Yu Su found that Lu Yan really needed a stern reminder.
Recalling their past agreement, Lu Yan felt regretful. He realized he shouldn't have argued with Yu Su, as it only led to reminders of their agreement. Silently acknowledging his mistake, he refrained from speaking, understanding that he had crossed a line.
Yu Su snorted. Lu Yan shouldn't think that acting remorseful would exempt him. If he dared to speak recklessly again, Yu Su would make him understand why the flowers turned so red!
"Remember, no more speaking out of turn, and don't get too close!"
"Got it."Lu Yan reluctantly agreed, and Yu Su's mouth twitched; this guy seemed quite aggrieved.
For some unknown reason, he insisted on sticking to him so closely every day.
"Sleep."
When Lu Yan saw Yu Su lying by the bonfire, he originally wanted to go to Yu Su's side. However, after a glare from Yu Su, he had to retreat to his original position.
Both of them lay down by the bonfire, and Yu Su fell asleep soon.
Lu Yan stayed awake, resting his head on his hand, observing Yu Su's face across the bonfire.
He understood what Yu Su had said earlier; he wasn't a fool, but he couldn't comprehend it.
Following Yu Su's words, he had to be cautious even in their conversations. He didn't like it.
Yu Su was special, and he didn't want any distance between them.
Yu Su also mentioned that he could only be intimate with his own wife in the future. But why did there have to be a wife? He didn't want to marry; he wanted to be with Yu Su forever.
Their situation wasn't much different from others getting married, and that was fine.
During the night, Lu Yan added firewood several times, ensuring the fire stayed lit.
The next morning, when it was barely light, he had hardly slept, yet he remained spirited.
Yu Su, unaware of what Lu Yan had been thinking all night, was ready to find a way to enter the water.
Thanks to the little spirits from last night, Yu Su had a general understanding of the situation in the water. With the help of the all-element spirit's scan, entering the water with Lu Yan went smoothly without stepping into the muddy marsh.
After walking on the water for half a day, they finally reached a large lake.
In the distance, an island was visible at the center of the lake, with a special giant tree. The tree was lush, and its canopy almost covered a third of Yu Village.
Yu Su felt the rich aura of wood spirits emanating from the island.
He speculated that it was the Tree of Life.
The problem was how to get there now.
The lake was vast, and they needed a boat to cross. Traveling all the way would be exhausting.
So, Yu Su and Lu Yan found a tree on the water, hollowed out its middle, and made a wooden boat. They paddled towards the island.
But shortly after entering the lake, the all-element spirit suddenly warned, "Something is coming from under the water!"
Yu Su, helpless, had to turn the boat around with Lu Yan.
As they returned to the swamp, the creatures pursued them.
Fortunately, Yu Su and Lu Yan were fast on land. They climbed a large tree, and the creatures couldn't follow, only bumping into the tree below.
Their strength was immense, and Yu Su estimated the tree would be knocked down soon. So, he and Lu Yan attacked the creatures.
The creatures had thick skin, making regular attacks ineffective.
Yu Su summoned tendrils to bind their mouths and used wooden thorns to stab their eyes.
Lu Yan used rockets to target their eyes.
After a few minutes, they temporarily cleared the four creatures.
Yu Su stayed in the tree temporarily, asking the all-element spirit about what else was in the lake.
"There's something like a water snake. It's coiled around the other side of the island. I haven't scanned it completely, but its demonic power is strong, likely a high-level demon beast."
"..."
A high-level demon beast? Wouldn't they be in trouble going to the island?
Yu Su pondered. "Think of a way."
Just then, Lu Yan suggested, "I'll distract it."
Yu Su held him back. "Don't be reckless; going there would be like offering ourselves."
Lu Yan frowned slightly. He didn't want Yu Su to make a fruitless trip, especially when the Wood Spirit's treasure should be vital to him. Not taking it this time might risk losing it to others later.
Yu Su said, "No rush. Let's figure out a plan."
At that moment, the wood and water spirits, who had played with him last night, emerged. They circled the tree, making playful noises.
Yu Su paused, then slapped his forehead. "I'm an idiot."
Lu Yan: "?"
Why was he scolding himself for no reason?
Yu Su opened his backpack and took out the little dark bird.
"Little ancestor, it's time to work."
Seeing the bird, Lu Yan also realized their oversight. They had forgotten about this little fellow.
The small bird chirped a couple of times, lazily turned around in Yu Su's hand, and presented its butt to him, as if asking why it was being bothered.
"There's something big underwater. I need you to see if you can intimidate it."
The bird finally stood up, looked at the island, then turned to Yu Su, chirping seriously.
"Can you do it?"
The bird nodded.
It was just an untransformed snake. Even if it was high-level, it was still a low-bloodline creature. It could handle it.
