At that critical moment, there wasn't a second to spare for Shu Han to ponder. He recited the Golden Light Divine Incantation without hesitation.

The Golden Light Divine Incantation was designed to vanquish evil and dispel misfortune. Under its protective glow, the sinister sapling of the Spiritwood tree halted its growth, granting Shu Han a momentary relief.

However, should the Golden Light Divine Incantation cease, the sapling would inevitably continue its growth, leeching his very essence for sustenance.

Maintaining the Golden Light Divine Incantation consumed vast amounts of spiritual power. He couldn't sustain it indefinitely and needed to devise a solution posthaste.

Dark patterns appeared on Shu Han's right hand, which he then placed upon the sprouting sapling on his chest.

The sapling, upon contact with Shu Han's hand, was scorched by the dark patterns, withering gradually. However, the roots embedded deep within remained unaffected. Unless those roots were excised, the danger persisted.

Breathing heavily, Shu Han descended gently from the skies, alighting upon the ground. He leaned against a towering tree, taking deep breaths to muster his courage.

Suddenly, with a forceful twist of his wrist, he attempted to uproot the sapling from his body entirely.

Injury was now inevitable. However, allowing the sapling to remain anchored would surely bring about a far grimmer fate.

His chest felt as if it was about to burst as the roots, intertwined with his flesh and bone, resisted. Cold sweat drenched Shu Han, his teeth grinding so hard they threatened to shatter.

Unexpectedly, his grip slackened as the sapling seemingly severed its own trunk, refusing to be entirely uprooted by Shu Han.

"Damn it!"

Eyeing his chest, a dreadful thought crossed Shu Han's mind. Would he have to literally rip himself open to extract this malevolent growth? Such an act might not be fatal, but it would undoubtedly bring him to death's door.

Being gravely injured would hamper his escape, and this forest was no sanctuary. If he didn't make haste, that priest would surely return, and then he'd be entirely out of options.

An idea suddenly took root in Shu Han's mind. Since the sapling had embedded itself to feed on his essence, instead of tearing himself open, why not lure the roots out?

With this in mind, Shu Han hastily retrieved a sizable clump of Earth Goddess Celestial Soil from his jade pendant's space.

The moment the Earth Goddess Celestial Soil emerged within the forest, surrounding plants were instinctively drawn to it. Shrubs and trees within a hundred-meter radius around Shu Han began to grow wildly.

Shu Han quickly placed it on his chest, instantly feeling as though a mountain had been pressed against him.

Hisss!

Shu Han sharply inhaled from the pain.

He felt a rhythmic movement in his chest. As expected, lured by the Earth Goddess Celestial Soil, the sapling, sinew and all, crawled out from Shu Han's torso. It carried with it the vast essence of Shu Han and burrowed headfirst into the Celestial Soil.

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Exhaling deeply, Shu Han finally rid himself of the accursed sapling. Though his essence was considerably drained, at least he had avoided tearing himself apart.

With a swift move, he dug into the Celestial Soil, extracting the sapling by its roots.

"Damn thing! Using me as fertilizer! Where's my rabbit? Cabbie, come out and feast on this!"

However, Cabbie was still in deep slumber within the jade pendant.

Frustrated, Shu Han pummeled the sapling's roots a few times. Cooling down, he realized the sapling was merely a plant, devoid of intelligence or consciousness. Venting his anger was fruitless.

Shu Han then examined the sapling, noticing it contained an immense amount of wood-elemental spiritual power.

"So, the Forest Clan's sacred trees are genuine wood-elemental relics!"

A thrill ran through Shu Han. Now, he didn't need to inquire from the ruthless, indiscriminate Forest Clan. If he could find a millennium-aged sacred tree in the Southern Forest, he could obtain a wood-elemental spiritual herb of the same age.

Wei Haolong mentioned that due to the Forest Clan's cultivation, the Southern Forest was dotted with such sacred trees.

Though millennium-aged ones might be scarce, the vastness of the Southern Forest posed another question: how would he find them?

"Wait a moment!"

Was now the time for Shu Han to think about searching for the millennium-aged sacred trees?

The Forest Clan was likely already scouring every corner of the Southern Forest. The crucial issue was avoiding their watchful eyes.

Upon assessing his situation, the loss of a significant amount of his essence put him in a precarious position. If pursued again by that Forest Clan priest, escape would be impossible.

Moreover, with the Forest Clan's intricate root intelligence network beneath the forest, moving undetected within the Forest would be challenging.

"If I can't beat them, I might as well join them!"

Shu Han recalled the physical characteristics of the Forest Clan members. Using the Heaven-Earth Transformation technique, he transformed himself into a Forest Clan member, adorned with leaves and flowers, with vines crowning his head.

Examining himself carefully, he felt his appearance and demeanor matched the tribe members perfectly, which eased his anxieties.

"This way, I should be able to move through the Southern Forest without being hunted."

He scanned the surroundings, contemplating, "The priestess earlier set her avatar ablaze to perform a forbidden technique. Her confident gaze surely meant she assumed I was dead. She'll probably send her tribespeople to retrieve my body soon. I must leave this area swiftly. Even with my Forest Clan disguise, conversing with them could raise suspicions. Best to avoid any contact."

With that, he stored the Earth Goddess Celestial Soil and headed north.

Shu Han moved through the forest, leaping from tree to tree, refraining from flying among the treetops, emulating the behavior he observed from the Forest Clan.

Moving this way was slow. A whole day passed, and he didn't make much distance.

However, without the dense canopy obstructing his view, he could appreciate the diverse ecosystem within the Southern Forest. The forest was inhabited by a myriad of mystical beasts and radiant spiritual herbs and grasses. Were it not for his life-threatening situation, Shu Han would have felt utterly mesmerized by the heart of the forest.

Night had fallen, but the forest's interior wasn't dark. Numerous plants emitted a soft glow, and beneath the tree canopy lay a vast expanse of starry skies.

He reckoned he was now away from immediate danger and decided to rest and recuperate his depleted essence overnight. The next day, he could fly atop the tree canopies to hasten his escape from the forest.

"Just knowing the whereabouts of the wood-elemental spiritual medicine is enough for now. There's always tomorrow. There's no need to rush."

Considering his safety, Shu Han decided first to leave the forest and heal his wounds. After gathering comprehensive information about the Forest Clan, he would return disguised as one of them to search for the millennium-old sacred trees.

He held a spiritual stone in his hand, took a sip of wine brewed from Heavenly Creation Fluid, and meditated on a large branch to recover his essence.

However, Shu Han felt as though someone was watching him, making him uneasy.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes. His Clear Bright Spiritual Eye scanned the surroundings, capturing everything within a thousand yards, yet he found nothing amiss.

"This forest is truly eerie!"

He stood up, feeling uncomfortable from the sensation of being watched, and vanished into the night.

Leaping between trees, Shu Han suddenly saw a cluster of flowers drifting towards him, reminiscent of floating jellyfish.

"Aren't these sacred tree flowers?"

Following the direction from which the flowers came, with the aid of his Clear Bright Spiritual Eye, he spotted a towering sacred tree blooming with luminous white flowers.

The sacred tree, a thousand meters tall, emitted a pure wood-elemental aura.

"A sacred tree! I wonder if this one is over a thousand years old."