Chapter 1394: Rebirth
The golden bamboo shoot was no bigger than his palm. Although seemed a little short and chubby, was actually adorable. Despite that, there was a mysterious air around it. Many ancient runes were carved into it, and one even resembled a dragon. At the same time, lightning energy danced across the bamboo shoot. Li Luo recomposed himself for a moment. Sadness and confusion flickered in his eyes as he didn’t know what was happening. He could distinctly sense a familiar feeling from this golden bamboo shoot.
However, the aura was very weak and seemed to be on the cusp of extinguishing. That said, it didn’t seem like the aura could have been faked. It was definitely Li Jingzhe’s aura. Not only was Li Luo at a loss for words, but Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan were similarly sweating in confusion. Their eyes were glued firmly to the shoot. They too could sense the familiar aura coming from it.
However, they also had no idea what had just happened.
Li Jingzhe had clearly shattered into pieces before their eyes, yet a trace of his energy was contained with this golden bamboo shoot. No one knew what was going on.
As their eyes widened in disbelief, Tan Tailan suddenly said, "This looks like the immature form of the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo. If I’m not wrong, it should be a transformation of your grandpa’s Heavenly Thunder Bamboo resonance."
"Then..." Li Luo’s mouth was ajar. He didn’t dare to speak what was on his mind. There was a cautious look on his face, as if he was afraid that any trace of hope in his heart would be dashed yet again.
Tan Tailan felt a little sorry upon seeing Li Luo’s expression, so she reached out to gently ruffle his hair. "I know what you want to ask..."
She glanced at the bamboo shoot and sighed heavily. "A trace of your grandpa’s aura remains within this Heavenly Thunder Bamboo. It is said that amongst plant resonances, the bamboo types are the most tenacious. The Heavenly Thunder Bamboo is exceptional even amongst them, capable of being reborn amidst their destruction as they are struck by heavenly thunder again and again. I think that object in your body was stimulated by your intense emotional outburst and thus released its power in tandem with the remnants of your grandpa’s Heavenly Thunder Bamboo resonance. Perhaps these two powers combined allowed it to create a miracle and gathered a trace of your grandpa’s energy remains. It was then transformed into this bamboo shoot."
At this point, Tan Tailan paused and continued seriously, "Perhaps there could be a miracle here."
Li Luo’s heart began to thump. His originally gloomy eyes were now filled with newfound hope as he excitedly asked, "Can Grandpa come back to life?"
Tan Tailan paused and thought about it before responding, "We cannot rule out the possibility, but it requires that this Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot be cultivated carefully. When it truly matures, we might be able to use it as a catalyst for your grandpa’s remaining spirituality and aura, using the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo’s power to be reborn in destruction and revive him."
Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan were extremely emotional upon hearing this. "The Dragon’s Fang Lineage will definitely spare no expense to invite the best experts at cultivating spiritual plants to grow this Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot to maturity."
Tan Tailan lightly shook her head. "How can it be so simple? This is no ordinary plant. I’m afraid conventional means might not work at all. If anything goes wrong, that last strand of hope will be destroyed."
The two brothers were taken aback as they asked, "What should we do, then?"
They didn’t dare to even touch the bamboo shoot for fear of accidentally breaking it. If they truly did so, they would likely kill themselves on the spot in utter shame.
"Let me spend some time researching it." Tan Tailan didn’t have any suggestions either at this time. She flicked her finger and carved open a spatial rift from which a colorful ball of light dropped out.
When everyone looked at it, they saw that there was five-colored soil inside. The soil looked as though it had a life of its own as it squirmed and wriggled, containing majestic amounts of vitality.
"This is Five-colored Spirit Soil, capable of cultivating all sorts of vegetation. I found it in the Nobles’ Battlefield. It should suffice for the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot for now." Tan Tailan poured her resonant power into it, which resulted in the soil squirming even more vigorously and forming a clay basin that glowed with scintillating light. After which, she carefully placed the squat and small Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot into it. The soil surged up and enveloped the bottom of the shoot. The thunder energy that surged on its surface began to subside when it took root in the soil. After a while, even the familiar aura nearly vanished.
