Caw! Caw!
The hoarse, mournful cries of crows echoed from time to time through the secluded, ancient forest.
Those were the cries of Duskvine Crows.
The Duskvine Crow was a peculiar kind of demonic spirit. It possessed a single body harboring two souls, formed by a ghost vine wood spirit and a dusk crow demonic beast.
The ghost vine formed by absorbing vast amounts of death qi, and wherever a ghost vine was born, dusk crows were sure to accompany it. The relationship between the two resembled parasitism, yet seemed symbiotic.
When a ghost vine was no longer satisfied with being trapped in one place, it would lodge its soul within a dusk crow, breaking free of its original spot to journey elsewhere. This was a true Duskvine Crow.
To cultivators, such beings were exceedingly dangerous. With the slightest carelessness, one could easily fall into the dusk crow's innate illusion technique, the Curtain of Dusk.
It was said that within the Curtain of Dusk, the victim would watch the sunset fall again and again, barely able to perceive the passage of time. Meanwhile, in the outside world, the cultivator's body would be quietly strangled to death by the ghost vine.
In such a perilous place, Luo Chen would certainly never have stepped foot had he been alone—unless he passed directly into Mutianyuan through the Sunken Sea cyclones!
Fortunately, things were manageable right now. With Taisui, one of the former Three Titans of the Hundred Crows Ghost Forest, leading the way, those dangers were hardly worth mentioning to them.
Luo Chen followed behind Taisui, advancing steadily through the forest. His gaze drifted from time to time toward the thriving ancient trees, his eyes filled with wonder. He realized that the trees growing in this forest were all rare, precious spiritual trees rarely seen in the outside world.
Even the Tier 3 spiritual wood, the Rising Sun Wood he had cultivated in front of his immortal's cave on Tianlan Peak years ago, was merely bottom-tier here. Others stood among them, such as Lightningflash Wood, Hell Phantasm Trees, Frostbloom Wood, and many other peculiar ancient trees whose names Luo Chen could not even identify.
All these rare spiritual trees had distinctly different requirements for their growing environments, and many even naturally conflicted with one another. Yet how could they grow harmoniously together within the same forest? They did not even exhibit the most basic territorial instincts typical of spiritual trees.
How could such a bizarre phenomenon fail to astonish Luo Chen?
Suddenly, Luo Chen paused, his gaze landing on an unassuming large tree. Pitch-black all over, shaped like an ancient pine, its drooping branches also resembled those of a pagoda tree.
Luo Chen spoke with slight hesitation, "Soul Nourishing..."
"The Soul Nourishing Tree!" Han Zhan's excited voice chimed in at his ear at the same time.
Luo Chen nodded slightly. Indeed, the great tree before them was truly the legendary Soul Nourishing Tree. Even though an ugly scar marked its trunk, it did not diminish its aura in the slightest. Luo Chen could even faintly divine its age through the scar—roughly over three thousand years.
If one harvested the core of this tree, the resulting Soul Nourishing Wood would certainly be an extraordinary treasure. At the very least, it would not be inferior to the piece Han Zhan currently inhabited.
"Hmm?"
Luo Chen abruptly lowered his head, glancing at the three-inch wooden tablet hanging over his chest.
The scar on the tree seemed to measure roughly three inches across...
To confirm it, Luo Chen looked back up, but what met his eyes was a murky yellow canopy, where a setting sun was slowly descending.
In a single instant, Luo Chen's expression drastically shifted.
"An illusion—the Curtain of Dusk! How is this possible?!"
Ever since setting foot in the Hundred Crows Ghost Forest, his soul had been on high alert to avoid falling into the Duskvine Crows' illusion techniques. Even without the defense of the Lanke Black Chess Piece, the Bright Spirit Fiend Breaking technique he had practiced since youth, as well as the Micromote Origin Art he had later created, both possessed protective functions against such attacks. Furthermore, Han Zhan was attached to him, keeping watch at all times for any incoming soul assaults.
How had he fallen into the trap without the slightest sound?
Amidst his shock, Luo Chen sensed something amiss.
"If I truly fell into an illusion, how could my mind remain so clear? It can't be just an illusion of clarity, can it?"
