Necropolis Immortal

As startled as Lu Yun was, he didn’t show it. Not a flicker of change marred his expression.

“Surely you jest, senior. Your cultivation soars to the heavens. Would this junior be able to pull the wool over your eyes if such a sacred item resides on me?” Lu Yun smiled faintly.

“Eyes? I have no eyes, but my instincts are never wrong.” The old tree’s voice was just as gentle, but now tinged with imperious certainty.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Vines appeared in the air again and surged toward Lu Yun before he could respond. As the Eye of Nullification was active, he had a full grasp of the vines’ trajectories. Immortals Forbidden exploded with light almost as soon as they appeared.

The Eighteen Cerulean Sword Dragons!

Lu Yun immediately deployed his strongest technique. Sword qi of the Eighteen Cerulean Sword Dragons rose from his dantian and melded with his flying sword. He was surrounded by countless rays of crimson sword qi and turned into a crimson dragon more than thirty meters long.

His cerulean sword dragon was more than ten times stronger than what Yong Heyu had brought to bear in Dark City. The dragon figure twisted eighteen times in a strange configuration, tearing the approaching vines to pieces.

The true meaning of the Eighteen Cerulean Sword Dragons was not to utilize all eighteen moves at the same time. That would just infinitely weaken the technique. Rather, each of the eighteen turns meant a dao trajectory and ultimate truth of heaven and earth. That was the true meaning of the method.

There was only one move in the Eighteen Cerulean Sword Dragons!

After he churned through the vines, Lu Yun shot up into the sky still in the form of a dragon. The core essence of this formation of illusion was still the basic cycle of the five elements. Specifically, the old tree’s power of wood. The tree was so massive and all powerful that if it wasn’t for the formation, it would be visible thousands of kilometers away.

He would have to kill the old tree if he wished to break the formation, but such a tree, even if it was completely ordinary, wasn’t anything that Lu Yun could destroy. Its torrential wood energy harbored infinite vitality, making it nearly impossible to kill.

In Lu Yun’s eyes, the tree was at least a peerless immortal, maybe even dao immortal. All he could do was run.

“There will be no place for me in this world if I let you get away from me!” The old tree finally flew into a rage and brought down overpowering aura on Lu Yun amid a loud series of rustles.

Pfft!

Lu Yun spat out fresh blood—this was the aura of a dao immortal! He was just mid golden core! His cerulean sword dragon form immediately dissipated upon being struck.

He was smashed into the dirt, thin cracks spider webbing his bones. If it wasn’t for his golden core being one of great dao and true origin being Hongmeng qi, he would already be pulverized.

All the same, it was a very arduous experience. He was crushed into the mud and severe agony wracking his mind. If not for his stalwart mindset, he would’ve already fainted from the pain.

“Damn it, it’s the Hongmeng Tree, number six of the ten heavenly treasures. It’s even sentient! If I make it out alive, I’m going to refine a Poisonheart Grass and send you to the afterlife with it!” As his thoughts traveled wildly, a dot of pale-green flashed through the gray Hongmeng qi in his body. The gray energy turned jade green and his terrifying injuries instantly recovered.

“It really is a sacred item of wood! Hahahah!” The Hongmeng Tree shook with laughter when it sensed the development in Lu Yun’s body.

……

Jade Ice Lake.

A black shadow floated up from the foggy depths as a pair of crimson eyes looked toward Fallen Leaf Mountain.

……

Fallen Leaf City, Azure Dragons headquarters.

Disciples cowered and shuddered with dread.

“Hahaha, I thought only the three girls were coming today, to think you’d come too, Leng Shan!” A young man in long white robes and a wine gourd made of white jade at his waist roared with laughter.

“Big brother Huiying, is your wine tasty?” came a sweet voice by the young man’s side. A young girl of sixteen years and dressed in downy-yellow robes looked hopefully at Huiying. Her large limpid eyes, nested amid exquisitely carved features, batted their eyelashes at him.

