A Forest Encounter, the God of Myriad Woods' Inheritance

After Dugu Bo recovered from his injuries, we set out for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Before leaving, Yu Yuanzhen called me into his study and repeatedly reminded me to keep myself safe.

Dugu Bo had recovered seventy percent from his injuries, and much of the poison in his body had been suppressed. He was in a good mood along the way and, for once, began telling me about his medicinal garden.

"My medicinal garden is the only treasure land on the continent where ice and fire share the same origin. Half the spring is scorching like lava, while the other half is cold as marrow ice. Where yin and yang meet, herbs grow ten times faster than they do outside. There are also plenty of herbs even I don't recognize. How much fortune you find will depend entirely on your own eye."

The two of us traveled on and off for two days before entering a remote mountain forest rarely visited by people. The trees here were ancient, their trunks draped in gray-green lichen, while the ground was covered in thick moss. The Soul Power in the air was exceptionally dense, but it carried a faint, sweetly fishy odor.

Dugu Bo suddenly stopped.

"Something's wrong."

His nose twitched slightly, and his pupils abruptly contracted. At nearly the same moment, I sensed something unusual. Within the range of my spiritual perception, a mass of fog so dense it seemed almost solid was surging toward us at incredible speed. The mist was dark purple, hissing faintly as it churned. Wherever it passed, leaves silently crumbled into dust.

Poison fog. And not ordinary poison fog.

Dugu Bo shot into the air, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor martial soul appearing behind him. Dark green poison gushed from his palms, attempting to disperse the purple mist.

The two poisons collided in midair with crackling bursts like water dripping into hot oil. Facing the purple fog, Dugu Bo's poison lasted less than three breaths before being completely devoured.

Dugu Bo's expression changed. "What is this thing?! My poison is like a toy before it."

Before his words had even faded, the purple fog suddenly expanded and swallowed both Dugu Bo and me. The instant the mist touched my skin, I felt overwhelming discomfort. The Azure Dragon martial soul activated on its own, blue-green light forming a protective layer over my body and blocking out the fog. A muffled groan came from Dugu Bo's direction, then his aura rapidly receded, as though the mist had forcibly dragged him away.

"Senior Dugu!"

There was no response. Within the range of my spiritual perception, Dugu Bo's aura had vanished, as if the fog had swallowed him whole. My spiritual power could perceive every movement within a hundred paces, yet at this moment, aside from the churning purple fog, I could sense nothing at all. The mist itself was a barrier, cutting off all outside detection.

Just then.

A deer emerged from the fog.

It was a completely snow-white deer without the slightest trace of another color, its fur glowing faintly. Its antlers were transparent, as though carved from crystal, with a point of emerald light at each tip. It moved with calm grace, its hooves making no sound against the ground, as if it were gliding across water.

The White Deer stopped ten paces away and tilted its head at me.

It turned and walked deeper into the fog. After taking several steps, it stopped and looked back at me. Its meaning was clear: follow me.

I followed the White Deer for about a quarter of an hour. The purple fog gradually thinned ahead, then dispersed without warning, revealing an open expanse before me.

This was a land forgotten by the world.

Beneath my feet was soft ground carpeted in thick moss. All around grew plants I recognized and plants I did not. Some bloomed with golden flowers as large as fists, some bore crystal-clear red berries, and some were merely unremarkable clumps of grass. Yet every single one emitted considerable Soul Power fluctuations.

The air was saturated with dense life energy. With every breath, every pore in my body seemed to cheer.

At the very center of this world of vegetation stood a colossal tree.

The tree was so massive it felt unreal. Its trunk was as thick as a tower, and its canopy pierced the clouds. Looking up, I could not see its peak, only layers upon layers of branches and leaves appearing and vanishing amid the mist. Faint golden patterns shimmered across its bark.

The White Deer walked beneath the giant tree, stopped, glanced back at me, then lowered its head and bent its forelegs toward the tree.

A crack opened in the giant tree's trunk. Someone walked out from within.

"Someone" was perhaps not the right word. Though the thing that emerged had a human shape, its skin was dark brown like bark and covered in fine moss.

Its hair was made of hanging vines. Its eyes were two gentle masses of green light without pupils, yet when those lights turned toward me, I could clearly feel that it was watching me.

Wherever its feet touched the ground, moss instantly grew wild and patches of flowers bloomed.

"You have come." Its voice did not emerge from its mouth but echoed directly in my mind. "I have waited here for thirteen hundred years. At last, I have waited for you."

"Waited for me?"

"For you, inheritor." The Spirit of Vegetation slowly raised its hand. A vine extended from its fingertip and unfurled in the air, and a droplet of emerald-green liquid condensed upon it.

