The Golden Mountain cracked, with massive stones rolling down.
The Thunderstruck Tree was pitch-black, colossal beyond measure, its lightning now withdrawn. Its roots, however, wrapped around a golden palace, lifting it from the earth and suspending it midair.
The golden divine mountain collapsed, rumbling thunderously.
Shi Hao stared at the Thunderstruck Tree above. Initially, he had thought the tree lacked any will, but now he wasn’t so sure—it was purely instinct and intuition.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, he noticed the golden palace wrapped in roots was changing, eventually transforming into a massive, radiant skeleton.
“Dragon? No, a mastiff?” Shi Hao was astonished. This was a golden skeleton, grand and magnificent, standing with an awe-inspiring aura.
Was the palace actually transformed from it?
“It evolved from the Thunderstruck Canine—it’s the legendary Dragon Mastiff?” Shi Hao’s eyes widened. His heart pounded. This was a fabled ferocious beast.
Since ancient times, some ferocious beasts, upon reaching the peak of evolution, would attempt to transform into true dragons. This one clearly had!
It bore a pair of dragon horns, while its lower body had transformed into that of a dragon, its crystalline bones radiant and resplendent, exuding an aura that sent shivers through all beasts.
If not for the upper half still being that of a mastiff, one might mistake it for a true dragon!
“Incredible!” Shi Hao exclaimed, his eyes burning with desire. This beast undoubtedly commanded supreme laws, possessing heaven-shaking power. He wondered if it had left behind any legacy.
Most Thunderstruck Canines seen today were ancient remnants, rarely pure-blooded. Yet when they did appear, they were terrifying, traversing the skies on lightning, fearsome beyond measure.
A few divine mastiffs were said to devour the sun and moon. Legends of the “Celestial Dog Eating the Moon” were tied to them.
“A few divine mastiffs can evolve into true dragons, just like this one. Its mastery of lightning laws must be world-shocking!”
Shi Hao’s gaze flared with increasing intensity, filled with yearning. He was researching Thunder Spells and desperately needed such a legacy.
Suddenly, a ripple spread. From the massive skull of the Dragon Mastiff, cultivators emerged, pale-faced and fearful.
Shi Hao was surprised. The twenty-odd cultivators who had earlier been forced into the golden palace had survived. The previous lightning waterfall had targeted only the four great experts, sparing them.
“Senior Daoist, your skills are truly remarkable! You made four beings who had ignited divine fire perish in regret. We admire you deeply!”
Survivors of calamity, they felt both exhilaration and lingering dread, their admiration for Shi Hao boundless. Without him, they would have perished.
“May we know your name, Senior? We should leave quickly. The Fire Demon Sect will surely return, and they won’t spare you,” someone kindly warned.
Shi Hao nodded. He understood the urgency, yet he still yearned for the Dragon Mastiff’s legacy. A beast exuding true dragon aura was worth the risk.
“The Devil King,” he smiled, “a title given by the Vermilion Feather Crane Clan.” The group exchanged glances, then he humbly asked, “Esteemed Daoists, may I ask what lies within?”
They withheld nothing, telling him of a strange meditation cushion and a divine statue. The four experts had triggered the cushion, unleashing deadly force.
Suddenly, Shi Hao sensed a peculiar presence. Instantly, he looked up, locking eyes on the Thunderstruck Tree, quickly warning the others, “Retreat—now!”
At that moment, the previously inert tree exuded a hazy will, enveloping the golden skeleton of the Dragon Mastiff, releasing threads of electric energy.
No need for Shi Hao to elaborate—every cultivator paled, fleeing for their lives.
They had just witnessed four great experts perish. If struck, they would certainly die.
Shi Hao didn’t hesitate either, forming a cluster of lightning glyphs around himself, fleeing rapidly into the distance.
Yet, to everyone’s shock, the Thunderstruck Tree extended dozens of lightning waterfalls through the void, rushing toward Shi Hao.
“What the—why target me? I didn’t provoke you!” Shi Hao inwardly cursed his misfortune. He hadn’t even entered the golden palace, yet he had become the target.
“Crack!”
At the same time, he heard a strange sound. The pitch-black ancient tree stretched its branches. A lifeless yet lightning-laced limb shot toward him.
“Strange! It truly has a will—it’s not an artifact?” His heart pounded.
Others sensed it too. That hazy will seemed to awaken, gradually regaining awareness. The tree was reviving.
Shi Hao felt a chill. An ancient tree that survived lightning strikes was terrifying. He thought of the Willow God, though this tree was obviously inferior, still enough to unsettle him.
That mighty branch, accompanied by dozens of lightning waterfalls, descended rapidly, nearly catching up.
“This is a great cultivator with immense power!” Shi Hao deduced. It was of a high realm, yet inexplicably slumbered here.
Without hesitation, he summoned his cauldron, lifting the lid, ready to dive in for protection.
