390: Chapter 390 Bones, Sapling, and Token

Rounding a corner, the scene before them caused the group to pause in surprise.

It was no longer a narrow passage or a cavernous cave, but a... small valley?

Calling it a valley might not be entirely accurate.

It was more like an underground hollow; the ceiling was high, with faint light from the sky filtering down from an unknown source.

The ground was soft soil, covered with small blades of grass emitting a soft green light.

The air was fresh and moist, carrying the scent of a forest after the rain.

In the center of this glowing meadow grew a small tree.

The tree wasn't tall, only about three feet high, and was translucent and emerald green all over, as if carved from a single piece of fine jade. There were no leaves, only nine spreading branches.

At the tip of each branch sat a longan-sized, shimmering green fruit; it was from these fruits that the light and fragrance emanated.

Majestic life essence permeated the air. A single breath felt refreshing, and the fatigue in their bodies lightened considerably.

At the root of this strange little tree, a ball of pure, soft green light floated quietly. In the center of the light, a leaf-shaped Talisman Seal was clearly visible.

Wood Element Token.

"Found it!" Dongfang Xinghe was overjoyed and was about to step forward.

"Wait," Ye Tian said, reaching out to stop him. His gaze wasn't on the token or the tempting fruit, but on a skeleton leaning against the tree roots, long since reduced to white bone.

The age of the skeleton was unknown, its clothes entirely disintegrated, but the bones were warm and moist with a faint jade-like luster, clearly indicating a very high cultivation level while alive.

One of the skeleton's arm bones was stretched forward, its finger bones seemingly pointing to a spot at the base of the tree's roots.

On the muddy ground beside the skeleton, several lines of characters were carved deeply, as if scratched out with the last of someone's strength; the strokes were somewhat distorted:

To those who come after, if you arrive here.

The bi ning fruit is edible; it increases spiritual power and prolongs life.

The token can be taken; it is needed to pass the trial.

Remember, do not harm the roots, and do not dig beneath them.

What is hidden beneath the roots is not a blessing, but a curse. Be cautious! Be extremely cautious!

The handwriting carried a sense of warning.

Dongfang Xinghe, Shui Qingdie, and Pei Tieshan all saw the writing. They stopped in their tracks, looking at each other.

"This... what does it mean?" Pei Tieshan scratched his head. "The fruit can be eaten, the token can be taken, but the roots can't be touched? There's something bad under the roots?"

"It seems this Senior discovered something but didn't have time, or didn't dare to disturb it, and finally passed away here, leaving behind a warning."

Shui Qingdie spoke softly, her gaze toward the skeleton carrying a hint of respect.

Dongfang Xinghe frowned. Looking at the Wood Element Token within reach and the nine bi ning fruits that were clearly extraordinary, and then at the warning, he hesitated. "Junior Brother Ye, what do you think..."

Ye Tian didn't answer immediately.

He stepped closer and first bowed slightly to the skeleton.

Regardless of who the person was, leaving a warning was an act of goodwill.

Then, he looked carefully at the base of the little tree and then in the direction the skeleton's finger was pointing.

His spiritual sense slowly reached out, but as it neared the soil at the base of the tree roots, he felt a subtle resistance and a sensation that made his skin crawl.

The chaos bead in his Sea of Consciousness also moved slightly, transmitting a hint of "repulsion."

Ye Tian's eyes narrowed.

For the chaos bead to react this way, the "thing" beneath these roots was likely not simple.

"Do as this Senior said.

"Senior Brother Dongfang, you take the token first. Then, we'll pick the fruit. Don't touch the roots, and definitely don't dig up the soil beneath."

"Alright!" Dongfang Xinghe was already completely convinced by Ye Tian. He nodded at his words and cautiously stepped forward.

Circulating his wood-attribute Cultivation Technique, he slowly reached out and probed into the ball of green light.

The ball of light did not repel his hand, and he smoothly withdrew the leaf-shaped token.

As the token entered his hand, a lukewarm wood spiritual energy flowed up his arm, refreshing his spirit and restoring much of his previously consumed true essence.

"It's done!" Dongfang Xinghe held the token, his face full of joy.

"The fruit..." Shui Qingdie looked at the nine bi ning fruits, her beautiful eyes also filled with anticipation. These fruits were clearly treasures for enhancing spiritual power and nourishing the Divine Soul, greatly benefiting cultivation.

