Chapter 174: Withered Branches

The moon sank towards the edge of the world.

In Ning Changjiu's vision, the spirits retreated at high speed, and his pupils were suddenly filled by Jiuying's raised body.

Its body glowed with a faint white light, and a tumor-like shadow stood on its head. Many spirits in the vicinity scattered and retreated the moment Jiuying appeared. Jiuying, as if following a predestined command of hatred, stared directly at Ning Changjiu.

This hatred had not diminished, even after the passage of time had corroded away all bones.

Ning Changjiu was still some distance from Jiuying. He chose not to confront it, but instead moved to one side.

As his figure flickered, he used his finger-sword to cut through several entangled white shadows. An oval-shaped spirit opened its bat-like wings as it swept past him. Ning Changjiu struck with his sword, but was still grazed by the bat wing.

"These are Soul Bats, messenger bats used by the Central Dynasty. They usually hang in the center of the coffered ceiling, appearing like flat murals." The Spirit of the Sword Scripture once again displayed its extensive knowledge.

Ning Changjiu thought to himself that reading extensively was indeed useful; after decades of accompanying Yan Zhou in his studies, even a fool had become a scholar.

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture excitedly exclaimed, "Oh no, oh no, why are they all rushing towards you? It couldn't be because of your blood, could it? I heard there's a type of man-eating fish in the deep sea that can smell blood from a hundred miles away. They aren't that bloodthirsty, are they...?"

Ning Changjiu also noticed that the moment he bled, the other spirits seemed to have caught the scent of something they most craved, and began to swarm madly towards him.

He immediately pressed his arm to temporarily stop the bleeding. Then, he wiped the spilled blood onto his sword tip, flicked it, and launched the blood drops like arrows directly at Jiuying.

*Splatter.*

The blood drops splattered across Jiuying's body.

As the blood drops flew through the air, they left a long trail of blood. Many spirits greedily crawled along this trail, while Ning Changjiu quickly wiped away the remaining bloodstains on his arm and fled towards the outer edge.

After the blood drops splattered on Jiuying, it couldn't help but extend its tongue and lick its chest and belly, as if savoring the most delicious nectar in the world.

Many smaller monsters also gathered, following the blood trail, climbing onto Jiuying's body like ants.

Jiuying shook its massive head, attempting to dislodge the monsters clinging to its body, but most held on tightly with their sharp teeth and claws. Jiuying roared and began to roll on the ground. Hissing sounds occasionally rose from the soft sand as white wisps emerged; the spirits were crushed and shattered, their overflowing white spiritual energy becoming nourishment for other spirits.

Ning Changjiu continued to move without stopping.

As he sprinted, he looked around vigilantly. In the distance, several colossal spirits were still pressing towards him.

Ning Changjiu ran away from them, circling along the edge towards where the moon was descending.

The light within the moon constantly changed, intertwining between brightness and shadow.

A portion of the spirits, as if having gained intelligence, cleverly avoided combat. Some buried themselves in the sand, while others maintained high-speed darting movements with their innate agility to evade capture by other spirits. In the very center, the most intense battles always involved those seemingly ferocious and powerful beings.

"Is that... a monstrous beast of the Ancestral Dragon lineage?" The Spirit of the Sword Scripture murmured, stunned. "How can such ancient beings appear here?"

Ning Changjiu was no longer surprised by anything he saw. As he ran, he swung his sword, accumulating sword intent by killing the common spirits. Almost every few dozen steps, the killing intent on Ning Changjiu's sword intensified.

Ning Changjiu looked at his sword blade, illuminated by spiritual energy, and felt a renewed sense of calm.

The spirits did not approach due to the light from his sword, indicating that their movement towards the moon was not phototaxis but rather dictated by a fundamental law.

The entire desert slowly tilted towards the descending moon, like devout apostles kneeling to welcome the arrival of their faith.

A tremendous crack, like a long whip striking the ground, exploded.

Jiuying, entangled by numerous spirits, erupted with its inherent ferocity. It roared, using spatial laws to either crush or dispel the spirits, then charged towards the five-clawed beast of the Ancestral Dragon lineage. On the other side, an ancient, towering tree emerged from the sand. It bore a deep and massive canopy, and its dense, intertwined roots served as its writhing legs. However, the colossal tree seemed to be a poor mover; from a distance, it looked like a mast slowly moving across the sea.

"What is that?" Ning Changjiu asked proactively. He knew that all living beings in the world could become spirits, but even a tree spirit nourished for ten thousand years was just that—a tree spirit. There was no precedent for one carrying its entire body and running around like this.

