162: Nightmare Flower

In the study, Li Ke's subdued aura suddenly began to surge.

A vast and profound Demonic Path Qi gushed out from his body, causing his robes to inflate and the hems to flap loudly.

Crack... Crack...

Sounds Li Ke shattering glass continuously emanated from within his body.

Streaks of black Qi figures struggled out of his body, seemingly enduring immense pressure, and after a difficult movement in the air, they gradually dissipated.

Suddenly,

Li Ke's eyes snapped open, his Divine Soul completely returning to its place.

“Cough…”

His face instantly turned pale, and he violently coughed out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Whoosh...

The Devilish Qi on Li Ke's body gradually converged, and the airflow in the room stabilized.

He let out a soft breath, a bitter smile playing on his lips.

“What a powerful Dao suppression.”

Li Ke looked inward.

At this moment, his Divine Soul was covered in fine cracks, Li Ke a ceramic piece that had been burned.

“As expected of the top-tier Garden of Sentient Beings, the place where World Laws condense.”

“I'm afraid one would only be qualified to thoroughly investigate it after reaching the Golden Core Stage.”

“However, it wasn't without Gains.”

Li Ke spread open his palm.

In his hands, he was holding a pool of amber-colored flower nectar.

The nectar emitted an incredibly pure Divine Soul Qi.

And at the tip of his right thumb, a small section of tender green vine was coiled.

The vine, Li Ke a small snake, continuously coiled at Li Ke's fingertip, attempting to escape his restraint.

Li Ke smiled faintly, looking at the nectar in his hand, and took a slight sniff with his nose.

From the nectar, that pure Divine Soul Qi transformed into a subtle amber-colored stream of Qi, entering Li Ke's nose.

Li Ke felt that the fine cracks on his Divine Soul were rapidly mending.

A sensation of his Divine Soul rapidly growing naturally arose.

“Hm?”

Li Ke's heart suddenly trembled.

He opened his eyes again, his gaze becoming incredibly peculiar.

He carefully scanned the surrounding air.

In his eyes, the originally unremarkable space now appeared somewhat different.

He could even vaguely perceive some fine, translucent cracks distributed throughout the space.

“This is... an enhancement of Divine Soul Origin!”

Li Ke immediately realized that after absorbing some of this amber nectar, his Divine Soul had undergone a fundamental elevation in its rank.

Therefore, when he looked at this world again, his perspective had quietly changed, allowing him to perceive many things that were previously undetectable.

And the enhancement of Divine Soul Origin was an extremely rare Opportunity.

It wasn't merely an increase in the total amount of Divine Soul, but rather an improvement in the quality of the Divine Soul.

In layman's terms, it comprehensively improved a person's Comprehension Ability, thinking, and affinity for the Dao!

“This is a Treasure of the Dao!”

Li Ke's heart burned with excitement as he realized the preciousness of this nectar.

He looked down at the pool of nectar in his hand; only a tenth of it had been consumed.

“This involves the Divine Soul Origin; using it for healing would be too wasteful. It's better to recover first, then make good use of it.”

Li Ke's thoughts stirred.

The amber nectar in his hand floated up, Li Ke an amorphous water sphere.

He flipped his hand, and a crystal bottle appeared in his hand.

Li Ke poured the nectar into the crystal bottle, meticulously attached several Qi-sealing talismans to the bottle, and then put it into his sleeve.

“Life Irrigation Ritual...”

Based on the powerful effects of this amber nectar, Li Ke was deep in thought.

A blue stamen, which had not yet condensed a Divine Ability statue, flashed through his mind—the stamen located in the top-tier Garden of Sentient Beings.

“Since other Gardens of All Living Things can condense Divine Ability statues,”

“then the flower at the very top should be able to as well.”

“However, it has condensed so much nectar instead...”

“What is the difference between them?”

Without warning, a thought suddenly flashed through Li Ke's mind—the wriggling octopus tentacles at the center of those Divine Ability statues.

“It's the core!”

Li Ke suddenly had a flash of insight.

“The Garden of Sentient Beings can continuously draw power from the Sea of Ancestors and transform it into Dao Laws and Divine Soul Origin.”

