The Yun Shan Who Chewed Tree Bark

"Waah! I'm furious!"

Iron Protector spat out a mouthful of blood the moment he heard Xie Biyan's shameless words.

Everyone knew the Soul Hall was despicable, but who could have known there were people even more shameless than them?

Seeing that he was about to lose to Saber, Iron Protector decided to go all out. He slapped the black cloth bag at his waist, releasing countless vengeful spirits and souls—the soul entities he had captured over the past few years.

"Absorb All Souls, Myriad Souls Dharma Body!"

A look of resolve flashed across Iron Protector's face. He opened his bloody maw and swallowed all those souls into his stomach. His body transformed into a huge, pitch-black fat man, and his strength continued to surge.

Five-star Dou Zong, six-star Dou Zong, seven-star Dou Zong, eight-star Dou Zong, nine-star Dou Zong, all the way to the peak of Dou Zong. Only when his realm matched Saber's did he finally stop.

Everyone's pupils contracted. They had never expected the Soul Hall's secret technique to be so astonishing.

"Ahahaha! You're all going to die here today!" Having suddenly gained such power, Iron Protector no longer held back. He gathered all his Dou Qi into his right hand and struck out with a Black Fiend Palm Print.

"Fiend Soul Devouring God Palm, all beneath heaven shall mourn!"

After leaving his palm, the black palm print grew larger and larger until it reached thirty meters in height. Countless ghost faces appeared in its center, their tongues extending more than a meter as they wailed hideously and slammed toward everyone.

At this moment, whether it was the Yun Shan master-and-disciple pair or Xie Biyan and Xie Shan, all of them felt their hearts tighten at the sight. They each released Dou Qi to protect their bodies. They would find it difficult to withstand a Dou Technique of this power!

However, in the face of such a powerful attack, Saber finally became a little serious. The two hands gripping the vacuum longsword began to twist slightly. In an instant, a raging gale burst from her hands, sending sand and stones flying and causing the winds and clouds to change color.

As the Wind King Barrier was dispelled, a dazzling longsword appeared in Saber's hands.

The sword's blade was forged from gold and its hilt from silver. Overwhelming pressure radiated from it from top to bottom, illuminating the area so brightly that everyone could barely open their eyes.

"Excalibur!"

Saber swung her sword viciously, cleaving it toward the Black Fiend Palm Print Iron Protector had launched.

"Boom!"

A golden sword beam burst forth like dawn breaking through the darkness of night, bringing people the hope of rebirth. It crushed toward Iron Protector with unstoppable force, directly shattering his enormous palm before continuing onward and blasting into his chest.

"No!"

Iron Protector felt his body rapidly dissolving beneath the golden sword beam. With a cry of unwillingness, he vanished completely from this world.

The battle ended. Xie Biyan and the others released their held breaths with lingering fear, only to see that a distant hill had been blasted into a ravine by the sword beam. Cold sweat once again broke out on their foreheads.

Xie Biyan was truly glad he had chosen the right side and allied himself with Ye Qianqian. Otherwise, he might have ended up just like Iron Protector—dead without even leaving a complete corpse behind.

"Little Scorpion, tell me what you think!" Ye Qianqian smiled smugly.

"Stunningly powerful, imposing, and ferocious beyond compare." Xie Biyan's body trembled as he showered her with flattery. He said:

"This is the most distinctive and fascinating battle I have ever witnessed. Its significance is profound and far-reaching, truly extraordinary. The Dou Technique used by this esteemed person flowed as smoothly as drifting clouds and flowing water. The entire battle proceeded in one seamless motion, leaving people full of admiration.

"This junior also learned many valuable lessons from this battle. Even now, I cannot stop savoring it. There is a feeling that it is beyond reach and impossible to surpass. Judging from the battle's characteristics, it can already be listed as a classic battle record of the Dou Qi Continent.

"To speak honestly, this junior feels that this esteemed person's Dou Technique can be said to illuminate both ancient and modern times. It was like a surging waterfall and the Yangtze River, with torrents cascading into everyone's hearts. This junior is simply unable to describe it. This... this is just... too, too, too... too awesome!"

