Within the indescribable mist, countless roots broke through the soil, churning and boiling like living tentacles, cloaking a radius of dozens of li beneath colossal boughs and willow tendrils.
This sudden upheaval caught everyone present off guard.
Why had this ghost willow suddenly surfaced?
Why was Xu Yuan seated atop it?
At this moment, was the being inside him the ghost willow, or was he still himself?
If the former, why was Tianye, bound by the Lock of Shared Life, still completely unharmed?
If the latter, how could an Origin Realm cultivator resist possession by a Saint Tier yin ghost?
Soon, however, the white-robed man seated atop the ancient willow stirred.
Resting his hands on his knees, he slowly rose to his feet and looked down at the three below, his gaze fixing on the golden runes that almost completely enveloped Tianyan.
Wherever his eyes fell, the willow fronds swayed, and drifting fluorescent cherry blossoms began to fall in flakes. This touch of radiance added a bizarre, seductive allure to the eerie, grim mist.
Then, with an indifferent expression, Xu Yuan raised his hand and aimed it directly at the spot where the three stood.
Seeing this, the voluptuous maiden in black suddenly smiled.
The connection of the Lock of Shared Life assured her that the man remained himself, rather than the ghost willow having succeeded in possession.
Gazing at the white-robed man atop the towering ancient willow, Tianye smiled and asked as if speaking to an old friend, "Xu Yuan, you even had the leisure to change your clothes. It seems you succeeded. Congratulations..."
At that, she paused for an instant, staring at the space between Xu Yuan's eyebrows with a chilling smile. "However... I am rather curious. How did you endure possession by a Saint Tier yin ghost?"
"......"
Xu Yuan's response to her greeting was equally simple: he curled his fingers slightly toward the three of them. A bewitching gleam flared across his eyes trailing pink luminescence, and the roots and willow tendrils blanketing dozens of li began to writhe.
At this sight, Luo Zhiyuan immediately cast his gaze over the surrounding swamp, and his face abruptly twisted.
In his perception, the entire subterranean ground had been hollowed out by the ghost willow's roots, squirming restlessly beneath the earth.
His aged voice turned exceedingly grim. "Saintess, fall back! The ground below has been hollowed out by the ghost willow!"
Tianye raised a brow, a flicker of surprise entering her eyes as she looked at Xu Yuan.
She had not expected him to react so quickly.
In a single breath, he had parsed the current state of affairs.
Yet even more than Xu Yuan's quick wits, what Tianye appreciated was how decisive this fellow could be.
Half an hour ago, they were still all sweet and intimate, yet now he struck to kill without the slightest hesitation.
A hint of excitement flashed in her golden phoenix eyes. Tianye showed no intention of retreating; instead, she swiftly commanded, "First help me bring Tianyan under control."
All things had their priorities, and in any matter, one had to see through to the essence of the problem.
Though she did not know the exact process, Xu Yuan seemed to have successfully brought this ghost willow under control using the Charm God tree seed.
And Xu Yuan had made it surface here clearly to rescue Tianyan from Luo Zhiyuan's hands.
As long as she controlled Tianyan first, Xu Yuan would be bound by caution, fearing to hurt what he sought to save.
As she spoke, the thousands of golden runes that had already condensed in the air blazed with divine radiance, surging toward Tianyan's slender body to bind her.
In that flash of lightning and spark of flint, Tianyan's golden eyes gleamed dazzlingly as she watched everything around her seemingly slow to a crawl.
Just moments ago, to save Xu Yuan, when Tianye had activated the Four Symbols God-Sealing Seal, she had made no move to resist.
And at their level, being even a breath or two late meant leaving no room to resist—to say nothing of the Saint standing right beside her.
Amid her thoughts, Luo Zhiyuan's attack had already arrived.
The overwhelming might of a Saint over an Origin Realm cultivator was almost impossible to defy.
*Pfft!*
Luo Zhiyuan raised a finger, and the electrical arc that lanced forth pierced right through Tianyan's slender, delicate frame. The tremendous force blasted her backward through the air.
Severe pain surged through her, and Tianyan could clearly perceive the damage she had sustained.
Her dantian had been pierced, and minute arcs of lightning seeped from the wound into her meridians, instantly spreading to numb them all.
Even so, not a trace of emotion showed on Tianyan's placid little face.
Yet at the sight of this, a sigh rose in Tianye's eyes.
A failure.
