Madam, please ascend.

Chapter 388 Xu Junfang

The Longevity Realm was filled with the astringent scent of herbs and trees. Yun Yi bent down and scooped up a handful of water, feeling the vibrant life force within it.

Moreover, as soon as he made a slight movement, many commotions immediately came from the woods, and some spirit beasts with rainbow-like light could be seen scattering and running around.

They are extremely curious about strangers, and even though they have run far away, they can't help but turn back to peek at them.

These creatures are somewhat similar to the Golden Dragon King, with identical rainbow light on their bodies, clearly indicating that they are all protected by the Longevity Realm.

They meant no harm and seemed carefree.

As the two entered the giant forest, they discovered that the Longevity Realm was indeed vast, with countless towering trees that blocked out the sun, making it difficult to see the edge of the secret realm.

Su Qing asked, "Should we fly up there and take a look?"

Yun Yi remained noncommittal: "Let's not do it for now, for fear that acting rashly might trigger some restrictions."

Holding Su Qing's hand seemed to have become a habit, so that he could protect her by his side at all times.

Su Qing glanced at the intertwined fingers, blushed slightly, but did not point it out.

"Strange, something feels off about these trees," Yun Yi frowned. "There's clearly no wind here, so why are they moving?"

Su Qing also sensed something strange. Some of the noises were caused by spirit beasts, but others were inexplicable.

For example, the giant tree that I just passed by seemed to have subtly shifted its position. Although the movement was very small, a cultivator could still sense it.

It was only because he didn't sense any killing intent here that Yun Yi was able to escape with Su Qing at top speed.

Unable to fathom the many strange things about the Longevity Realm, he stopped rushing on his way and instead began to study a huge tree trunk.

Yun Yi placed one hand on the ancient tree, and the moment his fingertips touched the trunk, the cyan-gold patterns suddenly rippled.

The sensation coming from my palm, besides the rough texture of the wood grain, was a kind of tremor carrying body heat, as if this towering tree were a living thing.

"Could it be?" Yun Yi didn't believe it, so he changed to a few more trees, and found that they all had a similar feeling.

Su Qing asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Yun Yi said, "These trees give me a strange feeling... they seem to be living things, or rather, they seem to be transformed from humans."

As if in response to Yun Yi's guess, a rustling sound came from the woods.

Su Qing: "They seem to be expressing their agreement."

Yun Yi: "Could this be the method of immortality? Transforming the human body into a tree, so that as long as it is not cut down or affected by natural disasters such as floods and fires, it can continue to grow indefinitely."

As he voiced his guess, a particularly majestic tree in front of him suddenly stirred, and an extremely thick branch drooped down from it.

The tree's grain patterns meander and climb like a dragon, while vines hanging from the branches curl and unfurl. The bark peels back like a curtain, revealing the woody fibers beneath, which gleam with a soft, moon-white light, and feel very stable underfoot.

Several iridescent spirit beasts leaped gracefully from the branches, circled the road twice, uttered soft cries, and left trails of light as their tail feathers trailed behind them.

Su Qing murmured, "These trees and spirit beasts seem to be inviting us up."

Yun Yi, on the other hand, was nonchalant: "Since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it. I want to see what they're up to."

The two exchanged a glance and stepped onto the tree-lined path leading to the upper part of the building.

As they climbed higher and higher, passing through thick trees and dense foliage, the path gradually narrowed, forcing the two to stand even closer together.

Yun Yi glanced at Senior Sister Su, who was tightly hugging his arm, and thought to himself that the touch was indeed quite nice. He had always felt that Senior Sister was a woman of few words, but she usually wore very loose clothing, which concealed her graceful figure.

Su Qing seemed to sense something, looked up at Yun Yi, and caught him red-handed.

"Hmm." Yun Yi cleared his throat and continued to focus on his journey, as if the enchanting scene just now was merely an illusion. Even the towering trees, though magnificent, eventually reach their end.

As the two passed through the last layer of gnarled branches, the view above them suddenly opened up.

The tree canopy stretches out into a dome-shaped platform, covered with fine moss, the green varying in shades, like an ancient painting.

Not far away, a figure sat in the center. The person's clothes blended seamlessly with the trees, and the faint outlines of the tree's growth rings could be seen on their skin.

He looked incredibly old, and his lower body seemed to have become one with the trees.

"Finally, we've found the destined one who has glimpsed the path to immortality." The old man's voice carried the rustling sound of tree bark rubbing together, and the spirit beasts beside him prostrated themselves on the ground as if in respect.

Yun Yi dared not approach rashly, shielding Su Qing behind him, and said loudly, "May I ask if you are Xu Junfang, Senior Xu?"

"Oh? You actually recognize me?"

"I've only heard of it, but I've never seen it."

The old man remained motionless, but the branches beneath Yun Yi's feet inexplicably began to move, gently guiding him and Su Qing to the old man's side.

Fang Yuanjian made a gesture to aim at the person, but he did not sense any malice, so he hesitated to make a move.

Xu Junfang asked, "Judging from your attire, you don't look like Qin people?"

Su Qing replied respectfully, "This junior is a citizen of the Great Xia Dynasty."

"Great Xia? Never heard of it. What happened to Great Qin?"

"Reporting to Senior, the Qin Dynasty has been extinct for seven thousand years."

Upon hearing this, Xu Junfang's emerald eyes flickered. "When I sent someone out to deliver a message to the First Emperor, I waited for a long time without receiving a reply, and I already guessed that this was the worst-case scenario. I just didn't expect that so much time would have passed in the blink of an eye."

Yun Yi said, "Legend has it that not long after Senior Xu went out to search for the way to immortality, the Qin Dynasty suffered a devastating disaster, and the First Emperor was also killed by a group of people."

"Hehe, as expected. Even if he raises more Qi cultivators, how easy is it to subdue mortal cultivators? In the end, the emperor can only stir up trouble in the secular world. It is as difficult as ascending to heaven to try to get his hands on the cultivation world."

The old man spoke in a calm tone.

He suddenly changed the subject and said, "That little girl who came in with you is in a rather precarious situation."

Yun Yi asked, "What's wrong with her?"

"See for yourself."

Suddenly, the tree canopy in front of me moved, revealing the scene that had been hidden beneath it.

Lan Zhenxin was trapped in a maze of trees, and the trees around her changed with each movement she made. If she wanted to fly or escape into the ground, she would be blocked by countless branches and roots.

Xu Junfang laughed and said, "She's not as smart as you. As soon as she entered the forest, she wanted to catch a spirit beast, which made them unhappy, so she wanted to tease the little girl."

Fortunately, Lan Zhenxin was smart enough to notice the strangeness of the place and refrained from using violence.

If she were to unleash her Dao Integration Realm cultivation, it would only worsen her situation.

Yun Yi couldn't fathom Xu Junfang's true strength at all, and felt no desire to fight him whatsoever.

This indicates that Xu Junfang's cultivation level has far surpassed the Dao Integration Realm.

Since it's not the Dao Integration Realm, then it must be the Ascension Realm. As for the Immortal Realm, Yun Yi dared not even think about it.

The Longevity Realm is strange in every way, and the Void Realm isolates it from the outside world, which may be why Xu Junfang does not need to ascend to the Heavenly Realm.

(End of this chapter)