Perfection: I have a Tree of Ten Thousand Paths

Chapter 55 The Opportunity for a Breakthrough (Seeking first subscriptions! 6000-word chapter)

After dealing with the seven major families, Qi Shi'an and Shi Hao's group were never attacked again, and they continued to stay in the area near the Bone Tower.

"Thump!"

A loud bang came from the ground, with a hollow sound. Not far away, a beam of fire flickered, which was the place where the Bone Tower rose and fell.

When they finally found the place where the Bone Tower had sunk, the area was littered with rock fragments, and the Bone Tower was absorbing the last of the Earth Phoenix Fire. "This—has the entire lava field been drained by it?"

Shi Hao felt a little horrified. He quickly backed away, only to find that the bone tower below did not react, and he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's truly amazing!"

Qi Shi'an was also somewhat surprised. Although he had long known that this pagoda was extraordinary, this was the first time he had witnessed its unique features.

After absorbing the Earth Phoenix Fire, the bone tower in the underground cave lost all its radiance and ceased to emit any strange phenomena. Moreover, the bone tower began to shrink from the size of a palm.

In the end, it was only as long as a finger joint, and less than an inch tall when stood up.

Shi Hao waited for a long time. He cast a rune to test the waters, and only when he saw that the white bone tower remained motionless did he feel relieved enough to take it out.

The bone tower lay quietly in Shi Hao's palm, its entire body crystal clear, as if carved from mutton fat jade, exceptionally beautiful.

It doesn't resemble a treasure; rather, it's like an exquisite and beautiful ornament. It doesn't possess any terrifying aura. If one hadn't witnessed the power of this bone tower firsthand, one would also think it was just a beautiful ornament.

Qi Shi'an stepped forward and patted Shi Hao on the shoulder, saying softly, "Keep this tower safe. We should continue our journey now. We've wasted so much time; the treasures might have already been taken by someone else."

"That's true, now is not the time to study the Bone Tower."

Upon hearing this, Shi Hao scratched his head, then wrapped the bone tower around his hair, treating the crystal-clear white bone tower as an ornament.

A few days later, Qi Shi'an and Shi Hao's group arrived at the center of the mountains.

They encountered more than twenty Noble Phantasms along the way, but only managed to subdue three or four of them, which they found regrettable as they were unable to retain more.

However, none of those treasures could compare to the Bone Tower, and Qi Shi'an even held onto a sliver of hope.

Since such an extraordinary bone tower could appear in the Hundred Broken Mountains, it is not impossible that there could be other extraordinary things like the bone tower. In the original work, Shi Hao explored very few places, so it is hard to guarantee that there were no mistakes or omissions.

At the heart of these ruins stands a colossal mountain, immense in size, resembling dozens of peaks joined together. It is incredibly magnificent and majestic, more than ten times grander than Mount Tai, which I had climbed in my previous life.

"What a huge mountain!"

Shi Hao couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. Divine light was flashing on the mountain, and magical artifacts were flying up from time to time, like fireworks blooming. They were all powerful and spiritual artifacts.

At the foot of the mountain, Qi Shi'an and Shi Hao encountered many ancient species, such as Bifang, Chilong, Pixiu, and the most powerful geniuses.

However, upon seeing the Demon Tree, Qi Shi'an was taken aback: "If I remember correctly, in the original story, the Demon King of Pu's hiding place seemed to be underground in Hundred Broken Mountains?!"

Pu Demon King, an immortal king from another realm, was killed by Wuzhong Immortal King in the ancient war between immortals. His body disappeared, and some of his remnants transformed into the Pu Demon Tree.

For a being of the Celestial King level like Pu Mowang, it is extremely difficult to die. As long as there is a trace of his remnant in the world, he has the opportunity to reappear.

As Qi Shi'an was pondering, Shi Hao suddenly exclaimed, "Master Gui, don't scare me! Weren't you supposed to be staying at the Heaven-Mending Pavilion? Why are you making a sound again?!"

"My sword—my sword—" The voice echoed intermittently.

Qi Shi'an turned his head and saw that the little guy who claimed to be fearless was actually looking at himself in the Junmao Mirror.

"Little one, you haven't been cursed, have you?!"

Qi Shi pretended to be surprised, but Shi Hao could read the teasing look on his face. He was the kind of person who loved to watch the drama unfold.

"Ghost Lord—you son of a bitch!"

Shi Hao said angrily, "The most urgent thing is to hurry up the mountain to find the sword, otherwise I'll lose my life here."

