The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

The clash of swords shattered amidst the boundless greenery, producing a series of crisp, metallic clangs.

Qi Ji stood in the center, surrounded by trees. The vigorous tree roots, like living snakes, broke through the soil and spread out from his feet. Countless branches stretched out from the ancient trees all around, layer upon layer, forming an impenetrable wooden barrier.

Corpses lay scattered on the ground, their blood soaking the soil and staining the grass roots a dark red.

Many more people who were still alive were tightly bound by the supple grass stems and vines. Some were slowly dragged to the ground, their muffled howls gradually fading away as the soil slid down. Others had their mouths and noses entangled by the dense foliage, kicking their legs in vain, their faces turning bluish-purple until they finally went completely still.

Archers have long become a joke.

Whenever an arrow came flying through the air, the large trees on the side would automatically shift their branches, and their thick bark would steadily block the arrow.

The archer who releases the bowstring will be struck in the chest by a branch that suddenly bursts up from the side, or have his ankle pierced by a tree root that breaks through the ground. He will fall to the ground before he can even scream.

Those martial arts practitioners who relied on their superior skills to try and get close to the enemy were no better off. As soon as they stepped into the woods, three or four branches would strike at them simultaneously with the force of a heavy hammer. If they were not careful, they would suffer broken bones and tendons.

Qi Ji thus stood alone at the pass, and no one could get close to him.

But when his gaze swept over the humans constantly emerging from the forest, his heart still sank slightly.

"One wave after another, it never ends, there are just too many of these people."

The power of "All Trees Pay Homage" is incredibly strong, but each time he manipulates the plants, it continuously depletes his stamina. If this endless war of attrition continues, he will be the first to give out.

The thought had barely formed when a gust of evil wind suddenly swept up from behind Qi Ji.

A burly man wielding a broadsword used the trees for cover to circle around to the rear, leaped several meters into the air, and brought the blade down with a cold glint.

But before the blade was even halfway through the air, a tree branch as thick as a bowl lashed out like a whip, striking the burly man squarely in the side.

"pound"

"Pfft!"

The burly man spat out a mouthful of blood and fell sideways like a kite with a broken string.

Before he could get up, two thick tree roots broke through the soil, tightly wrapped around his hands and feet, and dragged him into the muddy crevices below.

"Aaaaah, let me go, you beast!"

The man struggled violently, cursing, "What kind of weird thing is this?"

He subconsciously looked up and met Qi Ji's faintly glowing eyes. Fear mixed with rage surged to his head, and he almost instinctively roared out two words.

"Demon Deer!"

Before he could finish speaking, the tree roots wrapped around him suddenly tightened, their force increasing several times over. Soil and grass roots surged up, instantly submerging his chest and neck, and finally dragging his head completely into the darkness.

Beneath the soil, the pressure from tree roots and earth surged in from all directions, choking him down so that he couldn't even utter a final curse. His limbs gradually ceased struggling, and his breath died completely.

Qi Ji withdrew his gaze, completely ignoring the insult.

If you want to catch it, call it an auspicious beast.

If you can't beat him, call him the Demon Deer.

Shameless, utterly stupid.

"But I really can't continue with these idiots."

Qi Ji looked around at the crowd that was still trying to break through the enemy lines, and the golden-green light from the deer antlers on his head suddenly shone brighter.

"——"

Qi Ji unleashed the full power of [All Trees Pay Homage to the Ancestor].

On the other side, Chi Lan wielded a large scythe with great force, the sharp blade energy weaving a dense net, slicing off the oncoming tree branches one by one at waist height, sap splattering from the cuts.

Before she could catch her breath, the remaining branches suddenly moved faster and with significantly more force.

"What's going on? Oh no!"

Chi Lan's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly raised her sword to block, but she was a beat too slow. A branch as thick as her forearm slammed into her left shoulder. The force was so great that she staggered and fell to the ground. Several bloody marks were left on her cheeks and neck by the thin branch that had grazed her, and they burned with pain.

She quickly rolled away from the attack range of the tree branches, and knelt down to get up, supporting herself with her sickle. Looking at the trees and vegetation surging around her like a tide, their speed and power clearly on another level, her eyes were filled with surprise.

"These plants... can actually become stronger?"

The situation was already extremely difficult. So many of them joined forces but still couldn't subdue this auspicious white deer. Instead, they lost countless men. If this continued, they feared that everyone would lose their lives here.

Murong Jing's side was in even greater peril.

He was already badly injured, and now he was only able to barely hold on under the attack of the branches thanks to the desperate protection of his personal guards. His robes were already torn in several places, and his face was extremely pale.

On the contrary, the martial arts practitioners who had just arrived were unaware of the dangers and, relying on their numbers, shouted that they wanted to capture the white deer and seize the opportunity, rushing into the wooden formation one after another.

But they died the fastest; the sharp branches transformed into serpentine thorns, darting about like lightning, easily piercing one chest after another.

Some of the splinters were exceptionally long, piercing six or seven people in one go. Blood dripped down the splinters, pattering onto the ground, like a scene from hell.

"A ghost, a monster—"

Some people were so frightened that their legs went weak and they collapsed to the ground. Looking at the wooden spikes with corpses hanging in the air, they were terrified and screamed as they crawled backward.

In an instant, the shouts of battle subsided, and the remaining people stared at the layers of bloodthirsty trees, their faces filled with fear and hesitation. No one dared to step forward rashly.

Just then, the white deer in the arena suddenly pushed off the ground with all four limbs and leaped forward with all its might in a certain direction.

At the same time, the entire forest shook.

Behind Qi Ji, countless tree trunks and branches grew wildly, intertwined, and overlapped, forming a wooden wall several meters thick in just a few seconds, completely blocking his way out.

"?!"

This sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.

Many people were still unaware of what had happened.

But those experienced martial artists quickly came to their senses, and a thought popped into their minds at the same time: Yes, although the ability to manipulate plants is strong, it must be extremely energy-consuming. This auspicious white deer... probably can't hold on any longer, it's trying to escape!

「呸」

Chi Lan spat a mouthful of bloody saliva onto the ground, stood up with his sickle in hand, and sternly ordered the surviving Chi Kingdom subordinates: "Chase it! It's exhausted. These broken trees can only hold it off for a while, not forever. Those with good lightness skills, just jump over them. The rest of you, take a detour and chase after it. We absolutely cannot let it get away."

The layers upon layers of trees were indeed an obstacle, but they were only an obstacle. Those with exceptional lightness skills could leap over them, and while others could not break through the wooden wall directly, they could still take detours from both sides to catch up.

Your Highness

Murong Jing's personal guards stopped him.

"Your Highness, please reconsider. You are already injured, and this white deer is far too ferocious. As a noble prince of Yunyan Kingdom, you are of noble birth. If you continue to pursue it, and something happens to you, I will be willing to die a thousand deaths."

"Get out of here!"

Murong Jing shoved his guard aside, his face ashen, his eyes filled with a furious and obsessive rage. "I've said it before, I'm determined to have this white deer."

As he spoke, he took out a porcelain bottle from his bosom, poured out a few dark red pills, and swallowed them. As the medicinal effects took hold, an abnormal flush appeared on his face, and his aura suddenly became stronger. Without saying a word, he picked up his sword and chased after the direction in which the white deer had left.

The remaining martial arts practitioners in the forest looked at each other in bewilderment.

Some people, seeing the corpses scattered on the ground and recalling the horrific sight of being pierced by wooden spikes, were ultimately terrified and shook their heads, choosing to retreat.

Another group hesitated for a moment, but greed in their eyes eventually overcame their fear, and they gritted their teeth and followed after them.