Chapter 1359: Chapter 1359: This Is... the Phantom Realm? (4 Updates)
"Your spiritual energy?" Ye Haochuan seemed to suddenly understand something.
"Nonsense, without my spiritual energy, do you think with the sparse energy here, it could enhance so easily?" Long Xiaotian explained impatiently.
Ye Haochuan immediately realized that the cultivation speed of the Tree People Clan might be slightly faster than humans. However, they have a fatal flaw: they cannot consume pills.
To accelerate Yige’s cultivation at such a pace, Long Xiaotian must surely nurture her daily with his own spiritual energy.
Is this guy attracted to Yige being a female tree-person, forming some kind of illusion? Otherwise, why would he be so eager to enhance Yige’s cultivation?
Thinking this, Ye Haochuan glanced at Long Xiaotian with a peculiar feeling in his eyes.
Even trees don’t escape his attention, just how desperate is he?
"What’s with that look, kid? I’m doing this to increase your combat strength!" Long Xiaotian said unhappily.
"I don’t quite believe that," Ye Haochuan responded with a sly smile.
"I’m too lazy to explain! Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and help!"
"Oh!"
Ye Haochuan couldn’t find a reasonable excuse to refuse. He saw Long Xiaotian’s forehead covered in sweat, clearly beginning to struggle.
The spiritual energy needed to break through to the Core Formation is immense. Although Long Xiaotian’s spiritual energy is abundant, it can’t all be poured forcefully into Yige’s body.
The energy needs to be controlled at a suitable level and adjusted meticulously according to Yige’s condition. Over time, it becomes quite exhausting.
Currently, Yige is at the most critical stage, not allowing any negligence. Ye Haochuan didn’t waste time and immediately sat cross-legged, releasing his own spiritual energy.
His spiritual energy had just spread around Yige when a strong suction absorbed it all into Yige’s body.
At this moment, Yige was like a vortex, absorbing any amount of spiritual energy around.
Ye Haochuan finally understood why Long Xiaotian was sweating; it truly was not an easy task.
Soon, Yige’s wilted branches started to slowly grow.
Watching the growing tree trunk, both Long Xiaotian and Ye Haochuan felt pleasantly surprised.
After about half an hour, the tree trunk was fully grown. Thin branches emerged from the trunk, each carrying tender green buds. Little tender leaves unfolded slowly from the buds.
Once all the leaves had unfolded, the towering tree’s posture was perfectly presented.
"Has it succeeded?" Ye Haochuan felt joyful but muttered, "This is too easy, like child’s play compared to human Core Formation."
"It’s not that simple, this is just the fifth stage of the Seven Nirvana, not even close!" Long Xiaotian replied sullenly.
"The fifth of the Seven Nirvana? What’s that mean?" Ye Haochuan asked, puzzled.
Instead of explaining, Long Xiaotian let Ye Haochuan see for himself.
Yige’s full foliage suddenly turned yellow rapidly, yet not a single leaf fell, rather they shrank and disappeared, seemingly absorbed completely.
As the leaves disappeared, the trunk began to "shrink." Before long, the scene returned to how Ye Haochuan had originally seen it.
"Is the Seven Nirvana meant to grow and wilt seven times?" Ye Haochuan asked again.
"Correct!" Long Xiaotian nodded, "With each Nirvana completion, the heart increases a cavity, and only with seven perfected cavities and a heart formed, can the tree transform into human form."
The Core Formation stage is crucial for demon beasts to transform into human form, and tree-people have differences, especially in the heart.
Ordinary demon beasts are born with hearts fully formed. Tree people, however, must through Core Formation, form a tree heart and achieve seven perfected cavities for successful Core Formation.
This makes Core Formation for tree people more challenging than for humans or demon beasts.
Realizing the situation, Ye Haochuan asked no more and focused wholeheartedly on controlling the spiritual energy.
Soon, the sixth Nirvana gradually started. The spiritual energy Yige absorbed was double that of the fifth Nirvana.
Ye Haochuan had combat prowess but in terms of sheer spiritual energy, he only slightly surpassed normal Core Formation Mid-Stage.
As Yige completed the sixth Nirvana, Ye Haochuan felt the energy in his Dantian was halved, beads of sweat thickening on his forehead.
He glanced at Long Xiaotian; Long Xiaotian was in an even worse state. Having supported Yige’s completion of the first four Nirvanas alone, his spiritual energy was nearly depleted.
His complexion was flushed from prolonged heavy spiritual energy use, showing slight unhealthiness.
He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, grateful for Ye Haochuan’s timely arrival; otherwise, he wouldn’t have held on.
"The last Nirvana, hang in there!" Long Xiaotian encouraged Ye Haochuan while ingesting a pill to restore spiritual energy.
Ye Haochuan nodded, also swallowing a pill.
Branches once more sprouted on Yige’s trunk, marking the beginning of the seventh Nirvana.
Compared to the sixth Nirvana, the seventh required double the spiritual energy yet again. The pill’s replenishment couldn’t keep up with such consumption. Soon, Ye Haochuan emptied his Dantian.
"Communicating with God Treasure Order!"
Having no alternative, Ye Haochuan used the Communicating with God Treasure Order to release stored spiritual energy.
Long Xiaotian was already persevering, feeling a surge in spiritual energy from Ye Haochuan’s side, finally letting him somewhat ease up on the energy expenditure.
The seventh blossoming branches were thicker than the previous six, and once fully unfurled, appeared grander.
With both persisting as if years were passing, five minutes finally elapsed. The leaves gradually wilted, the trunk began to shrink.
"Almost there!" Long Xiaotian rejoiced.
With so much devoted effort over these days, this moment was what he had been aiming for. Seeing success so near, how could he not be thrilled?
But his happiness quickly turned to worry after only a few seconds.
"Yige, keep a calm heart, don’t get lost!" Long Xiaotian called out loudly.
Ye Haochuan also sensed Yige’s change, her trunk started trembling and shrinking slowly, even showing occasional signs of continued growth.
"No... no..."
A face suddenly appeared on Yige’s trunk, showing terror, her mouth calling continuously, as if faced with something terrifying.
"Is this...a phantom realm?"
Ye Haochuan was shocked, seeing Yige lost in an illusion. If she couldn’t break free, the Core Formation would be a complete failure.