It wasn’t that it had disappeared entirely, but rather entered a state of slumber. The group crowded around the five-colored soil basin and stared at the slightly chubby Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot with complicated gazes.
This was particularly poignant for Li Qingpeng and Li Jinpan. Li Jingzhe had always treated them severely, which made them feel a little fearful towards their father. However, he was supposedly a harmless bamboo shoot now, and the difference in stature was too great.
"Grandpa, you’ve eaten so many bamboo shoots in your life that you’ve actually turned into one..." Li Luo sighed. No one knew how to respond to this.
Tan Tailan glanced at her son as she asked, "You’re not crying any longer?"
Li Luo’s face turned beet red as he awkwardly replied, "Not for now."
Tan Tailan then passed the potted plant to him. "This is greatly linked to you, so it’s best that you keep it."
"Huh?" Li Luo was caught off guard. He couldn’t help but smile bitterly as he carefully held the five-colored basin. "Mother, are you joking? Do you really want to pass something so important to me? If something happens, how can I face the consequences?"
Tan Tailan attentively replied, "Your grandpa paid a humongous price to protect you. Although this is a heavy burden, you cannot avoid it. If you wish for your grandpa to undergo a rebirth, then you’ll have to do your best to protect and cultivate this."
Li Luo muttered, "I’m not trying to shirk from responsibility..."
In the end, he nodded and said, "I understand."
Li Luo had no intention to experience such immense grief again. This entire miracle was already unexpected and thus, he would take hold of this opportunity. He then glanced at the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo shoot embedded in the Five-colored Spiritual Soil and said in a low voice, "Grandpa, you can be assured that this grandson of yours will definitely help you come back to life!" raOES
After which, he carefully stowed the plant away in his pocket sphere. When Tan Tailan saw this, she quickly reminded everyone, "News of this cannot be allowed to leak. Otherwise, there will be many who covet his powers. Furthermore, we need to maintain the facade that Father has completely perished. Not even the other lineages can know."
Li Jingzhe was a Quasi-Triple Crown King, and the possibility of his rebirth was no small matter. If anyone were to desire Li Luo’s special powers, he would undoubtedly be put in a lot of danger. Jiang Qing’e, Li Qingpeng, and Li Jinpan all nodded solemnly.
After which, they adjusted their expressions, revealing looks of pain and sadness. Tan Tailan then flicked her finger, and the sealed space around them was released. The shattered remnants of the Treasure Domain was once again visible around them. The entire atmosphere was gloomy as the numerous members of the different powers felt sorrow over Li Jingzhe’s fall. Although Tan Tailan’s actions to seal off the area temporarily was unexpected and a little strange, no one would ever guess that Li Jingzhe could possibly be reborn.
Li Luo was about to ask his mother how to clean things up when he suddenly saw her raise her head with a shocking and fearsome look in her eyes.
"Mother, what happened?" Li Luo hurriedly asked.
Tan Tailan’s gaze turned bone-chilling as she glanced into the distance and responded in a detached tone, "The Faceless Other King has stopped moving. Its collaborator has also appeared. It’s just as I had expected..."
"Who is it?" Li Luo was shocked as he clenched his teeth in anger. The entire reason why Li Jingzhe was in such a state was all because of the Faceless Other King’s machinations, and its collaborator was equally culpable.
Tan Tailan had not chosen to lower her voice, so everyone raised their heads when they heard her words. Who exactly was collaborating with the Faceless Other King?
The numerous powers felt incensed. So many of their geniuses had fallen because of this, and this debt had to be repaid. Tan Tailan’s cold voice then rang out as they simmered in their fury.
"Qin Jiujie from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin."
This revelation caused immense disbelief to well up in the eyes of everyone present.