WHOOSH!
Grand Monarch Primal Wood’s flesh aura sea that enshrouded the dead realm suddenly withdrew.
Along with rich, heaven-filling life force and shimmering green light, it returned to Grand Monarch Primal Wood like rivers rushing into the sea.
Grand Monarch Primal Wood then expanded drastically.
BOOM!
Countless emerald green patterns could be seen swimming under his skin as he expanded at an alarming rate like a huge, sky-reaching tree.
“Ancient Tree: Heaven Block!” As he exclaimed, the Floragrim grand monarch seemed to turn into the Tree of Life in the Floragrim legends.
The emerald green leaves were condensations of his sparkling crystal-clear Blood Essence, emanating an aura that could nourish all things.
Under his feet, the dead realm that had run out of energies long ago was somehow stimulated by his aura, and started to show signs of revival.
As Nie Tian rose into the heavens, his life bloodline allowed him to sense a strong life force fusing into the dead realm.
With a derisive snort, he said, “This is meaningless. Even if you can revive this dead realm with your flesh power, you can only give rise to vegetation like grass, flowers, and trees. You can’t create new lives! By that I mean higher living beings with sentience!”
Grand Monarch Primal Wood’s expression flickered as he said, “Only our Tree of Life and the Phantasms’ Nether River can work such miracles as creating living beings!”
“Oh, really?” Nie Tian shook his head. “It seems you’re not very well-informed. Otherwise, you would have heard some stories about me.”
What he meant was him creating Nie Yan, the first Ifrit, in the Realm of Fire Spirit by vesting that flame spark with his Blood Essence.
Grand Monarch Primal Wood, who was now in a form similar to the Tree of Life, suddenly launched an attack.
One blackish green branch after another that could easily penetrate metal shot towards Chu Rui, Pei Qiqi, and Nie Tian.
“Bloodline magic: Lifeblood Wheel!”
Drop after drop of Blood Essence that were sparkling and crystal-clear like diamonds flew out of his heart to manifest a bloodline magic that he had just derived from the endless blood sea.
The drops of Blood Essence spread out to form a wheel that emanated blood-colored light.
As soon as the wheel came to form, rich flesh power and wood power flew out of him into it.
The two types of energy, one crimson and the other green, swirled and blended in the wheel. Upon first glance, it looked quite similar to the Yin Yang Chaos Mirror that belonged to You Qimiao from the Remote Beginning Heavenly Sect.
“Lifeblood Wheel! Spin!”
Even richer flesh power and wood power poured madly into the enormous wheel, causing it to start spinning.
“Ahh!” Pei Qiqi, who carried a spatial bloodline, was the first to cry out in alarm.
The Space Boundaries Crystal in her palm burst forth with dazzling light, and she instantly moved away.
Only after retreating several dozen kilometers away did her racing heart and unusual flesh aura flow gradually stop.
From afar, she fixed her gaze on the blood-colored wheel that was spinning over Nie Tian on the dead realm. Astonishment filled her eyes as she muttered, “Lifeblood Wheel? How come I’ve never seen him use this bloodline magic? Don’t tell me that he just learned it from his Blood Realm?”
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
Grand Monarch Primal Wood’s heart also pounded unusually fast and violently.
He had to cancel the Floragrim bloodline magics he was casting.
He couldn’t even maintain his Tree of Life form anymore. With a loud rumble, he returned to his true form as a handsome, arrogant young male.
He rubbed his chest subconsciously and said, “How… How come my heart suddenly started beating randomly?!”
Nie Tian’s face split into a wide laugh. “Randomly? No. Lifeblood Wheel: Resonance!”
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
Heartbeats that were at the same pace echoed out from Nie Tian’s heart.
Grand Monarch Primal Wood immediately realized that his heartbeat had been keeping pace with Nie Tian!
Nie Tian’s unusual heartbeat had completely disrupted his flesh aura flow, keeping him from maintaining his Tree of Life form and casting the bloodline magics he was going to cast.
Grand Monarch Primal Wood’s expression flickered with astonishment.
“Stop!”
His finger emanated dazzling wood power as he pointed it at his heart in an attempt to cut off whatever connection Nie Tian had established with him and expel the power Nie Tian might have infiltrated him with.
FIZZ! FIZZ!
Wisps of dazzling wood power flew into his heart to cleanse it over and over.
However, the unusual heartbeat didn’t stop.
Deeply uneasy, Grand Monarch Primal Wood asked, “What in the world is the origin of your bloodline? Why can you affect my heartbeat with your own?”
Floating calmly over the dead realm, Nie Tian said, “Perhaps that’s because you’re a Floragrim. The Floragrims’ bloodline has a close connection to wood power. Even your race was only born because of what you received from the Tree of Life. To upgrade your bloodline, you need realms with rich life force like the Realm of Wood Spirit. Only by channeling power from plants can you strengthen yourselves.
