Everyone had heard tales of the Elf Clan. They were one of the great races of the world, with the Life Tree as their Guardian God. Born with control over Life Power, they were said to be capable of bringing the dead back to life.

But later, after a great upheaval in the world, the Elf Clan vanished, and the Life Tree was lost.

’Could this Heaven-Reaching Ancient Tree before us be the legendary Life Tree? Wouldn’t that make this the homeland of the Elf Clan?’

The more they thought about it, the more shocked they became.

"This probably isn’t the homeland of the Elf Clan, and I fear this Heaven-Reaching Ancient Tree isn’t the true Life Tree," Ye Wushuang said after a moment of silent frowning.

"It’s not?"

Feng Yang turned his head and asked doubtfully, "Brother Ye, what makes you say that?"

"I’m sure you all know that the Life Tree contains the mysteries of life and controls endless vitality. It can make dead wood bloom anew; even if the world were to end, its life force would not perish."

As he spoke, Ye Wushuang pointed at the Heaven-Reaching Ancient Tree. "But look at this ’Life Tree’ before us. Its branches and leaves are decayed, and it has no life force at all. It’s clearly just a withered tree."

The crowd looked again. This ’Life Tree’ was completely bare, clearly dead and withered.

"Junior Brother Ye is right. This Heaven-Reaching Ancient Tree isn’t the true Life Tree, but merely a branch of it."

Qianling suddenly spoke, her eyes fixed on the sky above. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

’A branch?’

At first, the crowd barely registered her words. This colossal tree that nearly pierced the heavens was just a single branch? If so, how immense must the true Life Tree be?

’Wait, how does Qianling know all this?’

Suddenly, everyone turned to look at Qianling.

Just then, they noticed an astonishing change. A green halo bloomed from Qianling’s body, forming a sphere of light that enveloped her.

BOOM!

At the same time, the peak of the Heaven-Reaching Ancient Tree began to tremble violently.

Ye Wushuang’s Divine Sense swept out, and he was startled to find a massive, ancient palace appearing. Countless rays of green light shot out in all directions as endless vitality poured down.

Elf Saint Hall!

Three grand and imposing words in Ancient Seal script came into view.

Dii Qingxue turned to Ye Wushuang. "The Wood Essence is up there."

Ye Wushuang’s gaze also locked onto the space beside those words. Four clusters of green light hovered there, radiating an incomparably dense Vitality Power. It was the Wood Essence they had all been searching for.

Joy surged in Ye Wushuang’s heart.

"Qianling!"

Yangg Qing’er’s anxious voice rang out.

Ye Wushuang quickly looked away and back toward Qianling. Her body, still enveloped in the green halo, was rising into the sky along the trunk of the Heaven-Reaching Ancient Tree.

Feng Yang and the members of the Yunlan Ancient Teachings all frowned.

On the Ancient Spirit Sect’s side, Ye Rou moved to intervene but was stopped by Ye Wushuang.

Ye Wushuang asked the Dragon Cat, "Is Qianling from the Elf Clan?"

The Dragon Cat said thoughtfully, "Absolutely. And Lord Cat is certain her identity is far from simple."

"In that case, going up there might not be a bad thing for her!"

Ye Wushuang muttered to himself, a vague guess forming in his mind. ’This might be a great opportunity for Qianling.’

"Look, it’s someone from the Ancient Spirit Sect."

As Qianling’s figure rose into the sky, the green halo around her body grew even more brilliant, quickly attracting the attention of many others.

Not far away, Yuh Yuzhen, who had been healing his wounds, snapped his eyes open. He looked up at the sky, and his gaze turned chillingly cold.

Beside Yuh Yuzhen, Yuh Xian also looked up. He was the only one left in their team at the Spiritual Spring Third Layer, and his strength was considerable.

As if sensing something, Yuh Xian pointed to the peak of the Heaven-Reaching Ancient Tree. "Captain, look up there."

