Chapter 1816: Seedling

“This is Immortal Venerable Qianhuan’s cave mansion. If they dare to come, they must give it their all!”This is the minimum respect due to an evenly matched opponent.He Lingchuan rubbed his nose. “So, if they die here, then up in the sky...?”“The Imperial Essence will burst forth. This is a world constructed by an Immortal Venerable; even if the Celestial Demons’ true souls escape their bodies, they will have nowhere to flee and cannot return to the Demon Realm.”He Lingchuan murmured, “They have no way out.”

The bigger the fish, the higher the stakes. To catch Qianhuan, that big fish, Miaozhantian themselves jumped into the Upside-Down Sea. If they fail this time, not only will they lose the True Immortals’ and Immortals’ bodies, but even their own lives and those of a few trusted subordinates will be forfeited here.Neither side can afford to lose.

“How long can these Celestial Demons stay within the bodies of Immortals?” He Lingchuan likely wouldn’t find an answer to this question anywhere else.“It’s hard to say. This is a very risky endeavor. Celestial Demons rarely descend in their full form; to my knowledge, it has only happened four times in history, and the most recent instance lasted less than a night,” Xiao Wencheng mused. “The Immortal Venerable believes that the better the spiritual energy environment, the longer they can stay in the human realm. The same applies to Immortals like us. However, they still seem to be limited by cosmic laws, preventing them from remaining for too long.”The denser the spiritual energy in the world, the easier it is for Celestial Demons to descend?Even though He Lingchuan was mentally prepared, hearing this still sent a slight shiver down his spine.Indeed, good fortune often conceals hidden dangers.Creatures in the world have long yearned for spiritual energy, but for some Celestial Demons, isn’t this also the opportunity they’ve been waiting for?The first person He Lingchuan thought of was Mitian from back then.

Xiao Wencheng changed the subject and said to He Lingchuan, “Island Master He, our sect’s forces have already reached the northern stronghold. It’s our turn now.”On the battlefield ahead, a fierce struggle was raging, with both sides fighting without holding back. Their two major combatants couldn’t remain idle any longer.He Lingchuan’s heart gave a slight jolt. He glanced at him and nodded.This meant they were nearing the final critical moment.

Immediately, Xiao Wencheng handed He Lingchuan a round seed and a silver bowl, explaining their use.He Lingchuan listened with some surprise but didn’t ask further questions, taking them naturally.Both then jumped into the Haoyuan Golden Mirror but were teleported to different locations.Xiao Wencheng went to the meteorite crater west of Upside-Down Lake, by himself.He Lingchuan, on the other hand, first went to the seaside of Silver Pearl Island, then crossed the mirror again to find the Illusion Sect team, joining Dong Rui and the Black Armored Army to attack the northern meteorite crater.Currently, the main point of contention between Immortals and Demons was to the east of the lake. The Illusion Sect team was opening a new front, and with Xiao Wencheng exerting force in the west, Qianhuan’s side was simultaneously excavating three meteorite craters, while the Celestial Palace’s Immortals and Demons could only focus on one.It was a race against time: whether Qianhuan would dismantle Miaozhantian’s strongholds first, or Miaozhantian would seize control of the Upside-Down Lake area ahead of them.

He Lingchuan crossed through the mirror and entered a massive pit.The northern part of the great lake originally had no such depression, but the Divine Fire Meteorite had fallen from the sky, forcefully carving out a gigantic crater tens of meters deep. At the center of the pit, emitting a dazzling golden light, was that very meteorite.The Illusion Sect team dared not approach. Besides the high temperature, the air within a ten-zhang radius of the meteorite was completely sucked away, and there were poisonous fumes. While cultivators didn’t suffocate like ordinary people, they were certainly not comfortable.

He Lingchuan, the Black Armored Army, and the Illusion Sect team converged. Without even time for greetings, he took out the seed Xiao Wencheng had given him and directly threw it onto the slowly rotating Divine Fire Meteorite.No one could discern the patterns on the meteorite’s surface, as it continuously erupted with dazzling intense light. To everyone, it was simply a large fireball radiating light and heat.An ordinary seed would have vaporized the moment it was thrown. However, this one displayed an incredible vitality; in just fifteen breaths, it had grown into a small seedling.Looking at the seedling’s delicate appearance, as if it would topple with a single gust of wind even if it landed on solid ground, who could imagine it was actually planted on a burning meteorite?But this fragility lasted only a few breaths. It then began to grow rapidly. The Soul-Snaring Mirror in He Lingchuan’s possession revealed that its roots had become exceptionally robust, even as hard and rough as stones by a lava pool. These roots, sharper than daggers, pierced into the meteorite’s interior, greedily absorbing nutrients.What was poison to others was nectar to it. The high temperature, deadly to others, was the best nourishment for this seed.

Dong Rui, somewhat surprised, specifically killed two troublesome Celestial Palace members and squeezed over to ask He Lingchuan:“What is this?”Something capable of countering True Master Cangxi’s ultimate move was certainly no ordinary method.“A Seed of the Dao-Seeking Tree.”“Huh?” Dong Rui was startled. “From Mount Xu...?”“Yes, that’s it. There is only one Dao-Seeking Tree in the world,” He Lingchuan replied. “All the other ritual artifacts on the offering table were created by True Master Qianhuan, but this particular Dao-Seeking Tree seed was brought back from outside and kept by him for over six hundred years.”Dong Rui suddenly understood.

The Dao-Seeking Tree was rooted in the true fire of the earth’s core and revered as a sacred tree by the Grand Return Sect. It survived the ancient Immortal-Demon War, endured being doused in demonic blood, and persevered for the long two millennia that followed, still standing atop Mount Xu to this day.This tree possessed numerous divine abilities; even a single golden leaf once helped He Lingchuan deceive Miaozhantian’s Eye of Truth.Dong Rui was unaware of this past, but he instinctively felt that the Dao-Seeking Tree seed sprouting on the Divine Fire Meteorite seemed not out of place.

This seedling consumed enormous energy. After vigorously absorbing from the meteorite for a while, the light and heat on its surface became less formidable, and even its rotation speed began to slow.Many people rubbed their eyes. Was the meteorite’s actual color starting to darken?

Just then, silhouettes flickered at the pit’s opening, and another army charged in—The Celestial Palace forces had arrived!Before they even got close to the meteorite, an unknown powerful figure released a swarm of fiery red crows that soared directly towards the small Dao-Seeking Tree.This immense flock, numbering perhaps several thousands, blotted out the sky.While the Dao-Seeking Tree seedling had robust roots that feared no true divine radiance fire, its branches were still delicate and could not withstand the crows’ frenzied pecking and tearing.With a raise of He Lingchuan’s hand, over three hundred Illusion Sect divine abilities shot forth, wiping out a large contingent of fire crows.It must be said that the visual effects of a divine ability battle were truly splendid: on one side, streams of colorful rainbows, and on the other, fire crows exploding into showers of sparks, a spectacle ten times more magnificent than New Year’s fireworks.A few escaped crows flew closer, but He Lingchuan casually threw his Fusheng Blade, extinguishing them with a single sweep.

Just then, Dong Rui pointed a finger. “Hey, Bai Ziqi is here too, and he’s staring at you!”He Lingchuan followed his gaze. On a high ridge dozens of *zhang* away stood a group of people, and indeed, the one surrounded in the center was Bai Ziqi!Piercing through the thick smoke and poisonous mist, through the sparks and rainbow lights, their gazes finally met.