The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

A white figure fell from the rock crevice, like a drifting cloud floating into the cave.

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone looked up, staring blankly at the pure white figure emerging from among the gnarled tree roots, their minds completely blank.

"What...what is that?!"

One of the inexperienced men in black exclaimed in shock, pointing to the air with a look of horror on his face.

"idiot!"

Xuan Ye shouted and cursed, his gaze fixed on the white figure.

His pupils first showed shock, then surged with an uncontrollable greed that almost overflowed.

How could he not recognize him?

This mythical white deer, with its pure white body adorned with golden markings and mysteriously patterned antlers, had already been depicted in the newspaper "Chronicles of Nations" and its fame spread throughout the lands.

From the day it appeared in the world as the eleventh spirit beast, Xuan Ye had been secretly watching it and had long coveted it.

What a stroke of luck it would be to capture and tame a mythical beast that holds the power of life and can bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded.

"This is truly a stroke of luck!"

Xuan Ye clenched his fists, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

"I searched high and low without finding it, but it came to me effortlessly! The mythical white deer I've been wanting to capture day and night has actually delivered itself to my doorstep!"

On the stone pillar, Huai Cheng weakly raised his head, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"This is... the newly born spirit beast of the world?"

Huai Cheng had seen the four-armed red ape, a mythical beast, and knew that the wisdom of mythical beasts was no less than that of humans, and that each one possessed great supernatural powers.

But he couldn't understand why this white deer would suddenly appear in the core area of ​​the Xuan Yin Grotto.

Could it be... for these kidnapped children?

... ... ...

As he fell, Qi Ji quickly scanned the environment below.

"Wow, this place is huge."

Qi Ji secretly complained that this core cave was ridiculously spacious, comparable to several football fields connected together.

In the center of the cave is a calm lake, its surface reflecting the sunlight overhead.

Qi Ji glanced around and quickly locked onto his target.

"There it is!"

On a small island in the center of the lake stands a huge alchemy furnace. Around the furnace, there are rows of stone pillars, and several thin figures are tied to each pillar. They have obvious petrification symptoms and exude an aura that Qi Ji finds repulsive, which is tainted by the Xuanji Stone Spirit.

These were children sent from the human traffickers' branches, whom they called "Grade A goods."

Having confirmed his target, Qi Ji's gaze fell on Xuan Ye and Ji Luo on the high platform by the lake.

"The aura emanating from these two people is so annoying."

(ー`´ー)

From Xuan Ye and Ji Luo, Qi Ji could clearly sense an evil aura that he found extremely repulsive and abhorrent, even stronger than the diluted Xuanji Stone Spirit Blood he had seen in Black Stone Fortress.

Although he appeared to be dressed as a monk, in Qi Ji's eyes he was no different from an evil monk or a demonic Buddha.

"It seems that, unsurprisingly, the Wanfo Temple is indeed behind this group of human traffickers. That little monk Xuling is probably trembling with anger."

The thought flashed through Qi Ji's mind, and without much hesitation, white energy condensed on the deer antlers.

The next second, the power of [Thousand Peaks] was released, and one after another, antler-shaped energy cannons bombarded down.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom~"

Four antler-shaped energy cannons, trailing faint glowing tails, crashed down from the sky, heading straight for the most densely populated area below.

"What is this thing again?!"

"not good!"

"Stop talking nonsense and get out of the way!"

The men were terrified and scattered in panic.

The cannon was probably moving too fast; how could an ordinary person possibly dodge it?

A series of deafening roars rang out, sending debris flying and shockwaves surging.

Screams rose and fell, and many people were thrown into the air by the shockwave, crashing to the ground and spitting blood, with severed limbs and broken stones scattered all over the place.

Jiluo was utterly astonished upon seeing this.

"The legendary spirit beast, the white deer... it actually possesses such a means of attacking from a distance?"

He had thought that Bai Lu only controlled life force and was good at manipulating wood, but he did not expect that her frontal attack power was also so strong.

"The stronger the better."

Xuan Ye's smile grew even more greedy, his eyes burning as he stared at the white figure descending from mid-air, as if he were looking at a rare treasure.

"The stronger it is, the greater its value after being tamed."

Xuan Ye suddenly waved his hand and shouted sternly, "All of you, get out of the way! The power of a spirit beast is not something you small fry can interfere with!"

He then turned to look at Ji Luo, his tone serious: "Junior brother, come with me to suppress this spirit beast, the white deer."

... ... ...

Qi Ji fell much faster than the tree roots spread downwards.

In just a few seconds, he landed lightly on the surface of the artificial lake.

The power of [Spirit Foot] was automatically activated, and his four hooves trod on the water, creating a faint ripple, while his body remained as stable as Mount Tai.

"Bang! Bang!"

The next second, two huge palm prints came crashing down from the front.

A streak of pure white light and another of deep gray-black light, accompanied by a howling wind, slammed into the spot where Qi Ji was standing.

The power and speed of these two palm strikes far exceeded those of ordinary top masters; anyone else would probably be instantly smashed to pieces.

Qi Ji's heart stirred, and with a flick of his body, he moved sideways for more than ten meters.

"Boom—!!"

Two palm prints slammed into the lake surface simultaneously, creating a water wall several meters high. The lake water exploded and splashed in all directions, creating towering waves and a misty spray.