"Two for each person, and the remaining one..." Ye Tian looked at the skeleton. "Let's leave it for this Senior. If not for his warning, we might have already brought disaster upon ourselves."

Though he wouldn't be reckless enough to dig up the roots, without the warning, others might not have been able to resist trying out of curiosity.

"As it should be." Dongfang Xinghe nodded and bowed once more to the skeleton.

Ye Tian stepped forward, carefully picked two bi ning fruits, and placed them in a jade box.

They felt warm and moist in his hand, their fragrance assailing his nose. Just smelling them made the flow of true essence within his body slightly faster. They were indeed good things.

Shui Qingdie, Pei Tieshan, and Dongfang Xinghe also each carefully picked two and stored them properly. The last one remained hanging on the branch, emitting a shimmering green light.

Having taken the items, the four of them stepped back a few paces, leaving the vicinity of the little tree.

Just as Dongfang Xinghe tucked the Wood Element Token into his robes, the little emerald tree suddenly moved without any wind, its nine branches swaying gently.

The patch of soil at the roots that they had been warned not to touch bulged slightly.

Immediately after, a cold, resentful aura quietly emerged from the cracks in the slightly bulging soil...

This aura instantly dispersed the originally fresh vegetation spiritual energy in the small valley.

The air suddenly became bone-chillingly cold, and the glowing green grass on the ground began to turn yellow and wither.

The nine branches of the little emerald tree trembled violently, and the light from the bi ning fruit at the tip also began to flicker uncertainly.

"Retreat!"

Ye Tian gave a low shout. Almost the instant the aura emerged, he had already moved to block the three of them. Chaos True Essence circulated automatically, forming a layer of halo on his body's surface to isolate that deathly aura.

Dongfang Xinghe, Shui Qingdie, and Pei Tieshan were also instantly alerted. They circulated their true essence to protect themselves and quickly retreated several dozen feet, leaving the central area of the little tree and the meadow.

Uncertain and suspicious looks appeared on their faces as they stared intently at the slightly bulging soil.

"What is that?!" Pei Tieshan clenched his fists. His physique was powerful, giving him a higher resistance to yin cold qi, but he still felt uncomfortable all over, as if cold moisture was seeping into the marrow of his bones.

"Such heavy Yin Qi and Death Qi... it doesn't seem naturally formed." Shui Qingdie's face turned slightly pale. Being of the water attribute, she was particularly sensitive to this kind of yin cold aura.

Dongfang Xinghe held the newly acquired Wood Element Token, the wood spiritual energy nourishing his body, making him feel slightly better, but his expression was very grave: "That Senior's warning was indeed true!

Beneath this tree... something extremely yin and evil is suppressed! Taking the token has awakened it!"

"Crack..."

Seven or eight pale, withered, and twisted things—looking like both tree roots and vines—suddenly burst from the soil!

As soon as these "things" emerged, that deathly aura instantly surged several times over!

They danced wildly in the air, each one as thick as an adult's thigh. Their tips were sharp and constantly dripped a foul-smelling black liquid that corroded the ground into pits where it landed.

Even more bizarrely, on the surface of these vines, one could see twisted, agonized faces wailing.

"This... what kind of roots are these?!" Pei Tieshan hissed, drawing in a cold breath; this thing looked extremely sinister.

"They aren't tree roots!" Ye Tian stared fixedly at the faces on the vines and said in a heavy voice: "They are corpses! The corpses of experts that have been eroded and mutated by some kind of yin and evil power! And there's more than one!"

He could feel that each of these vines emitted entirely different fluctuations of Yin Qi—some were violent, some were resentful, some were icy...

Clearly, it was a monster formed from the remains of different individuals that had been contaminated and then forcibly merged and grown by some power!

The little emerald tree growing on top was likely not just for suppression, but was also using its own life essence to slowly purify and wear down this yin and evil energy!

Now that the token has been taken, the connection between the little tree and the underground has been severed, the suppression force has greatly diminished, and this thing has immediately emerged!

"Jie jie jie... how many years has it been... finally... I can finally come out..."

A bizarre screeching of countless overlapping voices came from the center of the dancing vines, making one's scalp tingle.

The twisted faces on the vines also shrieked simultaneously, all of them locking onto the four people in the valley.

"Fresh flesh... vibrant life... swallow you... to complete us..."

The vines, like venomous pythons, suddenly shot toward the four of them, carrying a bone-chilling yin cold Death Qi that could freeze the Divine Soul!