128: Amazing mystery!

Xiao Shi raised his head.

His gaze went straight into the distance.

He did not choose the four sequence contenders he had trapped as his targets; instead, he planned to first deal with Wei Chen, who was currently sprinting towards the end of the road.

Even though Wei Chen had already run a considerable distance, Xiao Shi was not worried that he would escape.

As a thought flickered in his mind, numerous tree branches suddenly appeared in front of Wei Chen, who was sprinting quickly, seemingly forming a blockade that directly blocked his path.

This forced him to stop.

Wei Chen frowned tightly as he looked at the numerous tree branches in front of him.

Because he had started his journey immediately, he did not know what was happening with the others behind him.

After his path was blocked by these tree branches, he immediately tried to attack them.

However, these tree branches were unexpectedly sturdy and possessed self-repairing properties.

Even if he used every method to attack them, he could not break through them.

“What’s going on!?”

Wei Chen’s brows furrowed deeply.

At the same time, he looked back, wanting to know if anyone else had followed.

However, the moment he turned his head, he suddenly saw a figure approaching at an incredibly astonishing speed.

His speed was far beyond his imagination.

One second, there was still a distance between them, but the next second, he had already arrived in front of him, transforming into a fat young man.

“Is that you?”

Wei Chen was very surprised by this.

He hadn't expected the person who caught up to be Cheng Tianhao's bodyguard.

What was even more surprising was that he felt an incredibly strong sense of life-and-death crisis from the other party.

Ever since he reached the Qi Warrior Realm Great Perfection, he had never felt such a life-and-death crisis from a Qi Martial Realm martial artist.

This made him look solemn and extremely vigilant.

After Xiao Shi arrived in front of Wei Chen, he did not waste any words with him.

With a raise of his hand, the Wind Severing Sword appeared in his grasp.

He intended to test the power of the Wind Severing Sword through this person.

Holding the Wind Severing Sword, he merely conveyed the thought of attacking the person in front of him to the Wind Severing Sword.

The entire Wind Severing Sword in his hand automatically unleashed a powerful sword technique.

In an instant, One by one sword lights densely crisscrossed around Wei Chen.

Due to the Taiyin Qi Strength augmentation from Xiao Shi during the execution of the sword technique, all these sword lights carried the characteristics of Taiyin.

They were extremely difficult to discern with the naked eye.

And Wei Chen, after sensing the threat from Xiao Shi, went all out in his attack, no longer holding anything back.

Whoosh!

A massive Tree Shadow directly appeared beneath him.

As a sequence contender, he naturally also possessed a Shadow Seed.

And his Tree Shadow was different from Xiao Shi's Tree Shadow.

His Tree Shadow was even more robust and larger than Xiao Shi's Tree Shadow.

The branches extending from within the Tree Shadow even had barbs!

Upon their appearance, these branches immediately blocked numerous sword light attacks.

However, the sword technique unleashed by the Wind Severing Sword was quite unique.

The numerous sword lights were merely the prelude to this sword technique.

When the multitude of sword lights was blocked, a gust of wind suddenly arose in the air.

This was a sword wind formed by the convergence of many sword lights!

It swept directly towards Wei Chen.

Wei Chen's eyes narrowed.

He clasped his hands together and quickly clapped them in front of him.

The Qi Strength within him surged out, combining with the Tree Shadow beneath him, forming a sort of fusion.

This caused the already massive Tree Shadow to rapidly grow even larger at a visible speed.

When this sword wind swept over the Tree Shadow, although it instantly riddled the entire Tree Shadow with countless tiny, dense holes, as if pierced by numerous sword lights, it successfully resisted the sword wind.

It failed to harm Wei Chen.

Regarding this, both Xiao Shi and Wei Chen were somewhat surprised.

Xiao Shi was surprised by the power of Wei Chen's Tree Shadow.

He knew very well that if it were him facing this sword wind, his own Tree Shadow alone would absolutely not be able to resist it.

He hadn't expected Wei Chen's Tree Shadow to be so powerful.

Especially the fact that the opponent's Tree Shadow could combine with his own, making its power even stronger, gave Xiao Shi some inspiration for cultivating his Tree Shadow.

Wei Chen was also surprised by Xiao Shi's sword technique.

Although his Tree Shadow cultivation was not focused on defense, when his own Qi Strength combined with the Tree Shadow, its defense would reach an astonishing level.

But even so... it was still heavily damaged by Xiao Shi's sword wind!

