The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

Arrows flew like shuttles through the forest, their whistling sounds echoing continuously, yet they couldn't even touch a single hair on Qi Ji's snow-white body.

Chi Lan gripped the gleaming scythe, his brows furrowed in a deep frown.

This white deer seemed to blend into the forest; its body didn't sway at all when its hooves touched the branches, and it moved more swiftly and elusively than the most agile monkey.

They've been chasing and intercepting them for so long.

The arrows couldn't be controlled, and they couldn't withstand close-range attacks.

If this drags on, we'll lose more than half of our forces before we can even trap the enemy.

"The archers continue to exert maximum pressure."

Chi Lan gave a deep, stern order, her tone ruthless: "Everyone else, cut down all these trees around here. I want to see where it can escape to without these trees to use as footholds."

As soon as the order was given, the people of the Red Kingdom immediately responded and moved. The swordsmen surrounding them drew their weapons and turned to chop at the large tree next to them.

For a moment, the dull thuds of axes and chisels hitting wood echoed one after another, and wood chips and fallen leaves flew everywhere.

Chi Lan personally took action, his large scythe whistling through the air as he fiercely slashed at the giant tree where Qi Ji was standing.

The sharp blade pierced a full meter into the tree trunk. With a crisp "crack," the trunk, as thick as three people could hug, snapped in two, and the massive canopy tilted to one side with a deafening roar.

Just as the tree trunk tilted, a white figure darted out like an arrow and landed lightly on a horizontal branch of another large tree beside it.

Qi Ji stood on a branch, looking down at the crowd below who were chopping down trees with knives, his brows furrowed slightly.

"These guys are pretty smart..."

Meanwhile, Murong Jing took in the whole scene and immediately said coldly, "Let's do it too, cut down the trees."

The people from Changfeng Escort Agency around him were slightly taken aback, but then obeyed the order and moved out.

Murong Jing stared at the snow-white figure among the trees, his gaze flickering. He had observed carefully earlier that the movement of the auspicious white deer was very different from the light-footed skills of humans.

It's not simply about using the trees to maneuver; it moves between the branches as if they were extensions of its own body.

He couldn't figure out what kind of secret technique this was, but he knew very well that as long as this forest remained, it would be extremely difficult for them to catch this white deer.

Qi Ji, who was standing among the trees, was also thinking rapidly.

His "All Trees Pay Homage" can only be manipulated by plants that still have vitality. If the trees are cut down, their vitality will be cut off, and they will not be under his control. If he allows these people to cut down all the surrounding trees, let alone use the trees to maneuver, even if he uses "All Trees Pay Homage", its power will be greatly reduced.

"We can't wait any longer; we must strike first. Come on, since you're going to cut down the trees, then experience the trees' wrath for yourselves!"

The moment the thought settled, Qi Ji's eyes narrowed slightly, and the patterns on the deer antlers seemed to come alive, their golden-green light flashing in an instant.

The power of "All Trees Pay Homage" is activated!

In an instant, the entire surrounding woodland suddenly "came to life".

The once still tree suddenly shook its branches, and countless thick and thin branches, like awakened whips, lashed down from all directions with a whistling sound.

Above ground, weeds grew like ropes, and sharp thorns broke through the soil, piercing straight at people's ankles.

The unexpected happened suddenly, catching everyone off guard.

Just as Chi Lan raised his sickle, about to chop down the trunk of the second tree, a sudden gust of wind arose overhead, and several branches as thick as an arm swept down like heavy hammers. The branches were forked and covered with leaves, covering a very wide area, leaving no place to hide.

She only had time to hold the sickle horizontally in front of her before she was struck hard by a tremendous force. She was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into a tree trunk behind her. A sweet taste rose in her throat, followed by a metallic taste.

"Ugh, what kind of evil magic is this?!"

Chi Lan looked up in shock and anger, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Not only him, but everyone else panicked.

Some people had their wrists and ankles tangled in tree branches, causing their weapons to fly out of their hands.

Some people were pierced in the shoulder and back by sharp branches and fell to the ground screaming.

Some people tripped over tree roots that broke through the soil, and were soon wrapped up tightly by the wildly growing vines.

The previously orderly tree-cutting action came to an abrupt halt, and cries of agony filled the forest. In the blink of an eye, many people were seriously injured and collapsed to the ground, and several even died instantly.

Murong Jing's side was not spared either.

He reacted extremely quickly, twirling his longsword in a flourish, and with a few crisp clangs, he severed all the branches that were wrapping around him.

Before he could even land and steady himself, the ground beneath his feet suddenly cracked open, and a thick tree root shot out, precisely wrapping around his ankle and pulling him upside down in mid-air.

"presumptuous!"

Murong Jing let out a cold shout, flipped his wrist, and thrust his long sword downwards, precisely severing the tree root. He then used the momentum to flip in mid-air, lightly touching the tree trunk with his toes to stabilize himself.

