Chain Reaction

On the Bana Continent, more than twenty years had passed since Jie Ning's Earth God Avatar departed. (That was time as measured in Hell.)

That day, Jie Ning's Life God Avatar plucked a branch from the Tree of Light. This was far from the first time he had done so.

The Tree of Light trembled twice, clearly protesting.

Jie Ning comforted it. "Today should be the last time. Whether it succeeds or fails depends on this attempt. I won't cut your branches again afterward."

Decades ago, Jie Ning had begun trying to see whether cuttings could be used for propagation in the Panlong World. If it worked, he felt that he could carry out an enormous plan.

Reality, however, told him that he had been somewhat too naive.

Some ordinary plants could indeed produce entirely new individuals of the same species this way, with the two being independent lifeforms.

But once a plant became a magical beast, that was no longer possible.

This method could still cultivate a new lifeform, but that new life could only be a subordinate individual of the original plant.

For example, if the original plant was a sixth-rank magical beast, the cultivated offshoot could not exceed the fifth rank.

Even if it was a first-rank magical beast, its offshoot would directly degenerate into an ordinary plant.

Furthermore, during this process, the original plant possessed a certain degree of control over its subordinate individual. The extent of that control still required further study.

Still, although this plan had failed, Jie Ning came up with a new one.

The Tree of Light was now located in the forest Jie Ning had once used to strengthen his soul. Many trees extremely similar to it stood around it.

These were all subordinate individuals of the Tree of Light cultivated from its branches. For their sake, the Tree of Light's consciousness had protested to Jie Ning more than a few times.

After soothing the Tree of Light, Jie Ning used Life God Power to stimulate the branch in his hand until roots sprouted from it. He had performed this operation many times and completed it with practiced ease.

Next, Jie Ning planted the branch in its designated location.

"Little Light, how does it feel?" Jie Ning asked the Tree of Light.

This forest had originally been remodeled by Jie Ning according to Elf Valley, and the Wind Element within it was extremely dense.

As Jie Ning planted the branch in his hand—

"Lord Jie Ning, I feel... I think it worked." The Tree of Light's voice rang out, and Jie Ning seemed to hear a trace of shyness in it.

The instant the Tree of Light finished speaking, Wind Elements began gathering above its crown along a wondrous trajectory, forming a small rotating vortex without the slightest leakage.

Seeing the miraculous scene before him, Jie Ning's spirits surged. He threw all the strange thoughts in his mind aside and said happily, "It really worked."

Although everything had proceeded according to Jie Ning's plan, he had not truly been certain whether it would achieve the expected result.

This time, he wanted to create a god—or rather, recreate an Elf Divine Beast similar to the Elf Progenitor.

The close connection between the Tree of Light and the Elves had made Jie Ning intensely curious about the Tree of Light itself. They were clearly two separate individuals, so why had the Elf Progenitor's death caused the Tree of Light's soul and body to separate?

Unfortunately, the revived Little Light did not know the secret. Other than its name coming from the past, nearly everything else about it was no different from a newborn.

Unable to obtain an answer, Jie Ning began observing it himself.

Through his observations, Jie Ning discovered that the Tree of Light had an instinct to gather Wind Elements. However, it did not absorb those Wind Elements. Instead, after gathering them, it directed them toward a certain part of its crown, where they naturally dispersed.

After repeatedly analyzing this phenomenon, Jie Ning reached an astonishing conclusion: the Tree of Light's instinct was to "bear fruit."

There should originally have been an "organ" where the primordial Tree of Light gathered Wind Elements. That organ would bind all those Wind Elements or simply absorb them directly.

Combining these discoveries, Jie Ning formed a bold guess: the Elf Progenitor was that mature "fruit."

Thus, after spending some time persuading the Tree of Light to accept his idea, Jie Ning's new plan began.

The Tree of Light Offspring around the perimeter also possessed the same instinct as the Mother Tree to gather Wind Elements. Their purpose was to use that instinct, following Jie Ning's calculations, to counterbalance and adjust at suitable locations until the Wind Elements finally converged atop the Tree of Light's crown and formed a Wind Element Cluster, binding it so it could not disperse.

Finally, Jie Ning placed a God Crystal condensed from Life God Power at the top of the Tree of Light's crown. This God Crystal would slowly release divine power.

