The process would evolve the tree of life into the Golden Tree, recovering it to its former glory. In fact, due to the fact that the tree of life had been reborn, it would only become superior to the old Golden Tree following its evolution. By the time the evolution was complete, the canopy of the tree would also emerge out of the lake.

This was fantastic news, and Tang Wulin was ecstatic to hear it.

At the same time, the tree of life told him that the primary catalyst behind this evolution was the enormous amount of life energy Tang Wulin had transmitted back to it. The nourishing effect that devouring abyssal energy had on the tree of life was very pronounced, and the higher the caliber of the abyssal creature, the higher the level of abyssal energy they possessed. The tree of life required more energy like this to facilitate its evolution, so it was asking Tang Wulin to devour more abyssal energy for it where possible.

"I'll be sure to do my best." After extending a respectful bow toward the tree of life, Tang Wulin emerged from the lake before rising up into the air.

Just as he was flying toward the main school building, he noticed another change.

To his surprise, the bare and barren banks of the Sea God's Lake were now teeming with greenery, and the thriving plants were none other than the Bluesilver Grass that he was most familiar with.

His own martial soul was Bluesilver Emperor, so he was naturally very excited to see so much Bluesilver Grass. Upon sensing his aura, the Bluesilver Grass would all involuntarily sway in his direction.

Looking down from above, Tang Wulin could see a huge light blue circle around the giant Sea God's Lake. In contrast with normal Bluesilver Grass, the Bluesilver Grass here was more translucent, and it gave off a faint silver hue under the illumination of sunlight.

The moist and refreshing air carried with it the faint fragrance of plants, and Tang Wulin felt as if he were in paradise.

An indescribable sense of emotion welled up in his heart, further fueling his determination to protect Shrek Academy and the continent from forces of evil.

He pulled out his soul communicator before dialing a number, and a familiar voice quickly rang out on the other end of the line.

"What's up?"

"I'm back. Where are you right now?" Tang Wulin asked.

"You're back already? Did something happen on the front lines?" the voice on the other end asked in a concerned manner.

"I'm fine. I'll tell you about it face-to-face."

Five minutes later, Tang Wulin arrived before Ling Zichen.

Many of Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect's most powerful beings had departed, so Ling Zichen was looking after things in Shrek City. 

With her present, all of the soul defense systems could be activated at a moment's notice, so there was no need to fear any surprise attacks.

"What? You want to take Eternal Heaven? No, that's unacceptable!" Ling Zichen's voice had instantly spiked up a few octaves. Recently, she had been working hard to change herself, working hard on making herself more gentle and approachable, especially in the presence of Tang Wulin.

However, Eternal Heaven was her reverse scale, and the mere mention of it being taken away immediately made her revert back to her mad scientist persona.

Tang Wulin sighed, "Listen to me, Zichen; the entire continent is about to face a major crisis, so this isn't just about our Tang Sect and Shrek Academy anymore. Eternal Heaven is perhaps the only thing that can destroy the Blood River Godslayer Array, and that thing must be destroyed, so there are no other alternatives available to us."

Ever since Ling Zichen had begun studying eternal heaven, her research had been progressing by leaps and bounds.

Eternal Heaven was a masterpiece created by many generations of the most brilliant scientists, and it had given her tremendous inspiration.

"Then what if it fails to break the array?" Ling Zichen protested. She really couldn't bear to part with Eternal Heaven!

The deeper she studied the missile, the more she came to understand just how incredibly amazing it was. It was an absolute marvel of scientific engineering that such an enormous amount of power had been concentrated in such a small soul missile. For her, studying Eternal Heaven was immensely beneficial. Furthermore, in the eyes of scientists, this wasn't a weapon; it was an artistic masterpiece of technological excellence.

When Ling Zichen first got ahold of Eternal Heaven, she had slept by its side for the first half a month, and almost every night, she was giggling herself awake.

The prospect of having Eternal Heaven taken away immediately brought tears to her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Zichen, but we have to use it. Even if it doesn't work, we still have to try. Otherwise, there's a very good chance that the Blood River Godslayer Array will create a god, and if that happens, the entire continent will face destruction! I can understand what you're feeling, but we have to look at the greater good, and there's simply no other choice. Please go and prepare the missile."

Ling Zichen glowered intently at him with tears swimming in her eyes, displaying no intention to move.

Tang Wulin opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't bring himself to say anything further at the sight of her pitiable display.

Just as he made up his mind and was about to take a more assertive stance, Ling Zichen suddenly threw her arms around him and burst into tears.

"I don't want to give up Eternal Heaven! My mother and father were involved in its creation; seeing it is like seeing my parents, like having them by my side. I really don't want to give it up. Please don't take it away; I'm begging you!"

Tears also welled up in Tang Wulin's eyes upon hearing this, and he gently returned Ling Zichen's embrace. He could fully empathize with what she was feeling. Back when his foster parents had vanished, he had dreamt of them countless times, and their absence was like a void in his heart.

In the wake of their "deaths", he would've perhaps already had a mental breakdown had his birth father not appeared to give him a glimmer of hope.

Ling Zichen's parents had already passed away, and Eternal Heaven was like a psychological pillar for her, so he knew exactly how she felt, but what else could he do?

He gently patted Ling Zichen's back, and consoled, "I'm sorry, Zichen, but we have no choice. Your parents would've wanted to see their creation be used to protect the continent as well, so perhaps this is the best outcome. Perhaps we'll never be able to develop another weapon like Eternal Heaven again. At the very least, it's better for a weapon of such massive destructive capability to be used on a battlefield than to act as a constant threat that could explode at any time elsewhere on the continent. Even after Eternal Heaven ceases to exist, the technology left behind by your parents will live on, and that's what you should remember them by."

Ling Zichen's body was shaking with sobs, but she discovered that she felt very safe in Tang Wulin's embrace.

All of a sudden, she raised her head to look up at Tang Wulin.

"You have to agree to two of my conditions."

"Go on," Tang Wulin sighed. 

Under these circumstances, he had to satisfy virtually any request that Ling Zichen had.

"Firstly, you have to take me with you; only in my hands can Eternal Heaven's power be maximized."

Tang Wulin immediately nodded in agreement. "That's not an issue."

Ling Zichen continued, "My second condition is that I want some of your blood for my research."

"My blood?" Tang Wulin was rather perplexed by this request.

Ling Zichen explained, "Aside from soul technology, my research also branches into biotechnology, so I want some of your blood. An exceptional prodigy like you must have some very special genes, and I want to study them."

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