"Bang!"
The palm, imbued with terrifying power, slammed into the puppet's head. The powerful force directly blew the puppet's head off, but no blood flowed out. Clearly, these puppets had been exposed to the elements for countless years, and their bodies had long since become desiccated.
Not long after Medusa killed a demigod puppet, Yun Yun also defeated and killed the puppet with her sword skills.
The man in green had already single-handedly killed two half-saint puppets, and looked at Gu He with a smile, saying, "Master Gu, your demon-slaying skills are not as good as your alchemy skills! How about I make a move?"
"No need, this is a test for me, and I can use you to get through it..."
As he spoke, Gu He unleashed the full power of the alchemy furnace he had refined for many years. This was a magical artifact for alchemy, and now it had to be used to defend against enemies, which truly pained Gu He. With a loud shout, his long hair was disheveled, and his black hair flew wildly as he drove the alchemy furnace with all his might. In an instant, the furnace became crystal clear, and flames shot into the sky.
A large amount of scorching flames poured out of the furnace, engulfing the semi-saint puppet, but it was difficult to burn it to ashes in a short time. After being hit three times, Gu He regretted it to the core before he finally burned the semi-saint puppet to death.
"What a huge loss! What a huge loss! I should have let you guys do it..." Gu He looked at the three handprints on the alchemy furnace and was filled with regret.
"Didn't you say we weren't allowed to intervene?"
"That's right! I see your flames are extraordinary! They're no longer ordinary flames. If you advance any further, even a Dou Sheng would have a hard time stopping them..."
"I'm a pill refiner, and you have the nerve to make me fight... Forget it! My pill furnace needs at least several months to recover! What am I supposed to use to refine pills..."
"Don't be heartbroken. Look over there, isn't that the legendary Bodhicitta?"
Everyone's gaze turned to the ancient Bodhi tree. From within its trunk, hundreds of feet above the ground, rings of light emanated, exuding an astonishing vitality.
“This Bodhi tree is stranger than I expected. These semi-saint puppets must have been true semi-saint powerhouses in life, but even they became puppets in the end, which means that even they cannot deal with this Bodhi tree.”
Yun Yun stared intently at the radiant light, her mind racing. These semi-saint puppets were not the most troublesome thing; the most troublesome thing was the Bodhi Ancient Tree itself, because no one knew what kind of strange methods it possessed.
Chapter 411 The Ancient Bodhi Tree
"Be careful. Since the Abbot is using this Bodhi Tree to test us, there must be a reason. As you can see, even a half-saint has become its prisoner, and no one has ever subdued the Bodhi Tree in all these years. This shows that there is a great danger here that even a Dou Sheng would find difficult to resist."
Queen Medusa subtly shifted her serpentine tail, her gaze fixed on the ancient Bodhi tree, yet she could not discern the true nature of the danger within. However, the sense of impending peril was palpable; she maintained her half-human, half-serpent form, ready to respond to any sudden threat.
"I think it's a mental attack. If their will is eroded, they'll become puppets of this demonic tree, just like these semi-saints. We cultivate the path of the primordial spirit, so we might be able to restrain ourselves somewhat, but we still have to be careful..."
"Let's go! No matter how dangerous it is, we have to break in!"
Medusa let out a soft breath, every pore on her body tensing at that moment. She waved her hand lightly, then rose first and slowly walked towards the Bodhi Tree. Having cultivated a demonic body, her defenses were at their strongest. Behind her, the green-clad figures and others, who had been waiting solemnly, followed with grave and wary expressions.
"rustle……"
The sound of soft footsteps gradually rose as the group reached the base of the ancient Bodhi tree. Standing there, looking up, they could finally appreciate just how towering and enormous this ancient tree, which had lived for countless years, truly was.
"laugh!"
When everyone arrived at the base of the ancient Bodhi tree, a dazzling light suddenly burst forth from the tree trunk, which was hundreds of feet tall, transforming into a pillar of light that enveloped everyone within it.
The sudden scene startled everyone, and they were horrified to discover that their internal energy was not circulating smoothly.
"Even Yuan Qi is suppressed, so if it's Dou Qi... would it be sealed directly?"
A tremendous suction force swept over them, and the four of them used their vital energy to counter it, freezing their bodies in place.
At this moment, the man in green said, "Everyone, don't resist, go inside and find out what's going on..."
"good!"
"call out!"
To their horror, the beam of light rapidly shrank, and with a whoosh, it shrunk back into the tree like lightning, and the four of them disappeared along with the light.
Jiang Liu gazed at the Bodhi Tree and began to collect the materials. As for the four people who had entered the Bodhi Tree illusion, Jiang Liu was not too worried.
This trip will definitely be of great benefit to them.
As the four of them were drawn into the Bodhi Tree by the suction, a blinding white light filled their vision. They stood bewildered in this world of white light, with no one around them. Moreover, for some reason, their memories seemed to be somewhat disordered.
