Chapter 559: Mystical Bronze Insect Tree

Whoosh! Whoosh!

In a primeval world permeated by a wild, ancient aura, dozens of light streaks shot through the air without pause, heading directly southwest. At the forefront of these light streaks, Zhou Yuan led the way.

His gaze constantly scanned the surroundings, identifying directions. As he sped along, he also sensed numerous gazes directed at them from the shadows, none of them particularly benevolent. Currently, countless forces had flooded into the Origin Cave, all trying every means to collect Origin Essence, which naturally led to conflict. Here, even the reputation of the six major sects was ineffective; what truly mattered was strength. If any of the Holy Sons from their six sects were isolated or in a weakened state, they would likely attract many wolf-like gazes. Should a weakness or opportunity be found, others would undoubtedly pounce and tear them apart without hesitation.

Fortunately, everyone had just entered the Origin Cave and was empty-handed. Therefore, as Zhou Yuan and his group traveled, although there were prying eyes, no one foolish enough dared to step forward and obstruct them. Thus, after approximately half a day, Zhou Yuan and his group finally approached a destination marked on the map, shimmering with three colors.

Dozens of them landed atop gigantic ancient trees, their gazes fixed on what lay ahead. There, a mountain peak emerged, not particularly majestic, yet on its slopes, Zhou Yuan and the others could discern a faint, shimmering light pattern. That light pattern was unmistakably the mark of their Cangxuan Sect.

"This must be it," Zhou Yuan affirmed, seeing the mark and confirming they hadn't come to the wrong place. The other disciples' faces lit up with joy upon hearing this.

"But it's so quiet here..." Gu Hongyi remarked, a hint of confusion in her voice. Along their journey, they had encountered numerous Origin Beasts inhabiting the Origin Cave, massive and formidable creatures they had painstakingly avoided. Yet, if this place truly held three-colored Origin Essence, why was it so tranquil?

Zhou Yuan nodded and said, "Form groups of ten. Search the area first. If you find anything, signal immediately." The disciples who had earned a spot in the Origin Cave were all elites of the Cangxuan Sect. Upon Zhou Yuan's command, they swiftly divided into groups, then shot forth, descending onto the mountain peak ahead.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan turned to Gu Hongyi, Zhou Tai, Lu Yan, and the others beside him. "You come with me," he instructed. He sped forward, leading the others into the mountain, then through the forest, quickly making their way towards the peak. The group remained vigilant, their Genesis Qi surging around them, ready for combat at any moment.

To Zhou Yuan's surprise, however, they encountered no resistance even as they reached the summit. There seemed to be no Origin Beasts in this mountain. On the mountaintop, the other disciples also gathered, shaking their heads to indicate no unusual findings. Zhou Yuan's brows furrowed. Could it be that there truly were no Origin Beasts here?

"There are no unusual energy fluctuations here either; it seems there's no Origin Essence," Zhou Tai beside him said after a moment of hesitation. The other disciples were somewhat disappointed to hear this. It seemed their luck was not good; although three-colored Origin Essence might have existed here previously, it appeared none had manifested this time.

Zhou Yuan remained silent, instead lifting his head to survey the mountaintop. It was covered in scattered rocks, appearing desolate. Among these rocks stood a lone ancient tree, though it, too, seemed withered, its countless branches and leaves drooping limply among the stones. The place truly seemed devoid of any unusual energy fluctuations, like a lifeless mountain.

Zhou Yuan narrowed his eyes, then suddenly began walking slowly towards the withered ancient tree. With a clench of his hand, the Heaven Primal Brush appeared, rapidly expanding in his grip. The brush tip scraped the ground, sending sparks flying. The other disciples looked at Zhou Yuan with surprise, their confused gazes turning to the withered ancient tree. Could there be something wrong with this tree? Yet, no matter how they sensed it, they detected no fluctuations whatsoever from the withered ancient tree.

Zhou Yuan ignored them, simply staring at the withered ancient tree, slowly approaching it. Genesis Qi surged around him, indicating he was preparing to make a move. He approached step by step, soon reaching within a dozen zhang of the withered ancient tree.

However, just as he was about to take another step, the seemingly limp branches lying around suddenly shot forth. Eerie light flashed as they tore through the air, fiercely thrusting towards Zhou Yuan. The sudden assault caught everyone off guard. The surrounding disciples gasped in alarm. Was this withered ancient tree truly problematic?

Clang! Clang!

The snowy-white bristles of the brush lashed out, clashing with the myriad branches. The impact sounded like metal striking metal, scattering sparks, and the violent aftermath shattered the scattered rocks on the ground. Zhou Yuan halted, holding the Heaven Primal Brush. Its bristles extended, fending off the sharp attacks from the branches. His gaze, indifferent, fixed on the withered ancient tree before him. "Your concealment is quite good," he said, "but you're not smart enough. A slight scare, and you couldn't help but reveal yourself."

The withered ancient tree's ability to conceal itself was indeed impressive; even Zhou Yuan hadn't detected anything amiss. However, it was precisely this perfect concealment that aroused his suspicion. An ordinary ancient tree, even withered, would still retain faint traces of Genesis Qi. But this tree had none at all, which, if there was truly nothing wrong, would be truly strange.