Han Zhan's voice broke through Luo Chen's doubts. "This illusion is formidable. It is definitely not something those Tier 2 and Tier 3 Duskvine Crows of the Hundred Crows Ghost Forest could cast."
"Did Senior get trapped as well?"
"Yes."
"Could it have been cast by a Tier 4 Duskvine Crow?"
"No. If a Tier 4 spirit beast cast an illusion, I might fall for it, but I would never be dragged in without any ability to resist. What is more, you and I are in the same illusion and can converse freely."
At these words, Luo Chen's breathing instantly grew heavy. A Tier 5 Duskvine Crow?
Han Zhan's voice came again, carrying a hint of reassurance. "Do not panic. This illusion carries no malice; it seems intended merely to screen us off. It was precisely because it held no ill intent that I failed to notice it."
"No ill intent?" Luo Chen was taken aback.
He studied the illusion again. Though the setting sun was descending, it was not sinking rapidly, which did not match the endless plunge described in the legends of the Curtain of Dusk. In other words, the master of this illusion had not pushed it to its full power. It was merely using the illusion to temporarily confine them.
Then what was the purpose?
Luo Chen's brows furrowed as he recalled what Taisui had said earlier. Taisui had once been one of the Three Titans of the Hundred Crows Ghost Forest guarding Mutianyuan, so he surely possessed deep ties with the other two. Returning to his old stomping grounds now, could they be reminiscing about old times?
Though he reasoned through it, Luo Chen's mood was hardly pleasant.
"I have had enough of these illusions, bewitching voices, and mind-bending tricks..."
Han Zhan chuckled softly. "When you used Mirror Flower, Water Moon to dispatch enemies, you were quite proficient at it yourself."
Luo Chen's face froze, then he shook his head. "This is not a matter of practicing what one preaches. If I fall for one, it means the difference between life and death."
At this point, he looked to Han Zhan with a trace of hope. "Apart from soul defense dharma treasures and using a powerful soul foundation to endure illusion attacks, are there other arts to defend against these bizarre strikes?"
Han Zhan replied, "If your soul foundation is insufficient, you will inevitably face natural suppression. You cannot defend against it."
It wouldn't work? Luo Chen felt a wave of disappointment. He had assumed that Han Zhan, who was deeply versed in the dao of soul cultivation, would be skilled at defending against soul attacks in addition to strengthening his own soul and assailing others'. He had not expected the old man to have no solution either.
Just as Luo Chen was feeling despondent, Han Zhan spoke up again. "Though you cannot block it, I possess at least three methods to forcibly break free of an illusion after being trapped."
Three! Luo Chen's eyes lit up.
He licked his dry lips. "Senior, please instruct me!"
Han Zhan chuckled lightly. "Why should I teach you for nothing?"
Luo Chen was stunned. You were the one who brought it up—didn't you intend to pass it on to me?
In a flash, Luo Chen understood. Although his relationship with Han Zhan was good, whenever it came to cultivation techniques and secret arts, nothing was ever given away freely. Essentially, it was always a trade of interests!
The recipe for Black Emperor Paste had been traded as "rent" for Han Zhan to reside within the Hunyuan Cauldron and the Myriad Soul Banner. The Origin Core Art and the complete formula for the Nascent Soul Formation Pill had been traded for Luo Chen purchasing the Soul Nourishing Wood for him. Especially with the latter, Luo Chen had asked for a king's ransom and profited immensely. One could say that the reason Luo Chen could currently run rampant through the Golden Core stage and annihilate peers with a flick of his wrist was largely due to the vast magic power provided by his Second Primal Core.
There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
Once Luo Chen grasped this, he said calmly, "Does Senior desire something?"
"You are sharp, lad. You caught on right away," Han Zhan said with a laugh.
Luo Chen asked, "What is it?"
Han Zhan countered, "Do you still remember why I agreed to accompany you into this Demon Fall Land?"
Luo Chen had asked that question long ago, and Han Zhan had already provided the answer back then.
"Possession and rebirth?" Luo Chen drew a sharp breath.
Han Zhan's laughter vanished, his tone turning somber and chilling. "It is good that you remember. With this remnant body of mine, the reason I am willing to brave danger is not solely to act as your Dao protector. This ancient cultivator ruin holds countless opportunities and has attracted many Nascent Soul experts.
