Chapter 063

Chapter 63: Variant Wood Spiritual Root

The Illusory Dream Secret Realm had already become unstable because two Companion Spirit spaces had collapsed. One was blown up by Ye Wan Wan. The other was blown up by Shen Nan Zhou. Now, Bai Jian’s sword tore apart the last support.

Everyone heard the sound and saw the crack in the sky spreading wider. It was like darkness falling. The light vanished all at once, and it grew darker and darker. Only the sword light still burned bright.

There was no retreat in Bai Jian’s eyes. She had only one thought: anyone who bullies my junior sister deserves a beating. Beat them until they explode.

Her gaze grew firmer. Shockingly, her sword energy kept stacking, heavier and heavier. People looked on in disbelief.

Pfft. Ji Chang Huai finally could not hold out. He spat another mouthful of blood. Bai Jian’s sword energy was too strong. In that moment, it felt like she was the one at Golden Core Stage Great Perfection, not him. But this single strike had already surpassed the Golden Core Stage. It held the power of Nascent Soul.

Boom. Ji Chang Huai could no longer defend. The exploding sword force hammered him straight into the ground. Dou Ming and Ye Qian were horrified and shouted in unison: “Eldest senior brother!”

Dou Ming barked a command, swift and firm: “Earth spirit, guard!” The ground shook as spiritual power surged to Ji Chang Huai’s side, raising a strong defense around him. Throwing himself forward without regard for anything else, Dou Ming reached his eldest senior brother and shielded him.

Ye Qian woke from her stubborn, gambling state. She raised her bow at Bai Jian. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. Seven arrows flew.

Li Wan Zhi grabbed a stone and snapped with fury: “Screw your head master.” He poured spiritual power into the stone and hurled it with perfect aim, shattering three arrows. Seeing this, Fang He An rushed up too. As he moved, trees began to sprout around him. He shouted, voice cold: “Fall!”

Countless trees drilled up out of the soil and formed a living wall before Bai Jian. The wood bristled with spikes stained with purple poison. In an instant, the poison caused the nearby plants to wither in large patches. Even the water arrows shot at Bai Jian were corroded to nothing.

Gasps spread through the crowd. “Wood attribute spiritual root.” “It is a Variant Wood attribute!” “Poison!”

No one expected that the fair and clean looking Fang He An would use such a special art. The trees he summoned looked like a fierce Treant wearing a pale purple coat of poison, covered in thorns, baring claws and fangs. The contrast with his gentle appearance was shocking.

Fang He An stood guard beside Li Wan Zhi and Bai Jian, his expression icy. He did not like using this art in front of people, but if someone bullied them first, that did not mean he was soft. He normally avoided using it because the attack range was too big and hard to control. But right now, forget it.

Ye Wan Wan had already stood up. She glanced at Shen Nan Zhou, her expression hard to read: “Why did you jump out?”

She had a way to make Ji Chang Huai suffer. Shen Nan Zhou was still sitting. He looked up at her and gave a low, soft laugh: “Because my heart aches for senior sister.”

Ye Wan Wan stared, even more at a loss: “Junior brother, do you really have to say that?” The two of them were not at that kind of stage to say such things. His words only made him sound snarky to her.

Seeing her face, Shen Nan Zhou realized she was not joking. His smile slowly faded. His eyes turned deep. He tilted his head and said under his breath: “I thought we were still in the Dream Realm.”

Ye Wan Wan understood at once. [So the new dream still has an aftereffect.] She held out her hand. Shen Nan Zhou frowned and asked dryly: “What are you doing?”

“Get up,” Ye Wan Wan said in a calm voice: “We cannot sit here. Senior sister is venting for us.”

Shen Nan Zhou looked at her hand, then pushed himself up by bracing on a tree. Ye Wan Wan withdrew her hand and walked off without a backward glance. Shen Nan Zhou had just wiped his hand to offer it to her, but caught only air. “…” [So heartless.]

Ji Chang Huai had taken a heavy wound, and Bai Jian, after her explosive strike, was drained as well. It was mutual injury, but Ji Chang Huai’s condition was worse. The sky was already half black. The whole secret realm was half night, half day. Where they stood was the broken half, sinking into pitch blackness, so dark they could not see their own hands.

Ye Wan Wan quickly reached Bai Jian and poured spiritual power into her: “Senior sister, are you okay?”

Bai Jian nodded: “I am fine. I am just not full. A little hungry.” When they entered, she had brought a lot of dry rations, but since they would be inside for a month, she did not dare eat freely. These days she had been counting portions and nibbling a little at a time. She had never eaten her fill.

Ye Wan Wan laughed softly and promised with warmth: “We will find a place to eat soon. I brought lots of dry food too.”

Bai Jian’s eyes lit up. She nodded hard and agreed: “Okay!”

A shout rang out from the distance: “Move! This part of the secret realm is going to collapse!” Bai Jian’s sword had torn half the space. The darkness in the sky was spreading. Seeing this, Li Yun and Wang Niu did not hesitate and ran. Fear rippled through everyone, and people fled in all directions.

Ye Wan Wan bent to carry Bai Jian on her back. Bai Jian shook her head and said: “Junior sister, I am fine. I can walk myself.”

Ye Wan Wan did not give her the chance to refuse and lifted her anyway. Li Wan Zhi offered quickly: “I will use Sword Flight.”

Fang He An stopped him with a firm voice: “No Sword Flight. The space above is unstable. If we take to the air, we will be swept into the turbulence. We can only run on foot.”

At once, Ye Wan Wan flicked her hand and drew four Swiftstride Talismans. Four lights attached themselves to their feet. Shen Nan Zhou got one too. Ye Wan Wan ordered: “Go!”

All four felt their steps grow light. Li Wan Zhi took one stride and crossed dozens of paces. He stared in shock: “This is even faster than Swiftwind Art!”

Ye Wan Wan, carrying Bai Jian, caught up and explained: “It only lasts the time of one incense stick. Stay with me.” She did not look back at Ji Chang Huai or at Ye Qian even once. Li Wan Zhi bristled: “We should not have let them go.”

Fang He An, ever practical, said: “I am not afraid to fight, but a real fight would take too long. If the secret realm collapses, none of us will get out. No need to risk our lives for those people.” He paused and added with a faint smile: “Do not be mad. I left them something.”

Li Wan Zhi’s eyes lit with interest: “What?”

“Something good,” Fang He An said, lips curling.

Li Wan Zhi knew at once. It had to be poison. Hearing that, Shen Nan Zhou gave Fang He An a long look. His eyes reddened slightly. Fang He An seemed to notice and called to him: “Junior brother, senior brother will remember to avenge you.”

Shen Nan Zhou pressed his lips together, then suddenly sped up and passed them both: “Worry about yourself first.”

Fang He An scratched his head. “Why did he get mad all of a sudden?” Li Wan Zhi rolled his eyes. He had planned to tease Shen Nan Zhou, but since Shen had just blocked a strike for junior sister, he swallowed the words. Forget it. Maybe he just has a bad temper. At least he is not a bad person. Yes, anyone who protects junior sister is a good person.

Back in the woods they had left, the poison Fang He An released kept spreading. It soaked into the ground and crept up the earth wall around Ji Chang Huai that Dou Ming had raised. Dou Ming felt his spiritual power corroding. His face went pale, but he still dug his eldest senior brother out of the pit with all his strength.

Crying, Ye Qian ran over: “Eldest senior brother, third senior brother…” Seeing the two of them like that, she burst into even harder sobs. She had never seen them hurt this badly before. Never.