Mira followed the Basilisk toward the massive Heartwood Corruptor tree. The closer she got, the bigger it seemed to become, figuratively and literally. The branches blocked out the sky completely, not letting any light in.
It wasn't long before Mira stood before the base of the tree with her mouth slightly ajar as she took in the fantastical sight.
There was so much Qi swirling around the trunk that Mira felt like she was staring at a small world rather than just a large plant.
'I wonder what grade this could be considered.' Mira wondered.
Even with her sharp senses, she couldn't discern whether it was Mystical, Heaven, Divine Grade, or something else. There was simply too much Qi.
The fact that it didn't technically "possess" this Qi didn't help either. To a certain extent, the tree was just a conduit and converter for the energy. It only kept a portion for itself, sending the rest back to the inhabitants.
Glancing down, she could feel the pulsing of the roots beneath her, carrying massive amounts of Qi through the rest of the forest as if they were the veins and the trunk was the heart.
'I can see why it's called a Heartwood Corruptor. It really is similar to a heart.' Mira thought.
While Mira was taking in the sight, the Basilisk had slithered over toward a large hole that seemed to go under the base of the tree.
"Follow me, Young Fox, and don't wander around."
Mira snapped out of her thoughts and nodded, following the Basilisk, still a little confused about where it was taking her.
As they descended into the underground chamber, Mira realized that the Heartwood Corruptor was far more than just a tree. The cavern they entered resembled an ancient forest with towering stalagmites and stalactites littered about.
At the center, contrary to what Mira was expecting, was a grayish-red spherical core about the size of the Basilisk's head pulsating with energy. All kinds of large roots were connected to it, sending this energy to and from the core.
Mira was surprised at how defenseless the core was, but when she thought about the fact that a Basilisk had made this its home, she understood why.
'If someone can kill the Basilisk, then there's nothing it could possibly do to defend itself.'
"The Heartwood Corruptor's core," the Basilisk said. "It is here where the Celestial Nectar forms."
Mira observed the area surrounding the Heartwood Corruptor core, noticing the small, luminescent flowers that bloomed under it. She could sense the malevolent energies being absorbed by the flowers and transformed into something she could only consider "pure", "holy", or "positive".
In the center of these flowers was a small pool of golden liquid, which she assumed was the Celestial Nectar. Just looking at that liquid and inhaling its intoxicating, fruity scent cleared her mind of negative thoughts.
However, what Mira found strange was that the Celestial Nectar wasn't nearly as energy-dense as the rest of the forest. Rather, the Qi contained within it felt less dense than the normal atmospheric Qi outside of the Ancient Beast Mountain Range.
Curious, Mira asked the Basilisk, "What are these flowers, and what exactly is Celestial Nectar?"
"These flowers are Harmony Blossoms," The Basilisk said, wiggling its massive 200-meter-long body into this underground cavern. "If the energy produced by the Heartwood Corruptor is considered impure and corrupt, then the Harmony Blossoms turn that into something pure. The product of that conversion is the Celestial Nectar."
"Then, is it true that the Celestial Nectar can cure any poison?" Mira asked, but the Basilisk hissed and shook its head.
Mira frowned deeply, but before she could say anything, the Basilisk explained, "While it can cure most mortal poisons, its job is to cleanse one of impuritiesâ€"to return one to their peak state."
That was a very vague explanation, but Mira understood what he was trying to say.
Pure and impure were relative terms. Poison could be just as pure as the cleanest pond, but when mixed into the pond, it would kill everything in it. However, if Celestial Nectar were dropped in the pond, it would clear it of all the poison, returning it to how it was before.
No, it would be even better than before.
'I see. So, that's why I don't feel much energy from it.' Mira thought as she stared at the golden liquid.
The effects of the Celestial Nectar were determined by how it was used and what it was used on.
'However, doesn't that make this a...'
"Is this an Origin-Grade treasure?" Mira asked, her eyes widening slightly.
