Versatile Mage: I Awakened Nine Stars

Chapter 411 Pure Affection

"So, it's still related to the King of Tiandu Kingdom?"

"Ah Shen, what makes people live and die is not necessarily profit."

"If it's not about profit, then what is it?"

"There's still loyalty. Like when you went to the Holy City to save me." Yu Mian suddenly smiled and turned to the Seven Emotions Bitter Bamboo. "Are you worried about the Bodhi Tree?"

As soon as the words fell, the bamboo grove, now flattened into a lawn, suddenly erupted with intense emotional turmoil—a mixture of resentment, helplessness, regret, and remorse...

"You guessed right?" Xu Shen asked in surprise. "But what does the Bodhi tree have to do with us?"

“Ah Shen, I remember you once told me that the Heavenly Poison King used the Bodhi Ancient Tree when he collected the embryos of the Heavenly Devouring Beasts.”

"Did I say that?"

Xu Shen scratched his head.

The victims of the mental health incident are truly extraordinary.

He had long forgotten such a trivial matter, yet he still remembers it; he truly has a photographic memory.

If we argue later...

Cough cough, Yu Mian isn't that kind of person.

Yu Mian gave Xu Shen a strange look. She noticed that ever since they had talked things out, he seemed to have been relieved of some heavy burden, and his thinking was becoming more and more unconventional.

But now is not the time to focus on that. Yu Mian pulled her thoughts back and said, "I guess the seed of the Bodhi Ancient Tree should be on you. If the Bodhi Ancient Tree and the Seven Emotions Bitter Bamboo are of similar cultivation level, then the quality of this seed is at least a Great Heavenly Seed. No one can resist the temptation of such a rare treasure. The reason why the Seven Emotions Bitter Bamboo didn't say anything is probably because they were afraid that if you knew, you would refine it."

"But I've never felt that way before..."

As Xu Shen spoke, he suddenly seemed to remember something, crushed a dimensional diamond to replenish his magic energy, and summoned the little fairy who was fast asleep.

Because Apas is still advancing in his cultivation, in order to conserve mana, his summoning magic has been practically non-existent for the past few months.

Xiao Bai spends his days shaved ice in the other world out of boredom, while Xiao Xian can only sleep soundly in the contract space, feeling wronged.

"Nu'e, can you take a look and see if there's anything else inside Xiaoxian's body?"

As Xu Shen was speaking, the Bitter Bamboo Forest suddenly erupted with powerful energy, causing him to lose his senses and be dragged back into the illusion.

"Still trying to take hostages?"

The fox mother sneered, and with a sweep of her tail, the earth cracked, and endless fragments of grass and trees flew everywhere, turning the whole world into a green ocean.

The illusion that enveloped Xu Shen crumbled like a shattered mirror.

Xu Shen shook his head to clear his mind, and seeing this green world, he felt a lingering fear. Mind-based techniques were truly impossible to guard against.

"Ah Shen." Yu Mian held his hand, and her concern made Xu Shen feel a sense of reassuring maternal love.

"I'm fine, Nü'e. Have you found anything?"

The fox mother is as reliable as ever.

With a flick of her fox tail, she extracted a golden Bodhi seed from the little fairy's body. The seed was cracked and dull in color.

Xu Shen was astonished: "There really is such a thing, but can a Bodhi tree really grow from this thing?"

Yu Mian observed the array patterns on the Bodhi seed and said, "The Heavenly Poison King probably wanted to use the life essence of the Heavenly Devouring Beast to nourish it, but unfortunately, this seed seems to have died long ago. However, it will definitely be fine as a plant-type magic seed."

Damn it, the Poison King also had a heart condition that day.

Xu Shen cursed inwardly.

He really thought this old man was being kind by giving him the Heaven and Earth Devouring Beast, but he never expected that he actually wanted to use the little fairy as fertilizer to grow the Bodhi tree!
Old Deng really thought he couldn't gather enough embryos to hatch the little fairy.

Just then, the greenery that filled the world seemed to converge on the Bodhi seed in Xu Shen's hand.

"Holy crap, this damn bamboo isn't dead yet?" Xu Shen exclaimed in surprise.

Yu Mian explained, "The soul of a mind-type demon is far stronger than that of an ordinary demon. As long as the soul is not destroyed, the body will not die, and its vitality is extremely tenacious. Moreover, it is a plant-type demon."

"Since it's not dead, well..." Xu Shen said somewhat awkwardly, "Nu'e, how about... we don't kill it?"

Sincerity is always a must-win.

Even at the cost of its life, the Seven Emotions Bitter Bamboo was determined to help the Bodhi Tree gamble on a future of survival.

Those who live in chaos and evil are always stung by such pure emotion, their eyes filled with tears, utterly humiliated, daring only to observe from afar and not daring to approach.

But even such people would envy this kind of purity.

It would be quite a pity if the Seven Emotions Bitter Bamboo disappeared like this.

The fox mother tilted her head slightly and glanced at Xu Shen, and the invisible spatial pressure lessened considerably.

The life energy gathered in Xu Shen's palm was increasing.

Even though he wasn't a direct beneficiary, he could feel his internal organs were soothed as if they had been ironed, his whole body felt relaxed and comfortable, and even his originally weak and damaged soul was slowly recovering.

However, this Bodhi seed is leaky; so much life essence flows in, but it just passes right through, not a single bit can be retained.