“But just Li Ke a clam forming a pearl needs a grain of sand to act as a center,”

“that blue stamen at the very top of the Life Irrigation Ritual, precisely because its power is too pure, lacks a core, which is why it has been slow to condense a Divine Ability statue, and can only transform into the most basic Divine Soul Origin...”

“Then...”

A thought suddenly arose in Li Ke's mind.

If he placed his Divine Soul into that blue stamen, would he be able to utilize the entire Tuhana Civilization's “Life Irrigation Ritual” to draw power from the Sea of Ancestors, continuously enhance his Divine Soul essence, and condense the most suitable top-tier Divine Ability for himself?

A hint of excitement gradually appeared in Li Ke's eyes.

“This is truly plucking the wool from the world's Origin...”

Bang, bang...

At this moment, a faint knocking sound came from outside the study.

“Master, are you alright?”

Barton's voice came from outside the door.

He had just noticed Li Ke's unstable aura, as if he was injured, so he came to check.

“I'm fine.”

“Come in, Barton.”

Li Ke composed himself and said calmly.

Around the study, in the air, streaks of black Qi figures silently emerged, returning to his body Li Ke swallows to their nest.

Creak...

The door opened, and Barton walked in.

“Master.”

Barton bowed slightly, his gaze involuntarily resting on the tip of Li Ke's right finger.

There, a small section of vine was coiled, seemingly a tendril of some plant.

But in Barton's perception, that small section of vine possessed an unignorable powerful presence, as if it were a being of extremely high rank.

“You've already sensed it?”

Li Ke smiled faintly, and he also looked down at the vine in his hand.

This peculiar plant grew in the Sea of Ancestors.

It was the core of the entire “Life Irrigation Ritual,” and it likely held a lofty status and extremely high rank within the entire Tuhana Civilization.

The terrifying energy-absorbing power displayed by those dark golden vines left a very deep impression on Li Ke.

“I remember that the Spirit Sealing Demon Taming Art allows for the establishment of one or two Demon Protectors.”

“You haven't decided yet, have you?”

Li Ke looked at Barton and smiled slightly.

“Try to see if this little thing is compatible with you.”

He flicked his finger, and that small section of vine immediately flew towards Barton.

Barton's gaze sharpened.

Countless bizarre auras immediately surged from his body.

In his hand, an dim yellow oil lamp suddenly appeared, he knew not when.

In the corridor behind him, all light was instantly devoured, turning into a profound darkness.

Spirit Sealing Demon Taming Art!

Invisible threads emerged in the Void Realm, connecting Barton to that small section of vine.

Squeak, squeak, squeak...

The vine twisted continuously in the air, its movements becoming slower and slower, gradually floating quietly in front of Barton.

The darkness behind Barton silently spread, gradually enveloping it, as if it had transformed into a cocoon of darkness.

A moment later, the darkness slowly receded.

Barton stood at the doorway of the study, seemingly unchanged.

And in his hand, on the dim yellow oil lamp, several thin vines silently grew, quietly coiling around the lamp.

“Thank you for your grace, Master!”

Barton naturally perceived the high rank of this vine.

If it weren't still in its infancy, it probably wouldn't have been so easy to be “sealed into a demon.”

And for such a precious item, the Master bestowed it upon him so easily, which made him incredibly grateful and filled him with drive.

When one reaches old age, it is precisely the time to strive!

“Please, Master, bestow a name upon this demon!”

Barton bowed deeply and said earnestly.

As a Demon Protector of the Spirit Sealing Demon Taming Art, it should have a name.

Barton felt that this right should be given to the Master.

“Hmm…”

Hearing this, Li Ke pondered for a moment.

He truly didn't know what this strange plant was called.

“Although it was born in the Sea of Ancestors, it exists between reality and dreams. Let's call it... Nightmare Flower.”

Then, looking at Barton's departing back, Li Ke showed a look of anticipation.

The Nightmare Flower, this strange plant, was already of extremely high rank, so much so that even Li Ke had to rely on elemental counter-attributes to deal with it.

And this one in his hand was located at the very top of the “Life Irrigation Ritual,” at that place where the Dao converged.

Once it matured, its potential would likely be even more terrifying.

“I wonder to what extent Barton can cultivate it...”