Chi Xueâs heart skipped a beat as she looked at Zhong Yue with a pair of puzzled eyes.
Feng Zhishan laughed and then said, âGood! Princess Chi Xue, since our Little Friend Zhong has already agreed to it, then I hope the princess can follow as well. Otherwise, he might say that we are deliberately sending him to his death. With a princess to accompany him, he will have nothing left to say!â
Chi Xue gave a bright smile, revealing her pearly white teeth as her flawless eyes curved like crescent moons. She then said, âSince Iâm going, I want Ying Nu with me as well.â
âNo,â Chi Qing curled her arms around Ying Nu and laughed, âYing Nu is too weak, she canât be compared to you three, even if she follows, she will only be a burden.â
Anger flared in Chi Xueâs eyes. She was planning to bring Ying Nu along, and together with Zhong Yue, they might be able to find a way to escape. However, who knew that Chi Qing saw through her plans and preemptively stopped her.
Seeing the way that the situation developed, Zhong Yueâs heart sank even further - he had the same plan, and that was why he was so quick to agree.
But now, with Chi Qing and Feng Zhushan holding Ying Nu hostage, they effectively quashed their plans before they were even able to implement. That was unless the two of them were ruthless enough to ignore Ying Nuâs life for their own.
Chi Xue continued to maintain her smile as she said, âThatâs fine by me too. Senior Martial Brother Zhong, Feng Dong, letâs go!â
Zhong Yue, Chi Xue, and Feng Dong moved toward the godly mountain. They were nearing the divine tree when suddenly, Zhong Yue asked, âChi Xue, whatâs going on?â
âWhat else can it be?â, Chi Xue sighed, âAll because of the fight for the throne. If I die here, then my sisters will have one less competitor. Thus, they all long for me to meet my end here. I asked you to come because I hoped that you could help me.â
Feng Dong heard them, and his face suddenly drastically changed.
Meanwhile, Zhong Yue was still smiling as he said, âYouâve gone to Ancestral Star, I donât think you were there for me, were you?â
Chi Xue nodded, and she held a worried look on her beautiful face as she replied, âI was there for Bi Xue. I heard that he is strong, and I thought he would be able to help me to pull through this ordeal. But after seeing you, I changed my mind. Although Bi Xue is really strong, I donât think he can beat you. Thereâs also the fact that I like you more than him!â
Zhong Yue laughed, âPrincess, you are thinking too much. I promised that I will help you once, so now, it is time to uphold that promise.â
âYou have a way to get through this thing?â Chi Xue looked at the divine tree and said with furrowed brows.
The divine tree was on the foot of the mountain, it had countless branches and were shrouded with godly rays. As they walked closer to it, the imposing and saintly air continued to thicken and intensify. Chi Xue had the divine eye as well, one that was even stronger than Zhong Yueâs in certain regards!
For example, although Zhong Yueâs divine eye was powerful, he couldnât see through Feng Wujiâs incarnation, whereas Chi Xue could. She had also seen through the fact that Zhong Yue and Long Yue were, in fact, the same person.
Thus, she was able to see the divine tree siphoning nutrients from the godly corpses below!
In comparison to that pile of godly corpses buried underneath, the size of the divine tree looked more like a little twig that grew atop a mountain!
However, its roots were tangling, curling, and grasping on the many godly corpses, sucking nutrients off from the bodies unceasingly!
This was definitely something else, it wouldnât be as simple as an ordinary divine herb.
If they ever dared to offend the divine tree by even the slightest thing possible, they would end up as another few corpses added to its collections!
Zhong Yue didnât answer her question immediately, instead, he turned to Feng Dong and looked at Chi Xue again.
Feng Dongâs face faltered instantly, and he turned back to see only a hill of soil obstructing his line of sight to Feng Zhishan and the others and them to him.
Right as he turned his head back, Chi Xue took out a silver hairpin from her hair that soon enlarged to the size of a common sword. She swung the silver sword and swiftly decapitated Feng Dongâs head!
âHe is not one of mine. But donât worry, weâll just kill him.â The silver sword quickly reverted to its original size before she elegantly inserted it back into her hair again.
