Chapter 1331: The Trunk of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree
As they drew closer to the cyan mist, Zhang Ruochen activated the Hundred Saint Blood Armor, enveloping his entire body, while simultaneously releasing his Space Domain and advancing cautiously.
From Canglan Martial Saint's Flame Phoenix Armor, strands of fiery light surged forth, coalescing into fiery feathers that floated around her body, each feather like a shield.
Along the way, they encountered Soul-Eating Insects several times. On one occasion, they faced as many as five at once, but their strength was sufficient to kill them all.
Ordinary sacred artifacts could not kill Soul-Eating Insects, but spatial rifts could pull them into the Void Space, leading to their demise.
"Primordial Saint Qi is actually flowing out from within. The treasure deep in the mist must be quite extraordinary," Canglan Martial Saint remarked.
Primordial Saint Qi was clearly a level above Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
Before the Medieval Era, the Two Markets, Three Paths, Seven Sects, and Sixteen Ancient Clans, as well as some powerful aristocratic families, had Grand Saint Veins flowing beneath their cultivation grounds, capable of releasing Primordial Saint Qi.
After the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree was cut down, the Saint Veins beneath the earth all dried up, leaving only the lower-level Earth Spiritual Veins still flowing.
Thus, the current Kunlun Realm was filled with Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, while Primordial Saint Qi was extremely rare, preserved only in some heavenly treasures.
For example, the Water Spirit Saint Qi within the Water Star Gourd was a type of Primordial Saint Qi.
"It's Wood Spirit Saint Qi," Zhang Ruochen said.
At that moment, the Cosmic Divine Wood Map within his Qi Sea grew even more agitated, splitting open with several more cracks. The released Chaos Qi was so vast that even Zhang Ruochen's Qi Sea, which was ten thousand times larger than an ordinary cultivator's, could not contain it, and it surged into his meridians and Saint Veins.
Such a massive amount of Chaos Qi could not be digested in a short time.
His meridians and Saint Veins became incredibly swollen, accompanied by a sharp pain, as if they were about to shatter again.
With no other choice, Zhang Ruochen opened all one hundred and forty-four acupoints on his body. The expanding Chaos Qi inside him, finding an outlet, surged outward.
"Whoosh—"
Each stream of Chaos Qi was like a long river.
From all one hundred and forty-four acupoints, one hundred and forty-four five-colored Chaos rivers flowed out, hovering in the air and twisting into a vortex.
Canglan Martial Saint sensed the change in Zhang Ruochen and was slightly startled. "Chaos Qi? How do you have such a vast amount of Chaos Qi in your body?"
Chaos Qi was a hundred or a thousand times more precious than Primordial Saint Qi. Even though Canglan Martial Saint had seen many rare treasures, she was still extremely shocked.
"Do you want some?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
What did he mean?
Canglan Martial Saint's phoenix-like eyes blinked in confusion. Before she could grasp his meaning, Zhang Ruochen lunged forward, extending a hand and pressing it against her chest.
Canglan Martial Saint had no defense. Zhang Ruochen's hand was already on her chest, incredibly rude. One could imagine how explosive her mood was at that moment. Her phoenix eyes blazed with fiery fury, and her grip on the sacred sword tightened.
But from Zhang Ruochen's palm surged a tremendous force, pushing her backward until her back hit a cold wall.
"Zhang Ruochen, you're the first man who dares to lay hands on me..."
Just as Canglan Martial Saint was about to swing her sword and sever Zhang Ruochen's arm, her eyes narrowed. Behind Zhang Ruochen, a swarm of Soul-Eating Insects hovered, dozens of them.
That spot was exactly where she had been standing.
Clearly, the Soul-Eating Insects had been attracted by the Chaos Qi and were greedily inhaling it, trying to absorb it all into their bodies.
If Zhang Ruochen hadn't pushed her away just now, the consequences would have been dire.
"What a detestable fellow. Even if he had to push me away, he could have chosen a different spot. Doesn't he know some places are off-limits?"
For some reason, though Canglan Martial Saint was still grinding her teeth, a faint blush crept onto her fair face, and she lowered the sacred sword she had raised.
Zhang Ruochen glared at her coldly. "What are you thinking? Hurry up and circulate your technique to absorb the Chaos Qi. Letting it dissipate will only attract more Soul-Eating Insects. Do you want us both to die here?"
Canglan Martial Saint quickly collected herself and noticed a warm current flowing into her body at her chest—the five-colored Chaos Qi.
She naturally understood how precious Chaos Qi was, so she immediately began circulating her technique, absorbing it with all her might.
At the same time, the pressure on Zhang Ruochen's meridians and Saint Veins eased, and he felt much lighter. He also began circulating his technique, absorbing the Chaos Qi as quickly as possible.
Not far away, the swarm of Soul-Eating Insects, having absorbed the residual Chaos Qi in the air, circled a few more times before flying deeper into the cyan mist.
After an unknown amount of time, the Cosmic Divine Wood Map slowed its release of Chaos Qi, and Zhang Ruochen withdrew his hand from Canglan Martial Saint's chest.
"That was close."
