After the passage of another incense stick, the trunk of the giant tree began to steadily shrink until it was reduced to a few hundred zhang in thickness. By this point, the clouds had been left far behind.
Suddenly, the previously straight trunk split into two enormous branches, stretching out to the left and right.
The two forked branches were of equal size, each a hundred zhang thick, soaring through the air like leaping dragons or two sturdy ox horns.
In ancient times, there was a miraculous tree called the "Jianmu", which was a bridge connecting heaven and earth. Its shape was like that of an ox, with wood resembling a lotus, and leaves like a silk veil...
Looking at it now, the characteristics of this strange tree match those of the Jianmu perfectly. It must be a surviving Jianmu that still exists between heaven and earth.
Li Xiu pursed his lips and flew higher. He had already spotted the horns, and the treetop should not be far away.
Finally, the huge leaves on the giant branches became more and more lush, and the inexplicable fragrance in the air became stronger and stronger, making people feel invigorated just by smelling it.
Li Xiu felt that this unique fragrance contained a strong vitality. Just by taking a sniff, it could dispel all kinds of illnesses and prolong life. Of course, this was only for ordinary people. The effect on Li Xiu was weak, but the fragrance seemed to have a source.
Suddenly, Li Xiu stopped in his tracks. He saw a stone door embedded in the trunk of the tree, about ten meters high and several meters wide. Four ancient seal characters were carved into the center of the stone door: "Heavenly Emperor's Treasury"!
The stone door was firmly embedded within the trunk of the tree, creating a wide opening that could accommodate people.
Li Xiu landed and rushed into the opening, but suddenly he heard a whistling sound of breaking wind, causing him to stop and turn around.
The first thing that comes into view is a simple and ancient bronze incense burner, stirring up a fierce wind as it comes crashing forward. The heat emanating from it is intense, and the body of the incense burner is glowing red, causing the surrounding air to become agitated and making it hard to catch one's breath.
Li Xiu's expression is cold and solemn, and with a wave of his Mountain River Fan, a long river suddenly appears in midair, roaring and crashing forward with tremendous force.
A sound like metal clanging echoed out, and a sizzling white mist filled the entire tree hole as the bronze incense burner flew backwards. It landed back in the hands of the long-bearded old man who had a smile on his lips.
"The Heavenly Emperor's Treasury, such a majestic name. I'm sure there are all kinds of ancient treasures inside. What a stroke of luck!"
Yun Yilan exclaimed with awe, then turned to look at Li Xiu and spoke in a resolute voice.
"I, as the Leader of the Fen Xiang Valley, am responsible for the wellbeing of all living beings in the world. I will never let this treasure fall into the hands of those in the demonic way to harm any living being in this world!"
Li Xiu waved his Mountain River Fan, and a strong wind blew away the white mist in the cave. He looked at Yun Yilan with a cold expression, his face showing disdain.
At this moment, the Ghost King flew into the cave on wisps of black wind, sneering coldly.
"Valley Master Yun, don't bother with these empty words that won't help you in the fight for the treasure. Don't forget, there are more powerful masters of the demonic way in the Dead Swamp."
The Ghost King's eyes flickered as he looked at Li Xiu, who had disguised his appearance, and continued speaking.
"Hall Master Red Demon, how about we form an alliance today and sweep all these hypocritical people who talk about righteousness and morality under the tree?"
The Ghost King spoke with great enthusiasm, infecting the emotions of those present.
However, Li Xiu shook the Mountain River Fan in his hand, ignoring the Ghost King's proposal for an alliance. He stood like a stone pillar in front of the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury, unmoving, as if he wanted to single-handedly block everyone else from entering.
The Ghost King let out a dry laugh a few times, suppressing the anger in his eyes, and said nothing more.
With a cold snort, Yun Yilan waved his left hand, and a burst of flames sprang up in the air. The color of the fire was like amber, pure and hot, the pinnacle of the Fen Xiang Valley's cultivation of the profound fire technique.
Yun Yilan didn't want to say much. He just wanted to rush in and wait for the demonic cultivators to arrive. Even if the monks of the Tian Yin Pavilion arrived, he would still fight them for the treasure. Once he entered the treasury and obtained the treasure, he would leave and refine and control it. Then, no one would dare to oppose him, whether they were righteous or demonic cultivators.
