"It was only a small effort. Please stand guard outside for me, Sect Leader. I'll go down and see what lies beneath the trunk."
Lin Taichu lifted his leg and walked downward. The moment he took a step, he saw that the Dragon Saliva Ancient Tree, which had once stood over a zhang tall with sprawling branches, had been reduced to only half its height.
At the roots of the ancient tree, a dried corpse lay silently on the ground, its death utterly miserable.
He remembered that this dried corpse seemed to be the Sect Leader of the Myriad Monster Sect. How had he died?
Lin Taichu frowned. Though he had no dealings with the Myriad Monster Sect, they were disciples of the same Myriad Sword Sect after all. Seeing this still made him feel rather upset.
Lin Taichu crouched down and carefully examined the dried corpse, looking it over again and again.
Suddenly, a palm-sized white bird flew out of the corpse's chest, chirping incessantly as it hopped toward Lin Taichu.
"Little thing!" Lin Taichu froze. How had this little fellow ended up in his arms?
"Chirp, chirp, chirp!" The little bird cried without pause.
Lin Taichu understood. This bird must have sensed the wood-element spiritual energy on him and burrowed into his arms because of it.
"You know me?" Lin Taichu asked curiously.
"Chirp, chirp..." The little bird tilted its head at Lin Taichu, its two glossy black eyes spinning restlessly.
Lin Taichu's mouth twitched. This little thing had actually taken him for a toy, leaving him both amused and helpless.
Lin Taichu grabbed it and tossed it away. Unexpectedly, the little thing was incredibly fast, landing directly on Lin Taichu's shoulder and wrapping its wings tightly around his neck.
"Hehehe." Unable to hold back his laughter, Lin