Chapter 167: Conversation

"Where is this?" Ye Tian looked around in astonishment. Everything was pure white, as if the entire world consisted of nothing but whiteness. "Hello? Is anyone there?" Ye Tian shouted. "It seems there's no one here."

"Young mortal, is it you who awakened me?" Suddenly, an aged voice echoed. "Who's there? Who is that?" Ye Tian jumped in fright, hurriedly looking around in all directions. It was still a vast expanse of white. Could it be a ghost?

"Young mortal, is it you who awakened me?" Suddenly, his vision blurred, and Ye Tian found himself standing in the middle of a vast grassland. A gentle breeze blew past, feeling wonderfully comfortable. Ye Tian raised his head and looked in amazement at a towering ancient tree before him.

"Are you the one talking to me?" Ye Tian asked. "Young human, it is I who am speaking with you." Suddenly, a human face formed on the trunk, gazing expressionlessly at Ye Tian.

"Goodness, a tree has turned into a spirit!" Ye Tian exclaimed in praise. "What you say is correct. I was originally just an ordinary giant tree until the Goddess imbued me with enlightenment, granting me wisdom," the ancient tree explained calmly.

"Are you the Tree of Wisdom?" Ye Tian asked in surprise. "You may call me that." The face gazed calmly at Ye Tian. "Young human, you are quite unusual."

"Oh gods, why does everyone say I'm unusual?" Ye Tian said helplessly. "Black hair, black eyes—they are the source of disaster, yet also the starting point of nirvana." The face suddenly uttered words that shocked Ye Tian.

"How do you know I have black hair and black eyes?" Ye Tian reached up to touch his eyes, but his crystal spectacles were gone. "You are currently within my Sea of Consciousness, so you have naturally reverted to your true appearance," the face explained calmly.

"The Sea of Consciousness? Oh, how magical!" Ye Tian smiled. "Aren't you surprised?" the face asked. "A little." Ye Tian scratched his head. "Young mortal, lying is wrong," the face said, looking at him.

"Alright, I admit it. I've heard of similar magical techniques, but this is my first time seeing one in person." Ye Tian rubbed his nose. "Oh, you've actually heard of divine arts? That is truly incredible." The face paused slightly before speaking.

"Divine arts?" Ye Tian asked, puzzled. "Yes. Dragging someone else into one's own Sea of Consciousness is something only gods can accomplish." The face said calmly. "Does that mean you are a god?" Ye Tian asked out of curiosity.

"No. If I must say, I should be considered a demigod," the tree explained. "I have not yet condensed a divine spark." "Divine spark? What is that?" Ye Tian asked curiously. "The qualification of a divinity."

"Very well, given your current strength, knowing these things does you no good." The face cut off the topic. "Now, I wish to ask a favor of you." "What favor?" Ye Tian suddenly remembered Taya. "Can you release my friends first?"

"Release your friends?" The face paused slightly, then said, "So that was it." "What's wrong?" Ye Tian asked. "I can release your friends, but you must give me a drop of your primordial essence blood."

"Primordial essence blood? How on earth do I give you that?" Ye Tian asked curiously. "You need not worry about that. As long as you agree to give me a drop of your primordial essence blood, I will let these elves go," the face said. "Very well, how do I give it to you?" Ye Tian rolled up his sleeves.

"You are truly willing to give me a drop of your primordial essence blood?" The face was slightly taken aback. "You must know that once a human loses their primordial essence blood, their strength will decline significantly." "It doesn't matter. Strength can be regained through diligent cultivation, but I cannot sit idly by while my friends suffer." Ye Tian extended his arm. "Take it."

Boom! Ye Tian heard a roaring sound in his ears, and his consciousness instantly returned to his body. "What happened?" Ye Tian asked. "Geer!" Alansa suddenly threw herself into Ye Tian's arms. "You scared me to death!"

"I'm fine." Ye Tian patted the girl's head. "What just happened?" "You were standing there completely motionless, it was terrifying!" Alansa raised her head, her eyes filled with tears. "Oh, is that so?" Ye Tian said with mild curiosity.

