The Spirit Tree stood in the Taoist temple, nourished by the incense and fire of the mortal world, while its Wood Heart had been formed through a Secret Method.
By now, it had developed quite a bit of Spiritual Intelligence.
As Song Yu and Wang Xiu refined it, it immediately fought back, swaying without a breeze.
The red cords and wooden plaques hanging from its trunk swung back and forth, clattering loudly.
Mixed into the clatter were wisps of Incense and Fire Qi, which quietly seeped into Song Yu and Wang Xiu's bodies.
But the two of them noticed nothing, assuming they had refined the Spirit Tree's spiritual energy and were making progress in their cultivation.
If they kept going like this, the Spirit Tree would eventually turn Song Yu and Wang Xiu into Bound Spirits, shackling them to its side forever. They would lose their minds and be controlled like puppets.
When their bodies grew old in the years to come, their souls would become nourishment as well.
By then, after absorbing human souls and their distracting thoughts, the Spirit Tree's Spiritual Intelligence would turn into conscious thought. It would fully awaken and become a Yao.
"Alas, the Spirit Tree has a soul and doesn't want to be refined. The two of them are only trying to survive. None of you is in the wrong. That Ling Yangzi is the one to blame!"
A faint voice drifted over.
Then, a cultivator holding a Greyish-green Pot and bearing Illusory Wings on his back materialized in the Taoist temple.
It was Chen Ming, who had tracked down this place using the memories in Ling Yangzi's Divine Soul.
The Spirit Tree had Spiritual Intelligence and, nourished by incense, some means of defending itself, but it acted entirely on instinct.
It might have had a chance if it attacked from the shadows and caught an unwary cultivator of the Qi Gathering Realm off guard.
But when faced with a cultivator of the Contemplation Realm, the Spirit Tree instinctively cowered.
The moment it sensed Chen Ming's aura, it knew he was beyond its reach.
But Song Yu and Wang Xiu had already fallen prey to its methods. Besides, they had been the ones to refine it first, and they refused to stop!
The Spirit Tree thrashed even more violently, releasing a great deal of Incense and Fire Qi mixed with poison.
The sudden upheaval jolted Song Yu and Wang Xiu out of their daze.
Cold sweat broke out across their bodies as they realized the danger they were in.
Unfortunately, it was too late. Roots that had spread from the Spirit Tree had already wrapped around and bound them, leaving them unable to break free.
Worse, the Incense and Fire Qi released by the Spirit Tree had seeped into their bodies and corroded their magic power, leaving them unable to circulate it.
"Senior, save us!"
"We only tried to refine the Spirit Tree because we wanted to survive!"
Song Yu and Wang Xiu were no fools. Hearing Chen Ming mention Ling Yangzi, and noticing the contempt in his tone, they knew Chen Ming was at least as powerful as Ling Yangzi. Their chance to survive was right before them.
"Senior, although we're Ling Yangzi's disciples, he actually controls us with his Poison Curse. We have no freedom!"
"Please save our lives, and we'll work like oxen and horses for you from now on, at your command. We'll repay your kindness!"
The two shouted at the top of their lungs, hoping Chen Ming would save them.
Chen Ming pondered for a moment, green light flickering in his eyes as he sensed the aura around them.
By the time the green light faded from his eyes, he had learned the gist of Song Yu and Wang Xiu's circumstances.
Ling Yangzi was cautious by nature and narrow-minded. The cultivation methods he had passed down to the two were incomplete, barely enough to bring them into the Qi Gathering Realm.
As for Secret Methods or Supernatural Abilities, they had nothing of the sort.
"You two seem honest enough. You've cultivated Ling Yangzi's poison arts, but your spiritual energy isn't too tainted. When the townsfolk come to worship the tree, you haven't committed any of those vile deeds, and you don't seem ill-intentioned."
Song Yu and Wang Xiu were overjoyed at Chen Ming's words and hurriedly bowed.
"Senior, please see the truth of it. We were honest, hardworking people from the town below. When Ling Yangzi brought us up the mountain, we thought we'd gained an immortal's blessing. We never expected that cultivating magic would turn out like this."
