181: Collect

In Lesser Qingqiu's Peach Blossom Spring, beneath the giant Ancient Peach Tree.

Gao De's figure was like a drop of ink in a landscape painting, perfectly shaded, quietly blending into the giant shadow of the Ancient Peach Tree and the drifting pale pink miasma.

With [Hidden Scale Concealing Scenery] pushed to its limit, he not only concealed his form and aura but also reduced his presence to the absolute minimum, as if synchronizing with the ancient breath of this land.

Looking up, the huge empty nest a hundred and fifty zhang above the ground appeared even more serene and mysterious under the cover of the cloud-like peach blossoms.

The nest was woven from silver-white thatch and pale gold spiritual vines, its design ancient and exquisite. It was certainly no ordinary item, showing no signs of recent inhabitants—only the cleanliness and faint warmth accumulated over the years.

The pale gold grass stem samples brought back by the Green Edge squad had already been preliminarily studied by Gao De.

The gentle "generative" power contained within significantly promoted life incubation and provided great benefits for Bloodline enhancement.

This caused his evaluation of the entire nest's value to rise once again.

If he could obtain this nest intact, it would make an excellent seat for his usual cultivation.

"An ownerless empty nest... Though there are suspicious points, this is a rare opportunity," Gao De thought rapidly.

Gao De observed carefully; this nest was fused with the nearby natural Formation. If he took it by force, the resulting commotion would be significant and would likely alert the Late Stage Rank 3 Monkey King of the Changyou Bloodline.

However, this item was of extraordinary value and seemed to have no direct connection to the monkey troop, making it worth the risk. The key was to be fast, precise, and stealthy.

He first walked slowly around the giant peach tree, his Divine Sense acting like a fine carving knife as he carefully probed the trunk, roots, and every inch of the surrounding ground.

He confirmed there were no hidden warning Formations, Demonic Power markers, or other creatures spying in the shadows.

The Monkey King didn't seem to have designated this area as a core restricted zone. Perhaps it knew of the empty nest's existence but had some reservations about approaching it.

Gao De rose into the air and hovered beside the giant empty nest for a close-up observation.

The nest was woven seamlessly, its structure sturdy yet full of natural rhythm. The pale gold grass stems were not simply mixed in; they served as the core meridians running through the entire nest, forming an extremely sophisticated natural "generative Formation" that spontaneously gathered gentle Life Qi and promoted life hatching.

The one who refined this nest must have been a being with a profound understanding of the Dao of Life, perhaps even the original owner of Lesser Qingqiu.

"It's not a Magical Artifact, yet it's better than one. Neither metal nor stone, yet exceptionally tough." Gao De extended a sharp claw covered in purple scales and gently touched the nest wall.

It felt warm and elastic to the touch, yet possessed an indescribable suppleness. When he infused a trace of Demonic Power through his fingertips, it was naturally absorbed and circulated by the pale gold grass stem veins, turning into a purer warmth. This nest was indeed extraordinary.

Without delay, Gao De stepped into the air and stood firmly by the nest. He slowly raised his hands, and a condensed Purple Lightning glow lit up the tips of his ten fingers.

He didn't use the thunderous [Violet Extreme Thunder Strike] or [Prison Suppressing Thunder Domain]. Instead, he highly compressed and transformed his pure Purple Lightning Thunder Aura into a gentle yet highly penetrative "Purple Heaven Spirit-Melting Fire"—this was a high-level Artifact Refining and spirit-fusing technique recorded in the [Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art], which caused minimal damage to spiritual Materials while being able to dismantle and refine them from their fundamental structure.

"Go."

With a low shout, ten threads of Purple Heaven Spirit-Melting Fire, as thin as hair but incredibly condensed, shot from his fingertips and precisely entered ten key connection nodes of the giant empty nest.

The fire threads were silent, yet they contained Gao De's powerful Divine Sense control and understanding of energy structures.

The Purple Heaven Spirit-Melting Fire acted like a most skillful craftsman, slowly penetrating, soaking, and analyzing along the nest's woven veins, especially the cores of those pale gold grass stems.

Gao De's Divine Sense was attached to it, carefully sensing every part of the nest's structure and every trace of energy flow.

He wasn't aiming for violent dismantling but rather untying a sophisticated knot. He needed to find the "Qi core" and "structural hub" of the natural Formation, then use his Demonic Power and Divine Sense to gently replace, control, and ultimately compress and collect it.