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture hissed for a moment, marveled at the wonder of the other's creation, and then admitted its ignorance.

The Bloodfeather Lord, however, cried out, "Could that be the legendary Fire-Devouring Parasol Tree? Legend says there are only three such trees in the entire world. The divine sparrows of the Vermilion Bird Divine Kingdom choose to die on this colossal tree at the end of their lives. Their spiritual energy condenses into something like a fiery heart. Anyone who consumes such a divine fruit can be granted divinity, stepping into the Five Paths in a single stride!"

"Stepping into the Five Paths in a single stride..."

Such a claim was overly exaggerated, and Ning Changjiu didn't believe it. However, he wondered why such a naturally occurring divine tree would exist in this boundless desert.

The colossal tree continued to advance. Ning Changjiu took a deep breath, tied his broken sword with spiritual energy to form a chain, and thrust it towards the great tree.

The broken sword struck the bark like iron, immediately bouncing off. The spirit of the colossal tree remained oblivious and continued its advance.

"What do we do? No one here can possibly kill it..." Seeing this, the Bloodfeather Lord said worriedly.

Ning Changjiu frowned in thought, then ran towards the colossal tree.

On the other side, Jiuying had already brutally strangled the fierce beast of the Ancestral Dragon lineage. It sensed something, then abruptly turned its heads and charged towards Ning Changjiu.

Soul light was like dust and mist.

Jiuying's roar struck the soul. Ning Changjiu had seen its gaping maw before, but now, with its massive shadow pressing down on him again, it was still terrifying.

Ning Changjiu did not directly confront it. After briefly unleashing a few sword energies, he lowered his body and skimmed across the sand. His distance from Jiuying varied, as he battled for ground, heading towards the ancient tree. As he approached the colossal tree, Ning Changjiu abruptly stopped. He cut his palm with his finger and splashed his blood onto the tree's trunk.

Blood was the most alluring substance.

Although only a few drops of blood splattered on the trunk of the towering ancient tree, its massive dark shadow paused slightly. Its eyes were hidden, but at that moment, Ning Changjiu knew he was being targeted, and his Dao heart buzzed with alarm.

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

Three sounds of cutting wind arose almost simultaneously.

Thick branches instantly shot out from the tree, like straight swords, yet extending infinitely into the distance like vines.

Ning Changjiu's expression hardened. He no longer paid attention to Jiuying, instead sprinting with all his might across the sand to escape.

His steps were so swift that they left hardly any footprints on the soft, fine sand.

As Ning Changjiu ran, he pressed his palm, using spiritual energy to accelerate the wound's healing and wipe away the blood. However, he had underestimated this ancient tree, which had previously seemed harmless. The vine-like branches instantly pursued him from behind. The Bloodfeather Lord let out a strange cry, instinctively shot out from the sword, spat a mouthful of fire, and then immediately retreated back into it.

The Bloodfeather Lord's flame shared the same origin as Old Lord Redtail's fire, its blaze drawn from genuine geothermic magma. Yet, when sprayed onto the ancient tree's branches, it was entirely absorbed, transforming instead into an even fiercer fire that assailed Ning Changjiu's back.

"How could this happen...?" the Bloodfeather Lord shrieked.

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture inside him burst out, cursing, "It inherits the divine fire of the Vermilion Bird God! Don't bring out your tiny matchstick; it's embarrassing!"

Ning Changjiu formed the true訣 of the Water Moon in the Mirror, his figure repeatedly turning ethereal, attempting to evade pursuit. But the colossal tree was relentless, relentlessly entwining itself with both his illusory and real forms.

The Bloodfeather Lord cursed loudly, "This is like a flood drowning the Dragon King Temple! I see that Zhao Xiang'er is closely related to the Vermilion Bird Divine Kingdom; this might even be the future prince consort of the Vermilion Bird Divine Kingdom! This blind dog-tree, no wonder it died so miserably here!"

"Zhao Xiang'er? Who is she?" the Spirit of the Sword Scripture asked aloud. "Could she possibly be prettier than our Peak Master Lu Jiajia?"

The Bloodfeather Lord burst into laughter. "You short-sighted, broken sword-book! The Lu Jiajia you speak of, you don't know how badly and miserably she was beaten when she was in the imperial city. Even I could exchange blows with her. How could she compare to Her Highness's unparalleled grace? I was raised by Her Highness herself, and I know her strength better than anyone! Lu Jiajia is no match."

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture sneered, "Our Peak Master is far from what she once was. Even I find her sword physique incredible. If not for being deceived by this young man, I would have preferred her as my master. That 'Her Highness' you speak of is probably just a little brat. If she ever meets our Peak Master again, she'll surely be pinned to the ground and beaten!"