Fenbao Cliff is majestic and towering into the clouds, with ribbons of black mist swirling around its body, resembling a magnificent ancient demonic mountain, exuding an oppressive aura.

"Could this Treasure Sharing Cliff be a powerful treasure? I wish I could take it with me."

Qi Shi'an sighed inwardly, thinking that if he could take away this treasure-dividing cliff, which resembled a demonic mountain, he would surely make a fortune.

After all, there are many treasures on this mountain, and taking a mountain away is equivalent to taking away a treasure trove.

However, he could only think about these things in his heart. Throughout history, there have been countless geniuses and outstanding individuals. If they could really be taken away, why would they have been left until now?

An ancient path leads down into the mountain, paved with bluestone, bearing the marks of time. Countless talented individuals have traversed this path throughout history, but ultimately their blood stained the Demon Mountain, and none ever returned.

Meanwhile, there were already people on the mountain, all hoping to find a stroke of luck. This was the source of the ruins, known as the Treasure Sharing Cliff. Legend has it that there were countless treasures here, but one could only obtain them through their own good fortune.

Bifang, Maoxiu, Pumoshu, and others stood on their respective sides, wary of each other, each exuding a terrifying aura.

As for Shi Hao, he was naturally in a bad mood because of the curse. With a dark face, he strode up the mountain in a huff, as if everyone owed him ten or eight treasures.

The nine-headed lion, the big red bird, and the sable beside them also lowered their heads and dared not make a sound. There were many remnants of species stronger than them in this place, and the only two they could rely on were the two little demon kings in front of them.

One of the kids was still fuming, while the other was grinning from ear to ear, seemingly plotting something mischievous.

The mountain was barren, its entire body grayish-brown, with some rocks dark red, resembling mottled bloodstains.

The bluestone steps were long, and as they climbed them, Shi Hao's face darkened further with the thought of finding a sword, and he became increasingly indignant.

Along the roadside, Bifang, Pixiu, and Pumo Tree all looked on with astonishment.

The two human youths didn't even glance at them, and just walked past them with an air of superiority, completely disregarding them.

You must understand that no living being who enters the ruins would dare to be so careless. If any one of them were to be distracted, it would cause panic, and we must be on high alert.

"They really are unbridled," a violent ape said, its eyes quite cold.

Upon hearing this, Shi Hao turned around and glared at the group of ancient remnants. Then, with a sullen face, he said dejectedly, "Forget it, I'm not in the mood to eat you right now. I have to find that broken sword, or I'll definitely be cursed to death."

A group of powerful beings, their gazes sharp as swords, were all startled upon hearing these words and involuntarily retreated, keeping their distance from the child.

Curses are the most bizarre things; if you're not careful, they can bring you trouble, so nobody wants to get involved.

Seeing how these powerful creatures were so secretive, Qi Shi'an couldn't help but sneer, "They're just a bunch of food, what's there to be afraid of? They'll all be eaten in the end anyway, they won't even have a chance to be cursed."

"roar!"

The ape pounded its chest violently. Facing that burning gaze, it wanted to jump up and tear it to pieces to vent its dissatisfaction. The sound of its chest pounding was like the thunderous drumbeats of heaven.

Behind them, the large golden bird had an even colder look in its eyes, and its golden pupils shot out rays of strange light as it stared at Qi Shi'an for a long time.

But they dared not approach, for they were burdened with a curse, and in their eyes, Qi Shi'an and Shi Hao were no different from the dead.

This magical mountain is so vast that you can't see the summit or the end of the mountain while standing on it.

Huge rocks lie scattered on the mountain, forming a strange landscape, but this is not a pure land, as it is shrouded in ribbon-like black mist.

The surrounding world was very dark, and huge skeletons could be seen from time to time, all left behind by the dead geniuses of the past.

This small world opens once every few hundred years, and countless young heroes have been buried and buried here throughout history.

Along the way, Qi Shi'an discovered various remains, such as those of Bi Kuang, Jiu Tou Niao, Jiao Tu, and Tao Ji. All kinds of ancient spirit remains were readily available, and they were all as hard as iron and stone.

This is the accumulation of a long period of time, a "sedimentation" from ancient times to the present.

Although these remains were not original precious bones, Qi Shi'an still accepted them all, thinking of going back to try to repair them using the Myriad Dao Tree, since these remains were all near-pure bloodline remnants.

Even if the repair is incomplete in the end, he can still try to extract a drop of precious blood from it. The myriad paths of the tree are still capable of doing that, so he won't lose out no matter what.

