As blood gushed from the crack, Venerable Palm Envoy's eyes gradually lost their light.
His body, drained dry from using a secret technique, crashed into the lake.
Shen Bai withdrew his palms, turned to look at the stunned Wuhua, and said, "It felt average."
He had thought that fighting two people at once would at least put him under a little pressure.
Who would have thought there would be no pressure at all? One fist and one sword were enough to settle them.
In other words, the Three Treasures Realm poses no real danger to me, Shen Bai thought.
Though he did not know which stage of the Three Treasures Realm those two envoys had been at, instantly defeating two opponents at once had given Shen Bai a clear measure of things.
Wuhua felt as though his entire being had exploded.
Especially Shen Bai's remark that it had felt average—it left Wuhua's mind reeling.
The two envoys were unquestionably experts in Ascending Cloud County, yet Shen Bai had dispatched them with effortless ease.
And judging by Shen Bai's appearance, he seemed to have strength left to spare.
Wuhua suddenly felt that having Shen Bai travel with him had made him a fortune.
"Benefactor Shen, from which sect do you hail?"
He had suddenly become interested in Shen Bai's master and sect.
Such a young expert had to be a disciple of some major power.
Shen Bai said, "I trained randomly."
"Trained randomly?" Wuhua's eyes widened. "Benefactor Shen, do you mean you had no master and trained entirely by yourself?"
Shen Bai nodded. "More or less. I received some guidance from an expert passing by, then trained by myself until now."
Wuhua's eyes grew even wider, and a sense of helplessness surged through his heart. "If those prodigies of Maple Forest Province learned of this, they would likely lose all face."
"Leaving aside everything else, Benefactor Shen's fist-and-sword techniques alone are enough to earn anyone's admiration."
There was not the slightest trace of falsehood in his words.
Shen Bai's strength was simply too terrifying.
Shen Bai waved a hand. "I merely know a few rudimentary skills."
Wuhua smiled bitterly. "If this counts as rudimentary, then this little monk has not even entered the gate."
Shen Bai shook his head. "Master Wuhua, let's not say any more than necessary. Dealing with the Sophora Tree Bizarre Entity is more urgent."
Now that Shen Bai had dealt with both envoys of the Upper Evil Gate, only the Sophora Tree Bizarre Entity remained.
At this moment, the sophora tree still stood on the central island.
This sort of special bizarre entity only showed abnormalities within a specific range.
Shen Bai remained unaffected while standing on the shore. He guessed they might have to set foot on the island.
Looking at the enormous sophora tree, Wuhua took out a string of Buddhist beads from his robes and held them in his left hand.
Opera Envoy's bamboo raft was still floating not far from the lakeshore.
Since they needed to get onto the island, the two naturally had to take the bamboo raft.
Wuhua extended one palm, curled it into a claw, and pulled back through the air at the bamboo raft.
In the next instant, a gust of wind swept over them, and Wuhua dragged the raft across the lake to the shore.
Seeing this, Shen Bai asked, "What is this move called?"
Wuhua humbly replied, "Telekinetic Absorption. It is something ordinary martial artists know, merely for convenience."
Shen Bai sighed. "Ah, I really envy you for knowing something like that. I can't do it."
The veins on Wuhua's forehead throbbed wildly.
If he could have beaten Shen Bai, he would have debated Buddhist doctrine with him no matter what.
What did he mean, envy?
I'm the one who should be envious.
You were this powerful, yet you said you envied the Telekinetic Absorption that every martial artist knew?
Brother, could it be that you were saying this on purpose?
What Wuhua did not know was that Shen Bai genuinely meant it.
"Let's go. The sooner we finish, the better."
With envy still in his eyes, Shen Bai stepped onto the bamboo raft.
Only such flashy abilities could truly let one show off.
Unfortunately, he did not have any.
He was merely better at fighting.
After Wuhua boarded the raft, he thrust a palm toward the side.
In the next instant, the bamboo raft sped toward the island at the center of the lake.
At the edge of the island.
The enormous sophora tree still swayed its branches in the wind. Its leaves rustled in the night breeze, a sound that carried a touch of drowsiness.
Once Shen Bai and Wuhua stepped onto the island, the gentle night breeze immediately became somewhat clamorous.
Shen Bai could even feel a trace of cold.
"We're already on the island. Why hasn't this sophora tree done anything yet?" Shen Bai asked, rubbing his chin.
Wuhua said, "The Sophora Tree Bizarre Entity's attacks are rather unusual. It makes people see illusions, using those illusions to harm them. Such illusions emerge when a person is at their weakest, so Benefactor, you must be careful."
Shen Bai recalled the illusion he had encountered at the Sun Family and nodded. "Don't worry."
The two continued approaching the enormous sophora tree.
Only when he drew near did Shen Bai realize just how huge the tree truly was.
Especially since the entire tree had turned pitch-black due to its bizarre nature, making one's scalp prickle.
As the two approached, Shen Bai saw the back of the sophora tree, and his pupils contracted slightly.
Wuhua saw it as well and clenched his fists. "Those beasts! Letting them die so easily was already too merciful!"
At the back, sophora branches were wrapped around the trunk.
Within the branches was a severed corpse, shriveled dry. Yet from its shape and the head, it was clear that this had been a woman's corpse.
After a female disciple of Hundred Healers Valley had been dismembered by Huaixi Village's villagers, she had been hidden within the sophora tree. The mangled corpse before them was very likely that woman from Hundred Healers Valley.
Shen Bai saw a medicine chest beneath the sophora tree, already worn and battered beyond recognition.
"The greatest evil in this world has never been bizarre entities, but the human heart."
The two continued toward the sophora tree.
Just then, the night wind grew stronger.
The faint night breeze became a gale as the two approached.
If an ordinary person stood here, they might not even be able to keep their footing.
Traces of Baleful Intent began to emerge from the sophora tree's branches. As the Baleful Intent appeared, the front of the tree started to twist continuously, and horrifying human faces emerged one after another.
Those faces wore expressions of agony as the sophora tree relentlessly squeezed and fused them together, until they finally became one gigantic human face.
Shen Bai found the sight rather novel. Just as he was about to turn around and speak, he suddenly noticed that something was wrong with Wuhua.
Wuhua sat cross-legged on the ground, looking as though he were in immense pain, as if struggling against something invisible.
Sweat appeared on Wuhua's forehead and ran down his chin onto the ground. His face turned even paler.
Seeing this, Shen Bai supported Wuhua by the arm and asked, "What's wrong?"
Wuhua gritted his teeth. A hint of madness had already entered his eyes. The Buddhist bead slipped from his hand and rolled across the ground.
"Benefactor Shen, I was careless. I should have used the Buddhist beads from the start."
"This little monk is about to fall into an illusion!"
"We... are in danger..."
An illusion?
Shen Bai asked curiously, "I don't feel anything?"
After saying that, Shen Bai suddenly sensed that something was wrong.
One phantom after another appeared around him, carrying waves of Baleful Intent as they advanced toward him.
Shen Bai's mouth twitched slightly. "So this really is an illusion."
Those phantoms might place tremendous pressure on others, but in Shen Bai's eyes...
They were very fake.
Before you continue