Spirit Realm

In the old, decrepit village, after Qin Lie and the others left, Huang Zhuli stared at the Spring of Life in the well. Confused, she said, “This Qin Lie is a really strange person. I have no idea what he’s thinking.”

“Why does he want to gain Sister Xue’s favor?” Pan Qianqian was also confused.

“Regardless, this is not detrimental to us. We are about to get the Spring of Life.” Huang Zhuli’s expression was excited.

Xue Moyan’s expression was indifferent. She did not respond to the two, instead standing there in a daze and looking in the direction that Qin Lie had left.

“Why did he do this?”

She also didn’t understand why Qin Lie hadn’t just given up his share of the Spring of Life, but insisted that Terminator Sect, Du Xiangyang, Luo Chen, and the others give up their shares of the Spring of Life as well.

She knew that she had no connection to Qin Lie.

“Sister Xue. In my opinion, he’s obviously pursuing you!” Huang Zhuli laughed.

“It’s very likely.” Pan Qianqian also nodded.

“No, that definitely isn’t the case…” Xue Moyan shook her head. She still couldn’t think of a reason after considering the matter for a while, so she ordered, “Secure the Spring of Life for me.”

“I’ll do it!” Huang Zhuli said, taking the initiative.

“Mn, be careful.”

“Don’t worry! I’m simply getting the Spring of Life. It’s nothing major. Sister Xue, Qianqian, you two rest first. You can leave this to me.”

Huang Zhuli’s eyes were bright.

……

Peace returned after the wood spirit in the Forbidden Land of Wood was sealed. The ancient trees no longer became monsters that attacked people.

The shrubbery that had razor sharp leaves lost their frightening viciousness and became friendly plants again.

The previously dangerous Forbidden Land of Wood became incomparably tranquil. There were no other incidents of plants killing people.

The martial practitioners split up according to the forces they belonged to, each faction travelling through the forest and searching for a way to leave it.

In an area of lush, vibrant trees, Qin Lie, Song Tingyu, Du Xiangyang, and Xie Jingxuan slowly made their way through the woods

The direction in which they were moving was the general direction that Luo Chen had previously indicated.

“Qin Lie, you really shouldn’t have been in a hurry to leave. At the very least, shouldn’t you have asked Xue Moyan about the mysteries of the Graveyard of Gods?” Song Tingyu suddenly asked. “Only Chu Li and Xue Moyan seem to be familiar with the details about it. Furthermore, they agreed to tell you what they knew after the problem with Ye Yihao had been solved”

“There’s no need to dig any further. Because of Chu Li and Xue Moyan’s discussion, as well as what Ye Yihao said, I have a general understanding of the mystery behind the Graveyard of Gods.” Qin Lie stopped walking.

He turned his head to look back at Xie Jingxuan.

Xie Jingxuan had been silently deep in thought ever since they left the village in the Forbidden Land of Wood.

She was still trying to make sense of her hazy memory.

Qin Lie sighed.

“I actually want to know more about this wooden sculpture.”

Leaning against an old tree, he took the two wooden sculptures out of his spatial ring and caressed them with his finger. He released his mind consciousness to inspect them.

Xie Jingxuan had given both wooden sculptures to Qin Lie after she came to her senses. Between the two sculptures, the one that Qin Lie’s grandfather had left for him was clearly bigger.

Xie Jingxuan had found the other, slightly smaller sculpture beside the corpse of the Wood Race clansman that the wood spirit had refined to death. The remainder of that clansman’s soul and thoughts had taken over Xie Jingxuan, allowing her to use the power of the wooden sculpture in battle.

“She might need a long time to think about and understand what happened when she was unconscious,” Du Xiangyang theorized. “It’s possible that she won’t be able to remember.”

“Can you learn anything from that wooden sculpture, Qin Lie?” Song Tingyu asked.

Qin Lie shook his head. “I tried, but there aren’t any messages or memories. Just a spirit diagram.”

“Then we can only wait for Jingxuan to remember.” Song Tingyu was also out of ideas.

Du Xiangyang carefully observed Xie Jingxuan.

“She doesn’t seem okay...” After a moment of hesitation, Du Xiangyang’s eyes flashed and he cautiously said, “She seems to be in a wondrous state. Look at her… although she wears a dazed expression, powerful fluctuations are clearly radiating from her.”

Upon having this pointed out to them, Qin Lie and Song Tingyu focused and turned their attention to the state that Xie Jingxuan was in.

Green waves would occasionally emanate from her, making her life force seem even more lively.

A strong blood energy came from her body. Every cell, blood vessel, and muscle seemed to contain a significant amount of life force.

Xie Jingxuan’s soul was at peace, and her body incessantly moved as though it were transforming in a certain way.

“This should be some sort of life cleansing process. Life energy is the energy of the body. Her life energy is receiving a considerable boost. She probably consumed a substantial amount of the Spring of Life. The spring water in that well was formed from the blood energy of the Wood Race clansmen. Those very clansmen had taken control of Xie Jingxuan’s soul and thoughts. Her body is changing... I cannot ascertain why.”