The higher you climb, the darker it gets, the thicker the fog becomes, and danger lurks everywhere.

The remains of those creatures reveal that many powerful beings perished here in the past, which is why they had to be extremely careful.

Chi!

Suddenly, a beam of light shot up, and a golden wing flew across the sky. With a gentle flash, flames surged, melting large sections of the mountain. Lava rolled and surged downwards.

That was the unusual phenomenon of a Noble Phantasm being born, which immediately attracted a group of creatures to surround it, and a chaotic battle was inevitable.

"This is a golden crow's wing, a relic from ancient times!"

A group of people above recognized the treasure, and countless people rushed forward in a frenzy.

Because Shi Hao was directly below, he was blocked by the flood of lava and had no choice but to turn around and escape.

A large golden bird swooped down toward the Golden Crow Wings, streaking across the sky like a shooting star. In an instant, the Golden Crow Wings was snatched into the bird's mouth and disappeared on the other side of the mountain.

"Damn it, why would the Golden Crow Wing choose a new master?"

A group of powerful figures above exclaimed in surprise, because in their eyes, the Golden Crow's Wings had been caught by the golden bird on its own initiative.

"Pshaw, having wings makes you faster than having legs."

Qi Shi'an's burning gaze was fixed on the direction the golden bird had gone. He was about to make a move to snatch it away, but the golden bird was too fast.

Before he could even react, he had already seized the treasure and left gracefully.

Qi Shi'an muttered angrily, "A half-blooded golden roc? Next time I see one, I'll definitely stew it!"

That golden bird was incredibly powerful, resembling a golden-winged roc. It was already exceptionally strong, and now that it had acquired a matching treasure, its power had become even more terrifying.

The Treasure Sharing Cliff was very large. Qi Shi'an and Shi Hao climbed upwards in search of the treasure, but it took them several days to reach the top.

During this process, numerous bloody battles occurred; whenever a summoning artifact was created, bloodshed was inevitable.

During this period, Qi Shi'an and Shi Hao also seized three treasures. Unfortunately, all three treasures were incomplete, losing half of their spiritual power, and could only be used as ordinary treasures.

Over the course of several days, Qi Shi'an and Shi Hao's clothes were stained red with blood, but not much of the blood was their own.

All living beings that provoked them were slaughtered, and the precious blood of the ancient remnants was absorbed by Qi Shi'an and turned into nourishment for the Myriad Dao Tree.

Over the days, the Myriad Paths Tree has grown rapidly, its branches have thickened, its leaves have covered its branches, and it is lush and verdant. Many primitive runes have been engraved on the clusters of rune leaves.

The flower bud beneath the leaves of the Ten Thousand Paths Tree, which is inscribed with the True Roar Treasure Technique, has already opened two petals and is not far from fully blooming into a flower.

The Treasure Dividing Cliff is a majestic mountain, and the closer you get to the summit, the greater the danger becomes, since only the strongest group of geniuses can reach this place.

Qi Shi'an and his group finally reached the summit and entered the real Treasure Sharing Cliff.

The mountaintop is vast, like a plateau, where all sorts of huge rocks lie scattered, strangely shaped, as if they were petrified treasures and formed over a long period of time.

Not far away, an ancient stele stands with several lines of text inscribed on it, warning those who come here to search for treasure not to make noise and disturb the place where the saints sleep, and not to destroy the Treasure Sharing Cliff.

This is a place where war is stopped; no fighting or commotion is allowed.

If you wish to obtain the treasures left behind by the saints, you can only use your heart to sense them. As long as you can gain some understanding, you will be able to gain the recognition of the treasures.

"Hey, look! That giant rock is glowing!" many creatures exclaimed softly.

Not far away, a huge rock was cracked, and a dazzling light emanated from the crack. The outer layer of the rock slowly peeled away, revealing a magical artifact.

It was a staff, crystal clear, blood red, less than a foot long, yet incredibly radiant.

Numerous runes swirled around the staff, and a thunderous roar erupted from it, creating a strange and terrifying scene.

Before that boulder stood a one-legged bird, entirely blue with blood-red markings, its body radiating intense light; this bird was none other than the Bifang.

The boulder's outer layer completely peeled off, and the staff fell in front of it, which it then obtained.

"Unfortunately, this staff is damaged and can no longer display its ancient divine power."

Everyone glanced at it and saw that the staff was broken, with only a small piece remaining, which made them feel a little regretful.

