The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

Qi Ji stood in front of Shangguan Cliff, a pair of deer antlers on his head shimmering with a soft golden-green light, glowing brightly in the dim forest, looking incredibly beautiful.

But this light, when it fell into Shangguan Ya's eyes, was even more terrifying than the ghost fire that claimed lives.

"You, you stay away!" Shangguan Ya retreated repeatedly, his voice trembling.

"I won't arrest you anymore, I'm leaving right now, don't stop me, let me go."

As he spoke, a ruthless glint flashed in Shangguan Ya's eyes, and he gathered all his cultivation into his hands.

He was able to become the leader of the Money Gang because he had real skills. His signature move, "Shattering Jade Hand," had already been mastered. Ordinary rocks were as brittle as tofu in his palm, and he could even crush steel swords in half.

Shangguan Ya roared, gathering all his inner strength into his palms, which glowed with a jade-like color as he fiercely grabbed at Qi Ji.

This strike exhausted all his life's skills, hoping to force Qi Ji back and buy himself a chance to survive.

Qi Ji looked at the two palms coming at him, but neither dodged nor retreated.

He simply lowered his head slightly and rammed directly into the pair of antlers that shimmered with a golden-green glow.

Qi Ji was very curious about the power of his evolved antlers.

This human appears to be quite strong among this group, making him a suitable test subject.

In an instant, the golden-green light on Qi Ji's antlers intensified several times. The antlers no longer seemed to be just bone, but rather like two sharp blades formed from life energy, swirling with a heavy yet sharp aura.

"laugh--"

When the internal force of the Shattered Jade Hand collided with the deer antlers, there was no booming sound of a great force clashing as one might expect; instead, there was only a soft cracking sound.

The true energy that Shangguan Ya had gathered in his palm was like a pebble hitting fine steel; it didn't even manage to hinder him in the slightest. It was pierced layer by layer by the golden-green energy in the corner and instantly dispersed.

A sharp pain followed immediately.

"ah--!"

A piercing scream shattered the forest.

Shangguan Ya felt a heart-wrenching pain in his palm. The indestructible force drilled into his flesh, shattering his palm bones inch by inch. The flesh on the front of his palm was almost completely torn apart by the deer antlers, and the stark white bone mixed with blood splattered everywhere.

Before he could take a single step back, Qi Ji exerted force with his neck and shoulders, shoving hard forward.

Shangguan Ya was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the mud twenty meters away, raising a cloud of dust.

Qi Ji raised his head, his deer-like eyes blinking with a hint of doubt.

"Strange, this human looks quite capable, but he doesn't seem that strong."

Qi Ji felt the collision was surprisingly smooth. He had thought it would take some effort, but he hadn't even used half his strength before the human was sent flying.

Those seemingly indestructible hands were more fragile than he had expected, and Qi Ji felt no pressure at all.

"This human is too weak and cannot be used as a test subject."

Qi Ji shook his neck and finally came to a conclusion that he found somewhat distasteful.

At this moment, Shangguan Ya lay on the ground with his hands covered in blood and flesh, his whole body convulsing uncontrollably in pain, tears mixed with cold sweat smeared all over his face, he didn't even have the strength to curl up, he could only lie on the ground and let out intermittent groans of pain.

Before he could even groan in pain for long, countless blades of grass and vines, like snakes that had smelled blood, spread rapidly along the ground, densely wrapping around Shangguan Ya's ankles, wrists, waist, and finally even his neck and mouth.

"No, help me! Someone please help me! Help!"

Shangguan Ya was terrified and tried to break free from the entanglement of these plants, but he was too weak to move due to his serious injuries. He couldn't even sit up, as his whole body was covered and entangled by various plants.

Five seconds later, a faint whimpering sound came from the grass cocoon. The struggles became smaller and smaller, the breaths became weaker and weaker, and finally it fell into complete silence, becoming a real mummy wrapped in grass and wood.

The death of Shangguan Ya was witnessed by some people present, and it completely shattered their psychological defenses.

Someone let out a terrified scream first, and then panic exploded like a flood.