“Gaaaaah!!”

Xie Jingxuan suddenly gripped her head, unleashing a horrible scream.

She seemed to be in great pain.

“What’s happening?!” Song Tingyu’s expression twisted in worry.

Tendrils of smoke came out of Xie Jingxuan’s body. The smoke was a grassy green and filled with the energy of nature. If one looked closely, they would find that the smoke constantly changed into strange, curved threads.

They resembled the shapes of leaves and trees. They were complex and exquisite and felt as though they contained the laws of the universe.

“Her face!” Du Xiangyang shouted.

An invisible brush seemed to be painting the patterns on her body, carefully carving her.

The exquisite green patterns were on her face, her neck, and all of her exposed white skin. They flashed with green light.

“This is a wondrous inheritance method!” Du Xiangyang exclaimed with an expression of shock.

“Inheritance? The inheritance of the Wood Race clansmen?” Qin Lie was also shocked.

“Yes!” Du Xiangyang inhaled sharply, his expression grave. “She has gained a blessing in disguise. Although I don’t know the details, I’m sure that this is some kind of inheritance of the Wood Race clansmen. The patterns of leaves and trees that are appearing on her skin are all transformations of the wood spirit art and an expression of life energy!”

“Let’s protect her.” Qin Lie laughed.

“This is great!” Song Tingyu wore a happy expression.

“An inheritance means the acceptance of a spirit art, inherited memories, and duties. If she’s lucky, she may also learn about the history of the Wood Race and what happened in the recent past.” Du Xiangyang rubbed his chin, interest piqued. “She might actually obtain information about the origin and powers of that wooden sculpture that you so desire.”

Qin Lie’s eyes lit up.

“Let’s guard Jingxuan while we recover our spirit energy.” Song Tingyu’s smile was happy and relaxed.

She sat down next to Xie Jingxuan with her legs in the lotus position. She took spirit stones out from her spatial ring. With her eyes half-closed, she started to absorb the power of the spirit stones.

“Good idea.”

Du Xiangyang also sat down with a smile. He took out a Heavenly Flame Crystal and started using it to replenish his fire spirit energy.

Seeing these two become quiet, Qin Lie did not speak. He smiled and moved a bit further from them two before taking out the Demon Sealing Tombstone once more.

Qin Lie wanted to cultivate using the Demon Sealing Tombstone and learn about its mysteries. He wanted to see the state of the wood spirit sealed inside of it.

Extending a finger, he moved to touch the surface of the Demon Sealing Tombstone and was about to examine it with his mind when a vast, lively presence suddenly flooded out of it!

This presence was wood spirit energy. It was great and vast and made him feel as though he were suffocating.

At the same time, an intense heat came from his chest.

That heat was the presence of the Fire Qilin!

“Ah!” Qin Lie exclaimed in shock.

He saw three drops of emerald liquid slowly being squeezed from the surface of the Demon Sealing Tombstone.

—just like the three drops of Fire Qilin blood!

The three jade-like drops of liquid resembled spring water from a deep mountain, faded green and clear.

The three drops of emerald liquid flashed, coming to a sudden stop in Qin Lie’s palm.

It was as if the Demon Sealing Tombstone were giving him a present!

The three drops of liquid rippled with light. Three tiny tree seedlings could be seen inside of them.

They were tiny yet beautiful, and were just like the Fire Qilin shapes within the three blood essences.

Just as shock and confusion struck Qin Lie, the three drops of emerald liquid entered his hand and flowed into his blood vessels.

His blood immediately exuded a dense life energy. In that moment, Qin Lie felt that his life energy had begun to surge and flourish.

Qin Lie’s eyes lit up with happiness. He became excited and almost couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

These were the lifeblood essences that the Demon Sealing Tombstone extracted from the wood spirit after refining it!

Qin Lie owned the Demon Sealing Tombstone and used it to seal the wood spirit. He helped the Demon Sealing Tombstone in fulfilling its wish, so it gave him a reward—

—just like when he used the Demon Sealing Tombstone to absorb the Fire Qilin and create the three blood essences in the process.

Qin Lie came to a sudden realization.

If he could locate the body of a spirit within the Forbidden Lands and seal them, he would be able to reap rewards.

He immediately identified a goal to strive for.

“Just like with the Fire Qilin blood, since the wood spirit’s lifeblood essences are inside of my blood, I can refine it with the Blood Refinement Art and have them become my own blood essences!” Qin Lie was excited.

Qin Lie sat down next to the Demon Sealing Tombstone. Concentrating on sensing the drops of emerald liquid, he used his own blood to slowly envelop them.

He gradually released his soul consciousness, using it to slowly enter the wood spirit’s lifeblood essences like invisible tentacles and permeate them.

This was the Blood Refinement Art recorded in the Blood Codex.