.
The ancient Bodhi tree was speechless, but its anticipation and eagerness were easily palpable.
"I understand what you mean, but I can't do it on my own, even with the help of the strange fire. I need your help."
The ancient Bodhi tree's consciousness was naive, like a child with no distractions. After gradually accustoming itself to it, Chen Guan stopped beating around the bush.
"Huahua..."
Hearing Chen Guan's words, the ancient Bodhi tree suddenly began to sway rapidly, its intense joy infecting Chen Guan's face with a smile.
As if fearing he would regret his decision, the next moment, a ball of light shot out from the ancient tree, within which was a strange emerald green flame.
This flame was not a strange fire, but it far surpassed those powerful beast fires, imbued with an extremely rich vitality, somewhat similar to the Flame of Life on the List of Strange Fires.
Following the flames, a Bodhi seed flew out and plunged into the flames. Soon, the emerald green flames refined the Bodhi seed, and a pure energy emerged, finally entering the ancient tree's body.
After this refreshing energy entered his body, the chilling emanation from the ancient Bodhi tree seemed to fade slightly.
The ancient Bodhi tree was demonstrating, unable to communicate verbally, so it could only display this.
"I understand. I'll do my best,"
Chen Guan nodded slightly. He didn't really have much in mind for the Bodhi seeds. More useful to him right now were the ancient Bodhi tree's other two treasures:
the Bodhi Heart, and the enlightenment beneath the tree! A
rustling
sound of wind pierced through the air, and streaks of green light flew out from the ancient Bodhi tree, floating before Chen Guan.
Upon closer inspection, he saw that these green streaks were all Bodhi seeds!
And their quality seemed far superior to the one he had given Ran Qingchen.
"Twenty-four... You really treat me like a laborer,"
Chen Guan muttered silently, sitting cross-legged.
With a flick of his palm, a strange fire ignited, and his spiritual power emanated from his body, tossing the two Bodhi seeds into the flames.
"I'm getting started. From now on, I need to focus completely. My friends, please keep an eye on me."
Chen Guan casually mentioned this, but he didn't expect the ancient Bodhi tree to actually sway in response, completely relieving Chen Guan of any worries.
Chi chi...
The Bodhi seed contained an extremely powerful energy, incapable of being consumed by ordinary flames. Even with the help of the strange fire, refining it would be a time-consuming task.
Refining the Bodhi seed for the first time, Chen Guan prioritized steady action, spending nearly forty minutes to melt it into a crystal-clear liquid. Then, under the intense heat of the strange fire, it slowly evaporated, transforming into wisps of pure, emerald-green air that drifted toward the ancient Bodhi tree.
As the air was absorbed by the tree, the tree trembled for a moment, and then a very thin wisp of black air was expelled, reducing the chilling atmosphere.
Chen Guan nodded in satisfaction. As long as it worked, it was good.
"Continue."
With a wave of his hand, Chen Guan directly enveloped two bodhi seeds in the strange fire. Perhaps due to his experience, the refining speed was several minutes faster.
Of course, the price of this increased speed was the rapid depletion of his internal fighting spirit.
However, this was not a problem Chen Guan needed to worry about. The ancient bodhi tree, having just tasted the sweetness of success, saw that Chen Guan's consumption was quite high and was even more anxious than Chen Guan himself. With
a "clatter,"
the tree's trunk, several dozen feet long, shook. A ball of green light emanated from its trunk, forming an emerald green cushion at the base of the ancient bodhi tree. Then, the ancient tree extended a branch and, like an arm, pushed the cushion in front of Chen Guan.
The meaning was clear.
"We're all helping each other, no thanks."
With a hearty laugh, Chen Guan readily accepted the kindness.
Boom!
As soon as he sat on the cushion, Chen Guan felt a surge of terrifyingly pure energy, like a wave, flooding into his body. In the blink of an eye, the previous consumption was replenished.
Even after returning to peak form, the energy continued to flow. A visible, pure aura enveloped Chen Guan. His Dou Qi, already at the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Zun realm and seemingly boundless in its capacity, now slowly expanded, greedily absorbing the seemingly endless energy from the cushion.
Only when Chen Guan's Dou Qi had expanded by nearly one-tenth did the changes stabilize.
The cushion showed no signs of energy depletion. Sitting on it felt warm, like bathing in a sea of Dou Qi, giving one the illusion of being able to use ultimate moves from Heaven-level Dou Skills as basic attacks...
