61: Chapter 61 Fifty Thousand Years in an Instant! Little Stone in His Later Years

Chu Tianjiao took a deep breath and slowly raised his hands. Pure and vast power of a True Immortal surged from his palms, transforming into two streams of warm, gentle light that carefully enveloped the charred stump and the fragments of the tower body respectively.

As for the half-section of the desolate tower, the infusion of True Immortal power was like a stone sinking into the ocean; the tower body remained cold and broken, showing no reaction.

Chu Tianjiao could sense that the spirituality within it had almost completely extinguished, leaving only a trace of indestructible, resilient material instinctively absorbing energy, yet unable to be awakened in the slightest.

He sighed, put it away for the time being, and focused his gaze on the charred tree stump.

This was where hope lay.

His True Immortal Divine Sense penetrated the layer of deathly, charred surface, reaching straight to the very core.

There, he "saw" a glimmer of life, so faint it was almost imperceptible, yet it had been flickering stubbornly for eons.

It was too weak, like a candle flame in a gale, ready to be extinguished completely at any moment.

"Senior... since I have accepted this Karma, I will certainly not fail your trust."

Chu Tianjiao's expression was solemn as he concentrated all his focus and True Immortal power on nourishing this glimmer of vitality.

The True Immortal power was no longer a torrent but transformed into the most delicate spring rain, seeping in bit by bit, repairing the nearly dead wooden veins and nurturing that faint light.

This process could not be rushed, nor could it be forceful.

Like the most patient craftsman, he used the most precise control to continuously channel his power. Day after day, month after month, the quiet room was filled only with swirling True Immortal light and circulating Dao rhymes.

A full year passed.

When Chu Tianjiao slowly withdrew his True Immortal power and looked at the tree stump again, a trace of gratified joy finally appeared in his eyes.

The tree stump, which had been charred black and lifeless, had shed most of its most stubborn charred surface, revealing some deep brown wooden textures.

Although it was still dry and devoid of any green, at least it was no longer a pitch-black void of death.

More importantly, the glimmer of life at the core, while still weak, was much more stable than a year ago and had even grown slightly.

"There is hope!" Chu Tianjiao felt reassured.

He carefully picked up the stump, walked out of the quiet room, and came to the side of the spirit pond in the courtyard, which was constructed from Divine Origin liquid and star essence.

The pond water was clear, and the Spiritual Qi swirled into mist.

Chu Tianjiao gently placed the stump into the pond, letting its Foundation soak in the spirit liquid.

Afterward, he took out a jade bottle and pulled out the stopper. Immediately, a thick, inseparable essence of life permeated the air—this was the Fountain of Youth taken from the depths of the Kunlun Immortal Ascension ground, containing the vitality and Dao laws from when the world first opened.

"Drip... drip..."

Ten drops of the jade-like Fountain of Youth fell, merging into the pond water. The entire pool of spirit liquid instantly turned a vibrant green, surging with vitality.

But this was not enough.

Chu Tianjiao's eyes narrowed as he brought his fingers together like a blade and lightly sliced across his chest.

"Sss—"

Ten drops of True Immortal essence blood, as dazzling as crimson gold stars with scenes of Chaos opening appearing to circulate within, were forced out and hovered in the air.

Each drop was as heavy as a star, emitting terrifying energy that would cause a Supreme to explode and die.

He carefully controlled them, dripping the ten drops of essence blood evenly onto the surface of the stump soaking in the pond.

The moment the essence blood touched the stump, it did not slide off but, as if possessing life, slowly seeped in. A faint golden halo appeared on the surface of the stump, and those deep brown wooden textures seemed to become a bit more vivid.

After doing all this, Chu Tianjiao let out a long sigh, feeling a sense of long-lost exhaustion.

Nourishing it with True Immortal essence blood was no small drain on him, but to preserve this glimmer of life for the Willow Deity, it was worth it.

Just as he relaxed slightly—

"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."

A strange sound came.

Chu Tianjiao turned his head and saw that the crystalline and brilliant ancient tea tree of enlightenment in the corner of the yard had actually pulled up its roots and, like a startled rabbit, ran in front of him with a "clatter-clatter-clatter," its branches and leaves shaking and rattling.

"Hmm?" Chu Tianjiao raised an eyebrow. This old tea tree was usually extremely quiet; why was it so unusual today?

