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

Deep within the rock strata, it was pitch black.

There is no light here, only endless pressure and suffocating heat.

Tu Ling closed his eyes and curled up into a ball, like a glutinous rice ball floating in boiling water.

The surrounding rocks were no longer cold, lifeless objects; they were scorching hot, crimson, and radiating a heat that could melt metal.

This is the Earthly Fiery Layer.

Tu Ling held the piece of dark, petrified wood tightly in his arms.

The fossil emitted a faint green glow, forming a thin shimmering shield that kept the terrifying heat waves at bay.

But the light shield is getting thinner and thinner.

Click.

A soft sound.

Tu Ling suddenly opened his eyes.

The green light shattered.

A wave of scorching heat rushed in instantly, directly licking his skin.

zizi.

The earth spirit's skin instantly dried and cracked, emitting a wisp of blue smoke.

pain.

Excruciating pain.

The earth spirit tried to cry out, but when it opened its mouth, it was filled with fire poison.

He wanted to run back.

If you just keep drilling upwards, you can return to that cool canyon, back to the scholar who, though fierce, would bake him pancakes.

But he didn't move.

His mind flashed back to Su Qing's pale face and Gu Xiang's bloodshot eyes.

"Big sister..."

Tu Ling muttered to himself.

He bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the petrified wood.

The previously dim green light suddenly brightened as if in a final burst of light.

"Let's give it our all!"

The earth spirit twisted its body, and instead of retreating, it accelerated its downward rush.

The deeper you go, the stronger the earth's energy becomes.

Once that node is found, we can know where that tree went.

The heatwave is getting stronger and stronger.

The earth spirit's consciousness began to blur.

He felt his body melting, and his hands and feet were no longer under his control.

Am I going to die?

Yeah.

He was a coward all his life, but in the end he became a hero, so it's not a disgrace to Luanshipo.

Tu Ling grinned, trying to laugh, but the chapped corners of his mouth twitched, causing him to wince in pain.

Darkness descends.

He completely lost consciousness.

……

I don't know how much time passed.

A drop of cool water landed on my face.

Tu Ling jolted awake.

He sat up abruptly, groping himself with his hands.

Still.

The arms and legs are still there, but the skin is a bit wrinkled, like dried orange peel.

It's not hot here.

It was quiet all around, with a faint earthy smell in the air, and also a...smell of incense?

The earth spirit raised its head.

This is a small stone chamber with smooth walls, as if it had been forcibly carved out of the rock strata.

Right in the middle, there is an earthen platform.

An old man was sitting on the platform.

The old man was short, leaning on a cane, his white beard dragging on the ground. He had a kind face and was smiling at him.

"woke up?"

The old man spoke, his voice hoarse, like two stones rubbing against each other.

Tu Ling was startled and quickly got up, retreating to the corner of the wall.

"Who are you? Where is this?"

The old man pointed upwards.

"This is three thousand feet underground. As for who I am..."

The old man paused, then tapped his cane on the ground.

"I control the energy of this entire area, within a hundred miles. Who do you think I am?"

Tu Ling's eyes darted around.

It lies three thousand feet underground, controlling the earth's energy.

This is the Earth God!

Tu Ling immediately knelt down and kowtowed.

"So it's the Earth God! I was blind to your greatness, I kowtow to you!"

The old man accepted the bow, and his smile widened even more.

"Little guy, you've got some nerve. With only a few hundred years of cultivation, you dared to venture into the Earthly Fiend Fire Layer. If I hadn't happened to be passing by and pulled you back, you'd be a pile of ashes by now."

Upon hearing this, Tu Ling broke out in a cold sweat.

He quickly kowtowed several more times.

"Thank you so much, Earth God, for saving my life! I will never forget your kindness!"

After saying that, he got up and started to walk out.

"Since Grandpa saved me, I won't disturb your peaceful cultivation any longer. I'll be leaving now."

He had to hurry back and deliver the message.

Although no clues were found, my life was saved. Going back and telling Gu Xiang wouldn't be considered breaking my promise.

"Wait a minute."

The old man's voice sounded from behind.

Tu Ling paused in his steps.

An invisible force blocked his way, like a wall that he couldn't push aside.

He turned around, a fawning smile plastered on his face.

"Grandpa, is there anything else you need?"

The old man looked at him, and the smile on his face faded slightly.

"I saved your life, and you're just going to leave like this?"

Tu Ling's heart skipped a beat.

This old man looks kind, but there's something more to his words.

"So... what does Grandpa mean?"

The old man stretched out one hand, palm facing up.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch, not even for gods. I saved your life, so you have to give me something in return, right?"

Tu Ling, with a bitter face, turned all the pockets on his body inside out.