At that moment, the vines entangling Taya suddenly loosened. With a swift movement, Ye Tian caught the falling girl. "The ancient tree... The Tree of Wisdom!" The Elven Queen's mouth was wide enough to fit a duck egg.

At this moment, a slender green vine reached out toward him. Ye Tian smiled and extended his arm. "Ugh!" Ye Tian trembled all over, suddenly feeling a wave of exhaustion sweep through him as he slumped to the ground. "Geer!" Alansa drew her dagger and rushed forward.

"I'm fine." Ye Tian stopped Alansa. The green vine retracted, and instantly everyone felt as though the Tree of Wisdom had been truly resurrected; its previously lifeless gray tone vanished, replaced by a vibrant, pulsating vitality.

"The ancient tree... The ancient tree has awakened!" the Elven Queen said with deep emotion. "Wonderful! With this, the Elven race will reclaim its former glory!" All the elves could not help but cheer, and the entire dungeon instantly became lively.

"Rolora, help me hold Taya. I'm feeling a bit sleepy." Having said that, Ye Tian closed his eyes and lost consciousness. "Geer!" Mina stepped forward to support Ye Tian. "Come, I'll take you all to rest," the Elven Queen immediately instructed. "Go and invite the elders over!"

The Elven Palace was not very large, constructed entirely of wood and appearing almost naturally grown, save for its elevated position. There was nothing particularly extraordinary about it. "Lay him here," the Elven Queen said, gesturing toward a room.

"It's so small!" Alansa said, looking at the narrow chamber. Inside, it was quite exquisite, furnished with a bed, a table, and other necessities, but the floor space was truly tiny. A few steps from the bed led straight to the door; even an attic was larger than this.

"We elves pursue the art of beauty; excessive size yields no particular benefit," the Elven Queen explained. At that moment, several elderly elves with hair as white as snow approached and bowed respectfully to the Queen.

"No need for formalities," the Elven Queen said. "The Tree of Wisdom has awakened. No doubt you have all sensed it already." "Yes, the tremor from earlier informed us," an elderly matriarch said with emotion. "After thousands of years, we finally witness the glory of the ancient tree once more. This old woman can now die without regrets!"

"What nonsense are you uttering? The elven race still relies heavily on all of you elders," the Elven Queen lightly chided.

"Ah, right. This human before us is the one who caused the ancient tree to awaken. For some reason, he has now fallen unconscious. I wish to ask everyone to pool our magic and assist him."

"Unconscious? Could it be that he offered his primordial essence blood to the ancient tree?" an old man said in astonishment. "The ancient tree has always only accepted members of the elven race. When has it ever accepted a human?"

"I am not entirely clear on the specifics; we shall have to ask the ancient tree later. However, our immediate priority is to awaken him first," the Elven Queen said. "That goes without saying. Anyone who awakens the ancient tree is a benefactor of our elven race." The elders exchanged glances and smiled together. "Then I leave it in your capable hands!"

Ye Tian smacked his lips comfortably, opened his eyes, and saw three girls standing by the bed. "Hey, hey, wake up. You'll catch a cold sleeping like this." Ye Tian gently shook Alansa, who was slumped across his chest. "Oh, Geer, you're awake," Alansa said, rubbing her eyes.

"You look like you haven't rested properly," Ye Tian frowned. "Go back and rest immediately. And you girls as well, go get some sleep." "Ah, Geer, you're awake!" Alansa finally fully registered the situation and let out a sharp cry of joy.

"Hey, hey, you'll be the death of me!" Annoyed, Ye Tian flicked Alansa on the forehead and made to get out of bed. "Don't get up, you still need to rest," Mina hurriedly stopped him. "Don't worry, I'm fine." Saying this, he stood up, stretched his limbs, and took a deep breath.

