【Year 306 — worthy of a heaven-and-earth treasure with spirituality, communicating with it is far easier than with that stone before. This age-tree, having devoured a great many living beings, is long since foul with killing-force, yet still fears you deeply, and soon gives up resistance.】

Shen Yi sat cross-legged, and had the golden body guard the place in passing. He didn't know whether the age-tree counted as a spiritual root. But refine it first and talk later.

Within the sea of qi, the Heaven-Devouring demon infant greedily embraced the age-tree, the scalding aura on it burning the tree until it screeched and squealed.

Deafening...

Shen Yi knit his brow and controlled the path infant to give the age-tree a slap.

The whole process was somewhat harder than last time. After all, when he'd refined the True-Yang Kirin Stone before, both path infant and spiritual root were foul with killing-force, but now, apart from the killing-force, the Kirin Stone and the age-tree conflicted somewhat. But Shen Yi firmly believed that so long as there was enough demon lifespan, he'd surely think of a way. This was a threshold that had to be overcome. Otherwise, where was he going to find so many killing-force-carrying fire-attribute spiritual roots?

【Year 1,700 — you calmly refine the age-tree; the one suffering isn't you anyway, and your emotions are perfectly stable.】

"..."

Shen Yi went on listening to the age-tree's agonized howls. He actually rather admired the other's tenacity — able to hold out this many years without going hoarse.

Another two-thousand-odd years of demon lifespan spent, and the agonized howling finally vanished. Within the path infant, a length of emerald spirit-branch with black mist flowing across it lay quietly inside.

At the same time, Shen Yi sensed an abrupt change. It was as though a burst of vigorous vitality had appeared within his body, leaving his whole person refreshed and clear-headed. Compared to the pain of refining the True-Yang Kirin Stone, this time was more like an enjoyment. Like being bathed in a spring breeze, comfortable through and through.

【Year 3,900 — you have…