Chapter 39: Extreme
The power of technique-type abilities in the late stages is undeniably formidable, but the amount of resources they consume is truly terrifying. Su Xiao arrived before the Black Maple Tree, and soon, Amu and Baha brought various materials from the Alchemy Laboratory.
Regarding the setup of the Devouring Technique, Su Xiao was quite confident. According to Green Gillian, there was a forty percent chance of failure. That Black Maple Tree had nearly been blown to death back then, and it was only after seeking out an Alchemy Grandmaster that the technique was successfully established.
Although Su Xiao wasn't a traditional Alchemy Grandmaster, his mastery of Alchemy would be considered top-tier even in the Alchemy Civilization of the Second Era. Alchemy inevitably involves a catalytic process, and the technique setup required for that process is extremely demanding.
With the assistance of Amu and Baha, a total of 210,000 Soul Coins worth of materials were consumed to complete the main structure of the Devouring Technique. Su Xiao pressed one hand onto it and began gradually activating the technique, which was positioned one meter in front of the Black Maple Tree.
The first layer of the Devouring Technique activated quickly, followed by the second layer. When it reached the third and lowest layer, Su Xiao's fingertips formed strands of Spirit Shadow Threads, connecting to several roots of the Black Maple Tree. As expected, this caused more than a tenth of the tree's roots to extend toward the Devouring Technique, eventually linking to it.
To be safe, Su Xiao released Spirit Shadow Threads to coil around these roots. If anything went wrong later, he would crystallize these roots to minimize damage to the Black Maple Tree.
He opened a container and used 0.5 ounces of Space-Time Power, letting it flow into the Devouring Technique. The technique emitted a faint glow, paused briefly, then absorbed the 0.5 ounces of Space-Time Power, which was ultimately taken in by the Black Maple Tree's roots.
Su Xiao observed the Black Maple Tree. For now, he didn't notice anything unusual. But the next second, the leaves on the tree rapidly withered and fell off, crumbling into powder as they dropped. Seeing this, Su Xiao knew the attempt might have failed.
However, even though the Black Maple Tree's leaves had all fallen off, there was no sign of abnormality in the bark, trunk, or roots. This was also why Su Xiao hadn't used the Spirit Shadow Threads to crystallize the roots connected to the Devouring Technique.
After a few minutes of waiting, a few tiny buds sprouted from one of the branches. Seeing this, Su Xiao understood that the Black Maple Tree could absorb Abyss Blood, and Space-Time Power was an even more nourishing nutrient for it. As for why the Ancestral Law Destroyers hadn't used Space-Time Power, one only needed to look at how Su Xiao obtained it to understand.