That old fossil Luo Zhiyuan had actually dealt with Tianyan the way one dealt with an ordinary cultivator.
Piercing the dantian might suffice for ordinary cultivators, but the woman before them was "Tianyan," who possessed a death substitution secret art just like her.
So long as either the sea of consciousness or the dantian remained intact, the secret art could still be triggered.
Tianye wanted to invoke the "Seal" true word to stall the other's death substitution secret art, but her strength fell short of her will. Sustaining the Four Symbols God-Sealing Seal with her injured body was already pushing her limits, let alone diverting focus to cast another technique.
Faster than words could tell, Tianye sent a secret voice transmission: "Lock onto Tianyan's qi dynamic! She can borrow a substitute to revive!"
Luo Zhiyuan instinctively looked back at Tianye, his eyes filled with incomprehension. "What do you mean?"
Tianye's clear voice held an urgent edge: "Don't dawdle, cripple her once more! Her state won't allow her to escape through death again—"
Before her words finished, Luo Zhiyuan's pupils contracted slightly; he suddenly understood what the Saintess meant.
In his perception, the maiden whose dantian he had pierced suddenly detonated herself. Almost simultaneously, a miraculous ripple propagated from a hundred zhang away.
In an instant, Tianyan's figure materialized in the empty air a hundred zhang away, her previously somewhat flushed face now deathly pale.
"......"
Staring at the scene before him, Luo Zhiyuan felt his worldview—honed over nearly three jiazi—suffer a profound shock.
Could such a miraculous technique truly exist in this world? That girl had clearly died just now, so why...
"Hurry!" Tianye snapped under her breath.
Luo Zhiyuan snapped out of his daze and instinctively moved to teleport across, but his figure ultimately paused beside Tianye.
That split second of hesitation was already too late.
Tianyan's figure flashed another hundred zhang away.
Farther out, countless willow tendrils and roots had already risen to receive her.
The cooked duck had flown the coop.
Watching Tianyan retreat, Tianye took a deep breath, her playful tone finally laced with anger. "Luo Zhiyuan, why did you hesitate just now?!"
Two chances, two warnings, both squandered because this old fossil refused to trust her.
Luo Zhiyuan let out a breath of turbid air, brushing off the Saintess's interrogation nonchalantly: "This Luo has never seen such a miraculous art before. I was somewhat astonished, hence the hesitation." Saying so, his aged eyes met hers. "Lady Saintess, how is it that you knew her secrets so intimately?"
Upon hearing this, visible fury flared on Tianye's radiant, alluring face, only to dissolve into helplessness a moment later.
These Holy Venerables like Luo Zhiyuan had occupied high positions for too long; they had long developed their own systems of judgment. Aside from the Pavilion Master, there was likely no one they would trust unconditionally.
"Even if I told you why I know, you wouldn't understand." Tianye's voice regained its usual nonchalance as she gave a light scoff. "On the other hand, Venerable Luo, have you thought of how to capture Tianyan back for the pavilion? The strength of that ghost willow controlled by Jinghe seems to be above yours."
Luo Zhiyuan choked on his words for a moment before replying in a low voice, "A yin ghost cannot be controlled for long. This matter requires careful deliberation."
Tianye curled her lips in a sneer, dissipated the Four Symbols God-Sealing Seal she had been maintaining, and raised her eyes toward the towering ghost willow in the distance.
The man atop it happened to look down at her at that exact moment. There was not a shred of emotion in his eyes, only a biting, frosty chill.
*Heh, men. How heartless~*
Tianye teased inwardly. The smile had barely curved her lips when Luo Zhiyuan's urgent shout came from beside her: "Saintess, leave this place first! It's coming!"
*Rumble—!*
Before the words died away, the previously quiet misty ghost domain abruptly boiled over. From stillness to motion took less than a few breaths. The willow tendrils swaying in the air, intertwined with the roots bursting from the earth, formed tidal waves that crashed toward the two below, one after another!
Seeing the tsunami of willow branches and boughs surging before him, Luo Zhiyuan's face darkened completely, and he unleashed the overwhelming pressure of a Saint without the slightest restraint.
Centered on Luo Zhiyuan, a silent, terrifying thundercloud formed in an instant, spreading in all directions. Heaven and earth lost color amidst flashing lightning and rumbling thunder. Wherever the thundercloud reached, ghost mist dissipated and willow tendrils turned to ash. The immense aura caused all surrounding things to pale.
