Chapter 831
Continuous Purification
Upon receiving a definite answer from the spirit of the Ancestral Stone, Xiao Ling felt a surge of joy. He immediately began to weigh the pros and cons. If the Ancestral Stone were to purify the stones, wouldn't that save a large number of Bodhi seeds?
Moreover, since we have contributed our efforts, the bodhi seeds that the ancient tree would have used should rightfully be left to us to dispose of. Only in this way is it reasonable.
Xiao Ling raised his eyes to look at the jade-like Bodhi tree in front of him, his palms clenching slightly, his tone sincere yet resolute: "Senior, I may have a way to help you cleanse your body of evil thoughts and obsessions without consuming so many Bodhi seeds."
After speaking, he paused briefly, his gaze falling on the lustrous Bodhi seeds floating in front of him, and added, "I humbly request that if this method is feasible, you could grant me those Bodhi seeds that you originally intended to use to purify evil thoughts. I am not greedy for treasures, but I truly need their assistance on my path of cultivation. I hope you will grant my request."
Having said that, he held his breath, waiting for a response, a sense of unease rising in his heart. After all, this request seemed like a "get-rich-quick scheme," which, while saving the ancient tree from consuming its essence, was also a disguised way of demanding benefits. He wasn't sure if the ancient tree, whose intelligence was not yet fully developed, could understand such a transaction.
The ancient Bodhi tree stood silently for a moment, then its verdant branches suddenly swayed gently, the leaves rustling softly, as if pondering the deeper meaning of Xiao Ling's words. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground, and for a moment, only the sound of the wind and the rustling of leaves filled the space, adding to the solemn atmosphere.
Xiao Ling's heart pounded, his fingertips turning slightly white. He wondered to himself, could it be that the ancient tree felt the transaction was unfair, or doubted the effectiveness of his method?
After all, his cultivation level was only so-so, and it was indeed somewhat unbelievable that he could deal with the evil spirits whose resentment lingered at the Dou Di level. He was even considering whether he should add more bargaining chips or try a different way of communicating if the ancient tree refused.
Just as this anxiety was about to reach its peak, a gentle yet clear thought unexpectedly surged into Xiao Ling's mind. The gist of it was that if Xiao Ling could help him completely cleanse the resentment and evil spirits entrenched in his body, the ancient Bodhi tree would be willing to give him a large number of Bodhi seeds as a reward for his help.
Although the thought was simple, it acted like a reassuring pill, instantly putting Xiao Ling at ease, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He hadn't expected the ancient tree to not only agree so readily, but its sincerity far exceeded his previous expectations, greatly improving Xiao Ling's impression of the Bodhi tree.
"Since you have granted my request, I will do my utmost to help you cleanse your body of evil spirits and resentment, and restore your original purity!" Xiao Ling bowed to the jade-like Bodhi tree, his tone earnest and firm, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.
As soon as he finished speaking, his mind stirred slightly, and he solemnly summoned the spirit of the ancestral stone within his body.
As soon as the thought reached his sea of consciousness, soft white halos appeared around Xiao Ling's body. As the halos flowed and intertwined, a hazy, illusory humanoid outline slowly materialized, which was the manifestation of the spirit of the Ancestral Stone.
Although the outline was not clear, it exuded an ancient and pure aura of purification, resonating with the life force of the ancient Bodhi tree without conflicting with it.
The ancient Bodhi tree standing nearby did not react violently. Its verdant branches remained standing quietly, with only its leaves trembling slightly, as if silently observing the suddenly appearing spirit.
Its lustrous sheen remained unchanged, clearly indicating that it harbored no hostility towards the spirit of the ancestral stone, but merely maintained the instinctive vigilance of a spiritual being, awaiting Xiao Ling's subsequent actions.
Xiao Ling turned to look at the white silhouette and said solemnly, "Yan, I'm entrusting the rest to you."
Upon hearing this, the spirit of the ancestral stone simply nodded slightly and uttered a low and distant "hmm." Without saying anything more, the white aura around its body suddenly solidified.
As the halo shifted, an increasingly refined purifying power slowly spread out, gently enveloping the ancient Bodhi tree, and the purification ritual had begun.
A white, purifying aura suddenly bloomed around the spirit of the ancestral stone, like moonlight pouring down or the first snow falling, transforming into a gentle rain of light that enveloped the ancient Bodhi tree in layers.
The halo was so pure that it contained not a trace of impurity, carrying the unique pure and holy aura of ancient spirits. When it touched the verdant trunk of the ancient tree, it slowly seeped out like warm water melting snow, without any sharpness, only a gentle warmth that soothed the soul.
