The five elders of the wood element sect fixed He Lianxiong with anticipating looks.
He Lianxiong glanced over them with a smile on his face before a small transparent bottle flew out of his palm.
The bottle was only the size of a thumb. Inside of it was an emerald green liquid. Even though the liquid was sealed in the bottle, everyone present could sense extremely pure wood power from it.
Wang Haoming, an elder of the wood element sect, gasped, his face splitting into a wide smile. “Is, is that the Floragrims’ Heavenly Land Spirit Elixir?!”
“Exactly.” He Lianxiong confirmed his speculation. “Heavenly Land Spirit Elixir can help solidify Chulan’s void domain. It’s said that such a wondrous thing can only be collected from a mysterious heaven and earth of the Floragrims.”
Even Hou Chulan’s expression flickered slightly.
She clearly understood how valuable the Heavenly Land Spirit Elixir was, and how helpful it would be to her breakthrough into the Saint domain.
With these words, He Lianxiong took out a pitch-black medicinal pill. “And this is an Immortal Palace Pill, which is a Heaven grade medicinal pill that contains extremely rich soul power. When you refine and strengthen your domain with soul strands, it’ll help you recover soul power much more efficiently.”
Li Xifen, another elder of the wood element sect, who was a seasoned alchemist, couldn’t help but marvel in a soft voice, “That pill is a rare treasure indeed! Even I’m not skilled enough to make them, even though it’s only at the first level of the Heaven grade. He Lianxiong, your stepfather gave it to you so that you can use it when you attempt to break through into the Saint domain, right?”
Everyone’s expressions grew strange as they heard these words.
Even He Lianxiong himself smiled somewhat embarrassedly. “Yeah, it was given to me by my stepfather. But since I’m currently at the middle Void domain, it’ll still be some time before I enter the late Void domain and attempt to break through into the Saint domain. And Chulan’s breakthrough is at hand, so I decided to give it to her.”
“Even though you don’t need it now, you’ll need it in the future,” Li Xinfen reminded him. “Immortal Palace Pills are so valuable that even your stepfather must not have many in his possession. So why don’t you keep it for yourself?”
“No, I’m sure that my stepfather will grant me another one when I attempt to break through into the Saint domain,” He Lianxiong said with confidence.
With these words, he took out a few other items, all of which were rare cultivation materials that could help Hou Chulan enter the Saint domain. However, compared to Heavenly Land Spirit Elixir and Immortal Palace Pill, they were of considerably less value.
Standing off to the side, Nie Tian smiled as he watched He Lianxiong present his precious treasures to everyone present one by one.
“Nie Tian, it seems to me that He Lianxiong has considered you his rival,” Huang Jinnan joked in a low voice. “Don’t tell me that you made a move on Senior Martial Sister Hou when you were in the Domain of Heaven’s Origin?”
Overhearing him, Lou Hongyan also fixed Nie Tian with a curious look.
The entire Five Elements Sect knew that He Lianxiong was pursuing Hou Chulan relentlessly. As Divine Children, they usually teased Hou Chulan about it.
Hou Chulan had had other pursuers before. However, they had all given up sensibly after He Lianxiong had come along.
After all, they could not compete against He Lianxiong in either status or cultivation base.
However, as the seventh Son of the Stars of the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace, Nie Tian was gaining popularity, which made him an even match for He Lianxiong.
“Quit playing,” Nie Tian said with a bored face. “The guy would do this to any man who has any contact with Hou Chulan.”
“Well, I guess He Lianxiong has his reasons to treat you this way,” Huang Jinnan said sarcastically. “After all, you don’t have a perfect score in a certain aspect.”
Nie Tian was puzzled. “What?”
Huang Jinnan gave a cunning chuckle. “You traveled with Yin Yanan and Mu Biqiong, two great beauties, in the Shatter Battlefield. Many say that your relationship with them goes beyond the ordinary. As far as I know, you have a fiance, whose name is Dong Li. And just recently, when we met in the Void Spirit Society’s headquarters, I noticed that the way you looked at Pei Qiqi was full of emotions.”
Hearing this, Lou Hongyan muttered in a low voice, “Another jerk!”
She hadn’t met Nie Tian yet when he had entered the Shatter Battlefield, so she hadn’t been aware that he had had Yin Yanan and Mu Biqiong by his side the whole trip. Now, as she heard Huang Jinnan’s teasing words, she immediately came to the conclusion that Nie Tian was despicable.
“Don’t befoul me, okay?” Nie Tian said in a stern voice. “Yin Yanan and Mu Biqiong were nothing but travel companions!”