Of course, he was cautious. Inside the cauldron lay other treasures—soil from the Immortal Graveyard, lightning and water from the Milky Way.
Yet, to his shock, a colossal force surged from behind, terrifyingly devouring the cauldron, as if competing with him for it.
“It’s not after me—it’s trying to seize the cauldron?” Shi Hao’s heart jolted.
At the same time, lightning danced wildly around, golden serpents filling the sky, a scene both eerie and horrifying.
“Ahh!”
Eight or nine cultivators fleeing in the same direction were struck instantly, exploding into blood mist, then burning into ashes.
A chill ran down everyone’s spine, revealing the tree’s terrifying might.
Farther away, others witnessing this fled in terror, the bizarre Thunderstruck Tree too fearsome to face.
An elder cultivator trembled, whispering, “Could this be… the legendary Demon-Blooded Ghost God Tree?”
Shi Hao kept shifting positions, relying on his incredible speed to evade the attacks.
He fled like a lightning-shaped figure, reaching the horizon in an instant. Yet, to his horror, another branch emerged, blocking his path.
Lightning arcs struck. Shi Hao spat blood, not just from the lightning, but from the immense divine force.
As he glanced back, his hair stood on end. The distant Thunderstruck Tree glowed green—it was fully reviving.
“Have it then!”
Gritting his teeth, Shi Hao thrust the cauldron forward, yet kept the lid to protect himself from the lightning and divine force.
Two branches, like coiled dragons, extended rapidly. One wrapped the cauldron, the other plunging into it, absorbing lightning.
“It seeks the Immortal Lightning essence?” Shi Hao realized. He quickly retreated.
The branch, like a withered plant in a desert, greedily absorbed. Lightning bolts flew from the cauldron into the tree.
Shi Hao felt a pang of regret. He had painstakingly retrieved these treasures from the Immortal Graveyard and Milky Way, only to have them partially stolen.
Yet, he wasn’t overly disheartened. His eyes gleamed, anticipating something.
Sure enough, the green-glowing branch soon trembled violently, turning black and yellow, as if facing a terrible fate, thrashing wildly.
Meanwhile, the distant tree did the same. A hollow formed in its trunk, like a mouth, and it began to vomit violently, its entire body bending.
A curse!
Shi Hao was certain. It was the Immortal Graveyard’s curse, now triggering the Thunderstruck Tree’s backlash, unleashing unimaginable calamity.
This curse was mysterious. The stronger the being, the more terrifying its effects. In ancient times, even an old sect master had perished in the Milky Way because of it, inspiring fear and caution.
Hence, for countless eons, few sect masters from the Upper Realm dared to approach the Immortal Graveyard.
Now, this Thunderstruck Tree sought to absorb the Immortal Lightning essence, only to invite the curse. It was doomed unless it handled it well—perhaps even dying.
Indeed, in an instant, its green glow vanished. It withered, turned black, and shook violently.
“Cough…”
The hollow widened, and the tree truly coughed, spewing lightning bolts, thunderflashes, and strands of cursed energy.
Even the two green, glowing leaves on its branches—only two remained—one quickly yellowed, losing vitality, then fell, withering.
The other dimmed, its condition dire.
Shi Hao was stunned. He hadn’t expected the Immortal Graveyard’s curse to be so terrifying for high-level cultivators!
With a buzz, the old tree released the golden Dragon Mastiff skeleton. Its roots landed on the ground like real feet, and it… fled!
Shi Hao stood stunned, finding it unbelievable.
He rubbed his eyes, confirming he hadn’t seen wrong.
The Thunderstruck Tree, so fearsome, actually fled from the cauldron. It ran wildly across the earth, coughing up lightning and curses from its hollow.
Shi Hao couldn’t help but chuckle, though the situation was clearly dangerous enough to kill anyone instantly. Yet, the scene was absurdly comical.
Then, he felt a chill again. The tree spat out black blood from its hollow, then vanished quickly.
Shi Hao retrieved his cauldron and flew straight toward the golden Dragon Mastiff, not wasting time. He had calculated—the four experts would soon return.
Entering the skull, he immediately saw the meditation cushion and the divine statue.
Shi Hao took out his Heavy Eyed Vision, observing carefully. To his delight, inside the cushion was a golden page, shining brilliantly, dazzling to behold!
His heart raced with excitement and tension. If all went well, this was likely the legacy left by the Dragon Mastiff, thrilling him beyond measure.
He carefully approached, finding no lightning bolts shooting out. He exhaled in relief, guessing the four experts’ failure to refine or seize it was likely due to the Thunderstruck Tree.
Shi Hao inspected thoroughly, confirming the cushion, though extraordinary in material, posed no danger. He quickly approached and retrieved the golden scroll.
“Whoosh!”
He transformed into a lightning-shaped figure, fleeing rapidly, unwilling to linger. He feared the old tree’s return, which would be disastrous.
Moreover, the four Fire Demon Sect experts, who had ignited divine fire, might soon arrive.
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