"Mina, did someone treat me?" Ye Tian patted his chest. It didn't hurt as much anymore. The side effects of the medicinal pills were still present, but they had diminished significantly. However, when Ye Tian quietly circulated his internal energy, a mouthful of blood sprayed out.

"Geer, are you alright?" The girls panicked. "I'm fine, I'm fine!" Wiping the blood from the corners of his mouth, Ye Tian smiled bitterly. He had really pushed it too far this time. "Geer, are you truly alright? Should I ask them to treat you again?" Alansa asked anxiously.

"It's nothing, just a backlash of internal energy. A little rest and I'll be fine," Ye Tian smiled. "Don't forget, I'm a physician; I know my own body best." "But it was really terrifying just now," Alansa pouted and said.

"It's fine. I could even cure Rolora's leg injury, how could I not heal myself?" Ye Tian smiled. "By the way, how is Taya?" "Taya is fine, just very weak. Like you, she needs proper rest!" Mina said softly.

"Geer, what should we do with all these things?" Alansa pointed to a large pile of items nearby. "How on earth do you hide so many things on your person?" "You didn't go rummaging through them, did you?" Ye Tian was startled and quickly stepped forward to check his bottles and jars.

"No, Mina wouldn't let me," Alansa pouted. "Thank goodness you didn't touch them. Several of those bottles contain lethal poison." Ye Tian inspected them carefully, and after confirming nothing was missing, he breathed a sigh of relief. "See this? This is Corpse-Dissolving Powder. Once it touches blood, it becomes a virulent poison, melting the entire body into pus," he said, holding up a porcelain vial.

"Good thing I didn't touch it!" Alansa patted her chest in lingering fear. "Geer, why is this sword so limp?" Rolora picked up the long sword that Ye Tian usually wrapped around his waist. "This is the Flying Rainbow Sword, custom-crafted for me." Ye Tian reached out, took it, and with a flick of his wrist, the long sword instantly straightened. "How magical!" Alansa snatched it away, and in an instant, the Flying Rainbow Sword went limp again like a noodle.

"Geer!" Alansa cried out pitifully. "Infuse your battle qi into the blade," Ye Tian instructed. Alansa cautiously poured her battle qi into it, but the Flying Rainbow didn't react at all. "Liar!" Alansa pouted in dissatisfaction.

"It worked just fine for me a moment ago." Ye Tian took it back and channeled his internal energy into it. The long sword instantly stiffened once more. Ye Tian withdrew his internal energy, and the Flying Rainbow went soft again. Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian suppressed the surge of blood rising in his chest.

"Are you alright?" Mina stepped forward to support Ye Tian. "Rest assured, I'm fine." Ye Tian waved a hand. "It seems the Flying Rainbow can only be used by myself."

"Geer, do you usually carry all these things around?" Rolora pointed to a set of protective gear nearby, which actually consisted of just two bracers and two greaves. "Ah, yes. Alansa, are you still wearing yours?" Ye Tian asked.

"Hmph, underestimate me." Alansa lifted her pant leg to reveal the greaves hidden beneath. "It was quite uncomfortable before, but now I don't feel it at all." "Keep wearing them. Strength is accumulated bit by bit; one day when you take them off, you'll understand the benefits," Ye Tian smiled.

"Go on and get some rest, all of you," Ye Tian said to the three girls. "Especially you—you've got dark circles under your eyes," he added, looking at Mina. "Bias!" Alansa ran over and shook Ye Tian's sleeve. "I have dark circles too!"

"Yes, yes, you've worked hard!" Ye Tian smiled. "Off to bed with you all. When I wake up, I'll cook something delicious for you!" Reaching out, Ye Tian pinched the tip of Alansa's nose. "Really?" Alansa playfully swatted away his mischievous hand, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Yes, really."

"Then we're going to rest," Alansa said, yawning. "Go on, all of you. I'll go outside alone and catch some sun," Ye Tian said, pointing outside. "Alright then, be careful," Mina said softly. "Don't worry, I'll be fine," Ye Tian smiled reassuringly.