Chapter 42: Chapter 41: The Activated Core of Resurgence
A Fusang tree appeared in the sky. Though only a little over a hundred zhang tall, it radiated an aura mighty enough to prop up the heavens.
The trunk of this Fusang tree was crimson red, and its leaves were a splendid, deep gold.
A single main trunk gave way to nine primary branches. These nine branches were naturally divided into three tiers, and nearly all the smaller boughs grew from them.
Upon being summoned, the exceptionally lush Fusang’s root system cascaded down from the sky.
Its dense, slender roots treated the sky as soil, anchoring themselves firmly between heaven and earth.
The energy of the world converged on its crimson red branches, and a domain nearly ten thousand zhang wide enveloped the tree.
Within the domain, it felt as though all things were being incinerated!
Vibrant, magnificent, divinely elegant—no words could overstate the beauty of the Crown of the Sun.
If the residents of Starlight City on the ground were to look up at the sky right now, they would surely think another sun had appeared.
This was the first time Zhong Yi had seen someone else’s Order Beast since arriving in the Guardian Beast World.
Zhong Yi could sense that the Power of Rules contained within the branches of the Crown of the Sun was related to the Fire Attribute.
However, the specific aspect of the Fire Attribute that its Rule governed would only be revealed when the Crown of the Sun used its Rule Authority.
Zhong Yi noticed a six-meter-long crack on the left side of the Crown of the Sun’s trunk. A sinister, purple-black light faintly glowed from within it.
Additionally, one of the nine primary branches had an extremely deep gouge. If it were any deeper, the branch would likely snap.
Lin Zhuo would certainly have treated his Order Beast’s injuries immediately after the battle.
There was only one explanation for why these two wounds hadn’t healed by now: they were difficult to treat.
From what Lin Zhuo had just said, Zhong Yi inferred that the Crown of the Sun had been suffering from this curse for some time.
Zhong Yi subconsciously used All Things Exploration to inspect the Crown of the Sun, but he discovered the ability couldn’t penetrate the Power of Rules emanating from it.
Just then, the Soul-Controlling Flower rooted in Zhong Yi’s soul began to sway, gathering the Flowing Soul Soil secreted by its roots into one spot.
It signaled to Zhong Yi that he could expend some Flowing Soul Soil to break through the barrier of the Power of Rules and inspect the Order Beast, the Crown of the Sun.
Zhong Yi inwardly shook his head.
’First of all, if I use the Flowing Soul Soil to break through the Crown of the Sun’s Power of Rules with my Soul-Controlling Flower’s probing ability, both the beast and Lin Zhuo would sense it.’
’I’ve already revealed myself as a Healing-type Celestial Destiny Seeker; there’s no need to display this kind of probing ability as well.’
’Second, the Flowing Soul Soil is far too precious. Even after feasting in the Horned Demon Secret Realm, the Soul-Controlling Flower’s roots have only secreted about 200 milliliters of it.’
’If it were to defeat an enemy, I wouldn’t mind using the Soul Soil.’
’But for an ally, I’d much rather use the Flowing Soul Soil for cultivating my Guardian Beasts.’
Ever since Lin Zhuo had summoned the Crown of the Sun, Wen Tao’s attention had been fixed on Zhong Yi.
When he saw Zhong Yi shake his head, he assumed it meant Zhong Yi felt he couldn’t heal the Crown of the Sun’s injuries.
At that moment, Wen Tao began to wonder if he’d made a terrible suggestion.
Wen Tao had only wanted to get a sense of the Healing Ability of Zhong Yi’s Order Beast, not to damage his confidence.
Just as Wen Tao was about to say something to smooth things over, he saw Zhong Yi activate his Soul Base and summon his Order Beast.
The Resurrection Celestial Lord didn’t take on the mimicked form it had used when meeting Zhong Yi in his Soul Base. Now, the Celestial Lord stood five meters tall, its entire body shrouded in a robe of interwoven gold and green.
It carried the supreme majesty of an upper-ranker, along with a profound, sorrowful compassion for all lower-rankers.
Humanoid Guardian Beasts were already incredibly rare, to say nothing of a humanoid Order Beast!
The surging aura of Life from the Resurrection Celestial Lord washed over Wen Tao, making him feel several years younger—as if he was on the verge of reverting to a newborn.
’If someone kicked me right now,’ he thought, ’I’d probably get sent all the way back to the womb to be remade.’
The moment Zhong Yi summoned his Order Beast, the Resurrection Celestial Lord, a sudden commotion arose from among the nine lush branches of the Crown of the Sun. It was as if something was about to burst out from the wood.
Zhong Yi heard Lin Zhuo shout sharply.
"Have you all gone dumb in your sleep? You can’t even tell friend from foe anymore?"
"Get back in there and stay put! Don’t you go scaring Zhong Yi and Zhong Ling."
Lin Zhuo’s rebuke immediately quelled the disturbance coming from the Crown of the Sun’s main trunk.
During the commotion, Zhong Yi had sensed several auras so vicious they were terrifying.
Lin Zhuo returned to Zhong Yi’s side, looking annoyed.
"My Crown of the Sun was cursed by a Bizarre of the same Tier, which used itself as a sacrifice."
"The curse invaded its main trunk. It’s clinging to it like a stubborn parasite and refuses to let go."
"Luckily, the curse didn’t reach the heartwood. Otherwise, I’d probably still be recuperating, unable to fight with my Order Beast."
Compared to the curse invading the trunk, the deep gash on the primary branch wasn’t actually that serious.
Even if that primary branch were to snap, the Crown of the Sun could channel the energy in its heartwood to grow a new one.
This was an advantage plant-type Guardian Beasts held over animal-types.
Very few animal-type Guardian Beasts had the ability to regenerate limbs; for them, such an injury was a wound to their very Origin.
For plant-type Guardian Beasts, however, a broken branch could grow back. It just took a little time.
Lin Zhuo had intended to ask Zhong Yi to treat the nearly-healed primary branch, but before he could even suggest it, Zhong Yi had already made his move.
A Multiangular Crystal Core, emerald green yet flecked with mottled golden light, converged in the palm of the Resurrection Celestial Lord.
The Resurrection Celestial Lord was not slow to condense a Core of Resurgence using its Rule Authority, Eternal Life Reformation.
Once the Core of Resurgence was condensed, Zhong Yi directed the Resurrection Celestial Lord to shoot it into the crack on the trunk—the one left by the curse’s Erosion—and deep into the Crown of the Sun’s wood.
The moment the Core of Resurgence entered the Crown of the Sun’s trunk, it started up, activating the tree’s Life Template.
Immediately after, the branches and leaves of the Crown of the Sun lit up with the same iridescent flames that had appeared on Lin Zhuo a moment ago.
It was as if the sun’s brilliance had been woven into a brocade robe and draped over the tree.
In an instant, the gash on the primary branch was completely healed, and the crack on the trunk—which had not recovered in years—began to knit itself shut.
The curse that had seeped deep into the main trunk was forcefully expelled to the surface as the Crown of the Sun’s wood rapidly regenerated from within.
