The Golden Arrow Strikes

The face formed from countless vines gradually came to life before him.

Its eyes opened, their pupils made up of countless locust blossoms.

A dim, bluish-gray glow spread across the vine-woven face. The locust-blossom pupils slowly turned, and the rustling of branches and leaves by Xiao Ran's ear gradually coalesced into indistinct words: "Greetings... Underworld Emissary..."

The dry voice sounded like dead branches scraping across stone. Xiao Ran's pupils contracted. He hadn't expected the Ghost Scholar Tree to somehow sense his identity. It wasn't quite right, but it was close enough.

"Do you know me?"

"No... It's... your scent."

Hearing the Ghost Scholar Tree's answer, Xiao Ran more or less understood. But did trees have a sense of smell?

Xiao Ran didn't dwell on it. "Why did you ask me to come?"

"Chang'an... must not be entered!"

A rustling came from deep within the canopy. Then countless vines writhed and formed the outline of Chang'an before Xiao Ran.

The vines kept shifting, revealing scenes from inside the city.

Inside it stood towering white-bone pagodas, while all manner of monsters and demons roamed the streets.

One vine took the shape of a young child. It looked sweet and obedient, but the next moment, it became devilish in appearance.

It wasn't just the people on the streets. The surrounding buildings were just as bizarre.

An ordinary-looking house suddenly transformed into something like a meat grinder, turning everything inside into scraps.

Gravestones dotted the streets. From time to time, one would appear out of nowhere behind someone and drag them inside.

"Danger!!"

The Ghost Scholar Tree warned him again.

"You know we're going to Chang'an?"

"I... heard... you."

The Ghost Scholar Tree's roots stretched a great distance. It had already noticed them on their way here.

From Xiao Ran and the others' conversation,