Douluo Continent 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 432: The Golden Tree’s Essence I examined the seal on the mouth of the crystal bottle; it was a small sealing formation. The essence’s own divine consciousness was blocked inside and couldn’t be released. Without the ability to manifest, its divine consciousness was rendered useless, for the defining characteristic of an essence’s divine consciousness is that it lacks sufficient spiritual energy to mobilize””it possesses a high tier but no power. Tang San skillfully released a thread of spiritual energy to bypass the seal’s barrier, quietly slipping into the bottle. “Calm down first, then we’ll talk.” Tang San transmitted his thoughts to the spirit essence inside the bottle through mental energy. Apparently not expecting anyone to communicate with it, the spirit essence’s frantic thrashing suddenly came to a halt. Immediately afterward, a voice filled with rage rang out within Tang San’s mental consciousness. “Let me out! It was a fierce roar, filled with rage and resentment. “I’ll let you out, but we need to talk first,” Tang San said calmly. “Talk about what? Let me out!” The spirit’s emotions remained highly unstable. Tang San said in a deep voice, “We cannot communicate with you in this state. You’ve already lost the chance to gain Zhan or even be reborn. Calm down first.” It projected a halo-like form resembling an eye, gazing at Tang San outside the bottle. Tang San let it look at him, simply waiting in silence. It was a full half-moment before the spirit’s voice sounded again, slightly hoarse but clearly less agitated. “Who are you?” Tang San replied, “My name is Tang San. I purchased you at the Grand Auction House. In a sense, I believe we should be friends.” “Friends? Are you human?” the Spirit’s voice carried a note of doubt. “Yes, I am human. But rest assured, I won’t devour you,” Tang San said calmly. “You won’t devour me? You vile creatures! Do you have any idea how many years it took me to develop sentience, or how many more to break free from the earth’s bonds””I was even on the verge of surviving the Heavenly Tribulation? And now, at this very moment, you’ve severed my roots, causing me to be reduced to ashes in the Heavenly Tribulation, my divine consciousness captured and transformed into this wretched form. You bastards.” The spirit’s emotions began to fluctuate once more. Tang San sighed softly and said, “You’d better calm down first. First of all, I didn’t do any of this to you. If I’m not mistaken, it’s more likely that the Demon Clan turned you into a spirit essence. Moreover, only an entity at the level of a Great Demon King could snatch prey from the jaws of the Heavenly Tribulation. As for me, I am human. To us humans, the Demon Clan is our enemy””and the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Since you were able to survive the tribulation, it means your wisdom is sufficient; you should understand what I’m saying.” The spirit essence fell silent for a moment, its emotions gradually calming once more. “What do you want to do, human?” Tang San replied calmly, “I want to help you. If I’m not mistaken, your original form was once a Golden Tree. Am I correct?” Indeed, this spirit essence had been cultivated from a golden tree””or rather, it was a golden tree that had nearly attained godhood but failed, its divine consciousness subsequently plundered. This was precisely why Tang San had participated in the auction so resolutely upon first encountering this spirit essence. “That’s right, I was cultivated from a Golden Tree. So what?” the spirit replied. Tang San said, “It doesn’t matter. I can’t restore you to your former glory. But you’ll reach the divine realm much faster. Take a look behind you.” As he spoke, Tang San pointed to the Golden Tree in front of him. The spirit essence spun around and, through the crystal vial, immediately saw the Golden Tree radiating a faint golden glow. Instantly, the Spirit lost its composure. The yellow light began to surge wildly once more, as if desperate to burst out of the crystal vial. This time, Tang San did not intervene, but simply waited in silence. It took a full fifteen minutes before the spirit stabilized again. “Let me out! Quick, let me out! This is merely a young golden tree””it hasn’t developed sentience yet. Let me merge with it, and I’ll rise again. In a hundred years””yes, a hundred years at most””with my divine consciousness, I’ll reach the pinnacle once more and become a god-tier powerhouse.” Tang San shook his head and said, “It won’t take that long. With my help, you’ll achieve this goal in far less time.” “What do you want me to do?” The spirit’s intelligence finally kicked in. Upon seeing the Golden Tree, all its anger turned to delight. For this was its best chance at rebirth. Tang San said, “I don’t need you to do anything; I just need you to guard this area. In the future, I will give you more. All I want is your feedback on this area. That is your instinct, so you don’t have to sacrifice anything at all.” It was indeed the Golden Tree’s instinct to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and transform it into life force; to it, life force itself served little purpose. Golden Trees were very common in Richen Empire, and life energy was also vital for vegetation there. However, it was rare for them to develop sentience. Moreover, the highest stage a Golden Tree could reach was the tenth rank, which is why they were considered a very ordinary species in Richen Empire. Yet this perspective stems from the understanding of this world; in the context of Tang San, the Golden Tree is a different kind of being. The reason Golden Trees on this plane are limited to the God-tier and cannot advance further is not due to the plane itself, but because the Golden Trees have not found a path for further evolution. If left to develop naturally, it would likely take tens of thousands of years for their true evolution to manifest. Yet Tang San is intimately familiar with this species and deeply understands the benefits and utility it can provide. “Then let me out!” the spirit essence said again. “Alright!” Yi Xiao replied without hesitation, releasing the spirit from its seal. The crystal vial opened, and the yellow light sphere shot skyward almost instantly, fleeing outward. Faced with its escape, Tang San took no action and made no attempt to pursue it, remaining seated there, unmoving and still smiling. The yellow light shot up a hundred meters into the air but then paused. After hovering in the air for a moment, it slowly descended, returning to stand before Tang San. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll run away?” Its voice entered Tang San’s mind through spiritual perception. Tang San smiled and shook his head. “Why should I be afraid? Our partnership benefits both of us. This is the East, within Tianyu Empire’s domain. I think the chances of you finding your own kind are very slim. My purpose in helping you is simple: the life energy you release as you grow will nourish everything here, and that is enough for me. Grow quickly.” The yellow light sphere asked, “Then if I eventually grow to the god-tier level, you won’t stop me from leaving.” Tang San replied, “Of course. I can make a pact with you: once you reach the god-tier in the future, you may leave at any time without hindrance. I won’t stand in your way””I might even help you survive the tribulation.”