Furthermore, Chen Guan discovered that his mind was now clearer than ever, as if no problem could stump him.
This cushion was a treasure!
With it in hand, whether cultivating Dou Qi or comprehending Dou Skills, he would surely achieve twice the result with half the effort!
Unfortunately, Chen Guan couldn't take it with him. It was a manifestation of the ancient Bodhi tree, and all its energy came from the tree itself, not from physical branches or other objects.
"Go on, I have endless power now."
His palm became a furnace, a blazing flame radiating intense heat.
No longer needing to worry about consuming his Dou Qi, Chen Guan once again refined the Bodhi seeds with unbridled abandon. His speed suddenly nearly doubled, completing a single refining session in less than twenty minutes.
Four hours slipped by in this frenzied refining.
By this time, Chen Guan had refined all twenty-four Bodhi seeds and was watching the ancient Bodhi tree transform.
"Buzz..."
As the last trace of black energy dissipated, a humming sound suddenly emanated from the jade-like Bodhi tree. Then, a dazzling green glow erupted from its trunk, filling the entire area and intensifying the already vibrant vitality to an incredible degree.
"Success."
The ancient Bodhi tree was now undoubtedly even greener than before, and the subtle chill that had permeated it was completely gone. Now, the tree evoked a strange feeling of peace, holiness, and wisdom. Witnessing
its transformation firsthand, Chen Guan felt a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. A branch of the ancient tree drooped down, slowly extending to Chen Guan's side, circling him, sometimes nudging his shoulder or arm. Its joy was palpable, giving the impression of... "Alright, I know you're happy. Helping you refine the Bodhi seed this time has given me some new insights into fire control. Let me practice for a while." Patting the drooping branch, Chen Guan returned to his cushion, closing his eyes and concentrating, digesting his insights.
"Om..."
At this moment, a strange sound quietly emanated from the ancient Bodhi tree, followed by a burst of emerald green light. Like countless tentacles, they pulled Chen Guan, who was sitting cross-legged on the cushion, closer to the tree.
Strangely, despite Chen Guan's mental strength, he was completely unaware of these movements.
One can only imagine the terrifying disparity between the man and the tree at this moment...
The moment Chen Guan made contact with the tree, ripples erupted from the ancient Bodhi tree, and Chen Guan slowly merged into it, finally sitting cross-legged at the center like a sculpture, motionless, eyes closed, unmoving, unaware of the changes in the outside world
.
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Elsewhere,
almost simultaneously, a mysterious wave emanated from the ancient Bodhi tree, and space suddenly cracked, opening into a series of gaps.
Immediately following, a series of shattered figures were expelled by the ancient Bodhi tree, landing in various locations within the strange space.
Among them were Gu Xun'er, Hun Yu, Jiu Feng, and others.
However, Xiao Yixian, Yun Yun, Ran Qingchen, Tianhuo Zunzun, and the others were nowhere to be seen.
With the negativity of the Black-Cloaked Dou Di dispelled, the illusion naturally shattered, allowing those who would otherwise have been unable to escape the illusion to escape.
As for Xiao Yixian and the others, it was undoubtedly the ancient Bodhi tree that had held them back.
Putting aside the Three Bodhi Treasures, the benefits of remaining within the ancient Bodhi tree for cultivation were obvious.
"Where is this?"
"What a terrifying ancient Bodhi tree!"
After regaining consciousness, the crowd began to murmur. Some surveyed their surroundings cautiously, some sighed with lingering fear, and others, like Gu Xun'er and Hun Yu, who had immediately noticed the problem, fixed their gazes on the ancient Bodhi tree. Their expressions varied.
At this moment, even Hun Yu, a shrewd person, couldn't help but clench his fists in envy and jealousy.
Why him?
Why was he so lucky?
Disciples of the ancient clans, like Gu Qingyang and Gu Hua, also expressed envy.
With their knowledge, they could naturally guess Chen Guan's current situation.
The Three Bodhi Treasures, the Bodhi Heart, and the Bodhi Seeds are all tangible objects.
However, in terms of their preciousness, they are far less valuable than the ethereal enlightenment found beneath the Bodhi Tree!
The ancient Bodhi Tree, also known as the Wisdom and Reincarnation Tree,
is said to possess the miraculous power of allowing one to experience a hundred reincarnations. Those who have undergone this kind of reincarnation training truly possess the potential to rise to the pinnacle of the continent.
