Chapter 29

Tick, tick, tick…

In the darkness, the sound of dripping water was unmistakably clear.

Chong Zhao struggled to open his eyes, feeling dizzy. Before him was a water-filled cave, with stalactites rising all around.

At the center of the cave, a towering, pitch-black tree had taken root, its black tendrils spreading densely across the ground, creating a sinister and eerie scene.

Chong Zhao was trapped against a tree trunk. Not far away, Er Yun was tied to another trunk by the tendrils, her eyes closed and her body weak.

“Er Yun!”

Chong Zhao moved his palm, intending to summon his immortal sword to cut the tendrils, but he felt an emptiness in his dantian, unable to muster any immortal energy.

How could this be? Where was his immortal energy?!

Alarmed, Chong Zhao felt a sharp pain in his chest. Looking down, he saw a sharp tendril piercing his chest, continuously siphoning the spiritual energy of his golden core towards the top of the black tree. As his immortal energy was drained, the tree’s aura grew even more malevolent.

Chong Zhao’s expression wavered as he watched the scene. A weak voice sounded nearby.

“Junior brother…” Er Yun slowly woke up, seeing Chong Zhao’s plight.

Her frightened expression quickly turned to urgency. She struggled to break free, but a tendril lashed at her, leaving a bloody mark on her wrist. She cried out in pain, her face turning even paler, but she did not stop, still trying to use her immortal energy to escape.

As Er Yun struggled, several tendrils suddenly transformed into sharp spikes, pointing at her.

“Senior sister, don’t move!” Chong Zhao shouted, stopping her.

Er Yun looked at the sinister tree and then at Chong Zhao, murmuring, “It’s absorbing your essence. What is this thing?”

“Bodhi,” Chong Zhao looked up, “if I’m not mistaken, it’s what injured our Uncle Master and destroyed the island’s great formation.”

“Bodhi?!” Er Yun was incredulous, “Isn’t the Bodhi tree a sacred tree of the god realm? This is clearly an evil tree!”

“Uncle Master once said that years ago, heavenly fire descended on this island, causing chaos. Eventually, the entire Fire and Ice Island’s creatures were burned by the fire. I think that heavenly fire was this Bodhi tree. Perhaps it was a divine tree full of divine energy when it first landed, but over the years, it absorbed all the island’s life, turning its divine nature into something evil.”

Chong Zhao looked at the tree’s overwhelming malevolence and sighed, “Master exhausted his cultivation to seal it, but it seems he failed. It’s stronger than ever.”

“Father…” Er Yun looked at the tree, tears welling in her eyes, her tightly clenched fists almost drawing blood, “It’s what killed Father!”

Suddenly, Er Yun’s expression changed, “The jade slip!”

She struggled to reach into her sleeve, only to find the jade slip that contained the island’s ancestors’ spiritual energy was gone.

“Junior brother, the jade slip is missing!” Er Yun’s face turned ashen, her eyes filled with despair.

Chong Zhao’s expression also changed.

This evil Bodhi tree had cut off all contact between the East Sea and the outside world. Even their master couldn’t defeat it. The jade slip was their last hope to destroy it. Without it, the East Sea and Piaomiao Island had no hope.

A heavy silence filled the cave. After a long time, Chong Zhao spoke slowly, looking at the tendril in his chest, his eyes resolute, “The self-destruction of a high cultivator’s essence can disturb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Maybe I can…”

“Junior brother, don’t!” Er Yun’s face changed drastically.

Before she could stop him, a sinister voice suddenly echoed in the cave.

“Who knew the Piaomiao sect still had someone so stubborn.”

A gust of dark wind blew, and a shadowy figure appeared not far away, shrouded in malevolence and hidden under a cloak. He played with the jade slip in his hand, then tossed it into the air.

“This thing is now inside my natal tree, under my control. The so-called East Sea and Piaomiao Island are nothing but inferior immortal artifacts.”

He walked towards Chong Zhao, pulling out the tendril from his chest and licking the dense essence power before quickly re-inserting it, ignoring the blood that spurted from Chong Zhao’s chest.

Chong Zhao groaned, his face turning even paler.

Er Yun screamed, “Evil creature! Stop!”

The Bodhi tree let out a sinister laugh, “You indeed have excellent spiritual bodies, very tasty. Don’t think about it, my cultivation is already semigod. If self-destruction worked, that waste Songfeng would have done it already, instead of sending you youngsters with the jade slip here.”

