The battle between Zilong and
Both were Void King Realm cultivators — beings who normally looked down upon the world from lofty heights. Yet they had only reached the first layer. Now, witnessing the full might of a second-layer powerhouse unleashed without restraint, they immediately understood the gulf between themselves and such an opponent.
If Ni Guang and Zilong were this formidable, then what about the Ghost Ancestor, who stood on the same level?
The two exchanged a look of shared dread and glanced toward the Ghost Ancestor.
The Ghost Ancestor had no intention of targeting them. He remained stationed beside
But what the Ghost Ancestor hadn't anticipated was that Xu Wei's life was no longer in his own hands. It had been seized by Zi Donglai.
Seeing his father locked in combat with Ni Guang, Zi Donglai naturally wasn't about to let his father fight alone. He immediately sent a thought transmission to Xu Wei, ordering him to engage the Ghost Ancestor.
Xu Wei's expression turned ugly as he cursed Zi Donglai to high heaven in his mind.
But with his soul imprint under Zi Donglai's control, he didn't dare offer the slightest resistance. All he could do was turn his schemes toward his old friend. His eyes darted, he steadied his emotions, and quietly sent a voice transmission to Kong Fa: "Brother Kong, the opportunity has arrived."
Kong Fa frowned. "Brother Xu, this opportunity you speak of… you're not thinking about making a move on that boy right now, are you?"
"That's exactly what I'm thinking."
"Have you lost your mind? That old fellow beside the boy doesn't look like someone you can tangle with easily. Even if we joined forces, we might not be his match." Kong Fa was startled.
"Brother Kong, fortune favors the bold! Since we reached the Void King Realm, has either of us broken through to the next level? Do you want to remain stuck at the first layer for the rest of your life? The Unaging Tree is a supreme treasure that countless people would give anything just to glimpse. If we let this chance slip by, I'll never rest easy. No matter what you decide, I'm going for it — even if it costs me my life!" Xu Wei delivered an impassioned appeal, trying to drag Kong Fa into the scheme. Alone, he wouldn't dare provoke the Ghost Ancestor under any circumstances.
Kong Fa's expression grew solemn, and he appeared to be deep in thought.
Seeing an opening, Xu Wei pressed his advantage without hesitation: "We don't have to fight that old fellow head-on. With Ni Guang tied down by Zilong, all we need is for one of us to draw the old fellow's attention while the other strikes at the boy. If we can capture him, the old fellow will be forced to hold back."
"That may be true, but still…" Kong Fa remained hesitant.
"Brother Kong, I'm willing to engage the old fellow. You handle the boy." Xu Wei abandoned all pretense of caution and immediately shouldered the more dangerous task.
Kong Fa's body trembled. He stared at Xu Wei in astonishment, visibly moved. "Brother Xu, you…"
In his memory, Xu Wei was never the type to make sacrifices. The proposal caught him completely off guard.
Xu Wei laughed heartily: "I just hope that if you succeed, you won't forget my trouble in all this!"
"Of course not!" Kong Fa was finally won over. He said gravely: "Brother Xu, since you've put it that way, it would be ungrateful of me to refuse. Fine — let's do it! If I manage to seize the tree, we split the Unaging Tree right down the middle!"
"Good!" Xu Wei rejoiced inwardly, thinking he had finally dragged his old friend into the mess. All his persuasion hadn't been wasted.
Having reached their agreement, the two wasted no more time. They activated their Sacred Yuan in unison and turned menacing gazes toward Yang Kai.
"Heh heh heh…" The Ghost Ancestor let out an eerie cackle. "Finally lost your patience, have you? Perfect — it's been dreadfully boring standing around here. You two boys can keep me entertained."
The moment he finished speaking, the massive ghost head that had been hovering in midair suddenly let out a roar, opened its gaping black maw, and lunged toward Kong Fa and Xu Wei.
Both men were startled. They scattered immediately, deploying their techniques to evade while summoning artifacts and secret arts to strike back at the ghost head.
The Ghost Ancestor remained unruffled. With a flick of his finger, the ghost head split cleanly in two, causing both attacks to find nothing but empty air. The two halves twisted and transformed, reforming into a pair of ghost heads that resumed their pursuit of the two cultivators.
Xu Wei and Kong Fa's faces sank as they realized they had gravely underestimated the Ghost Ancestor. The ghost heads alone were nearly impossible to shake off — let alone getting close enough to Yang Kai to make a move.
In that moment, the divine bird's resting ground had become a scene of absolute chaos, with fierce battles raging both in the sky and on the ground.
Meanwhile, under the protection of
Before long, the Dharma Body arrived before the Unaging Tree.
Through the Dharma Body, Yang Kai observed the Unaging Tree in perfect clarity. At this close range, he could feel with far greater intensity just how terrifying the vitality contained within the tree truly was.
He had heard legends of the Unaging Tree before — that it had long since vanished from the river of history. He never imagined that one still survived here in this Lost Land.
This was a supreme treasure capable of granting an undying, imperishable body! Something even more precious than the Seven-Colored Warming Soul Lotus, and it was right before his eyes!
Yang Kai's heart stirred with excitement. He took a moment to calm himself before guiding the Dharma Body to uproot the Unaging Tree.
The Stone Puppet Dharma Body's two massive palms gripped the roots near the base of the Unaging Tree and pulled upward with a subtle application of force.
But to Yang Kai's surprise, the Unaging Tree didn't budge even slightly. The small sapling seemed rooted as though it had been planted into steel-reinforced ground.