Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

As the sun began to set, the light in the woods dimmed.

Su Qing stood barefoot on the thick layer of fallen leaves, a sharp, stinging pain shooting through the soles of her feet.

This newly formed physical body was so delicate that even a few dry leaves could leave red marks on the soles of one's feet.

She raised her hand to shield her forehead, squinting as she examined the ridiculously large tree in front of her.

The trunk is grayish-white, the bark is cracked, and the grooves are deep enough to fit a fist.

The tree canopy blocked out the sun, completely obscuring the sky above, leaving only a few sparse patches of light.

This is a sycamore tree.

An old sycamore tree that's almost become a spirit.

Su Qing lowered her hand and tugged at the red robe she was wearing, which was formed from spiritual energy.

The clothes were a bit loose, and they clung to my body when the wind blew.

She had no time to think about any of that; she only had one thought in her mind—to find Gu Xiang.

That fool has her heart in his hands.

She had to go and see if he had spoiled that heart, if it had turned black, or if it was still foolishly beating for someone else.

Su Qing has identified a direction.

That's in the south, and there's a faint hint of moisture in the air, perhaps indicating human habitation.

She took a step forward.

step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

Although his body was weak, he was still able to walk steadily.

She counted her steps, calculating in her mind how long it would take for this body to recover its cultivation level.

The body, reconstructed from the essence and blood of a quasi-emperor, has an excellent foundation. As long as there is enough spiritual energy, returning to its peak is not difficult.

Nine steps.

Su Qing lifted her foot and took her tenth step.

"Thump!"

A muffled thud.

Su Qing felt as if her forehead had hit an invisible wall of bronze and iron.

The force was so great that it made her head buzz, and she fell backward uncontrollably, landing hard on her bottom in a pile of dead leaves.

"hiss--"

Su Qing covered her forehead and gasped.

She reached out to touch it, and a large bump quickly swelled up on her forehead.

"What the hell is that?"

Su Qing cursed and stood up, supporting herself on the ground.

She stared at the empty forest before her.

There was nothing in front of me except a few half-dead weeds and swarms of mosquitoes.

She didn't believe in superstitions.

Su Qing stretched out her hand and slowly reached forward.

The fingertips touched the air, but it felt like poking into a piece of hard, cold ice.

The sense of obstruction was incredibly clear, even possessing a tenacious force that seemed to bounce you back.

She changed direction.

I walked ten steps to the left.

"Thump."

His palm struck the invisible barrier once more.

Walk ten steps to the right.

"Thump."

Take ten steps back.

"Thump."

Su Qing stood there, her face darkening.

She was trapped.

With this old sycamore tree as the center, the area within a ten-meter radius is her entire living space.

"Drawing a circle around oneself and imprisoning oneself?"

Su Qing turned around and stared at the old sycamore tree with hostility.

The leaves rustled in the wind, and to her ears, it sounded like a mocking schadenfreude.

"Was this your doing?"

Su Qing walked up to the tree trunk and kicked it hard.

"Bang!"

A piercing pain shot through my toes.

The tree bark was as hard as iron, which actually made her feet go numb. Su Qing hugged her feet and jumped around twice, almost bursting into tears.

This body is too weak.

If it were in the past, that kick would have collapsed not only a tree, but an entire hill.

Su Qing was so angry she wanted to bite her teeth.

She plopped down on the tree root, rubbing her swollen toes and muttering, "You broken tree, you rotten tree! Once I recover my cultivation, the first thing I'll do is chop you down and burn you for firewood."

The leaves overhead rustled loudly again.

A few withered yellow leaves drifted down and landed squarely on Su Qing's head.

Su Qing ripped a fallen leaf from her head and crushed it violently.

She is not stupid.

After calming down, she quickly figured out the key to it.

This is a Chinese parasol tree.

The place where the phoenix roosts.

She was reborn using the essence and blood of a fusion of Phoenix True Fire and the Heavenly Fox's origin.

In the eyes of this tree, she was probably half a phoenix cub.

The phoenix will not perch on anything but the parasol tree.

The tree isn't imprisoning her; it's protecting its young.

It felt that the outside world was too dangerous and that the newly hatched "little one" was too weak, so it drew a circle and kept her confined to prevent her from running around.

"Thank you and your whole family."

