"It’s... gigantic." Mu Chen swallowed. He could swear this was the most colossal behemoth he had ever seen. By a rough visual estimate alone, the sky-scraping tree’s diameter had to be tens of thousands of meters, and its height was simply immeasurable. What stood before him was merely one curved section of the ancient, towering wood, yet in his eyes, this arc was like a city wall, blocking his entire view. If its bark hadn’t been indistinguishable from an ordinary tree’s, Mu Chen truly couldn’t have imagined that this was, in fact, a tree.

"This is terrifying. What kind of tree is this? Does a species like this really exist on the continent?" Wan Xian’Er stroked the massive trunk, looking up at its crown disappearing into the clouds. Her heart pounded, and she couldn’t calm down for a long time.

Mu Chen shook his head. He couldn’t be sure if this towering ancient tree was a species native to the continent. The only thing he knew for certain was that when something defied common sense, there was usually an extraordinary reason behind it. The Extreme Martial Continent had no historical record of a tree this large. Furthermore, the map his Master had given him made no special mention of it, only noting that there were two Saint Realm Magical Beasts inside the Netherworld Purgatory. This implied that 100,000 years ago, when his Master came here, this giant tree didn’t exist. It must have grown to this size within the last 100,000 years.

The amount of life force required to sustain a tree this enormous over 100,000 years was simply incalculable. In the Outer Realm, this giant tree wouldn’t have been able to survive no matter where it grew. In less than a day, it would have withered and died from the lack of moisture in the soil. For it to live, ordinary water was far from sufficient. It would need to be sustained by something with an immense, extreme level of life force. As for what that something was... judging from the summons he’d heard and the reaction of his Extreme Ice Dantian, the answer was obvious.

’An Extreme Wood Attribute Spirit... To think one would be born here!’ Mu Chen’s brow twitched, and his mouth curved into a smile of keen anticipation.

This trip was worth it...

"Miss Xian’Er, according to the map my Master left behind, this giant tree is located exactly where he set up a seal. I’m going to temporarily open it now. It might release a powerful fluctuation of Primordial Power, so you should move back a bit." As he spoke, Mu Chen’s left hand began to rapidly form a Seal Technique.

Wan Xian’Er retreated about ten meters as requested, but a question formed in her mind. ’Along the way, Mu Chen has mentioned his Master so many times. From his descriptions, his Master must be an unparalleled, worldly expert. But the number of peak powerhouses on the Extreme Martial Continent is few and far between. As I recall, the disciples of those Great Powers are all renowned young prodigies from the Central State. Yet, I’ve never heard of a Great Power having a disciple named Mu Chen—let alone a crippled Martial Artist... Still, he’s so strong.’

"Nether Emperor’s Seal, open!"

With a low shout, the Sealing Rune Technique in Mu Chen’s hands came to a sudden halt. Two beams of purple light shot from his demonic purple eyes, burying themselves in the base of the giant, sky-scraping tree. A crisp CRACK sounded from the tree’s roots. Immediately after, a strange, purple Array spread out from the tree’s base, its diameter so large that it seemed to exceed that of the tree itself. With the Array’s appearance, a horrifying wave of Primordial Power erupted from within. It was like an Evil Spirit that had been suppressed for ten thousand years, and the wave of energy even carried the wail of a tormented Evil Ghost.

Before Mu Chen could even react, the horrifying blast of Primordial Power threw him back dozens of meters. A sharp pain lanced through his chest, and he violently coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.

Although Wan Xian’Er was ten meters away, she was still within the shockwave’s range. However, she wasn’t already severely injured like Mu Chen. Her face only paled for a moment before she used her Primordial Power to withstand the aftershock.

"Mu Chen!"

Seeing the fresh stain of red spreading across Mu Chen’s chest, Wan Xian’Er immediately flashed to his side. Without a moment’s hesitation, she released the Medicinal Power from her Medicine Cauldron into his body. But the instant her palm touched his chest, her expression filled with worry. "This is terrible! The fissures in his internal organs that had just started to heal have torn open again, and they’re even more severe now."

Mu Chen waved a hand dismissively. "Miss Xian’Er, I’m fine. Don’t forget, I’m a Cauldron Master too. I can hold on for a while. My Master’s seal is open now, which means the item he sent me to find is inside. As long as I can get to it, my injuries will heal right away. So please, help me over to that giant tree. I need to force an opening in the seal."

"But you can’t use any more Primordial Power in your condition," Wan Xian’Er said, her heart aching. "If you force it, your internal organs could completely rupture! If that happens, even I... even I won’t be able to save you."

Mu Chen shook his head. "It’s fine. It’s just to make a small opening. I have a way to do it. Besides, I trust my Master. So please..."

Mu Chen took a couple of ragged breaths, his pale face utterly devoid of color. ’If the Spiritual Liquid my Master spoke of truly exists, then these injuries are nothing.’

Mu Chen’s unwavering expression deeply moved Wan Xian’Er. She truly didn’t understand the source of his persistence. But seeing his resolute determination, she found her own heart steadying in response.