"I am the last Spirit of Vegetation on this continent. By the command of the God of Myriad Woods, I have waited here for one destined to come. Thirteen hundred years ago, the God of Myriad Woods foresaw that he would soon fall. He entrusted a strand of his source power to my care and ordered me to wait here until the one capable of inheriting his divine position appeared."

It paused, and the two masses of green light turned toward the Azure Dragon martial soul at my chest.

"You possess true dragon blood, unparalleled wood affinity, and a foundation of life energy. Most importantly, your spiritual power and will far surpass those of ordinary people. The Source of Vegetation and dragon blood are not naturally compatible, but your spirit is strong enough to maintain the balance between these two powers. Over the past thirteen hundred years, seven people have come here. Yet not one of them reached this tree alive. The purple fog domain rejects all power from life forms that are not vegetation."

"Alas, I do not have much time left. You must complete the inheritance before then, or you will be trapped here until the next millennium."

"How do I receive the inheritance?"

"The God of Myriad Woods' Source of Vegetation." The emerald droplet at its fingertip slowly rose and hovered in the air, radiating soft light. "Once this source power merges with your body, you will gain a new ability. Your perception of all vegetation will be heightened to the utmost limit. You will understand their language, borrow their life force, and use yourself as a bridge to convert the Power of Vegetation into Soul Power. Every blade of grass and every tree on this continent will become your eyes, your ears, and the source of your strength."

"Alright, I understand."

The Spirit of Vegetation did not say another word. That drop of emerald source power flew into the center of my brow, transforming into a gentle yet irresistible torrent that surged into my meridians.

Unlike the violent process of absorbing a soul ring, the power of the Source of Vegetation was extraordinarily gentle. After entering my body, it caused no impact at all. It merely spread slowly, seeping into every inch of my meridians, every bone, and every cell. I felt like a tree thoroughly soaked by spring rain, stretching from head to toe.

Then I heard voices.

The moss beneath my feet was whispering, the immortal herbs around me were humming, and the giant tree above was releasing a deep, slow breathing sound. In the distance, a withered vine at the edge of the purple fog let out a faint cry of pain. Its roots had been eroded by the poisonous mist for too long and were slowly withering away.

The entire process lasted less than half an incense stick's time, yet I felt as though I had lived for a thousand years.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw the Spirit of Vegetation's form fading. Starting from its edges, its body turned into tiny specks of light that drifted through the air and were absorbed by the surrounding plants.

"My mission is complete. This space is about to dissipate, and you will be sent back to your original location. Remember, the power of the Source of Vegetation will grow alongside you. Right now, you can understand the whispers of plants. In the future, you will be able to bring dead wood back to spring and turn deserts into forests. But power carries responsibility. Every tree and every blade of grass on this continent has been entrusted to you. Treat them well, as you would your own brothers and sisters."

When it finished speaking, the Spirit of Vegetation's form completely transformed into green motes that scattered through the sky like fireflies, merging into every corner of this world of vegetation. The giant tree's branches and leaves swayed gently, as though bidding farewell to an old friend who had accompanied it for a thousand years.

I stood where I was, feeling the ocean of vegetation within my mind. Every blade of grass whispered to me, every tree beckoned to me. This perception was not something I actively released. It was passive and constant, as natural as breathing.

The ground beneath my feet began to tremble. This space created by the God of Myriad Woods was contracting, and purple fog surged in from every direction.

With a flash of light, I was sent back to where I had been.

The purple fog had already dispersed. Dugu Bo stood ten paces away, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor martial soul circling around him. His face was pale. Clearly, after being dragged away by the purple fog, he had been trying to break free of the domain's restraints. When he saw me suddenly appear before him, he froze for a moment before striding over.

"Where did you go? That damn fog dragged me several miles away, and no matter what I did, I couldn't get back. If you hadn't shown up soon, I was about to go back and call for help." His voice was two notes higher than usual, carrying a rare trace of panic.

"Nowhere. I just had a bit of an encounter." I did not explain further and merely glanced at his complexion.

"Your injuries still haven't fully healed. You forcibly activated your martial soul just now, so you need to rest properly once we get back."

Dugu Bo stared at me for a while, his vertical pupils narrowing slightly.

"Your aura has changed. I can't say what it is, but as you stand here, the plants around you are all leaning toward you. After entering that fog, what exactly happened to you?"

He pointed at an unremarkable blue wildflower by his feet. Its stem was bent toward me at an impossible angle.

"I'll tell you later. Taking care of business comes first." I bent down, straightened the blue wildflower that had been pressed crooked, and brushed the dust from its petals.