Su Qing rolled her eyes.

What she lacks most right now is time.

Gu Xiang, that idiot, is probably working himself to the bone in some nook or cranny. The system says he's about to die, so how could she have the time to be a caged canary here?

Su Qing stood up and walked to the barrier.

She took a deep breath and mobilized the meager spiritual power within her body.

A tiny flame flickered at the fingertips.

That is the Phoenix True Fire.

Although it was only the size of a bean, its intense and masculine aura was undeniable.

"open!"

Su Qing gave a low shout and pointed her fingertip at the barrier.

The flame touched the air, creating ripples of transparent light. The seemingly indestructible barrier softened slightly under the scorching heat of the real fire.

There is a play!

Su Qing was overjoyed and increased the output of her spiritual power.

However, the next moment.

The old sycamore tree suddenly trembled.

An immense, suffocating vitality surged from the depths of the tree roots, spreading instantly along the earth's veins.

The previously softened barrier instantly solidified, becoming even thicker than before. The tiny flame, no bigger than a bean, was extinguished by this surge of life force, without even a wisp of smoke.

Su Qing: "..."

She withdrew her hand, looked at the tree, and laughed in exasperation.

"Okay, you're good."

"You're so aloof, so impressive."

"You're capable of keeping me locked up for life."

Su Qing plopped back down on the ground, completely giving up.

She couldn't fight back, and she couldn't run away. This old tree was clearly protecting her, afraid she'd get hurt if she went out.

Since we can't resist, we can only endure it for now.

Su Qing crossed her legs and closed her eyes.

They come, the security.

Although this place is inescapable, its spiritual energy is frighteningly abundant.

In particular, the fragrance emanating from that sycamore tree, every wisp of it containing pure plant essence, was a great tonic for her newly reconstructed body.

She began to circulate her energy.

The surrounding spiritual energy seemed to be drawn in, rushing wildly towards her.

The old sycamore tree seemed to cooperate as well, its canopy swaying gently, casting dappled blue light that seeped into Su Qing's body.

The meridians gradually widen under the influence of spiritual energy.

The bones become increasingly strong under the nourishment of the essence of plants.

Su Qing could feel her strength recovering at an astonishing speed.

Knock on the door.

To establish a government office.

Casting a tripod.

In just half an hour, the spiritual power within her body broke through three barriers and directly recovered to the Casting Cauldron Realm.

If cultivators outside were to witness this scene, they would likely be utterly astonished. A level that ordinary people would take decades to reach, she achieved in the time it takes to drink a sip of water.

This is the terrifying aspect of a quasi-emperor's foundation.

Su Qing opened her eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

My stomach growled at just the right moment.

"Gurgle—"

Su Qing rubbed her flat stomach.

Abstaining from grains is something that happens after reaching the Transformation Realm. She has only just begun to forge the cauldron, and with her mortal body, she will still experience hunger.

She looked up at the tree canopy.

There were several bunches of green fruit hanging there, only the size of a thumb, looking dry and shriveled, not appetizing at all.

"This wretched place isn't even home to a bird."

Su Qing sighed.

She stood up and walked to the barrier.

There were a few pebbles on the ground.

Su Qing bent down, picked up a piece, and weighed it in her hand.

She looked at a wild rabbit a dozen meters away from the barrier.

The rabbit was quite plump, lying in the grass munching on the roots, its two long ears twitching back and forth, completely unaware that it had been spotted by a hungry fox.

"Whoosh!"

Su Qing flicked her wrist.

The pebble flew out with a whooshing sound.

Without any hindrance.

The barrier that trapped her was oblivious to this ordinary stone.

The pebble struck the rabbit precisely on the head.

The hare kicked its legs twice and then stopped moving.

Su Qing's eyes lit up.

Sure enough, the barrier only targeted her, not inanimate objects.

She walked quickly to the barrier, reached out, and tried to reach for the rabbit.

Out of reach.

The rabbit fell three meters away from the barrier.

Su Qing: "..."

The greatest distance in the world is not between life and death, but between a rabbit right in front of her, yet she can't get out.

Su Qing refused to give up.

She untied the belt from her waist, tied a stone to one end, and made a simple meteor hammer.

She swung the strap and threw the stone at the rabbit.

Entangle it and drag it back.

The movements were completed in one smooth motion.

