"Wutong wood... no wonder I felt a faint resonance."
Cai Yan suddenly realized. Having birthed the Immortal Phoenix Zither, her body naturally shared a connection with wutong wood. That subtle resonance brought with it a feeling of intimacy, a deep instinct to hold and examine it closely.
"I remember An Ning has the top-tier constitution—Nirvana Immortal Phoenix Physique—which requires nine rounds of nirvana to reach perfection. Since this wutong wood can aid in a phoenix's rebirth and increase the success rate, giving it to An Ning might greatly enhance her chances during each nirvana."
Yao Yue pondered briefly before speaking.
An Ning's constitution needed to undergo multiple cycles of rebirth to reach its pinnacle. Only after nine nirvanas would the Nirvana Immortal Phoenix Physique reach its most astonishing form, nearly achieving undying and indestructible status. To be reborn after death granted her unparalleled advantages in battle—most importantly, the power to survive.
That was the key.
"Hmm, a great treasure indeed. This piece of wutong wood still has a thread of life force. If it can be planted and kept alive, it would be even more beneficial for An Ning, increasing her chances of successful nirvana. But nurturing it won't be easy."
Yi Tianxing nodded. Even if only for An Ning's sake, he had to find a way to make it grow. However, the remaining life force was far too faint—even with his Dantian Life Aperture, the chance of survival was slim. One cannot cook rice without grain. But there was still hope—if he could somehow strengthen the remaining vitality.
The challenge was that this was just a branch, with no roots. Cultivating life in such a state was naturally extremely difficult.
"Let's give it to An Ning. Let her carry it with her. With her Nirvana Immortal Phoenix Physique, her body is essentially a phoenix. Her aura might help nurture the wutong wood's life force, possibly allowing it to grow strong enough to plant."
Cai Yan said eagerly.
It was a feasible plan.
An Ning was her daughter, and of course, she wanted the best for her—especially a treasure that could shape her future. It was more important than anything else.
"Alright. From now on, let An Ning keep this wutong wood with her. Even if it can't be revived, it can be refined into a Dao Artifact in the future."
Yi Tianxing nodded in agreement. A treasure like this was incredibly rare. A branch of a Primordial Spiritual Root, the wutong tree, was a priceless relic. Even a mere broken piece was hard to come by.
"Alright, husband, we've seen all the treasures we picked. Now it's time to see yours."
Lian Xing said with a soft laugh.
"Sure, let's take a look."
Yi Tianxing nodded. With a flick of his finger, the surrounding treasure light faded, revealing a golden treasure box. This box was engraved with mysterious scriptures, emanating a faint chanting sound that seeped into the mind.
Strangely, the box had no seams—no visible way to open it.
"A box, huh? But if we can't open it, how do we know what's inside?"
Yao Yue frowned slightly.
Just from the box itself, it was clear this was no ordinary item. And what lay inside must be even more precious.
Yi Tianxing examined it carefully but found no mechanism. He tried pressing with great force, but the box didn't bend or even leave a mark. It was extremely sturdy and mysterious.
"There's no box in this world I can't open."
Yi Tianxing said firmly.
With a thought, the treasure box vanished and reappeared inside the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower, within the chaotic space. The chaotic energy surged toward the box, corroding the golden glow and causing the scriptures to flicker.
But the chaos was overwhelming. The inscriptions dimmed rapidly, disintegrating, and were consumed, turning into pure energy and absorbed into the tower.
In moments, all inscriptions were gone. The golden glow dissipated.
Crack!
Yi Tianxing pressed again, and this time the box shattered.
Within it, a golden seed appeared.
"Bodhi Seed!!"
Yi Tianxing gasped aloud the moment he saw it.
Upon closer inspection, it was unmistakably a Bodhi Seed.
What was a Bodhi Seed? It was a legendary supreme treasure.
Bodhi—from Buddhist teachings—means awakening and wisdom. It symbolizes enlightenment, sudden insight, realization of the path, transcendence, and ultimately nirvana. It is said that Buddha attained enlightenment beneath a Bodhi tree.
And a Bodhi Seed—was the purest essence of a Bodhi tree.
When a Bodhi tree reached the end of its life, its essence would crystallize into a single seed. This seed was the ultimate comprehension treasure, allowing its owner to enter enlightened states at will, making the understanding of techniques and Dao principles incredibly fast. One could reach realms in days that would otherwise take decades.
Such a treasure had permanent value. It never diminished, only grew more precious.
Every Bodhi Seed that appeared would cause bloody chaos in the cultivation world. Even a 30% increase in the chance of achieving Dao realization was enough to drive countless cultivators mad.
This alone proved how peerless and rare it was—above any natural treasure.
If news of it got out, unimaginable disaster would follow. Countless eyes would covet it from the shadows.
So upon recognizing it, Yi Tianxing immediately sealed the surrounding space, forming a domain. Even though they were speaking, outsiders would only see their lips move—no sound could escape.
No one could even lip-read through the domain.
"A legendary comprehension treasure. How did that tree demon end up with such a thing? No—this must be a treasure from Lanruo Temple. After its destruction, the seed must have fallen into the tree demon's hands. Pity it couldn't break the seal and never even saw what was inside. It died without knowing."
Yi Tianxing was visibly excited.
He had never imagined such fortune. A Bodhi Seed, of all things. Fortune beyond compare. For those who tread the Dao, this was more valuable than any other treasure.
Compared to it, the relic, the wutong wood, even the Beads of Universal Equality, were meaningless.
This was the true supreme treasure—so precious that he would trade most of his possessions for it.
"Wonderful. With the Bodhi Seed, your cultivation will definitely skyrocket. Comprehending Dao will be smooth as flowing water. But this must never be revealed. Otherwise, disaster is certain."
Cai Yan took a deep breath, joy mixed with gravity in her eyes.
"We must not speak of it to anyone. Only when Da Yi becomes strong enough to defend it can we make it public."
Yao Yue added quickly.
"Don't worry. No one will ever take this Bodhi Seed from me. I'll make sure it's used to its fullest."
A treasure was meant to be used, not placed on a shelf. Otherwise, it was just junk.
With that thought, Yi Tianxing quickly stored away the Bodhi Seed.
"The tree demon's hidden trove was clearly Lanruo Temple's treasure hoard. What we've seen so far is just the beginning. There's much more. I'll begin cataloguing it now."
He grew more excited. While there might not be another treasure on par with the Bodhi Seed, the hoard was clearly immense.
"This... these are Buddhist scriptures and manuals."
His excitement grew.
Among the treasure trove were vast numbers of Buddhist scriptures—Huayan Sutra, Kṣitigarbha Sutra, Medicine Buddha Sutra, Ten Wholesome Paths Sutra, and many more. Although these were not cultivation techniques per se, studying them could raise one's Buddha nature, aiding in understanding the Buddhist path and cultivating a Buddha heart.
Buddhist cultivation was unlike any other.
Many of the scrolls were rare original editions. Some were even lost scriptures, meticulously preserved.
"Looks like the Tibetan Sutra Library of my kingdom will gain a significant expansion—especially with these Buddhist classics. It'll greatly enrich our knowledge repository."
Yi Tianxing didn't favor Buddhism, but he didn't exclude it either. The library was meant to embrace all knowledge, the crystallization of all sentient wisdom.
Some texts also included cultivation techniques, such as the Diamond Sutra, Lotus Sutra, Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, and more. Many of these were top-tier Buddhist cultivation methods.
If word of their existence got out, countless cultivators would risk their lives to acquire them.