"At that time, a great battle will inevitably erupt!
"I want you, at the critical moment, to lend me a hand in securing the physical body of a human Nascent Soul True Lord so that I may possess it!"
Luo Chen's voice sounded dry. "Senior Han Zhan, you aren't joking with me, are you?"
"What do you think?" Han Zhan countered.
Luo Chen fell silent.
This time, it was Han Zhan's turn to persuade him patiently. "Haven't you long prepared yourself to battle Nascent Soul experts? All your cultivation has taken Nascent Soul entities as the hypothetical adversary. Now that the moment approaches, are you afraid?
"In other words, even if I did not pass down these techniques to you, shouldn't you repay my kindness and do something for me?
"Think about the journey thus far: from Mount Cangwu to Xuanyan Island, from Feileng City to the Myriad Immortals Association, and now within this Demon Fall Land—how many times have I helped you?
"Yes, some assistance was fair trade between willing parties. But what of answering your cultivation inquiries, aiding in the creation of spells, guiding your path to Nascent Soul, and even helping you repel a Demonic Sovereign not long ago? Did I ever demand compensation for those?
"Luo Chen, I believe in your character!
"Even if I did not seize this opportunity to bring it up today, you would still choose to step forward and aid me when the critical moment came. But I would rather make things clear now, so that we may cooperate in earnest when the time comes, lest you be caught unprepared and resent me afterward."
Leveraging gratitude to demand repayment? No! A gentleman could be swayed by high principles! Luo Chen was a man of principles and bottom lines; as long as his own life was not placed in dire jeopardy, he was quite willing to act as a gentleman. Han Zhan's silent contributions over all these years had all been aimed at this very moment.
A faint sigh echoed softly.
"I shall now pass down the illusion-breaking art best suited to you. Its name is... the Thicket Clearing Art. You have cultivated both the Origin Core Art and Locking the Beaded Curtain from my Luoyun Sect's Three Cultivation Arts and Two Techniques, so cultivating this art will come naturally to you. Listen closely..."
The words whispered in his ear, murmuring like a gentle stream.
Luo Chen's expression shifted like drifting clouds. In the end, he did not interrupt Han Zhan's instruction, quietly listening to the teachings of the Thicket Clearing Art.
Caw—
A harsh crow's cry spread melodiously through the ancient forest.
Grotesque black vines slowly wound around a plump figure.
"You have returned."
"Yes, I have returned."
"Having broken free, you should not have come back."
"Can a mere remnant wisp of consciousness truly be considered breaking free? My true body remains trapped in that Demon Fall Abyss, never to see the light of day!"
"You have no one to blame but yourself. The True Lord stated back then that our kind was forbidden from touching the land of inheritance. It was your own greed."
"My greed? Does spending a lifetime guarding this Hundred Crows Ghost Forest count as being honest and dutiful?"
"I do not know. I only know that it was the True Lord who awakened our spiritual wisdom back then, saving us from a muddled existence."
"Old Ghost, the True Lord has already perished!"
"No, I do not believe it! The True Lord's abilities stood supreme throughout the ages! Tianyuan could not suppress him, and Qixia could not kill him. He merely took the wrong path and borrowed the hands of others to begin anew."
"Hmm? Old Ghost, it seems you know more than you let on?"
A secluded silence fell between the trees.
Taisui's expression flickered, and only after a long pause did he say with conviction, "Whether the True Lord can return to this world, I do not know. But I have had enough of staying in this Demon Fall Land. Last time, you two retrieved the Soul Nourishing Wood to help my remnant consciousness escape. This time, I do not ask for your help; I only hope you will not bar my path!"
"Have you found a way in the outside world to free your true body?" Old Ghost's voice carried a hint of excitement.
Taisui said with confidence, "I have about a thirty percent chance!"
"Only thirty percent?" Old Ghost said in disappointment.
"Thirty percent is already a great deal." Taisui shook his head, hope gleaming in his eyes. "The True Lord never took us seriously in the first place; those so-called countermeasures of his were merely casual arrangements. As long as I am willing to pay a sufficient price and coordinate with the appropriate formations, I can break free from the Demon Fall Abyss. When that time comes, I will have the chance to enter the land of inheritance and use its spatial teleportation array to depart for the outside world."