Yun Yilan's eyes suddenly revealed a few hints of heat, but it was unclear whether it was due to the flickering flames or his intense greed.
With a step forward, Yun Yilan fiercely shattered the amber-colored profound fire in his hand. The profound fire scattered and turned into a solid fire jade palm print several zhang wide, which he slapped fiercely towards Li Xiu.
The Ghost King watched from the side and couldn't help but be surprised. The Leader of the Fen Xiang Valley, Yun Yilan, was rarely heard of and almost never left the valley. Today, it seemed that his cultivation was not inferior to Daoxuan on Qing Yun Mountain back then.
In terms of strength, there were probably few people in the world who could match Yun Yilan. It was unclear whether the Red Demon, who was similarly rarely heard of and whose strength was unknown, could withstand him.
The Ghost King stepped back two steps, looking calm as he watched the two people. He had the intention of sitting back and watching the fight, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Under the blazing flames, the temperature inside the cave rose sharply. Even before the fire jade palm print landed, the wooden tree had already become discolored and burnt yellow, revealing the immense power of the attack.
Seeing this situation, Li Xiu remained calm and collected. He flicked his sleeve and summoned a green jade ring, pouring a large amount of spiritual energy into it.
In the spacious cave, a dragon's roar echoed, shaking the leaves and branches of the wooden tree.
Pu Kong, standing on a golden light, looked up and saw a burst of red flames erupt from a section of the wooden tree a hundred feet away. Two figures were thrown out, battered and bruised, flying far away before finally coming to a stop.
In mid-air, the Ghost King clutched his chest and coughed up a mouthful of blood. He looked at his clothes, which had been scorched and curled up, and a strong sense of fear and dread suddenly appeared on his face.
In the face of such pure yang energy and the sturdy dragon tail that was glanced over in a hurry...
While the Ghost King was still guessing, Yun Yilan was already extremely shocked and angry, yelling in disbelief.
"Damn it! How could the town treasure of my Fen Xiang Valley, the Mysterious Fire Mirror, be in the hands of a demon like you?"
In the wooden tree cave, which had been violently widened several times by the previous strike, Li Xiu stood suspended in mid-air, his clothes fluttering. Around him swam a ferocious red dragon, carved as if from pure Yang jade. Its dragon head was fierce, its claws sharp, and it occasionally spewed out flames, clearly assuming a protective stance.
The red dragon was only a few zhang long, without any flames or heat on its body, but Yun Yilan did not dare to approach again. As the Valley Master of Fen Xiang Valley, he was all too clear about the power of the Eight Desolate Fire Dragon.
Although there was no assistance from the Eight Evil Profound Fire Formation, it was still impossible to reach the point of burning the mountains and boiling the sea, but the Eight Desolate Fire Dragon was condensed from the purest heavenly fire, extremely restrained, able to easily burn all things, but it couldn't be faked!
After standing in a stalemate for several moments, disciples from the two demonic sects and two righteous sects all arrived, their magic treasures floating in mid-air. Seeing that their respective sect leaders did not step forward, they also carefully refrained from making any sudden movements.
The disciples of the North Sea Red Blood Hall ran a long way and finally took a break inside the wooden tree cave. Then they stood outside one after another, releasing their strong North Sea True Energy and assuming a defensive posture.
Just as both the righteous and demonic sides were at a loss and extremely wary, unwilling to rashly approach, a thunderous roar suddenly came from the clouds below the wooden tree.
The invisible sound waves turned into a raging gust of wind, rushing from bottom to top and shaking the bodies of the disciples from both sides, making it impossible for them to open their eyes.
The expressions of the Ghost King and the others also changed, and a few traces of joy appeared on their faces. At this point, the situation was unfavorable for them, and no matter what came, causing chaos would break the deadlock! Only when things became chaotic would they have a chance!
After the roar, there came a strange and inexplicable "hissing" sound, like a venomous snake slithering through the grass, or like a rope rubbing against a hard stone, echoing through the heavens and the earth, getting louder and closer.
The disciples of the North Sea Red Blood Hall stood within the wooden tree cave, and felt most clearly the strange trembling of the tree under their feet, as if some colossal beast was climbing up along the trunk of the wooden tree.