As they whispered among themselves, the argument between Hou Chulan and He Lianxiong went on. He Lianxiong insisted that Hou Chulan accept the precious materials he had specially prepared for her breakthrough.
However, Hou Chulan insisted that she wouldn’t take them.
Eventually, Hou Chulan was worn down. In a very impatient manner, she accepted the Heavenly Land Spirit Elixir and said, “Keep the other things you brought. I have my own Immortal Palace Pills and Barrier Breaking Pills. I don’t need yours!”
Hearing this, He Lianxiong finally gave up and put the other treasures away as he was told.
Then, he shot Nie Tian a sideways glance and asked in a loud provoking voice, “What did you bring?”
“Me?” Nie Tian said, pointing at himself with a wry smile. “I came here empty-handed. And senior martial sister said that she’d have lavish gifts for me as long as I came here, even if I couldn’t do anything to help. Isn’t that right, senior martial sister?”
Hou Chulan nodded with a faint smile. “That’s right.”
“You have quite some skills, Nie Tian!” Huang Jinnan said aloud, as if he meant for He Lianxiong to hear him.
Face grim like a piece of metal, He Lianxiong said, “Chulan, you…”
Hou Chulan shot him a nasty look. “Will you shut up? If you say another word that’s disrespectful to my guest, I’ll have you take your Heavenly Land Spirit Elixir and leave!”
He Lianxiong sealed his lips, though he glared at Nie Tian.
The five elders of the wood element sect, however, were confused by Hou Chulan’s attitude towards Nie Tian. They all wondered why she would ask Nie Tian to be here, and give him lavish gifts as rewards.
“This Nie Tian is only at the Soul realm. How would he be able to help Chulan?”
“This is odd… Why would she demand that he be here?”
“What’s so special about him?”
However, the truth was that even Hou Chulan herself didn’t know how Nie Tian would be able to help her break through into the Saint domain. She only had a feeling that he might.
“Alright, this is where I get started.” Hou Chulan took a deep breath and signaled for everyone to give her some space.
As she sat down on the mountaintop, her unique wood domain, which Nie Tian had witnessed in the Domain of Heaven’s Origin, gradually spread out.
It was a domain full of vigor. Lotuses were floating on the surface of an emerald green lake. An island could be seen at the lake’s center, on which a lush bamboo grove grew.
Every once in a while, cyan smoke would rise from the lake’s surface, gradually pervading her entire domain and preventing others from getting a clear view of what was inside.
Like weightless clouds, wood power that was about ten times richer than that in the Graydusk Forest slowly gathered from all directions and fused into her illusory domain.
Like an ethereal god, Hou Chulan’s figure loomed in the depths of her domain, appearing and disappearing from time to time.
Meanwhile, the five elders of the wood element sect spread out vigilantly, forming a circle around Hou Chulan, where they cast spells to help her channel rich wood power from the vicinity and into her domain.
“Her attempt to break through into the Saint domain is a matter of great importance. How come the head of the wood element sect didn’t show up?” Nie Tian whispered to Huang Jinnan.
Hou Chulan was the legacy disciple of the head of the wood element sect. If something were to happen to her, Hou Chulan would be the one to fill her void as the master of the wood element sect.
Her breakthrough into the Saint domain would be full of dangers. One mishap, and Hou Chulan might perish, body and soul. Therefore, it didn’t seem right that the head of the wood element sect didn’t come and provide protection.
“What made you think that she’s not here?” Huang Jinnan smiled quietly.
Taken aback, Nie Tian asked, “She is?”
“This is such an important matter. How can she not be?” Huang Jinnan said, as if it couldn’t be more natural. “Given her profound cultivation base, nothing that happens here in the Realm of Wood Spirit can escape her perception, as long as she cares enough to find out. If my senior martial sister needs her help during her breakthrough, of course she’ll show up.”
Nie Tian was immediately enlightened.
The head of the wood element sect was Lu Yuxin, a late God domain expert. Given her divine abilities, she could indeed see or hear anything in the Realm of Wood Spirit.
Throughout this boundless starry river, perhaps her profound understanding of wood power could only be matched by Floragrim grand monarchs.
What mishap could happen to Hou Chulan with her watching over her?
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Loud sounds echoed out as the torrential spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth and wood power went through changes within Hou Chulan’s domain.
A fresh slender bamboo on the central island suddenly started to grow taller and taller, glittering with green, unusual light.
Watching it, Nie Tian felt that even the Godspirit Tree sapling in him was somehow touched.
Nie Tian immediately realized something. “If what I suspect is true, that bamboo must be a Heaven Nourished grade treasure that has taken root in Hou Chulan’s wood power core!”
