Xiao Chen gazed at her quietly, offering no words.
Yan Qingcheng's eyes shot out two beams of divine light. An immense, overwhelming pressure surged forth—the might of her spirit. It clashed against Xiao Chen's powerful divine consciousness. A battle of souls, a contest of will.
The trees between them dissolved like snow beneath a blazing sun, crumbling into nothing.
"Boom!"
Their spiritual forces retreated like ebbing tides. Xiao Chen's face was pale. He had just emerged from a fierce battle, and contending now with spiritual power placed him far from his peak.
Yan Qingcheng spoke. "Since Dragon Island has established its rules, let us follow them. Tomorrow, a legitimate game begins. If you can survive ten consecutive days of pursuit by the Undying Alliance without falling, our past grievances will be laid to rest."
Xiao Chen understood. She must have learned that he killed Wang Zifeng and Liu Yue. Though master and student were sworn foes, they were still heirs of the Undying lineage. The death of her senior brother and sister touched upon the dignity of their sect.
With that, Yan Qingcheng vanished into the forest like a startled swan.
A chase game? To hell with it! Xiao Chen sped toward his secluded retreat.
Back in the spirit valley where he dwelled, his first act was to borrow the sacred tree from Keke. The little creature tossed it to him without a care. Xiao Chen planted the tree in a patch of woodland, sat before it, and began circulating his profound art, drawing upon the tree's spiritual energy to restore his own.
Time passed. When he opened his eyes, he was startled to find the sacred tree gone. A faint sensation stirred in his chest. Examining himself internally, Xiao Chen was astonished—the divine sapling had somehow entered his body! There it shone, radiant, with no conflict against his organs.
Between his left Shangqiu acupoint, right Shangqiu acupoint, the Central Courtyard acupoint at his chest, and the Shoulder Well acupoint, channels of energy seemed to connect to the sapling. A delicate balance formed, drawing the primal qi of heaven and earth into him.
His vitality was restored, yet a thrill of alarm ran through him. A tree within his body! But when his alarm subsided and he halted his arcane art, the sacred tree emerged from his flesh, rooting itself once more in the earth.
Miraculous!
Xiao Chen was deeply shaken.
That night, he tried repeatedly but could not again draw the sacred tree into his body.
After several great battles, it was time to settle into cultivation. Xiao Chen resolved to venture deeper into Dragon Island. Perhaps he would encounter opportunities—dragon eggs, for example. He dismissed Yan Qingcheng's words as wind. The next morning, he set out with his three skeletons. Keke followed lazily.
Yan Qingcheng's lovely face was dark. She had been stood up. Three days had passed since Xiao Chen vanished, paying her words no heed.
Standing before a waterfall, she smiled faintly. Then she summoned a member of the alliance and issued instructions. Afterward, she left the waterfall herself to make arrangements.
That day, many alliances heard the news: Xiao Chen had agreed to a "death chase" with the Undying Alliance, lasting a full month.
All was Yan Qingcheng's doing. She had witnesses confirm the truth. Her influence was considerable—she fabricated the entire facade, making the chase entirely "legitimate."
Meanwhile, Xiao Chen had already penetrated the depths of Dragon Island, though he had not yet reached the central zone. The island was vast. Along the way, he saw countless exotic birds and savage beasts—over twenty dragons alone, all of different kinds. Many times he encountered danger. Other fearsome beasts were even more numerous.
He still did not know that Yan Qingcheng had led her people in pursuit.
On the fourth morning, mist wreathed the forest, draping the lush mountains in a light veil. As dawn rose, the haze shimmered like multicolored celestial gauze, refracting the light into strange radiance.
But this beauty did not last. The drifting mist gradually thinned.
A new day began. Birds sang in the woods, and the fragrance of flowers and grass permeated the air. At a glance, it seemed peaceful—but Xiao Chen knew that the endless forest teemed with hidden death. Countless nameless beasts might burst out at any moment.
He finished his morning meal and pressed onward toward the heart of the island.
At midday, he found a river in the mountains and followed it inland. After about a dozen li, the ancient trees on both banks grew thicker—many required eight men to encircle. The deeper he went, the older the trees became.
A few li further, the river changed course. Xiao Chen continued. Here, each tree needed a dozen men to encircle their girth, surpassing even those in the Treefolk Valley.
It was a verdant sea. Xiao Chen estimated he was near the central region of Dragon Island.
Keke looked around curiously, its large eyes blinking. The three skeletons seemed uneasy, growing agitated as they entered this area.
Xiao Chen too had sensed it. This stretch of forest was abnormal. Though the trees soared skyward, forming an endless sea, no birds or beasts moved within. It was utterly silent—deathly still, without even a breath of wind.
A dead ancient forest. Each tree was thousands of years old. After advancing roughly a dozen li, Xiao Chen felt he was about to break through. True enough—within another li, they emerged from the sea of trees.
When he saw what lay ahead, Xiao Chen was stunned.
Before him stretched a white sea of bones. Armless, legless skeletons; the dried bones of giant birds tens of meters long; dragon remains fifty to sixty meters in length. White bones lay like snow, endless in sight. It seemed to be a well-preserved ancient battlefield. Deep within the sea of bones, a colossal stele stood tall, wreathed in banded black clouds...
But that was not all. On the western side of the bone sea stretched an unbroken chain of snowy mountains, where snowflakes danced and mist swirled.
On this tropical island, snow-capped peaks were beyond belief.
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