Yu Su sighed in relief. "Alright, I'm counting on you. If things go south, run immediately. I'm worried the big demon might see you as a snack."
The bird proudly raised its head. It was the destined god-bird; if that snake dared to eat it, it would face divine retribution. Besides, being a fire attribute, the snake wouldn't survive if it insisted on eating it.
Yu Su and Lu Yan discussed their plan. "Later, I'll tie the boat to this tree with tendrils. If things go wrong, I'll quickly pull our boat back. Once ashore, we run."
"Good."
The two descended from the tree, and Yu Su used tendrils to tie one end to the tree and the other to the boat. Then, they boarded the boat and headed towards the island again.
This time, no crocodiles emerged. As they approached the island, Yu Su felt a powerful demonic aura; he even began to sweat.
The little bird chirped in time, releasing a formidable bloodline pressure.
The water snake demon, about to emerge, was startled. Guarding this place for hundreds of years, it was about to transform into a dragon. Yet, it encountered such a powerful bloodline pressure for the first time. Shaking, it didn't know what it was facing.
Ignoring the danger of being attacked by the big demon, the water snake emerged from the water, searching.
At a glance, it saw Yu Su, Lu Yan, and the little bird on their boat.
The water snake, inexperienced, didn't recognize the bird's species, but the pressure made it realize the little bird was extraordinary.
It had eaten various things, humans, beasts, and demons. It wasn't easily subdued by a little bird of unknown origin. It was eager to go over and swallow Yu Su, Lu Yan, and the little bird in one gulp.
The all-element spirit warned in Yu Su's mind, "That snake doesn't seem to regard the little one highly; its eyes are full of greed. Be careful!"
Yu Su immediately said to the bird, "Little ancestor, can you do it? That snake wants to eat us."
The bird got angry. Someone dared to question its abilities?
The little fellow flew up, after a long chirp, spewed out a flame toward the water snake.
The divine fire
wasn't even the size of a palm.
Yu Su was bewildered; what was this? Was this the big move?
He was about to pull the tendrils back.
The snake, on the other side, didn't care about the divine fire. Its eyes even showed disdain, clearly mocking the little bird.
Then it rushed towards Yu Su and the others.
Just as Yu Su was about to pull the tendrils, he saw the flame float over to the water snake.
In an instant, the snake was surrounded by flames, even its underwater parts engulfed. The fire was extremely powerful, not fearing the water.
The water snake screamed, attempting to dive back into the water.
But before it could retreat, it was burned to ashes. Only some ashes floated on the island and the water's surface.
Yu Su and Lu Yan were both shocked.
What kind of fire was this!
The little bird flew back, landing on the boat. It coughed a couple of times, spitting out sparks before lying down on the boat, appearing exhausted.
Yu Su happily held it up. "Little ancestor, you're amazing! What kind of fire is this? It's incredible!"
The little bird disdainfully kicked Yu Su's face as it approached, too tired to turn over.
It was just a little bird. Spewing divine fire was a big task for it. After this, it was exhausted and wouldn't be able to do it again for a while.
Seeing the bird genuinely tired, Yu Su spoke to it for a while, then put it back in the bag to let it rest. He and Lu Yan swiftly paddled the boat to the island.
Without the water snake, the island became peaceful. Stepping onto the island, a highly concentrated wood spirit aura greeted them.
It felt as if they had passed through a barrier; inside and outside the barrier were two different worlds.
Inside the barrier, the flowers, plants, and trees were exceptionally lush, and there were many luminous spirit herbs.
"This is like a paradise," Yu Su exclaimed involuntarily.
"If we can cultivate here continuously, I'm afraid it won't take long for us to ascend in broad daylight," Lu Yan added.
Yu Su said, "Up ahead, something is coming."
Looking closely, it was a wooden monster. These wooden monsters held spears and bamboo arrows, attacking Yu Su and Lu Yan as they approached.
Despite their small size, they had surprisingly high attack power.
The two quickly evaded and engaged with them.
Yu Su looked towards the center of the island where the Tree of Life stood and said to Lu Yan, "This is the territory of the Tree of Life. Don't take their lives."
Lu Yan nodded.Since they want to take something from the Tree of Life, they should at least avoid harming its "people."
While dealing with the wooden monsters, Yu Su said, "We are here to visit the Tree of Life. Let's discuss things peacefully; don't resort to violence."
The wooden monsters ignored him and continued their attacks.
Yu Su had to shout again, "I am Yu Su, the witch doctor of Yu Village. I came here following the guidance of Lord Mountain God... that is, the venerable Qing Ze. Can we discuss this peacefully?"
Perhaps the influence of Qing Ze's name worked, as the wooden monsters actually stopped.
Yu Su sighed in relief, standing with Lu Yan, watching the wooden monsters.