The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

Deer hooves trod through decaying leaves and damp mud. Qi Ji held his breath and leaped through the dense forest. When he sensed that there were no human pursuers behind him, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew~~~~, thank goodness, the plan went smoothly, it looks like we've shaken them off for now."

Qi Ji's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, temporarily settled down. As his mind relaxed, a wave of soreness and weakness instinctively surged through his limbs, causing him to subconsciously slow down his running speed.

The prolonged use of [All Trees Pay Homage to the Ancestor] was quite taxing, not to mention the final, full-force burst that drained almost half of Qi Ji's stamina. Now, all he wanted was to stop and rest.

But Qi Ji dares not stop at the moment.

Although he had shaken off the humans behind him, he was only temporarily protected by the layers of trees. He was fine for the time being, but if he paused even for a moment, the humans might catch up.

"Luckily, I've evolved now, and my strength far surpasses what it used to be. If it were me before I evolved, even if I fought until I was completely exhausted, I probably wouldn't have been able to escape from the siege of so many humans. Hmph, just wait and see. I'll let it go this time, but next time I'll do a few more physical enhancements to raise my stamina limit. Then I'll keep using [All Trees Pay Homage to the Source], and let's see who dares to mess with me then. I'll impale every single one of you with a tree branch and hang you all in the air."

It's impossible for Qi Ji not to be angry when surrounded and chased by so many people.

After inwardly complaining for a moment, Qi Ji mustered his courage and continued running forward.

Soon after, Qi Jilu's ears twitched, and he noticed a sudden, loud rushing sound coming from his left front. The sound was so powerful that it didn't seem like the normal sound of a river.

Qi Ji's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously turned around and ran towards the sound of water.

After passing through several thickets, the view suddenly opened up.

What comes into view is a waterfall like a white ribbon, with water flowing down from a great height of seventy or eighty meters and more than thirty meters wide. The water crashes into a deep pool, splashing up a cloud of mist.

The waterfall is flanked by nearly vertical cliffs, the rock walls of which are wet and shiny from the water vapor. It is difficult to climb them even with exceptional lightness skills, let alone with bare hands.

"A good place"

Qi Ji's eyes suddenly lit up.

Without the slightest hesitation, he rushed straight toward the cliff face on one side of the waterfall and leaped up with force.

The moment his hooves touched the slippery rock face, the power of [Spirit Foot] was instinctively activated. An invisible suction force steadily supported his body without slipping. Then, Qi Ji soared up the vertical cliff face and reached the top of the waterfall in just a few breaths. His figure quickly disappeared among the trees on the cliff edge.

God helped.

With this natural barrier in place, even if there are pursuers behind them, it will be extremely difficult for them to catch up.

Almost at the same moment Qi Ji leaped onto the cliff top, a figure suddenly rushed out from the forest below.

Chi Lan gripped her large scythe and chased after the white deer relentlessly. Just as she burst out of the forest, she caught a glimpse of the white deer leaping onto the cliff top.

Her eyes widened, and she abruptly stopped in her tracks.

Looking at the sheer cliff face, Chi Lan's chest heaved violently, filled with anger and frustration. Finally, a flash of cold light appeared in her hand, and the heavy sickle slammed into the ground with a loud "clang," causing the surrounding rocks to jump.

"asshole"

Chi Lan gritted her teeth. She didn't have the ability of "Spirit Foot" to walk on any flat surface. Even if she knew light footwork, she couldn't get any leverage on such a slippery rock wall that was almost ninety degrees.

A moment later, the sound of clothes rustling in the wind rang out behind them.

Murong Jing, accompanied by several martial arts masters skilled in light-footed movements, also arrived at the waterfall. He glanced at the empty poolside, his gaze settling on Chi Lan, and asked in a somber tone, "Where is the auspicious beast, the white deer?"

Chi Lan raised her chin impatiently and pointed upwards at the waterfall: "If you're up there, then fly up and chase after me if you dare."

