The Source of Abundance

Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, pale golden mist flowed slowly along the ground.

This was no morning mist, but the breath of life so dense it had almost taken solid form.

Wherever the mist passed, withered grass sprouted tender shoots again, branches snapped by Soul Beasts swiftly healed, and even the carcasses of insects and beasts long dead slowly recovered as their flesh writhed.

Yet this recovery was not normal.

A beetle with half its body crushed stood up again, but several slender feelers had grown from its abdomen. They burrowed into the soil, drawing nutrients from underground like plant roots.

Lin Yuan watched this scene, his brows drawing together slightly.

The closer they came to the forest's depths, the denser the surrounding breath of life became.

Yet it offered no sense of warmth. Instead, it brought an indescribable feeling of oppression.

It was as though all life here was being forcibly prolonged by some invisible power.

"The source is just ahead."

Qian Daoliu suddenly stopped.

Blocking their way was an unusually silent clearing.

All the ancient trees around it leaned outward, as though fearing some presence at its center.

And in the middle of that clearing, an ancient tree so immense it almost blotted out the sky rose from the earth.

Its trunk was so thick it would take dozens of people joining hands to encircle it. Its crown resembled an upside-down forest, completely blocking the sky above. Pale golden leaves overlapped in layers, liquid-like light flowing through their veins.

Countless thick roots broke through the surface, twined around one another, then plunged back into the soil.

As the roots rose and fell, dull tremors kept coming from underground.

Thump.

Thump.

Like a beating heart.

"That's it."

Light Feather Douluo slowly raised his hand, and an ice-blue longbow appeared in his palm.

"This tree's roots have already reached the outer regions. Those things were probably all created by it."

Qian Renxue gazed at the ancient tree, a trace of gravity surfacing in her eyes.

She could feel the surrounding life energy constantly converging on it.

It was not nourishing the forest.

It was devouring it.

Just then, the ancient tree's rough bark suddenly split open.

A long, narrow fissure appeared in the center of its trunk.

As thick golden liquid flowed from the fissure, an enormous golden eye slowly opened.

The eyeball turned slightly.

It first swept over Qian Daoliu and Light Feather Douluo, then lingered briefly on Qian Renxue.

Finally, the eye locked onto Lin Yuan.

Humm-

The Reignbow Martial Soul within Lin Yuan suddenly began to tremble.

A cold, piercing will awakened in the depths of his soul, like a hunter spanning the sea of stars finally discovering its prey.

Lin Yuan's fingers involuntarily tightened.

The Imperial Bow seemed to want to manifest of its own accord.

But the next moment, a hand pressed down on his shoulder.

"Don't summon your Martial Soul."

Light Feather Douluo stood in front of Lin Yuan.

His usually somewhat casual voice had become exceptionally grave.

"That thing is watching you."

Lin Yuan did not argue.

He could clearly sense that the Ancient Tree of Abundance was not truly focused on powerful figures like Qian Daoliu.

It was focused on the Imperial Bow within him.

More precisely, on the will of The Hunt contained within the Imperial Bow.

The Hunt and Abundance seemed to be natural enemies.

Just as the two sides sensed each other, a deep dragon's roar suddenly came from the other side of the forest.

Rumble!

A swath of trees toppled to either side.

A tall man in black-and-gold robes slowly emerged from the shadows.

The man's face was stern, his golden slit pupils holding the authority of one long accustomed to standing above others. As he appeared, the surrounding Soul Beasts lowered their heads.

An exceptionally burly figure followed close behind him.

It was a middle-aged man built as massively as a mountain.

With every step he took, the ground beneath him trembled.

Di Tian.

Xiong Jun.

Several Soul Beasts with formidable cultivation followed behind them.

Qian Daoliu and Di Tian looked at each other almost simultaneously.

Two utterly different presences collided in the clearing.

Sacred, blazing angelic power pressed against deep, overbearing dark dragon power, sending the surrounding pale golden mist churning.

Di Tian's golden slit pupils narrowed slightly.

He sensed an exceptionally strong threat from Qian Daoliu.

Qian Daoliu was also studying Di Tian.

Although the black-robed man before him had not revealed his true form, the power within him already far surpassed that of an ordinary Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

The atmosphere grew tense in an instant.

Xiong Jun shifted his gaze from Qian Daoliu and swept it over Guang Ling, Qian Renxue, and Lin Yuan.

"Humans."

A savage smile gradually appeared on his face.

"You actually dared to venture this deep."

Dark golden claws slowly extended from Xiong Jun's fingers.

Cold light gleamed over the five claws. Their mere appearance caused faint distortions in the surrounding air.

"Di Tian, these humans have already seen the source."

"If you ask me, we should kill them all first, then take our time dealing with this freakish tree."

As Xiong Jun finished speaking, the savage presence of a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear erupted.

Several trees near him instantly developed extensive cracks.

Light Feather Douluo sneered.

His ice-blue longbow fully solidified, and an intensely cold presence spread steadily along the ground.

"You want to kill us?"

"A bear like you?"

"I've killed plenty of Soul Beasts over the years, including no shortage who thought themselves invincible under heaven."

The vicious gleam in Xiong Jun's eyes intensified.

