Chapter 225

Chapter 225

The Lingxin Body can see things that ordinary people cannot, but it has its limits.

An existence as extraordinary as the Divine Tree is beyond even the Lingxin Body's ability to perceive.

Su Wangling discovered the Divine Tree this time because of the emergence of the Blood Sea. Due to the Blood Sea, the Divine Tree revealed itself, allowing his Lingxin Eye to detect it.

However, he doesn't know its current condition.

The Heavenly Plains are in dire straits, especially the Prison Water Marsh, which has been contaminated by the blood miasma. Once the evil-suppressing talisman array and the purification array at the entrance of the Prison Water Marsh are destroyed, the monsters from the Blood Miasma will surely emerge, and they might not be able to withstand them.

The best course of action now is to find the Divine Tree and use it to reseal the area.

Wen Qiao finally agreed to go find the Divine Tree.

Since she was the only one who could do this, for her husband and their friends on the Flying Star Continent, she had to give it her all.

Qiao Leshan handed Wen Qiao the Buddhist Bodhi seed and said solemnly, "Miss Wen, I entrust this matter to you."

Wen Qiao took it and asked, "Can only one person use this?"

Qiao Leshan nodded, "It can protect only one person in the Blood Sea. If there are too many people, its power will be weakened."

Wen Qiao felt disappointed and couldn't help looking at Ning Yuzhou; she wanted to bring her husband into the Blood Sea with her for peace of mind.

Ning Yuzhou understood her thoughts and patted her head, smiling, "Don't worry, I'm safe here. You don't need to worry about me." He then turned to Qiao Leshan and said, "Wait a moment, I need to talk to Wen Qiao."

Qiao Leshan and Su Wangling stood aside respectfully.

Ning Yuzhou led Wen Qiao aside, gave her several items, and whispered something to her.

Wen Qiao looked at the jade bottle in her hand, put it away, and said worriedly, "What if I can't find the Divine Tree in time or if it doesn't listen to me, and the monsters from the Blood Miasma come out early?"

"I'll try to hold them back. If I can't, I'll hide in the space," Ning Yuzhou replied.

Wen Qiao felt slightly reassured but seeing the others around her, her heart sank again. For her husband and these friends, she had to find the Divine Tree!

Then, Wen Qiao approached Su Wangling and Qiao Leshan and said, "Young Master Su, Senior Qiao, I'm ready to depart."

They nodded solemnly and said, "We entrust this matter to you. Please be careful."

"I will. I also entrust my husband to your care," Wen Qiao said seriously.

Seeing her earnestness, they couldn't help glancing at Ning Yuzhou, who wore a reassuring smile. They realized he didn't need their protection but, seeing her concern, they promised to keep him safe.

With their assurance, Wen Qiao took out her Sun Bow and walked toward the outer edge of the formation.

Su Wangling, Qiao Leshan, and Ning Yuzhou followed her and sent her off.

Others inside the formation watched, unsure what was happening. Seeing their actions, they gathered around curiously.

As they retreated into the defensive formation, the Blood Sea pressed closer.

Monsters in the Blood Sea gathered before the formation, attacking it relentlessly. A blood giant stood in the Blood Sea, overlooking the cultivators within the formation.

Su Wangling flew out of the formation with his Spirit Light Sword, slicing through the monsters, causing blood to splatter. The creatures fell back into the Blood Sea.

With sword light flashing, Qiao Leshan killed his way through the Blood Sea, creating a path.

Feixian Island disciples flew out to help their senior brother, slaying the approaching monsters.

Other cultivators joined in, leaving the formation to continue the slaughter.

Once they had cleared most of the monsters and pushed back the Blood Sea, Wen Qiao said, "I'm leaving."

"Be careful!"

Su Wangling and Ning Yuzhou both warned her.

Wen Qiao held her Sun Bow, flew out of the formation, and headed straight for the Blood Sea.

"Sister!"

"Miss Wen!"

Xiong Yan and Qiao Leshui were shocked.

But Wen Qiao had already passed the cultivators guarding the formation, shooting down Blood Sea monsters while heading deeper into the Blood Sea. Her slender figure seemed so small against the vast Blood Sea, with monsters rising up to attack her.

She fought and moved forward, flying deeper into the Blood Sea.

Her two beasts on her shoulders—one for defense and one for attack—coordinated perfectly with her.

Qiao Leshan followed behind, shielding her from the blood giant's attacks until she disappeared from sight.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, she flew farther and farther, eventually vanishing into the distant Blood Sea.

Xiong Yan nearly went mad, running to Ning Yuzhou and shouting, "Brother Ning, how could you let her leave? Do you know how dangerous the Blood Sea is? It's endless, and with our current strength, we can't cross it!"

