Chapter 169: Hope for the Revival of the Pale Tree

Hearing the good news from Old Mel, a look of joy appeared on Cao Xing's face.

"Alright, Mr. Mel, I'll go check on the cowshed in a moment."

Mel wore a gentle smile, then silently retreated back into the crowd.

Cao Xing looked up at the sky.

Heavy snow was still falling. Everyone stood there for a while, and a layer of snow had already gathered on their heads.

Although the heat from the stove would soon melt the snow, it would still dampen their hair, which was quite uncomfortable in this weather.

Cao Xing waved his hand and said, "Alright, there's nothing else here. Everyone, go back to what you were doing."

"Blot, Muxue, take our new members to their quarters."

"Dahua, prepare our dinner for today."

Upon hearing this, everyone began to move.

At this moment, Cao Xing looked at the Hunter assassin, who was bound tightly on Dabai's back.

He then ordered, "Assam, take that guy off Dabai's back and lock him in the basement."

"Rabb, you and your team are responsible for taking turns guarding him, and then start the interrogation."

Hearing this, the four Wild Boar Warriors and Assam nodded in unison.

"Understood, my Lord!"

"We will make him talk!"

Then, Assam directly hoisted the Hunter assassin from Dabai's back onto his shoulder.

After arranging these tasks, Cao Xing looked at the tree-spirit sisters.

"Juliette, Nive, come with me for a moment."

The two women with skin as fair as snow looked at each other, both seeing the confusion in the other's eyes.

They didn't seem to know why Cao Xing had called for them.

However, they followed Cao Xing without hesitation.

Cao Xing got straight to the point: "Take me to see where the Pale Seed was planted."

"Understood, my Lord."

Juliette nodded slightly, then took Nive's hand and led the way for Cao Xing.

Soon, they arrived behind the Lords Cabin.

Here, Cao Xing saw an area enclosed by a simple wooden fence.

On the ground, there was a small mound made of Ice Crystal Stones, constantly emitting cold air, with a few Moon-Condensing Flowers growing quietly among them.

Next to them on the ground were small, square wooden boxes.

Inside each small wooden box, seeds of another plant, Spirit-Breath Grass, were planted.

Although it was snowing heavily outside, it had absolutely no effect on this area.

Juliette said softly, "My Lord, I originally planned to designate this as the territory's backyard garden."

"Backyard garden?"

Cao Xing stroked his chin and imagined it for a moment.

It seemed quite nice.

Juliette nodded slightly and continued, "However, because the Pale Tree hasn't fully grown yet, it cannot provide shelter for these magical plants."

"Once the Pale Tree grows, these magical plant seeds will be able to grow near it without having to worry about harsh blizzard weather."

Cao Xing was stunned after hearing this. "The Pale Tree has such an effect?"

Little Nive on the side chimed in, "Yes, my Lord!"

"The Pale Tree is amazing! Within the range of its roots, all magical plants are unaffected by various harsh weather conditions."

"Even some magical plants that require different growing environments can survive in the same soil."

"In the Sacred Forest of our Northern Continent, magical plants of various attributes grow together. Every time my sister and I went out, we could see all kinds of flowers in full bloom. It was so beautiful!"

Speaking of this, little Nive seemed to recall something sad, and her expression suddenly turned a bit gloomy.

Cao Xing understood her feelings.

"Nive, although the original Pale Tree has been destroyed, its seeds have sprouted again in this land."

"It won't be long before a new Pale Tree grows here."

"Plus, with a pair of clever sisters like you, this territory will be filled with all kinds of flowers and become a new holy land."

Cao Xing's voice was very calm. With her favorability rating at 96, Nive trusted his words almost one hundred percent.

A look of longing appeared in the young girl's eyes, and the disappointment in her heart was swept away.

Nive said excitedly, "Mm-hmm! I believe you, my Lord!"

"I will also work hard with my sister to make our territory a new holy land as soon as possible!"

Juliette, standing beside her, also wore a gentle smile.

As they talked, the three of them arrived at the central area of this garden.

On the ground, there was a pale seedling.

Juliette said softly, "My Lord, this is the seedling of the Pale Seed."

"After we poured the life force of the Snow Demon's heart onto it last time, it was able to grow rapidly."

"I estimate that in another year or two, the Pale Seed will enter its growth phase, and then it will be able to add blessing effects to the territory."

Cao Xing pondered for a moment, then took out [Human-Faced Tree Heart (Green)] from his backpack.

According to Juliette, the Pale Tree seedling only needed another year or two to enter its growth phase.

And a green-grade Human-Faced Tree Heart could accelerate growth by about a year.

Even if the effect were weakened, three of them should be enough to make the Pale Tree fully grow.

At this moment, Cao Xing was holding an item in his hand that shimmered with green, like a crystal stone.

This was the heart of the Human-Faced Tree.

It didn't look scary at all; on the contrary, it exuded pure life force.

Looking at the green crystal in Cao Xing's hand, Juliette, who usually had a calm expression, showed a slight look of surprise.

Juliette said softly, "My Lord, it might take two of these tree hearts to make the Pale Seed grow…"

Hearing this, Cao Xing directly took out three Human-Faced Tree Hearts.

