Chapter 378 Five-Star Dou Sheng Takes Away the Bodhi Ancient Tree

When news from the Gu Clan's Heavenly Tomb arrived, Shen Wen was tending to a Nine-Leaf Golden Ginseng in the Pill Tower's medicinal garden.

Xuan Kongzi personally delivered the invitation. Written in gold-leafed characters with respectful phrasing, its general meaning was that the Heavenly Tomb was about to open. The Gu Clan invited Prodigies from all sides to enter and train. If Shen Wen would grace them with his presence, the entire Gu Clan would welcome him with open arms.

Shen Wen took the invitation, flipped through it casually, and set it aside.

"Are you going?" Xuan Kongzi asked.

"No," Shen Wen continued to tend to the golden ginseng without even looking up. "The energy bodies inside are of no use to me."

"If I went in and took a lap, I could suck the place dry. The Gu Clan would likely regret inviting me."

Xuan Kongzi's mouth twitched, but he didn't respond.

The energy bodies in the Heavenly Tomb were indeed rare supplements for an ordinary Dou Zun. But for Shen Wen, those things weren't even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.

Xuan Kongzi put away the invitation and turned to leave.

Shen Wen leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling upon the sky above the medicinal garden, which was isolated by a Formation, lost in thought.

With the Heavenly Tomb opening, Xiao Yan should be going in.

That kid should now know that Xiao Xuan hasn't completely perished. His remnant Soul is trapped in the depths of the Heavenly Tomb, clinging to life via the tomb's special power, waiting for a descendant of the Xiao Family to save him.

Shen Wen didn't have much of an opinion on Xiao Xuan.

That fellow was a massive gambler. Back then, sensing the exhaustion of the Dou Di Bloodline, he actually planned to gather the Bloodlines of all Xiao Clan members into his own body to break through to Dou Di.

One couldn't say he was completely brainless, only that he was far too arrogant.

But Shen Wen had the advantage of foresight. Judging a predecessor's choices from the perspective of a descendant was inherently unfair.

In that era, without Source Qi or outside help, Xiao Xuan faced a dead end. Anyone else in that position might not have done any better.

In essence, the current Fighting Qi Continent was a dead end.

When the ancient Dou Dis left this world, they joined forces to set up a Seal, cutting off the space passage between the Major Thousand Worlds and the Fighting Qi Continent. Without Source Qi flowing in, this world could no longer give birth to a new Dou Di.

Unless someone could break through to Dou Di and reopen the passage.

But without Source Qi, how could one break through to Dou Di?

It was a death loop.

Currently, there were only two ways to become a Dou Di.

One was the emperors origin left behind by Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, and the other was that emperor pill prototype.

Shen Wen leaned against the back of his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, as a thought suddenly popped into his mind.

What if he didn't take these two paths, but relied on his own strength instead?

Once he reached Peak Nine-Star Dou Sheng, could he use various secret techniques and divine objects to forcibly blast open the Seals left by those ancient Dou Dis?

No matter how strong those Seals were, they were left by people. Since they were left by people, there must be a possibility of them being broken.

However, this thought only circled in his mind once before he suppressed it.

There were more convenient methods; there was no need to attempt such a thankless task.

Time continued to pass.

Shen Wen's daily routine didn't change much.

Alchemy, Cultivate, accompanying his wives and children, and occasionally spending a few hours in the Pill Tower's medicinal garden—his days were flat yet fulfilling.

But the Pill Tower's prestige rose steadily because of his existence as a Grade 9 Profound Pill Alchemist.

Shen Wen had no interest in these social engagements and pushed them all onto Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi to handle. Although the two old men grumbled, the smiles on their faces couldn't be suppressed.

On this day, news from the Desolate Ancient Domain finally arrived.

Shen Wen set down his teacup, took the jade talisman handed to him by Cao Ying, and sent his Soul power inside.

A moment later, he opened his eyes.

"The Bodhi Ancient Tree has appeared."

In the Flower Hall, several women looked up at the same time.

Xiao Yi Xian put down the orange in her hand and asked softly, "Are you going?"

Shen Wen nodded.

"The bodhi heart has the effect of improving Comprehension Ability for a Dou Sheng, but that thing is useless to me." He leaned back, his tone casual. "The effects of the Dragon-Phoenix Harmony Scripture are much stronger than that. Let those at the Peak of Dou Zun fight for it."

Tang Huo'er raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you going for?"

"Information on the Dou Di." Shen Wen stood up, hands behind his back. "The Bodhi Ancient Tree once had contact with a Dou Di. In its memories, there might be something I want."

As for the Hundred Reincarnations, he didn't really need them either.

Could that thing's boost to Comprehension Ability compare to the bodhi heart and the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart? He already had the best; why bother snatching treasures in others' eyes?