Yet even so, the roots and tendrils rolling forward like ocean waves from afar showed no sign of stopping.
Five li.
Three li.
One li.
*Hum—!*
The sea of willow branches and roots crashed head-on into the thundercloud coiled across the ground. The clash between the Dao domains of two Saint-level powerhouses shook the heavens in an instant, and the gale stirred by the violent Source Qi turbulence swept through dozens of li of ghost mist in the surroundings!
When all returned to stillness and the thunderclouds dispersed, a devastated crater hundreds of zhang wide was left in the center of the swamp.
Standing atop the ghost willow, Xu Yuan silently looked down at the tumultuous scene below, which resembled the advent of a forest world, without uttering a word.
Inside the massive crater, the mist had cleared and the swamp had evaporated, leaving charred willow branches and trunks strewn across the floor, alongside baked, decomposing carcasses reeking of stench.
At the center of the deep pit, two figures stood suspended in midair. Tianye had her arms crossed over her chest, her face full of amusement as though watching a spectacle. Luo Zhiyuan appeared somewhat disheveled: the white hair he had kept meticulously tied was now loose and disarrayed, and several scratches marked his wrinkle-strewn cheeks.
Even among Saints, there were disparities. Luo Zhiyuan seemed unable to match this Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willow that had lived through countless ages. Of course, it was also possible that protecting Tianye by his side prevented him from fighting with complete abandon.
Amidst the dead silence, Xu Yuan's calm, unquestionable voice suddenly echoed outward: "Leave."
"......"
Hearing this, Luo Zhiyuan's eyes narrowed slightly. But before he could reply, Tianye spoke first, a trace of laughter in her tone: "Changtian, it seems your control over this ghost willow isn't quite perfect either? Although a Meishen cherry tree can manipulate Saint-level powerhouses, after all, it is still only a tree seed."
Xu Yuan did not deny it, but his reply was directed at the old man: "Even if my control over this ghost willow has flaws, I can still take you down with me before it loses control."
As his words fell, Tianye seemed to want to say more, but Luo Zhiyuan stopped her with a voice transmission.
He could not gamble on whether the other was bluffing; the clash just now had already demonstrated the brat's command over this Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willow.
As for continuing to fight... The ghost willow's raw strength was considerably superior to his own. Unless he staked his life with trump cards, there was no telling who would come out on top.
The trouble was, even if he played his trump cards and won, he could not guarantee the safety of the Saintess and himself afterward.
After all, this was Zhujian Valley, shrouded in ghost mist for ten thousand years. The beings in its deepest recesses were most likely watching this place from the shadows right now. The current situation was truly not suited for continuing the confrontation. This matter was best addressed with a long-term plan...
A thought flashed through his mind. Luo Zhiyuan glanced at Xu Yuan's pink-glowing eyes and suddenly called out, "Brat, how about we make a trade?"
Observing the old man's expression, Xu Yuan pondered briefly and replied directly through voice transmission: "You want the Charm God tree seed?"
"You are quite clever..."
"Impossible," Xu Yuan flatly refused.
"This Luo means to trade other treasures for it," Luo Zhiyuan continued without taking offense.
*Great, Old Man Luo's ancestor.*
Hearing that the man was surnamed Luo, Xu Yuan could not help feeling a sense of oddness, but he still shook his head. "I said, impossible."
"As long as you hand the Charm God tree seed over to me—"
"It has already been destroyed."
"......" Luo Zhiyuan.
Xu Yuan did not hide it either, speaking the truth: "Old man surnamed Luo, the time I have left to control this ghost willow is running out. I'll ask you one last time: do you want to leave, or do you want to stay here and drag each other down to the grave?"
"......"
Luo Zhiyuan's expression grew very ugly. Through seven years of relentless pursuit, both sides had maintained a bottom line: the Charm God tree seed. As long as Tianyan and her companion did not destroy the Charm God tree seed, they would not kill the pair, because they needed Tianyan to refine into the Meishen tree spirit. Now, that bottom line had been shattered.
With this in mind, Luo Zhiyuan's voice took on an icy chill: "Brat, are you serious about what you just said?"
"If I hadn't sacrificed the entire seed, how could I have controlled a Saint Tier ghost willow like this?" As he spoke, Xu Yuan opened his right hand. "A count of five fingers. Afterward, I will command the ghost willow to kill you. Five. Four."