But it is still quite astonishing. If this small piece of magic weapon can be properly nurtured and refined, it is not impossible for it to become a treasure of the sect.

"Why not me!" Some creatures protested, raising their voices as they charged toward Bifang.

However, with a "poof" sound, a terrifying beam of light shot up from the Treasure Sharing Cliff, instantly shattering the attacking creature into a bloody mess.

Upon seeing this, everyone gasped and quickly fell silent, no longer daring to utter a single careless word.

After witnessing Bifang obtain the treasure, many prodigies were filled with fervor and, not to be outdone, flocked into the Stone Forest to communicate with the ancient artifact.

Since entering the mountain peak, Shi Hao's eyes have been so busy taking it all in. He looked left at the Crouching Tiger Stone and right at the Green Ox Stone, his big eyes blinking with joy.

"Mine, mine, all mine!"

Shi Hao revealed that greedy little expression, his eyes were full of stars, and his little fists were clenched tightly.

Qi Shi'an stood to the side, his eyes fixed on the Treasure Distribution Cliff beneath his feet, thinking to himself, "If these boulders truly contain sealed treasures, then what exactly is this Treasure Distribution Cliff? Is it merely a mountain?"

He had some doubts when he was climbing the mountain, and after seeing how Bifang obtained the treasure, his doubts reached their peak.

He was certain that the Treasure Sharing Cliff beneath his feet was a supreme treasure, perhaps a divine weapon of some ancient great being, but for some unknown reason, it had transformed into the Treasure Sharing Cliff it is today.

Perhaps even the sacred treasures scattered around were attracted by the power of the Treasure Dividing Cliff, and the ribbon-like black mist was also the work of this mountain.

But what attracted Qi Shi'an the most was not this stone forest that contained the treasures of the saints.

Instead, it was an untouched stone wall, carved with countless images of ferocious beasts and birds of prey, looking quite ordinary.

But it captivated his eyes, and the Myriad Trees within his body stirred inexplicably, the trunk swaying and the rune leaves trembling.

He was greatly alarmed. What on earth was hidden there that could disturb the Myriad Dao Tree and cause it to resonate?

With a sense of doubt, Qi Shi'an approached the foot of the stone wall. There were many huge stones there, with many blurry but vivid patterns carved on them, such as the Golden Crow chasing lightning, the Prisoner Ox treading the sea, the Kunpeng spreading its wings, and the Nine Netherworld destroying the world—each with a different shape.

There are many kinds of ancient maps, but it is unknown what they are trying to express. Many geniuses throughout history have tried to understand them but have gained nothing. In the eyes of others, they may just be a record of the glory of ancient times.

However, in Qi Shi'an's eyes, these ancient maps seemed to be alive. He mobilized the Myriad Dao Tree within his body, and the runes converged in his eyes as he looked at those giant rocks once more.

In an instant, the entire Treasure Sharing Cliff seemed to resonate with him and began to tremble.

At this moment, those entire stone walls appeared as terrifying scenes to him, and an overwhelming killing intent swept over him, placing him in the midst of that ancient war between the saints.

Qi Shi'an saw a giant hand slam down from the sky, instantly turning the earth into a scene of mountains of blood and rivers of blood, with countless lives wiped out in an instant.

Suddenly, a terrifying figure condensed from the ribbon of black mist surrounding the Treasure Sharing Cliff. The figure exuded a terrifying aura and was full of killing intent, like a demon emerging from hell.

The figure unleashed a powerful attack, instantly shattering the giant hand that had descended from the sky.

However, the terrifying figure did not stop moving. Its blood-red light soared into the sky, and countless runes poured out.

The entire world seemed to detach itself, and runes formed a barrier, separating the upper and lower realms.

"How dare you defy the heavens!" A majestic voice echoed from the sky, like divine authority, suppressing all living beings below.

The terrifying figure did not respond, but instead relentlessly used its supernatural powers to forcibly alter the laws of the lower realm, shattering the passage between the upper and lower realms.

While this move prevents people from descending from the upper realm easily, it also blocks those from the lower realm from reaching the upper realm.

If we forcibly seal it now, there is still a glimmer of hope for the future. If we don't do this, the lower realm will be completely reduced to a cage for the upper realm's pets, leaving only endless despair.

From that moment on, the lower realm and the upper realm completely lost contact!

The terrifying figure looked back into the distance. The earth was stained red, all living beings were weeping, and the rain falling from the sky was stained with crimson blood, as if it were the voice of heaven's compassion for all living beings.