"I'll be back soon." Shen Wen looked at the women and smiled slightly.

He didn't take anyone with him.

The Desolate Ancient Domain was in the northeastern part of the Central Plains, a forgotten, savage world.

Ancient trees reached for the heavens, blotting out the sun.

Vines like pythons coiled around those thousand-year-old trees, weaving the entire forest into a giant green cage.

The air was thick with a damp, decaying scent. Occasionally, the roar of a beast drifted from the depths—low and long, carrying an ancient flavor completely different from the outside world.

When Shen Wen stepped out of a spatial crack, he could already sense that aura.

Ancient, vast, and carrying an indescribable sense of vicissitude.

It was an aura belonging to an ancient being, integrated with this world as if it had existed since the dawn of time.

His figure flickered as he sped toward the direction of the aura.

The forest receded rapidly beneath his feet. Sensing his aura, the Vicious Beasts hidden in the shadows prostrated themselves, not even daring to breathe loudly.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Shen Wen stopped.

Before him was an open clearing.

In the center of the clearing, a giant tree stood quietly.

The tree was over a thousand zhang tall, its canopy blotting out the sun and obscuring most of the sky.

The trunk was so thick it would take dozens of people to encircle it. The bark was dark brown and crisscrossed with deep furrows, like a weathered old face.

The most eye-catching part was its leaves.

Every single leaf was a pale gold, shimmering with a soft luster in the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the canopy.

A breeze blew, and the leaves swayed gently, making a rustling sound like ancient Buddhist chanting.

The Bodhi Ancient Tree.

Shen Wen stood beneath the tree, looking up at the sky-obscuring canopy, sensing that vast and ancient aura.

It was even stronger than he had anticipated.

This tree's foundation was terrifyingly deep.

The experiences of the ancient era, the memories of fighting with Dou Dis, and the power sealed deep within its body were all still there. They were merely slumbering, waiting to be awakened.

Shen Wen closed his eyes, and his Emperor Realm Soul power surged out like a tide, penetrating deep into the Bodhi Ancient Tree.

Then, he sensed it.

That mass of energy was sealed in the deepest part of the Bodhi Ancient Tree, pitch-black as ink, radiating heart-palpitating negative emotions.

Anger, fear, despair, resentment... countless emotions intertwined to form a thick black mist that was almost solid.

The negative emotions of the black-clothed Dou Di.

After that Dou Di was slain by the Bodhi Ancient Tree and another Dou Di, his lingering negative emotions invaded the Bodhi Ancient Tree and were sealed within its body.

Shen Wen opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.

He raised his hand, fingers curling into a phantom grip.

The power of the devouring ancestral talisman surged from his palm, transforming into a pitch-black giant hand that reached deep into the Bodhi Ancient Tree.

Sensing danger, the mass of black mist began to struggle frantically. It churned and roared, trying to break free from the giant hand's constraints.

Countless pitch-black tentacles extended from the mist, stabbing viciously toward Shen Wen's Soul.

But the moment those tentacles touched Shen Wen's Soul, they were like mud entering the sea, vanishing without a trace.

An Emperor Realm Soul was not something a mere mass of lingering negative emotions could shake.

Shen Wen tightened his grip.

The black mist was held fast by that pitch-black giant hand and dragged out inch by inch from the depths of the Bodhi Ancient Tree.

The black mist struggled and hissed, but it couldn't break free from that power's restraint at all.

Shen Wen pressed it into his palm, and the power of the devouring ancestral talisman operated at full capacity.

The black mist shrank and dissipated at a visible rate, being refined and absorbed bit by bit by the devouring ancestral talisman.

During the refining process, those negative emotions constantly battered his will, trying to drag him into an abyss of madness.

But under the dual suppression of the Emperor Realm Soul and the Past Amitabha Sutra, those impacts were merely the final struggles before death.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the last wisp of black mist dissipated.

Shen Wen closed his eyes, sensing the refined power surging into his body.

The residual power of a Dou Di.

Though it was only a tiny fraction, a Dou Di was still a Dou Di. The moment that power surged into his body, his aura began to climb.

Middle Stage Three-Star Dou Sheng.

Late Stage Three-Star Dou Sheng.

Peak Three-Star Dou Sheng.

Four-Star Dou Sheng.

Middle Stage Four-Star Dou Sheng.

Late Stage Four-Star Dou Sheng.

Peak Four-Star Dou Sheng.

Five-Star Dou Sheng.

The climbing momentum only gradually slowed down once he reached the mid-tier of Five-Star Dou Sheng.

Shen Wen opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of turbid air.

Five-Star Dou Sheng.

Not only that, but some fragmented memory shards remained within those refined negative emotions.