This shocked him greatly.

Through this single strike, Xiao Shi gained a certain understanding of the sword technique's power within the Wind Severing Sword.

Although the sword technique within it was exquisite, it also relied on the strength of Qi Strength.

If the Qi Strength was insufficient, no matter how powerful the sword technique, it would be difficult to bridge the gap.

However, for some Qi Martial Realm martial artists who were not particularly skilled in techniques, this Wind Severing Sword could bring them a significant improvement.

After all, the sword technique within it did not require time to master; it would be automatically unleashed by the Wind Severing Sword itself.

And with Xiao Shi's current strength, if he used this Wind Severing Sword to deal with a general Qi Warrior Realm Great Perfection, he would certainly be able to kill them easily.

However, to deal with a Qi Warrior Realm Great Perfection like Wei Chen... it was still a bit lacking.

Xiao Shi knew that in the Qi Warrior Realm Great Perfection realm, in addition to opening a hundred Qi Vortexes, there was also a step of combining and condensing all the Qi Vortexes.

The bodyguards he had killed before had only opened a hundred Qi Vortexes.

They had not performed the combination and condensation of Qi Vortexes.

This type of Qi Warrior Realm Great Perfection was far inferior in combat power to a Qi Warrior Realm Great Perfection who had completed the combination and condensation.

Wei Chen now... had already completed the combination and condensation of Qi Vortexes.

Moreover, his combined and condensed Qi Vortexes... formed a tree!

This was also one of the reasons why he could combine his own Qi Strength with the Tree Shadow.

The form in which the Qi Vortexes combined and condensed was usually a crucial point.

Different forms often had different functions and powers.

However, usually, what form these Qi Vortexes would combine and condense into depended on the cultivation method.

For example, the Crimson Tiger Art of the Red Tiger Sect would cause the disciples of the Red Tiger Sect to combine and condense into the Crimson Tiger Form after opening a hundred Qi Vortexes.

With Xiao Shi's current strength, without considering the Azure Calamity Ancient Tree's augmentation and authority, he was already capable of killing a Qi Warrior Realm Great Perfection who had opened a hundred Qi Vortexes.

But if he faced a Qi Warrior Realm Great Perfection who had completed the combination and condensation, it would still be somewhat strenuous.

After all, a Qi Warrior Realm Great Perfection who had completed the combination and condensation would undergo an extremely significant transformation in combat power.

Although both were Qi Warrior Realm Great Perfection, the combat power between the two was incomparable.

However, with the augmentation and authority Xiao Shi currently received from the Ancient Tree, even a Qi Warrior Realm Great Perfection who had completed the combination and condensation, he had enough confidence to kill.

He had already verified this on Cheng Tianhao and the other sequence contenders.

After all, Cheng Tianhao and the other sequence contenders... were all Qi Warrior Realm Great Perfection who had completed the combination and condensation.

Immediately, Xiao Shi once again unleashed the Taiyin Eye.

Under the diffusion of numerous Taiyin Qi Strength within his body, these Taiyin Qi Strength rapidly gathered and transformed into a giant black eye.

Under the gaze of that eerie eye, Wei Chen’s body suddenly trembled.

Immediately after, his pupils were assimilated by the black eye, taking on the shape of the black eye.

His entire being instantly fell into a state of mental confusion.

However, Xiao Shi also knew that it was unrealistic to expect Wei Chen's body to melt away under the confusion of the Taiyin Eye, just like the bodyguards before.

Cheng Tianhao and the others had means to regain consciousness.

Wei Chen here would certainly also be able to regain consciousness.

Therefore, while unleashing the Taiyin Eye, Xiao Shi's figure had already charged forward.

From the very beginning, he had no intention of killing through the Taiyin Eye.

What he wanted... was the confusion brought by the Taiyin Eye!

In this state of confusion, Wei Chen himself would be completely defenseless.

And with Xiao Shi's astonishing speed under the Ancient Tree's augmentation, with just a flicker of his figure, he had already arrived in front of Wei Chen.

The Wind Severing Sword in his hand whistled and slashed towards Wei Chen with lightning speed.

Wei Chen was still in a state of confusion, and in this confused state, he began to walk towards the black eye with a dull expression.

But just as he took one step, whoosh!

A sword light flashed, and his entire head was already sent flying high into the air.

After falling to the ground, his face still retained a dull, numb expression.

Until his death... he never regained consciousness from his confused state.

