One person: Senior brother Zhang Zhiwei, the Celestial Master begged me to descend the mountain.

"That's right."

Zhang Taichu looked at the wrinkled bark in front of him, which resembled skin, and said calmly:

"Whether it's a human, a ghost, or some kind of tree spirit or wood sprite."

"As long as one understands the rules, this humble Taoist is not an unreasonable person."

As if it understood Zhang Taichu's words, the huge piece of bark suddenly began to writhe violently.

Click—click—

With a cracking sound like bones breaking, the hard bark slowly split open to the sides, revealing the flesh inside, which looked like bright red blood and flesh.

Deep within that flesh and blood, a fist-sized ball of golden light, radiating an almost tangible intensity, slowly emerged.

The ball of light wasn't dazzling, but it carried a heart-pounding vitality. It was like a beating heart; with each contraction, the surrounding air vibrated, releasing a strange and refreshing fragrance.

This is the essence that the Nathan Tree has accumulated over thousands of years.

Tree core.

It is also the life source of the entire Nathan Island.

"cough……"

King Nathan, standing behind, trembled violently the moment the ball of light appeared, his face turning deathly pale.

She instinctively clutched her chest; it was the lament of the covenant with the divine tree. With each inch the ball of light moved outward, she could feel her life force draining away.

The feeling was as if someone was forcibly pulling her spinal cord out of her body.

"No...don't..."

Nathan desperately reached out to stop him, but when her gaze fell upon Zhang Taichu's back, which he didn't even bother to turn around, her hand froze in mid-air.

Compared to the pain of losing the tree core, the fear that man instilled in her was clearly more unforgettable.

Zhang Taichu ignored the commotion behind him.

He stretched out one hand and, as casually as picking out a watermelon at a market, grabbed the golden ball of light floating in the air.

Sizzle sizzle—!

A violent electrical crackling erupted from the surface of the ball of light, a surge of extremely violent energy repelling any intruder's touch.

But this energy, which was enough to instantly burn an ordinary superhuman to ashes, was as docile as a ball of cotton in Zhang Taichu's palm.

"It's still quite hot to the touch."

Zhang Taichu pursed his lips and tightened his fingers slightly.

boo.

A soft sound.

He forcibly ripped the ball of light from the tree trunk's veins.

Ugh!

The entire sacred tree let out a mournful wail, and a large portion of its massive canopy instantly turned yellow and withered, with countless leaves falling like a torrential downpour.

"Alright, stop wailing."

Zhang Taichu glared impatiently at the trembling tree:

"It's just a little interest; it won't kill you."

After saying that, he turned around, tossing the priceless tree core in his hand, and waved to Feng Baobao, who was staring wide-eyed with a string of glistening liquid hanging from the corner of her mouth.

"come over."

At this moment, Feng Baobao's condition was clearly not right.

Her usually dull and lifeless eyes were now fixed on the ball of light in Zhang Taichu's hand, a green light of intense longing shining deep within her pupils.

That look in his eyes wasn't greedy.

Rather, it's a kind of instinctive hunger, similar to the hunger of someone who has been starving for three days when they see braised pork...

"Well……"

Feng Baobao made a muffled gurgling sound in her throat and, almost using both hands and feet, instantly darted in front of Zhang Taichu.

She tilted her head back, her nostrils twitching wildly, circling Zhang Taichu like a puppy begging for food, her eyes fixed on the ball of light without blinking:

"fragrant……"

"This...smells so good..."

"Give it to me... I want to eat it..."

Seeing this, Zhang Chulan's eyelids twitched violently.

Bao'er's reaction... is so real!

Even though I know it's a good thing, you're practically drooling all over your uncle's shoes!

Looking at the drooling girl in front of him, Zhang Taichu's lips curled into a rare smile, and a hint of doting flashed in his eyes.

He weighed the ball of light in his hand, as if he were holding a large apple:

"Want some?"

"Mmm-hmm!" Feng Baobao nodded her head like a chick pecking at rice, her hands instinctively reaching out to grab it.

"No need to chew."

Zhang Taichu avoided her hand, his voice suddenly becoming more serious:

"Swallow it directly."

Before he could finish speaking...

In the blink of an eye, before anyone could react.

Zhang Taichu didn't bring the ball of light to Feng Baobao's mouth. Instead, he suddenly raised his hand, palm down, carrying the ball of violent golden energy, in an almost violent gesture—

boom!!

It was pressed directly onto Feng Baobao's crown!

"Bear with it!"

A low shout.

In an instant, golden light exploded!