That is, the legendary Dou Di!
On this continent, anything associated with the title "Dou Di" is enough to drive countless powerful individuals mad.
Even a genius like Gu Xun'er felt a bit dazed at the moment.
"So what if he picked up a bargain? Even his enormous potential needs time to be realized. This time, we must not let him escape!"
A sinister voice emanated from Hun Yu's mouth. His icy gaze swept across the room, searching for Chen Guan's relatives and friends, attempting to thwart any thoughts of escape after his retreat.
However, he scanned again and again, finding no one...
not even Xiao Yan and his disciple were there!
Anger, frustration, jealousy—a myriad of emotions washed over him, uncontrollably venting.
Finally, Hun Yu suddenly turned around and, with lightning speed, appeared beneath the ancient Bodhi tree. Channeling all his Dou Qi, he struck Chen Guan from within the tree, attempting to interrupt his meditation.
No one had expected him to commit such a mad act. People like Jiu Feng, jealous just a moment before, now smirked in a gloating smirk.
However, his smile quickly froze.
Hun Yu's expression suddenly changed, filled with shock and fear. The next moment, as if struck by lightning, his Dou Qi defenses instantly shattered, sending him flying backwards like a kite with its string cut, leaving a trail of blood. Seeing
this, everyone froze, their gazes fixed on the ancient Bodhi tree in fear.
It was protecting that boy!
Any move beyond the bounds would only be met with its thunderous retaliation!
In the distance, Hun Yu climbed from the ground, stuffed a handful of pills into his mouth, swallowed them whole, and wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth. The madness in his eyes finally calmed a little.
Then, ignoring the others' gazes, he sat down cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate.
He understood; there was no way to interrupt.
For now, the only option was to wait until we could escape and settle the matter.
"This space has locked us in. We can't go anywhere. Do we have to wait for Chen Guan to wake up before we can leave together?" One powerful figure frowned after trying several times.
"I'm afraid that's the case. I wonder what Chen Guan did to deserve the ancient Bodhi tree's protection. The life force here is incredibly rich, so waiting a while won't hurt. Looking at it from another perspective, it's an unparalleled place for cultivation."
This was the only way they could console themselves.
...
Time slipped quietly through the tedious practice, and before they knew it, a month and a half had passed.
During this time, every time the powerful beings within the strange dimension awoke from their practice, their envy and jealousy grew as they glanced at the young man atop the ancient Bodhi tree.
Because of the ancient Bodhi tree, they couldn't discern Chen Guan's aura or strength, but simply observing him through the tree's trunk, their initial impression of him was constantly changing.
He was undergoing a transformation!
Witnessing this, some people became uneasy.
Jiufeng was the most prominent example.
Although he had previously wished Chen Guan dead, he had at least maintained his composure and refrained from any rash actions.
But now, he was on pins and needles, his daily mood more irritable than even Soul Jade.
After all, Soul Jade has the Soul Clan's backing, so even if Chen Guan rises, it's unlikely he'll threaten their foundation.
The Sky Demon Phoenix Clan, however, is different. If Chen Guan rises, he's highly likely to help unify the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan. Leveraging his connections with the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan, he might even be able to annihilate the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan.
Little did he know, the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan had already been unified...
Jiufeng's thoughts grew increasingly horrified. He was the next leader of the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan, and he didn't want to see that happen.
For this reason, Jiufeng had been in frequent contact with Soul Jade for the past few days, his purpose obvious.
...
Emotions are contagious. Perhaps influenced by Jiufeng, or perhaps he was secretly fueling the flames, the atmosphere within the strange dimension grew increasingly tense and frantic.
Even Gu Xun'er and her companions were helpless.
"Chen Guan is in danger this time. I think Jiufeng and Hunyu are determined to keep him at all costs. A bloodbath is inevitable once he gets out, and some old monsters might even show up. Xun'er, if it really comes to that, should we inform the clan? Chen Guan has this opportunity with the ancient Bodhi tree, and his future is limitless. Given his relationship with the Hun Clan, it seems there's no harm in lending a hand?"
Within the small circle of the Gu Clan, Gu Qingyang seemed to be asking, but in fact he was offering a suggestion.
This was an opportunity to help in times of need!
Gu Xun'er couldn't fail to understand this, but at this moment, she didn't reply, her beautiful eyes fixed on the ancient Bodhi tree.
"He's awake."
(End of this chapter)