"Grandpa, look at my poor appearance, I don't have any treasures. How about... I sing you a song?"

The old man didn't speak, his gaze fixed on Tu Ling's arms.

There, it's bulging and puffy.

Tu Ling instinctively covered his chest.

Those are petrified wood.

It was given to him by his older sister.

"That piece of wood is not bad."

The old man said calmly.

"That's petrified wood, buried underground for thousands of years, absorbing plenty of yin energy, which is perfect for nourishing my body."

Tu Ling's expression changed.

"Grandpa, this won't do! My eldest sister gave it to me; I can't give it to anyone else!"

The old man gave a cold laugh.

"We're about to die, and you still need wood?"

His cane paused slightly.

boom.

The surrounding rock walls suddenly pressed in.

Tu Ling felt as if he were sandwiched between two mountains, and his bones were about to shatter.

"Give it to me! I'll give it to you!"

The earth spirit cried out.

The pressure vanished instantly.

Tu Ling gasped for breath, his hands trembling as he pulled the dark piece of wood from his robes.

He looked at it again and again, and touched it again and again.

Finally, gritting his teeth, he placed it in the old man's hand.

"That's right."

The old man put away the wood and nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, you can go now."

The barrier disappeared.

Tu Ling stood still, without moving.

He looked at the old man, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind.

This old man controls the earth's energy within a hundred miles; he must know about the tree being swallowed up!

"grandfather……"

Tu Ling rubbed his hands together and asked cautiously.

"I have something to ask you."

The old man was in a good mood, playing with the piece of wood in his hand.

"explain."

"Was there a big tree up here a few days ago that someone took away?"

The old man paused for a moment.

He raised his eyelids and glanced at Tu Ling.

"You came for that sycamore tree?"

Tu Ling's eyes lit up.

"You know?"

"Of course I know."

The old man pointed to the top of his head.

"The commotion that day was so huge, the sky even cracked open, and my old bones were almost shaken to pieces."

"Do you know where that tree went?"

Tu Ling asked anxiously.

The old man smiled.

He stretched out his hand, palm up again.

"Messages also cost money."

Tu Ling was dumbfounded.

"Grandpa, I'm really gone. That piece of wood was the most valuable thing I had."

The old man shook his head.

I don't believe it.

He stared at Tu Ling, his gaze like two knives, as if he wanted to cut Tu Ling apart.

"You are an earth spirit, born and raised by nature. You've cultivated for hundreds of years; surely you should have some reserves within you?"

Tu Ling trembled and subconsciously took a step back.

"What...what do you want?"

"Earth Spirit".

The old man uttered two words.

Tu Ling's face turned pale instantly.

Earth spirit.

That is the origin of the Earth Spirit race.

It takes a hundred years to form a single piece.

That was his lifeblood, his cultivation level, and even more so, his lifespan.

He cultivated for three hundred years, and in total, he only managed to condense three pieces.

"Grandpa, this...this could kill me!"

Tu Ling cried out, his voice trembling with tears.

The old man remained expressionless.

"I won't kill you. Just two pieces."

"Give me two pieces of earth spirit, and I'll tell you where the tree is. Otherwise..."

The old man didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

If you don't give it to me, you're not leaving.

Tu Ling slumped to the ground.

Two pieces of earth spirit.

That's two hundred years of cultivation.

Without these two pieces of earth spirit, he would instantly revert to his original form, becoming extremely weak, and might not even be able to maintain his demon form.

does it worth?

For a vixen he'd only known for a few days, for a scholar who only knew how to scare him.

does it worth?

Tu Ling remembered that night.

Beside the campfire.

Su Qing tossed him the piece of petrified wood, laughing as she said, "Be my little brother, this is a reward for you."

Gu Xiang placed the spirit stones in front of him and said, "Take these and find yourself a good place to go."

They didn't treat him like a slave.

They didn't treat him as an oddball.

They treated him as a friend.

friend.

These two words spun around in Tu Ling's mind, feeling warm and cozy.

In his life, he has witnessed far too much scheming and far too much oppression.

Only those two people gave him a little sincerity.

Tu Ling sniffed.

He raised his head and looked at the high and mighty Earth God.

"Two pieces, right?"

The old man nodded.

"Give."

The earth spirit opened its mouth.

With a "whoosh".

A ball of yellow light was emitted.

That is his origin.

As the light left its body, the earth spirit's originally round body instantly withered.

The green hair turned yellow and fell out.

His skin turned grayish-white and became covered with wrinkles.

He looked like he had aged a hundred years in an instant.

The old man reached out and caught the ball of light, taking a greedy breath.

"Good stuff, pure earth elemental power."

The old man closed his eyes in blissful ecstasy.

"There's one more piece."