The corners of Yun Shan and Yun Yun's mouths twitched violently. When it came to bootlicking skills, Xie Biyan was undoubtedly number one on the Dou Qi Continent!

"What about joining my Misty Cloud Sect?" Ye Qianqian asked again.

"Entirely agreed, fully supportive, absolutely devoted!" Xie Biyan no longer knew what he was saying. Perhaps he had been frightened into wetting himself by the battle just now. He shouted incoherently at everyone, "Listen well, all of you! From now on, this senior's enemies are my enemies, Xie Biyan's enemies! Whoever dares disagree with this senior's opinion, I, Xie Biyan, will be the first to object!"

After delivering that deeply moving declaration of loyalty, even Ye Qianqian was impressed to the point of prostration. How did this guy become like this?

"Good." Ye Qianqian nodded in satisfaction. "Since you've made your position clear, I'm naturally delighted. Today, I'll give you a fortuitous opportunity!"

As she spoke, she looked into the distance and saw a disciple of the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate urinating against a large tree with one hand. She immediately pointed toward him and pretended to sigh bitterly. "Such a heavenly treasure has gone unnoticed. What a pity."

The three-star Dou Zhe urinating on the tree looked utterly bewildered. He hurriedly hitched up his trousers. I'm only taking a piss. Why is everyone staring over here?

Seeing that Xie Biyan and the others did not understand, Ye Qianqian began spouting nonsense again. "That was originally an Eternal Evergreen Tree!"

"An Eternal Evergreen Tree?" Everyone was puzzled. Isn't that just a small birch tree?

"That's right." Ye Qianqian nodded with her eyes closed. "A thousand years ago, it was a divine tree that every Dou Emperor fought over. Its reputation was even greater than that of the Bodhi Tree that had attained sainthood. For some unknown reason, it has become like this today, with less than one percent of its essence remaining.

"Laughable. You people are all mortals with ordinary eyes, fighting to the death over low-grade medicinal materials without realizing that the true treasure is right beside you."

Seeing that no one believed her, Ye Qianqian immediately ordered Na Lan Yan Ran to take some people to the tree and bring back a piece of bark.

Na Lan Yan Ran wrinkled her little face and covered her nose with one hand, enduring the awful smell of urine. She shaved off a piece of bark with her sword, then brought it to Ye Qianqian.

Like an old charlatan, Ye Qianqian gestured over the bark more than ten times, formed dozens of hand seals, and then began muttering a spell.

"Little Swallow flies, Fifth Prince chases, Erkang stays home with Ziwei, poor Jinsuo has no one to keep her company, the Emperor rides after Consort Xiang, snatches Imperial Consort Yang halfway there, metal, wood, water, fire, earth, Fortune of Dedication arises, hurry, hurry, obey this command!"

After quite some time, she finally stopped acting crazy.

"Done. This tree's medicinal effects have already been activated by me." Ye Qianqian handed the battered piece of bark to Xie Biyan. "Do you want to break through your realm again? Then eat it."

"What?"

The expression on Xie Biyan's face became extremely comical. The ancestor of the Misty Cloud Sect actually wanted him to chew tree bark?

Is she kidding me?

"Are you doubting my words?" A trace of anger flashed through Ye Qianqian's eyes.

"No, no, no. How would this junior dare doubt your golden words? It's just... this..." Xie Biyan's old face twisted into a tangled expression, and he was at a loss.

That's obviously just a rotten piece of tree bark. How did it become an Eternal Evergreen Tree? And she even says she activated its medicinal effects. Why can't I feel the slightest change?

Could this ancestor of the Misty Cloud Sect be deliberately humiliating me?

"Alas!" Ye Qianqian sighed bitterly. "Heavenly treasures truly do go only to those with fate. Those without fate may be enlightened by others, yet they still have no connection with them."

She casually tossed the rotten bark to Yun Shan behind her.

Yun Shan froze for a moment. His aged hands cradled the piece of bark as though it were a priceless treasure. He seemed to have been brainwashed as he excitedly said, "Thank you for the reward, Ancestor!"

