From its intricate tangle of withered branches, it was easy to tell that this was an ancient tree.
Its trunk was so thick that it would take three adults to barely encircle it.
Leaving aside the barrier inside it, the tree's exterior looked no different from the other withered trees.
Its dried bark had fallen away in patches, leaving the surface pitted and uneven. Broad swathes of dark brown blotches spread across it, clearly the result of corrosion from the demonic qi in these woods.
Su Jiu walked over to Yun Huanling and crouched beside him, looking at the spot he pointed to.
It was a black dot only the size of a thumbnail. A cultivator who knew nothing about formations or barriers could easily mistake it for a blotch on the bark...
Su Jiu gently held her right hand over the black dot. She could sense an extremely faint trace of demon aura within it, identical to the demon aura inside the trunk.
Yun Huanling looked up at Su Jiu. "Shall we break it now?"
Su Jiu furrowed her brow slightly, then shook her head. "No rush. Let's look a little longer..." As she spoke, she rose to her feet.
"Is something wrong?" Yun Huanling looked puzzled.
Su Jiu slowly circled the withered tree, her gaze remaining on the area roughly five feet from its roots.
"Something seems wrong with this barrier node."
"It has the presence of a barrier, as well as the Nightmare Demon's demon aura. It should be right..." By the time Yun Huanling said this, Su Jiu had already walked a third of the way around the tree.
"Did you spot this black barrier node at first glance, or did you discover it after examining the whole tree?"
Yun Huanling paused, something strange flickering in