Zhang Ruochen felt a lingering fear but was surprised to find that all one hundred and forty-four acupoints were still open, absorbing the Wood Spirit Saint Qi from the cyan mist and channeling it continuously into the cracks of the Cosmic Divine Wood Map.
It was precisely because the Cosmic Divine Wood Map was absorbing the Wood Spirit Saint Qi that the release of Chaos Qi had slowed significantly.
"Could it be that the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree is absorbing the Wood Spirit Saint Qi?"
Zhang Ruochen speculated inwardly.
Just then, he sensed a pair of burning eyes staring intently at him, filled with intense resentment and anger.
How could Canglan Martial Saint not be angry?
Without any warning, Zhang Ruochen had pressed his hand against her sensitive chest area. Afterward, he acted as if nothing had happened, lost in thought and muttering to himself, completely ignoring her.
Zhang Ruochen also realized his actions had been inappropriate. "The situation was critical just now. I had no other choice."
"If there's a next time, it will be a fight to the death."
Canglan Martial Saint threw Zhang Ruochen's earlier words back at him, then immediately turned and walked forward.
Zhang Ruochen quickened his pace to catch up, walking beside her. "Don't you want to ask me about the source of the Chaos Qi?"
Canglan Martial Saint was naturally very curious, but her thoughts were in turmoil at the moment, so she hadn't asked.
Seeing him catch up, her heart was flustered, and she didn't even know why.
Thinking this, Canglan Martial Saint blurted out, "Why?"
"Why what?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"Uh..."
Canglan Martial Saint quickly stopped, trying to steady her thoughts, then said, "I mean... why do you have such abundant Chaos Qi in your body?"
"Everyone has secrets. This is mine, and I can't tell anyone," Zhang Ruochen said solemnly.
Canglan Martial Saint was taken aback, then her eyes flashed with cold light. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Then why did you tell me to ask?"
"You didn't understand my meaning. I just hope you can keep this secret for me and not tell anyone else," Zhang Ruochen said.
Canglan Martial Saint ground her teeth incessantly. She always felt that being around this guy made it impossible to keep her mind at peace, while he remained utterly unflappable, making her wonder if he had any emotions at all.
Continuing forward, both Zhang Ruochen and Canglan Martial Saint were visibly moved, for they had discovered a wood-attributed energy flow of even higher quality than Wood Spirit Saint Qi.
"Could it be the legendary Divine Wood Qi?" Canglan Martial Saint asked.
"You're absolutely right."
Zhang Ruochen looked up ahead. At the center of the cyan mist stood an enormous divine tree.
The tree seemed to exist in another space, not within this cyan palace at all. The trunk alone was likely dozens of miles in diameter.
Most of the tree's body was shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see its full height.
Some of the tree's branches pierced through the cyan mist, hanging in the air, covered in withered yellow leaves, giving off a lifeless, desolate feeling that starkly contrasted with the rich, dense Divine Wood Qi.
"Could that be a divine tree?"
Canglan Martial Saint had never seen such a massive tree. The aura emanating from it felt ancient and sacred, as if a god stood before her, making her want to kneel and worship.
"The Sky-Connecting Divine Tree."
"What did you say?"
Zhang Ruochen repeated, "It's the trunk of the severed Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, the spiritual root of the Kunlun Realm, the source of life for billions of living beings. No wonder that finger bone didn't dare to enter the cyan palace. It's because of this. I should have realized it sooner."
Back in the Black Tortoise Ruins Realm, the sapling of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree had played a huge role, purifying the Death Evil Qi. From this, it was clear that the uncut Sky-Connecting Divine Tree was the natural nemesis of the Death Clan.
Zhang Ruochen and Canglan Martial Saint knelt one after the other, bowing respectfully to the trunk of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree.
It could be said that the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree was the Mother Earth. Because of it, the myriad things of the Kunlun Realm existed, humans were born, and so were Zhang Ruochen and Canglan Martial Saint.
It was absolutely worthy of their reverence.
Zhang Ruochen had seen the roots of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree before, but the Divine Wood Qi and Divine Wood Rules within those roots had all been used to nurture the new sapling.
Thus, the roots were merely a special type of wood, lacking the aura and sacred power of a divine tree.
But the trunk before them was different. It still contained immense Divine Wood Qi and Divine Wood Rules. If made into a weapon, it would surely be able to counter the Death Clan.
Canglan Martial Saint clearly thought the same. She activated her speed and rushed forward, intending to seize the trunk of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree before Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen used a Spatial Displacement to block her, saying in a low voice, "Do you want to die?"
"Don't stop me. Such a treasure must fall into the hands of the imperial court to realize its greatest value."
Canglan Martial Saint swung her sword, unleashing a long sword aura to force Zhang Ruochen back.
Zhang Ruochen dodged, and the sword aura flew toward the trunk of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, causing the air to tremble slightly.
"Hiss, hiss."
Immediately, a strange sound came from within the trunk. Clusters of blue flames appeared, some the size of a fingernail, others as large as a fist, and some as big as a washbasin. They looked like a vast blue sea of stars, incredibly dazzling.
But Zhang Ruochen and Canglan Martial Saint found them anything but beautiful. Their faces turned deathly pale, because every cluster of blue flames on the tree was a Soul-Eating Insect.
(Chapter End)