When he looked up again, his previous composure was gone, replaced by solemnity and shock.

Looking at the shocking scene before him, where every bush and tree seemed to be an enemy and everything could be used as a weapon, a piece of information that he hadn't paid much attention to before immediately flashed through his mind—it was a message brought back by the survivors of the failed attempt to capture the white deer in Blackrock Town, saying that the auspicious beast white deer could control plants and trees to defend against enemies.

He had previously thought these people were exaggerating their failures, but now that he had seen it with his own eyes, he realized it was true.

Thinking of this, Murong Jing's possessiveness intensified.

"A mythical beast that can control plants and trees, if only it could be brought to my service..."

Without further hesitation, Murong Jing lightly touched the tree trunk with his toes, channeling all his inner strength, and shot towards Qi Ji like lightning, his long sword pointing directly at his opponent, intending to interrupt this strange spell.

But just as he rushed halfway, a dozen or so tree branches around him simultaneously closed in, wrapping around him like steel cables, instantly binding his limbs tightly and leaving him suspended in mid-air.

Qi Ji looked down at him without hesitation. He pushed off the tree trunk with all four limbs, and the deer charged straight at Murong Jing with tremendous force.

"!"

Murong Jing's pupils contracted sharply, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

He was bound by tree branches and unable to move, unable to dodge or muster any internal energy to defend himself. He could only watch helplessly as the pair of golden-green antlers grew larger and larger in his field of vision.

"Young master, be careful!"

A sharp cry suddenly rang out.

One of the men from the Changfeng Escort Agency rushed out from the side with all his might and bravely stood in front of Murong Jing.

"Puff—"

A dull thud resounded, and before the guard could even scream, his ribs were shattered by the force of the impact, and he died on the spot.

Murong Jing managed to break two branches during the opening, but the remaining impact still slammed into him, sending him flying and crashing heavily into the trunk of a large tree. He felt a burning sensation in his throat and immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

Before he could slide off the tree trunk, his waist tightened again.

Another tree root broke through the soil and wrapped around his waist.

Before he could react, the tree root exerted force, flinging him into the air before slamming him hard to the ground.

"Bang!"

Dust flew everywhere.

Murong Jing felt as if all his bones were falling apart and his internal organs were churning, but he had no time to hesitate. He gritted his teeth and desperately rolled to the side.

"Boom!"

A snow-white, hard deer hoof followed closely behind, stomping heavily down and cracking the ground where he had just landed, sending pebbles flying everywhere.

Murong Jing stared at the cracked ground before him, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat.

He was so close! If he had hesitated for even a second, he would be a pile of minced meat by now.

Before Murong Jing could catch his breath, Qi Ji kicked off with lightning speed from behind.

With a muffled thud, Murong Jing was sent flying backward once again.

Several people from the Changfeng Escort Agency rushed forward to catch him, but they were all knocked down by the immense force. They rolled around in a heap, each suffering a significant shock.

Murong Jing struggled to his feet, supporting himself with his sword. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his chest heaved violently. He looked down at his chest and saw that the soft armor beneath his clothes had been torn into several pieces and was showing through his collar.

This was a piece of strange iron armor that the royal family had specially found for him before he left the capital of Yunyan Kingdom for training. Ordinary swords and blades could not even scratch it, but now it was smashed to pieces by a single hoof of this white deer.

But it was fortunate that the soft armor absorbed most of the force, otherwise his internal organs would probably have been shattered by now.

"Outrageous! This is outrageous!"

Having lived for twenty years, as the dignified seventh young master of Yunyan Kingdom, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?

Murong Jing raised his head, and the look in his eyes towards Qi Ji no longer held any covetous greed, only bone-chilling anger and murderous intent.

Just then, a dense chorus of footsteps and voices suddenly came from all around the forest.

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw teams arriving from all directions.

These people were dressed in various styles, some as martial arts practitioners, and many others as members of mountain strongholds in the surrounding mountains. They numbered more than three hundred in total.

Including the original members of the Red Kingdom, the Changfeng Escort Agency, and other groups, there were a total of seven hundred people present.

The group of people who had just arrived were stunned and speechless when they stepped into the forest and saw the bizarre scene of wildly growing vegetation and wildly dancing branches that kept whipping and entangled at them.

Thankfully it was broad daylight; if it had happened in the dead of night, anyone with a weak heart would have been terrified.

"That's a white deer, an auspicious beast? It can actually control trees!"

Someone shouted first, breaking the silence.

"This beast is too powerful; one family or faction alone cannot defeat him!"

Someone shouted, "Everyone, we're all here for it! Why don't we work together to severely injure the auspicious white deer first, and then decide who gets it based on our own abilities!"

Upon hearing this, the people around looked at each other in bewilderment, and then nodded in agreement.

The logic is as simple as it gets – if you can't even catch the deer, then fighting for ownership is just empty talk.