He had the most of these green-quality Human-Faced Tree Hearts.

He had over a hundred of them!

Surprise flickered in Juliette's eyes.

Nive, standing to the side, also became excited.

"That's great, Sister! We can finally make the Pale Tree grow again."

"Mm-hmm!"

The two sisters looked very excited.

Then, Juliette took all three Human-Faced Tree Hearts from Cao Xing and gently crushed them.

Pure life force flowed along the branches of the Pale Tree into the soil.

At this moment, Cao Xing felt it.

The little sapling was growing rapidly.

Under the soil, there was a rustling sound, as if roots were moving.

The sapling was also constantly rising, growing from half a meter tall to over a meter in just a few seconds.

The next moment, a strong vibration occurred.

"Rumble!"

Cao Xing even felt unstable under his feet.

And this vibration was not limited to the area under their feet; the entire territory felt it.

Elisa put on her longbow and rushed to the city wall, looking vigilant.

She thought another Ice Nest had descended!

Cao Xing also had a look of surprise on his face. "Damn… a little sapling caused such a stir?"

Meanwhile, the transformation of the Pale Tree had come to an end.

Slender branches and snow-white tender leaves grew on it, and it looked very beautiful.

A system prompt appeared.

[Your territory's special plant: Pale Seed has finished growing and has now become a Pale Tree (Growth Phase)]

[Life Blessing effect is in effect: All territory members gain +10% Max HP and +10% HP recovery. For every year it grows in the future, the blessing effect increases by 1%, up to a maximum of 100%]

[Growth Blessing effect is in effect: In the territory, all plant growth speed is increased by 5%. For every year it grows in the future, growth speed increases by 1%, up to a maximum of 50%]

…

At this moment, Cao Xing clearly felt a surge of life force descend into his body!

His HP increased by over two hundred.

On the status bar, an effect called [Pale Tree Blessing] was added.

And this wasn't just for him, but for all two hundred-plus residents of the territory.

They all felt their HP increase significantly.

Especially the Mammoth Dabai; its HP was about to break through forty thousand!

The Centaurs and Ascalon Warriors patrolling outside the territory looked at their changes in surprise.

They instantly understood that this was an effect brought about by the territory.

Cao Xing said excitedly, "Good, good, good! It truly lives up to being an epic-level magical plant. This effect is really strong!"

Juliette and Nive were standing in front of the sapling, their eyes full of emotion.

Before long, crystalline tears even welled up in their eyes.

[Because you helped the Pale Tree regrow, your territory member: Juliette's loyalty has increased: Current Loyalty: 97]

【Because you helped the Pale Tree regrow, your territory member: Nive's loyalty has increased. Current loyalty: 99】

…

Seeing the system notification, a smile appeared on Cao Xing's face.

The loyalty of the sister duo was almost maxed out.

Juliette said gratefully, "My Lord, thank you for allowing the Pale Tree to grow on this land once again."

Beside her, little Nive was also overjoyed, "Sister! My Lord is truly the most amazing!"

Cao Xing chuckled, "Juliette, Nive, it's not over yet."

Then, he took out three blue-grade Human-Face Tree cores.

Juliette and Nive both slightly opened their small mouths and exclaimed.

"Oh my god…"

"There's even more…"

Cao Xing said, "Juliette, take a look at these three tree cores. How many years of growth time can they add to the Pale Tree?"

After all, according to the item description, one blue-grade Life Tree core adds 1 to 3 years.

But because the effectiveness of using the same type of item repeatedly diminishes, Cao Xing wasn't certain.

Juliette took them, then pondered for a moment and said, "My Lord, these three tree cores can probably add about four to six years of time."

Cao Xing was immediately delighted.

After all, 4 to 6 years was already quite good.

In other words, that meant at least a 4% bonus to maximum health and health regeneration.

"Very well, then go ahead and use them on the Pale Tree."

Juliette nodded slightly.

Then, she crushed the three blue-grade Life Tree cores in her hands.

Pure life energy poured into the Pale Tree.

Then, the Pale Tree grew taller again at a speed visible to the naked eye.

From its original height of about one meter, it shot up to over two meters.

More pale branches and tender leaves grew on its trunk.

The system notification appeared again.

【Your territory plant: Pale Tree has gained accelerated growth. This acceleration duration is: 6 years】

【Life Blessing effect increased by 6%, Growth Blessing effect increased by 6%】

…

At the same time, Cao Xing felt once again that the vitality within his body had become more potent, and his health had increased by a significant amount!

"Not bad, not bad, it accelerated by six whole years!"

Cao Xing was overjoyed.

Just when Juliette thought it was over.

Cao Xing took out an even larger Life Tree core.

This Life Tree core emanated a deep green glow, was the size of a human head, and contained potent vitality.

"So… so big…"

Juliette slightly opened her small mouth and whispered.

Cao Xing was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a smile, "Juliette, continue."

"Very well, My Lord."

Then, Juliette crushed this Life Tree core in her hands.

At this moment, the Pale Tree began to grow more violently than ever before.

Its trunk shot up rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, it grew to 5 meters.

