Talisman Emperor

High above in the sky, Chen Xi looked down at the ground, and the entire expanse of ground that covered an area of 5,000 km seemed to have been divided horizontally and vertically to become an enormous 田 character.

At the center was a towering high platform that covered an area of 500 km. It led up layer by layer, and it was completely pitch black as if it was constructed from black colored jadestone. When looked at from afar, this high platform was like a sacrificial platform used by barbaric people of ancient times to offer sacrifices to their gods and ancestors, and it emitted a desolate, mysterious, and solemn aura.

At its corners that faced the four directions of north, south, east, and west, was respectively filled with the scene of a world of ice and snow, a golden mountain range, a jade green forest, and a sea of lava.

This place was the second level of the Buddha’s Trial Pagoda — The Four-Symbols Layer!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In the extreme distance, numerous flying lights swiped down from the sky before descending on the ground of the lands that represented the four symbols1, and they vanished in the blink of an eye.

In the Four-Symbols Layer of the pagoda, 1,900 of the 2,000 cultivators that entered had to be eliminated, and only 100 cultivators were able to enter the third layer, the Yin-Yang Layer. These 100 cultivators would be the people who were ranked in the first 100 of the Hidden Dragon Rankings.

Looks like the competition is becoming more and more brutal. Fortunately, the members of the Su Clan have practically been completely wiped out, and they’re already unable to bring about any threat to me and Chen Hao. Moreover, I’ve given Chen Hao a new Transportation Talisman from those that I obtained from the Su Clan disciples, so I don’t have to worry about his safety. Chen Xi silently pondered for a moment, then his figure flashed right away to descend towards the jade green forest. Compared to the other places, the jade green forest was undoubtedly the safest place to stay in.

However, unexpected to Chen Xi, all 2,000 cultivators that entered the Four-Symbols Layer seemed as if they had a tacit understanding amongst each other, and all of them had chosen this jade green forest as the place to stay. It seemed that these people were similar to Chen Xi, and all of them felt that this place was extremely safe.

The other three places were either a sea of flames with rolling lava, an icy land with ice that wreaked havoc as it covered the sky, or a place with an environment that was too adverse, and a slight mistake would even bring danger to one’s life.

“Chen Xi! It’s actually Chen Xi!”

“Let’s go! We aren’t a match for him!”

“Dammit! Why is it this maleficent existence!?”

…

The instant Chen Xi descended onto an empty space in the jade green forest, the few cultivators that had arrived long ago instantly started crying out as if they’d seen a terrifying monster, and they flashed towards the surroundings as if they were fleeing.

I never imagined that I was already so well-known… Chen Xi rubbed his nose and laughed at himself. But in this way, it instead allowed him to be much more at ease.

There was a benefit of having a name that inspired fear: cultivators with comparatively weaker strengths would utterly not dare go against him, whereas cultivators with formidable strengths would have to weigh the price they’d have to pay before making a move against him. In this way, it was equally valuable as a strong point for both offense and defense, and he completely didn’t have to worry about the tiring situation of being attacked from all directions.

Right at this moment, he suddenly felt a strand of faint second-wood aura. Although this strand of aura was light and wispy, it was pure to the extreme, and it even caused the Shaman Energy in his entire body to become aroused.

Could it be that a treasure that’s full of second-wood qi exists here? Chen Xi thought in his heart, and then his figure flashed out instantly to search for the source of the strand of aura.

His Universe Starslayer Bodyforging Arts had been cultivated to the second level, the Second-Wood Realm now, and not only was the Shaman Energy in his entire body filled with the baleful qi of the stars, it even contained Second-Wood qi and Fifth-Earth qi.

After all, his Shaman Energy was converted from the baleful qi absorbed by his Second-Wood Shaman Marking and Fifth-Earth Shaman Marking, so it naturally possessed the attributes of all these energies.

If he wanted to breakthrough from the 2nd level of the Violet Palace Realm to the 3rd level of the Violet Palace Realm, there were two ways to go about it. The first was to ceaselessly convert baleful qi of the stars into Second-Wood Shaman Energy, and the other way was naturally to directly find some treasures that contained second-wood essence and use it to cultivate. At this moment, when he found out there might be a treasure that contained second-wood essence in this jade green forest, it naturally caused Chen Xi to be tempted extremely.