The soldiers of Hongguo, members of the Money Gang, and people from the Black Iris Merchant Guild, a total of five or six hundred people, were instantly thrown into chaos.

What do you mean by capturing a white deer?

What kind of bounty is this?

What kind of mission achievements?

At this moment, everything else was forgotten, and everyone had only one thought in their minds—escape, escape from this man-eating ghost forest!

Qi Ji stood in the center of the halo, calmly watching the crowd scatter and flee.

He was never the type to repay evil with kindness. These people came with the intention of capturing him, and they had already drawn their swords and arrows, so there was no point in showing any mercy.

Moreover, it would be a good opportunity to use this group of people to test the evolved [All Trees Pay Homage] skill and see just how far it has come.

Qi Ji's mind stirred slightly, and he immediately activated the power within his body with all his might.

A golden-green halo suddenly spread out from him, and he clearly perceived the boundary connecting him to the vegetation.

Radius is 100 meters.

The impact range is several times larger than during the previous incomplete evolution.

This woodland, spanning a hundred meters in radius, was now like a living demon's domain, with the wild grass under his feet, the vines beside him, and the tree roots underground all serving as his weapons.

The crowd surged outwards like madmen, but every step was incredibly difficult.

The wild grass underfoot kept growing taller and wrapped around my ankles.

Tree roots broke through the soil, tangling and tripping over the legs.

The horizontal branches swept across like arms, blocking the way.

The woods were filled with screams, wails, and curses; it was complete chaos.

One of the Money Gang members tripped over a thick vine and fell heavily to the ground, his legs instantly becoming tightly entangled in the vine.

He screamed for help, but his companions didn't even dare to turn their heads, only focusing on running wildly.

Because stopping means you could lose your life.

Some people even got their arms entangled in vines while running away. Unable to break free, they gritted their teeth, drew their knives, and chopped off their own arms. Clutching their wounds, they staggered outwards, hoping for a sliver of hope.

Wei Han, the leader of Hong Guo's operation, was only concerned with his own escape and had no regard for the lives of his men. Even with his considerable martial arts skills, he could hardly move quickly amidst the ubiquitous vegetation.

After a short while, the commotion in the woods gradually subsided.

The ground was a mess, and corpses littered the fields.

Of the team of over three hundred people, only about twenty successfully broke through the 100-meter barrier.

"Tap...tap...tap..."

Qi Ji walked slowly forward, stepping over broken branches and bloodstains.

There was only one survivor left in the woods.

Wei Han's limbs and torso were tightly bound by several thick tree roots. The powerful binding force made his ribs crack and he had difficulty breathing.

Seeing Bai Lu approach him, his eyes first filled with fear, then he forced a hint of ruthlessness and spoke haltingly, pleading and threatening at the same time: "Bai Lu, you...you let...let me go...I am a border guard captain of Hong Kingdom...If you kill me, the Hong Kingdom army will not let you go...If you let me go, I will never come to capture you again..."

Wei Han wasn't sure if the white deer in front of him could understand him. He only hoped that the information about the auspicious white deer being spiritually intelligent and benevolent was true.

Qi Ji looked at him quietly, her deer-like eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

He will do good to kind people, but only because he wants to gain legendary spiritual points.

When faced with humans who willingly raise their swords and arrows and treat him as prey, his guiding principle has always been an eye for an eye.

Without saying anything more, Qi Ji walked up to Wei Han and raised his front hoof.

"No, Bai Lu, what are you going to do?"

Wei Han stared wide-eyed in terror and struggled desperately.

Without hesitation, Qi Ji stomped down heavily with his deer hoof.

A crisp, muffled sound brought all other sounds to an abrupt halt.

"People from Hongguo, huh? I've never even heard of Hongguo, and you think you can get rid of me? Dream on."

After dealing with the last person, Qi Ji activated the power of [All Trees Pay Homage to the Ancestor].

The roots of the surrounding trees burst forth from the soil, like countless silent hands, dragging all the corpses on the ground and slowly sinking them into the depths of the earth.

All this flesh and blood will eventually decompose and turn into nutrients, nourishing every plant and tree in this mountain forest.