"All these years, we've only been controlled and made to guard the Spirit Tree and do hard labor. We've never done anything harmful to others!"
Song Yu and Wang Xiu spoke with heartfelt sincerity. They weren't pretending.
Chen Ming could tell, and he had no fear that the two would try anything.
The Poison Curse on them wasn't some profound spell. It was merely Azure Wood Poisonous Gas blended with magic power.
Chen Ming circulated his magic power, and Azure Wood Life and Death Gas appeared at his fingertips. It flew out, circled around Song Yu and Wang Xiu, and dispelled the Poison Curse.
The Spirit Tree's hold over them vanished as well, along with the Incense and Fire Qi inside their bodies.
With their lives saved, Song Yu and Wang Xiu bowed to Chen Ming.
But the Spirit Tree sensed danger and trembled violently, drawing in its spiritual energy and concealing its supernatural nature.
Seeing this, Chen Ming couldn't help smiling. "Although Ling Yangzi made you, you've developed Spiritual Intelligence now. If you can be of use to me, I naturally won't destroy you!"
Hearing Chen Ming's words, the Spirit Tree showed itself to be quite sensible. Its branches unfurled and shone with a green light, revealing its Wood Heart.
Its very foundation was that Wood Heart, created through a Secret Method. All its Spiritual Intelligence and Incense and Fire Qi were nurtured within it.
If its Wood Heart were damaged, it would be a catastrophe for the Spirit Tree.
But now, its instinctive intelligence prompted it to submit to Chen Ming.
"You certainly know what's best for you!"
Chen Ming smiled faintly, enveloped the Wood Heart with his Spiritual Sense, and examined it.
As it turned out, the Wood Heart and the Spirit Tree were both part of Ling Yangzi's attempt to break through to the Spirit Condensation Realm.
Using a Secret Method blended with Azure Wood Poisonous Gas, Ling Yangzi had formed the Wood Heart and turned it into this Spirit Tree. He had it receive the mortal world's Incense and Fire so it would develop Spiritual Intelligence and supernatural properties.
Once the Spirit Tree's Spiritual Intelligence and Incense and Fire had matured, it would transform into a Spirit God.
At that point, Ling Yangzi would subdue and refine the Spirit God, then merge it with his Divine Soul to reach the Spirit Condensation Realm.
"So this is how you reach the Spirit Condensation Realm?"
Chen Ming withdrew his Spiritual Sense, but he had a vague feeling that Ling Yangzi's method of breaking through to the Spirit Condensation Realm was somehow misguided.
However, he had no other methods to compare it with, so for now, he could only set the matter aside.
"I've only just entered the Contemplation Realm. I can take my time preparing to break through to the Spirit Condensation Realm. I should learn about more methods of reaching it before I decide!"
"Besides, I have the Creation Lotus Platform. If I cultivate a few different kinds of Void Qi, then once the incantations on the Creation Lotus Platform mature, perhaps they'll give rise to an even better method!"
Chen Ming withdrew his Spiritual Sense and erased the mark Ling Yangzi had left in the Wood Heart.
He also transformed the control mark inside the Wood Heart into his own Azure Wood Life and Death Gas.
"Meeting me was your good fortune. With anyone else, you'd probably never have escaped being refined!"
Seeing that Chen Ming had indeed spared it, merely changing how he controlled it without harming its Spiritual Intelligence, the Spirit Tree hurriedly drew its Wood Heart back in. It swayed from side to side, showing a little more fondness for Chen Ming.
Having gained control of the Spirit Tree and learned a method of reaching the Spirit Condensation Realm, Chen Ming was in high spirits as he surveyed the Taoist temple.
The temple stood atop a mountain peak on Cuiping Mountain, right where the mountain's spiritual energy converged.
For a mortal to reach it from the foot of the mountain, they had to climb a set of nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine Mountain Climbing Stone Steps.
Only those who came to worship with true devotion would go to such lengths.
The spiritual energy here couldn't compare to that of the famed grotto-heavens and blessed lands, but it wasn't bad either. It was more than sufficient for cultivation.
The Spirit Tree was under my control now, and it wouldn't be easy to move it for the time being. I may as well settle here for now, Chen Ming thought.
Before you continue