Ten minutes later, Chen Xi stopped at the center of this jade green forest, and his gaze instantly descended onto a large tree. This large tree was 300m in height, its branches like swords and sabers, and it was firm and unyielding with a coiling and strong trunk. It was completely bald from top to bottom without a single leaf, utterly devoid of any vitality, and it didn’t fit in with the green and luxurious ancient trees in its surroundings.

The instant he arrived here, Chen Xi smelled a strand of second-wood qi that was dense and pure to the extreme, whereas the source of this aura was surprisingly the bald large tree before his eyes!

I wonder what exactly this thing is? It’s obviously completely bald, yet it emits such dense second-wood qi. Chen Xi silently pondered for a moment, yet he couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Since it’s like this, then I’ll pull it up by the roots, and then I’ll completely absorb the second-wood essence within it for the sake of making preparations to breakthrough to the 3rd level of the Violet Palace Realm in body refinement. A trace of ruthlessness flashed within Chen Xi’s eyes. As he spoke, his flicked his sleeve to shoot out a strand of vast True Essence that transformed into an enormous hand that was 30m in size before firmly gripping onto the trunk of the large tree, and then he suddenly exerted strength to pull it out.

However, what shocked Chen Xi was that this tree actually didn’t budge an inch. After all, this grabbing movement of his was even able to pick up an enormous rock that was 50,000 kgs in weight, yet it wasn’t able to do anything to a tree. How could it possibly not cause him to feel shocked?

Grand Astral Palm, grab! Chen Xi gritted his teeth and an enormous hand that emitted a desolate, ancient, and vast aura appeared out of thin air to grab onto this tree before fiercely pulling it.

This large tree that was completely bald still didn’t budge an inch!

Chen Xi was completely stunned. The Grand Astral Palm was his strongest trump card, and with a single squeeze, there was no problem for it to cause a yellow-rank Magic Treasure to shatter. However, it was still unable to do anything to this tree.

Could it be that this tree is a Divine Wood of legend?

Chen Xi had heard before that during the primordial era, there were numerous Divine Woods, like the Great Mulberry Tree that shot into the clouds, like the Sun Tree that had numerous Sun Fruits hung on it… But he’d never heard or seen anything like the bald large tree before his eyes that emitted dense second-wood qi.

Chen Xi was unwilling to give up, he withdrew a flying sword to hack and dig out the roots on the ground, and he even wanted to break off the branches of this large tree, yet he returned empty handed.

What should I do?

Could it be that I have to cultivate my Second-Wood Shaman Energy here?

Chen Xi frowned as he bitterly pondered without end. There were over 1,000 cultivators roaming freely in this jade green forest, and if he were to cultivate here, it would be no different than courting death.

——

“That kid isn’t killing others, yet he’s going against a tree. He’s truly strange.”

“He actually wants to take the Nameless Divine Wood. He’s truly ridiculously overrating himself and laughably doesn’t know his own limits.”

“Yeah, that Nameless Divine Wood has been standing erect in the Buddha’s Trial Pagoda for an unknown amount of years, and there have even been innumerable people that wanted to refine it. But in the end, didn’t they all return empty handed?”

“Talking about this Nameless Divine Wood. After so many years, there’s actually no one that knows of its origins. Isn’t it peculiar?”

“It isn’t only this Nameless Divine Wood, aren’t the Vermillion Bird Area’s Nameless Fire Crystal, Black Tortoise Area’s Nameless Water Pearl, and the White Tiger Area’s Nameless Metal Rock the same? There’s no way to investigate their origins, yet all of them emit dense second-wood, third-fire, ninth-water, and seventh-gold essence. It’s such a pity! No one was able to obtain such treasures for a thousand years, and needless to say, it’s regretful.”

Outside the pagoda, everyone looked with puzzlement at Chen Xi who ran up and down around the large tree, and all of the revealed expression of knowing not whether to laugh or cry, and they recalled some bits of matters related to the Four-Symbols Layer.