Earth Spirit swayed slightly.

He gritted his teeth and opened his mouth again.

Another burst of light was emitted.

This time, he couldn't even sit up and collapsed onto the ground.

He felt completely drained.

Even breathing has become difficult.

The old man put away the two pieces of earth spirit and smiled with satisfaction.

"Yes, he's a man of his word."

He waved.

A divine thought entered the mind of the earth spirit.

"That thing is called the Devouring Heaven Bag, a remnant of the ancient Mountain Moving Sect. They went north, their destination being the 'Burial Abyss of Gods' in the Land of Forsaken Gods. There is an ancient great formation there, and they want to use that paulownia tree as the formation's core to resurrect an old monster."

Tu Ling lay on the ground, processing the information.

Burial of Gods.

The Mountain Moving Sect.

Resurrect the old monster.

This news is too heavy.

"Thank you... Grandpa."

Tu Ling said weakly.

He struggled to get up.

My hands and feet were shaking.

He has to go back.

I need to tell my older sister this news.

The old man looked at his miserable state but showed no intention of helping him.

"You chose this path yourself, so take care of yourself."

After the old man finished speaking, he vanished in a flash.

The door to the stone chamber opened.

A passage appeared before us, leading straight to the ground.

Tu Ling, supporting himself against the wall, moved outward step by step.

I had to catch my breath after every step.

This road is so long.

It looks like it has no end.

……

Canyon mouth.

The wind and snow continue.

Gu Xiang sat by the fire, wiping his sword over and over again.

Su Qing leaned against a large rock, her eyes closed, her figure so faint that it was almost impossible to see.

"It's the fifth day."

Gu Xiang said in a low voice.

"Luo Bo hasn't come back yet."

Su Qing's eyelashes trembled, but she didn't open her eyes.

"Maybe they ran away."

"It's normal that it ran away since it's so afraid of dying."

Gu Xiang didn't say anything.

He looked at the flickering flames in the fire and felt a sense of emptiness in his heart.

Just then.

There was a sudden movement in the snow ahead.

A withered hand emerged from the snow.

Gu Xiang suddenly stood up.

"Radish?"

He rushed over and dug through the snow.

A shriveled, thin, and wrinkled thing lay in the pit.

If it weren't for that familiar tattered undergarment, Gu Xiang almost wouldn't have recognized him.

"Radish!"

Gu Xiang picked it up.

light.

It's too light.

It's like a bundle of dry firewood.

Tu Ling struggled to open his eyes.

His beady eyes became cloudy, and his eyelids drooped.

He looked at Gu Xiang and grinned.

He revealed a gap in his teeth.

"Son-in-law..."

The sound was as faint as a whisper.

Su Qing also floated over.

Seeing Tu Ling's appearance, her soul fluctuated violently.

"How did you get into this state?"

Su Qing's voice trembled.

Tu Ling turned her head and looked at Su Qing.

"Big...Big Sister..."

He reached out his withered hand, trying to grab Su Qing's sleeve, but grasped only air.

"I...found it."

"North...the Abyss of Burial Gods..."

"Mountain Moving Sect...resurrected...old monster..."

Tu Ling spoke haltingly.

It takes a lot of effort to say each word.

"Stop talking."

Gu Xiang grasped his hand and poured his vital energy into him as if it were free.

But that body was like a funnel, unable to hold any air.

"The origin... the origin is gone."

Su Qing immediately saw the problem.

She stared intently at Tu Ling.

"Who did you give your earth spirit to?"

Tu Ling chuckled.

"The message has changed...it has changed."

"That old man... he's so dark-skinned..."

"However... this deal... isn't a loss..."

The earth spirit's voice grew fainter and fainter.

"Big sister...I want to eat...fruit..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

His hand fell to his side.

Her head lolled to the side, and she fainted in Gu Xiang's arms.

Gu Xiang hugged him, feeling as if she were hugging a block of ice.

Su Qing stood aside, watching the little thing who had made herself half-dead for her sake.

Two lines of clear tears flowed from those unreal eyes.

This was the first time she had cried since her rebirth.

Tears are formed from soul power; they freeze upon landing, crystal clear.

"Fool."

She cursed, her voice choked with emotion.

"What an idiot."

"Su Mu Zhe - Righteousness Reaching the Heavens"

The clouds hang low in disarray, and the wind is ominous.

Snow piled up on the icy cliffs, with nowhere to lean on.

My soul, hazy and indistinct, falls in the wind.

They were speechless, only tears glistening in their eyes.

My heart is heavy with resentment, for the past is gone.

The earth's veins are deep and mysterious; I vow to follow their trail.

Do not say that spiritual roots are weak.

With righteousness as the guiding principle, one would forgo life and death.