The terrifying figure gradually became transparent. He was going to do one last thing for all living beings: at the cost of his own annihilation and being spared from reincarnation, he would absorb all the fallen creatures into his body.

Ultimately, the entire body forms a small world, seeking a glimmer of hope for all living beings.

The golden crow cried blood, its corpse transforming into the blazing sun in the sky; the jade rabbit wailed, its corpse transforming into the silver moon in the sky.

The water dragon's blood stained the sky, and its blood turned into rain, transforming a region into a swamp. Its body transformed into the Taiyi True Water, and it slept thereafter.

There were also many strange and ferocious beasts whose corpses and blood became part of this small world, forming its rules and order over countless years.

"ah----"

Qi Shi'an roared loudly, and the giant stone engraved with ancient maps glowed. The black mist near the Treasure Dividing Cliff seemed to freeze, and then all of it rushed into his body.

His body began to crack, his internal organs were being impacted, and blood was flowing from his seven orifices.

Just as Shi Hao pulled out a broken sword, he heard Qi Shi'an's painful roar.

He turned his head and saw that Qi Shi'an had turned into a bloody, mangled human figure, whose appearance was no longer recognizable.

All the creatures on the Treasure Sharing Cliff looked over upon hearing the roar. They could only clearly recognize that it was a human, but many of them knew who that human was.

"Ha, so it's finally time to die?"

"That little devil deserved to die!"

"He got off too easily, dying so easily. If he ever gets out of Treasure Sharing Cliff, I'll make him learn what it means to be outmatched!"

The many creatures were overjoyed, their faces beaming with delight. They had long disliked those two brats, and now that one of them was dead, how could they not feel relieved?

"Xiao An————"

Shi Hao frowned, his face showing worry. He couldn't believe that Qi Shi'an had died so easily.

At this moment, Qi Shi'an was enduring inhuman pain as the black mist and ancient map constantly assaulted his body and soul.

The pain was like tens of thousands of poisonous insects gnawing at his skin, his tendons breaking inch by inch, and his bones being slowly crushed and shattered by a millstone, with all his bones making a faint "crackling" sound.

Qi Shi'an wished he could just fall into a deep sleep, but he knew he couldn't, because if he fell into a deep sleep, he would die completely!

His ten cave heavens appeared automatically, and the myriad Dao Trees within his body overflowed with wisps of misty energy, completely enveloping him. At this moment, he resembled a cocoon woven from three divine lights: black, white, and gray.

The black mist and ancient maps seemed to resonate with the Myriad Dao Tree, with each map being engraved into his body, meridians, and grotto-heaven.

"boom!"

A violent tremor erupted at Treasure Sharing Cliff, blasting all the creatures on the cliff away. Many of the prodigies who were communicating with the giant rock coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"What's going on?"

"What happened?!"

The many creatures were bewildered and shocked; they had no idea what had happened and had been inexplicably driven out.

"Xiao An!"

Shi Hao anxiously looked around and found no trace of Qi Shi'an. He vaguely sensed that Qi Shi'an was still on the Treasure Sharing Cliff, but he didn't know what had happened.

But he was certain that Qi Shi'an had not perished; perhaps he was simply receiving the legacy of his predecessors. This was the only explanation he could offer to put his mind at ease.

At this moment, Qi Shi'an seemed to be metamorphosing in a cocoon. His body and tendons were constantly breaking down and then rebuilding, each time accompanied by fatal pain.

The divine liquid dripping from the Myriad Trees was also constantly relieving his pain, and his whole body radiated a black, white and gray glow.

His body emitted a shimmering light as it repeatedly broke and reformed. The black mist and ancient map were completely absorbed into his body, and crackling sounds emanated from within him, echoing like a divine melody.

At this moment, Qi Shi'an's body was covered in burning runes, his bones crackled, his flesh trembled, and his boundless essence and spirit transformed into a true dragon that rushed out, splitting into ten streams that disappeared into the Ten Great Grotto-Heavens.

"Rumble—"

The sounds of Taoism were incessant, the ten great grotto-heavens roared, dazzling and astonishing, and divine radiance surged.

The black mist, the ancient map, and the Daoist aura emanating from the Myriad Dao Tree all rushed in, making the cave seem as if the world had been created anew, with a few traces of chaotic energy spreading out.

At this moment, heaven and earth seemed to fall silent, and everything returned to emptiness. He was as if he were traveling in the void, entering a celestial realm.

Qi Shi'an tried his best to stay clear-headed, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck his mind. He seemed to have some understanding and sensed an opportunity for a breakthrough.