The dark clouds in the sky, as if enraged, grew denser and more massive.

The entire Cave Heaven World began to visibly darken before our very eyes.

The frequency of the thunder rumbling in the sky increased, and the air grew more and more oppressive.

The tree demon, unbeknownst to when, had returned to its original form, with only a tree face visible on its trunk.

The next moment, accompanied by a muffled thunderclap, the whole sky suddenly brightened.

Boom!

A bolt of lightning violently struck the Mingxin Tea Tree, sending up a trail of black smoke. A torrent of lightning scattered across the sky, crackling and buzzing in the air, with electric flashes wreaking havoc all around.

The entire Mingxin Tea Tree was split in half in an instant, charred and blackened.

Countless blue arcs of electricity began to rampage across the ground, eventually being absorbed by the Golden Thunder Bamboo Spirit Root.

Lin Shiming, watching from a distance, now had an extremely grim expression. He hadn''t expected the Mingxin Tea Tree to last not even a moment, and that the tree demon had just sent a confident thought to him.

He reached out with his Spirit Contract and, to his surprise, discovered that the tree demon''s divine sense had not disappeared.

On the other end of the Spirit Contract, he only sensed an extremely immature divine sense fluctuation.

At this moment, he suddenly realized the situation. The Mingxin Tea Tree he had contracted was a sapling full of vitality and unlimited hope!

Lin Shiming''s expression changed dramatically, and he stared intently at the original body of the Mingxin Tea Tree.

From within the split and charred branches, suddenly, a tender shoot emerged from the dead wood, evidently reborn through the power of the lightning.

This shoot was still very tender and small, almost unnoticeable unless looked at closely.

In this moment, Lin Shiming came to a realization. The Mingxin Tea Tree had been suppressed to a Second Rank in the Yellow Grade Secret Realm from the start, and by the time he had taken it out, the tree had already become extremely decrepit, much like a cultivator who had exhausted his vitality.

Without the suppression, it could not grow into a Third Rank tree on its own.

If nothing unexpected happened, the Mingxin Tea Tree would sooner or later die of old age, but within the Golden Thunder Bamboo, the tree demon had found a sliver of a chance for rebirth after a calamity.

And today, with the help of Heavenly Thunder, it shed all traces of death and was reborn anew.

This action was extremely risky, as even a slight mishap could have resulted in utter destruction, just like a cultivator over sixty who attempts to forcefully break through to Foundation Establishment without using a Foundation Establishment Pill, facing a nine in ten chance of death.

Seeing that the divine soul on the other end of the Spirit Contract was unharmed and even though the tree demon had not shown itself, Lin Shiming let go of his worries. However, he was puzzled by the fact that

It had obviously broken through the Second Rank and become a Third Rank Spiritual Tea Tree.

The Wood Demon had still not appeared, but from within the Spirit Contract, a wave of reassuring emotion emanated.

Lin Shiming was not in a hurry. He cultivated the tea tree with his Purple Wood True Essence and then brought some Spirit Soil over from the side.

After tending to the Mingxin Tea Tree, he turned towards the Golden Thunder Bamboo.

The Golden Thunder Bamboo was growing extremely well at this moment, having gained several years'' worth of growth seemingly for free after the Heavenly Tribulation, and of course, the biggest gain was the new shoot that had sprouted.

Lin Shiming, following custom, also catalyzed and cultivated the Golden Thunder Bamboo for a while before exiting the Cave Heaven World extremely satisfied.

Inside the great hall.

Lin Shiming deactivated the formation and found Lin Shizhong still immersed in his research, holding a Jade Slip in his hands, constantly making records while also pulling out spiritual materials and comparing them.

Meanwhile, Lin Shijin had unknown when started a secluded retreat in a new chamber he had carved out nearby, beginning the creation of talismans.

Seeing this, Lin Shiming too chose a spot and began to close his eyes and cultivate the Purple Wood Heart Sutra.

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and Lin Shiming opened his eyes.

He stepped out of the chamber.

Outside the chamber, Lin Shijin and Lin Shizhong were already waiting, Lin Shijin excited and Lin Shizhong looking somewhat dejected.

"Family Head, the Teleportation Talismans have been successfully crafted!" Lin Shijin presented three Spirit Talismans, handing them over to Lin Shiming respectfully.

"Good job, Shijin, you''ve contributed greatly to the family!" After inspecting the Spirit Talismans, Lin Shiming praised him, overflowing with satisfaction.

Lin Shizhong then spoke somewhat despondently,

"Family Head, the Transmission Formation is too complex. Shizhong is dull and wasn''t able to complete the inscription. I could only manage to damage and restore a corner on the exterior of the Gathering Spirit Platform, but I can''t understand the central formation!"

Having said this, Lin Shizhong lowered his head.

"Will the damage affect the teleportation?" Lin Shiming asked.

Breaking the formation served as a defensive measure to prevent the other side from teleporting over, whereas restoring the formation ensured that the family could resume it at any time.

"It will affect the use of Teleportation Talismans and Transmission Orders. Ordinary cultivators would be crushed by the forces of space, but a Golden Core True Person might survive unscathed," responded Lin Shizhong, hesitating before replying earnestly.

"That''s enough then, Shizhong, you''ve contributed as well!" Lin Shiming nodded. It was sufficient if they could prevent ordinary Purple Mansion cultivators, and as for Golden Core True Persons, such beings would likely be preempted by the system''s warnings.

"Let''s go, head back and prepare the materials!"