The moment it was enveloped by this purifying halo, the ancient Bodhi tree suddenly trembled slightly. At first, only its branches swayed gently, and fine light patterns appeared on its lustrous jade-like trunk. As the halo continued to penetrate, the trembling gradually became gentle and rhythmic, and the branches and leaves rustled. It was no longer the tentative swaying it had been before, but rather like plants that had been parched and then received rain, stretching out their trunks to their fullest extent.
The emerald green on the leaves became even brighter, and the gloomy coldness that had lingered around them was visibly faded under the white light, replaced by a clearer life force. Clearly, this purifying power was perfectly in sync with and nourishing its essence. It looked like a creature that had been cured of a serious illness, full of comfort and ease.
Amidst this gentle tremor, specks of black mist began to seep quietly from the trunk, branches, and even the veins of the leaves of the ancient Bodhi tree.
The black mist was as thin as silk, carrying a strong chill and resentment. It was the resentment left behind when the Black-Clad Battle Emperor perished. It had been entangled in the ancient tree for thousands of years and was already inseparable from the tree's origin.
The moment they came into contact with the white purifying halo, they struggled violently as if they had encountered their nemesis. The black energy twisted and churned, trying to break free from the halo's restraints. However, the white light, though seemingly gentle, actually contained an indestructible purifying power, like an invisible net that firmly imprisoned every wisp of black energy.
The struggling black mist gradually lost its ferocious form in the halo of light, first becoming thin and transparent, then turning into wisps of gray mist, which were gradually dissolved and decomposed under the continuous illumination of the white light.
The moment each wisp of black energy dissipates, it transforms into tiny energy particles, either being completely annihilated by the purifying aura or quietly absorbed by the roots of the ancient Bodhi tree, becoming pure energy that nourishes itself.
As time went by, more and more black energy seeped out. At first, it was just a few scattered spots, but later it gushed out from all parts of the tree like a spring, gathering into streams of black energy in the purifying aura, but ultimately it could not escape the fate of being cleansed.
As light and shadow intertwine, the white, purifying halo shines ever brighter, and the ancient Bodhi tree trembles more noticeably, yet always with a soothing rhythm. Crystal dewdrops even condense on the emerald green leaves, reflecting a gentle radiance.
The ancient, lingering resentment and dark energy were visibly diminishing and dissipating under this unparalleled purifying power, as if it had never existed. Within the entire azure space, the purifying aura intertwined with the vibrant life force, creating a strange yet peaceful scene, exuding a clarity and tranquility of being freed from deep-seated ailments and reborn.
However, the resentment within this Bodhi ancient tree originated from the overwhelming obsession of a Dou Di-level powerhouse at the time of his death. Even though it has been suppressed by the tree's main body for countless ages, the remaining evil power is still vast and boundless, and cannot be easily cleansed.
Although the spirit of the ancestral stone possesses unparalleled purification powers, it still requires the utmost effort and sustained action to completely eradicate this level of resentment; it cannot be accomplished in a short time.
More importantly, the purifying power of the Ancestral Stone Spirit ultimately relies on the host Xiao Ling's battle qi for support. At this moment, Yan is fully activating his divine power, and the white halo around his body is becoming increasingly dazzling, but behind this is a massive consumption of Xiao Ling's battle qi.
In just half an hour, Xiao Ling clearly sensed his internal battle qi flowing away like a surging river. The battle qi vortex within his dantian shrank at a visible speed, and the power that had filled his limbs and bones rapidly faded, replaced by a deep-seated emptiness. He subconsciously activated the Burning Technique, fully unleashing the Heaven-rank cultivation method. A faint aura of flames immediately emanated from his body, drawing in the surrounding energy of heaven and earth, transforming it into pure battle qi that surged into his dantian.
Even so, the speed at which battle qi recovers still cannot keep up with the speed at which the Ancestral Stone Spirit is consumed. The consumption of the Ancestral Stone Spirit under its full power has exceeded the carrying capacity limit of a Heaven-rank technique.
This feeling of having his internal fighting spirit almost completely drained was something Xiao Ling hadn't experienced in a long time. Since breaking through to the Heavenly Rank with the Burning Technique, his dantian's reserves were now vastly different, and he had never felt so powerless in ordinary battles.
At this moment, he could clearly feel the soreness in his limbs and bones, and even felt a slight stagnation when circulating his battle qi. If it weren't for his strong will, he probably wouldn't have been able to withstand the consumption of the rock.
Seemingly sensing the rapid depletion of Xiao Ling's fighting spirit and the undisguised embarrassment and strain between his brows, the quietly standing Bodhi tree suddenly moved.
A slender branch, as if carved from jade, quietly emerged from the dense green leaves. Its speed was so great that it seemed to transcend the distance of time and space. Even Xiao Ling could not catch the slightest trace of its trajectory. He only felt a blur before his eyes, and then the tip of the branch, which carried a warm and cool sensation, gently touched his brow.