Zhong Yue deeply gazed at her. His first impression on Chi Xue was a pure and naive young girl, one who was mischievous at times but still amicable. But now, the more of her true self he saw, the further the departure from his impression of her she seemed to be.
The Chi Xue he was now looking at was a young heroine, one that acted with decisiveness and a boundless conviction that was no lesser than Zhong Yueâs.
âI have a treasure, one that can be used to stop the divine tree from attacking us.â
Zhong Yue took out the shabby copper lamp and said, âAs for defeating or even keeping the divine tree for ourselves, that is beyond our current abilities. However, if you have any treasures like the godâs inner cores or anything similar, we might just be able to do it.â
The copper lamp was none other than the one Xin Huo used to reside in. Back then, Zhong Yue kept the Divine Wing Saber in it with the help of the beast god inner core. Although he had succeed in doing so, the beast core inner core was also nearly depleted away.
The Divine Wing Saber was Lord Kunâs saint weapon, it was extremely strong and was regarded as the Kun Peng Celestial Raceâs greatest weapon. Yet, even such a strong weapon was sealed away by the copper lamp. One could tell how strong the copper lamp was.
However, Zhong Yueâs beast god inner core has long been drained of its essence. Without the inner cores of the gods, there wasnât even a chance they could keep the divine tree away. However, the divine tree wasnât dumb either, it was capable of higher-level thinking just like any sentient being, and with the mysterious copper lamp on their side, it would simply elect to not engage them.
âThe godly inner coresâ¦â
Chi Xue frowned, she said, âI have a few in my treasure vaults, but they are not with me now.â
Zhong Yue held the copper lamp half a step in front of them as they continued walking forward, he said, âFollow me closely, donât be more than half a step away from me.â
The two of them walked toward the divine tree and slowly appeared back in the Qi Practitionerâs vision. From far, Feng Zhishanâs eyes suddenly squinted down while Chi Qing shouted loudly, âLittle Sister Chi Xue, where is Feng Dong?â
Chi Xue turned and her beautiful countenance seemed to be the picture of sadness and sorrow. Wiping away her tears, she said, âSister, Feng Dong was devoured by the divine roots.â
Chi Qingâs countenance then turned gloomy, and she then stared at Ying Nu with sharp killing intent. She wasnât foolish enough to trust Chi Xueâs words. Of course, she was able to guess that Feng Dong was killed by Chi Xue!
Meanwhile, Feng Zhishan softly shook his head as he transmitted his voice into Chi Qingâs ears, âFirst Princess, if you kill her now, there will be nothing left to hold them here. By then, itâd be more than difficult to kill them after that.â
Chi Qingâs eyes flashed with an indiscernible light, and she replied, âWhy do we even need to do this? You and I, together we are more than capable of killing her on the spot!â
âNot now, my lady. Not now.â, Feng Zhushan shook his head and said, âBefore we reach the Immortality Peach Tree, we must hold refrain from acting rashly. Or else, if the other Qi Practitioners see us killing her, the team will not be as united anymore. After all, we need still these Qi Practitioners to help us. I hear that there are dangers around the legendary trees that require some⦠fresh lives in order to get past them.â
Chi Qing then forcibly suppressed her anger as she fiercely glared at Zhong Yue and Chi Xue. The two of them were already stepping into the soils where the divine herbs were scattered around.
Even though they longed for Zhong Yue and Chi Xue to die, they couldnât help but hold their breaths as well when the two of them got closer to the divine tree. However, to their surprise, the divine tree was still unmoving, it didnât attack Zhong Yue nor Chi Xue.
Chi Qing and Feng Zhishan exchanged a look, and they saw the same puzzled expression in each otherâs eyes. The divine tree had been sucking the nutrients off from the godâs corpse, clearly signaling to otherâs that it wasnât wise to tamper with it. Yet, how was it possible for it to ignore Zhong Yue and Chi Xue, two sources of fresh meat?
Can it be that this divine tree doesnât attack the living but only the dead? The two of them were bewildered at the possibility.
