The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

The aftershocks of the power of [Thousand Peaks] had not yet dissipated when Xuan Ye was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string.

The bright red robe was torn to shreds by the immense force, scattering blood and foam everywhere.

He flipped twice in the air above the lake before barely managing to steady himself with a burst of internal energy. He stepped onto a piece of driftwood, staggered to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his face ashen.

"Senior brother!"

When Ji Luo saw Xuan Ye being blasted away by a single blow, he was startled and subconsciously lost focus.

It was in that very moment.

The white deer shadow had already swept in front of him like lightning.

Qi Ji kicked off the water with all four hooves, his body soaring into the air. One of his front hooves was raised high, carrying immense force as it stomped down on Ji Luo!

"not good!"

Ji Luo snapped back to his senses in shock, instinctively crossing his arms and raising his palms to block.

He was a martial monk at Wanfo Temple who specialized in cultivating physical strength. After entering the realm of innate rebirth, he could lift rocks weighing tens of tons in terms of sheer power.

But as Qi Ji's deer hoof fell.

"Bang—!"

Ji Luo felt as if a mountain had suddenly pressed down on him, his arms went numb instantly, his bones felt like they were about to dislocate, his blood and qi surged within him, and he felt a sweet taste in his throat.

The worst part was that he was standing on the water, with absolutely no way to gain any leverage.

"Thump!"

Ji Luo was forced to the bottom of the lake like a boulder.

A huge hollow water sphere suddenly exploded on the lake surface, sending waves soaring into the sky before crashing back down.

"Ughhhh"

The icy lake water filled his mouth and nose, and Jiluo tumbled three times underwater before barely managing to steady himself.

The bones in my arms ached terribly, and my chest felt suffocated as if a huge rock was blocking it.

Ji Luo was quite surprised.

How could this mythical white deer possess such immense strength?!

"You've underestimated this white deer. A spirit beast is still a spirit beast. Even if it's not the size of a giant beast, its strength is not to be underestimated."

Jilu gritted his teeth, pushed off with his feet, and tried to float upwards.

But as soon as he moved, he immediately realized something was wrong.

In the dark lake water, countless thick tree roots and branches, like awakened water snakes, silently coiled around him from all directions!

"Damn it, were those tree branches controlled by the white deer?!"

Ji Luo was startled and frantically swung his arms, unleashing his true energy in an attempt to smash the approaching tree roots.

In the water, his movements became incredibly slow, and the circulation of his internal energy became somewhat sluggish, as if he were trapped by an invisible hand.

The tree roots remained flexible in the water, as if they were alive, and quickly wrapped around his wrists, waist, and ankles.

"Let go! Let go of me!"

Ji Luo struggled desperately, but the terrifying squeezing and binding force from the tree roots tightened more and more, making his bones creak.

With his breath refrigerated underwater, the oxygen gradually ran out, and the fear of suffocation crept up his spine, causing Ji Luo to panic.

... ... ...

On the lake, Qi Ji looked down at the churning water beneath his feet.

On the antlers, a faint golden-green light flowed.

"You can hide on the water, but once you're underwater, let's see where you can run."

In the distance, Xuan Ye straightened up, leaning against a piece of driftwood. Blood was flowing from the corners of his mouth, chest, and abdomen.

However, his injuries were better than they appeared; although his internal organs had been shaken, they had not been fundamentally damaged.

Xuan Ye quickly noticed Ji Luo's predicament underwater and his heart tightened.

"Junior brother!"

Xuan Ye let out a low roar, unleashing all his power without holding back.

Xuan Ye's black Buddhist beads began to spin rapidly. Then, a large amount of white true energy surged from his palm, condensing into the shape of Buddhist beads in the air. Countless beads then flew back and forth, combining as if they were alive, interlocking with each other, and in the blink of an eye, they transformed into eight white chains as thick as a thumb, yet incredibly tough.

"The Thousand-Bead Lock of Karma!"

Xuan Ye's eyes widened, and he roared.

Eight white chains, like snakes emerging from their holes, plunged into the lake with a whistling sound.

Underwater, Jiluo was almost at his limit.

The tree roots tightened their grip, and he was about to run out of air, his vision blurring.

Just as his consciousness began to fade, he suddenly sensed a familiar presence coming from the water.

It's my senior brother!

Suddenly, as if in a moment of clarity, Ji Luo unleashed all the remaining true energy in his body.

"Open it!"

The tree roots that were wrapped around it were temporarily loosened for a moment by the force of the self-destruction.

But it was only for a moment. Ji Luo's last breath was completely exhausted. He choked on a mouthful of turbid water, his chest felt like it was being burned by a raging fire, and his hands and feet went limp instantly.

Just as he was about to sink helplessly.

"Whoosh!"

Several white chains of true energy precisely wrapped around his body, and a tremendous force came from the water's surface, pulling him directly up from the water.

"Splash!"

Jiluo was dragged out of the water and slammed onto a piece of driftwood, coughing up water and looking utterly disheveled.

Just as Xuan Ye breathed a sigh of relief, a deadly sense of crisis, like ice, suddenly shot up his spine to the top of his head!

