The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

The forest was filled with the glint of swords and the deafening shouts of battle, but the moment that clear, melodious deer cry echoed through the mountains, the entire battlefield seemed to freeze in place.

A halo of pale gold and emerald green light flowed over the antlers on Qi Ji's head.

As the dazzling energy ripples spread, the trampled and ravaged weeds around them began to grow little by little, along with shrub branches as thick as bowls and large trees, all emitting muffled "creaking" sounds. The thick branches, like living arms, drooped slightly towards Qi Ji, like ministers bowing to their king.

"What...what's going on? Is this some kind of ghost?!"

Some people felt a tightness in their throats as they looked at the eerie scene around them. A chill ran from their tailbone straight to the top of their head, and their hands, gripping their weapons, trembled uncontrollably.

Keep in mind that this is at night.

Seeing this eerie scene late at night is a real test of one's heart. Many people who are naturally afraid of dark things turn pale involuntarily, fearing that some kind of evil spirit or ghost may appear around them.

Of course, some people looked excitedly at Qi Ji's location, their eyes fixed on the white figure: "It's the auspicious beast, the White Deer! This is the White Deer's supernatural power, the power of the auspicious beast!"

Among the crowd were many seasoned veterans who had been in the martial arts world for years and had seen countless internal martial arts techniques from various schools, but even they were astonished by the scene before them.

It should be understood that no martial art, regardless of its type, has ever had the effect of bringing all the vegetation on the mountainside to life.

This is not martial arts; it is clearly a divine means that bestows life upon all things, a realm that mortals cannot reach.

Fear and greed intertwined in the crowd. Some people instinctively stepped back, while others gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes filled with fanaticism.

Qi Ji, however, had no time to care about these people.

The long, drawn-out deer cry gradually subsided, and the surging energy around them began to recede like a tide.

Qi Ji was now fully conscious. He moved his limbs and felt his muscles and bones humming, his strength several times greater than before he fell asleep.

This period of dormant evolution has finally come to a complete end.

"Phew, that felt so good. It feels like I slept for ages. Ah, what's this...?"

Qi Ji shook his neck and subconsciously glanced around, but quickly frowned.

Why are there so many people around?!

Qi Ji was surprised.

He clearly remembered that he had found a secluded cave and fallen asleep, but when he woke up, he found himself in an open forest.

Moreover, the people around seemed to be fighting, each holding broken weapons, with bloodstains scattered on the ground and some corpses on the ground.

Qi Ji looked up and saw a familiar cave entrance half-hidden behind vines at the foot of the mountain wall not far away. It was the cave he had chosen back then.

Qi Ji wasn't stupid; he instantly realized what was going on.

Unsurprisingly, it seems that its evolving self was discovered, which attracted these people and led to a chaotic battle.

"What bad luck! Someone actually came to such a remote cave. Luckily I woke up; otherwise, it would have been terrible if I had been asleep for a few more days."

Qi Ji didn't know what would happen if he fell into the hands of humans while he was asleep, but right now he was absolutely unwilling to be captured by them.

Qi Ji lifted the deer hoof and tried to leave into the depths of the mountains and forests.

"Get it! Tie it up! We can't let this auspicious beast escape!"

A sharp shout suddenly rang out.

Wei Han stood in front of the soldiers and shouted orders. He had come all the way from Hong Kingdom to capture this auspicious beast and take it back to claim credit. How could he let it get away like this?

As soon as the order was given, the soldiers snapped back to reality. The next second, more than a dozen ropes soaked in cow sinew lashed through the air, intending to bind and ensnare Qi Ji.

Qi Ji's eyes darkened slightly.

These humans really do want to capture me.

"I'm not an ordinary animal that you can capture at will."

With a thought, Qi Ji instinctively released the power of [All Trees Paying Homage to the Source].

The golden-green energy ripples spread out from him once again. When he was awakened earlier, he had only used it subconsciously. Now, with Qi Ji actively activating his power, this energy was clearly more condensed and more targeted than before.

In an instant, the trees and vegetation of the entire forest were completely disturbed.

"——"

The thick tree trunk creaked and groaned, and countless branches, like long whips, lashed out at the soldiers with a sharp whooshing sound.

The vines and weeds on the ground stood upright, like countless thin snakes coiling around people's ankles.

Even the tree roots buried deep underground broke through the soil and writhed like giant pythons.

Plants and trees have no spirit, but under the influence of Qi Ji's [All Trees Pay Homage] power, they seem to have received the highest command, with a clear objective and fearless attitude, attacking these humans.

"what!"

Just as a soldier raised his knife, he was struck hard in the chest by a tree branch as thick as a bowl. He flew backward more than twenty meters like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the tree trunk. He groaned and passed out.

Another soldier screamed as a sharp branch pierced his shoulder. The branch then flicked his shoulder, suspending him in mid-air, blood trickling down the tree trunk.

Some people were so frightened that they turned around and tried to run away, but as soon as they moved their feet, they were tightly wrapped around their ankles by dense weeds and vines.

The force was astonishing; no matter how hard he kicked, he couldn't break free.

Following closely behind, several tree roots and branches swarmed up, wrapping him tightly from head to toe, making his chest feel suffocated and preventing him from even calling for help. His voice was quickly and completely drowned out by the branches and leaves.

In just a few breaths, the soldiers in the front ranks were routed.

Wei Han's pupils contracted sharply, his heart trembling with shock at the scene before him.

Before he came, he had searched through all the information about the white deer. He only knew that it was a strange beast with a high level of intelligence, fast speed, great strength, and the ability to rescue people in distress during floods and walk on water. However, he had never heard of it having such a strange ability to control plants and trees.

This is not the same thing at all as what was written in the intelligence report.

Just as he was about to step forward, a branch whistling through the wind lashed out at him.

Wei Han reacted extremely quickly, rolling to the side to dodge, and then wielding his spear to cut off the several branches that were entangled with him.

But it didn't work.

There are more than dozens of trees around, and if one branch breaks, ten more will immediately replace it.

These plants seemed oblivious to pain and fear, surging forward relentlessly. Even with Wei Han's considerable martial prowess, he was overwhelmed and forced to retreat in disarray.

Not only the soldiers of Hongguo suffered, but also members of the Money Gang and the Black Iris Merchant Guild were within the scope of the attack.

Su Wanniang gripped her short sword, her forehead covered in cold sweat, and with a flick of her wrist, she severed the attacking branches one by one.

But the vegetation kept growing, and just as she caught her breath, a sudden gust of wind swept behind her, and a thick branch carrying a fist-sized stone slammed into the back of her head like a pendulum.

"Hmm!"

Su Wanniang groaned, her vision went black, blood flowed down her forehead, the short sword in her hand clattered to the ground, and she fell straight down.

Not far away, Shangguan Ya also looked quite disheveled.

Having led the Money Gang for so many years, he had seen countless fights and killings, but this bizarre scene where every tree and blade of grass turned into a weapon was completely beyond his comprehension and shattered his courage.

All thoughts of auspicious beasts and treasures were now forgotten.

He didn't even care about his own men; he turned and disappeared into the dense forest, wanting to get as far away from the terrifying white deer as possible.

But he had only taken a few steps when a huge white shadow, like a ghost, blocked his path...