Chapter 830
The Power of the Dou Di
As the lingering effects of the shattered space dissipated, Xiao Ling's vision blurred, and when his thoughts returned, he found himself in a space overflowing with emerald green.
Here stands an ancient tree, several dozen feet tall, seemingly rooted here since time immemorial. Its entire body is lustrous and emerald green, as if carved from the finest jade. It is surrounded by an extremely vigorous life force, which permeates the space in wisps.
The appearance of this tree is exactly the same as the towering Bodhi tree outside, only infinitely smaller. It looks somewhat similar to the Bodhi tree sapling that Xiao Ling obtained earlier.
In Xiao Ling's sight, the ancient Bodhi tree, its surface gleaming, suddenly trembled slightly. A ball of light drifted out from the tree trunk and hovered before him. The ball of light shifted and changed, revealing a clear image within it—the person in it was Xun'er.
Clearly, even though Xiao Ling had repeatedly warned her to be vigilant, such a situation was ultimately unavoidable under the illusion of the Bodhi Tree.
However, after thinking about it again, Xiao Ling realized that it was not surprising.
Xun'er is currently only at the Half-Saint level, while the true combat power of this Bodhi Ancient Tree is a genuine Dou Di level. With such a difference in cultivation level right in front of her, even if Xun'er has a strong will and is extremely vigilant, she will find it difficult to resist the invasion of this level of illusion.
The illusion he had been trapped in was incredibly realistic. The warmth of everyday life amidst the shifting light and shadow, the familiarity in the conversations of relatives and friends—everything was meticulously detailed, almost a perfect replica of his real life.
If the illusion hadn't simulated scenes from Xiao Ling's past life, and if those fragments of memory etched deep into his soul hadn't allowed him to immediately recognize the falsehood, even he would probably have been trapped in that mirage for a long time, struggling before finding a way to break free and escape the shackles.
"Please release my companion, senior." Xiao Ling raised his eyes to look at the ancient tree that resembled jade, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, his tone respectful yet composed. "I am willing to make a fair trade with you, senior. If you have any needs, I will do my best to help you!"
Xiao Ling had already made up his mind. This Bodhi tree should not have any real malice towards him and Xun'er. The shrunken ancient tree in front of him was obviously a manifestation of its original consciousness, rather than the part that had been corrupted by evil intentions.
Such a pure and primordial consciousness would surely ask for something reasonable, and it shouldn't make things too difficult for the two of them.
In response to Xiao Ling's request, the ancient Bodhi tree, its entire body gleaming, swayed gently once more. As its branches and leaves rustled, another ball of light drifted out from the tree and floated in mid-air.
Within the ball of light, the scene suddenly unfolded. A towering ancient Bodhi tree, tens of thousands of feet tall, stood majestically, its canopy almost touching the sky. But in front of it, a figure dressed in black stood in mid-air, exuding an aura of supreme authority that transcended heaven and earth.
The aura was vast and boundless, as deep and boundless as the ocean. Even a mere trace of its residual power leaking from the ball of light was enough to cause the surrounding space to tremble slightly.
Under such supreme pressure, even the ancient Bodhi tree, which was ten thousand feet tall, appeared as insignificant as dust, as if it could be crushed to death by this aura at any moment.
"This is... the might of a Battle Emperor!"
Xiao Ling's gaze suddenly froze, and a few uncontrollable ripples finally stirred in his usually calm eyes.
He stared intently at the black-clad figure within the ball of light. Even though it was just a phantom projection, the supreme aura that transcended all things rushed towards him as if it were real, causing his soul to tremble slightly.
This kind of pressure is vast and boundless, like the collapse of heaven and earth, like the reversal of the universe. Apart from the legendary Dou Di powerhouse, no one else in the world can possess it!
Even though he had personally witnessed the strongest individuals, his prospective father-in-law Zhu Kun and Gu Yuan, both of whom stood at the pinnacle of the Dou Qi Continent, their combined power was still far less than one ten-thousandth of the projection before him.
Moreover, this was merely a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhi Tree, not the true presence of the Dou Di himself.
Xiao Ling suddenly understood. No wonder countless supreme experts on the Dou Qi Continent have been pursuing the title of "Dou Di" since the beginning of time, spending thousands of years and even sacrificing their lives.
This is not just a leap in realm, but a qualitative transformation! Once you step into the Dou Di realm, you will have the power to look down on all living beings and control the universe. If a Dou Di really wanted to act recklessly and slaughter the entire Dou Qi Continent, it would probably be as easy as turning your hand over.
Despite being somewhat shocked, Xiao Ling did not look away, continuing to stare at the suspended ball of light.