Without another word, he endured the awful smell of urine before everyone and opened his mouth to gnaw at the rotten bark.

"Teacher!"

Yun Yun could not bear to watch. She had never expected that her teacher would actually eat tree bark raw. This was simply too bizarre.

The old faces of Xie Biyan and the others twitched as well. They were equally stunned by Yun Shan's actions.

"How do you feel?" Ye Qianqian asked after Yun Shan swallowed the entire piece of rotten bark.

Yun Shan suppressed his nausea and stomach discomfort, forcibly refining the bark inside his body with Dou Qi. He quickly put on an ingratiating expression and shouted, "It's delicious!"

"System, raise Yun Shan's realm by two stars."

"Ding."

Upgrade complete. 20,000 Shock Points consumed.

As the system operated, something shocking happened.

Yun Shan's body suddenly underwent a transformation. A surging wave of Dou Qi burst from within him. He had originally been only a one-star Dou Zong, but his realm instantly rose to three-star Dou Zong.

"Ding."

Congratulations, host. You obtained 3,000 Shock Points from Yun Shan.

Congratulations, host. You obtained 6,000 Shock Points from Xie Biyan.

Congratulations, host. You obtained 4,000 Shock Points from Xie Shan.

Congratulations, host. You obtained... Shock Points from Na Lan Yan Ran.

"Oh my god, what is going on?"

Xie Biyan's beard trembled in fright. He hurriedly looked toward the waist-thick little birch tree, feeling as though he had discovered a priceless treasure.

This tree truly had the miraculous effects described by the ancestor of the Misty Cloud Sect. It was hateful that he had failed to notice it after all these years. How damnable!

"Congratulations on your teacher's strength reaching a new height!"

"Congratulations on Grandmaster's strength advancing by leaps and bounds!"

"Congratulations on the old sect master's improved strength!"

Yun Yun, Na Lan Yan Ran, and the others were incomparably excited as they congratulated Yun Shan on his explosive increase in strength.

One side rejoiced while the other despaired. Xie Biyan only now realized that he had missed a heaven-defying opportunity, and he felt deeply regretful. He simply carried his shameless spirit forward, pointing angrily at the smug Yun Shan.

"Brother Yun, you're being shameless! That opportunity was just given to me by the senior, yet you dared to forcibly swallow it!" After saying that, he turned to Ye Qianqian with a sorrowful expression. "Senior, please bestow another opportunity upon this junior!"

Yun Shan was displeased when he heard this. His strength had now reached three-star Dou Zong, putting him on equal footing with Xie Biyan. Why would he fear him?

"Brother Scorpion, that isn't right. The Ancestor told you to chew the tree bark just now, but you hesitated. Why are you blaming me now?

"Besides, your Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate has just submitted to my Misty Cloud Sect. We're all one family now, so how can we distinguish between us?

"I think I should be in charge of this Eternal Evergreen Tree. That will make it convenient to distribute its benefits uniformly in the future."

"Bullshit!" Xie Biyan's old face flushed red as he immediately began arguing with Yun Shan.

Thus, two old men over fifty fought until they were red in the face over a small birch tree, making Ye Qianqian nearly burst out laughing.

"Who's there? How dare you spy on us?"

At that moment, Yun Yun suddenly sensed something amiss. She shook her longsword and thrust it directly at a black shadow behind her.

"Hmph╭(╯^╰)╮!" The black shadow snorted coldly. She did not take Yun Yun seriously and immediately released a strand of poison that corroded Yun Yun's longsword. She then headed toward the small birch tree, tore off a piece of bark, and prepared to flee.

"Calamity Poison Body! She's the Heavenly Poison Girl! Don't let her escape!"

Xie Biyan, who had studied deadly poisons extensively, immediately identified the intruder's constitution. He hurriedly mobilized the sect's forces and surrounded her completely.

"Calamity Poison Body?" Ye Qianqian looked at the black shadow locked in combat with Yun Yun. The corners of her lips lifted slightly as a new plan formed in her heart.

She planned to trick Xiao Yi Xian into becoming her die-hard fan.

With an idea in mind, she shouted,

"Stop! This person is the descendant of an old acquaintance of mine."