With all the Ancestor Witches working together with one heart, the Bodhi Tree was completely cleaned out.
Furthermore, not only was its inventory emptied entirely.
Even the main body of the Bodhi Tree now looked somewhat sickly.
All its branches drooped listlessly.
Its leaves lacked their former lushness, and a visual estimate showed that at least sixty to seventy percent of them had fallen off.
Even the leaves that had not fallen were withered and slightly decayed.
Its overall state felt just like someone who had just recovered from a severe illness, yet remained chronically sick for a long time.
This was also understandable, as the main body of this Bodhi Tree belonging to Zhunti was originally a metal-attribute Innate Spiritual Root.
It had only managed to transform and take human form after absorbing the Geng Metal Qi of the Western Lands.
Now that this Geng Metal Qi had been taken away by Li Hao, it could be considered as losing half of its foundation.
It would be a miracle if it didn't change its appearance.
However, there was no need to worry about anything.
Even though the Bodhi Tree was this weak, it would not truly die.
Let alone merely being weak, even if it were hacked into pieces, it might not necessarily die.
Well... the reason it was said to might not die.
mainly depended on the backlash results over on Zhunti's side.
If Zhunti died because of the backlash, then the Bodhi Tree would also be done for.
Yet as long as Zhunti was still alive.
Then theoretically, the Bodhi Tree could achieve immortality.
After all, the two of them were originally one entity.
Be that as it may, the Ancestor Witches carried this and took that.
Gathering their spoils together, they finally had the leisure to check other items.
At this single glance, the witches were truly startled!
You really wouldn't know without looking, and looking gave you quite a fright.
Wasn't this change happening a bit too fast?
They had merely moved some things.
Did the Bodhi Tree have to wither into such a state?
Soon, they noticed that on that tree crown, the Geng Metal Qi that had originally been extremely dense and active had vanished without a trace.
Filled with incomprehension, Dijiang slowly walked toward Li Hao.
"Thirteenth Brother, you've been right here the whole time, did you see what happened? What about that Geng Metal Qi?"
It was completely normal for Dijiang to ask such a question.
He had originally thought that since they couldn't take it away, he could just bring their fourth brother, Ru Shou, over here another time.
Who would have thought that in just this short while of not seeing him, such an important item had actually disappeared.
Li Hao looked to the left and right with a mysterious air. "Shh, don't talk nonsense, I didn't see anything! I don't know anything!"
Chapter 35: Target: Mount Sumeru
Hearing Li Hao say this, Dijiang's eyes instantly lit up.
He understood his Thirteenth Brother far too well.
He knew that since this fellow spoke this way, he naturally had some other method.
Fearing that this fellow had already thought of a way to take the Geng Metal Qi back.
If nothing else, he probably stored it away long ago, otherwise how could the Bodhi Tree have been injured to this extent?
However, since he was unwilling to speak, Dijiang naturally found it difficult to ask.
After thinking for a moment, he finally opened his mouth to say, "Thirteenth Brother, First Brother asks you, did Father God leave behind some sort of method?"
Li Hao was slightly stunned, looked at Dijiang, and forcefully nodded, considering it an admission.
In truth, it wasn't really that he didn't want to speak, but rather that he had no way to explain.
Saying that the system stored it in exchange for Points?
There was no explaining that!
He could indeed use Father God as an excuse, but an excuse was still an excuse.
Using it once or twice was fine, and pulling it out to use occasionally was also not a problem.
Yet you couldn't use Father God Pangu to gloss over every single matter.
If you used that kind of reason too often, no one would believe it!
Ah! Father God doted exclusively on you alone.
He left everything good to you!
Divine Powers, secret techniques, everything you could possibly want was there!
The crux of the matter was, since you already had everything, why on earth did we have to come out and plunder...
Ahem, come out to acquire them?
Wouldn't everyone just divide up whatever Father God left for you and have everything?
Li Hao was not a stingy person either; if he really had them, he naturally would have shared them with everyone.
The problem was that he didn't, did he?
However, it was fine now, as Dijiang had actually spoken up in his place.
He naturally went along with the flow and agreed.
Dijiang did not probe deeply, knowing that the Geng Metal Qi could be taken back was enough.
As for the rest, he didn't care, nor did he mind at all.
As long as it was beneficial to the Witch Tribe, that was enough.
As for Father God and whatnot.
Actually, the Ancestor Witches were also half-skeptical; none of them took it completely seriously.
They simply assumed their own Thirteenth Brother had some unspeakable difficulty.
As older brothers and sisters, of course they had to yield to their younger brother.
When he was able to speak frankly, the younger brother would naturally tell them.
As for now, turning a blind eye to it was fine.
Dijiang looked at his other brothers and sisters, whose faces were filled with joy.
"What is our next step?"
"Are we heading back? Or should we look around some more?"
Li Hao thought for a moment and grinned.
"Let's look around a bit more; time is very ample, and we have seven hundred years."
"Although the return trip will be a bit tight, three hundred years should be enough for us to return to the Ancestral Land, right?"
Dijiang pondered for a moment and nodded.
"There shouldn't be any problem; three hundred years is enough to return to the Ancestral Land."
"In other words, the method can preserve things for a thousand years?"
Li Hao nodded to indicate confirmation.
Dijiang clapped his palm and uttered a single line.
"It's settled then, let's set off as quickly as possible."
Li Hao nodded and led the way in front.
He truly didn't know where they should walk, but since this Bodhi Tree had already appeared.
It stood to reason that they were already close to the most crucial region of the Western Lands.
The Bodhi Tree was an Innate Spiritual Root after all; if the location wasn't good, could it take root and grow here?
You've got to be kidding!
This was the same logic as the Phoenix only perching on the Wutong Tree.
Therefore, even if this place wasn't the most precious location.
It was at least a vital area of the Western region located relatively close to the center.
At the very least, it had to be in the fringe areas.
Otherwise, a spiritual root like the Bodhi Tree would never have chosen this place.
As for what a vital area was?
Naturally, it was the center of the Western region, Mount Sumeru!
Which was also the location of the base camp chosen by Luohu back in the day.
Well... although Mount Sumeru was quite good, it was not the most precious.
What was truly precious should be the Earth Vein Origin of the entire Western Lands.
Don't ask why he felt the Earth Vein Origin would be at Mount Sumeru.
To ask was to know that Luohu was no fool, let alone a moron.
Would a mighty figure capable of creating a Dao, establishing a sect, and proclaiming himself an ancestor casually choose a place to build a base camp?
Before you continue