Xi He and Chang Xi exchanged a glance, both seeing deep horror in the other's eyes.
"I wonder what brings the Great Venerable to my Moon Star?"
In the end, Xi He, the elder sister, was the first to speak. Her tone was polite, but carried a trace of imperceptible wariness.
Su Ming's gaze swept over the two women, and he could not help praising them inwardly.
As expected of two renowned goddesses of the Primordial Wilderness. Xi He was graceful and dignified, while Chang Xi was lively and spirited. Both were peerless beauties.
He did not beat around the bush and got straight to the point.
"To be frank, Fairy Maidens, I came for the Moon Laurel Tree."
As soon as he said this, Xi He and Chang Xi's expressions changed instantly.
Chang Xi especially raised her willow brows and stepped forward, shielding the Moon Laurel Tree as she watched Su Ming warily.
"The Moon Laurel Tree is the companion spirit root of my sister and me. It is also the source of the Moon Star's origin. What do you want?"
To them, the Moon Laurel Tree was like another half of themselves. They absolutely would not allow anything to happen to it.
Looking at her appearance, like a small beast protecting its food, Su Ming found it somewhat amusing.
He calmly explained, "I need to take a wisp of the Moon Laurel Tree's origin to cultivate a secret technique."
"No!" Chang Xi refused without even thinking. "Extracting its origin will damage the Moon Laurel Tree's foundation. We absolutely cannot agree!"
Xi He did not speak, but her cool gaze made her stance clear.
Su Ming had expected this and was not surprised.
He smiled faintly. With a flip of his palm, a crystal-clear tea leaf, seemingly condensed from Dao Runes, appeared in his hand.
The instant the tea leaf appeared, an indescribable Dao aura spread out, making the surrounding moonlight of the Moon Star grow even more lively.
Xi He and Chang Xi's gazes were instantly drawn to the tea leaf.
Just by inhaling its fragrance, they felt their souls become exceptionally clear. Their comprehension of the Taiyin Great Dao seemed to have grown clearer as well!
What kind of divine object was this?!
"This is Innate Enlightenment Tea, taken from the peak of Buzhou Mountain and imbued with the pure qi of Great God Pangu."
Su Ming's voice drifted over, carrying a fatal temptation.
"I will only take a wisp of the Moon Laurel Tree's origin and absolutely will not damage its foundation. Afterward, I will give you this tea leaf as compensation. How does that sound?"
Innate Enlightenment Tea!
Imbued with Pangu's pure qi!
Xi He and Chang Xi's minds were violently shaken, and even their breathing grew rapid.
For Innate Gods of their level, magical treasures and spiritual treasures were certainly precious. But the most precious things were always treasures that could help them comprehend the Great Dao and improve their cultivation!
This Enlightenment Tea leaf was undoubtedly such a supreme treasure!
Just one leaf might save them several eras of arduous cultivation!
The wariness in Chang Xi's eyes unknowingly transformed into intense longing. She instinctively looked toward her elder sister.
Stormy waves also surged through Xi He's heart.
She looked at Su Ming's calm and unruffled appearance, even more shaken.
He had taken out such a divine object so casually?
Chang Xi could not make up her mind and involuntarily glanced at her elder sister, Xi He.
Although Chang Xi was lively and even somewhat spoiled, when it came to something as important as the Moon Laurel Tree, she ultimately still had to listen to her elder sister.
Xi He reached a decision. She inclined herself slightly toward Su Ming, and a trace of solemnity entered her cool voice. "The Great Venerable is too kind. Since you only need a wisp of its origin and have such a divine object as compensation, how could my sister and I refuse?"
"Sister!" Upon hearing this, joy immediately blossomed across Chang Xi's face.
She looked at Su Ming. The wariness in her eyes had completely vanished, replaced by intense curiosity and a trace of imperceptible admiration.
To be able to casually produce such a supreme treasure, this Great Venerable's origins were likely even more terrifying than they had imagined.
"In that case, thank you, Fairy Maidens." Su Ming nodded slightly, his expression still calm, as if what he had taken out were merely an ordinary object.
The more calm and unruffled he appeared, the more shaken Xi He and Chang Xi became.
This was the bearing of a true great expert!
Xi He turned sideways and bowed slightly. "Great Venerable, please follow me."
Under their will, the gates of Guanghan Palace slowly opened.
Su Ming did not stand on ceremony and stepped inside.
The moment he entered Guanghan Palace, a force of Taiyin Origin hundreds or thousands of times denser than outside surged toward him. Within the palace was actually another world.
Pavilions of jade and towers of gold, carved railings and painted beams—all had been carved from Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Jade essence. A cool and sacred radiance emanated from every corner.
At the very center of the palace, the towering Moon Laurel Tree was even more magnificent to an extreme.
Its enormous crown nearly covered the entire Guanghan Palace. Every leaf seemed to have been condensed from moonlight, with profound Dao patterns flowing across it. The trunk was sturdy and ancient, radiating an aura of eternal immortality.
This was the core of the Moon Star, the source of the Primordial Wilderness's yin energy.
Su Ming's target was clear. He did not stop to admire Guanghan Palace's scenery. His figure blurred, and he appeared directly before the trunk of the Moon Laurel Tree.
Xi He and Chang Xi's hearts immediately tightened again, their eyes locked firmly on Su Ming's every move.
Su Ming held two fingers together like a sword. A wisp of gray, hazy energy coiled around his fingertip. It appeared ordinary, yet radiated a terrifying sharpness capable of destroying all techniques and shattering the Great Dao.
"This is... the Law of Strength?!" Xi He's pupils suddenly contracted.
She could sense that the power of laws contained in the wisp of energy at Su Ming's fingertip carried an aura of the same origin as the Law of Strength that, according to legend, had been wielded by Great God Pangu!
Su Ming did not answer. He merely drew his finger lightly across a branch of the Moon Laurel Tree. The branch was not particularly conspicuous, yet contained immense vitality.
Swish!
There was no earth-shaking sound, nor any violent fluctuation of magical power.
The Moon Laurel branch, as thick as a wrist, broke off silently. The cut was smooth as a mirror, without the slightest trace of energy escaping.
The severed branch did not fall. Instead, it was supported by an invisible force and slowly floated before Su Ming.
At the cut on the tree where the branch had been severed, the power of the Taiyin Origin circulated. A layer of silver radiance flashed, and the wound actually healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. In only a few breaths, it was restored completely, with not the slightest trace of injury remaining.
The entire process was smooth and flowing, precise to the extreme.
The Moon Laurel Tree's origin aura had fluctuated imperceptibly only at the instant the branch was severed, then immediately returned to normal.
Just as Su Ming had said, he had taken only a wisp of its origin and caused no substantial harm to the Moon Laurel Tree's foundation.
"Such... such incredible control!" Chang Xi could not help exclaiming in admiration.
She and her elder sister knew best how sturdy the Moon Laurel Tree was. Even a top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure would find it as difficult as ascending to the heavens to leave a mark on it.
Yet Su Ming had cut off a section of branch with nothing but his finger, so effortlessly and casually, while controlling his strength to such perfection.
This level of strength was simply unfathomable!
Before you continue