Zhong Yue held the copper lamp and stood underneath the divine treeâs tree crown. He looked up and saw many orange-colored fruits fruiting hanging above from the tree branches. Each of them had small specters flying around them, with many tiny figures of gods circling around the fruits. All of these gods had six light wheels behind them.
Even more, they were also chanting some gospels as they flew around!
These were the divine fruits, each resembling a dead god!
This was the Six Paths Fruit Tree.
Zhong Yue and Chi Xue were standing beneath the tree with saliva trickling down their mouths. These Six Paths Fruits were the best of the best among the divine herbs. Furthermore, the chants coming from the Six Paths Fruits were resonating with the six secret realms in their bodies. Clearly, these Six Paths Fruits and the Six Paths Reincarnation and the Qi Practitionersâ six secret realms must have certain mysterious links. These fruits had enormous benefits for the Qi Practitioners that had opened the sixth secret realm like themselves!
However, although they had an incredible desire for the fruits, they have no choice but to hold themselves back.
The specters around the fruits had given them a clearer look as to how strong the Six Paths Fruit Tree was! There would be no return from death if one plucked the fruits down!
âNo danger!â Zhong Yue turned and shouted, and he waved at Chi Qing, Feng Zhishan, and the others.
Chi Xueâs heart skipped a beat as she quickly followed Zhong Yueâs lead, âSister Chi Qing, come, it is safe here!â
Chi Qing and Feng Zhishan were overjoyed. Immediately, Qi Practitioners tried to rush forward, with Chi Qing among the clambering practitioners. Suddenly, Feng Zhishan shook his head and stopped the crowd while saying, âThey are safe now, but that doesnât mean that it will also be safe when we pluck the fruits. We should wait a little longer!â
Zhong Yue and Chi Xue saw them stop, and they exchanged a look and thought, It really is hard to make them fall for trapsâ¦
Chi Xue then whispered softly, âSenior martial brother, can you pluck a divine fruit?â
Zhong Yueâs eyes lit up, and he then reached out to the divine fruits. Just as his hands are getting closer to the fruits, the tree branches started to sway, they extend out and curled down toward him.
Cold sweat burst out of Chi Xueâs forehead and she gritted her teeth, saying, âStop, donât do it anymoreâ¦â
Zhong Yue then suddenly moved, the little girl divine herb Nightshade appeared in his hands, and he laughed, âNo danger, we are safe even if we pluck the divine fruits!â
Chi Xueâs heart was pounding heavily, even the Six Paths Fruit Tree was swaying in the breeze, looking as if it was in between laughter and tears.
Zhong Yue turned and looked back. Chi Qing and the others finally let their guards down and rushed over as if afraid that Zhong Yue and Chi Xue would strip all the fruits clean before they were able to.
The two of them then smiled, and just as they were able to leave the same way they were forced to come in, an appalling surge of psyche rammed into their head.
Krongââ
âLittle friends, this old tree greets the two of you!â
A bout of dizziness struck the two of them, and their hearts thumped in shock, âThis Six Paths Fruit Tree is talking!â
Zhong Yue held the copper lamp tight in his hands as he said anxiously, âSenior, what do you need from us?â
âI was just an ordinary divine tree when the honorable Reincarnation Monarch planted me here 120,000 years ago.â The Six Paths Fruit Treeâs psyche kept ramming into their minds, resounding inside their ears as it said, âAlthough the Returning Ruins is a good place to stay, it will, sooner or later, one day be crushed by the black hole⦠and I will die along with it as well. Today, Iâd like to make a deal with you two, Iâm finding for a way out and if the two of you happen to know of some way, please do tell me. In return, I will give a Six Paths Fruit to each of you.â
Zhong Yue and Chi Xueâs heart began to pound, with Chi Xue suddenly smiling and saying, âIf senior doesnât mind, you can come into my Yuan Shen secret realm.â
On the other hand, Zhong Yue shook his head and took out a Teleportation Golden Tablet, he said, âSenior, as long as you have this, you will be able to leave the Returning Ruins. You can find them on the Qi Practitioners, we all have one each.â
Chi Xue was bewildered, and she quickly said with a mental transmission, âWhy donât you let it come into our Yuan Shen secret realms? It might be able to help usâ¦â