The Golden Tree, abode of the sun, resting place of the gods, emerged alongside the origin of legends—an unparalleled great opportunity that commanded heavenly and earthly blessings.
Everyone rushed forward at once. Xuan Ming, Bi Gu, Lan Yu, and Hong Huang each activated their secret treasures. In an instant, streaks of radiant light filled the air as everyone surged ahead together.
“Hum!”
Suddenly, an inexplicable aura erupted—so abrupt and swift that space itself twisted. A crimson root, like a true dragon, dove forward with incredible speed.
“Thud!”
A genius from the Upper World could barely believe his fate. His temple pierced through, blood flew high into the air. Until his last breath, a bewildered expression remained on his face.
So sudden, a blood-red root sharper than a divine spear, flashing with crimson brilliance, had struck down a young, powerful cultivator from the Upper World.
It was the Ironblood Ancient Tree. Rising from magma, it acted without warning, defending itself with a staff, unafraid of the searing heat.
The corpse desiccated, its essence completely absorbed by the ancient tree. Then it turned to ash, spirit and form utterly destroyed.
“You… how dare you!” The group from the Upper World all grew furious. They had not provoked conflict, yet were now attacked first. Instantly, they turned back, determined to avenge their fallen comrade.
With a thunderous boom, surging magma swept through the crimson sea as the area boiled with power. A group of Venerated Elders appeared, attacking these prodigies together with synchronized movements.
Except for those who had entered earlier, the other Venerated Elders maintained perfect coordination, their faces cold and silent, launching fierce attacks toward Lan Yu, Shui Yue, Shi Hao, and others.
“Dare you!” Zhao Qi roared. In an instant, he was struck by several beams of light. If not for his secret treasure activating at the crucial moment, he would have perished.
“Break through!” Lan Yu commanded sharply.
The situation looked grim. Their path was cut off both front and rear as they were besieged by Venerable One like the Nine-headed Hydra, Golden Giant, Silver Lion, and others. Their circumstances were extremely perilous.
“Boom!”
Laws erupted in torrents, radiant light falling like waterfalls. The area boiled with power, magma waves towering high, and murderous intent piercing the heavens.
No one had anticipated such swift battle before they could even reach the Sun Ancient Tree. Now they were encircled and hunted down.
A Five-colored Deer launched an attack. Divine light flew forth—it was a treasure artifact, the Deerhorn, glowing with multicolored brilliance, directly reaching Shi Hao’s vicinity, its power immense and absolute.
“Clang!”
A ringing sound was produced. Shi Hao’s hands emitted light, unleashing a sky-piercing sword Qi that cleaved the Deerhorn, sending it veering into the magma sea.
Relatively speaking, he did not exude any Venerable One Breath, so his received attacks were not intense. Many did not even aim to eliminate him as their main target.
“Roar!”
A divine beast roared, covered head to toe in brilliant blue light, sweeping away thousands of soldiers, launching a devastating assault.
“What is this? A Blue Dragon?!” Even the Upper World geniuses were astonished. This species was immensely powerful.
Its entire body shimmered in deep blue, radiating mighty divine energy. It resembled a lizard, yet bore a dragon’s head, with a pair of wings upon its back. It dove in with a roar, unleashing a blue glow.
This was a wide-scale area attack. Hovering above its head was a treasure artifact—a bronze bell. It emitted a low, reverberating chime, enhancing its treasure techniques. What stunned everyone was that the power had increased more than several fold!
“Boom!”
The battlefield erupted. Everyone was attacked and began resisting.
Symbolic lights interlaced, laws densely woven, as the other Venerable One also attacked, besieging the group of young Upper World experts.
Zhuo Yun trembled, quickly dodging. Several symbols broke through his protective holy light. If not for a secret treasure blossoming into a jade-green lotus, he would have been in grave danger.
The Blue Dragon unleashed its power. As the bronze bell combined with its treasure technique, it surged forward powerfully. With a thud, it shattered a man next to Zhuo Yun, splattering blood high into the air.
