「Immortal Grass Forest.」
「Everlasting City.」
「In the secret chamber deep underground.」
Luo Xiu sat cross-legged, his body trembling and his face twisted in pain, yet his gaze remained resolutely fixed on the mysterious runes covering the chamber walls.
As he sacrificed a drop of his Essence Blood, the runes suddenly shone even brighter. At the sa ti, Luo Xiu felt a rich life force flood the chamber, instantly healing the wound on his wrist and leaving not even a scar.
Just when he and An Ran thought everything was settled, the glowing runes abruptly dimd and their light vanished. Simultaneously, the rich life force disappeared without a trace.
"Damn it!" Luo Xiu's eyes widened as he whipped his head toward An Ran. "What the hell is going on? These runes were glowing a little before, so why the hell have they gone completely dark now?"
Hearing this, An Ran gave him an annoyed look and chided, "This is the Heart of the Tree Holy Land! You mustn't use such profanity!"
Luo Xiu was speechless.
An Ran was wonderful in every way, but sotis she was just too serious. Still, on second thought, he could understand. To the elves, the Ancient Elf Tree was their great mother, their supre god, a sacred and inviolable belief—just like the Goddess of Heaven Moon worshipped by the Heavenly Moon Cult.
"Sorry, I didn't an any disrespect. It's just a bad habit."
An Ran looked at him apologetically, feeling she shouldn't have been so harsh.
Luo Xiu asked, "What's going on with these runes?"
An Ran slowly explained, "These are the life runes of the Ancient Tree. The tree is on the verge of withering, so it has been using its last reserves of life force to keep the Tree Heart from dying. Now that it has received your Essence Blood, its life force has been replenished, and it imdiately dispersed that energy selflessly to nourish the entire tree."
Upon hearing this, Luo Xiu imdiately released his Divine Sense to check. He found that the unimaginably large tree looked much more lush than before, its leaves greener and brimming with the power of life.
"Then let's try another drop." Luo Xiu imdiately refined a second drop of Essence Blood and, with great magnanimity, sacrificed it to the Ancient Elf Tree.
The next mont, the secret chamber blazed with a dazzling Spirit Light! The life runes once again emitted a glow, a symbol of potent life force. But gradually, they dimd again.
What a glutton. I refuse to let this thing beat . Without hesitation, Luo Xiu prepared to refine another drop of Essence Blood.
Just then, An Ran stepped forward to stop him. She looked at Luo Xiu, her expression full of heartache. "Stop. That's enough."
She knew far better than Luo Xiu just how crucial Essence Blood was to a Cultivator. For high-level Cultivators in particular, the cost of expending it was severe. A Cultivator could only refine four or five drops of Essence Blood in total. Once that was exhausted, they would face almost certain death. Even if they survived, their Dao foundation would be damaged, leaving behind endless hidden troubles.
"We've already co this far," Luo Xiu countered. "If we give up now, wouldn't the first two drops have been for nothing?"
"But this is..." An Ran trailed off, unable to continue.
Never before had she felt so torn and distressed. On one side was the source of her people's life, the future of her race. On the other was the man her Dao Heart had chosen.
Luo Xiu seed to sense her inner turmoil and gave a carefree smile. "It's fine. To tell you the truth, back in the Lower Realm, I used to expend my Essence Blood all the ti. I'm used to it."
"Besides, I have a principle: when I promise sothing, I see it through, and I make sure it's done right."
As he spoke, Luo Xiu endured the indescribable pain and refined a third drop of Essence Blood.
An Ran watched him, her beautiful eyes shimring with unshed tears. Suddenly, she found this usually playful and carefree man incredibly attractive; it was hard not to be moved.
"Luo Xiu, thank you for everything you've done for my people."
Luo Xiu waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing that grand," he said with a smile. "I'm doing it for you and Dou Dou."
Just then, the Ancient Elf Tree absorbed the third drop of Essence Blood.
However, the effect of the third drop of Essence Blood was also minimal. This was because the Ancient Elf Tree was simply too imnse; it nourished not only itself but the entire Immortal Grass Forest and all the creatures that depended on it for survival.
Luo Xiu took a slow, deep breath, forced himself to stabilize his body, and began to refine a fourth drop of Essence Blood.
An Ran grasped his hand tightly, her previous conflict gone. "That's really enough! You've already done more than enough. We can find another way!"
Looking at the swaying Luo Xiu, who was on the verge of collapse, her heart felt as if it were being pricked by needles. Having expended three drops of Essence Blood in quick succession, she could only imagine the agony Luo Xiu must be enduring.
But Luo Xiu had always been stubborn. Before An Ran could notice, he had already quietly refined the fourth drop of Essence Blood and offered it as a sacrifice.
By the ti An Ran realized what he was doing, it was too late. He had already completed the sacrifice.
"No... Luo Xiu, you fool!"
Luo Xiu looked at the dazzling life runes, a smile on his face, before he suddenly collapsed. But he didn't hit the ground. An Ran caught him in her soft, fragrant embrace.
An Ran's eyes were red as she glared at him, scolding, "I told you it was enough! Why did you have to be so foolish?!"
Luo Xiu waved a weak hand. "Can you not be so lodramatic? I told you, I did this all the ti back in the Lower Realm. I'm used to it. Trust , I'll recover after a while."
As he was speaking, his eyes suddenly widened. "Shit," he uttered weakly.
The life runes had dimd again!
"Four drops of Essence Blood still aren't enough? Fucking hell... This thing is trying to squeeze dry!" Unable to accept this reality, Luo Xiu cursed out loud.
An Ran looked around the chamber and sighed helplessly. "I'm sorry. I was too naive. The amount of energy the Ancient Elf Tree needs is simply too vast. The Fortune-Forming Power in your Essence Blood is just a drop in the bucket for it."
"Perhaps... this really is the end for my people. In this vast universe, in the endless river of ti, nothing is truly eternal."
Leaning against An Ran, Luo Xiu suddenly frowned. "Can you not be so pessimistic? I think we can still salvage this."
An Ran stared at him, aghast. "I won't let you—"
Before she could finish, she saw Luo Xiu extend his hand. Her gaze followed, and her beautiful eyes widened in shock. A delicate, exquisite Green Lotus floated in Luo Xiu's palm.
Luo Xiu said, "When you said that, it occurred to that if the Fortune-Forming Power in my Essence Blood isn't enough, then this should do the trick. It's the very crystallization of Fortune-Forming Power itself."
"Sigh, I should have thought of this sooner. If I'd taken it out at the beginning, I wouldn't be in this state."
An Ran's eyes were fixed on the Green Lotus. "Is that... the legendary item recorded in the *Divine Register*...?"
Luo Xiu smiled. "That's right. The original Creation Green Lotus. It's on a completely different level than a re Companion Green Lotus."
"I separated it from my body a while ago and haven't had a use for it since. It's better to use it for sothing aningful than to let it gather dust."
An Ran was speechless.
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