With a soft "pop," the round bead erupted with green radiance and sprayed out a wisp of azure light.
An object flickered within the glow, barely visible. When the spiritual light condensed, it revealed its true form.
It was a massive pine tree, pitch-black throughout, standing in towering stature.
The tree was extraordinarily large, yet its appearance was most peculiar. An invisible line seemed to divide it straight down the middle — one half bore thick, luxuriant foliage, while the other was withered and shriveled, stripped bare of every last leaf, like dead wood.
It was none other than Mu Qing's true spirit tree body.
The woman gazed at the tree with a complicated expression, her ten fingers flicking in rapid succession.
Seal after seal shot forth, each one vanishing in a flash as it plunged into the black tree.
The tree shuddered violently, then plummeted toward the ground, sinking more than half its trunk into the earth before coming to a perfectly still rest.
But Mu Qing did not stop there. She opened her mouth once more and spat out a glob of emerald-green essence blood.
Propelled forward, the essence blood flew toward the black tree. With a flash, it vanished into a slightly bulging section of the trunk and disappeared without a trace.
Mu Qing muttered incantations under her breath.
Raising both hands simultaneously, she shot forth two beams of green light that likewise plunged into the black tree and vanished.
But in the very next instant, where the essence blood had entered, a burst of green light suddenly erupted — so blinding it dazzled the eyes. The surface of the trunk twisted and warped, and a lifelike carved wooden face emerged upon it.
The face writhed ceaselessly, its expression one of agony, as though it were alive.
Upon closer inspection, it was unmistakably the face of the gray ape, Jin Ling.
"Wake up at once!" Mu Qing raised her brows and let out a sharp, delicate cry, launching yet another seal.
With a crisp crack, a small portion of the great black tree's main trunk split apart inch by inch down the middle, and a golden-furred ape leapt out from within.
"Greetings, Master! You have awakened me — could it be that..." The moment the golden ape appeared, it dropped to its knees and bowed to the ground.
"Elder Jin, rise. Fortunately, before we set out, you left an avatar clone within my true body. Elder Jin's main Primordial Spirit has already perished — you are Jin Ling now." Mu Qing let out a soft sigh.
"So it truly has perished. That explains why I could not sense the main body's presence. In that case, from this day forward, Jin Ling will continue to serve Master with all his humble might! But for Master to go to such lengths as expending essence blood just to summon me, there must be something you need Jin Ling to do." The gray ape's expression shifted, but he quickly spoke with deep respect.
"Mm. My mark within that brat Han's body was destroyed, and I've lost track of him. I intend to unleash the 'Domain of Wood' to locate them. However, doing so will require me to draw upon the power of my true body. That is why I need you to guard it. I have already set up the Green Wood Celestial Formation in the surrounding area — even someone of Liu Zu's caliber would be trapped within for a short while if they intruded. That should give you enough time to take my true body and escape safely." Mu Qing spoke solemnly.
"The Domain of Wood! That technique will severely drain Master's origin power. Moreover, once it is employed, it cannot be used again for a thousand years. Does Master truly intend to go through with this?" The golden ape's expression turned to alarm.
"I'm afraid it must be so. The bead I saw last time in the Devil's Tomb contained power identical in nature to my origin force, yet in terms of both purity and quantity, it was more than ten times what my true body possesses. If I can obtain that treasure and take some time to absorb all the power within, I will not only be able to immediately break through my current realm, but advancing to an even higher level becomes entirely possible. In terms of its effects, that item is far more important to me than that so-called Nether River Divine Milk." Mu Qing said gravely.
"If Master says so, then Jin Ling will certainly take good care of Master's true body." After hearing this, the golden ape understood that Mu Qing had made up her mind and ceased his objections, though his expression grew solemn.
"Mm, those words from Elder Jin are enough. Your original physical body has already been destroyed. Although your current form was created from the power of my true body as a wooden ape, your cultivation is only at the initial stage of the Spirit Commander realm — somewhat lacking. Here, I'll leave this with you." After a brief moment of contemplation, Mu Qing opened her mouth and spat out an azure-hazed mirror.
It was only palm-sized, with emerald-green wood grain patterns on its back. As it swayed slightly in the air, ten thousand rays of brilliant light erupted from it, and auspicious energy surged skyward.
One glance was enough to tell it was a treasure of extraordinary significance.
"Is this not Master's Heavenly Wood Mirror! This treasure has been refined by Master ever since the day of your enlightenment — all the way until now. How can this humble one possibly accept it! Master is heading to the Devil's Tomb and will need this treasure to fend off enemies and protect yourself." Upon seeing the mirror, Jin Ling's face changed color and he waved his hands frantically.
"If my true body cannot be preserved, how can I continue to exist in this world? Besides, it's not as though Elder Jin doesn't know — I obtained another spirit treasure some years ago whose power is no less than this mirror, and it's even more effective at suppressing demonic qi." Mu Qing replied.
Hearing Mu Qing's words, Jin Ling hesitated for a good while before finally agreeing.
He raised his hand and pointed at the mirror, whereupon it instantly transformed into a streak of azure light and merged into his body.
"In addition to the Heavenly Wood Mirror, these two Evergreen Wood Spirit Swords far surpass the original pair. Take them as well." Mu Qing pondered for a moment, then reached out with one hand toward the black tree and made a grasping motion in the air.