Amidst the shifting light and shadow, the black-clad Dou Di still stood in mid-air before the towering Bodhi Tree, his supreme aura growing ever more intense. The next moment, without warning, he launched a fierce attack on the ancient tree!
The palm strike, carrying the devastating power of a Dou Di, crashed down like a thunderclap from the heavens, shattering space in its wake and turning it into dark void rifts.
Faced with such a deadly attack, the Bodhi Ancient Tree suddenly unleashed a torrent of energy, and a verdant light barrier stretched across the heavens and earth like a wall, colliding violently with the attack of the black-clad Dou Di.
The moment the two terrifying forces clashed, a deafening roar resounded throughout the universe, and chaotic energy currents surged wildly. The entire world trembled violently under this pressure, mountains and rivers cracked, the sky collapsed, and an apocalyptic scene slowly unfolded in the ball of light.
Xiao Ling remained calm, unsurprised. He already knew that the strange gray aura he had sensed before the Bodhi Tree was the negative obsession left behind by the black-clad Dou Di. Back then, he coveted the spirit of the Bodhi Tree, intending to seize and refine it, but ultimately perished in this world.
The images within the ball of light suddenly accelerated, with countless scenes of clashes flashing by like a revolving lantern, finally settling on the most crucial moment. Just as the black-clad Dou Di's attack was about to break through the ancient tree's defenses, a destructive gust of wind suddenly burst forth from the unknown void, carrying the power to annihilate everything, and slammed fiercely into the black-clad Dou Di's back!
Within that powerful gust of wind, there was another Dou Di's aura that was in no way inferior, indicating that another mysterious Dou Di had appeared!
This mysterious Dou Di (Battle Emperor) formed a united front with the Bodhi Ancient Tree. The two joined forces, one attacking and the other defending, trapping the black-clad Dou Di firmly in the center.
The ensuing battle was truly earth-shattering, with the clash of three Dou Di-level powers plunging the entire space into chaos.
In the end, under the combined attack of the Bodhi Ancient Tree's primal power and the mysterious Dou Di, the black-clad Dou Di who coveted the spirit of the ancient tree was shattered inch by inch, his soul and spirit destroyed, and he was finally shaken into nothingness, completely dissipating into the world.
"Tsk tsk... Two Dou Di powerhouses clashing, plus the Bodhi Ancient Tree with combat power comparable to Dou Di, such a magnificent and grand scene can probably only be seen in the distant ancient times, in that golden age of cultivation."
As Xiao Ling gazed at the now-calm aftershocks of chaos within the ball of light, a sense of感慨 arose within him. Though the scene before him had ended, the earth-shattering power of the clash between Dou Di still resonated within him, bringing an indescribable shock.
Unfortunately, the Dou Qi Continent is no longer as glorious as it once was. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth has become increasingly scarce. Ever since the ancient emperor Tuoshe broke through the shackles of Dou Sheng and ascended to the Dou Di realm ten thousand years ago, no one on this continent has been able to reach that supreme realm. The title of Dou Di has become a distant legend passed down in ancient books.
Even though this earth-shattering battle was just a surviving image, it allowed him to truly feel the grandeur of the ancient golden age, and it made him yearn for and be even more determined to reach the supreme realm of the Dou Di.
In ancient times, Dou Di powerhouses were far less rare than they are today. Back then, the primordial energy of heaven and earth was abundant to the extreme. Anyone who could reach the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Sheng realm had the confidence to attempt to break through to the Dou Di path and reach the pinnacle of cultivation.
Even setting aside that distant, almost mythical era, the world was far better in Zhu Kun's youth than it is now.
At that time, there were many ancient races, and the Soul Clan was just an insignificant little race. This alone is enough to show how considerable the number of Dou Di powerhouses was back then, not to mention that there was still room for improvement in the Dou Di realm.
However, battles between Dou Di (Battle Emperors) are never peaceful. Clashes between such powerful figures often cause the heavens and earth to collapse and the universe to crumble. The current size of the Dou Qi Continent simply cannot withstand such an impact. Xiao Ling secretly guessed that this continent was probably no longer the complete Dou Qi Continent it once was.
However, the truth behind all of this has long been buried in the long river of history, and no one can unravel it. Even now, very few people in the world know about the existence of Origin Qi.
For the once-prosperous Dou Qi Continent, where Dou Di were everywhere, such a scene was an unspeakable tragedy.
The images within the ball of light did not cease with the demise of the black-clad Dou Di.
Within the chaos that had transformed into nothingness, wisps of black energy suddenly emerged, like a leech clinging to the bone, and instantly rushed into the trunk of the ancient Bodhi tree.
