Two days later, on June 27, the third day after Chen Yu's departure.
Accompanied by the Azure Vine Clan's five experts and Chen Cong, Xiao Yi and Chen Xiaojun ventured deep into a secluded valley in the northern part of the Secret Realm.
The valley's outskirts were lush and green. Yet as the group ventured farther in, their surroundings grew increasingly desolate, as though some force had drained away all vitality, leaving everything lifeless.
When they reached the small area at the heart of the valley, roughly half a kilometer across, they found that not a blade of grass grew within the central hundred meters. Every living thing had died, leaving a barren wasteland of withered silence.
Amid this deathly stillness, dead vegetation and Plant Soul Beasts lay scattered everywhere. The skeletons of animal Soul Beasts and dried grass and trees were also visible all around. Clearly, these creatures had not been dead for very long.
Their gazes finally settled on the Greenwood Tree standing at the valley's center. Tall and stately, it appeared to have five thousand years of cultivation.
Yet strangely, this five-thousand-year Soul Beast had died, just like every other creature here.
More astonishing still, a purplish-black vine was coiled around the Greenwood Tree. Its purplish-black leaves resembled enlarged Blue Silver Grass, with golden markings running across them. It was the only living creature in this desolate place.
Confronted with such a jarring, eerie sight, everyone felt that nothing here was normal. A thick, chilling aura of death permeated the air.
After examining it carefully and confirming its identity, Elder Qing said, "That's right. This is a twenty-thousand-year Falling Star Vine. Look-it has twenty vines in all, each fifty meters long."
Elder Qing explained further, "One thing worth noting is that the Falling Star Vine's stems and