The moment the fat rabbit was dragged through the barrier, Su Qing almost cried with emotion.

Is it easy to eat meat these days?

There are no fire folding tools.

Phoenix True Fire emerged from Su Qing's fingertips. If the ancestors of the Phoenix Clan knew that such divine fire was used to roast rabbits, they would probably jump out of their coffins in anger.

But Su Qing didn't care.

She skillfully peeled the skin, removed the filth, and started a fire.

Before long, the aroma of meat filled the woods.

Su Qing tore off a rabbit leg and took a big bite.

There was no salt, no seasoning, only a raw, meaty smell and a burnt smell.

But Su Qing ate with great relish.

She ate while looking at the old sycamore tree.

"What are you looking at? There's no share for you."

Su Qing turned around protectively, her back to the big tree.

They ate and drank their fill.

Su Qing leaned against the tree trunk, staring blankly at the leaves above her head.

It was completely dark by then.

The woods were quiet, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves.

A wave of loneliness washed over me.

She misses Gu Xiang.

What is that idiot doing now?

Is he reviewing memorials, or is he just staring blankly at the moon?

Does he know that she has come back to life?

Su Qing touched her chest.

The heart beating there is new, formed from this physical body.

But her original heart was in Gu Xiang's chest.

This feeling is wonderful.

Even though they were separated by thousands of miles, she could almost hear another heartbeat.

"Thump, thump, thump."

Calm and composed, yet powerful.

That was Gu Xiang's heartbeat.

It was also her heartbeat.

"Fool, you'd better live well."

Su Qing murmured softly.

She reached out and traced the outline of that person in the air.

Eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth.

Finally, her fingers rested on his heart.

"Once I get out of here, I'm going to make sure I get this debt back with interest."

"If you eat my heart, you'll be mine for life."

"Trying to run? No way!"

Su Qing withdrew her hand, a very faint smile curving her lips.

Late at night.

The temperature in the woods dropped.

Su Qing shrank back.

This body is still too weak and not resistant to the cold.

Just then.

Suddenly, several branches drooped down from the tree canopy overhead.

The branches were covered with broad leaves, layer upon layer, wrapping Su Qing in the middle, like a warm cocoon.

The wind can't get in.

The cold air was also kept out.

A warm breeze wafted from the tree trunk, making one feel drowsy.

Su Qing was taken aback.

She patted the tree trunk behind her.

"At least you still have some conscience."

The tree did not respond, but gently swayed its branches and leaves, as if it were coaxing a child to sleep.

Su Qing closed her eyes.

In the moments before she fell into a deep sleep, a thought flashed through her mind.

What's the story behind this tree?

Why did it protect her?

And why did that half of the Phoenix Emperor's inheritance lead her here?

Too many mysteries.

But right now, all she wants to do is sleep.

You need to be fully awake to have the energy to cultivate.

Only by cultivating to a higher level can one break free of this cage and settle accounts with that unfaithful man.

Moonlight filtered through the leaves, illuminating Su Qing's face.

That stunningly beautiful face had lost some of its usual cunning and scheming, and gained a rare tranquility.

She huddled at the base of the tree, like a fledgling returning to its nest.

But deep underground, unknown to her.

The massive root system coils like a giant dragon, extending all the way to the deepest part of the earth's veins.

There, a crimson flame was burning quietly.

At the center of the flames, an ancient rune could be faintly seen, slowly rotating and emanating an aura that shared the same origin as the half of the inheritance within Su Qing's body.

That was an opportunity that had been awaited for millennia.

This old sycamore tree has upheld its promise for countless years.

The wind stopped.

night, deeper.

Only that old tree still stands silently between heaven and earth, guarding the woman in red beneath it, guarding an unfinished karmic entanglement.

Su Mu Zhe - Imprisoned on the Wutong Tree

A jumble of mountains stretches across the landscape, a lone, ancient tree stands alone.

Within a radius of ten steps, the ground becomes an island of imprisonment.

I long to break free from this cage and fly away early.

Iron walls and copper ramparts, yet they only vex the beauty of women.

The fire is just beginning to burn, but the heart is not yet at peace.

Looking south, I wonder if the person in my dreams is well?

Let me perch on a branch for a nap.

When the wind rises, we will soar straight to the clouds.