Shen Wen closed his eyes and sorted through those shards one by one.

Heaven Rank Dou Skills.

And more than one.

The Dou Skills used by that black-clothed Dou Di in life had partially remained in those negative emotions and were absorbed by Shen Wen during the refining process.

He sensed them roughly; there were at least five or six Heaven Rank Dou Skills, ranging from finger techniques to palm techniques, and from movement techniques to Soul attacks—a complete variety.

Shen Wen temporarily stored those Dou Skills in his Sea of Consciousness, leaving them for slow study in the future.

Then he looked up and gazed at the Bodhi Ancient Tree again.

The tree's aura was a bit weaker than before.

After the sealed negative emotions were drawn away, the Bodhi Ancient Tree seemed to have shed a heavy shackle, and the entire tree felt a bit lighter.

The pale gold leaves on the canopy swayed gently, making a rustling sound. That sound was crisper and more pleasant than before, as if expressing some kind of gratitude.

Shen Wen closed his eyes, and his Emperor Realm Soul power once again probed deep into the Bodhi Ancient Tree.

This time, he didn't touch the sealed powers but went looking for that faint wisp of consciousness.

The consciousness of the Bodhi Ancient Tree.

That consciousness was very shallow, like a newborn infant's, possessing only the most basic perception and instincts.

It couldn't speak or think; it could only respond to external stimuli in the simplest ways.

But Shen Wen still pieced some things together from those fragmented responses.

In the ancient era, the Bodhi Ancient Tree had once been a Dou Di.

It and another Dou Di had joined forces to slay a black-clothed Dou Di.

That battle had been earth-shattering. Although it won, it was also heavily injured, falling from the Dou Di Realm and regressing into its current form.

Later, it was discovered by Tuoshe Ancient Emperor.

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor helped it clear the broken Soul of the black-clothed Dou Di remaining in its body. In return, the Bodhi Ancient Tree gave a wisp of its Original Emperor Qi to Tuoshe Ancient Emperor.

It was precisely that wisp of Original Emperor Qi that allowed Tuoshe Ancient Emperor to break through the final step and become the last Dou Di on the Fighting Qi Continent.

Shen Wen opened his eyes and was silent for a moment.

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor wasn't very honorable.

The tree gave you Original Emperor Qi and helped you become an emperor, yet you just left after achieving it, leaving behind only two opportunities to become an emperor.

One of those was even left for a Heavenly Flame.

After all, if Xiao Yan hadn't obtained the Burning Technique, the most suitable entity to Cultivate it would have been a Heavenly Flame itself.

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor himself was a Heavenly Flame that attained the Dao, and the Original Emperor Qi he obtained also came from a non-human entity. It was normal for him to have no interest in human legacies.

Shen Wen rubbed his chin, his gaze falling on the Bodhi Ancient Tree's sky-obscuring canopy.

"I can try to help you re-awaken your spirit," he spoke in a calm tone. "But you must follow me. Are you willing?"

The Bodhi Ancient Tree's canopy swayed gently, its leaves making a rustling sound.

That sound was more hurried than before, as if expressing a certain urgency.

Shen Wen nodded.

"Then you shall come with me directly."

He raised his hand, and silver-gray light surged from his palm, tearing a crack in the void.

Behind the crack was a newly opened space. It wasn't large, only about a hundred li across, but it was enough to accommodate a tree.

With a thought from Shen Wen, the power of the space ancestral talisman uprooted the Bodhi Ancient Tree. The entire tree, along with the soil beneath its roots, was lifted and slowly sent into that newly opened space.

The thousand-zhang-tall Bodhi Ancient Tree entered the crack, its pale gold leaves suffering no damage under the protection of Space Power.

The crack closed.

Shen Wen casually sealed that space, attaching it to a Spatial Crystal Core he carried with him.

The clearing was empty, leaving only a giant pit to prove that a towering tree had once been there.

In the distance, several figures flew out from the dense forest.

They were Dou Zuns who had sensed the Bodhi Ancient Tree's aura and rushed over from various places. None of their auras were weak; the lowest was a Nine-Star Dou Zun, and a few had even stepped halfway into Dou Sheng.

But at this moment, they were all stunned in place.

A pit.

There was only a giant pit.

Where was the Bodhi Ancient Tree?

"Impossible..." a white-haired old man muttered, his face pale. "The Bodhi Ancient Tree is almost impossible to be taken by anyone. Its self-defense counterattack power is something even a Dou Sheng can't withstand. And if it senses danger, it would go directly into the earth's core..."

"Could it be..." another middle-aged man swallowed hard, "it's already over?"

No one could answer him.

Standing in the void, Shen Wen looked at those bewildered Dou Zuns, shook his head, and stepped into a spatial crack.