Speaking to this point, a look of yearning surfaced on his face.
"Old Ghost, you have no idea how prosperous the world where the True Lord's palace sits truly is. Even if it is no longer in its primordial infancy, it is teeming with spiritual qi, making it extraordinarily suitable for beings like us to cultivate."
"Truly?"
"Truly. Let me put it this way: there are still a few desolate beasts alive out there."
"Desolate beasts!"
A cry of shock issued from the black vines, which tightened slightly.
Taisui frowned. "You're hurting me."
"My apologies." Old Ghost's excitement had not yet subsided. After a moment of thought, he spoke slowly, "Make a copy of that method... No, make two copies for me."
"Two copies?" Taisui asked in confusion. "Are you asking for Crow Ancestor as well?"
"He and I are one body. Why would I ask for more on his behalf?"
Taisui came to a realization. If so, the other copy was meant for the Treant King. He was not stingy either; after all, they had once been companions. After copying two sets of the escape method, the black vines wrapping Taisui instantly fell away.
Before leaving, Old Ghost asked, "Are those three people the helpers you recruited?"
"Yes. This method of mine requires assistance from someone proficient in formations. Nascent Soul True Lords who are too strong are beyond my control, but Golden Core cultivators are just right," Taisui said breezily as he stretched his limbs.
Yet as he spoke, his expression suddenly shifted.
Three people? Aside from Moyun and Qingyang, where had a third person come from?!
When another crow's cry rang out, Luo Chen and Cave Master Moyun broke free from the illusion of the Curtain of Dusk. The two looked at each other, their expressions markedly different.
Just then, Taisui's voice drifted over softly.
"The ancient trees here possess spirit; do not disturb them lightly. At best, you will fall into a Duskvine Crow illusion; at worst, you will draw an attack from the treant army."
Cave Master Moyun offered a self-conscious smile and put away the small trowel in his hand. Before him stood a tree of Vajra Wood reaching Tier 4!
Luo Chen also pulled his gaze away from the three-thousand-year-old Soul Nourishing Tree. Yet he clearly sensed Taisui staring intently at him.
Luo Chen frowned. "Fellow Daoist Taisui, didn't you say that with you leading the way, we would proceed without worry?"
Taisui grinned.
"Just a minor mishap. Moving forward, there definitely won't be any issues." Speaking to this point, he pointed toward the plateau ahead. "Mutianyuan has countless spiritual herbs. There are seven or eight varieties of auxiliary resources that can aid your breakthrough into the Nascent Soul stage, and even Demonic Realm spiritual herbs suitable for body refinement. Do you wish to go take a look?"
According to their original plan, they were to pass through the Hundred Crows Ghost Forest, cross straight through Mutianyuan without stopping, and finally traverse Yue Canglan. Once the Five Elements Heavens had been completely traversed, they could enter the third heaven of the Demon Fall Land, Ye Mingzhao—the Mingzhao Heaven, known as the land of inheritance.
Yet now, both Cave Master Moyun and Luo Chen felt tempted.
Taisui chuckled, gave a wave of his broad sleeves, and strode ahead.
"Follow me!"
The two behind exchanged a glance and hurriedly followed.
After they departed, countless black vines rustled and withdrew into the depths of the earth. A glossy, sleek-feathered black crow blinked its lively eyes and landed upon a half-withered, half-flourishing old tree.
As it perched, an ancient face materialized on the trunk of the old tree.
"Why have you come?" A weathered voice issued from the gaping mouth on the face.
The black crow cawed and spoke in a raspy voice, "The three-hundred-year period of spiritual convergence has arrived. The gates to the palace have swung wide open. Taisui has returned."
"Hmm? He went to such great lengths to escape; why would he be willing to return?"
The Treant King's thoughts were somewhat sluggish. Sensing slightly, he discovered the trio of Taisui and the others still walking through his domain.
The black crow called out again, but this time the voice was deep and low. Following Taisui's form of address, he was Old Ghost.
Old Ghost said faintly, "Though he has returned, this time he intends to take his true body with him when he leaves."
"..."
"Wish him success!"
Two voices rang out simultaneously from within the crow's body. Then, with a flap of its wings, the black crow took to the sky, circling above the Hundred Crows Ghost Forest.
Chapter 675