Chapter 436: Dragon Scale Pagoda Tree

The mist-shrouded mountains were filled with silence.

Rustle!

A faint rustle of footsteps on dry, yellow leaves suddenly broke the silence, as two figures, an old man and a young man, slowly emerged from the distance, walking leisurely through the mountain forest.

The two figures were naturally Elder Xuan and Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan’s gaze curiously scanned the surroundings. They were already nearing the sealed main peak, an area usually forbidden to ordinary disciples.

“From now on, follow my footsteps carefully. Don’t make any mistakes, or no one will be able to save you.” Elder Xuan’s voice suddenly came from ahead.

Zhou Yuan’s heart immediately tensed. He looked ahead and indeed saw the space ahead was subtly distorted. An indescribable sense of danger sent shivers down Zhou Yuan's spine.

“We’re not going to enter the sealed area, are we?” Zhou Yuan couldn’t help but ask.

Elder Xuan nodded.

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Zhou Yuan's back. It was said that this main peak was extremely dangerous, being under a seal. If one trespassed, not to mention a Genesis Core realm cultivator, even a Divine Dwelling or Heavenly Sun realm expert would likely perish instantly if trapped within the seal.

“Don’t worry, as long as you don’t wander off, nothing will happen.” Elder Xuan reassured him before walking into the subtly distorted area of space.

Zhou Yuan hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and swiftly followed. Each step he took was carefully placed exactly within Elder Xuan’s footprints, not daring to make the slightest error. Thus, the two continued, one behind the other, through the deep mountains.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, cold sweat dripped continuously from Zhou Yuan’s forehead. Evidently, this method of travel put him under immense pressure, so he could only ask in a low voice, “Elder, how much longer?”

Elder Xuan, however, ignored him, so Zhou Yuan could only fall silent and keep up.

After another considerable while, Elder Xuan extended his withered finger and lightly traced the air before him. Instantly, the mist ahead dispersed, and the previously distorted space began to return to normal.

“Alright.”

Upon hearing Elder Xuan’s voice, Zhou Yuan’s tensed body gradually relaxed. He glanced around and indeed found that the sense of danger was beginning to recede.

“Elder, can you control the seal on the main peak?” Zhou Yuan couldn’t help but ask, a hint of shock in his eyes.

Elder Xuan shook his head. “The main peak’s seal was personally set by its master back then. How could I possibly control it? I’ve simply been here for too many years and can barely manage to avoid some of its dangers.”

Zhou Yuan felt a little disappointed. If Elder Xuan could indeed control the seal here, wouldn't that be an enormous advantage?

“What you’re looking for is right ahead,” Elder Xuan said, pointing forward.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan quickly looked up, his gaze sweeping ahead. He saw the ground before them was a dark, murky color, like a vast swamp. In the center of this expansive mire stood a colossal, ancient tree, towering towards the sky. The ancient tree exuded an aura of immense age, standing silently. Its thick trunk was covered with scale-like growths, and a faint sense of oppressive power emanated from it. Its branches were lush and spread wide, overshadowing the entire area and blocking out the sky. The boughs hung low, perfectly still.

Gazing at the ancient tree, Zhou Yuan felt the half-completed 'Taiyi Pattern' within him violently vibrate, emanating an intense longing. This sensation was far stronger than what he had felt from Su Duan’s ancient wooden bracelet.

“Elder, what is this?” Zhou Yuan asked, slightly agitated. Clearly, the Ethereal Wood Qi contained within this ancient tree was extraordinary.

“This is a Dragon Scale Locust Tree. It was an ancient tree transplanted by its master back then, and it’s extremely rare. If you can extract something from it, completing your Taiyi Pattern shouldn’t be too difficult,” Elder Xuan chuckled.

Zhou Yuan was instantly overjoyed.

But before his joy could fully show, Elder Xuan continued, “However, I must warn you: this Dragon Scale Locust Tree is ancient and has long developed sentience. Its nature is violent, but it happens to be in a deep slumber right now, which is your only opportunity. Otherwise, once it awakens, not to mention you, even a Heavenly Sun realm elder wouldn't be able to approach it.”

Zhou Yuan’s expression subtly changed. When he looked at the quiet ancient tree again, he was filled with apprehension. He hadn’t expected that this ancient tree alone could be so terrifying.

“Since it’s asleep, there shouldn’t be any danger, right?” Zhou Yuan asked cautiously.

Elder Xuan replied, “Although it’s asleep, at its level, it has its own senses. If a strong enemy approaches, it will naturally be roused to wakefulness. However, the good thing is that you’re too weak to trigger its awakening.”

Zhou Yuan felt a little awkward. So, being too weak was actually a good thing?

“Of course, even if you don't stimulate it to awaken, if any living being approaches, it will instinctively retaliate. And you will need to withstand that instinctive retaliation and dig some tree scales from its trunk.” Elder Xuan sat down beside him, holding his bamboo broom, and said in a raspy voice, “Whether you can do it depends on your ability. I’ve done my best by bringing you here; if you can’t achieve it, then it simply wasn’t meant to be.”

Zhou Yuan gazed at the enormous Dragon Scale Locust Tree, feeling the subtle, oppressive aura it exuded. He shook his head with a wry smile; the opportunity was right before him, but it seemed it wouldn’t be easy to obtain.

“So, what do you say? Do you dare? If you don’t have confidence, hurry back now, or it won’t be easy to find your way once night falls.” Elder Xuan pulled out some withered tobacco leaves from his robe, rolled them up, and lit them. Pungent smoke rose, and his cloudy eyes peered at Zhou Yuan through the haze.

Under his gaze, Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, a glint of determination appearing in his eyes. There was no reason to let the opportunity before him slip away.

“Having come all this way, there’s no sense in returning empty-handed,” Zhou Yuan said.

Elder Xuan seemed to smile, though no emotion could be discerned on his deeply wrinkled, aged face. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, a dark shadow flew toward Zhou Yuan.

“Since you have the courage, then try it. Mere words won’t do much good.”

Zhou Yuan reached out and caught it. He looked at it and was slightly startled to find it was a dark, unassuming cleaver. Its blade was mottled and didn’t appear particularly sharp, yet faintly, there seemed to be traces of ancient, almost imperceptible bloodstains on it.

“With your current strength, even if the Dragon Scale Locust Tree stood still for you, you wouldn’t be able to cut off a single scale. Take this knife; I'm lending it to you. In the past, I don't know how many scales I chopped off with this knife for the master’s tea, so it has some suppressive effect on the tree,” Elder Xuan said, chewing on his tobacco leaves.

Zhou Yuan nodded, tucking the dark cleaver into his waist. Then, his gaze locked onto the enormous Dragon Scale Locust Tree, a look of grim determination appearing in his eyes. No matter how terrifying this Dragon Scale Locust Tree was, he had to try today. Otherwise, his Taiyi Pattern would remain incomplete, and without its completion, he couldn’t cultivate the Lesser Heaven Genesis Body. This would even affect the chief disciple competition at the end of the year.

Sometimes, when an opportunity appears, one must give it their all to seize it!

The next instant, Zhou Yuan’s eyes turned sharp. With a stomp of his foot, his figure blurred like a wisp of smoke, shooting directly towards the Dragon Scale Locust Tree.