After several rounds of planting, Little Slaughter Peak was carpeted with green grass and covered in verdant woods. There were no riotous banks of flowers, but the luxuriant greenery had a charm all its own.
A little below the summit lay a broad, level clearing. Sturdy trees on either side cast their shade over the entrance to a cave, half concealing it and lending the place a secluded tranquility.
A green-robed youth stood before the cave. With his refined, handsome features and smiling eyes, he had such a gentle, approachable air that anyone who saw him would instinctively feel well disposed toward him.
At present, however, he was seated cross-legged on a patch of dry earth, holding something in his palm and examining it carefully.
More than half a month had passed since the affair at Ruyi Immortal Estate. Xu Ziqing had obeyed his senior brother’s instructions to recuperate properly and had not wandered about. But he disliked being shut up inside the cave all day, so as soon as he felt a little better, he began venturing outside each day to enjoy the fine sunshine.
What he held in his hand was a divine-tree seed.
The seed was shorter than a finger joint. It was not perfectly round but shaped rather like an apricot stone, or a beautiful woman’s eye. Its luminous green surface was as clear as jade and lovely to behold.
A single seed resting in one’s palm was enough to reveal an extraordinarily dense power of Yang Wood. It was neither scorching nor turbulent, but upright, mellow, and rich. Even breathing near it brought a comforting warmth without the least agitation.
Yet as Xu Ziqing looked at the seed, he seemed rather helpless.
The divine tree at Ruyi Immortal Estate bore such extraordinary Posuo Fruits that he had naturally coveted them to some extent. Now that he possessed its seeds, it was only reasonable that he should want to try growing one.
He had originally thought that his legendary cultivation art, the Great Art of Myriad Woods Heart-Planting, might prove useful. Never had he imagined that even this art would fail him.
His thoughts drifted back, and he sighed again.
Three days earlier, Xu Ziqing had first attempted to plant a divine-tree seed.
Just as when he stimulated the growth of other plants, he had deliberately chosen an open patch of ground, carefully buried a particularly plump seed, covered it with earth, and activated the Art of Bringing All Things to Life.
All three steps had gone smoothly. The seed had even absorbed some of his true essence, establishing a faint connection with him.
But what happened next was utterly beyond his expectations: the seed began frantically devouring the spiritual energy of heaven and earth!
In barely two or three breaths, a vast vortex of spiritual energy formed overhead and continuously poured its power into the seed. At the same time, the spiritual vein beneath the ground began shaking violently. In the blink of an eye, nearly half its spiritual energy had been drained away!
The trembling vein shook the entire body of Little Slaughter Peak. Yun Lie, who had been comprehending a newly acquired technique at the summit, was startled awake and descended at once.
Xu Ziqing was badly frightened. With a flick of his hand, he severed that faint connection, then hurriedly dug up the seed and removed it from contact with the soil. Only then did Little Slaughter Peak stop trembling.
The shock was so tremendous that he no longer dared act with such reckless force.
After recovering from his fright, he asked his senior brother to visit the Pavilion of Ten Directions and exchange merit points for ancient records concerning the Posuo Divine Tree.
Only after reading them did he realize how shallow his understanding had been and how nearly he had caused a disaster.
The Posuo Divine Tree was one of the rarest trees in existence. Although it was not counted among the Ten Great Spiritual Roots, it was exceedingly difficult to obtain and even harder to cultivate.
For its seed to germinate, it had to be watered with Wood qi of a higher grade than the tree itself. After the sprout emerged, it would consume the spiritual energy equivalent to a second-rank spiritual vein every year. It would also require another infusion of that same higher-grade Wood qi every hundred years in order to grow properly.
Only after ten thousand years would the divine tree reach maturity and bear its first Posuo Fruits.
The Wood qi contained within a Posuo Divine Tree was already extraordinarily pure Jia-Wood qi. What could possibly be higher in grade than that, other than the very Essence of Wood?
But both the Essence of Jia Wood and the Essence of Yi Wood were treasures rarely seen even in ten thousand years. Obtaining enough to make a seed sprout would already be immensely difficult, much less acquiring more every century. By comparison, certain great sects with deep reserves might actually be able to afford its annual consumption of a second-rank spiritual vein.
Once Xu Ziqing learned all this, he could only laugh at himself.
Of course it stood to reason. If these trees were so easy to grow, there would not be fewer than ten of them throughout all three thousand great worlds. In the Qingyun Great World, only Ruyi Immortal Estate possessed one.
And if they could be obtained so easily, why would so many cultivators pursue them so desperately? Why would Ruyi Immortal Estate have been so generous in giving away its divine-tree seeds?
He also understood that because he had absorbed the Essence of Yi Wood, the Wood qi within his body was much purer than that of most Wood-attribute cultivators. But his cultivation was still insufficient, and almost all that essence remained deposited within his flesh and blood. He had absorbed very little of it completely.
Thus, when he used his true essence to stimulate the divine-tree seed, he had naturally awakened it. Its frantic absorption of spiritual energy had been nothing more than an attempt to germinate.
His thoughts returned to the present, and Xu Ziqing shook his head.
Had he not stopped the process that day, the seed would certainly have exhausted Little Slaughter Peak’s spiritual vein. Afterward, the numerous smaller peaks within a hundred li might not have escaped its appetite either.