The ancient tree before them let out a sharp shriek. The withered color on its trunk rapidly receded, replaced by a bronze hue that glinted with a sharp cold light under the sunlight. The next moment, an overwhelming torrent of sharp branches, like thousands of sword-lights, enveloped Zhou Yuan with fierce momentum.

"Attack! Help Chief Zhou Yuan!" From behind, the other disciples roared upon seeing this scene. Immediately, fierce Genesis Qi attacks whistled forth, colliding with the countless bronze branches.

Boom! Boom!

Violent Genesis Qi raged, constantly shattering the scattered rocks on the ground. The disciples' attacks were ferocious, and with their numerical advantage, they unsurprisingly gained the upper hand, forcing the bronze branches back. However, the bronze ancient tree was exceptionally peculiar. Even when its branches were blasted apart, they quickly regenerated. With surging Genesis Qi, it managed to entirely block the combined assaults of dozens of Cangxuan Sect disciples.

Zhou Yuan was somewhat surprised by this sight. These disciples were the cream of the crop, chosen from hundreds within the Cangxuan Sect, considered geniuses in other places. Yet, with so many people working together, they couldn't seem to do anything to this bronze ancient tree? However, he also realized that the bronze ancient tree's regeneration ability was incredibly powerful; it seemed to recover swiftly from any damage, no matter how severe, and its Genesis Qi appeared to be endless. If the other disciples weren't sharing the burden of the attack, Zhou Yuan would truly have to wear it down in a one-on-one fight.

"Zhou Yuan, this must be a Profound Bronze Worm Tree," Gu Hongyi said, suddenly appearing beside him and speaking in a low voice.

"Profound Bronze Worm Tree?" Zhou Yuan was taken aback.

"It's a very peculiar Origin Beast. The outer ancient tree is merely a shell; what truly controls everything is the Profound Bronze Worm hidden within. Unless the worm is killed, this bronze tree is indestructible and can fight on indefinitely."

"However, the Profound Bronze Worm is adept at concealment, almost perfectly merged with the ancient tree, making it practically impossible to find." A worried expression appeared on Gu Hongyi's pretty face. If they couldn't locate the Profound Bronze Worm, even a Holy Son might not be able to destroy this creature.

Zhou Yuan's brow furrowed. He hadn't expected their first battle to be against such a troublesome opponent.

"I suggest we retreat immediately. There's no need to waste our energy on it. After all, there are many other factions in this region, and if we expend too much here, we might be vulnerable to opportunistic attacks," Gu Hongyi said after a moment's hesitation.

Zhou Yuan slowly replied, "But there's an eighty to ninety percent chance that three-colored Origin Essence is present here."

Gu Hongyi lightly bit her red lip with her pearly teeth. The appearance of a Profound Bronze Worm Tree indicated the extraordinary nature of this place, making the presence of three-colored Origin Essence highly probable. "But this Profound Bronze Worm Tree is just too troublesome..." she said with a wry smile.

Zhou Yuan narrowed his eyes, his slender fingers rhythmically tapping the body of the Heaven Primal Brush. "A master of concealment, are you?" he murmured. Dozens of breaths later, his finger suddenly stopped. A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He closed his eyes, then abruptly opened them the next instant.

"Barrier-Breaking Sacred Rune!"

The world before him instantly changed. Zhou Yuan focused on the ancient tree; the bronze trunk rapidly became translucent in his eyes. Then, he saw a slender, roughly foot-long green worm lazily coiled within a specific spot. It was continuously drawing vast amounts of Genesis Qi from the earth through the tree trunk, channeling it into the ancient tree to fight against the many disciples.

At that moment, however, it suddenly trembled. Its pair of worm eyes lifted, looking towards Zhou Yuan with a hint of fear, clearly realizing its true form had been detected. Sensing grave danger, it abruptly plunged downwards, attempting to burrow into the ground. Zhou Yuan's figure blurred at that moment, shooting forward. Countless bronze branches thrust downwards, but couldn't even touch his clothes. To the astonished gaze of the many disciples, his figure appeared directly before the tree trunk.

"Break Origin!"

The Heaven Primal Brush's snowy-white bristles rapidly turned an ink-like black, becoming incomparably sharp and unstoppable. A streak of black light flashed, thrusting directly into a specific spot on the bronze ancient tree. The black light easily tore through the tough bronze bark, piercing through as fast as lightning, then suddenly swept across. The entire tree trunk was instantly severed in half.

This time, however, the trunk did not regenerate. As the brush tip swept past, a sharp shriek echoed, and all the disciples saw a foot-long green worm picked up by the brush tip. After a violent struggle, its life force gradually dissipated. As the green worm was slain, the ancient tree instantly crashed to the ground.

Buzz! Buzz!

The moment the ancient tree collapsed, streams of light suddenly shot up from within its hollow trunk. The light was three-colored, with profound radiance flowing, as if born from the very essence of heaven and earth, giving off an incredibly mystical sensation. Everyone present froze, their gazes fixed on the light. The next moment, expressions of wild joy erupted on every face.

Because they all knew what it was... the most coveted item they had dreamed of finding since entering the Origin Cave...

Origin Essence! And it was three-colored!