"Then I'll tear you apart first!"

Xiong Jun raised his dark golden claws and was just about to advance when Qian Daoliu took a step forward.

Just one step.

An oppressive might like the descent of a blazing sun enveloped the entire clearing.

Xiong Jun's movements faltered.

Qian Daoliu did not look at him, turning his gaze toward Di Tian instead.

"The monsters this tree created have already begun spreading toward the forest's outskirts."

"If we keep letting it run unchecked, humans won't be the only ones threatened."

"The entire Star Dou Great Forest will become its nourishment."

Di Tian remained silent.

In truth, he understood the danger of this ancient tree better than anyone.

The Ancient Tree of Abundance's roots had already begun approaching the Lake of Life.

The life force it possessed seemed similar to that of the Lake of Life, but was actually utterly different.

What the Lake of Life represented was pure vitality.

What this ancient tree bestowed, however, was a twisted form of continuation.

Even if the flesh rotted, even if the soul was incomplete, it would still forcibly keep life in existence.

That was not true immortality.

It was merely a curse that made death impossible.

"Deal with it first."

Qian Daoliu watched Di Tian.

"As for matters between humans and Soul Beasts, those can wait until it's gone."

Xiong Jun snorted coldly.

"Human words can't be trusted."

"Once we've dealt with the freakish tree, they'll definitely turn on us immediately."

Di Tian did not answer Xiong Jun.

His gaze remained fixed on the Ancient Tree of Abundance.

But before he could decide, the golden eye in the center of the ancient tree suddenly contracted violently.

It looked at Lin Yuan again.

The next instant, the entire ground shook violently.

"Get back!"

Qian Daoliu's expression changed.

Boom!

Hundreds of roots burst from the earth.

Each was as thick as a bucket, its tip sharp as a spear, thrusting toward Lin Yuan from different directions.

The Ancient Tree of Abundance did not attack Qian Daoliu, the strongest among them, nor did it attack Di Tian, who stood closest.

From beginning to end, it had only one target.

Lin Yuan.

Six wings abruptly spread behind Qian Daoliu.

Brilliant golden light erupted like the sun.

"Angel Domain!"

The golden domain spread outward. The moment the dozens of roots at the forefront touched the angelic power, sacred flames ignited over their surfaces.

Qian Daoliu held two fingers together like a sword.

A dazzling blade of sword light swept across.

Hundreds of roots were severed at once.

Yet the severed roots did not lose their vitality.

Countless fleshy buds writhed frantically at the breaks.

In the span of a single breath, every severed root split into two new roots.

One became two.

Two became four.

Rather than decreasing, their numbers rapidly increased.

Light Feather Douluo raised his hand and drew his ice bow.

The bowstring vibrated, and dozens of ice-blue arrows tore through the air.

The arrows struck the newly grown roots precisely. Intensely cold Soul Power swiftly spread along them, freezing a large mass of roots in place.

But the moment the ice formed, countless fine cracks appeared across its surface.

"What powerful regenerative ability."

Light Feather Douluo's gaze darkened.

He reached out, grabbed Lin Yuan's shoulder, and pushed him into a defensive barrier formed from ice.

Qian Renxue entered the barrier as well.

"You two stay here."

"No matter what happens, you are not to come out."

The Imperial Bow within Lin Yuan was still trembling violently.

That will from The Hunt kept urging him to draw the bowstring.

But in the end, Lin Yuan suppressed his Martial Soul.

The battle before him had already surpassed any level he could intervene in.

With his current strength, acting rashly would not only fail to hurt the ancient tree, but would instead make him a burden to Qian Daoliu and the others.

Moreover, the Ancient Tree of Abundance was clearly waiting for the Imperial Bow to appear.

Until he understood its purpose, he could not act.

Dozens of roots swerved around Qian Daoliu on both sides and continued stabbing toward the ice barrier.

Light Feather Douluo was just about to intercept them when a dark golden claw slash suddenly swept across.

Boom!

The incoming roots were instantly torn to pieces.

Xiong Jun stood guard on the other side, staring grimly at the Ancient Tree of Abundance.

The ancient tree's attacks were no longer limited to humans.

More and more roots burst out of the ground, beginning to attack Di Tian's side as well.

"This monster wants to swallow us all."

Xiong Jun roared.

"Then let's tear it apart first!"

Di Tian raised his head, gazing at the golden canopy that blotted out the sky.

Dark dragon power slowly rose from within him.

A moment later, he spoke coldly.

"Destroy the ancient tree first."

The six wings on Qian Daoliu's back slowly spread.

"Exactly what I had in mind."

The atmosphere between the humans and the Soul Beasts remained tense.

Xiong Jun's gaze toward Guang Ling was still filled with hostility.

But within the constantly shrinking cage of roots, neither side had any room to continue their standoff.

As the Ancient Tree of Abundance let out a deep rumble, countless golden leaves fell from its canopy.

The leaves rapidly stretched out in midair, transforming into thousands upon thousands of sharp golden spears.

Shrill whistles followed as they sliced through the air.

The golden spears filling the sky fell all at once.

Qian Daoliu and Di Tian raised their hands at almost the same instant.

Holy radiance and dark dragon power surged into the sky simultaneously.