Not only that, but hundreds of branches grew from the trunk, and more tiny twigs sprouted from those branches.

The white tender leaves quickly grew into full-sized leaves.

Extending outward, it looked like an exquisite piece of art, breathtakingly beautiful.

The familiar vibration underfoot appeared again.

Then, the system notification arrived.

【Your territory plant: Pale Tree has gained accelerated growth. This acceleration duration is: 5 years】

【Life Blessing effect increased by 5%, Growth Blessing effect increased by 5%】

…

At this moment, the three types of tree cores Cao Xing had obtained in the Witch Forest had all been used on the Pale Tree.

The results could be said to be very good.

His health increased by an additional 21%, and the recovery effect of Ice Healing Art also increased by 21%.

Now it could restore 297 health points per second, almost breaking 300.

And next, as long as he reached level 20, equipped the golden staff, and broke through to the third tier.

The healing amount of [Ice Healing Art] would likely reach a terrifying number!

At this time, Juliette said softly, "My Lord, you truly exceed our expectations time and time again."

"It has only been a few days, and you have actually allowed the sacred Pale Tree to grow to such a height…"

"With My Lord's power, one day in the future, it might even be possible for the Pale Tree to possess the divine power of foresight it once had."

Her tone was filled with shock.

Cao Xing was stunned after hearing this, "You mean, this Pale Tree can possess the same abilities as the one in the Northern Continent?"

Juliette nodded slightly, "Theoretically, yes."

"But the difficulty is immense."

"As the omniscient holy tree, the Pale Tree also foresaw its own death."

"However, the power of the Ancient Dragon even surpasses that of the gods, so even the Pale Tree could not rewrite the fate of its destruction."

"However, although it could not stop the power of the Ancient Dragon, it left behind hope for its rebirth."

"Before its destruction, the Pale Holy Tree entrusted its consciousness to three Pale Seeds, and these Pale Seeds would select certain Tree Spirits with special constitutions to reside within, waiting for the moment to take root again."

"In other words, these three Pale Seeds are all incarnations of the Pale Holy Tree, but they do not possess the corresponding divine power."

Hearing this, a look of wonder appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

"You mean, Nive is one of the Tree Spirits chosen by the Pale Holy Tree?"

Juliette nodded slightly, "Yes, these are secrets of our Tree Spirit race, and they are quite significant."

"If all the Pale Seeds are destroyed, the Pale Holy Tree will never have hope of revival again…"

Cao Xing was stunned, "Then why are you telling me such an important matter?"

Juliette smiled brightly.

"Because we believe that My Lord is someone who can be trusted."

Beside her, Nive also clenched her small fists and said, "Yes, we both believe in My Lord!"

Cao Xing smiled after hearing this.

"Juliette, now tell me how to make the Pale Holy Tree revive."

To be honest, Cao Xing was also very much looking forward to such a sacred plant.

If he could really make the Pale Holy Tree revive within his territory, it would definitely bring immense benefits!

After all, the ability of foresight alone could be considered a cheat-level existence!

Juliette nodded, "There are two ways to make the Pale Holy Tree revive."

"The first is to provide it with a safe environment for growth; after a few thousand years, the Pale Holy Tree might regain its consciousness."

"The other method is more direct, which is like My Lord has done, to search for various items that can accelerate the growth of the Pale Tree."

"After reaching a certain point, it might be possible to stimulate the consciousness of the Pale Holy Tree to revive."

Cao Xing nodded in realization.

According to what Juliette said, it was indeed quite difficult.

To make the Pale Holy Tree revive, he would have to constantly search for various growth-accelerating items.

But as for exactly how much is needed, there is no specific number.

So this is equivalent to a bottomless pit.

Unless, as Juliette said, he waits for a few thousand years and lets this Pale Tree in the territory grow slowly.

Of course, Cao Xing certainly wouldn't wait that long; it's not even certain if he could live that long!

Cao Xing said, "Alright, I understand."

"Reviving the Pale Holy Tree is not something that happens overnight; it can only be done slowly."

The Tree Spirit sister duo smiled at each other.

They naturally knew the difficulty of this.

At this time, Cao Xing continued, "By the way, Juliette, I have some other matters that I need to trouble you with."

Juliette smiled brightly, "Please speak, My Lord. Juliette will do anything."

Cao Xing's gaze was a bit strange; he shook his head and didn't think too much of it.

Then, he took out the [Winter Pumpkin Seeds], [Mutated Raspberry Seeds] from his backpack.

As well as the 41 [Ice Phoenix Flowers], and brought them all out.

Seeing so many magical plants, Juliette's gem-like eyes shimmered.

Cao Xing said, "These Ice Phoenix Flowers are quite important to me, and I'm afraid they will all die if too much time passes."

"So I need you to transplant them as soon as possible."

"As for these plant seeds on the side, plant them as you see fit."

Juliette nodded, "Very well, My Lord, I will take good care of them."

Beside her, Nive also said excitedly, "And me, My Lord, I will help too!"

"Good, you two sisters do your best. If you need anything, just tell me."

After giving these instructions, Cao Xing prepared to leave…

…

Chapter 2 is under review; dear readers, please wait until tomorrow morning~