This process required extreme focus and control; there was no room for error.

Gao De immersed his mind in the task. Purple Lightning circulated slightly around him, forming a strange balance with the massive wood Spiritual Qi emitted by the Ancient Peach Tree and the faint peach blossom miasma.

Time passed bit by bit.

The giant empty nest began to undergo subtle changes invisible to the naked eye: the warm luster on its surface became more restrained and concentrated; its volume seemed to shrink extremely slowly; and the pale gold veins flickered in and out of existence, gradually establishing a mysterious connection with the Purple Heaven Spirit-Melting Fire at Gao De's fingertips.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly.

The refining progress of the nest had exceeded sixty percent. Gao De had preliminarily mastered its core structure and some of the mysteries of the "generative Formation." Collecting it was only a matter of time.

However, just as he was about to complete the refining of the final key node and prepare to compress and collect the nest in one go—

A sudden change occurred!

The giant Ancient Peach Tree, which had been standing silently with its striking spirituality but no consciousness, suddenly emitted a low and ancient hum from within its trunk!

As if a sleeping giant spirit had been touched at its core, a massive, pure, yet ancient and wrathful surge of wood Spiritual Qi erupted like a dormant volcano!

It wasn't an attack, but a powerful force of rejection and imprisonment!

Countless visible pale green Spiritual Qi chains materialized from the trunk, branches, and even the underground roots, wrapping like lightning around the nest Gao De was refining and Gao De himself!

Simultaneously, the faint pink miasma of the Peach Blossom Spring's core area seemed to receive a summons. It began to rapidly gather and concentrate toward the Ancient Peach Tree, its color deepening to a dark pink as its illusory power surged, attempting to interfere with Gao De's mind and Demonic Power circulation!

This Ancient Peach Tree was actually not an inanimate object!

It might not have gained sapience to become a demon, but its physical body, nourished by Spiritual Qi over endless years, had long ago birthed a powerful instinctive spirituality and protective will!

This empty nest had been with it for countless years; perhaps it had become a part of its spirituality, or the original owner had arranged for it to guard the nest!

Gao De's attempt to refine and take the nest triggered its most direct reaction!

"Trouble!" Gao De's heart tightened, but he did not panic.

He had long been mentally prepared. How could such a spiritual land and such a wondrous item be without protection?

"Thunder Domain, stabilize!"

Without hesitation, the prototype of the [Prison Suppressing Thunder Domain], which he had been keeping concealed, suddenly expanded with himself as the center!

Although the range was small, only covering himself and the nest, the Purple Lightning Thunder Aura's unique power to break evil, suppress souls, and stagnate space erupted with full force!

Crackling!

The pale green wood spirit chains and the concentrated pink bewildering miasma clashed violently with the wild Purple Lightning the moment they entered the Thunder Domain!

The chains shattered, and the miasma dissolved. Within the Thunder Domain, a relatively stable space was temporarily maintained.

"Refine, collect!"

Seizing this brief opening, Purple Lightning surged in Gao De's eyes as he channeled all his remaining Purple Heaven Spirit-Melting Fire and Divine Sense to launch a final refining strike against the nest's last core hub!

At the same time, his other hand traced a mysterious collection rune in the air, casting it over the nest, which had already shrunk by nearly half and was flickering with light!

Buzz—!!!

The Ancient Peach Tree's hum turned into a furious roar. The entire giant tree trembled slightly as more wood Spiritual Qi and pink miasma gathered, battering the boundaries of the Thunder Domain.

"It's done!"

Just as the Thunder Domain's light flickered violently and was on the verge of collapse, Gao De finally felt the nest's core hub being completely refined, establishing a solid connection with his Divine Sense! He yanked back!

With a flash of light, the massive, exquisitely woven empty nest instantly turned into a beam of light and vanished into Gao De's storage Magic Treasure!

In its place, only the empty branches of the Ancient Peach Tree remained, along with even more violent and furious wood spirit fluctuations!

"Withdraw!"

Gao De did not linger, not even taking the time to carefully savor the details of his successful collection.

The [Lightning Evasion] technique activated instantly. His figure turned into a distorted Purple Lightning bolt, shooting back the way he came!

Behind him, the Ancient Peach Tree shook violently, and the pink miasma surged like a furious tide.