“Even though your people’s bloodline originates from the Tree of Life, it’s only a branch of the ‘life bloodline.’”
As soon as he said these words, the exasperated Grand Monarch Primal Wood suddenly fell silent.
Chu Rui and Pei Qiqi, who were originally planning to attack Grand Monarch Primal Wood together, were dumbstruck as well.
“I don’t follow,” Grand Monarch Primal Wood said in a grim voice.
After a moment of hesitation, Nie Tian said, “Perhaps we do need to talk.”
Then, he turned to face Pei Qiqi and Chu Rui. “Let’s have a truce. I suppose this Floragrim grand monarch won’t make another attempt to kill me before I help eliminate his confusion. Also, life-or-death battles are unnecessary between us and the Floragrims, or the other races of the Spirit World.”
“They started the war,” Chu Rui said.
“I know,” Nie Tian said.
Then, he turned to Grand Monarch Primal Wood and said, “I’d like to have a talk with you if you can remain calm. Perhaps what I’m about to say will inspire you.”
Grand Monarch Primal Wood was taken aback.
After a moment of pondering, he nodded and said, “Alright, come. I promise I won’t hurt you.”
“What about us?” Chu Rui asked.
“Just stay where you are.” As a thought entered Nie Tian’s mind, the blood-colored wheel flew to float between him and Grand Monarch Primal Wood. Maintaining the rotation of the Lifeblood Wheel with his flesh and wood power, he flew down to the ground and said, “Have you discovered that this special wheel of mine has a strong suppressing effect on your bloodline?”
Grand Monarch Primal Wood let out a cold harrumph and said, “This is just the first time I’ve seen a secret magic that can affect heartbeat and blood flow, nothing more. Once I make adjustments and think things through, I can definitely find a solution.” He refused to admit that his bloodline was being suppressed by the peculiar blood-colored wheel.
Nie Tian smiled casually and said, “I believe you’ll be able to find a way to ease your discomfort, but the bloodline suppression will always be there, just like how Ancientspirits, Demons, Phantasms, and Bonebrutes will always tremble in fear before this bone of mine.”
Hearing this, Grand Monarch Primal Wood carefully sensed the Star Behemoth bone and the blood-colored wheel with his bloodline power.
Grand Monarch Primal Wood took a deep breath and said, “Alright, I admit that that bone and that wheel have some suppressing effect on my bloodline. But that bone belongs to a Star Behemoth. Star Behemoths were the true overlords of the starry river back in the Primal Era. All living beings were easy prey in their eyes.
“So I understand that a Star Behemoth’s bloodline aura can make me instinctively uneasy.
“However, I don’t understand why that wheel you condensed with your Blood Essence also has a suppressing effect on my bloodline, causing my heart to beat unusually.”
“All this time, I’ve been referring to my bloodline as a life bloodline,” Nie Tian said.
Grand Monarch Primal Wood’s eyebrows rose. “Life bloodline? The Tree of Life also has a ‘life’ in its name. But we Floragrims refer to our bloodline as the Floragrim bloodline, not a life bloodline. The other higher beings also refer to our bloodline as the Floragrim bloodline. Even we ourselves don’t think it’s appropriate to call our bloodline a ‘life bloodline.’”
With a derisive smile, Nie Tian said, “I guess that’s because even Grand Monarch Primal Wood, the first of your kind, knew that your bloodline was only a branch of the life bloodline. Beings that have flesh and blood, like the major outsider races, are regarded as life forms, as are beings that don’t have fleshly bodies but have developed intelligence, right?”
Grand Monarch Primal Wood looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“I’m saying that there are a wide variety of life forms,” Nie Tian said with a deep look in his eyes, which shone with the light of wisdom. “Ancientspirits and all the major outsider races are lives. Even the Bonebrutes that are wreathed in death Qi and the Heavenly Corpses made by those from the Heavenly Corpse Sect count as lives. All kinds of flowers and grass that have developed intelligence, such as the Heaven-equal Vine and the Heavenly Demonsbane, are also considered lives.
“My bloodline leads to the fundamental truths of life, all life. Therefore, my bloodline is called a life bloodline.
“Perhaps your people’s bloodline can also be referred to as a life bloodline. However, it wouldn’t be the life bloodline in its true sense.”
Grand Monarch Primal Wood’s face grew cold. “So you’re saying that your bloodline is superior to ours?”
Nie Tian laughed. “I bet you don’t want to believe or accept it if I put it that way, but that’s the truth. My bloodline is purer and more advanced. My life bloodline allows me to refine flesh power as well as wood power.
“That’s also why both the Godspirit Tree and the Heaven-equal Vine took the initiative to approach me. The coexisting flowers inside a friend of mine were bent on stealing my bloodline because it represents the ultimate origin of life!”
