Forest of Life: Seeking Vitality, Primordial Symbiosis Breaks the Illusion

After leaving the Thunderstorm Wasteland, the silver-white radiance of the Evil Suppressing Jade Pendant gradually faded, replaced by a gentle emerald-green halo—the trail of the eighth Martial Path Seal, the "Life Seal," pointed toward the Forest of Life in the Southern Domain. Legend had it that this was the place where the ancient Martial Immortal Shennong attained enlightenment. Shennong nourished all living things with the "Power of Life," able to commune with flora and revive withered decay. In the end, he condensed his lifetime of Martial Path insights into the Life Seal and hid it within the Temple of Vitality at the heart of the forest. The Forest of Life was utterly unlike other dangerous lands. Its vegetation was lush and overflowing with vitality, yet beneath that seemingly tranquil facade lurked the Vitality Bewildering Array, capable of disrupting one's consciousness. The forest's "life spiritual energy" was too dense; rather than benefiting cultivators, it could trap them in the plight of "vitality overload." Even late-stage Heavenly Immortal cultivators had to tread carefully.

When the Qi and Blood Ship landed at the forest's edge, the surging vitality rushing toward them lifted everyone's spirits. But Lin Xiaohu soon frowned. "The spiritual energy here is so strange. It's clearly incredibly dense, but it's making my head spin. Even my Soul Suppressing Power is becoming unstable."

Chen Fan circulated the power of his seven veins. The earth-yellow Earth Vein Power faintly resonated with the surrounding vegetation, and he quickly sensed something amiss. "This isn't ordinary vitality, but deliberately guided 'bewildering vitality'—it seeps into the mind through one's qi and blood, drawing people into illusions. If we want to obtain the Life Seal, we must keep our minds clear and 'use the soul to command qi.' Only by preventing our consciousness from being disturbed by this vitality can we find the Temple of Vitality."

Holding the Evil Suppressing Jade Pendant, Su Muxue caused its emerald-green light to resonate with the forest's vitality. A blurry path emerged in the jade pendant's light screen, but the route constantly twisted and shifted. "According to the pendant's senses, the Temple of Vitality lies beside Spirit Spring Lake at the forest's core. But first, we must pass through the Vitality Bewildering Array. This array has no tangible attacks, but it can recreate the scenes cultivators yearn for most. Once one falls into an illusion, they will be lost in the forest forever. And..." She looked into the depths of the forest, a trace of gravity flashing through her eyes. "I can sense a decaying force within the array that runs contrary to vitality, as though something is devouring the forest's life force—it is likely the Withered Wood Envoy sent by the Will of the Heavenly Dao."

Just as Su Muxue had said, less than ten li after the group entered the Forest of Life, the scene around them abruptly changed. Before Lin Xiaohu appeared an image of himself successfully cultivating the Martial Path and fighting shoulder to shoulder with Chen Fan against the Heavenly Dao. He instinctively reached out, trying to touch the scene in the illusion, and cracks instantly appeared in his Soul Suppressing Power. "Brother Fan, look... we did it!"

"Xiaohu, wake up! It's an illusion!" Chen Fan promptly injected a strand of Soul Suppressing Power into Lin Xiaohu's body, helping him steady his mind. At the same time, Su Muxue and Li Mo also fell into their own illusions—Su Muxue saw the Ancient Martial Path Guardian successfully thwart the Heavenly Dao's scheme, while Li Mo saw the Seven Stars Sect become the number one sect in the cultivation world.

Chen Fan took a deep breath and fused the Soul Suppressing Power and Extreme Cold Power among his seven vein powers, forming a Mind-Clearing Cold Current that he sent into everyone's bodies. The cold current coursed through their qi and blood, instantly dispersing the dizzying haze brought by the illusions. Everyone snapped back to their senses, their faces filled with lingering fear.

"That was close! I nearly got trapped in it!" Li Mo wiped the cold sweat from his brow and looked at the surrounding flora with several more degrees of caution.

Just then, the trees ahead began to sway violently. Countless withered black vines burst from the ground, twisting together into a humanoid figure. Decaying aura coiled around the figure, who held a staff formed from dead wood—it was the Withered Wood Envoy dispatched by the Will of the Heavenly Dao! The envoy's decaying power had actually reached the late-stage Heavenly Immortal level. Clearly, it had been forged from the withered origin of the Forest of Life and the remnants of Heavenly Immortal cultivators' souls.

"Be lost... in illusions... Fall forever... into the prison of vitality..." The Withered Wood Envoy's voice was as hoarse as rotting timber snapping apart. With a sweep of its staff, countless withered black vines lashed toward the group. The decay aura on the vines clashed with the forest's vitality; wherever they passed, emerald vegetation instantly withered, and even the vitality in the air became sluggish.

"Xiaohu, use Soul Suppressing Power to shield everyone's consciousness and stop the vines' decay aura from interfering! Miss Su, use the Evil Suppressing Jade Pendant to guide the forest's vitality and offset the decaying power! Li Mo, lead the disciples in forming the Earth Vein Vitality Array and use the power of the vegetation for defense!" Chen Fan issued his orders swiftly as the power of his seven veins surged around him—earth-yellow Earth Vein Power communed with the plants, blue Sea Vein Power nourished vitality, red Flame Power burned the dead vines, pale-purple Soul Suppressing Power guarded their minds, azure gravity power suppressed the vines' growth, pale-blue Extreme Cold Power froze the decay aura, and silver-white lightning power split open gaps in the vines. The seven powers intertwined into a Seven Veins Vitality Shield before the group.

Crack! The withered black vines slammed into the vitality shield with a piercing shriek. The decay aura upon them tried to corrode the shield, only to be offset by its Power of Life. The vines immediately shriveled, turning into ash that scattered through the air. Seeing this, a cold killing intent flashed through the Withered Wood Envoy's eyes. It swung its staff once more, and the ground abruptly split open in a massive fissure. Countless thick roots of dead wood burst from the crack, winding toward the group like giant pythons. The decaying power on those roots was several times stronger than that of the earlier vines.