"Be careful. This Bodhi Ancient Tree is rather strange," Xiao Heng said softly.
His Third Eye could see through falsehoods. Although it had not developed any divine abilities, it allowed him to see things others could not. Under its observation, the Bodhi Ancient Tree was indeed somewhat unusual.
The group slowly approached the Bodhi Tree. Finally, when they entered the shade of the Bodhi Ancient Tree, they stopped once more.
Xiao Heng looked at the Bodhi Tree. About a hundred feet above the ground, a cluster of radiance was concealed within its trunk, emitting a faint glow and flickering gently, like a human heart beating.
"This is... a Bodhi Heart!"
At the sight of it, everyone stopped in unison. They stared at the flickering ball of light, greed flashing in their eyes.
Even Xiao Heng was tempted the instant he saw it. Though he already had a method to break through to the Half Saint realm, he still wanted to claim it for himself.
"No, this isn't right!" Xiao Heng suddenly seemed to awaken. The vast Dou Qi within him surged violently, instantly dispelling the emotions that had somehow seeped into his body.
At some unknown point—perhaps the very instant they entered the shade—the cold, sinister aura had begun silently flowing into their bodies, influencing them without their awareness.
Xiao Heng noticed it and dispersed that energy. Hun Yu and the others also detected the anomaly at this moment and quickly drove out the invading emotions.
"There's something wrong with this Bodhi Ancient Tree!"
As though to prove Xiao Heng's words, the Bodhi Ancient Tree changed at that very moment. Its branches drooped downward, and when they touched the ground, five figures silently emerged from the earth before everyone's eyes.
The five people rose from the ground and took a