Zhuo Yun cried out. Blood splattered against his protective artifacts, bright and vivid. His face darkened—just a hair’s breadth difference, and the victim could have been him.
“That bronze bell is an extremely powerful divine artifact. Everyone, be careful!” Shui Yue transmitted mentally. Her radiant silver-white glow shimmered, elegant and agile.
They needed no reminder. Everyone had already discerned how extraordinary and shocking the bronze bell was. Capable of enhancing treasure techniques several fold, even in the Upper World it would count as a rare, priceless treasure.
“Kill all of them. Not a single outsider must escape!” roared a Silver Lion.
Clearly, they had reached consensus. Upon identifying these youths as outsiders, they united to eradicate them, intent on slaying every foreign invader.
Golden flames burned fiercely as two Crow Daoists emerged, controlling magma to suppress these Upper World prodigies.
Even the Crow Clan, long resentful of outsiders coming here, now set aside grievances temporarily, choosing to unite against the external threat.
Shi Hao struck forth. A Vermilion Bird formed in his palm, then summoned a great surge of magma. The wave reversed course, sweeping all toward these Venerable One of Ancient Treasure Realm.
The battle erupted fiercely!
“Aooh!”
The Nine-headed Hydra roared. All nine heads blazed with radiance, unleashing divine brilliance, blanketing the sky, it crushed forward at high speed.
Even more terrifying, it activated a Nine-colored Divine Halo, truly possessing immense power, invincible in all directions. It was a divine artifact refined by gods themselves, causing many to retreat.
It was undoubtedly one of the strongest Venerable One in this world, terrifying in strength.
Meanwhile, a Purplish-Gold Ant displayed colossal strength, breaking through numerous defensive lines, unstoppable. Its divine might sent several prodigies reeling backward.
Bi Gu sneered, saying, “Are you all still holding back? At this rate, we’ll all die here!”
He keenly knew that some truly were in peril under this assault, but others were certainly concealing their true powers, still holding back.
“Xuan Ming, please act! Lead us into the Sun Ancient Tree!” Hong Huang cried.
Xuan Ming’s hand radiated a brilliant glow as a stone arch bridge emerged, appearing delicate and translucent. In an instant, it expanded rapidly, piercing the void, vanishing into the ancient divine tree.
“Go!”
The crowd crossed the bridge instantly, breaking through the siege.
“Pursue!” the Venerable One of Ancient Treasure Realm shouted, chasing from behind.
As they approached this golden ancient tree, all their figures seemed dwarfed to dust, kneeling before its roots— an eerie spectacle indeed.
This golden sapling appeared only a foot tall, yet when one drew near, one felt infinitely smaller than it.
As they ascended the stone arch bridge, Shi Hao was squeezed to the rear. The others shared a tacit understanding, preferring mutual trust since they all originated from the Upper World.
Behind them, roars thundered. The Nine-headed Hydra, the Blue Dragon, and the Golden Giant roared as they charged forward, almost catching up. Their speed was also astonishing.
“Stand and fight!” Zhao Qi shouted fiercely, glancing coldly at Shi Hao at the rear. He reluctantly brought along the young boy from the Lower World.
“You must also contribute!” Zhuo Yun whispered softly. Close to Shi Hao, he secretly struck, sealing the path ahead and forcing Shi Hao to take the rear.
With so many Venerable One chasing, if he truly lagged far behind, he’d be in deadly danger the moment he was caught.
“What is there to fear?” Shi Hao responded slowly, calmly following behind Zhuo Yun.
Zhuo Yun cast a glance filled with astonishment, seeing he couldn’t block the other. His eyes grew colder, and without another word, he sped forward.
Once the stone arch bridge broke through, Xuan Ming retrieved it. Before their eyes stood a colossal celestial tree. Golden-yellow in color, it pierced the heavens.
“Grand beyond imagination!” Even in this desperate moment, they couldn’t help but express awe.
