Looks Like I Picked Up a Bargain

Tang Chenfeng stepped forward. Since he had been discovered, there was nothing left to hide. He had said earlier that he had been incredibly lucky—he had raced through the forest all night without encountering any Soul Beasts. Only just now had he finally arrived nearby. At first, Tang Chenfeng had been unable to find the exact location, but when the Tree Ancestor's inheritance began, dense yet familiar Life Energy spread outward and was detected by his Divine Sense. Only then did he determine Ye Hongling's precise location and make his way over.

When he first arrived, Tang Chenfeng had completely concealed himself within his Spiritual Power and had not been noticed. He had also seen the Soul Ring that was taking shape and Ye Hongling absorbing it. After roughly assessing the situation, he determined that Ye Hongling should be fine. He had also noticed that the aura of the person beside her differed greatly from that of a human; it did not feel human at all. But at that moment, another source of energy appeared. The Starlight Stone Tang Chenfeng had kept in his pocket began to glow and release intense energy fluctuations, as though it wanted to bring him closer to the Blue-Gold Tree. Although Tang Chenfeng tried to suppress it, the moment he managed to do so, he exposed himself.

Even so, Tang Chenfeng was not panicked. Based on his earlier observations, he could tell that the other party meant no harm. At the very least, he had no intention of killing Tang Chenfeng or the other two. "Um, hello." Whether out of politeness or to show goodwill, Tang Chenfeng greeted him.

However, the person did not care much about Tang Chenfeng's arrival. He merely glanced at him before ignoring him again, much less replying.

Tang Chenfeng was greatly dissatisfied with his attitude. This sort of condescending, arrogant person was exactly the kind he found hardest to like. "I already greeted you. Shouldn't you return the courtesy?" Tang Chenfeng pressed.

The other party answered flatly, "No. I don't like humans, nor do I want to know human etiquette. If you want to get friendly with me, I suggest you give up."

Tang Chenfeng had more or less guessed the other party's true identity, so this situation was probably inevitable. Still, those words made him somewhat angry. As he considered how to respond, the Starlight Stone in his pocket seemed to sense his emotions and began reacting, even more intensely than before. Yet what was even more astonishing was that the enormous Blue-Gold Tree began releasing vast vitality toward Tang Chenfeng. Like water pouring from a pool after its plug had been pulled, it surged toward him in one rush, absorbed by him without the slightest resistance.

Before Tang Chenfeng could fully understand what was happening, the Mysterious Person was shocked. "How can this be? He clearly isn't an inheritor, yet his affinity with life is terrifyingly high." Not just anyone could perfectly absorb Life Energy. Watching the vitality around them gather toward Tang Chenfeng, the Mysterious Person discovered in horror that even the Tree Ancestor's origin energy was being absorbed. Even the Tree Ancestor itself could not control it. "How can this be?!"

At that moment, the Starlight Stone in Tang Chenfeng's pocket floated out on its own, and a familiar voice spoke from it. "It's just a little sapling. What right does it have to be arrogant in front of me?" The speaker was Bai Xing. She sounded somewhat angry, and at the same time, the other party's Life Energy drained even faster. The person could not help growing anxious. What shocked him even more was that he sensed fear from the Tree Ancestor—a fear of a superior being.

What kind of existence was the Tree Ancestor? It could be said to be the root of the entire planet's ecosystem. As a Plant-type Soul Beast, its cultivation had reached a terrifying 980,000 years. One step further, and it might face the great tribulation of life and death. That was why it had sought an inheritor, at least to pass down the Heart of Life so it would not be destroyed along with it. All of this showed just how exalted the Tree Ancestor's position was. At least on the surface of the planet, no existence was more important than it. Yet the Starlight Stone in Tang Chenfeng's hand was clearly above even the Tree Ancestor, enough to make it feel fear.

The Mysterious Person also grew anxious. If the Tree Ancestor's origin energy was excessively consumed, the planet's ecosystem would suffer. "Stop at once! If the Tree Ancestor's energy is overconsumed, the planet will have problems. And the Heart of Life inheritance is underway right now. If it is interrupted, that girl may die." As though proving his words, Ye Hongling's expression worsened, and she seemed somewhat drained.

Tang Chenfeng could ignore everything said before that, but the moment the other party mentioned that this could threaten Ye Hongling's life, it was different. "Sister Bai Xing, stop. Ling'er will be hurt like this."

Bai Xing answered calmly, "Chenfeng, do you know what this Blue-Gold Tree is? It can be called the source of life for this planet. Although its energy level is inferior to the energy stored in the Starlight Stone, absorbing it will greatly help you."

Tang Chenfeng became anxious. "But I can't let Ling'er die for my own sake. She's truly very important to me."

Seeing Tang Chenfeng so anxious, Bai Xing softened. The energy absorption gradually weakened. "Fine. For your sake, I'll let it go." Then she glanced at the Mysterious Person, making his heart prickle with unease. "But I'll take a little compensation. You over there, you should be a Blue-Gold Tree that has undergone Humanoid Transformation, around two hundred thousand years old, right? I want ten-thousand-year Life Fruits. I won't take too many—around five will do."

Though the condition did not sound like much, it made the other party feel like vomiting blood. Life Fruits were actually high-grade Blue-Gold Tree fruits. At the very least, one would only bear fruit every ten years, and it then had to grow on the tree for ten thousand years before it could be called ten-thousand-year grade. Even the thousand-meter-tall Tree Ancestor had fewer than a thousand of them. Blue-Gold Trees were a relatively peaceful race with weak offensive power, so they had not shown much desire to attack before. Yet at this very moment, the demand truly made it want to kill. However, it was also somewhat afraid of the other party's ability to absorb energy. Then the Tree Ancestor reacted. Its leaves swayed slightly, occasionally releasing faint glimmers of light. The person turned around as though listening to the Tree Ancestor's voice. His expression shifted from shock to sorrow to fear. In short, after listening for a while, his expression became complicated.

After taking a moment to recover, he turned to Tang Chenfeng and said respectfully, "I was somewhat presumptuous earlier. My name is Blue Gold. Please wait here. I'll go fetch the Life Fruits at once." With that, Blue Gold hurried away.

Naturally, Tang Chenfeng had no idea what the Tree Ancestor had said to Blue Gold. Right now, he was more concerned about Ye Hongling's condition.

He came to Ye Hongling's side and observed her carefully for a while. Her body had not suffered any injury. Once the inheritance continued normally, her expression was no longer pained. Only her Martial Soul, the Tree of Life, remained activated. The green-gold Soul Ring was still being absorbed. Through Tang Chenfeng's Divine Sense, Ye Hongling now seemed like a gathering of life itself, her entire body filled with the aura of life, as though she had merged with nature.

Not long after, Blue Gold returned with five Life Fruits. Each fruit was roughly the size of a palm, translucent emerald green throughout and emitting faint glimmers of light. Tang Chenfeng could sense extremely powerful vitality within them.

Blue Gold looked at the five Life Fruits in his arms and could not help feeling heartache, but he could only hand them to Tang Chenfeng. After all, what the Tree Ancestor had told him was, "Do your best not to provoke them, and satisfy their demands as much as possible."

Taking the Life Fruits, Tang Chenfeng suddenly realized that he had originally entered the Sunset Great Forest to find Ye Hongling a suitable Soul Ring. Although many things had happened afterward, Ye Hongling was now safe and had obtained a Soul Ring perfectly suited to her. He himself had gained five Life Fruits and absorbed some high-level Life Energy. Although Village Chief Ye faced two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, he was surely handling them with ease. In short, this adventure had not only been free of danger, but had instead let everyone gain a huge windfall.