The Basilisk was slightly surprised to hear Mira's question before it nodded, "That's right, Young Fox. It is indeed an Origin-Grade treasure."
"Then, as a mythical beast, why do you need this Celestial Nectar so badly? I'm sure your bloodline can't get any purer. Even if it could, I think you'd need something stronger than this to improve it."
The Basilisk nodded, "You aren't wrong, Young Fox, but you aren't necessarily right either."
Mira tilted her head, not sure how she was wrong.
The Basilisk sighed at Mira's ignorance and explained, "It's true that it has little effect on my bloodline, but what if I've been absorbing it for thousands of years? What if I've been helping this little tree grow to its current size so that I could create more flowers and higher-quality nectar? Lastly, what if I never intended to use this to purify my bloodline but to evolve into another beast entirely?"
Mira's eyes widened in shock, realizing the depth of the Basilisk's plan. It had been nurturing the Heartwood Corruptor and cultivating the Celestial Nectar for tens of thousands of years, all in pursuit of an even greater goal â€" evolution.
She knew that seemingly all beasts sought evolution to return to their ancestor's original forms. However, other than Elenei, who was forced by circumstances, she hadn't met another mythical beast that strived for such a thing.
They all seemed content with who they were, or rather, they understood that their evolving went against the will of the Heavens.
Just take the Golden Empyrean Winged-Wolf race as an example.
"This... wouldn't you anger the Heavens should you succeed?" Mira asked.
The Basilisk thought for a moment before shaking its head, "I don't think so."
"Hmm? Why?"
"I say evolution, but it's more like transformation. I don't want to become a higher form of a Basilisk, but a different beast entirely. One that represents both sides of Yin and Yang rather than just the former."
"...And what do you want to transform into?"
"A Taotie."
Mira fell silent upon hearing that. Truthfully, she wasn't sure what to make of the Basilisk's words, nor did she know anything about a Taotie.
She knew it was a beast in Chinese mythology known for its gluttony, but that was about it. It was sometimes depicted in its duality of Yin and Yang, but from what she could remember, it was more often seen as a creature on the Yin side.
However, she had never heard any mention of a Toatie while in the cultivation world.
Still, this information was enough for Mira to understand the Basilisk a bit more, as well as its future plans and ambitions.
"I see," Mira said thoughtfully. "So, you've been using the Celestial Nectar to accumulate enough 'pure' energy to transform yourself into this unique beast."
"Correct, Young Fox," The Basilisk confirmed, "I'm feeling the limitations of my current body, and I want to change before I ascend to the Immortal Realm. The Celestial Nectar, combined with my own efforts, has brought me to the verge of this transformation. There are still quite a few years left until I've gathered enough Celestial Nectar to complete my evolution, but your treasure can speed that up while also ensuring that nothing goes wrong."
"A lot can happen during those years, after all."
Mira nodded, understanding the Basilisk's underlying meaning.
'He's saying that although I'm useful, he doesn't need my help.' It was both affirmation of their deal and a threat, letting her know he wouldn't mind killing her should she make a wrong move.
"Enough chit-chat." The Basilisk shook her out of her thoughts, "Use your treasure to speed up the production of Celestial Nectar. Once I see that it works, I will allow you to hand over a few drops to your friends to return to your disciple. But you will not leave this spot until I have received enough for my breakthrough."
Mira wanted to speak up and tell him that she couldn't stay that long, that she had other responsibilities.
However, before she could open her mouth, his previous words crossed her mind, and she understood she didn't have a say in this deal. She can either agree to the Basilisk's terms and secure the Celestial Nectar to save her disciple or seek an alternative solution.
'Ah, fuck it. I can just use this time to train and cultivate. It shouldn't take longer than a few months with the Infinity Garden, probably sooner.'
"Very well. Let's get started." Mira walked over and began placing Harmony Blossoms inside the Infinity Garden.