Over the next ten-odd years, Jie Ning devoted himself wholly to watching the changes in that cluster of Wind Elements, occasionally adjusting the positions of each Tree of Light offshoot according to its growth.

At last, on this day, under Jie Ning's watchful gaze, the Wind Elements gathered by the Tree of Light became different from all other Wind Elements. They suddenly gained spirituality. The surrounding Wind Elements also lost their former tendency to scatter in every direction and began slowly converging around this "Wind Element Cluster."

"So that's how it is. The secret of a soul's birth has never been merely Life Force."

"This is law." Jie Ning finally understood the mystery behind the birth of souls.

"As long as the conditions are suitable, everything in the world can gain spirituality and give birth to a soul. This is the law of Heaven and Earth."

"And all energy in the world can naturally transform directly into Soul Power when the conditions are right."

With a thought, Jie Ning's Life God Avatar rapidly flew away.

He did not want the fluctuations of Heavenly Law to affect the gestation of the new "Elf."

The moment he flew into the distance, Jie Ning released his suppression. Heavenly Law descended, and a Divine Spark flew out. Mid-level Life God—achieved.

Feeling the changes within his body, he willed it, and the Life God Power within him began rapidly consuming itself and transforming into Soul Power.

"It really works. From today onward, as long as my divine power isn't exhausted, my Soul Power will be endless."

"Still, for ordinary soul growth, the Spirit Nourishing Technique is more suitable." Jie Ning silently calculated. "Otherwise, divine power must be replenished by drawing from the divine power sea, and that wastes some time."

"Then can I achieve the effect of the Soul Stone Zi Jing gave Linley? Artificial Soul Mutation?" Jie Ning felt his ego swelling, and his thoughts became lively.

Of course, Jie Ning also knew that this was nothing more than wishful thinking.

"What am I thinking? Leaving aside the Soul Stone's other effects, I can't even make my soul as condensed as a Soul Stone. At most, I can achieve the level of a Soul Golden Bead."

"For an Overgod, Soul Power is Sovereign's Might. Sovereign's Might is endless, yet even Zi Jing herself cannot create Soul Stones from nothing. What am I fantasizing about?"

"I'm only a Middle-God right now. Seriously..."

Returning near the Tree of Light, Jie Ning once more soothed the somewhat bewildered Little Light before sitting down nearby himself.

The birth process of a Divine Beast still held great significance for Jie Ning.

Hell, Blade City. (Returning to the current timeline.)

Jie Ning, who was cultivating inside a room, contemplated the insight he had received from his Life God Avatar.

"Elements becoming life itself?"

"Does the earth not merely nurture countless lives?"

"Life formed from Earth Elements?"

As he murmured, the Earth Elements around Jie Ning gathered toward him.

Jie Ning suddenly looked at his own body. "Isn't this body of mine life formed from Earth Elements?"

Recalling the sensation from when he had previously used the Earth-walking Technique Mystery to merge into Earth Elements—

Jie Ning once again transformed into Earth Elements and became one with the earth. This time, he felt something different from before.

The earth regarded him as its child. A ceaseless stream of Earth Elements surged toward him, forming a connection with his soul. A feeling of being nourished and protected arose within him.

This feels so familiar.

It's like being nurtured by Life Force when I use the Spirit Nourishing Technique.

Only this time, it was the Earth Elements protecting Jie Ning's soul and nurturing his growth.

Perhaps if I gave up everything and allowed the earth to gestate me anew, I could be reborn as a Divine Beast.

After a long time, Jie Ning appeared in the same spot again. His eyes were filled with emotion for life, and he felt as though he had just awakened from a great dream.

The Mystery of the Power of Life had reached grand completion.

Jie Ning felt that his divine power and soul had become more closely connected. With a thought, his soul was already clad in a garment. The garment was predominantly yellow, with faint green light glimmering through it. That light carried an abundant vitality.

Feeling the changes in himself, Jie Ning was overjoyed.

Although he could not directly convert divine power into Soul Power as his Life God Avatar could, his soul had clearly undergone a brand-new transformation.

"Moreover, I can sense that as long as I continue infusing it with Soul Power, this 'garment' might one day become a Soul Divine Artifact."

This was a gift from the earth.

Thanks to "Book Friend 20211013203324541" for the monthly ticket.

Still asking for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets.

P.S. Recently, I haven't felt inspired when writing at night. Daytime feels completely different.