As these black currents flowed into the tree trunk, the originally clear Bodhi aura surrounding the ancient Bodhi tree was subtly mixed with a very faint chill, and the ancient peacefulness faded somewhat.
After the Bodhi Tree finished showing Xiao Ling all the images, the ball of light suspended in mid-air slowly lost its brilliance and dimmed little by little.
"puff!"
The dim ball of light suddenly condensed into an invisible wisp of energy, which shot straight into Xiao Ling's sea of consciousness like lightning, and finally transformed into a strange flow of information that spread and expanded in his mind.
Xiao Ling closed his eyes and calmly digested the information. After a long time, he slowly opened his eyes, and his eyes showed a hint of understanding. What was contained in the information was almost the same as what he had previously learned.
The ancient Bodhi tree before us has stood here for countless years, but it is certain that it has existed since ancient times.
However, this ancient Bodhi tree never developed complete intelligence.
Perhaps because he was born with power comparable to a Dou Di, the heavens set up a shackle, making the process of his spiritual development extremely difficult, and to this day, he has not been able to possess a complete mind.
Or perhaps because its existence has lasted for so long, the formation of intelligence has been hindered.
Whatever the reason, this ancient Bodhi tree ultimately lacks true wisdom, possessing only the basic instincts of a spiritual being, such as autonomous defense and counterattack.
The image in the previous ball of light showed a scene from a distant past: a heavily injured Dou Di expert, in an attempt to heal his wounds, tried to forcibly extract the spirit of the Bodhi Ancient Tree and use its primordial power to defy the heavens and prolong his life.
However, he ultimately failed and was killed by his nemesis and the Bodhi Tree.
However, the price for killing this black-clad Dou Di fell entirely on the Bodhi Ancient Tree. It was entangled by the overwhelming resentment that overflowed when the other party died, and has been plagued by it ever since.
Speaking of which, this ancient Bodhi tree has really had a lot of bad luck, suffering this undeserved calamity for no reason. If this ancient Bodhi tree had complete intelligence, it would probably cry out in injustice and complain endlessly.
"So you're showing me these videos because you want me to help you?"
Xiao Ling's gaze fell upon the ancient jade tree before him, and he asked softly. He knew in his heart that this Bodhi tree now had two tree spirits, one evil and one good, and the one communicating with him at this moment was naturally the good spirit.
Upon hearing this, the ancient tree immediately began to sway gently, its branches moving in a manner that resembled a person nodding. However, it then swayed slightly again, as if shaking its head. This contradictory behavior left Xiao Ling somewhat puzzled.
"What does it mean?"
Splash—
The ancient tree did not respond; instead, another ball of light floated out from its trunk.
Within the ball of light, a flickering flame first appeared, then instantly condensed into a Bodhi seed. The flame slowly refined the Bodhi seed, and a wisp of clear Bodhi energy emanated from it, finally penetrating the ancient tree's body.
As the pure energy merged in, the chilling aura surrounding the ancient tree visibly diminished.
As soon as the demonstration ended, dozens of green light spots floated out from inside the ancient tree and hovered in front of Xiao Ling. The light gradually faded, revealing their original appearance. They were all plump Bodhi seeds, and their lustrous and translucent color was several times purer than the one in Xiao Ling's hand.
Xiao Ling glanced at the Bodhi seeds before him and let out a soft sigh. Although Bodhi seeds were not as heaven-defying as Bodhi hearts, they could greatly increase the success rate of advancing to the Dou Sheng realm. If they were in the outside world, let alone those of such excellent quality, even the mottled one in his hand would attract countless powerful individuals to fight over it.
But right now, more than twenty Bodhi seeds, which are extremely rare to the outside world, were placed in front of him.
Judging from the way the ancient Bodhi tree casually picked up these seeds, one can tell that these Bodhi seeds are just a drop in the ocean for it, and the number hidden inside is probably countless.
"Using bodhi seeds to dispel negative energy is such a waste of money."
Xiao Ling shook his head, and just as he was about to make a move, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
Bodhi seeds can remove impurities from ancient trees; other methods could likely achieve the same effect.
Moreover, he already has an expert in purification within him, so isn't this situation perfect?
Without further hesitation, Xiao Ling told the spirit of the ancestral stone about the idea that had just popped into his mind.
A moment later, the ancestral stone spirit's usual calm and unwavering voice clearly resounded in his mind, giving a direct and definite reply.
"If you want me to purify the evil aura within this ancient tree, with the assistance and cooperation of this Bodhi tree, it shouldn't be too difficult."
"If you really need my help, I can certainly do it for you." (End of Chapter)