With the Taiyin Eye unleashed, Xiao Shi's killing of Wei Chen was as easy as flipping a hand, without any difficulty.

After all, with the Ancient Tree's augmentation, the Taiyin Eye he unleashed possessed an extremely astonishing power of bewitchment.

Even a Qi Warrior Realm Great Perfection could not resist it and was directly hit.

Once in a state of confusion, killing him became very simple.

And with Wei Chen's death, an incredibly massive object suddenly appeared before Xiao Shi!

This was the largest item Xiao Shi had ever dropped after a kill.

It was, astonishingly, an incredibly massive coffin!!

The entire coffin was nearly a hundred feet long and forty to fifty feet high.

Before it, Xiao Shi was as tiny as an ant.

He had never expected... this kill would drop such a massive item.

At the same time, the moment he saw this item, Xiao Shi had already realized that this coffin must be the mysterious object of this place!

After all, such a massive coffin could not just be an ordinary high-grade Qi Warrior Grade item.

Even a top-grade Qi Warrior Grade item would be impossible!

Xiao Shi immediately began to check the item information.

【Name: Mysterious Coffin】

【Type: Coffin】

【Grade: Unknown】

【Description: A mysterious coffin guarded by the Azure Calamity Ancient Tree.】

【Remark: Possessing this coffin allows one to become the master of the Azure Calamity Ancient Tree.】

...“It’s just as I expected!”

A thought stirred in Xiao Shi’s mind.

This coffin was precisely the most precious and mysterious object within the Ancient Tree, far surpassing even the Azure Calamity Ancient Tree’s crystals in importance!

What Xiao Shi hadn’t expected, however, was that the origin of this item was even grander than he had imagined.

It seemed the very purpose of the Azure Calamity Ancient Tree’s existence was merely to guard this mysterious coffin!

And once one possessed this coffin, they could directly become the master of the Azure Calamity Ancient Tree!

This was truly terrifying!

Although Xiao Shi had not yet figured out the relationship between the Rapid Shadow Palace and this Azure Calamity Ancient Tree, he could infer that the Rapid Shadow Palace did not control the Azure Calamity Ancient Tree.

Their relationship with the Azure Calamity Ancient Tree was more like a cooperative one.

Otherwise, disciples like Cheng Tianhao would not have such limited authority within the Ancient Tree.

“Perhaps even the Rapid Shadow Palace doesn’t know that the Azure Calamity Ancient Tree exists to guard this mysterious coffin?”

Xiao Shi had a guess in his heart.

If the Rapid Shadow Palace knew of the existence of this coffin, they would certainly spare no effort to acquire it.

Not to mention what secrets this coffin held, just the fact that possessing it could make one the master of the Azure Calamity Ancient Tree was enough to drive them mad!

“This coffin should normally be located in an extremely hidden position within the Azure Calamity Ancient Tree, and heavily protected. Even if an ordinary person entered the Azure Calamity Ancient Tree, it would be difficult to find this coffin!”

Xiao Shi mused over this.

If it hadn't dropped... he would certainly not have been able to obtain this coffin.

Moreover, the dropping of this coffin also required killing the strongest Qi Warrior Realm Great Perfection.

The bodyguards before, for example, could not drop this item.

Now that this item was in his hands, Xiao Shi's heart also grew excited.

“So, that means, now that I possess this coffin, I can become the master of this Azure Calamity Ancient Tree!?”

Just the authority he currently held in this place already gave him a huge advantage.

If he became the master of this Azure Calamity Ancient Tree... then he would not only have an advantage here, but even within the entire Rapid Shadow Palace, he would likely be able to secure a place!

Xiao Shi immediately put the coffin into his storage bag.

His current storage bag was much larger than the one he had when he was in the Entering Martial Realm, fully capable of holding this coffin.

Although the displayed information did not explicitly show the grade of this coffin, Xiao Shi knew that its grade must be extremely high!

At least for a short period, he would find it difficult to uncover the secrets within the coffin.

Of course, the greatest significance of this coffin to Xiao Shi at this stage was its ability to make him the master of the Azure Calamity Ancient Tree.

However, Xiao Shi did not yet feel any difference.

“Does it require first going to the core?”

Xiao Shi pondered this, his gaze also focusing on the massive giant tree at the end of the road ahead.

Whoosh!

Immediately, Xiao Shi’s figure moved, approaching the Ancient Tree at the end of the road at maximum speed.

He was eager to know what changes would occur after becoming the master of the Azure Calamity Ancient Tree!