Qi Ji stepped on the crest of the wave, sensing the intensity of the two attacks he had just received, and secretly assessed the situation in his mind.

"These two monks seem quite strong, probably on par with Xuan Ling and Wen Qing, but their true energy seems somewhat weak..."

Qi Ji's instincts told him that, compared to Xuan Ling and Wen Qinghe, these two monk traffickers, though at the same level, were probably somewhat inferior.

Amidst the misty spray, two figures rode the waves.

Xuan Ye, dressed in a crimson kasaya, and Ji Luo, in a gray-brown monk's robe, both relied on their profound lightness skills and cultivation to quickly approach each other, their toes barely touching the water's surface.

"White Deer, surrender immediately and submit to my Wanfo Temple!"

With a roar, Ji Luo thrust his palm forward, and a gray true energy palm several meters in size condensed, carrying a powerful aura as it grabbed Qi Ji, as if to seize him in its palm.

"Such a slow pace."

Qi Ji mentally complained, then pushed off with all four hooves, his figure swooping across the water in a white arc, easily gliding past the giant gray hand.

The next second, he appeared beside Ji Luo.

As they passed each other, Qi Ji slightly tilted his head.

A flash of white light appeared on the antlers.

The power of [Thousand Peaks] is activated.

Ji Luo's expression changed drastically.

too fast!

The speed of this white deer completely exceeded his expectations!

Ji Luo tried to dodge, but it was too late.

He was a beat too slow to circulate his internal energy to protect himself.

Just as the antler-shaped energy cannon was about to strike his chest, Xuan Ye intervened at the crucial moment, instantly deploying a white protective aura shield to block Ji Luo.

"Thump!"

The dull, deafening sound was like a booming bell.

The protective aura fluctuated violently, with ripples spreading wildly across its surface. It lasted only a little over a second before shattering with a "crack".

But in that one second of buffer, Ji Luo seized the opportunity, his toes slamming into the water's surface, and his body retreated rapidly.

Upon arriving at Xuan Ye's side, his face turned pale, clearly startled and covered in a cold sweat.

"Phew, senior brother, thank you so much."

The two stood side by side, relying on their profound cultivation as top-tier experts to barely maintain their balance on the turbulent water.

Xuan Ye glanced down at the swaying water beneath his feet, then looked at Qi Ji standing steadily on the opposite side, his brow furrowing slightly.

"I almost forgot, legend has it that the spirit beast White Deer, in addition to controlling trees and the power of life, also has the supernatural ability to walk on water."

Although he and Jiluo could briefly stand on the water with their skills and agility, their movements and attacks were ultimately far less free and swift than on land.

However, Qi Ji was able to move on the water without any hindrance thanks to the power of [Spiritual Foot].

"Fighting like this is too passive, junior brother, let's retreat to the island!"

Xuan Ye made a quick decision and led Ji Luo back to the small island in the center of the lake.

But as soon as they finished speaking, the light above their heads suddenly went out.

Looking up, countless thick tree roots poured down like a torrential rain from the gap above!

Qi Ji stood on the water, his golden eyes coldly fixed on Xuan Ye and Ji Luo.

The most notorious human traffickers here are these two evil monks.

"Take care of you first, then save the people!"

With a thought, the golden-green light on the deer antlers intensified.

The power of "All Trees Paying Homage" continued to spread, not only causing the tree roots above to extend and fall, but also suddenly stirring up turbulent waves at the bottom of the calm artificial lake.

"Boom!"

The lake water surged violently, and thick tree roots and trunks burst forth from the bottom of the lake, soaring into the sky like awakened dragons, baring their fangs and claws as they lunged at Xuan Ye and Ji Luo.

They attacked from both above and below, leaving no room for escape.

"Hmph, a mere trick!"

Xuan Ye snorted coldly, and he and Ji Luo moved swiftly, weaving and shifting among the dense tree roots.

The tree roots strike, entangle, and pierce, each blow potentially fatal.

The two dodged left and right, and for a moment they also looked a bit disheveled.

But they were ultimately top-tier experts with deep foundations and extremely fast reactions. The seemingly ferocious tree roots could not truly harm them in the short term.

"Break it!"

Xuan Ye roared and unleashed a series of palm strikes.

Each palm strike carries a sharp gust of wind, capable of snapping one or two tree roots over a meter thick with a "crack".

Amidst the flying sawdust, he lightly touched the broken and floating tree trunks and roots with his toes, constantly shifting his position and gradually regaining his footing.

"The spirit beast's wood-controlling technique is indeed well-deserved."

Xuan Ye's lips curled into a cold smile, his tone laced with arrogance: "However, these trees will also provide us with a foothold!"

Before the words were finished—

"Buzz".

A soft hum of energy suddenly rang out.

Xuan Ye's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively sensed a deadly danger.

He looked up sharply.

A stag-antler-shaped energy cannon was already right in front of them!

"Oops!"

Xuan Ye was shocked and hastily activated his protective qi.

But it was too close, and too sudden.

"Bang!"

The white aura shattered almost instantly upon appearing.

The power of [Thousand Peaks] struck him squarely.

"Pfft~"

Xuan Ye spat out a mouthful of blood, flying backward in a disheveled state. His bright red cassock was torn to shreds by the immense force, strips of cloth mixed with blood flying everywhere...