Wait a minute, where is my master?

Indeed.

Within three breaths, new branches began to sprout from the Big Willow Tree, and the withered, gray bark on its body started to fall off. Waves of rich life essence emanated from the newly formed bark and root system.

"Senior Yan, look."

The young Taoist spoke with a slightly reassured tone and temporarily dispersed the white light of the Body Purification Skill that he held in his hands.

Seeing this, the Old Dean commented with a touch of emotion.

"So, young Taoist, your Healing Pills take the approach of breaking down before rebuilding."

As his words fell, the branches of the Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow began to sway without wind, and waves of even richer life essence started to release freely in all directions as if it cost nothing.

At this moment, on the Gobi desert outside of Xuanxu Temple, young saplings began to emerge from the soil unexpectedly. And the mosses that clung to the temple walls and eaves, taking advantage of this life essence, began to spread wildly.

This process lasted for about the duration of half a pot of tea.

The life essence emanating from within the trunk and branches of the Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow gradually weakened.

"Little guy, have you found some Ten-thousand-year-old Soul Nourishing Liquid again?

"Eh, how come you're here, Taoist Yan?

"Eh!? My Divine Soul injury has healed? Little guy, just how much Ten-thousand-year-old Soul Nourishing Liquid did you find!?"

As soon as the Big Willow Tree awoke, it threw out several astonished questions in a row.

Meanwhile, as it spoke, it did not forget to control its newly grown branches to clean off the decaying old bark that had not completely fallen from its trunk and roots.

"Senior Guan Ling, do you feel anything wrong inside your body?"

Facing the questions from the Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow, Jin Xu did not answer any of them but instead asked with a serious tone while clutching the jade bottle in his hands.

"Something wrong? I have not felt this good in a thousand years. Little guy, what kind of miraculous Spirit Pills have you found that even cured my stubborn Divine Soul injury?

"And Taoist Yan, how come you are here?

"Right, your master..."

The Big Willow Tree's tone was utterly relaxed as it spoke, but then it suddenly stopped.

"Strange! What is this feeling?"

An inexplicable urge that it had not felt for a long time quietly rose from the bottom of its heart and swiftly spread throughout its branches and root system, including the tips of every twig.

The Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow instinctively tried to suppress it using its Cultivation Techniques and Innate Divine Abilities, but after doing so, it found that its Divine Skills and practiced Techniques had almost no effect on quelling the strange urge in its heart.

In fact, one might say they didn't work at all!

"Little guy, what kind of Pill did you feed me? How come I... how come I..."

The tone of the Big Willow Tree was no longer relaxed as before.

You should know it's the Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow! It inherently has high resistance against various charms and Illusion Techniques, and it has more advantages than human Cultivators when facing the Heart Demon Tribulation.

Most importantly—it's a tree!!!

How could it develop such...

Worldly desires in its heart!?

"Cough, explaining the specifics is too complex, Senior Guan Ling, so I'll keep this brief."

Jin Xu, seeing the state of the Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow, knew the side effects of the Strengthening Pill were acting up. Therefore, while controlling the jade bottle to continue administering Pills to its roots, he spoke quickly.

"To put it simply, the Pills that awakened you can heal your injury, but they have a side effect... cough, which is what you're feeling right now.

"For that, we have prepared many countermeasures for you, such as over fifteen thousand Pills within this jade bottle, meant to clear the mind and reduce desires, and also a thousand talismans inside this storage bag.

"Of course, if you can't hold on, let me know in time, and I can perform the Body Purification Skill to completely purge the medicine's power from your body. However, if I use this method, I'm not sure if it will also remove the healing power of the Pill that healed you, so it should only be considered as a last resort."

"As for why I took the risk to awaken you, it's because my master's whereabouts have been discovered, but his situation seems to be far from good. So I wanted to earnestly request your help in sensing his condition."

As the young Taoist finished speaking in one breath, the pills from the jade vase in his hand flew out, forming a continuous thread that kept burrowing into the roots of the Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow. The storage bag containing talismans on the table was also manipulated by his spiritual power to take out talismans and start pasting them onto various branches and twigs of the Big Willow Tree.

"Oh... I see... that's the case."

After the Big Willow Tree replied in an odd tone, it could no longer speak, as if it was struggling intensely to control something.

Jin Xu, seeing this, slightly furrowed his brows and sped up the rate at which the pills were absorbed. At the same time,

he hooked his finger, and the Glazed Book Page that had fallen due to the withered branches was lifted with spiritual power and attached to the trunk of the Serenity Willow.

He had been worried that if the pills were injected too fast, the Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow might not be able to endure it.

Now, it seemed that if he didn't speed up, the Big Willow Tree might succumb to the side effects of the Strengthening Pill first.

Indeed, after the rate of pills being injected was increased, the other's rationality seemed to have been somewhat restored, allowing it to speak intermittently again.

"You... you give me the jade vase and storage bag in your hand."

As it spoke, the Glazed Book Page on the trunk of the Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow suddenly burst into dazzling seven-colored light, and the shaking branches of the Big Willow Tree became much calmer after the light, and its words also flowed much more smoothly.

"The jade vase and storage bag? Senior Guan Ling, what are you going to do?"

Jin Xu was somewhat surprised by the request but still threw the two items towards the branch of the Serenity Willow that stretched out.

"I know the condition of my body best."

The Big Willow Tree made an obscure remark, then reached its branches into the jade vase and the storage bag as if searching for something.

A moment later, during this rare moment of clarity, the Big Willow Tree seemed to have made a decision, and spoke with utmost seriousness and solemnity,

"I have sensed that outside the Xuanxu Temple there is a deserted desert, also arranged with multiple formations that have the effect of calming the spirit and condensing the mind, right? Little one, friend Yan, you two must leave this temple immediately. I am confident that I can deal with the side effects of these pills.

"However, your presence here may obstruct my upcoming actions."

Jin Xu was taken aback upon hearing this, as he hadn't expected such a response from the Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow.

He pondered for a moment and said,

"Senior Guan Ling, are you sure? If you can't hold on, I can..."

"No need, it's been a thousand years since I've had the chance to heal my injuries. I will take the risk no matter what, and with the preparations you've made, combined with my own characteristics, the probability of successfully neutralizing the side effects is quite high.

"Moreover, my sensing of your master's condition is still pending."

The Big Willow Tree seemed determined to give it a shot.

Seeing this, the young Taoist frowned and pondered for a while before ceasing to speak further.

He simply used his Spiritual Sense to lock onto the other party, readying to use the Body Purification Skill at the first sign of trouble, then along with the Old Dean, they left the Xuanxu Temple and soared high into the sky.

"You... you two withdraw to the edge of this desert."

Halfway up in the air, Jin Xu and Yan Chu were floating, preparing to witness how the Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow would deal with the powerful side effects of the Strengthening Pill.

To their surprise, they received another telepathic request from the other party.

Thus, the two exchanged a somewhat bewildered glance before propelling themselves out towards the edges of the Gobi Desert using their Escape Technique.

...

...

Inside the Xuanxu Temple.

As the effect of the Seven-Colored Glaze Light was about to dissipate, and the Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow was on the verge of being influenced again by the side effects of the Strengthening Pill, it piled up all of the talismans from the storage bag and pills from the jade vase within the temple's backyard.

With a determined heart, it began to use its own methods,

to dissolve those incredibly potent side effects.