Under the night sky, high above the boundless sea, the figure of a platinum divine dragon streaked rapidly through the air.
On the back of the Time Dragon summoned spirit, Chu Chengzhou unfurled his True Spirit Domain and used Nine Breaths Qi to devour and refine the gathered water-element power to supply the Life Tree summoned spirit Xiao Qing's upgrade. Standing behind Chu Chengzhou was the Evil Eye Tyrant Emperor, Xie Di, whose consciousness had been altered and who had taken human form.
Suddenly, with a turn of thought, Chu Chengzhou communicated through the Spirit Heart trait, and the Time Dragon summoned spirit quickly halted in midair.
At that moment, Chu Chengzhou's aura surged. The nine spirit rings around him, eight red and one gold, transformed into seven red and two gold, with the two golden rings arranged at the innermost and outermost positions.
Next, an emerald stream of light burst from his body and revealed its true form not far ahead, becoming a vast emerald tree that covered the sky.
In the next instant, brilliant emerald radiance bloomed from Xiao Qing, filled with the breath of life, dyeing the dark sea night sky a vivid green.
After a long while, the brilliant emerald light gradually converged into a giant emerald cocoon that pulsed with the fluctuations of the law of life.
"A million-year healing-type summoned spirit, the strongest healer beneath the gods?"
Looking at the giant emerald cocoon Xiao Qing had become, Chu Chengzhou could not help thinking to himself.
Crack, crack, crack.
Soon, fine cracks appeared across the cocoon.
With a bang, the giant emerald cocoon shattered. A towering tree a thousand meters tall, its canopy spanning nearly two to three thousand mu and its whole form exuding a dense aura of life, appeared before Chu Chengzhou.
"So big?"
Seeing Xiao Qing's body grow immense after its years rose to a million and its bloodline advanced again, Chu Chengzhou was a bit taken aback.
But very soon, emerald light flickered over Xiao Qing. Its colossal form shrank rapidly, and it finally became a sapling three feet long, swaying its branches as it fell into Chu Chengzhou's hand.
With a turn of thought, Chu Chengzhou activated the Spirit Heart trait, attuned his mind with Xiao Qing, and learned what had changed before and after the advance to a million years.
"Hahahahaha."
Three seconds later, after learning the effects of the divine ability Xiao Qing gained upon reaching a million years, Chu Chengzhou burst into loud laughter.
Then he reached toward the sea below. A fish with clear, foolish eyes broke the surface and flew to him.
A sweep of spirit power pressure flashed. The poor fish's soul shattered and it became a dead fish. A streak of spirit power light followed, and Chu Chengzhou cut it into front and back halves.
"Come, Xiao Qing, give it a try."
Pointing at the front half of the fish with the head, Chu Chengzhou spoke excitedly.
Rustle, rustle.
Xiao Qing's branches swayed as if responding to Chu Chengzhou. An instant later, a brilliant emerald pillar filled with life rose and enveloped the dead fish's remaining front half.
At once, under the infusion of surging life force, the half-ruined fish's flesh regenerated and its bones grew. In the blink of an eye, the fish that had been cut in half was whole again.
When its body was complete, with a ripple of the law of life, yin and yang reversed and the soul revived. The fish came back to life, struggling violently. In its clear, slightly foolish eyes, fear returned.
"Good."
Watching the fish lively again, Chu Chengzhou gave a cheer, then turned his gaze to Xiao Qing, whose aura had dropped markedly, no longer at a million-year cultivation and showing signs of weakness.
Rustle, rustle.
Feeling its master's gaze on it, Xiao Qing gently swayed its branches, as if to say it was nothing.
"Xiao Guang, give Xiao Qing a Time Reversal."
Chu Chengzhou tapped the emerald crown of Xiao Qing with a finger and gave the order to the Time Dragon summoned spirit Xiao Guang.
A resonant cry rose. The power of the law of time surged forth, and Xiao Qing's aura returned to its former peak. Even the life soul power it had expended was restored to its apex, sweeping away all weakness.
Seeing Xiao Qing fully restored after Time Reversal, Chu Chengzhou nodded in satisfaction. "Xiao Qing, your bloodline has transformed again. Let's call you the Life Ancient Tree."
Rustle, rustle.
"Alright, settled. Who knows, maybe a God King will come looking to recognize you as kin."
Chu Chengzhou smiled.
By "Xiao Qing's relative," he naturally meant the Goddess of Life, one of the five highest God Kings of the God Realm.
Even if this Life Ancient Tree wasn't that Life Ancient Tree and the two weren't exactly the same, since both were trees walking the path of the law of life, even without a direct bloodline they could still count as distant kin.
After advancing to a million years, Xiao Qing, as expected, obtained a divine ability related to its own law just like the Time Dragon summoned spirit Xiao Guang.
Divine ability: Great Resurrection Technique. The effect was simple and direct, reversing yin and yang to revive the dead.
But such power came with various limits.
First, the Great Resurrection Technique cannot create something from nothing. The target must have remaining bodily tissue or soul fragments, even a single hair or a sliver of remnant thought.
The stronger the target and the more incomplete the body and soul, the greater the price to cast the technique. The reverse is also true, though there is a minimum cost.
Moreover, the price of resurrection includes not only expendable soul power but also Xiao Qing's own origin, reflected as a reduction in years.
Second, the Great Resurrection Technique has a usage interval.
To revive a spirit master below nine rings, or a spirit beast under a hundred thousand years, the interval is one month, and during that time Xiao Qing will fall into a degree of weakness depending on the price paid.
When the target is a spirit master above nine rings but below level 100, or a spirit beast above a hundred thousand years but below a million years, the interval is one year, and a weakness period likewise exists.
As for reviving spirit masters of level 100 and above, or spirit beasts of a million years and above, Xiao Qing cannot do that yet. Perhaps only by condensing a god position and becoming a true Beast God would it be possible.
Honestly, if Xiao Qing weren't Chu Chengzhou's summoned spirit, this Great Resurrection Technique would be quite a waste.
Finally reaching a million years, yet reviving a single target makes the years plummet and forces a period of weakness. That is a massive loss.
But as Chu Chengzhou's summoned spirit, Xiao Qing need not worry about these drawbacks.
Years reduced? Weakness period? Usage interval?
Have the Time Dragon summoned spirit Xiao Guang perform a Time Reversal, and every side effect after using the Great Resurrection Technique vanishes completely at once.