68: The mighty laurel tree, returning to the primordial wilderness

"Tsk~"

Feeling his own condition, Li Yun couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath of cold air.

How immense was the temperature of this mutated Solar Golden Flame? It was something that surpassed even top-tier divine flames.

But now?

It was actually extinguished merely by the chilling aura radiating from the petals of the Moon Laurel. If he had stayed any longer, what awaited him would likely have been death.

From this, one could see just how terrifying and dreadful the strength of this third deity residing within the Taiyin Star was.

Fortunately, the other party, believing him to be a Three-legged Golden Crow, did not press the attack. Otherwise, he would probably have perished here today!

"Many thanks, Senior!"

Thinking of this, Li Yun replied without hesitation: "This Junior will leave immediately, and will not linger!"

Having said that, Li Yun immediately flapped his wings and retreated. Activating the Golden Crow Rainbow Transformation Art, he rapidly left the vicinity of the Taiyin Star, but his gaze remained fixed intently on the star's interior.

He was now very curious. Was this third deity a Taiyin deity like Xihe or Chang Xi, or was it the moon laurel tree itself?

If it was the former, then so be it. While Taiyin deities were undoubtedly powerful, they were not unbeatable. But if it was the moon laurel tree, then things would become much more troublesome. At the very least, he had no possibility of spying on it in the short term.

As Li Yun departed, the petals that had covered nearly half of the Taiyin Star began to rapidly flow back.

Under the observation of his Purple Gold Divine Pupils, the countless Moon Laurel petals directly returned to the location of the moon laurel tree, ultimately merging seamlessly with its branches as if they had never fallen off.

"As expected, it is the moon laurel tree itself!"

"It's a good thing it didn't take action, otherwise I would have been doomed for sure!"

Sighing inwardly, a flicker of lingering fear passed through Li Yun's eyes.

So close!

He had almost lost his life.

Simultaneously, Li Yun realized that his recent smooth progress had made him a bit overconfident.

On the surface, the Honghuang seemed to be dominated by Grand Unity Golden Immortals, but in reality, beings surpassing that level were not absent; they were simply hidden and hadn't revealed themselves.

Whether it was the moon laurel tree before him, or those innate spiritual roots within Kunlun Mountain, each possessed strength surpassing even Great Overarching Golden Immortal Perfection.

Because of this, while the number of overt threats to him in the Honghuang seemed limited, in reality, they were emerging one after another.

Ultimately, this was still a world where the strong were revered. One's own strength was the foundation of everything.

Although he had relied on foreknowledge to seize many opportunities to bolster himself, truth be told, he had not fully converted all of them into his own foundation and combat power.

For example, treasures like the green lotus axe and the twelve-grade creation azure lotus—he had merely refined and bound them as his own. He had not refined their innate restrictions, which meant their true power had not been unleashed in the real sense.

Then there was his Physical Body cultivation. While it could rival a Lesser Witch in the Late Stage, and he had even trained in close combat abilities and learned techniques like Protective Aura, honestly, he still lacked sufficient combat and practical experience.

And as for the Laws he had grasped, aside from the Void Law which had currently reached Minor Achievement, he hadn't even begun to learn others like the Laws of Water and Fire, nor could he convert them into combat power.

"To forge iron, one must be strong oneself!"

"It seems I need to change my strategy."

"The innate spiritual roots at Mount Buzhou are difficult to develop sentience and Cultivate to become stronger due to the dual limitations of Pangu's will and aura."

"But aside from the Mount Buzhou area, other regions don't have such restrictions. How could those top-tier innate spiritual roots, even one of the ten great innate spiritual roots, not possess their own foundations and power?"

Thinking this, Li Yun resolved not to linger any longer. He turned and swiftly left the vicinity of the Taiyin Star.

Flying at high speed, it didn't take long for Li Yun to reach the edge of the Nine Heavens Star Region. Looking down at the Honghuang World below, he unhesitatingly released the Three-Legged Golden Crow Transformation.

After restoring his original form, Li Yun activated the Golden Light Escape and sped towards the interior of the Honghuang.

This trip to the Nine Heavens Star Region had made him understand the reality of his own weakness and the need for continuous refinement and perfection.

However, as Li Yun returned to the Honghuang, he was astonished to find a Witch Tribe army frantically pursuing fleeing Demon God Palace Cultivators.

Led by Hou Yi, the Witch Tribe squad attacked ruthlessly, giving the Demon God Palace Cultivators no chance to catch their breath or survive, resulting in a one-sided slaughter.

Most importantly, this was happening within territory outside Mount Buzhou, which indicated one thing: the Demon God Palace had been defeated.

"Incredible!"

"How long was I gone to the Nine Heavens Star Region? The Demon God Palace was defeated this quickly? It seems the Ancestral Witches have already implemented the strategy I suggested!"

"If they hadn't driven a wedge between the Demon God Palace and the Honghuang Cultivators, the Witch Tribe definitely couldn't have eliminated the Demon God Palace in such a short time, let alone pursued them beyond Mount Buzhou."

Thinking of this, Li Yun felt quite pleased.

Regardless, the Witch Tribe side was now stabilized.

As long as the Witch Tribe's advancement continued, the landscape of the Honghuang would change accordingly.

A tiny butterfly flapping its wings can cause a butterfly effect on the other side of the ocean. With the Witch Tribe's massive scale and their status as one of the future overlords of the Honghuang, their changes could even more profoundly alter the grand momentum!

As long as the grand momentum is properly diverted, both the Heavenly Dao and the future Hongjun would have massive headaches. It would also further reduce my own presence and lower the possibility of me, this variable, being discovered.

Thinking this, Li Yun hesitated no longer. He immediately rode a cloud towards where Hou Yi and the other Witch Tribe members were. Although he already knew the outcome, he was still quite curious about why the Demon God Palace had suffered such a swift and complete defeat...

"Die~"

In the battlefield area, Hou Yi drew his bow and shot.

Nine arrows condensed from innate turbid qi, coated with a special Protective Aura, shot through the air. In the blink of an eye, they killed nine fleeing Cultivators in the distance.

After several consecutive volleys, he had successfully annihilated all the fleeing Innate Deities.

Having successfully completed the pursuit mission, Hou Yi now revealed a slight smile and said: "Go, collect the Storage Pouches from those Cultivators' bodies!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"..."

Upon hearing the order, the Greater and Lesser Witches beside him quickly stepped forward to loot the Storage Pouches left behind by the deceased Cultivators.

It was at this moment that Li Yun's voice reached Hou Yi's ears: "Hou Yi, meet me in the woods to your right!"

Li Yun did not reveal himself directly.

After his recent experience, he understood all too well that he must not expose himself, and his resolve to operate from the shadows grew even firmer.

Therefore, aside from the Twelve Ancestral Witches, Xingtian, Hou Yi, and those previous Houtu Tribe members, he had no intention of letting other Witch Tribe members see him. He did not want his existence exposed to more eyes!