“Look quickly! The Wanderingcloud Sword Sect’s Fei Lengcui and the Azuresun Sect’s Incorporeal Sword, Qiu Leng, have started fighting. These two people are both the leading figures in their sects, how can we miss such a battle?” A surprised exclaim suddenly sounded out from the crowd, and then the gazes of everyone present moved away from Chen Xi and shot towards the battle between Fei Lengcui and Qiu Leng.

Even the various leaders on the jade platform couldn’t restrain their curiosity, and their gazes shot in unison towards the battle. At this moment, there was actually no one that was paying attention to Chen Xi anymore.

——

If I have the second-wood qi of this large tree, then why should I worry about advancing to the 3rd level of the Violet Palace Realm in body refinement?

I truly wish for nothing more than to swallow it into my stomach!

A flashed of inspiration emerged in Chen Xi’s mind. Swallow into my stomach? How could I have forgotten about this little fellow!?

“Bai Kui, go, bite off the roots of this large tree!” Chen Xi casually called out Bai Kui. This little fellow was an infant Pixiu that ate all the rare treasures in the world, and if even Bai Kui was unable to do anything to this large tree, then Chen Xi would really have to give up.

“Wuwu~” When he heard Chen Xi asking him to bite a tree’s roots, Bai Kui glared bitterly at Chen Xi. However, in the next moment, his gaze was attracted by the large tree before Chen Xi, it was as if he’d seen a top delicious delicacy in the world, and the little fellow howled as he pounced over.

Kacha! Kacha!

Bai Kui’s teeth were sharp, to the point it made one’s hair stand on end. With a single bite, he’d torn off a large piece of the tree’s root, and it wasn’t long before the coiling roots were actually bitten off one by one and swallowed by Bai Kui into his stomach. That little stomach that was the size of a fist was simply like a bottomless hole, and it easily digested everything.

Chen Xi heaved a sigh of relief at long last, and he stared concentratedly at Bai Kui, waiting for the moment Bai Kui bit off all the roots to swing out his hand and put away this miraculous large tree.

Kacha! Bang!

Bai Kui lived up to Chen Xi’s expectations, and this 300m tall large bald tree had its roots completely bitten off by Bai Kui before crashing to the ground.

However, what shocked Chen Xi was that after it lost its roots, this large tree’s trunk actually transformed into bits of wood and powder with a speed that was visible to the eye, and then it drifted down to the ground in copious amounts. Where was there even a trace of second-wood qi left?

Why is it like this? Chen Xi was extremely disappointed. He’d taken great pains up until this moment, yet he’d achieved nothing. It was truly depressing!

“Wuwu~” Right at this moment, Bai Kui’s unusual whimpering drew Chen Xi’s attention. Chen Xi lowered his head to look, and a verdant young sapling reflected within his eyes. Its leaves were verdant to the extreme, and second-wood qi that was dense to the point it couldn’t be dispersed flowed out from it. The second-wood qi actually seemed material, and it formed an expanse of jade green tiny clouds!

Bai Kui, on the other hand, emitted a greedy light from his eyes as he ferociously pounced towards this little sapling….

“Come back!” Chen Xi abruptly grabbed out purely instinctively, and at the instant the little fellow’s mouth was only 3cm away from the little sapling, Bai Kui was barely pulled back by Chen Xi before he reached the little sapling.

“Wuwu~” Bai Kui glared bitterly at Chen Xi, and his little appearance was exceedingly cute.

“I can’t let you waste this thing, go back and eat some Magic Treasures and play.” Chen Xi casually tossed out with his hand and send Bai Kui who had a bellyful of bitterness back into his storage ring. As for how the little fellow would waste the Magic Treasures in the storage ring, he didn’t mind entirely, as the little fellow’s contribution was extremely great. So, eating some Magic Treasures was compensation Bai Kui ought to receive, right?

Not to mention these Magic Treasures had been picked and chosen by Chen Xi since long ago, and they were all things at the top-grade yellow-rank or below that he had no use for. So, it didn’t matter if Bai Kui ate it, as all those Magic Treasures were prepared as food for Ling Bai and Bai Kui.

In the next moment, Chen Xi’s entire mind was drawn by this little sapling, and his intuition told him that this little sapling was surely a rare treasure that was incomparably rare!

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Symbols_(China)