The tree core, which had been condensed with the essence of life for thousands of years, was instantly transformed into streams of golden torrents under Zhang Taichu's terrifying palm force, which were forcibly poured into Feng Baobao's body through her Baihui acupoint.

"ah----!!"

Feng Baobao's body stiffened abruptly, and she let out a muffled groan of pain she had never felt before.

Her body convulsed violently, her eyes rolled back instantly, and her limbs stiffened like a sheet of iron. The immense energy was too violent; it was simply beyond the capacity of human meridians to withstand.

Underneath Feng Baobao's originally fair skin, countless golden veins suddenly bulged out, as if golden snakes were writhing wildly beneath her flesh, making her look like she was about to explode at any moment.

"Sister Bao'er!!"

Zhang Chulan was terrified. He let out a scream, and golden light burst from his body. He instinctively rushed forward to save the person.

This isn't taking supplements!

This is clearly murder!

Even someone made of iron couldn't withstand having such a huge amount of energy forced into their brain!

"Get out of my way!!"

Zhang Taichu didn't even turn his head, and simply flicked his sleeve.

boom!

Zhang Chulan, along with the golden light, was thrown away by a gentle but irresistible force, crashing heavily into a haystack more than ten meters away.

"Just stay there and watch! Don't cause any trouble!"

Zhang Taichu's voice carried an undeniable air of authority.

His right hand, which was pressing on Feng Baobao's head, remained motionless, like an iron clamp.

And with his left hand, he was drawing something rapidly in the air at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow.

buzzing-

The air vibrated.

Countless strands of pale blue primordial energy flowed from Zhang Taichu's fingertips, transforming into countless threads finer than a human hair, which instantly entered Feng Baobao's body.

At this moment, Zhang Taichu was no longer the tyrant who could slay an aircraft carrier with a single sword.

His eyes were focused and deep, and a fine layer of sweat even appeared on his forehead.

He is weaving a net.

He was using his vast, boundless innate Qi to forcefully guide and organize the raging tree core energy, stitching it bit by bit, thread by thread, into Feng Baobao's broken soul.

This was an extremely delicate surgery that allowed no room for error.

If she is not careful, Feng Baobao's already fragile soul will be completely overwhelmed by this enormous vitality.

"I'm here..."

Zhang Taichu stared at Feng Baobao's face, contorted with pain, his voice low yet carrying an air of defying fate:

"Even the King of Hell wouldn't dare take her."

Time passed, second by second.

The entire forest was deathly silent.

The only sounds were the faint rustling of Zhang Taichu's fingertips cutting through the air and Feng Baobao's gradually calming breathing.

King Nathan slumped to the ground, staring blankly at the scene.

As the guardian of the divine tree, she knew better than anyone the terrifying power contained within its core. It was a vast life force powerful enough to overwhelm ten extraordinary beings, yet that man… had actually tamed it?

What kind of tactic is this?

What level of skill is this?

at last.

After half an hour.

As Zhang Taichu finished drawing the last talisman with his left hand, he slapped it hard on Feng Baobao's back.

call--

A gentle breeze rippled outwards from the two of them.

The previously raging golden veins on Feng Baobao's body quickly disappeared. The layers of faint golden light eventually converged deep within her brow, and then vanished completely.

Zhang Taichu let out a long breath and withdrew his hand from Feng Baobao's head.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, looked at Feng Baobao who still had her eyes closed, and said softly:

"wake up."

Her eyelashes trembled slightly.

Feng Baobao slowly opened her eyes.

That instant.

Zhang Chulan, who was standing at a distance, and Wang Zhenqiu, who had just gotten up, were both stunned.

Those eyes...

changed.

Although it remains crystal clear, and still retains that innocent naiveté.

but.

That murky feeling, as if covered by a layer of dust, disappeared.

Instead, there was a touch of unprecedented liveliness, and... a human warmth.

Feng Baobao blinked, seemingly still adjusting to this new feeling.

She lowered her head, looked at her palm, and then looked up at Zhang Taichu, who was slightly out of breath.

Feng Baobao, who was always expressionless and indifferent to everything, now had an extremely vivid expression on her face.

That was... confusion, and dependence.

She slowly reached out her hand, her small hand still trembling slightly, and gently tugged at the wide sleeve of Zhang Taichu's Taoist robe.

It's like a child who has been lost for many years finally grabbing onto their parent's clothes.

"that……"

Feng Baobao tilted her head, and Zhang Taichu's figure was reflected in her clear eyes.

She held up one finger and pointed to her heart, her voice soft but earnest:

"warm."

"here……"

Feng Baobao's lips curled up slightly, revealing an extremely rare, yet heartbreakingly pure smile:

"It's hot."