At his words, Yuh Yuzhen also looked up. The Elf Saint Hall and the Wood Essence were clearly visible before him.

"Wood Essence!"

A look of joy crossed Yuh Yuzhen’s face. Not only could Wood Essence extend one’s life, but it was also a Healing Holy Medicine. If he could perform Refinement on just one of those clusters, his injuries would heal completely.

But then a thought struck him, and his expression darkened. ’Since a member of the Ancient Spirit Sect is here, Ye Wushuang must be nearby.’

Yuh Xian asked, "Captain, should we make a move?"

’We’ll catch them by surprise. Even Ye Wushuang won’t be able to stop us. He dared to injure me; I’ll make him pay a price first.’

Yuh Yuzhen stared at Qianling, a murderous glint in his eyes.

RUMBLE!

Mengg Yiren, Ao Wuchang, Beize Sheng, Tu Qianqian, and others also arrived in succession. Their faces lit up with joy when they saw what was atop the Heaven-Reaching Ancient Tree.

"Wood Essence! Elf Saint Hall! The heavens are on my side!"

Everyone charged forward excitedly. The Elf Saint Hall was bound to hold great opportunities, and they had to claim them.

It wasn’t just them. Another team was tailing close behind.

This team was none other than Lupao, Chi Tian, and the other disciples from the Demon Abyss.

Although they had managed to escape with their lives, the beating they took from Ye Wushuang had left them in a miserable state. It had taken them several days just to recover.

Their hatred for Ye Wushuang had reached an all-time high.

Therefore, despite having given the ruin map to Ye Wushuang, he had also leaked the information to powers that held a grudge against him, such as the Feather Race and the Celestial Sword Sect. His plan was to use them to eliminate Ye Wushuang.

He had anticipated that as soon as they entered the ruins, the two sides would inevitably clash, resulting in mutual destruction.

’Ye Wushuang, you must be dead by now.’

As they traveled, Chi Tian’s expression was grim. He cursed inwardly, fantasizing about the scene of Ye Wushuang’s death. A vicious, vengeful smile spread across his face.

RUMBLE!

A loud rumble snapped Chi Tian back to reality.

He frowned and looked ahead. A familiar figure had appeared in his line of sight.

"Someone from the Ancient Spirit Sect!"

Watching the figure ascending along the Heaven-Reaching Ancient Tree, Chi Tian recognized her at once. His gaze then shifted to the Wood Essence and the Elf Saint Hall atop the massive tree.

Lupao also stopped to stare. After a moment, he let out a sinister laugh. "It seems there’s more than just Wood Essence here. Other opportunities await."

RUMBLE!

As he spoke, Lupao shot upward, with the others following close behind.

RUMBLE RUMBLE!

Just as Qianling was halfway to the top, a volley of glowing arrows shot up, aiming to kill her.

Seeing this, a cold glint flashed in Ye Wushuang’s eyes.

Feather Race!

Spitting out those two words, Ye Wushuang executed the Seven Steps of the Reversed Dragon. He leaped into the air and swung his Dragon Blood Battle Saber, intercepting the deadly arrows.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The figures of Ao Wuchang, Beize Sheng, Tu Qianqian, and Mengg Yiren also leaped into the air, heading up along the Heaven-Reaching Ancient Tree.

’So, the fight has started.’

Chi Tian and his group, who were just rushing over, sneered.

"We’re going up too. They’ll never expect us to be here. Let them fight it out while we go up and seize the opportunity first."

Chi Tian let out a sinister laugh and leaped into the air.

Lupao frowned but led the men from the Demon Abyss to follow, seizing the chance to rush upward.

With the attack blocked, Qianling continued her ascent, unimpeded.

Seeing this, Tu Qianqian yelled, "Kill her first! If she reaches the top before us, there’ll be no opportunities left for any of us!"

Hearing this, Ao Wuchang and the others’ expressions turned grim, their eyes flashing with murderous intent.