"You've finally returned! You've finally returned!" An aged face materialized on the trunk of the ancient tea tree of enlightenment. Its voice was urgent, even carrying a sobbing tone. "If you don't come back, that kid... that kid is about to merge with the Dao!"

"What did you say?!" Chu Tianjiao's heart sank abruptly, and a sense of foreboding instantly gripped his heart. "Who? Xiao Shitou? What happened to him?!"

"You have been missing for a full fifty thousand years!" the ancient tea tree of enlightenment said urgently. "That kid is now in the twilight of his second life. His Origin is exhausted, his Sendai is covered in cracks, and he... he is almost unable to hold on! You must go see him!"

Fifty thousand years?!

Missing?!

Chu Tianjiao was struck as if by lightning; his mind went blank in an instant.

He had clearly only spent one year in the quiet room nourishing the Willow Deity's stump; how could fifty thousand years have passed in the outside world?!

It was the Ancient Chaotic Battlefield! It was that journey across the eras! The time flow rates of different spaces actually had such a terrifying difference!

He had no time to think, nor could he care about his exhaustion; his figure instantly disappeared from the spot!

...

"Bang!"

The stone door of the quiet room where Xiao Shitou was in seclusion was pushed open by a gentle yet irresistible force.

Chu Tianjiao rushed into the room and saw that figure sitting cross-legged on the jade couch at a glance.

Just one look made Chu Tianjiao's heart twitch violently.

What kind of sight was that?

The once heroic Sacred Body Great Emperor, with Qi and blood like a Dragon and golden blood energy soaring to the heavens, was now old and frail.

His full head of black hair had turned pale, dry as autumn grass, and hung disheveled over his shoulders.

His originally handsome face was covered in deep, trench-like wrinkles, his skin shriveled and clinging to his bones, emitting the decaying aura of one nearing death.

The golden blood energy around his body had long since faded away, leaving only a faint halo, weak as a firefly, barely circulating. His Sendai was covered with dense cracks, as if it would shatter completely at any moment.

Hearing the movement, Xiao Shitou lifted his head with difficulty and extreme slowness.

When he saw that familiar figure at the door, his originally dim and turbid eyes suddenly erupted with astonishing brilliance!

It was a radiance mixed with endless joy, relief, and deep attachment.

His dry, cracked lips moved with difficulty, revealing a weak yet incredibly sincere smile.

"Teacher... you... have returned."

His voice was hoarse and weak, like the pulling of an old bellows, but it made Chu Tianjiao's nose ache.

He stepped to the side of the couch in one stride, without the slightest hesitation, and brought his fingers together like a blade, slicing his chest open again—this time, he directly forced out three drops of his most core life essence True Immortal blood!

"Don't speak!"

Chu Tianjiao shouted in a low voice, his palms pulsing with True Immortal light, and forcibly drove those three drops of True Immortal blood, containing surging life essence and immortal Dao laws, into Xiao Shitou's exhausted body.

"Hum—!!!"

As the True Immortal blood entered his body, it was like a long-awaited sweet rain after a drought.

Xiao Shitou's shriveled body filled out at a speed visible to the naked eye, his wrinkles smoothed out rapidly, his white hair began to turn black again from the roots, his decaying Qi and blood began to revive, and strands of faint golden light began to circulate on his skin once more.

In just a few breaths, he had recovered from a dying old man to the appearance of a young man in his early twenties with sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes.

However, Chu Tianjiao's expression did not relax; instead, it became even more solemn.

He could clearly perceive that Xiao Shitou's life Origin, the Foundation belonging to the Sacred Body Great Emperor, had withered to an almost irredeemable extent.

His three drops of life essence True Immortal blood had merely forcibly "filled up" the "container" that was about to shatter, forcibly extending his life. But the cracks in the container itself had not been truly repaired.

This extended lifespan... was probably no more than a thousand years.

"Tell me, what exactly happened? What on earth has been going on these fifty thousand years?" Chu Tianjiao's voice carried a trace of imperceptible trembling as he sat down beside Xiao Shitou, his gaze fixed tightly on his Disciple.

Xiao Shitou felt the long-lost sense of power in his body. Although he knew it was only temporary, he was content to be able to see his teacher again in his complete form.

He slowly opened his mouth and recounted the changes of the past fifty thousand years one by one.