บท 514: Chapter 513: Evil Tree Spirit

Beneath the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree.

The group stared in astonishment at the spatial channel and the white figure emerging from it.

"How could another Dou Saint appear?"

Someone exclaimed in surprise, and the people around shivered as their eyes shifted apprehensively.

Not all Dou Saints were as easygoing as Xiao Ming. Without the temptation of the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree, they did not want to be taught a lesson for no apparent reason.

Besides, Xiao Ming had never exuded the aura of a Dou Saint to intimidate them before.

The Heavenly Court, on the other hand, remained relatively calm. There was no need to panic with a backing!

The members of the Gu Clan, including Gu Qing Yang, were relieved. There was nothing more uplifting than seeing a Dou Saint from their own clan arrive.

The white-robed figure emerging from the spatial channel was an elderly man with a slightly stooped back. Even his beard and eyebrows were as white as snow. There was no sign of cloudiness in his deeply sunken eyes. Instead, those eyes had a mysterious, almost black hole-like, inexorable pull. Anyone who looked into them seemed to be drawn in irresistibly, creating an intense sense of mystery.

"Elder Tong Xuan..."

As soon as this figure appeared, Gu Qing Yang and the other clan members bowed respectfully and politely addressed him.

The old man who was called Elder Tong Xuan nodded slightly and then looked around, completely ignoring the group of Dou Venerates. After a brief pause at the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree, his gaze finally settled on Gu Xun'er.

"Xun'er, didn't you take Elder Gu Yun with you on your journey outside? You crushed the spatial jade token to summon me. What happened to Elder Gu Yun?"

Gu Xun'er's delicate face was slightly frozen, and her voice was clear and cold as she replied, "Elder Tong Xuan, it was during this journey into the Ancient Wasteland Region that Elder Gu Yun disappeared a month ago. Forced by circumstances, Xun'er had no choice but to summon you here."

"What!"

Elder Tong Xuan's calm and collected expression broke, and his face revealed a mixture of astonishment and perplexity. Even though Elder Gu Yun's strength was slightly lower than his, she was still a Dou Saint. How could she have vanished without a trace for no apparent reason?

"Tell this old man everything you've experienced in the past month."

Gu Xun'er stepped forward and described everything she had experienced, including the events within the Tree Spirit Space. Those who were not members of the Gu Clan did not leave the area during this discussion to avoid any misunderstandings.

Elder Tong Xuan listened quietly as Gu Xun'er recounted her experiences. When he learned that Xiao Ming was also present and currently in the Tree Spirit Space, he felt a sense of admiration.

"I didn't expect the Xiao Clan people to be here. We owe him a lot this time. Otherwise, you might have been trapped in the illusion for who knows how long."

"This Bodhisattva Ancient Tree has lived for a long time and is truly unfathomable. It's quite remarkable that Xiao Ming can communicate with it. To think that the declining Xiao Clan could produce someone like him. If Xiao Xuan knew, I'm sure he'd be very pleased!"

A few months ago, after his victory over the Chief of the Hall of Souls, Xiao Ming's strength had become widely known throughout the Central Plains, and he was recognized as an advanced five-star Dou Saint.

However, considering that he had effortlessly defeated Hun Mie Sheng and even had the upper hand against Hun Qian Mo, Elder Tong Xuan believed that his true strength exceeded that of a five-star Dou Saint.

This was an extraordinary feat, especially considering that he was only a few months older than Gu Xun'er, a Divine Bloodline talent.

Gu Xun'er was still only a low-star Dou Venerate!

Due to Xiao Ming's remarkable abilities, the Gu Clan had called a meeting to discuss how to handle him. After much deliberation, they came to the conclusion that this young fellow was truly terrifying, and it was best not to make an enemy of him.

This also explained why, in the early stages of Xiao Ming's simulation, some members of the Gu Clan had initially sought him out for the Tou She Ancient God's Jade, but later they gradually disappeared.

Elder Tong Xuan was in favor of this decision within the Gu Clan, as he was from a time when the Xiao Clan and the Gu Clan were on good terms. He belonged to the faction within the Gu Clan that had maintained closer ties with the Xiao Clan.

Although the passage of time had eroded many of those ties, constantly picking on the younger members of the Xiao Clan seemed rather inappropriate.

Of course, there was no denying that they could no longer pick on Xiao Ming. The current power of the Heavenly Court was no weaker than the now-vanished Spirit Clan, and Xiao Ming's potential surpassed that of the entire Spirit Clan.

After remembering the past, Elder Tong Xuan found himself in a difficult position. He couldn't glean any useful information about Elder Gu Yun's disappearance from Gu Xun'er's report.

A strange fluctuation suddenly emanated from the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree at this moment.

The entire space began to ripple, forming another spatial channel. An eerie and sinister aura wafted from it, sending shivers down one's spine to the depths of one's soul.

Then a figure clad in a black robe slowly emerged from the spatial channel. Their entire body radiated an ominous aura that made everyone feel uncomfortable.

"Hmm? A member of the Hun Clan? No, that aura... Elder Gu Yun? Bodhisattva Ancient Tree?" Elder Tong Xuan's face appeared confused. Why did this stranger's aura seem so mixed, and why did it carry traces of Gu Yun's aura?

Just as he was about to ask for clarification, the stranger suddenly made a move!

A massive wave of black vapor, akin to an enraged dragon sweeping across the sky, surged relentlessly towards Elder Tong Xuan. This terrifying attack caused vast expanses of space to collapse in its wake.

The sudden attack made Elder Tong Xuan's mouth twitch and he hastily defended himself.

Thus, a fierce battle broke out in the space in front of the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree...

...

Inside the Tree Spirit's Space, Xiao Ming was holding a small Bodhisattva Ancient Tree seedling, about thirty centimeters in size.

As he watched the intense battle unfold outside, he curiously asked the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree, who was standing a few meters away, "Is this the evil tree spirit you mentioned?"

Why did Xiao Ming ask this question?

To understand, one must go back to some events that took place in the Tree Spirit's Space after Gu Xun'er and the others had left.

When Gu Xun'er and the others left, the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree had originally intended to send Xiao Ming and the girls away as well.

However, in front of Qing Lin and Zi Yan's astonished eyes, Xiao Ming had taken out his own Bodhisattva Ancient Tree seedling.

His intention was to ask the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree to help him speed up the seedling's growth and perhaps persuade it to leave with them.

But to his surprise, the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree declined the offer!

Perplexed, he inquired as to the reason for this decision. The ancient tree replied that it needed to conserve its strength to face the evil tree spirit, which left Xiao Ming completely baffled.

He was aware that the Dou God's resentment had tainted the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree, and that an evil tree spirit had appeared. But hadn't the evil tree spirit been purified by the Bodhisattva Seeds some time ago?

So why did the ancient tree want to preserve its power to eliminate the evil tree spirit?

With these thoughts in his mind, Xiao Ming talked to the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree and gradually unraveled the whole story.

The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's good tree spirit had originally resided deep within the Dou Qi Continent. It had been struggling with the evil tree spirit, and although it had a slight advantage, its judgment was still somewhat clouded.

Some time ago, when Xiao Ming's Bodhisattva Ancient Tree seedling sprouted, both the good and evil tree spirits were attracted to it, causing the ancient tree to emerge prematurely. During this time, the good tree spirit gained the upper hand and drove the evil tree spirit, which had split off, out of the Tree Spirit Space.

This was the reason for the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's ambivalent response when Xiao Ming expressed his intention to help it expel the evil tree spirit. The good tree spirit had already expelled the evil one, but it was still tainted by the Dou God's lingering resentment.