"Enough." Luo Zhiyuan took a deep breath, interrupting his countdown. Giving Xu Yuan a deep, lingering look, he said in a heavy voice, "We are leaving."
Succinct and decisive. Having spoken, he turned to Tianye at his side. "Saintess, let us go."
"Old Man Luo, if you want to leave, go ahead. When did I say I was leaving?" Tianye asked back with a beaming smile.
Seeing the Saintess's expression, veins instantly bulged on Luo Zhiyuan's forehead.
Tianye completely ignored him. Gazing up at the man whose white robes were like snow, she sent a voice transmission: "Xu Yuan, take me with you."
Xu Yuan stared at this madwoman, his tone tinged with incredulity: "Are you insane?"
Tianye raised a slender forefinger and tapped her head lightly. "If you don't take me along, I will kill myself right now."
Xu Yuan looked deeply at her, then suddenly sneered. "Suit yourself. I'll watch."
"......" Tianye.
"Why aren't you moving?" Xu Yuan's voice held an apt hint of perplexity. "If you want to commit suicide, you can do it right now. This old man shouldn't be able to stop you. Why stand there doing nothing?"
"......" Tianye.
After a moment of silence, the black-robed maiden poked out the tip of her small tongue to lick her lips, gazing at him with eyes brimming with seductive allure: "It seems Brother Xu Yuan truly understands me~"
"I know a bit about lunatics." Looking down at the black-dressed enchantress, Xu Yuan spoke with a trace of mockery: "Before, you didn't care about life or death because everything here was an illusion. Now that there is hope of possessing someone and escaping, how could you bear to die?"
Tianye pressed her lips together, bowed her head, and chuckled twice, murmuring like a sigh: "You're right. Now, I no longer want to die..."
"Then stop wasting your breath here," Xu Yuan cut across her rambling, his voice chilly. "Get lost."
"What a terrible temper. Can't you let me finish speaking?" Golden light drifted through Tianye's eyes as she scanned the surroundings on her own, speaking softly, "I have a pretty good guess as to how you, as a mere Origin Realm cultivator, managed to withstand possession by a Saint Tier yin ghost."
Hearing this, Xu Yuan's brow immediately furrowed. "What are you trying to say?"
"Don't be in such a hurry." Tianye waved her hand with a casual smile. Then her eyes lit up, as if she had found what she was looking for.
Her gaze locked onto a barefoot maiden several li away.
It was none other than Tianyan, who had fled earlier.
Her face remained as pale as paper, yet unlike before, a few streaks of sickly crimson now flushed her cheeks.
*Charm poison.*
Tianye recognized her condition at a glance. Licking her red lips with keen interest, she smiled and sent a voice transmission: "Xu Yuan, why does Tianyan have charm poison in her?"
"What business is that of yours?"
"Just asking, don't get angry~" Tianye lifted a delicate jade-like hand and stroked her fair jaw. Glancing at the towering ancient willow beneath him, her red lips parted slightly, her tone lazy: "Ah... this ghost willow was truly foolish. A mere living soul daring to attempt possessing the very source of this entire illusion—no wonder it failed."
Hearing this, Xu Yuan's pupils shrank.
Tianye's voice continued in his ear like a demonic whisper: "I just wanted to ask you: if Tianyan were to find out that the source of this illusion originates from your intent-soul..."
Speaking to this point, Tianye broke into a radiant smile, lovely as a blooming flower: "Tell me, how will she view you then? Will she kill you to break free of the illusion, or remain in this illusion with you forever?"
"......"
His breath hitched, and a flash of killing intent instantly sparked in Xu Yuan's eyes.
Tianye immediately pulled back her neck in mock terror: "Brother Xu Yuan, your expression is terrifying..."
As she spoke, Tianye sneered and pointed toward Tianyan, smiling as she said, "Too bad it's already too late if you want to silence me. While talking to you, I've already passed this along to Tianyan via voice transmission. I hope the two of you can get along nicely after this... Tianye is really looking forward to our next meeting, Bro~ther~ Xu~ Yuan~"
With that, Tianye glanced at Luo Zhiyuan beside her, and together they dissolved into two blurs, speeding toward the horizon until they disappeared.
After the two left, all fell utterly silent.
Xu Yuan slowly turned around to look at the maiden who had come up behind him.
And the maiden merely bit her lip, looking at him quietly.
Chapter 412