"Alright! I’ll help you over there. No matter what happens, I will save you!" With that, Wan Xian’Er supported Mu Chen as they slowly made their way to the base of the giant tree. The seal Mu Chen had activated was still spinning rapidly, and Wan Xian’Er could feel a resentful, malevolent aura emanating from it.

As Mu Chen approached, the enormous silhouette of a Magical Beast suddenly lunged from the Sealing Array Plate. Without thinking, Mu Chen formed a Seal Technique with one hand, his Primordial Power instantly gathering between his eyebrows. Behind him, the four petals of his Red Lotus Ice Technique materialized from thin air.

"Red Lotus Ice Technique, shatter!"

BANG! With four successive bursts, the four Ice Crystal Petals shattered into countless fine particles that flowed into Mu Chen’s body. Guided by his will, they instantly converged at his fingertip. A bone-chilling, Extreme Ice aura coiled around the tip of his finger. His expression hardened as he pointed toward the sky and uttered in a low voice, "One Finger to the Azure Sky... Profound Nether Finger!"

WHOOSH!

A pure, ice-blue beam of light shot out from Mu Chen’s fingertip, slamming directly into one of the seal’s nodes. The moment the node was destroyed, a perfectly symmetrical gap—two men high and three men wide—was blasted open.

After completing this, Mu Chen spat out another mouthful of blood, and his face grew another shade paler. "Miss Xian’Er... Quick... get inside." With those words, his vision went black, and he collapsed into unconsciousness again.

Wan Xian’Er felt Mu Chen go limp in her arms and knew he had passed out. Seeing the gap rapidly shrinking, and not wanting to let all of Mu Chen’s efforts go to waste, she clutched him tightly and leaped through the opening. A second after she passed through, the gap in the Outer Realm sealed completely. Not only that, but the purple Sealing Array also vanished back into the giant tree...

CRACKLE... SZZZZT!

Just as Mu Chen successfully entered the sealed area, the black, misty eggshell enveloping Xiaobai the Snow Qilin also began to change subtly. Most noticeably, arcs of black Thunder now crackled and slithered across the shell’s outer surface, a terrifying sight to behold. And inside the pitch-black shell, a tiny point of white light was gradually growing larger.

THUMP-THUMP... THUMP-THUMP...

Like a heartbeat, the white point of light pulsed, and the pitch-black eggshell expanded and contracted in rhythm. It looked like a bizarre, soul-stealing black hole.

’This is... my power...’

A low, ethereal voice drifted out from the pitch-black eggshell. The sound didn’t travel far, but as it faded, a sudden gale erupted. Mixed within the wind was a pure, ancient aura—the true aura of a King!

CRACK... CRACK... CRACK...

Following a series of rapid cracks, countless spiderweb-like fissures began to spread across the floating, pitch-black eggshell. Beams of pure white light shone out from within, creating a stark contrast with the surrounding darkness.

CRACK... CRACK... CRACK...

The cracking continued. As the fissures grew more numerous and wider, a dazzling white light engulfed the entire eggshell. The next moment, a resounding roar of a Beast God shot toward the heavens, creating a massive, raging cyclone that swept out in all directions.

"ROAR!!!"

The light shattered and the darkness receded, revealing a massive white figure that gradually came into focus. It was an Ancient Giant Beast with an enormous body. Its sleek fur, primarily white with black accents, was long and elegant. Its flowing mane moved on its own without any wind, like a curtain of light, and was surrounded by shimmering motes of light. This detail alone was enough to show how extraordinary this Giant Beast was.

A pure white horn, several meters long, jutted from its proud head, emitting a faint, cold glint. Around the horn, arcs of black lightning constantly leaped and danced. It was no exaggeration to say that if this horn were to pierce something, even a powerful Venerable Beast would be skewered by its peerless sharpness!

THUD! The Giant Beast took a step, its paw wreathed in black Thunderbolt, nearly shattering the very space beneath it. From that paw extended five sharp claws that gleamed with a metallic luster, seemingly eager for their first kill. A casual flick of its long tail whipped up a hurricane. The Giant Beast regarded its new body with satisfaction and said, "This feels... great."

With that, the Giant Beast raised its head high. Its golden pupils were ringed by pitch-black sclera, making its eyes look like a pair of rising suns, dazzling to behold. Yet, they contained no hope—only cold-hearted ruthlessness, death, and ice.

This was Xiaobai, having entered its second stage of evolution: the Land Beast God—the Snow Qilin!

It turned its head, looking in the direction where Mu Chen was. A flicker of softness appeared in the Snow Qilin’s otherwise cold and heartless eyes. That was the person it would give its life to protect. ’Father, I’m coming.’

’The Nether Qilin told me I am the Divine King of the Land Magical Beasts, but so what? In my eyes, I am Mu Chen’s child. I am Mu Chen’s Guardian Beast!’

Its sharp, Thunder-wreathed claws stabbed into the space before it at lightning speed. With a slight push, space itself let out a crisp tearing sound. A massive rift, ten meters high and about six meters wide, appeared before the Snow Qilin. With a swish of its tail, it dove into the Spatial Rift. While not as colossal as the Nether Qilin, its powerful body was still more than ten meters tall and six meters wide. Its form slipped completely inside, and with a final WHOOSH, the Snow Qilin vanished from this dimension...