Chapter 507: Purification

Xiao Ming thought for a moment and found it feasible.

While the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree was powerful, it was estimated that it was not as intelligent as the Zi Yan he had encountered as a child.

A little persuasion might do the trick.

However, he had to be careful in his approach. The tree was far from stupid, and beings of this level, such as the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree, had exceptionally keen senses. Any malicious intent would be noticed. It wasn't something that could be easily fooled.

Otherwise, the ancient tree wouldn't have survived for so long.

He should first try to raise its favorability towards him before taking any action.

With that in mind, Xiao Ming nodded, his palm opening to reveal a small dark flame.

This flame was a new Heavenly Flame, formed by assimilating the seed flame of the Void Swallowing Flame. It was no less powerful than the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame, which ranked fourth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, and might even be stronger.

Xiao Ming glanced at the flame and threw more than ten Bodhisattva Seeds into it with a flick of his hand.

The interior of the Bodhisattva Seeds contained an extremely strong energy. Even with the aid of the Heavenly Flame, it was quite challenging to refine them.

The process took about an hour, during which these ten-plus Bodhisattva Seeds were transformed into a clear crystalline liquid. Another half hour passed and the liquid slowly evaporated, turning into a faint greenish clear energy.

This trace of clear energy seeped out of the flame and eventually entered the jade-like tree body of the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree. With the infusion of this energy, the faint black miasma within the tree gradually dissipated and disappeared.

"Rustle rustle!"

The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree happily swayed its branches, a rustling sound emanating from its dense canopy.

Obviously, the expulsion of the resentment had made it quite excited.

The tree shook its branches and sent out another twenty or more Bodhisattva Seeds, leaving Xiao Ming somewhat speechless at such extravagance.

However, regardless of his astonishment, Xiao Ming's actions continued.

Using his palm as a furnace, a fierce flame burned at an alarming temperature. At the same time, the Dou Qi in his body was rapidly depleting.

Given Xiao Ming's current strength, replenishing the depleted Dou Qi was easy. However, the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree seemed to have other plans.

Every time a portion of Xiao Ming's Dou Qi was depleted, the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree extended its branches to lightly tap him. A surge of incredibly clear energy flowed into Xiao Ming, causing his body to emit a series of crisp crackling sounds. The Dou Qi he had consumed was completely replenished, and the concentration of Dou Qi within him surpassed even his peak state...

This was an effect of the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's hidden capacity enhancement. For example, the amount of Dou Qi his body could store was originally a constant value, but the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree was able to increase it slightly. In other words, while it was helping with the recovery of Dou Qi, it was subtly expanding the container that held the Dou Qi within the person's body.

This powerful function was somewhat akin to helping others with their cultivation, a small benefit provided by the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree.

Sizzle...

After about an hour of frenzied refinement, all of the Bodhisattva Seeds were once again transformed into a wisp of clear energy rising from the flames. It infiltrated the jade-like tree body, and at the same time, a trace of the black miasma dissipated.

"Rustle rustle!"

As the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree felt the black miasma gradually dissipating, it let out a joyous cry. Its branches swayed, and huge amounts of clear energy continued to flow into Xiao Ming's body, replenishing his Dou Qi in the blink of an eye.

Then, more Bodhisattva Seeds were thrown out by the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree. These Bodhisattva Seeds, shimmering with pure energy, were casually handed to Xiao Ming. This could only be described as 'rich beyond words'.

Once or twice was manageable, but to dispel the lingering negativity of a Dou God would require an endless amount of clear energy. It would take countless Bodhisattva Seeds to fill this bottomless pit.

But what could Xiao Ming do other than continue to refine?

The space covered in a green hue was filled with a great life force. Time seemed to lose its meaning in this place. Batch after batch of Bodhisattva Seeds were refined within the blazing and swirling black flames. Clear threads of energy rose and drifted towards the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree.

Bit by bit, the lingering gray aura dissipated. The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree swayed its branches, expressing its joy. Then another batch of Bodhisattva Seeds appeared, and the cycle repeated itself.

Xiao Ming didn't know how many Bodhisattva Seeds he had refined, but the benefits were plentiful. The expanded Dou Qi in his body had already reached a peak. He estimated that his realm had reached the peak of the five-star Dou Saint. He was only one step away from breaking through to a six-star Dou Saint, all he needed was the right opportunity.

And at this moment, there were only a few Bodhisattva Seeds left in front of him. 

He refined all of the remaining Bodhisattva Seeds into clear energy, which would then be injected into the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree. More strands of black miasma slowly seeped out of the tree's body and then dissolved into nothingness.

"Buzz buzz!"

After the wisp of black miasma disappeared, the emerald Bodhisattva Ancient Tree suddenly emitted a buzzing sound. A green light surged before many bright green rays erupted from the tree's body. They spread out, making the already abundant life force even more dense.

"Has it been completely removed?"

Xiao Ming looked at the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree. At this moment, the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree was undoubtedly much more emerald green than before. Moreover, the dark chill that had vaguely emanated from it had also disappeared. The current Bodhisattva Ancient Tree gave off a peaceful, benevolent, and profound sense of mystery...

"Rustle rustle!"

One of the branches of the ancient tree slowly stretched out, resembling a human hand as it rubbed Xiao Ming's head. He could sense a joyful emotion from the tree branch.

Suddenly, the branches of the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree trembled and lightly tapped on a nearby light cluster. Inside the cluster were Qing Lin and Zi Yan, who had been trapped in an illusion. With a gentle tap, the light cluster abruptly shattered, releasing them.

Suddenly appearing in this strange space, the expressions of the two women changed. They seemed to realize that everything they had just experienced was an illusion.

"The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree is indeed terrifying..."

However, they soon noticed Xiao Ming near the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree. Their expressions were joyful at first, but they soon became a little cautious.

"Young Master?"

"Xiao Ming?"

"It's me. Don't worry, this is not an illusion. The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree no longer harbors any ill intentions towards us."