Looking at the golden essence in Chong Zhao’s chest, the tree’s voice held a hint of disdain, “Though tasty, it’s only good for healing, far less useful than the girl’s blood.”

Chong Zhao’s face changed abruptly, “How do you know about Ah Shuo’s blood…?”

His voice stopped, his eyes filled with rage, “Don’t touch her! Otherwise, I…”

“What will you do? You can’t even protect yourself, what can you do?”

The Bodhi tree sneered, “If extracting your essence didn’t risk causing an explosion, do you think you’d still be alive? Once I’ve drained your essence and captured that girl, the entire East Sea will be mine…no…” The tree looked towards the dark sky beyond the towering branches and said, “The entire three realms will be mine!”

Chong Zhao’s eyes turned blood-red, his hands bound by the tendrils bleeding. Suddenly, the Bodhi tree’s expression changed. It looked towards a spot outside the cave, seeming to hear something, then smirked at Chong Zhao and said, “Someone’s coming for you, kid. Once I ascend to godhood, I’ll give you a quick death.”

The Bodhi tree vanished, and Chong Zhao’s face changed, “Ah Shuo…!”

“What Haoyue Palace Lord? Just an ungrateful coward!”

In the peach forest, Bai Shuo stumbled alone, muttering, “I told him there’s a way to deal with that evil thing, and he ran away! Coward! Stinky demon! Old Turtle was right; you can’t trust a good-looking demon!”

“Ah Zhao? Ah Zhao?” Bai Shuo called softly, pulling out a talisman from her bag. It transformed into a small paper figure, looking weary.

“Quick, find Ah Zhao’s scent; find him.” The paper figure yawned sleepily, reluctant to move.

“Ah Zhao’s in danger! If you find him, I’ll give you spirit dew!” The paper figure perked up at the mention of spirit dew, stood straight, sniffed the air, and floated in a certain direction. Bai Shuo quickly followed.

In the dark forest, a pair of sinister eyes watched Bai Shuo but did not attack, instead disappearing.

At the edge of Fire and Ice Island, waves crashed against the shore. The island was still shrouded by the dark veil of malevolence.

Fan Yue stood at the shore, frowning, ready to leave.

“Are you really not going to help her? If Long San takes her blood and ascends before you, he’ll consume you, and your soul will disappear…”

A golden pig flew from Fan Yue’s sleeve, biting his robe.

“The disciples of the Piaomiao Sect who just entered are already dead. He absorbed their spiritual energy, and his injuries are now healed. Her blood would be useless unless she willingly sacrificed herself. What I fought earlier was only his clone, and I could barely injure him. On the day of the full moon, I can only exert fifty percent of my demonic energy. Even if I go, I can’t save that disciple. Besides…”

Fan Yue’s voice grew cold, “Two immortals are not worth it for this lord to take a risk. Now that I know his hiding place, I will wait until my demonic energy recovers and then come back to reclaim this piece of the Bodhi tree clone.”

Fan Yue casually put the golden pig back into his sleeve. With a swipe of his demonic energy, a crack appeared in the dark barrier, and Fan Yue disappeared into the sky in a flash of light.

Not far away, a mass of black energy appeared, watching Fan Yue disappear. It let out a strange laugh and vanished as well.

In the water cave, the tendril continued to drain Chong Zhao’s true essence, feeding the Bodhi tree. Despite gathering his spiritual energy, Chong Zhao was helpless.

Suddenly, a small voice sounded nearby.

“Ah Zhao… Ah Zhao!”

Chong Zhao turned his head to see Bai Shuo with a large leaf on her head, hiding behind a tree trunk not far away.

Chong Zhao’s face turned pale, paler than when the evil spirit had pierced his chest. He struggled toward Bai Shuo, his eyes filled with anger, “Why are you here? Who told you to come! Leave now! Go, leave this island!”

Er Yun, who had been shocked to see Bai Shuo, bit her lip and turned her head, her eyes showing some anger and hurt.

“I’m here to save you. The senior brothers said you and senior sister were also on this island.”

Bai Shuo, still wearing the leaf, quickly moved towards Chong Zhao, muttering as she looked around at the eerie tendrils, “What kind of place is this? That old turtle’s little paper man brought me here. It usually just lazes around drinking my spirit dew, but at least it was useful this time.”