The ancient tree radiated a cosmic aura, shimmering with radiant light, encircled by cascading starry rivers. Each leaf bore a celestial star, resembling the mythical World Tree.
“They aren’t real stars yet, still in gestation. But… this is unbelievable!” Lan Yu marveled.
Still, they had no time for admiration. The group rushed ahead as the pursuers arrived.
“Block them!” someone shouted from behind.
For ahead were several figures—the Venerable One who had entered earlier. Upon hearing the command, they all turned back, having received transmission orders, and charged at the group.
“You barbarians!” Xuan Ming exclaimed in both shock and fury. It was bad enough if only a few opposed them, but this was an entire force, capable of overwhelming them.
“Fishes from the outside world, having come here, don’t expect to leave!” the Ironblood Ancient Tree thundered, its voice like rumbling thunder.
“Climb the Sun Ancient Tree! Rush into the ancient Palace of Chaos atop its canopy! Seize the great cosmic opportunity. Race them for speed!” Lan Yu instructed.
The group dodged aside, rushing toward the golden ancient tree. It was indeed massive, and in this place, flight was impossible. They could only leap and sprint.
Moreover, Xuan Ming’s stone bridge also served as a powerful tool, continuously breaking through to approach the divine tree.
“Boom!”
But the moment they actually touched this golden colossal tree, everyone faced trouble, thrown back violently, unable to approach.
“Not good, there is a barrier!” Bi Gu’s face fell, sensing impending calamity.
Behind, the Venerable One were equally stunned, all halted by a golden light barrier.
“This tree is extraordinary. Look, it nurtures starry rivers, with each leaf bearing a star. Clearly, it has developed world-level power. Only by using a microcosmic world as a key can one unlock it,” a Venerable One remarked.
At the same time, Lan Yu, Xuan Ming, and others reached the same conclusion, faces darkening.
Microcosmic worlds were invaluable, not easily found—but who would carry one on their person?
“I have a damaged one…” the girl named Ying Ying spoke up, pulling out a crystal stone, slightly cracked.
Shi Hao’s heart stirred. Hidden within his robes was another—a World Treasure Box, a small world sealed within bronze.
“Everyone, allow me to assist,” Shi Hao declared, retrieving it.
The group gazed, astonished at first, then overjoyed. Earlier, many had been reluctant, unwilling to bring him across the sea, but now he had become their crucial support.
They moved swiftly, quickly activating the microcosmic world’s power. The void collapsed as everyone rushed into the golden light barrier.
Behind, the Venerable One group followed closely, their speed astounding. They too wished to use this channel to ascend into the Sun Ancient Tree.
“Not good, they’re catching up!” Hong Huang cried.
“Retrieve the treasure box!” Xuan Ming shouted.
At this moment, Shi Hao was shocked. Among the Upper World geniuses, someone secretly attempted to seize his treasure box. Others struck covertly, aiming to send him plummeting downward.
Shi Hao sneered coldly, glancing at them without exposing the treachery. Deliberately lagging behind, he allowed an entire wave of Venerable One to enter the golden light curtain.
Then, he pretended to be struck, falling, tumbling into the crimson magma ocean below.
“Who struck?” One of the noble ladies asked in surprise, looking at her companions. This felt like betrayal after the mill—utterly disgraceful.
“Forget it! No time!” someone shouted, hastily rushing upward toward the Golden Tree. It was simply too immense—climbing might take days.
Shi Hao allowed himself to fall, for he discovered that the roots of the Golden Tree were all coated in Earthfire Fluid—an endless, boundless ocean of flame.
“Plunge!”
He landed into the red magma liquid, releasing a moan of pleasure. Every pore opened wide, and the The Supreme Bone in his chest suddenly revived, greedily absorbing the essence.
“Wonderful! Beneath, near the golden roots—the spiritual liquid seems even richer, filled with more divine energy!” Shi Hao sensed with growing awe and excitement. He plunged downward eagerly.
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