Hui dug through the earth, burrowing deep into its depths. He glanced over his shoulder a few times. That Ding Lao, he isn’t following me, is he?

“Everyone, good work! I’m eagerly awaiting your boulders!” Ding Lao shouted.

Dammit, a little further! Hui dug at the wall with renewed desperation, carving his way through the earth. Argh, no, forget it! I’ll dig all the way back to the roots of the Black Asp Sect’s tree, then escape into our palace! Surely Ding Lao won’t dare to follow me all the way back there!

But… where is it? Underground, I can’t see where I am!

…Ah, whatever! I’ll dig until I’m far enough away from Ding Lao and all those other cultivators, then pop up and take a peek! From there, I should be able to find my way back.

So decided, Hui clawed at the earth again, digging himself in a straight line under the forest. Whenever he hit a root, he dug down and around it, slowly dipping deeper into the earth. On and on, until the shouts of the other cultivators diminished, and even Ding Lao’s voice faded away. Even then, he kept digging. That Ding Lao is too dangerous. It’s like he can sense when I’m not cultivating my body! I’ve got to keep pressing on until I’m far enough away to escape in one fell swoop!

He dug on. Further and further. At last, he dug away a handful of earth, and his knuckles scraped against stone.

Hui’s brows furrowed. Stone? A boulder?

Dammit, I better not have run into a boulder! I don’t want Ding Lao breathing down my neck again with a boulder right in front of me. And I don’t even know how big it is! What if it’s huge?

No, no, Hui, don’t panic. First, let’s assess the situation. Maybe it’s a small boulder. Hui dug on, scraping his hands along the side of the boulder. The more he dug, the more of the boulder he revealed. Broad and gnarled, it stretched in all directions. The surface undulated in and out, almost organic. Its surface was almost as if it was covered in thick vertical strings, stretching from high above to far below. Vertical streaks of brown colored the surface.

Hui’s brows furrowed. He knocked his knuckles against it. “This texture… it’s almost as if it’s wood, a tree stripped of its bark. But it’s stone, it’s definitely stone!”

He pressed a palm against it and sent a pulse of qi into it.

An incredibly ancient will met his qi pulse. Hui felt an incredible gaze fall upon him. Though it was only a glance, an incredible pressure more immense than any he’d ever felt before surged in his direction.

Hui staggered back. His mind shook, and blood oozed out of his lips. His body trembled, on the verge of falling apart. Even apart from the ancient stone, his body continued to crumble, organs shuddering, bones shaking, his blood and qi on the verge of bursting out of him. As he stumbled away, he instinctively shed his skin, backing out of it as he walked. The damage slowed, but he immediately coughed up another mouthful of blood as the backlash of using the skin shed technique to heal for a third time in one day hit him.

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Three skins, two heals! That’s my limit!

Ah, good thing I made the snake skin look like the ghoul skin! I have a fallback disguise!

Carefully, he approached the massive boulder again. This time, he didn’t touch it, but merely stood near it, looking over it. What is this boulder, that it’s so incredibly powerful?

Decisively, Hui turned. With a wave of his hand, he collapsed the tunnel behind him, then sat down in front of the boulder in the lotus pose. I don’t know what it is, but I feel as if great fortune can be found here. I won’t be false to my instincts. They haven’t been wrong yet!

But just in case… After all, that Ding Lao is awfully persistent. He drew out the ghoul skin and quickly wore it again. Disguise complete, he settled in to meditate.

The immense aura radiating from the rock spread around him. It seeped into him, full of thick vitality and a placid strength. He breathed in its qi and breathed out impurities. The ancient aura glowed in his mind, a pillar soaring up to heaven. He stood outside of it, watching it. Green light poured from the earth to the sky. A deep will roared wordlessly. Wordlessly, because it didn’t need words. The will… desired to be immortal! Yet something held it back.

A seal? Some kind of strong sealing force. This… whatever it is, should be immortal, but someone has stopped it. Why? Who?

Does that… have anything to do with why Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sect teamed up with Black Asp Sect to take down Starbound Sect?

Hui pushed deeper, reaching closer to the pillar without touching it. The green light became brighter, glowing brilliantly in his mind. He flew upward, along the pillar’s length. Overhead, the light hit a ceiling and fountained outward, forming a canopy of green light.

Furrowing his brows, Hui pushed closer. Is this the seal? It’s sealing the light…

Wait. This light looks almost… like a tree.

As he soared toward the top of the light, the canopy spread further and further overhead, blocking out the sky around him. Streaks of light became branches, branches stretched into leaves. He hovered close, gazing at the leaves. The shape burned itself into his mind. Hui frowned, then glanced down the side. Could it be…?

The character for wood burned brightly down the side of the tree. His eyes widened. It is! This is that enormous tree!

But… it’s rock?

Hui raised his eyebrows. “Petrified wood! Over the centuries, wood sometimes fossilizes, turning into stone. This massive tree has completely petrified. It’s stone, through and through.”

He opened his eyes. Hui passed his hand over his storage ring and summoned the black dagger into his hand. He circulated his death qi into the dagger. It began to glow with dark light and emanate an aura of death.

“The tree turned into stone. I want to transmute into crystal. This tree holds the clues I need to become crystal!”

But… Ding Lao could bust in on me at any moment. Putting that aside, even if I could immerse myself in seeking enlightenment here, I can’t! I got distracted by body cultivation, but Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sect is preparing to ambush the other sects. While I have the chance, I need to discover all the traps they’re setting, so I can warn Starbound Sect when they arrive!

Then, my only choice… is to take a piece of this petrified tree with me!

Eyes flashing, Hui lifted the black dagger.