Giant misty mountain was filled with silence.

Rustle!

The faint sound of someone stepping on dried leaves was suddenly heard. One could only watch as two figures, one old and one young, slowly walked over from far away, unhurriedly traversing the mountain forest.

These two figures naturally belonged to old Xuan and Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan curiously observed his surroundings. They were already beginning to near the sealed main peak which ordinary disciples had been barred from approaching.

"Follow my exact steps and don’t make any mistakes. If not, no one will be able to save you." Old Xuan’s voice suddenly sounded from the front.

Zhou Yuan’s heart shivered when he heard this as he looked to his front. Sure enough, he saw the several spots in space faintly distort as an indescribable feeling of danger caused his hairs to rise.

Zhou Yuan could not help but ask, "We can’t be going into the sealed area, right?"

Old Xuan nodded.

Cold sweat immediately appeared on Zhou Yuan’s back. The sealed main peak was said to be extremely dangerous. If one recklessly entered, let alone the Alpha-Origin stage, even Divine Dwelling and Heavenly Sun stage experts would be instantly killed by the seal.

"Relax, nothing will happen as long as you keep to the path." Old Xuan consoled before walking into the region where space was faintly distorting.

Zhou Yuan hesitated a little before he gritted his teeth and quickly caught up. Every step was very carefully placed on the footprints left by old Xuan, not daring to make even the tiniest of mistakes.

As such, the two individuals advanced into the depths of the mountain.

After an incense stick of time, cold sweat was continuously dripping from Zhou Yuan’s forehead, a sign that he was clearly under a tremendous amount of pressure. He softly asked, "Elder, how long more?"

However, old Xuan ignored him, leaving him no choice but to shut his mouth and follow.

This continued for quite a lengthy amount of time before old Xuan extended a finger and gently swung it in the air. The mist to the front immediately scattered as the originally warping space began to return to normal.

"Alright."

Upon hearing old Xuan’s voice, Zhou Yuan’s tensed body slowly began to relax. He quickly scanned the surroundings. Sure enough, he found that the dangerous aura was starting to fade.

There was a sliver of astonishment in Zhou Yuan’s eyes as he could not help but ask, "Elder, you can control the seal on the main peak?"

Old Xuan shook his head and said, "The seal on the main peak was personally made by master back then. How can I possibly control it? After staying here for way too many years, I’ve become capable of just barely avoiding some of the dangers."

Zhou Yuan was a little disappointed. If old Xuan was truly able to control the seal, wouldn’t it be super convenient?

"The thing you want is to our front." Old Xuan pointed to the front.

Zhou Yuan hurriedly raised his head and cast his gaze over. The ground some distance to their front had a deep black hue, making it look similar to a swamp. At the center of this giant swamp was an enormous ancient tree.

The ancient tree gave off a timeless aura as it silently towered there. Its thick and strong trunk was covered in some kind of scale like things, while a faint but mighty pressure pulsed from it.

The ancient tree’s lush branches stretched out, nearly covering the entire sky in the area, while the twigs silently hung from them.

As he gazed upon the ancient tree, Zhou Yuan felt the half complete Taiyi mark in his body begin to shake violently as a feeling of intense desire spread from it.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

This desire was even stronger than when faced with Su Duan’s ancient wood bracelet from before.

"Elder, what is this?" Asked a somewhat excited Zhou Yuan. The Yimu Qi contained within this ancient tree was clearly extraordinary.

"It’s a Dragon Scale Chinese Scholar Tree that master transplanted here many years ago, an extremely rare ancient tree. If you manage to obtain a bit of its wood, completing your Taiyi mark will not be a difficult matter." Said old Xuan with a smile.

Zhou Yuan was overjoyed by this information.

However, before any happiness could reveal itself on his face, old Xuan continued, "But I should first give you a warning. After living for so long, this Dragon Scale Chinese Scholar Tree has already gained some sentience, and has an extremely violent nature. It just so happens to currently be in a deep sleep, which makes this your only chance."

"When it wakes up, let alone someone like yourself, even Heavenly Sun stage elders will not be able to approach."

Zhou Yuan’s expression changed slightly, his gaze now filled with fear as he looked towards the peaceful ancient tree again. He never imagined that an ancient tree could be so terrifying.

Zhou Yuan cautiously asked, "Since its in a deep sleep, there shouldn’t be any danger, right?"

Old Xuan replied, "Although it is in a deep slumber, anything that has reached its level will naturally have some sort of danger sense. If a strong enemy approaches, it will naturally be aroused from its sleep. Fortunately, you’re way too weak to awaken it."

Zhou Yuan felt rather awkward. Was being too weak really fortunate?

"Of course, even if it won’t be awoken by you, it will instinctively attack any life form that approaches... your task will be to withstand its attacks and dig out a little of the scales from its trunk."

Old Xuan sat down with his broom as his raspy voice sounded, "Whether or not you succeed will depend on your ability. In any case, I’ve already done what I can by bringing you here. If you fail, it will only mean that it was not fated."

Zhou Yuan smiled bitterly and shook his head as he gazed at the giant Dragon Scale Chinese Scholar Tree and felt its faint but overwhelming pressure. The opportunity before his eyes did not seem easy to grasp at all.

"So? Do you dare? You should just go back if you’re not confident, because it will become more difficult to return when it gets dark." Old Xuan fished out an old yellow tobacco leaf, rolled it up and lit it. Spicy smoke rose from it as his murky eyes peered at Zhou Yuan through the smoke.

Huu.

Under his gaze, Zhou Yuan deeply exhaled as a resolute look appeared in his eyes. There was no reason for him to give up on the chance before his eyes.

"Since we’ve already come all the way here, how can I possibly return empty handed." Said Zhou Yuan.

Old Xuan seemed to smile, though no one could read the emotion on his old, wrinkly face. With a wave of his sleeve, a black shadow flew towards Zhou Yuan.

"Since you have the guts, go ahead and give it an attempt. Talk is useless after all."

Zhou Yuan reached out to catch the object, only to be slightly stunned when he looked towards it. It was a black wood chopping knife. The knife was mottled and did not appear to be sharp, while there seemed to be some faint traces of old blood marks on its blade.

Old Xuan placed the tobacco leaf between his lips and said, "Given your strength, you won’t be able to chop off a single scale even if the tree just stood there to let you hack at it... I’ll lend you this knife. Back then, it chopped off countless scales that were used to brew tea for the master, and has some restrictive power on the tree."

Zhou Yuan nodded as he placed the black knife into his waistband, before his gaze locked onto the Dragon Scale Chinese Scholar Tree with a determined look in his eyes.

No matter how terrifying the tree was, he still had to try today.

Otherwise, his Taiyi mark would not be completed, and an incomplete Taiyi mark meant that he would be unable to practice the little Mythic Saint Body. This would surely affect his chances in the year end chief disciple selection.

There were times when you just had to do your best to seize the opportunity that appeared before you!

Swish!

In the next instant, Zhou Yuan’s eyes hardened as his foot pushed off the ground. His figure swiftly drifted towards the Dragon Scale Chinese Scholar Tree like a wisp of smoke.