Xuan Ye didn't even have time to turn around.

Out of the corner of my eye, a glimmer of golden-green light was already approaching like an arrow.

"That beast!!"

Xuan Ye was terrified. In the nick of time, he mustered all his remaining strength and struggled to twist his body to the side.

"Sizzle—"

A sharp sound of flesh being torn apart.

The antlers, gleaming with a golden-green light and possessing a chilling sharpness, slashed fiercely across his body.

A large patch of flesh on his chest and shoulder was ripped open, and half of his face, along with an ear, was cut open with a deep, bone-revealing wound.

His protective aura, barely enough to shield his vital points, crumbled like a thin sheet of paper under Qi Ji's charging antlers.

"ah--!!"

In an instant, Xuan Ye let out a pained groan that sounded inhuman, and his whole body flew backward to one side like a blood-stained cloth being whipped up by a gale.

In mid-air, the Thousand Beads Lock of Karma in his hand lost its support of true energy and instantly turned into countless specks of light, disappearing without a trace.

Jiluo managed to grab onto a piece of driftwood, coughing up water frantically, when he caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye, which terrified him.

He dared not linger any longer, using both hands and feet to sprint across the driftwood and broken roots, desperately running towards the shore of the small island.

Xuan Ye, too, clutched his bleeding chest wound, enduring excruciating pain, and staggered toward the shore.

Both of them knew this very well at that moment.

On this water, even if the two brothers worked together, their movement skills were greatly reduced, and they were no match for this spirit beast, the white deer.

If we keep fighting, we'll all lose our lives on this lake today.

... ... ...

On both sides of the artificial lake, Xuan Ye and Ji Luo's men were already stunned.

In their eyes, Xuan Ye and Ji Luo were like gods.

Those so-called top martial arts masters in ordinary times couldn't even withstand a single move from these two.

But now?

Two top experts joined forces, yet they were so badly defeated by a white deer that they had to flee in disarray.

"What...what should we do?"

Someone's voice trembled: "Should we... should we go up and help?"

"Idiot, what help are you?!"

Another person immediately retorted, swallowing hard: "Didn't you hear what Lord Xuanye just said? The power of spirit beasts is something we can't possibly meddle with; going up there would just be suicide!"

"So what do we do now?"

After a brief silence, someone lowered their voice and said urgently, "Let's... let's activate the floodgates and focus on dealing with those people who broke in through the main gate. Lord Xuan Ye and Lord Ji Luo are so strong, how could they possibly lose to a beast? They'll definitely win!"

The group looked at each other, then nodded in agreement.

Yes, the two lords are incredibly powerful, how could they possibly lose?

They dared not look back at the battle on the lake, and with their heads down, they ran towards the control center for flood discharge.

... ... ...

On the surface of the lake.

Qi Ji's antlers grazed Xuan Ye's body, tearing only half of his body apart, but failing to hit him squarely, which made him somewhat dissatisfied.

٩(๑`^´๑)۶

"This old monk, despite his age, has quick reflexes; he dodged everything you said."

Qi Ji muttered to himself, then used his [Spirit Foot] ability to exert force.

"I refuse to believe I can't beat you!"

Qi Ji's figure shot out like an arrow, stepping on the water and chasing after Xuan Ye, who was fleeing in a sorry state.

Xuan Ye was both shocked and furious, his heart filled with murderous intent.

For so many years, he has always been the one controlling other people's lives, having the power of life and death. When has he ever suffered such painful injuries?

"That damned white deer! How dare it cause me so much pain! It's utterly wicked! I will drain its blood and make it pay for all the suffering I've endured today, bit by bit, with interest!"

Xuan Ye cursed and swore inwardly.

The idea was great, but the reality was harsh.

His astonishing senses, typical of top-tier experts, allowed him to quickly detect the menacing and sharp aura behind him.

Qi Ji walked on water as if it were flat ground, and within a few breaths he had caught up with him.

(▼ plate▼#)

"Monk, look up!"

"Damn it, that beast has his eye on me!"

Xuan Ye was so frightened that his soul almost left his body. He turned around abruptly and quickly formed a complex hand seal in front of his chest.

"The Seal of Ten Thousand Buddhas to Suppress Demons!!"

Xuan Ye gathered all his true energy, and a blurry golden Buddha image appeared behind him, pressing down on Qi Ji with an aura of suppressing everything.

A burst of golden-green light erupted from Qi Ji's deer antlers.

"Break it for me."

The antlers gave it their all.

The seemingly majestic Ten Thousand Buddhas Demon-Suppressing Seal shattered like paper before Xuan Ye's horrified eyes.

"BOOM—!!"

A terrifying force traveled up the deer antlers and slammed solidly into Xuan Ye's chest.

Xuan Ye was sent flying backward like a cannonball launched from a catapult.

He returned to the island as he wished, but before he could land, his body, flying backward, couldn't stop due to the immense inertia.

"boom!!!"

Another deafening roar.

Xuan Ye's body slammed heavily against the bluestone dam wall of the Wanzhen Cangdi behind him, causing countless spiderweb-like cracks to spread out, and pebbles fell with a rustling sound, raising clouds of dust...