"What happened?"
Although the green-clad woman was the strongest in combat among the four, Yun Yun possessed the most powerful primordial spirit. Amidst the vast white light, she frowned deeply. After a moment, she suddenly raised her head. Not far from her was a circle of light. She hesitated for a moment before stepping closer to the circle and entering it.
The moment she stepped into the light circle, although it seemed to last only a moment, Yun Yun felt as if decades or even centuries had passed. Just as she was feeling lost, her body suddenly trembled, and lush grasslands replaced the white world, appearing before her eyes.
"An illusion? Interesting. To be able to refine an illusion to such a degree is truly remarkable..."
As Yun Yun attained enlightenment, she immediately felt a cool sensation emanating from her sea of consciousness and spreading throughout her entire body.
As the cool aura surged in, Yun Yun's body trembled violently. A holy sword condensed in her sea of consciousness, slashing at the chaotic memories that did not belong to her and some inexplicably added things.
This sacred sword is the sword intent condensed by Yun Yun. As soon as the sword intent is released, all mental intrusions immediately dissipate.
As these things dissipated, Yun Yun felt her soul had been cleansed, her whole body felt refreshed and exceptionally comfortable, and even the sword intent seemed to have become more solid.
His aura was leaking out, and sword energy crisscrossed around his body.
If she hadn't cultivated the "Shushan" Yuan Shen Sword Control Dao and condensed sword intent, and if these things hadn't helped her expel those hidden things from her mind, she probably would have remained immersed in this living illusion forever.
"Now I finally understand why these half-saints became puppets. These guys were clearly also immersed in the illusion of the Bodhi Tree, thus losing their souls and becoming walking corpses!"
The moment sword energy surged around Yun Yun's body, the world around her distorted violently, and finally, like a shattered mirror, it exploded with a bang.
After the world exploded open, Yun Yun found herself in a space filled with emerald green. In this space, an ancient tree, about ten feet tall, stood there as if it had existed forever. The tree was entirely emerald green, as if it were made of the finest jade, and it released an amazing vitality.
This tree is exactly the same as the enormous Bodhi tree outside, which is nearly a thousand feet tall, except that it looks countless times smaller!
Beneath this small tree, Jiang Liu sat cross-legged with his eyes slightly closed. His celestial body shone brightly, possessing both the solemnity of a god and the unique martial prowess of a martial artist, as if he were sitting in the heavens, looking down upon the human world.
"Guanzhu!!!"
Yun Yun dared not disturb them, standing not far away like a piece of wood, afraid of startling Jiang Liu's enlightenment.
"Born of flesh and blood, immortal and indestructible, after sitting in stagnation for years, I have finally taken this step..."
Soon after, Jiang Liu slowly chanted, his body shimmering with light and radiance, as if he were about to ascend to heaven. His blood surged, and his vital energy was like a vast ocean.
Most remarkably, he sat there cross-legged, mysterious and unfathomable, like a deity, one with heaven and earth, guiding the Dao into his body.
"brush!"
He opened his eyes, shooting out two blazing beams of divine light, like two sharp swords piercing the sky.
The Bodhi tree has three treasures: the Bodhi mind, the Bodhi seed, and enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.
The first two are not difficult to explain; they are both things contained within the ancient Bodhi tree. However, the third one seems more ethereal and intangible in comparison.
The Bodhi Tree, also known as the Tree of Wisdom and Reincarnation, is said to possess the extraordinary power to allow people to experience a hundred lifetimes of reincarnation. Those who have undergone such reincarnation trials are said to have the potential to become a Dou Di (Battle Emperor).
Although it is just a legend, countless powerful individuals still go crazy for this ethereal tale.
Although Jiang Liu may not have been sitting cross-legged under the Bodhi tree for very long, he has actually spent decades on a spiritual level, single-mindedly seeking enlightenment and benefiting immensely.
Chapter 412 Subduing the Divine Tree
Soon after, Medusa, Green Robe, and Furukawa also emerged from the illusion, each having gained something.
"Hey, what's the abbot doing?"
The one who finally broke free of the illusion was the woman in green. She was the strongest in combat, but the weakest in spiritual cultivation. It was due to her innate talent; although her Calamity Poison Body was powerful, it only gave her talent in the use of poison, without any benefit to her spiritual cultivation.
Shh! Don't disturb them!
Jiang Liu stood before the ancient Bodhi tree, his gaze fixed on it. In mid-air, a figure dressed in black stood on the ground, an aura as supreme as heaven and earth slowly spreading from his body. Under this aura, even the colossal Bodhi tree appeared quite small.
However, intimidated by Jiang Liu's aura, the figure in black dared not approach, though he was eager to try.
"Battle...Battle Emperor!"