Murong Jing looked up in the direction she pointed, and his brows furrowed instantly as he gazed at the towering, steep cliff face where it was difficult to find even a foothold. He remained silent.

The faces of the martial arts figures behind him also changed, and they cursed under their breath.

The cliff face was high and straight, and slippery from the moisture. Even the best light-footed masters couldn't climb it. Only a mythical beast like the white deer, which could run on a vertical plane, could easily leap over it.

"Damn it, White Deer..."

Murong Jing raised his hand and pressed it against his chest, where the dull pain from Qi Ji's angry kick still lingered. His fingertips tightened slightly, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fist, a strong sense of resentment surging in his heart.

From childhood to adulthood, whatever he wanted, despite the twists and turns, he always managed to get it in the end.

Since arriving in Bilin Kingdom, he had spent a great deal of time and manpower on this auspicious white deer, and had even surrounded it at every turn, but who would have thought that it would still escape in the end.

He stared intently at the top of the cliff, his eyes deep and somber.

"Hoo, White Deer, just you wait. You can escape for a while, but you can't escape forever. I, Murong Jing, will find you again sooner or later, and when that time comes, I will definitely tame you into my mount."

The group stood by the pool, each with their own thoughts, but all knew there was no chance of catching up. With a sigh, they prepared to turn and leave.

Just then—

A wild, arrogant laugh suddenly erupted from above the waterfall, followed by a furious shout: "Die!"

"Boom—!"

A deep, muffled roar traveled down the water and through the rock wall, causing ripples to spread across the surface of the pool.

The people below were startled at the same time and suddenly looked up at the top of the cliff.

"There's someone up there? Judging from the noise, they've run into the auspicious white deer?!"

Chi Lan and Murong Jing's expressions changed simultaneously, and they took a step forward almost at the same time, their eyes fixed on the top of the waterfall.

They desperately wanted to fly up and see what was going on, but the formidable natural barrier in front of them left them helpless.

"Who is that person up there?" someone couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

A person next to him rolled their eyes: "Who would know?"

The third martial artist frowned and pondered for a moment, then suddenly his expression changed slightly, and he exclaimed, "That voice... it sounds like Yan Lie of the Mountain-Splitting Axe!"

Upon hearing this, both Chi Lan and Murong Jing were taken aback.

Yan Lie, the Mountain-Splitting Axe, is one of the ten most notorious villains in the martial arts world; they naturally knew him.

Murong Jing's face darkened, and he cursed Yan Lie's good luck in his heart, that he happened to be blocking the waterfall.

But the martial arts expert who recognized the voice frowned even more and shook his head: "I'm afraid it's not that simple."

Everyone looked at him upon hearing this.

"A few days ago, everyone was searching for this auspicious white deer. I happened to run into Yan Lie and his group and overheard him talking to his men."

The man paused, his tone grave.

"It seems he had no intention of capturing the white deer alive; he was going to kill it."

"What?!"

These words startled everyone present.

The auspicious white deer is a rare and exotic beast with supernatural abilities, making it priceless. Capturing it alive, whether to present it to the imperial court or to keep it as a pet, would be an incredible opportunity. Why would anyone want to kill it?

Seeing the look of disbelief on the faces of the people around him, the man gave a wry smile: "I don't know what he was planning, but that's what I heard at the time. Yan Lie is a madman, and his actions are never reasonable."

Murong Jing's face turned completely ugly.

It's fine if he didn't catch the white deer; there will always be opportunities to find it again in the future. But if the white deer really dies at Yan Lie's hands, then he will have nothing left.

He suddenly looked up at the misty cliff top, his knuckles clenching so tightly they cracked.

No matter how anxious he was, he could not cross the 70 or 80-meter vertical cliff.

Everyone could only stand by the pool, listening to the faint sounds coming from above, anxiously wondering what the scene above the waterfall was like at that moment.