He turned around and faced the stone platform again.
“Let’s get started. Give me your hand.”
David stretched out his right hand.
Jiang Xuelan grasped his wrist and gently pressed her fingertips to his pulse.
His hands were cold, but a strange power flowed at his fingertips.
The power flowed into his body through the meridians in his wrist, circled around his dantian, then returned along the same path.
“The Golden Dragon bloodline is indeed extraordinary.” He released his grip and said calmly, “Your vitality is at least ten times stronger than cultivators of the same level. With you here, these two bodies should be fine.”
He took out two gold beans from his sleeve. The seeds were only the size of soybeans, but they radiated the same aura as the ancient tree.
“This is the seed of the tree of life, and the key to reshaping the physical body.”
He placed the seeds on a stone platform, one on the left and one on the right, under two beams of white light. “The seeds of the Tree of Life will absorb life force and gradually grow into a human-shaped body. Once the body is perfectly formed, the remnant soul will automatically merge into it, completing rebirth.”
He looked at David: “This process will last for seven days and seven nights without interruption. You need to continue to inject life energy into the seed until its physical body is fully formed.”
David nodded: “I understand.”
He sat cross-legged in front of the stone platform, placing both hands on two seeds. The golden dragon bloodline within his body began to circulate, and golden life force flowed into the seeds through his palms.
The seed shook slightly and began to swell slowly.
A small root emerges from the seed coat and penetrates the cracks in the rock surface.
Then, more roots appeared, spreading outward like a spider web.
A crack appeared at the top of the seed, and a light green shoot peeked out from the crack, swaying gently in the golden light.
The seedlings grew at a speed visible to the naked eye, reaching half a foot in height in the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
Twigs begin to grow from the stem of the seedling, and more leaves grow on the twigs. Each leaf was tender and green, full of vitality.
David could clearly feel that his vitality was being drained at a steady rate.
It didn’t hurt, it was just a little tiring, like running on a very long road, with the body getting heavier and the pace getting slower.
But he couldn’t stop.
He gritted his teeth and continued trying, his golden dragon bloodline churning wildly, converting every bit of life force into nutrients for the seeds to grow.
Jiang Xuelan stood aside, observing him quietly.
His gaze shifted from her face to her hands, then to the two thriving seedlings.
“Is it worth it?” he asked suddenly, in a very soft voice.
David didn’t look up, but just said, “It’s worth it.”
Jiang Xuelan fell silent.
He lived a very, very long time, and saw too many people, too many events of life and death, and too many grudges and affections.
He had seen people who betrayed their friends for profit, people who abandoned their comrades to save their own lives, and people who made sacred promises only to forget them completely once they turned around.
However, he rarely met people like David.
Driven by a promise, he traveled thousands of miles, braving the strong winds of the Ruins of Homecoming, risking destruction, to arrive at a completely unfamiliar place.
In order to save two people, he did not hesitate to use his own life force as fuel, without blinking an inch.
“You…” Jiang Xuelan repeated those three words, then shook her head and did not continue.
He turned and walked to a corner of the cave, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.
His spiritual power was also drained, and he needed time to recover.
The cave became silent, except for the sound of the rustling seeds growing and David’s steady breathing.
Golden light flowed through the cave, enveloping everything in a warm and peaceful atmosphere.
Outside the cave, the enormous Tree of Life swayed gently in the wind, its golden leaves rustling as if singing an ancient ballad.
FAQ Novel
Q: What is the immediate outcome of Jiang Xuelan’s ritual?
A: The ritual successfully liberates and stabilizes the remnant souls of Moses and his wife.
Q: What is needed to progress beyond stabilizing the souls?
A: A substantial amount of life energy is required as raw material to rebuild the physical bodies, a process that will take at least seven days.
Share your reactions to this chapter below.