant surge of green light.

Blinding streams of green light erupted from the tree's body, filling the entire space and making the already dense Life Force even more potent.

With a hum, in the Manhuang Ancient Domain, a towering green light burst forth from the Bodhi Ancient Tree; the strange black mists surrounding it vanished at once. The Spirit of the Bodhi Ancient Tree had finally reclaimed control of its body!

"What's going on?!" Those who had not entered the trunk of the Bodhi Ancient Tree with Xiao Yan and the others all rose to their feet, staring at the tree, bewildered by this sudden surge of immense Life Force—its aura was utterly unlike what it had been just moments ago.

"This is…" Feng Qing'er'er, who had been waiting here for her clan members to emerge, turned her beautiful eyes toward the Bodhi Ancient Tree, her lovely face filled with astonishment. Though she did not know what had happened, her intuition told her this was surely Xiao Yan's doing—only he possessed such heavenly abilities!

Feng Qing'er'er pressed her lips together, clenched her jade fingers into a fist, squeezed tightly, then let them go limp.

Meanwhile, inside the Spirit Space, Xiao Yan had no intention of stopping now. This negative energy of the Dou Emperor was an absolute supreme tonic—he could never let it slip away!

The refining of the Bodhi Seeds grew faster and faster: from one every hour at first, now one every half hour.

Soon, Xiao Yan found himself with nothing left—every single Bodhi Seed had been refined.

"Gone?!" Xiao Yan silently lamented. There were still some hidden Dou Emperor negative energies within the trunk of the Bodhi Ancient Tree, but without Bodhi Seeds to assist, Mao Wu could not devour them.

Though regrettable, the Ten Elders had worked overtime to their limit—no triple wages for them now!

Shhh-shhh-shhh!! The Spirit of the Bodhi Ancient Tree excitedly shook its branches. Xiao Yan had not only helped it reclaim control, but also purged much of its negative energy. It believed that once it reentered the earth's core, within the next thousand years it would reappear in the world and bring the hope of becoming a Sage Emperor to the Dou Qi Continent!

Seeing the Bodhi Ancient Tree complete its transformation, Xiao Yan smiled and nodded in satisfaction. To have done a favor for the Bodhi Ancient Tree—throughout history, only Xiao Yan himself could have done it.

(End of Chapter)