Bai Shuo finally reached Chong Zhao and saw the sharp tendril in his chest. Her face changed drastically. She threw the leaf aside and ran to Chong Zhao without caring if she would be discovered.

“What is this thing…?”

Bai Shuo’s eyes were red with anxiety. She reached out to pull the tendril, but it didn’t budge. Her hand was instantly pierced, staining it with blood.

“What’s the use of you being here? Even my junior brother and I can’t deal with this evil spirit. What can you, a half-immortal, do?” Er Yun said angrily.

Bai Shuo ignored her, conjuring a small dagger and starting to hack at the tendrils, her brows furrowed.

“Ah Shuo, you must leave. This evil spirit is an ancient divine tree, the Bodhi. We are no match for it. Go back to the island and notify the sect leader. He has profound immortal energy and will surely have a way.”

Chong Zhao spoke seriously.

Er Yun was stunned; she knew her second uncle couldn’t defeat the Bodhi tree either. She realized Chong Zhao was lying to Bai Shuo, hoping she would leave. Despite her usual arrogance, Er Yun felt a pang of sadness. Their lives were uncertain, and the entire Piaomiao Island might be doomed.

Bai Shuo, being just a half-immortal, was not much stronger than a mortal. If she could survive, she should. If she could escape, she should… If she could die alongside her junior brother, it would be a legendary story among the immortals.

“You’re useless and can’t help here. Stop getting in the way and go back to the island to report!” Er Yun said coldly, raising her head.

Chong Zhao understood Er Yun’s intention and gave her a grateful look.

“Bai Shuo, did you hear me? I said you should…”

“Shut up!” Bai Shuo suddenly said, turning to Er Yun with a cold look.

Er Yun was startled by Bai Shuo’s gaze; her words stuck in her throat. She realized she had been intimidated by a mere half-immortal, feeling humiliated and angry.

“You…”

“I told you to shut up,” Bai Shuo said coldly.

“Yes, I am half-immortal, but at least I’m not trapped here, unable to move, only capable of talking nonsense. Who’s more useless between us?”

“You!” Er Yun was speechless with rage. She had rarely shown any kindness, yet Bai Shuo was so ungrateful.

Seeing Bai Shuo’s determined face, Chong Zhao wanted to explain, “Ah Shuo, senior sister…”

“Ah Zhao, don’t defend her. Hasn’t she humiliated me enough?” Bai Shuo looked at Er Yun with disdain and said, “Senior Sister Er Yun, if it weren’t for your father’s position as the sect leader and the island’s spiritual treasures, do you think you could be a Liuyun disciple? What double talent of Piaomiao Island? What makes you think you compare to Ah Zhao?”

Er Yun, who had lived for a hundred years, had never been insulted like this.

She trembled with anger.

Chong Zhao looked at Bai Shuo, who was relentless. Despite being angry, he couldn’t help but say, “Ah Shuo, now is not the time to quarrel with senior sister. Leave before the evil spirit returns…”

Before he could finish, Chong Zhao suddenly screamed, spitting blood that stained his white robe. The tendril had pierced deeper into his chest, breaking his golden core. A large amount of spiritual energy and true essence was continuously absorbed into the Bodhi tree, causing his chest to bleed profusely.

“Ah Zhao!” Bai Shuo no longer cared about arguing with Er Yun. She quickly supported Chong Zhao, but the life in his eyes was fading, and the tendril was still draining his life force.

“Junior Brother! Ah Zhao!” Er Yun was desperate, but helpless.

“Bai Shuo, go back to the island quickly. Only the sect leader… Now, only the sect leader…”

“Shut up. Do you think I’m an idiot? If the sect leader were fine, with such a big commotion in the East Sea, would he let you and the ten Liuyun disciples come to this cursed place?” Bai Shuo interrupted Er Yun coldly.

“I won’t let Ah Zhao die. Stop arguing.”

Er Yun was stunned. She watched as Bai Shuo took a dagger and cut her palm.

“No! Ah Shuo, stop!” Chong Zhao instantly realized that Bai Shuo intended to use her spiritual blood to save him. Weak and desperate, he tried to stop her, but Bai Shuo, without hesitation, pressed her bleeding palm against Chong Zhao’s chest. Her blood flowed into Chong Zhao’s core, and his pallor quickly turned rosy.

Er Yun looked on in disbelief.

This useless girl who couldn’t even become an immortal—her blood could bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded!

(T/N: immortals= spiritual energy->> immortal energy/immortal power..)