Chapter 128: A Single Leaf of Heavenly Treasure

The bird’s fiery red plumage shimmered brilliantly, trailing long tail feathers that measured two-thirds the length of its body. Atop its head sat a three-colored crest, dazzling and magnificent. Its beautiful phoenix eyes gazed at the White Tiger with an air of leisurely indifference.

"Heh, a fight now might be just the thing to satisfy my cravings. It’s been hundreds of years since I last had a proper bout. I decided to make you my first stop," the White Tiger said, baring its fangs in a gesture that looked almost like a grin.

"Fine. I haven't stretched my limbs in centuries either. Let’s take this to the skies. Keep it restrained; don't go destroying my territory," the Phoenix replied, spreading its wings and soaring toward the heavens.

"Roar! Let us battle!" The White Tiger let out an excited roar, leaping into the wind and chasing the Phoenix into the clouds. Without further ado, the clash began.

Down in the volcanic crater, Qi scrambled to his feet, desperate to flee this perilous volcanic range. But the moment he flew above the rim, the two clashing auras of slaughter in the air shredded him, leaving him covered in wounds and forcing him to retreat back into the crater. Looking at the seemingly calm world outside, Qi felt like weeping. He was trapped. Was he to abandon this body and transfer his consciousness elsewhere?

As Qi wrestled with this dilemma, the sky shifted. Blinding golden light collided with a sea of flames, and the deafening roars gradually faded, seemingly moving further and further away.

Only when the sounds ceased and the two super-hazardous beasts were nowhere to be seen did Qi cautiously emerge from the crater. The surroundings were indeed peaceful. Just as he prepared to depart, his gaze fell upon that peculiar, heaven-defying ancient tree.

With the owner gone, the treasure was sitting right at his doorstep. Surely, a creature that had lived for countless eons wouldn't make such a careless mistake, right?

Despite this thought, Qi turned back, returning to the crater and standing before the towering tree. He hesitated to pluck a fruit; if the Phoenix returned, he would never escape its pursuit. Even with his reputation for being "undying," he wasn't confident he could outrun those phoenix eyes.

While he wavered, an unexpected event occurred. A strange sound erupted from the stone wall where the tree grew. A giant pangolin, over thirty feet tall, broke through the solid rock and poked its head out.

Qi quickly hid behind the other side of the tree, restraining his aura to observe the creature's intent.

Under Qi’s focused observation, the pangolin crawled out, sniffing the air. Its gaze locked onto the nearest fruit—the one resembling a blue-tinted human infant. The beast seemed to swallow hard, lifting its claw to climb the trunk. The moment its claw touched the bark, it vanished into thin air without warning.

Had it not been for its quick reflexes, more than just a claw would have been vaporized. Staring blankly at the crimson, jade-like trunk, it hesitated before extending its other claw. As both it and the hidden Qi watched, the claw—sharp and strong enough to carve through igneous rock like butter—was instantly atomized upon contact with the tree.

The pangolin didn't even feel resistance; it was like poking at empty air. Looking at its two mangled stumps, it stood upright, but at over sixty feet tall, it couldn't reach even a single leaf.

Bending its knees, the pangolin leaped with astonishing force, aiming straight for the nine-petaled flower among the leaves—or more accurately, the infant-shaped fruit nestled within the stamen.

As Qi watched with wide eyes, the pangolin’s claw, already partially vaporized, brushed the leaves and grasped the blue infant fruit. The fruit erupted in a brilliant azure light, unleashing blue flames that instantly engulfed the pangolin’s entire body. The beast didn't even have time to scream before it vanished into a wisp of blue smoke.

Qi shivered, wondering if those flames could incinerate his soul entirely. No wonder the Phoenix was so confident leaving it unguarded; the tree was completely untouchable.

That was Qi’s initial thought, but his eyes were drawn to where the pangolin had vanished.

It wasn't that the pangolin had left anything behind, nor had the fruit fallen. Instead, he was captivated by the swaying green leaves. The pangolin had only burned up because it touched the fruit. If he couldn't take the fruit, perhaps he could harvest some leaves to study. Anything growing on such a heaven-defying treasure could not be ordinary.

Having witnessed the pangolin's tragic fate, Qi cautiously used a diamond throwing knife to try and prune a leaf.

The result defied his expectations. No flames appeared, and the leaf didn't fall. Instead, the leaf struck by the knife merely swayed a few times, unscathed, before returning to its position.

Awestruck by the leaf’s toughness, Qi tried with all his might, but it wouldn't budge. Finally, he had an idea. He exhaled a blast of cold mist to coat the leaf and used a high-speed diamond saw. It took him the time it takes to burn a stick of incense just to harvest a single, lush green leaf.

Looking at the fruit of his labor, Qi didn't know whether to be excited or frustrated. He didn't know when the Phoenix would return; at this rate, he could only gather a few dozen leaves a day, and he wasn't sure his spiritual energy would hold out that long.

He shifted his gaze to the nine-petaled flower now that the fruit was gone. He wondered if he could take that. He tested it with his throwing knife—no flames, no falling petals. It hung securely among the leaves.

Qi flew closer and poked the small, crimson branch supporting the flower with his diamond knife. There was no resistance, and when he pulled the knife back, it was pitted and scarred. As expected, the metal had been partially vaporized.

He breathed freezing cold mist onto the crimson branch. White vapor rose, but the deep red color didn't fade. The white flower, however, appeared even more delicate and fragile than the leaves. He set the diamond saw to the base of the white petals. Another half-stick of incense passed, and the flower was nearly severed.

Suddenly, he felt a rush of wind behind him. Someone had managed to sneak up on him without a sound. Driven by a surge of danger, Qi abandoned the flower, swinging his diamond saw backward. A sharp clang rang out, like iron striking iron, and the massive counter-force sent him flying into the foliage.

Qi’s expression shifted as his body was shredded by the crimson branches. He scrambled to get free, but the moment he emerged, a black shadow struck, faster than lightning. Before Qi could even adopt a defensive stance, he was sent flying again.

As he tumbled through the air, Qi scanned the area below, but strangely, he could not find his assailant.