Chapter 1169: Peacock Tree (2/2)
Eventually, he gently sighed and said: “Eternal life is too far away. Even a treefather cannot escape death and has to return to the origin in the end.”
With that, he lit the incense and bowed to the Peac.o.c.k Tree. In his eyes, the treefather was still an amazing existence. Moreover, he had protected the humans for many generations.
Kong Qinru did the same with reverence straight from the heart.
After the ceremony, Li Qiye gently touched the tree’s hard bark. With a buzz, his hand suddenly disappeared into the tree like pa.s.sing through a portal of water.
He closed his eyes and stood there as if he was sleeping. After a while, he withdrew his hand and concluded: “The Peac.o.c.k Tree will die within fifty thousand years.”
This was shocking to Kong Qinru. She thought the treefather could still hold on for another two or three generations. This was much faster than she imagined.
She murmured in a daze: “Only fifty thousand years?”
Li Qiye spoke emotionlessly: “To be exact, it could struggle on for another forty thousand years. The rest of the time will depend on how attached it is to this land. Regardless, the day will come when it has to let everything go.”
She suddenly became quite dejected. She felt helpless because there was nothing she could do to change the situation. She could only sigh and say: “Even treefathers will die one day. No one can save them. I just hope that it will come slowly.”
“Who told you that?” Li Qiye chuckled under the tree: “It depends on the person. Going against the heavens to replenish one’s longevity is not an impossible matter.”
Such words rang like bells in her mind. She immediately looked up to stare at the nonchalant fella in disbelief while trembling.
“You, you mean to say that you can replenish the Peac.o.c.k Tree’s lifespan?” She nervously stared at him while shaking despite being a great valley lord.
He glanced at her then back at the tree and lightly said: “Even though these treefathers take root in the earth, they are still similar to cultivators with a chance to replenish their life. This also applies to the Peac.o.c.k Tree. Moreover, it has never undergone this procedure before, so the probability of success is even higher.”
“Are, are you telling the truth?” She suddenly became spirited with hope filling her heart while looking at Li Qiye with excitement.
“My words are a hundred times more precious than pearls.” He looked at her and stated: “Besides, this is common knowledge. Going against the heavens to replenish life is the most basic technique of an alchemist.”
If any alchemist was present, they would vomit blood in anger or be struck with such great insecurity that they would feel the urge to commit suicide by slamming into tofu.
Life replenishment was a very lofty goal for alchemists, only Legendary Alchemists were able to accomplish this. Moreover, success was not certain either. But now, according to Li Qiye, this was the most basic of means.
“So you are saying that you can replenish the tree’s life?” Her eyes were bright as she tried to get confirmation.
“It’s possible.” He said while looking at the tree: “Since it has never done this before, the first life replenishment has very good odds and the length will be quite long. For an existence like this tree, living for another eight or ten generations would not be a problem if the procedure is successful.”
She exclaimed: “Then what are you waiting for? Hurry and replenish its life!”
He slowly looked back at her and said: “Why should I replenish its life? It is not my relative or an elder.”
“You are a human!” She stated: “The tree has protected the human race so long that it’s only right for you to reciprocate the kindness.”
Li Qiye chuckled and shook his head in response: “Little girl, why do you think so? There have been many people who have accomplished many things for the human race. Does that mean that I have to do something for them or their descendants as well? Countless wise sages and invincible existences have fought for the survival of the human race; compared to them, the things that the Peac.o.c.k Tree has done can’t reach the apex.”
“You…” Her face turned red; she didn’t know what to say in this situation.
He glanced over her direction and flatly said: “There are choices in everything and everyone. For example, the old wise sages pus.h.i.+ng the human race forward or the Peac.o.c.k Tree taking root in this place; they made their decision. They did not walk on this path to ask for repayment from future generations. They simply walked their own path with great responsibility and perseverance, staying true to their pursuit to the very end.”