At that moment, a green bamboo stalk rapidly grew in front of Xu Shen.

This must be the true form of the Seven Emotions Bitter Bamboo. Although it is a plant, Xu Shen clearly felt its sorrow.

It cradled the Bodhi seed with a single bamboo leaf, stubbornly infusing it with the essence of life.

"How about letting me try?"

Xu Shen asked tentatively.

The immortal lotus within him is most likely one of the three great immortal artifacts in the world.

This kind of treasure might come in handy.

Give it a try, it won't take much effort anyway.

After a moment of silence, Qiqing Kuzhu returned the Bodhi seed to Xu Shen.

A pale blue lotus flower slowly spun out from Xu Shen's palm.

As the life essence of the Seven Emotions Bitter Bamboo was continuously infused, the illusory image gradually solidified.

Xu Shen placed the Bodhi seed into the lotus heart.

He didn't know how to do it, he just acted on a gut feeling.

Its essence is like fire, and its lotus flower is like a furnace.

This scene is remarkably similar to an immortal refining elixirs.

After a while, the fox mother suddenly spoke up: "It works."

She was the strongest and had the keenest senses, and she clearly detected the faint signs of new life sprouting.

"As long as it works!" Xu Shen was overjoyed and worked even harder. But he didn't expect that he would be a "nanny" for a full seven days.

Seven days later, Xu Shen lay exhausted on a chair woven from green bamboo leaves.

A small, golden sapling, less than 10 centimeters tall, grew right next to him.

Although the sapling was small, it exuded a calming and tranquil spiritual energy, clearly indicating that it was a rare spiritual plant-type demon. What was even more strange was that it had a mysterious synergy with the Seven Emotions Bitter Bamboo.

Golden saplings stood beside swaying green bamboo, with small fans woven from bamboo leaves on the outstretched branches, gently fanning themselves as if afraid Xu Shen would get too hot.

Xu Shen glanced at the fawning Seven Emotions Bitter Bamboo and said to the fox mother, "Nu'e, the Seven Emotions Bitter Bamboo is seriously injured and has a bounty on its head from the Hunter's Alliance. Let alone protecting the Bodhi sapling, it's in trouble even protecting itself. Why don't you take them both back to Kunlun? They'll be perfect for guarding your home."

"it is good."

The fox mother did not refuse.

Two demons with the potential to be at least sub-emperors—such fighters might be rare elsewhere, but they didn't mean much to her.

However, these two are quite capable, especially the Seven Emotions Bitter Bamboo, whose illusions can perfectly adapt to the power of time, making it extremely useful for recreating the past.

After receiving a satisfactory answer, the Seven Emotions Bamboo fanned itself even more vigorously, and the entire bamboo seemed to breathe a long sigh of relief.

It turned to Yu Mian, gesturing for her to take out the bamboo shoot she had previously kept.

Next, the emerald green bamboo branch carefully reached towards the roots of the Bodhi seedling and gently dug out the Bodhi seed that had split in two and was dull in luster.

Xu Shen slumped lazily in the bamboo chair, listlessly lifting his eyelids as he watched Qiqing Kuzhu busily working: "What new tricks are you up to this time?"

Seven Emotions Bitter Bamboo paused, and its slightly hesitant voice slowly rang out: "You guessed half right earlier. My origin and Bodhi's origin are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining. According to common sense, whoever devours the other's origin will greatly increase their cultivation."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shen was taken aback.

The bitter bamboo fell silent for a moment, its leaves rustling softly as if recalling a distant past.

"The Buddha only took Bodhi away because it was gentle and not good at fighting. The Buddha was afraid that one day I would not be able to resist the temptation of advancement and would swallow its origin."

"Bodhi and I were both born from the power of our faith in Buddha and transformed into demons. We have been together since we became conscious, and we are friends."

Xu Shen understood.

A friend would never harm a friend.

Qiqing Kuzhu gently pushed the split Bodhi seed and the emerald green bamboo shoot toward Xu Shen, her voice still flat, but with a hint of gratitude: "This broken seed still contains the last bit of Bodhi's essence. You stimulate that lotus flower, and I will help you fuse the bamboo shoot with it... It will be good for it."

Xu Shen was taken aback: "Won't doing this harm the Bodhi sapling?"

"It will just grow a little slower," the leaves of the Seven Emotions Bitter Bamboo swayed without wind. "Buddha said that cause and effect are hard to repay, so Bodhi will not blame me."

Having said all that, Xu Shen no longer held back. He consumed a Tian Shan snow lotus and, despite having endured seven days and seven nights of hardship, forced himself to stay awake.

The pale blue lotus flower solidified once more under the infusion of the abundant life essence of the Seven Emotions Bitter Bamboo.

Xu Shen gently placed the thumb-sized bamboo shoot and the broken Bodhi seed into the lotus heart.

Soft, golden-green halos flowed around the lotus heart, and in less than an hour, the emerald green at the tip of the golden pagoda-shaped bamboo shoot had completely transformed into a pure, warm gold. The cracked outer shell of the Bodhi seed quietly disappeared, as if its essence had been completely absorbed into the bamboo shoot.

Xu Shen carefully sensed it.

This newly sprouted bamboo shoot does indeed possess a mysterious power, originating from the same source as the Bodhi tree, capable of calming the mind and spirit.

(End of this chapter)