The woman in green was somewhat surprised. Although it was just an image, the aura it exuded made her soul tremble. Apart from the legendary Dou Di powerhouses who existed only in ancient legends, who else in the world could possess such an aura?
“There are two Dou Di!” Yun Yun said. “This Bodhi Ancient Tree also possesses the strength of a Dou Di!”
The green-clad man's eyes twitched involuntarily. He had actually seen two of these powerful figures, who were almost legendary, today. Although it was just an image, their unique, supreme aura still made his soul tremble.
"If it has the strength of a Dou Di, why is it trapped here? Tuoshe Ancient Emperor has a great reputation in the mortal world, but I have never heard of this Bodhi Ancient Tree having such strength!"
"Because of my arrival, they have stopped being at odds!" Jiang Liu said, looking at the ancient tree and the figure in black.
"I see!" As soon as Jiang Liu said that, the four of them understood.
During Jiang Liu's enlightenment, the Bodhi Tree showed no hostility towards him. However, when he finished his enlightenment and prepared to refine it, the Bodhi Tree would certainly not allow Jiang Liu to refine it.
So they joined forces with the black-clad figure they had been confronting to begin resisting Jiang Liu's refining.
However, in the end, the man in black was merely the negative will of a Dou Di, not a true Dou Di. He only possessed the aura of a Dou Di, but lacked the divine abilities of one.
The Bodhi Tree is similar; unlike the Strange Flame, which the Ancient Emperor Tuoshe attained enlightenment through, becoming a Dou Di with innate great supernatural powers, the Bodhi Tree possesses vigorous vitality and the ability to elevate a cultivator's Dao heart, making it the best aid for cultivation. However, its only deficiency is offensive power.
The ancient Bodhi tree before us has existed for countless years, but one thing is certain: it has existed since ancient times.
However, Jiang Liu could see, and was quite surprised, that after countless years of accumulation, the Bodhi Ancient Tree had not evolved a complete intelligence. Perhaps it was because it had existed for so long that its intelligence could not be fully developed. Whatever the reason, the Bodhi Ancient Tree did not have true wisdom; it only possessed some basic functions of a spiritual being, such as autonomous protection or retaliation.
The more powerful the original body, the more difficult it is to cultivate intelligence and shed the original body to become a demon. For example, the peach tree in the Heavenly Court and the ginseng fruit tree of Zhenyuan Daxian, which were born from chaos and could not take human form even until the Journey to the West.
And this ancient Bodhi tree is the same!
The inability to take human form means that one cannot cultivate in the same way as humans or demons.
Jiang Liu did have some recollection of this black-clad figure exuding the aura of a Dou Di. In a very distant era, there was once a heavily injured Dou Di expert who attempted to forcibly extract the spirit of the Bodhi Ancient Tree to heal his wounds. However, he was ultimately killed by his opponent and the Bodhi Ancient Tree in a joint attack. Of course, killing that black-clad Dou Di clearly inflicted extremely terrible damage on the Bodhi Ancient Tree, reducing it from a towering ten thousand feet tall to its current size of only about a thousand feet.
However, even though the Bodhi Ancient Tree paid a heavy price, it did not completely kill the black-clad Dou Di as expected. This was because, at the moment of the latter's fall, some of his negative will gathered together and invaded the Bodhi Ancient Tree.
Over countless years, these so-called negative wills have gradually eroded the spirit of the Bodhi Ancient Tree, causing its not-so-complex intelligence to begin leaning towards darkness and coldness. In other words, the Bodhi Ancient Tree has been gradually transformed into evil by the negative will of that Dou Di powerhouse over a long period of time.
The illusion that Yun Yun experienced was automatically formed because of this evil. Over the countless years, countless powerful individuals have lost themselves in the illusion and become its puppets.
To put it simply, the Bodhi Ancient Tree now possesses two kinds of intelligence within it. One is the original intelligence that belongs to it and can be called benevolent intelligence, while the other is the intelligence that is biased towards evil due to the negative emotions of the black-clad Dou Di.
If Jiang Liu had helped the Bodhi Ancient Tree slay the Dou Di's will, the Bodhi Ancient Tree would have been extremely grateful. However, Jiang Liu intended to completely control the Bodhi Ancient Tree and refine it, which naturally provoked its fierce resistance.
They even went so far as to join forces with a formidable enemy they had confronted for millennia to stop the invasion of Jiang Liu's will.
"If you refuse to surrender, then I will have no choice but to resort to violence!" Jiang Liu narrowed his eyes, a divine light emanating from between his brows, like a vertical eye, seemingly a god looking down at the heavens.
This majesty was the awe-inspiring power of a god-king who ruled over all heavens. In an instant, a beam of light, almost tangible, condensed from the vertical pupil-like pattern between his brows and shot straight toward the will of the Dou Di.
With nowhere to retreat and nowhere to block, even time and space seemed to freeze.
Like snow meeting the blazing sun, everything vanishes like smoke.