Ning Yuzhou said, "Senior Xiong, don't worry. Chui will be fine."

Qiao Leshui added, "Why did you let Miss Wen go alone? Even if something needs to be done, it shouldn't be her; she's only at the Yuan Kong realm." There were so many cultivators at the Yuanzong realm, even at the peak of Yuanzong and Yuan Huang realm, any of whom could have gone.

Ning Yuzhou pursed his lips and said, "Chui will be fine."

They looked at Ning Yuzhou suspiciously, noticing his unease. Seeing Qiao Leshan and the pale-faced, composed Su Wangling, they realized there must be some arrangement, and it had to be Wen Qiao who went.

When Qiao Leshan returned, Qiao Leshui ran to him and whispered, "Brother, will Miss Wen be alright?"

"No!" Qiao Leshan said, "She has the Bodhi seed from the Buddhist sect."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Leshui finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then, remembering something, he exclaimed in surprise, "Big Brother, I remember that Bodhi seed was given to you by Zhenzun Boyuan for protection, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

Qiao Leshui looked at him with a complex expression, wanting to say something but finding his voice stuck in his throat.

With the protection of the Bodhi seed from the Buddhist sect, even if the Heavenly Plains were swallowed by the Blood Sea, his big brother could safely leave the Heavenly Plains and preserve his life. Yet, he had never taken out this item or even told anyone about it; it was clear why he made such a choice.

"There's no need to overthink it," Qiao Leshan patted his shoulder. "Instead, use this time to kill more monsters and improve your combat skills."

Qiao Leshui responded softly.

***

Wen Qiao led the two beasts deep into the Blood Sea.

Until her spiritual energy was nearly depleted, and Wen Tutu and Wen Guangun were exhausted and could no longer fend off the monsters below, she finally took out the Bodhi seed from her storage bag.

As several monsters leaped out of the Blood Sea, just about to touch her, the Bodhi seed suddenly emitted a gentle golden light. The monsters screamed in agony, turning into blood water and disappearing.

Wen Qiao stood above the Blood Sea, one hand holding her bow and the other grasping the Bodhi seed.

Whenever monsters leaped out of the Blood Sea to attack her, they were blocked by the golden light from the Bodhi seed. Without exception, they turned into blood water and returned to the Blood Sea.

The monsters in the Blood Sea looked at the Bodhi seed in her hand with terror.

After realizing these monsters couldn't harm her, Wen Qiao sighed in relief and quickly took out some honey fat, stuffing a few pieces into her mouth and giving some to Wen Tutu and Wen Guangun as well.

They chewed on the honey fat, replenishing their spiritual energy while continuing to fly above the Blood Sea.

Su Wangling only told her that the divine tree was somewhere within the Blood Sea, but where exactly, she didn't know. She had to find it herself.

Wen Qiao's gaze scanned the Blood Sea, not missing any spot.

Fortunately, with the Bodhi seed in hand, the monsters couldn't harm her, allowing her to focus on searching.

Her flying sword glided across the sky above the Blood Sea, trailing a streak of spiritual light, as if slicing through the endless waves of blood.

Wen Qiao flew for a long time, yet the Blood Sea remained a vast expanse of red, with no sign of the divine tree, nor could she sense its presence. If not for Su Wangling's firm assurance and the precious Bodhi seed given to her, she would have doubted Su Wangling's judgment.

Just as she was diligently searching, the Blood Sea churned, and a blood giant emerged, instantly appearing in her path.

Her flying sword abruptly changed direction, flying toward another side.

The blood giant in the Blood Sea strode with long legs, chasing after her, causing waves of blood to surge.

Then, the blood giant swung its arm, and a massive palm came down towards her.

Wen Qiao maneuvered her flying sword to turn around, dodging the blood palm's attack.

The blood giant chased her, swinging its arm to strike her. Though it looked like a giant running through a pool of blood, its speed was not slow.

Wen Qiao didn't know if the Bodhi seed could protect her from these blood giants, so she didn't dare relax, continuously consuming honey fat to replenish her spiritual energy and control her flying sword to escape.

However, the blood giant's speed was too fast. Wen Qiao felt the wind rushing behind her and the thick scent of blood before being struck by the giant blood palm from mid-air.

With a splash, Wen Qiao and her sword plunged into the Blood Sea.

The thick, foul-smelling blood engulfed her, pulling her body downward.

Wen Qiao opened her eyes, finding her vision filled with a hazy red, surrounded by a faint golden light that separated her from the omnipresent blood.

It was the Bodhi seed!

