Chapter 120: Thunder Heart Spring Wood
A huge commotion was coming from behind White Cloud Mountain. Dense Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi erupted like a volcano, and everyone in Phoenix Town and the surrounding areas could feel it.
The strange phenomenon was sudden. Ye Xing and the others were completely baffled, unable to make sense of the situation. They had no choice but to rush toward the source of the disturbance to see what was going on.
White Cloud Mountain was thousands of feet tall, soaring into the clouds. Its slopes were covered in dense trees with lush foliage.
It was now night, and the world was dim. On the mountain path, hazy moonlight cast mottled shadows, and a gentle breeze made the leaves rustle.
"Look! Over there! It looks like a green light is flashing!" Hong Hai exclaimed, pointing to a dense forest on the left side of the mountain.
Ye Xing and the others immediately turned to look. In the forest on the mountain ahead and to their left, a shimmering green light flickered. From a distance, it looked as if countless fireflies were glowing within the trees, their dancing green light a beautiful and strange sight.
The group immediately ran toward the forest.
The mountain path was winding and rugged.
Ten minutes later, the group arrived at the forest.
Ye Xing, Hong Hai, and the others were completely stunned by the scene before them. The dreamlike image was breathtaking.
Before Ye Xing stood a Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree. Its trunk was so thick it would take several people with linked hands to encircle it. Its incredibly dense branches and leaves spread out in all directions like a colossal, open umbrella holding up the sky.
Of course, that wasn’t the crucial part. While Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Trees were rare, they could still be found in various places across the Martial Arts Continent. The important thing was that this particular Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree was glowing! It was glowing! It was really, truly glowing!
The entire Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree radiated a shimmering green light. Its branches, twigs, and every single leaf shone with the jade-like luster of a brilliant emerald. The surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was exceptionally dense, growing even more so the closer they got to the tree.
"Don’t tell me this Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree has become a spirit," Xue Yong said, dumbfounded.
"Such dense Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi! Could a treasure be emerging?" Hong Hai said, his eyes flashing.
"If I am not mistaken, this is likely a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure," Ma Feng said gravely, his gaze serious. "Legend says that when a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure emerges, it causes the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to surge wildly, creating a massive disturbance. The current density of Primordial Qi on White Cloud Mountain fits the description of a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure’s birth."
"Guardian Ma, what is a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure? Why have I never heard of it?" Xue Yong asked curiously.
Nearby, Ye Xing also pricked up his ears. He had never heard of a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure, either. After all, having been on the Martial Arts Continent for only two or three months, there were still many things he had yet to encounter.
"Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures are manifestations of the Heaven and Earth Laws themselves. They only gestate in special places under extremely rare conditions. Each one contains a fragment of these Laws and possesses immense power. A Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure hasn’t appeared in our Tang Country for decades. The last one was said to have emerged thirty-nine years ago near the Golden Scale Imperial City. Countless expert Martial Artists swarmed the location to fight for it, and more than ten Innate Realm powerhouses engaged in a brutal slaughter. The outskirts of the Imperial City flowed with rivers of blood; the casualties were innumerable. Over a dozen masters from the Wind and Cloud List perished, one Innate Realm expert was killed, and the rest were all severely injured," Ma Feng explained.
"Guardian Ma, are you saying this Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree could be the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure?" Ye Xing asked.
"Er, well..." Ma Feng hesitated, slightly taken aback.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s grab it! This commotion is so big, other Martial Artists are sure to come rushing over to fight us for it. Since it’s a treasure, we should take it now while no one else is around," Xue Yong said. Driven by his impatient nature, he charged forward recklessly.
When he reached the Big Banyan Tree, Xue Yong froze. He tilted his head back and stared dumbly at the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree, which towered dozens of times over him.
"Huh, the treasure’s a little big... How am I supposed to take it with me? And even if I could, where would I hide it?" Xue Yong scratched his head in frustration. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "I’ve got it! I can’t carry the whole Big Banyan Tree, but I can chop off a branch to take with me!"
Xue Yong immediately pushed off the ground, gathered his True Qi, and soared twenty feet into the air. Swinging his Nine-Ringed Saber, he chopped down at a branch of the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree.
WHOOSH!
The leaves of the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree rustled loudly. Xue Yong’s Nine-Ringed Saber struck an arm-thick branch, severing it in a single strike.
Rustling as it went, the branch fell from the air and crashed onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Hehe, easy as pie!" Xue Yong looked smug as he walked over and picked up the severed branch.
"My Lord, I’ve retrieved a piece of the treasure!" Xue Yong ran over gleefully, presenting the branch to Ye Xing.
"Are you sure this is the treasure?" Ye Xing rolled his eyes, looking with amusement at the simple-minded Xue Yong.
"You idiot, stop embarrassing yourself in front of our Lord. Hurry up and toss that branch," Hong Hai scolded with a laugh.
"What’s so embarrassing? It’s a branch from the treasure tree, so it has to be part of the treasure," Xue Yong retorted, pouting. As he spoke, his brow furrowed and he muttered, "Huh? That’s strange. Why did it stop glowing? I swear it was flashing green a second ago." While speaking, he accidentally squeezed his hands a little too hard. SNAP! The branch broke in two, now looking no different from a common, dead twig.
"Look! Look at the banyan tree!" Ma Feng suddenly cried out in alarm.
Ye Xing, Hong Hai, and Xue Yong whipped their heads around to look, just in time to witness an astonishing and eerie scene.
The spot on the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree where Xue Yong had cut the branch was regrowing at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just a few moments, a brand-new branch had grown back completely.
"Wh-what’s going on?" Xue Yong was completely dumbfounded.
’A Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure is not so simple, after all!’ Ma Feng thought. He immediately pushed off the ground, leaping into the air. His long saber flashed from its sheath, whistling through the air as he slashed at a particularly thick branch.
With a rustle of leaves, the branch was sliced off and fell to the ground. However, the astonishing scene repeated itself: the cut immediately began to regrow, and within moments, a brand-new branch had taken its place.
Ye Xing’s gaze shifted. Noticing that the green light was most intense at the center of the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree’s trunk, he immediately drew his Cyan Blade Sword, preparing to strike it.
But just as he was about to—
"Haha, you bunch of fools! The Thunder Heart Spring Wood hasn’t even finished forming. Why are you wasting your energy?" a light, mocking laugh suddenly rang out.
Startled, everyone looked up.
There, on a branch of the Big Banyan Tree, a young man had appeared without anyone noticing.
The youth was about sixteen or seventeen. He was lounging against a branch of the Big Banyan Tree, one hand propping up his head while the other toyed with a small, precious jade carving. With his legs crossed and a blade of foxtail grass dangling from his mouth, he was the very picture of a devil-may-care loafer.