The Bloodfeather Lord retorted indignantly, "Hmph, short-sighted! Do you know Her Highness's mother's background? If someone told me she was a Celestial Monarch or a Divine Emissary of the Vermilion Bird Divine Kingdom, I wouldn't doubt it for a second!"

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture scoffed, "A woman's worth based on her mother's status? Even if Ning Changjiu were to marry, he'd marry the girl, not her mother. What does it matter how noble her mother's status is? Our Peak Master relies on self-improvement!"

The Bloodfeather Lord pulled out its trump card: "Do you know that our Her Highness is Grandmaster Ning's fiancée!"

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture was startled. It recalled Ning Changjiu's life-and-death entanglement with Lu Jiajia on the barren plains, knowing that their feelings were genuine. It asked doubtfully, "Fiancée? If she's his fiancée, why have they never mentioned it?"

The Bloodfeather Lord had originally intended to mock Ning Changjiu but, remembering its own life was in his hands, immediately said, "Grandmaster Ning's feelings are too deep to be constantly on his lips."

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture sneered, "Ning Changjiu, I see you're young, yet I didn't realize you were so promiscuous. Is that adorable junior sister of yours also...?"

"Shut up!" Ning Changjiu roared, losing his patience. *Is this really the time to be arguing about this? One of you almost killed Zhao Xiang'er, and the other, yearning for freedom, forced the Sect Master onto a demonic path, nearly destroying all four peaks. Now, how can you suddenly take such firm sides when discussing this?*

After Ning Changjiu roared the two words, his true qi faltered slightly, and his movements slowed by half a beat. The vine struck his back, sending him flying. Ning Changjiu's chest churned with blood and qi, and a sweet taste filled his throat. He forcibly swallowed back the blood he was about to vomit.

The Bloodfeather Lord and the Spirit of the Sword Scripture, knowing their lives depended on him, immediately fell silent, pausing their dispute.

Ning Changjiu was knocked into the sand. The wall of sand kicked up was then shattered by the vine, which again pierced through like an arrow.

Unable to adjust his posture quickly, Ning Changjiu rolled several times on the ground, narrowly evading the ancient tree's pursuit. The ancient tree, however, was also struggling; attracted by the blood, countless spirits clung to its body, dragging its already slow movement even slower.

Another whip-like strike came. Ning Changjiu couldn't roll away in time and was again sent flying. His clothes ripped open at the chest, and blood splattered.

Both the Bloodfeather Lord and the Spirit of the Sword Scripture gasped, thinking Ning Changjiu shouldn't have provoked it. He had only intended to slow its advance, but now he had completely drawn trouble upon himself.

Another crashing sound. Ning Changjiu's hastily established sword domain was also shattered.

The plane of the world slid towards the moon.

The remaining living spirits rushed forward like a tide of beasts.

As Ning Changjiu was severely injured by the ancient tree, other spirits also rushed in. They darted towards Ning Changjiu at high speed, like irritating fleas, but armed with iron claws and fangs capable of tearing through steel.

Ning Changjiu parried left and right with his broken sword. The sound of the sword tearing through spirits made the Bloodfeather Lord tremble with fear, thinking its pitiful little dwelling would break at any moment.

The colossal tree's vine whipped out again.

The Bloodfeather Lord despairingly closed its eyes, certain that death was inevitable this time.

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture also sighed softly, reminiscing about the days spent reading with the old man, and greatly regretting the potential loss of the peerless sword technique in the future.

Yet, the surroundings grew quiet.

The ancient tree's vine stopped before him, not advancing another inch.

Ning Changjiu held a branch that looked like black iron. This unremarkable branch, previously tied alongside his broken sword on either side, had made the Bloodfeather Lord feel ashamed to be associated with it. But now, it could only exclaim that a miracle had occurred.

This ordinary-looking branch had completely held back the relentless vine.

The tips of the three vines even trembled as if servants encountering a divine lord. It was utterly terrified of this withered branch.

Ning Changjiu clutched the withered branch tightly with both hands, gasping for breath, but instead stepped forward, pressing towards the ancient tree.

The ancient tree reacted like an arrogant local official who, upon realizing an emperor in disguise had revealed his imperial robe, immediately abandoned its haughty demeanor and, trembling, knelt in obeisance before fleeing.

At the same time, another ignorant spirit leaped up, lunging at Ning Changjiu's back. Ning Changjiu turned and, with a single strike of the staff, shattered the spirit to pieces.

"What excellent swordsmanship!"

The Bloodfeather Lord and the Spirit of the Sword Scripture exclaimed in unison.