He wasn't in a hurry.

"Sigh." Li Ye sighed, "It's my Xiangshui House, one of them, its owner has passed away, so it went berserk.

Moreover, when I was cultivating the Five Grains in the Wuyou Grain Storehouse before, I might have been tainted with the aura of Compassion, so it leveraged this aura and attracted the great power of Compassion.

I just saw that Old Mr. Qiu has already been contaminated by Divine Power and transformed into some sort of monster."

"A monster in pursuit of immortality, I suppose." Chen Mo already knew what had happened, and his expression seemed somewhat relieved.

He sighed softly, "Compassion has a special origin, and whatever it grants will also present itself in another way.

Just like now, this resurrection.

It's closely monitored by the sect precisely because this granting is too sinister.

If you all hadn't attacked Old Mr. Qiu earlier, you should have been able to communicate directly; now he should be afraid of you all."

Hearing this, Li Ye's expression also turned a bit grim, "This matter started because of me, I must find a way to resolve it."

"Also, if it's not resolved now, I'm worried those mansions and houses will also be tainted by the power of Compassion, and then the entire Dongcang Town might turn into a land of immortality-related disasters."

He humbly asked for guidance, "Is there any way, Senior Brother?"

"..."

Chen Mo shook his head helplessly, "This matter can only be resolved by you; we can't interfere, because this issue originally arose because of you, if we forcibly intervene, we might be destroyed by Compassion."

Saying this, he also pulled Wei Qingye back a few steps.

Leaving Li Ye alone, feeling quite helpless.

...

"Sigh."

"How exactly should this be resolved?"

Having found no help from his senior brothers, Li Ye instead gained more information—such as how only he could now enter Dongcang Town to face Old Mr. Qiu, who was blessed by Compassion in seeking immortality.

Anyone else who approached would be assimilated by the power of Compassion.

Disasters caused by seeking immortality like this have happened several times in the Four Seasons Sect, and whoever started it must resolve it.

The blessings of Compassion are never utterly unsolvable; this was the shackle placed on it by the patriarchs.

Walking through the now deserted Dongcang Town, Li Ye could clearly feel the changes in the surrounding environment. The buildings he had constructed were originally very serene, but now appeared somewhat odd.

Golden wheat spikes swayed with the wind.

Clearly exuding a refreshing wheat fragrance, yet it always gave him an indescribably odd feeling— as if they were the true "masters" who should exist here.

[Name]: Xiangshui House·Immortality

[Mood]: Joyful, Sad, Longing, Helpless.

[Status]: Originally a shelter crafted from Lady Xiang's Divine Techniques to protect the mortals living inside, but after being tainted by the power of "Qiu Immortality," Compassion's blessings grew within.

After a brief halt in life span, it will enter another stage.

Bear the "Fragrant Fruit" of Immortality.

The description on the panel gave Li Ye a slight pause, another stage? The Fragrant Fruit of Immortality?

Could it be...

He had previously heard a story from his sect brothers, which went back thousands of years, about a patriarch who developed a special Divine Technique.

Generally, after death, the soul would depart the body and enter reincarnation in preparation for rebirth—this process is irreversible, but the patriarch's Divine Technique could preserve all memories from the soul.

The technique would forge an entirely new soul.

It was as if another branch grew on the brink of death.

The outcome of death remains unchanged.

But the person who should have died could continue to exist in their body through this Divine Technique—though they were no longer the same as before.

Could this be the meaning of Compassion's blessing too?

Thinking this way, he quickened his pace, trying to get close to Old Mr. Qiu quickly. If he could use Emotion Song to connect directly, he might be able to clarify matters.

Yet he found himself unable to get close.

The houses around began moving automatically, and even the swaying wheat spikes generated a fog—indicating they did not want Li Ye to approach.

They still retained some self-awareness, after all, they were initially built by Li Ye himself.

In a daze, Li Ye could hear some fragmented words:

"No way..."

"Spirit Plant..."

"Cannot approach..."

These murmurs, filled with urgency, echoed in Li Ye's mind.

"To become a plant to approach."

Li Ye quickly comprehended their meaning.

If that's the case.

Then he too must transform into a plant to get close.

He squinted and released his Xiangshui House.

This fellow had essentially turned white, indicating that Heart Soil had covered it, only lacking the sediment from the bottom of the Xiang River to be completely whole.

"I need your help." Li Ye stated directly, explaining to it what he intended to do.

Initially, it was somewhat unwilling, but under Li Ye's persistence, it agreed.

It gradually expanded, becoming one with the surrounding houses.

Channelling the blessings of Compassion contained within those houses.

Before long.

A stalk of wheat suddenly sprouted at the center of the courtyard.

The moment the wheat sprout appeared, Li Ye maximized the Emotion Song, at the same time a mud doll started plastering layers of white Heart Soil onto his body.

Soon his bare upper body was covered in Heart Soil.

He sat cross-legged before the wheat spike.

His hands formed a seal as he mouthed silent incantations.

Soft white halos enveloped his body.

The earlier success with Wei Qingye was because it was a stone transformation, but now he intended to become a tree, and a Jianmu no less.

Even being knowledgeable about Jianmu and with the assistance of Heart Power, it was extremely difficult.

Time flowed slowly.

About five two-hours later.

Li Ye suddenly felt himself growing a "tail," and that tail kept burrowing down, seeming to absorb water and Earth Qi.

"Hmm?"

A thrill surged in his heart, for it wasn't a tail but root tendrils!

As this thought arose, his body became parched, like cracked bark—his hands transformed into branches, the cross-legged lower body turned into a trunk, even his hair sprouted into tender green buds.

An utterly peculiar sensation enveloped his consciousness.

Li Ye attempted to adapt to this unprecedented transformation, realizing his thought processes were undergoing a strange extension along with the metamorphosis of his body.

He could distinctly perceive every drop of moisture and nutrient present in the surrounding soil and could even "hear" the pulse coming from deep within the earth, a profound rhythm resonating wondrously with his burgeoning roots.

This melody and rhythm harmonized with Emotion Song.

Encircling him, around this Jianmu.

The air around thickened with a subtle aura of vitality, akin to the light green mist in a forest, gradually dispersing—a unique power of Jianmu that could nourish all beings and connect heaven and earth.

As sunlight bathed his form, an involuntary warmth caused him to release the Xiguang Bell, the little bell hang from his branch, swaying in resonance with the sun.

Simultaneously, the Power of Space from Jianmu began to stretch forth, leveraging the connection with Emotion Song and the wheat spikes, slowly and steadily infiltrating all nearby houses and the Five Grains growing from them.

The Jianmu expanded with its increasing power.

From initially being merely a sapling, it gradually grew into a towering tree, overshadowing the entire Dongcang Town with the dense canopy of Jianmu, only minute slivers of light slipped through its rarely parted branches.

Sitting beside a coffin and gazing upwards at the sky, Old Mr. Qiu, naturally noticed this scene; he even witnessed the appearance of roots around him.

As the roots intertwined, a vivid green silhouette materialized.

"Oh."

"So it's you."

Old Mr. Qiu's face, unusually youthful, bore the serene, gentle smile typical of elderly individuals:

"Do you wish to join me in seeking immortality?"

"Immortal Li."

Yet, what he did was quite shocking—he reached into his chest and plucked out a green, glowing fruit from his heart.

Still faintly pulsating.

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