Fortunately, he had acted quickly enough to save Little Slaughter Peak from calamity, and himself from a terrible predicament.
The fact that Xu Ziqing possessed the Essence of Yi Wood absolutely could not become known to others, or he would surely invite trouble. Even among cultivators of the immortal path, his safety could not be guaranteed. If word reached the evil demonic path, countless demons would undoubtedly want to strip away his skin and sinews and drain every drop of flesh and blood from his body.
Nevertheless, the strange phenomenon had disturbed disciples and elders on nearby peaks. Even their master on Little Bamboo Peak had made inquiries. Xu Ziqing had been feeling uneasy when Yun Lie took responsibility for what had happened, allowing him to escape suspicion.
Afterward, Xu Ziqing grew more cautious still. He had originally intended to bring the seed into his dantian through the Great Art of Myriad Woods Heart-Planting, making it one of his secondary woods, but for the time being he abandoned that plan.
Every seed in his dantian lived upon his true essence. Apart from his life-bound wood, Rongjin, which shared his life and death and demanded comparatively little, the other secondary and subordinate woods relied on his true essence whenever they sprouted and grew to be used as magical artifacts or techniques.
The Posuo Divine Tree was so tyrannical by nature that obedience would be one thing, but if it refused to behave, even the slightest disturbance upon entering his dantian could drain him dry on the spot!
Xu Ziqing did have another idea, however. When his senior brother had spoken of the Purple Palace Minor Cosmos the other day, something had stirred within him.
His cultivation was presently too shallow to support the seeds of myriad woods. But once he formed his Golden Core and later his Nascent Soul, matters would improve by many thousands of times. If he could open a Minor Cosmos of his own, he could move the seeds into it, creating another world where they could draw energy directly from heaven and earth rather than seeking nourishment in his dantian.
With that in mind, he set aside the question of taking the divine tree into his body.
As he studied the seed now, he was pondering something else.
When his senior brother had presented him with the storage ring holding these seeds, he had said that their Yang-Wood power could harmonize the Yin-Wood qi within Xu Ziqing’s body. It was an excellent suggestion.
The difficulty lay in how to accomplish it.
His original idea had been to place a seed in his palm, draw out its Jia-Wood qi through his own power, and guide that qi into his dantian to achieve harmony.
But now that he knew how overbearing the seeds themselves were, he did not dare try.
Other Wood-attribute cultivators might have no such concerns, but the Yi-Wood qi inside Xu Ziqing was exceptionally pure. What if he accidentally activated the seed, allowing it to latch onto him and merge into his dantian instead?
The very thing he wanted to use had become the thing he feared.
As he was thinking, someone descended from the summit with measured steps.
It was his senior brother, Yun Lie.
As soon as Yun Lie came down, he saw Xu Ziqing’s faintly curved lips and the trace of worry in his expression. He called, “Ziqing.”
Xu Ziqing raised his head, smiling. “Senior Brother, have you finished practicing for today?”
Yun Lie nodded slightly. Seeing the seed in his hand, he asked, “What are you doing?”
Xu Ziqing held up the seed and explained his dilemma. “It’s as though I possess a mountain full of treasure, yet have no way to enter it. I truly don’t know what to do.”
Yun Lie approached, seated himself cross-legged opposite Xu Ziqing, took the seed, and studied it as well.
Seeing his senior brother examine it so carefully, Xu Ziqing remembered how much more experienced he was. “Well?” he asked.
Yun Lie said nothing. Instead, he put the seed into his mouth.
Xu Ziqing was horrified. “Senior Brother, what are you doing?” He reached out to snatch the seed away, terrified that Yun Lie would come to harm.
But how could Xu Ziqing possibly move faster than Yun Lie? Even when perfectly healthy, he was far slower. Now, with his internal injuries still unhealed, he fared worse than ever.
Not only did he fail to seize the seed, but he pitched forward himself. Yun Lie had to catch him in his arms to keep him from falling hard.
Holding Xu Ziqing steady, Yun Lie said, “I’m unharmed.”
Xu Ziqing let out a muffled groan, and those words made him falter again.
Perhaps he had moved too hastily. His meridians now throbbed as though countless steel needles were boring through him. He gritted his teeth, unable to move.
He smiled bitterly to himself. Concern had truly muddled his judgment. The Essence of Yi Wood inside him made the seed dangerous to him, but his senior brother was different. And knowing his senior brother’s nature, if it were truly perilous, would he have acted so recklessly? Xu Ziqing had only been worried about him, but now it looked as though he had deliberately thrown himself into his embrace. How embarrassing.
Yun Lie felt no embarrassment and made no move to push him away. He merely sent a little true essence into Xu Ziqing’s body. Realizing how grave his condition was, he frowned almost imperceptibly. “Don’t move.”
Xu Ziqing had been struggling to rise, but he immediately stopped. “This posture is terribly improper. Please give me a hand, Senior Brother, and let me sit upright.”
Yun Lie said nothing. He had always acted decisively and saw nothing improper in helping his junior brother. After a moment’s consideration, he maintained his hold, lifted Xu Ziqing as though he were a small child, and settled him against his shoulder.
In an instant, Xu Ziqing’s face burned crimson.
He cried out involuntarily, “Se-Senior Brother?”
Yun Lie’s expression remained unchanged as he rose with Xu Ziqing in his arms. “You should be resting in bed. Do not neglect your recovery.”