The moment the touch landed, Xiao Ling felt a vast yet gentle energy surge into his body like a bursting spring tide, flowing from between his eyebrows and instantly spreading to his limbs and bones.
This energy was extremely pure, without any impurities, and it blended perfectly with his own battle qi. The moment it surged into his dantian, the originally shrinking battle qi vortex suddenly expanded, and its rotation speed was several times faster than before. The parched dantian was instantly filled to the brim, and there were even faint signs of surpassing the peak.
The soreness and emptiness in my limbs receded like a tide, replaced by a refreshing and comfortable feeling throughout my body. Even the meridians that had been tense due to the excessive consumption of battle qi gradually relaxed under the nourishment of this warm energy.
Xiao Ling also breathed a sigh of relief, his heart finally at ease. With the energy supply from the Bodhi Ancient Tree, the problem of battle qi consumption was no longer a concern, and he could continue to exert his full strength after using the Ancestral Stone Spirit.
Afterwards, whenever Xiao Ling's fighting spirit was slightly depleted, the Bodhi Ancient Tree would extend its verdant branches and gently touch him. A tidal wave of pure energy would then surge into Xiao Ling's body, causing a series of crackling sounds to emanate from within him.
The battle qi he had previously consumed was not only completely restored, but the battle qi contained within his body was even more concentrated than when he was at his peak.
After experiencing this replenishment multiple times, Xiao Ling was able to discover that this was the hidden expansion effect of the Bodhi Ancient Tree's energy.
For example, the amount of Dou Qi that Xiao Ling could originally store in his body was a certain constant value, but the Bodhi Ancient Tree could add a few more points to that constant value.
In other words, while helping people restore their fighting spirit, it also subtly expands the human body—the container for holding fighting spirit—by a small margin.
This extremely powerful function has a certain connotation of helping people cultivate themselves, and can be considered a small benefit bestowed by the Bodhi Tree.
Xiao Ling even secretly transmitted his voice to the spirit of the Ancestral Stone, instructing it to unleash its purification power and consume its own battle qi freely.
After receiving the command, the spirit of the ancestral stone did not respond with a single word, but silently increased the output of its purifying power, causing the consumption rate of Xiao Ling's fighting spirit to suddenly accelerate, and the power of the white purifying halo that enveloped the Bodhi Ancient Tree also increased several times.
The spirit of the ancestral stone continued to purify the ancient Bodhi tree, and the vibrant life force in the entire azure space became increasingly abundant. There was no definite concept of time here; only the power of purification and the life force intertwined and flowed.
The wisps of gray-black resentment were continuously dissolved and dispelled by the white purifying aura. The ancient Bodhi tree gently swayed its branches, its leaves rustling, filled with indescribable joy. Even before Xiao Ling's fighting spirit was half depleted, it proactively extended a branch to touch him, transferring all its pure energy into him.
Xiao Ling didn't know how many times his internal Dou Qi had been consumed and replenished, only that he felt an extremely abundant harvest. With the continuous expansion of the ancient tree's source energy, the foundation of his Dou Qi had reached its peak, and his own realm had steadily stepped into the mid-stage peak of the two-star Dou Sheng realm. He was only one breakthrough opportunity away from the late stage.
After an unknown amount of time, the purifying power of the Ancestral Stone Spirit finally slowly receded, and a final, condensed white light gently covered the jade trunk of the Bodhi Ancient Tree.
Just then, another wisp of faint black energy seeped out from the depths of the tree's veins. As soon as it came into contact with the purifying power, it melted away like snow meeting the sun, turning into specks of light that completely dissipated into the azure space.
hum-
A clear and long hum reverberated from the depths of the ancient tree. In an instant, ten thousand rays of emerald green light burst forth from the tree trunk, like an inverted galaxy, suddenly covering the entire world.
The vibrant life force that already filled the space surged like a tide, so dense that it almost became tangible. Taking a breath made one feel completely comfortable, and even the soul seemed to float away.
The jade-like tree trunk became even more lustrous and translucent, and as the branches and leaves swayed gently, an indescribable clarity and joy flowed through it.
"Has it been completely eradicated?"
Xiao Ling raised his eyes and gazed at the ancient Bodhi tree in front of him. At this moment, the tree's green color was even more lush and clear, like fine warm jade soaked in morning dew, shimmering with brilliance.
The lingering, gloomy aura that had previously enveloped me had vanished, replaced by a refreshing peace, a blend of sacred tranquility and worldly wisdom. This extraordinary aura truly befits the ancient name of the Bodhi tree.
"Ah."
The illusory image of the Ancestral Stone spirit, hovering beside Xiao Ling, responded softly, its voice calm yet carrying an undeniable certainty. As soon as it finished speaking, the illusory outline transformed into countless tiny specks of light, slowly merging into Xiao Ling's body and disappearing completely. (End of Chapter)