Wen Qiao hadn't expected the Bodhi seed from the Buddhist sect to be so powerful, capable of isolating them from the Blood Sea's corrosive blood. No wonder Qiao Leshan said the Bodhi seed could ensure safe passage through the Blood Sea.

The two beasts clung tightly to her shoulders, curiously looking around, unaffected by the blood.

Wen Qiao tightened her grip on the Bodhi seed, preparing to swim upward, when she suddenly sensed something, paused, and chose to swim downward instead.

The light grew dimmer as she descended deeper into the Blood Sea, surrounded by the thick, foul-smelling blood. Her eyes could no longer see the color of the Blood Sea, relying only on her vague perception to continue swimming downward.

After an unknown amount of time, a faint light began to appear in the dark Blood Sea.

It was a particularly soft white light, faint like stars in the darkness, shimmering amidst the thick Blood Sea.

Wen Qiao sped up, moving closer to the light.

As she approached, she finally saw what it was: a seed.

A glowing seed!

Just as Wen Qiao was about to get closer, an invisible barrier stopped her. Unprepared, she collided with the barrier and tumbled backward, rolling several times before stopping.

Wen Qiao was bewildered.

The two beasts on her shoulders were equally bewildered.

Confused, Wen Qiao cautiously approached again, extending her hand to touch the barrier and carefully sensing it.

Her heart skipped a beat as she finally understood what it was.

This was the divine tree's isolation field.

Most divine trees had absolute fields, and other living beings needed to neutralize these fields to approach the divine tree. However, neutralizing a divine tree's absolute field was not easy; some cultivators spent countless treasures merely to get close.

Wen Qiao touched the absolute field, staring at the glowing seed suspended in the darkness, feeling troubled.

With this absolute domain in place, how could she get close to that seed?

Wen Qiao tried many methods, even directly attacking it, but she couldn't shake that absolute domain and instead ended up exhausted.

She thought for a moment, then used the Thousand Silk Vine to bind the two beasts to her waist before transforming into her beast form.

The moment she transformed into her beast form, the absolute domain seemed to vanish instantly, and she, along with the two bound beasts, fell right in.

A fragile little sapling, accompanied by the two beasts, tumbled down from mid-air and plopped onto the ground.

The two beasts, at least remembering not to crush the particularly vulnerable sapling, quickly rolled to the side upon landing, rolling far away like two balls of fur.

Within the absolute domain of the divine tree, it was its territory. The creatures here had their abilities infinitely suppressed, leaving them powerless, just like ordinary mortals without any offensive capabilities.

The sapling on the ground extended its delicate roots, firmly anchoring itself there, then transformed back into human form.

Although her abilities were still suppressed after transforming back, it was better than being a stationary sapling.

After transforming back, Wen Qiao observed her surroundings and immediately saw a massive tree hundreds of feet tall ahead.

She exclaimed, "Wow, this tree is so tall!"

She wondered if her beast form could grow as tall one day.

Wen Tutu and Wen Guangun jumped onto her shoulders, joining her in gazing up at the divine tree growing deep within the sea of blood, all exclaiming in admiration at how tall, big, and majestic it was.

After admiring it, Wen Qiao approached and placed her hand on the thick trunk.

When her hand touched it, she felt no signs of life; the tree was completely dead, devoid of any consciousness, much like the plants encountered on the way into the Heavenly Plains, which appeared vibrant but were actually lifeless.

This tree was the same.

Wen Qiao stood there, stunned.

Just as Wen Qiao felt inexplicably sad, a glowing seed fell from the tree and hit her head.

"Aiyo!" she cried out, clutching her head in pain.

It really hurt, as if struck by something hard and heavy, making her scalp numb and dizzy! As a body cultivator at the Yuan Kong realm and a half-beast, Wen Qiao had never experienced such pain before.

Rubbing her aching head, she looked down and saw the glowing seed she had seen outside the absolute domain earlier.

The seed still emitted a gentle white light, like the only light in this darkness, attracting all creatures.

Without a doubt, this was the seed of the divine tree!

Wen Qiao picked it up and couldn't help but look at the now-lifeless divine tree.

Though the divine tree was dead, it still left behind its absolute domain to protect its seed and this land.

Why did the divine tree die?

Wen Qiao was puzzled, feeling a strange sense of sadness as she walked around the lifeless divine tree.

Not only was this divine tree tall, its absolute domain was vast, creating a space isolated from the blood sea's erosion deep within it.

However, beyond the absolute domain lay the omnipresent blood water!

Rather than saying the divine tree created a safe space deep within the blood sea, it was more accurate to say that the endless blood sea was eroding the last bit of vitality the tree left for its seed.