Lu Changfeng nodded.
Shen Lingyue knitted his brows and looked down at the hard earth beneath his feet. "But hiding underground would inevitably affect the earth veins and earth qi. Old Yin is a master of spellcraft, especially sensitive to the course of the earth veins. He investigated carefully at the time and found nothing unusual."
Lu Changfeng had also unfolded the Eight Formations Diagram, using his mind to sense the course of the earth veins beneath his feet.
Sure enough.
The earth veins were level and unobstructed, the spiritual qi flowed naturally, and there was not the slightest blockage, much less any sign of excavation. It was as though this land had been this way ever since heaven and earth first parted.
It truly was strange.
The two continued onward without a word.
The path wound through the hills, veering left and right, rising and falling.
After roughly an hour, the view suddenly opened up.
At the center of the valley lay a clearing.
In the middle of that clearing stood an enormous ginkgo tree.
It was larger than any tree Lu Changfeng had ever seen.
Its trunk was so thick that even seven or eight people joining arms might not have encircled it. Its crown blotted out the sky and sun, its dense foliage shrouding the entire clearing in shadow. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, scattering mottled light across the ground.
Lu Changfeng looked up. Layer upon layer of luxuriant branches and leaves brimmed with vitality. Every leaf gleamed green, swaying gently in the breeze with a soft rustle.
"This tree must have quite a few years behind it," he said.
Shen Lingyue stroked his beard. "They say it's a thousand years old."
Standing beneath the tree, he surveyed their surroundings, his brows drawing ever tighter.