Huiying’s face fell and he wrapped protective hands around the gourd. “No, no, not at all. Big brother Huiying’s wine is the worst. Your big brothers Zi Chen and Wuheng have the best wine!”

It was Zi Chen and Wuheng’s turn to smile ruefully.

“There’s a good girl, Little Xun Luo. How about we compromise? You can have some, but don’t drink it all!” The aloof Wuheng couldn’t help but wave a white flag when faced with the girl. Xun Luo’s eyes curved into crescents from the force of her smile when she heard the response.

“Oh?” A young girl dressed in a green silk dress suddenly looked to the north, her expression shifting drastically.

“Never mind that, young sis Ying Xue. That old tree in Fallen Leaf Mountain throws a tantrum every now and then. Huiying just taught it a lesson a few days ago,” Zi Chen chuckled.

“The old tree? The Hongmeng tree?” Yu Luo creased her brow. Her long hair reached her waist and a red silk dress turned her into a fairy of fire. Wuheng looked dumbly at her and subconsciously swallowed hard.

“Yep, it’s that old tree alright. If it’s annoying you, Yu Luo, I’ll teach it a lesson for you!” Wuheng quickly said when he caught Yu Luo’s expression.

“Forget it, it’s not often that the seven of us get together. There’s no need to pay it any attention.” Ying Xue smiled and prevented Wuheng from rushing off.

……

The forbidden zone of Fallen Leaf Mountain.

Vine upon vine stretched out of the void. Each was several dozen meters thick and so long that their end could not be glimpsed. Lu Yun could offer no resistance and was rolled up into the sky.

The Hongmeng Tree was at least a peerless immortal—there was nothing that a mere golden core cultivator could do to it.

“So the sacred wood treasure has become one with your body! That’s even better, I only need to extract your blood to obtain it!” the Hongmeng Tree chortled. If it wasn’t for the fact that the treasure would wither with the death of the human, it would’ve already struck down Lu Yun.

Pfft!

A long wooden needle stabbed into Lu Yun’s chest and began guzzling his blood.

“Hahaha, this is indeed a pure sacred wood treasure! Hahahahaha!! Huiying won’t be able to do anything to me once I swallow it!” the Hongmeng Tree roared with laughter.

The tree detected Lu Yun’s aura the moment the young man set foot into Fallen Leaf Mountain. However, Lu Yun had been with Huiying then, so the tree hadn’t dared try anything. It’d kept a firm grip on its impulses, waiting for Lu Yun to strike out on his own before making a move.

“Hmph!” Lu Yun set his jaw and looked coldly at the Hongmeng Tree, inwardly quite calm. He was focused on communicating with the sword pagoda in his dantian. He wanted to use the sword qi within it to kill the tree.

However, it’d gone quiet. The ray of sword qi hovered silently at its core, completely inert.

“Oh?” Something else registered—while the Hongmeng Tree sucked away his blood, something else in his body wrested back a sliver of wood power.

“The Builder Tree is the first spirit root of the world and the king of trees. A mere Hongmeng Tree wants to take it? It won’t stand for that!” Lu Yun’s eyes brightened as a thought compared to him. His fingers flew through hand seals and operated the Connate Great Dao of the Five Elements. Tremendous power of connate wood gathered from the eastern direction, settling into his body. When the Builder Tree’s power of wood was fortified by connate wood, it exploded outward.

Wham!

Lu Yun turned jade green as his blood returned through the wooden needle. Not only that, but the power of wood within the Hongmeng Tree also came with it!

“What, what is this?!” the Hongmeng Tree shrieked with dismay. The tiny young human was quickly absorbing all of its strength! It couldn’t sever the connection even though it wanted to!

The young man was as if a bottomless hole, endlessly absorbing the power of wood from the Hongmeng Tree. The tree would be gravely injured if the situation continued and fall into a deep sleep.

“The Tree King… Tree of the World!” The Hongmeng Tree finally understood what the sacred wood treasure was, but all was too late.