Xiao Man approached the divine tree, gazing at its now withered form. She reached out to caress the Fusang divine tree, which, despite being dead, still appeared lifelike.
“Sister Xiao Man, can the Fusang divine tree really be saved?” Little Stone asked curiously. The divine tree was dead, much like a person who, once departed, could not return. Could a dead tree truly be revived?
“All things have a spirit. Trees are different from people. Once a person dies, their lamp is extinguished, and there is no possibility of survival. But as long as a tree possesses a shred of vitality, it can be revitalized,” Xiao Man explained. She produced a bottle of spiritual liquid and poured it onto the tree, then channeled her spiritual power into the divine tree. Remarkably, a green leaf sprouted from the once-dead tree.
Little Stone’s eyes widened in disbelief. “It’s growing a green leaf!”
As spiritual energy continued to flow in, green buds began to emerge from the dry branches, followed by leaf after leaf. Soon, the Fusang divine tree was covered in new buds and green leaves.
“It’s alive! It’s alive!”
“She was meant to save the divine tree, so of course, she would bring it back to life,” Jun Ru said softly. “However, the spiritual energy can only restore the tree’s appearance, not its inherent vitality. Once the spiritual energy is depleted, it will wither again.”
“Then what should we do?”
“Since she said she would save it, she must have a way,” Jun Ru mused, also puzzled. The divine tree had already died. Restoring a brief semblance of life was difficult enough; to make it truly live again seemed an impossible task.
Taotie, meanwhile, was continuously popping pills into his mouth. His long, slender phoenix eyes repeatedly swept over Xiao Man. A contracted divine beast, a fire phoenix, possessed excellent cooking skills and was a high-level alchemist, casually producing large bottles of Grade-2 pills. Staying by her side seemed like a good prospect.
“Taotie, what do you think?”
“It smells delicious.”
Jun Ru choked slightly. “You glutton, all you think about is eating.”
Taotie, unfazed by the scolding, held up a Replenishing Spirit Pill and flaunted it before Jun Ru. “A Grade-2 pill, truly delicious. Would you like to try some?”
“No, thank you. Pills hold no appeal for me. If you like them, I have some more,” Jun Ru said, taking out a box of pills from his spatial ring and tossing it to Taotie.
Taotie’s eyes lit up with joy as he caught it. However, as soon as he opened the lid, his smile froze. “Are these pills?”
“Yes, they are pills I stored before I fell into slumber.”
Taotie showed the box to Jun Ru. “They’ve grown mold! Such long mold, can they still be eaten?”
Jun Ru stretched his neck to take a look. “It is said that Taotie can eat anything. Although they’ve been around for a while and have grown some mold, they should still be edible, right?”
“Is this what you call ‘a while’? Taotie casually tossed the pills from the box into the Ruoshui River. “It’s more than just a bit of mold. While I eat anything, I absolutely cannot eat things that will give me a stomach ache.” Su Dan Novel Network
“Then, when we get out, I’ll find you some better pills.”
“That’s good of you,” Taotie said contentedly. “Xiao Man, can this tree still be saved?”
“It can be saved, but it will take some time,” Xiao Man replied, producing an artifact from which spiritual energy flowed continuously into the divine tree. These artifacts for storing spiritual energy had been seized by Xiao Man from the so-called divine envoys.
“Can it be saved with just spiritual energy?”
Xiao Man drew her dagger, sliced her palm, and pressed it against the tree trunk!
“She’s not saving it, is she killing it?” Taotie asked in surprise.
“No,” Jun Ru shook his head. “Her method of healing must be rather unconventional.”
“If I were to stab you in the heart and say it was to save you, would you believe me?” Taotie asked while chewing on a pill.
“If it were Xiao Man, I would believe you. If it were you, I wouldn’t,” Jun Ru stated.
“Why is it that if it’s you, I wouldn’t believe you?”
“If Xiao Man says she’s saving me, then she is definitely saving me. If it were you, you’d probably want to kill me and make soup,” Jun Ru said with a serious expression.
Taotie chuckled. “Alright, I promise you. I promise I won’t eat your merfolk clan.”
“Truly?”
“I, the fierce beast, stand by my word!”
“Brother Jun Ru, Brother Taotie, what is Sister Xiao Man doing?”
“The Fusang divine tree has a spirit, but it suffered a severe injury and needs healing. However, the tree spirit is hidden in the deepest part, and the spiritual energy cannot penetrate. She is using her blood as a catalyst to lure the tree spirit out, and then heal it,” Jun Ru explained, stepping forward to assist Xiao Man in healing the Fusang divine tree. Green light flowed from his palm into the tree.
A moment later, Jun Ru looked at Xiao Man with concern. “You…”
Xiao Man popped a handful of pills into her mouth and chewed rapidly. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
“The divine tree has been dead for many years. Healing it will not be an overnight task. We should proceed gradually,” Jun Ru said, now noticing that Xiao Man’s hand was continuously bleeding, and the Fusang divine tree was actively absorbing her blood.
“No need, it’s almost done,” Xiao Man said, her face a little pale but her eyes shining with a brilliant light, as if she could already see the tree reviving and the Ruoshui River returning to its normal state.
“If you continue, your body will not be able to withstand it,” Jun Ru said disapprovingly. “Your divine essence has not yet fully healed. If it is damaged again, your fragile divine essence might shatter once more.”
“It was never truly mine, so it doesn’t matter if it shatters,” Xiao Man said calmly. She had already absorbed a considerable amount of the shattered divine essence. Due to the limitations of the laws of this space, her cultivation could not improve, and her internal spiritual energy had reached its peak, making further absorption impossible.
“You truly don’t care about things that aren’t yours,” Jun Ru pursed his lips. “But this blood is yours, isn’t it? This body is yours, isn’t it? Aren’t you pained by treating your own body so carelessly?”
Xiao Man turned her head to look at Jun Ru. “If you care about me, just say so. Why be so indirect?”
“I’m just afraid that if you die here, no one will take me to find Mo’er,” Jun Ru retorted stubbornly. “Besides, you and Mo’er are like sisters. If something were to happen to you in front of me, how could I face Mo’er?”
Xiao Man smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. It’s just a loss of some blood, and I’ll recover quickly.”
As she spoke, a small, white shadow of a human figure emerged from the Fusang divine tree, licking Xiao Man’s wound. Where the small figure licked, the wound instantly healed. The little figure then sat on the Fusang divine tree, clutching its stomach, and let out a contented burp.
“Is this the tree spirit of the Fusang divine tree?” Jun Ru asked in astonishment.
Xiao Man extended her hand towards the tree spirit, which immediately crawled onto her palm, nuzzling her affectionately. The spirit looked up at Xiao Man with large, watery eyes, revealing a smiling face.
“You’ve worked hard all these years,” Xiao Man said, patting the tree spirit’s head. A golden light entered the tree spirit’s body. The originally white tree spirit transformed into a golden humanoid figure, which then, moments later, dissolved into a speck of light and returned to the divine tree. The divine tree, which had only just regained a hint of vitality, instantly changed its aura. Its branches became lush and vibrant, seeming to come alive and unfurl, causing the surface of the Ruoshui River to ripple with wave after wave.