Chapter 397: Tree Sea

"Let's first see what's going on nearby."

Yan Buji took three steps as one, leapt onto the highest canopy, and surveyed the surroundings.

This forest was astonishingly vast; the endless green evoked a deep, heartfelt desolation, and also a fear of the unknown.

No one knows how many dangers lurk within; truly, such an expansive forest could be called a Tree Sea.

"I have no idea how this Tree Sea's secret realm formed; such a vast forest I've never seen even in the Nan Ting Mountain Region," Yan Buji said with a puzzled expression, shifting back and forth on the canopy and moving toward a towering giant tree ahead.

During the leap, he felt the Tree Sea's breadth, the boundless heavens and earth, and a wildness sprouting in his heart.

"Woohoo!!!"

Yan Buji, just after shouting excitedly, sensed something was off.

"What's happening?"

Yan Buji landed immediately, sat cross-legged, and examined his own condition.

With wildness growing in his heart, Yan Buji felt a natural, intimate joy in this environment, as if he were meant to exist here.

Like a beast!

At that moment, Yan Buji suddenly noticed his own scales beginning to proliferate involuntarily, increasing rapidly.

He took a deep breath, Yan Buji immediately activated True Essence to resist the change, and after curbing the scale growth, he exhaled in relief.

"Something's wrong; what's affecting me in this Tree Sea?"

Moreover, this influence... seems to erode wisdom, a unique method of reverting to wildness—could this be one of the hidden perils of the secret realm?

When he first entered, Yan Buji hadn't felt such intense excitement; the closer he got to that giant tree, the stronger it became.

Is there something wrong with that giant tree?

Yan Buji didn't jump to conclusions, but he kept moving forward.

Shedding his True Essence protection, the nearer he approached the giant tree, the easier it was to feel excited and cheer, as if reverting to wildness here was the right choice.

But Yan Buji turned back immediately, encountering no danger along the way.

Returning to where he first arrived, Yan Buji instantly lost that excitement.

"It seems indeed that the closer one gets to the giant tree, the easier it is to trigger a creature's wildness,"

Normally, Yan Buji shouldn't attempt this himself; if the induced wildness doesn't fade, it would be extremely dangerous.

Nevertheless, he had no choice; there were too many unknowns in this Tree Sea. Since they had agreed to meet at the towering giant tree, Xue Qing, who knows part of this place, was an indispensable companion for their exploration.

But with this happening, Yan Buji wasn't sure whether it was due to his half-dragon transformation or Xue Qing's ulterior motives.

In short, Yan Buji won't go over easily; he'll first explore the outskirts.

"The wood-type spiritual energy here is so abundant; there should be plenty of spiritual herbs,"

As he thought, Yan Buji encountered many first- and second-tier Spiritual Materials along the way; adhering to a no-waste principle, he collected them all, partially fulfilling his needs.

However, for him, first- and second-tier Spiritual Materials have limited use, serving only as auxiliary ingredients for refining spirit pills.

"Hm?!"

Yan Buji looked puzzled, suddenly sensing a strong will emanating from the Storage Accumulation Device.

Soon, Yan Buji held a stone egg in his hand; the egg was riddled with cracks, and waves of nether qi and spiritual energy intertwined and seeped from the fissures.

"What a peculiar creature,"

It actually hatched?

This stone egg came from earlier when he obtained it together with a long rod that was wide at the top and narrow at the bottom from a cracked stone; after many years it finally hatched.

"Cheep cheep!"

The stone egg shattered, and a black-and-white Little Chicken appeared before Yan Buji, flapping in his palm, pecking the remaining shell with its beak, and after devouring it, it barely opened its eyes.

"Cheep!"

The Little Chicken flew to Yan Buji's head, as if his hair were a nest.

"The little thing looks rather distinctive," Yan Buji grabbed it, examining it closely.

Although Yan Buji was puzzled about which race this... bird belonged to, aside from the color, it was no different from a normal newly-hatched chick.

Moreover, strangely, this creature was innately friendly toward him.

Hmm...

Perhaps staying in the Storage Accumulation Device, which is linked to his own vital spirit, exposed it to many influences; but at a glance, this Little Chicken simultaneously possessed both nether qi and spiritual energy, giving it a black-and-white feathered hue.

"Truly unique."

"Cheep cheep!"

The Little Chicken flapped its wings and chirped a few times.

"Are you hungry?" Yan Buji thought carefully, placed it on the ground, and said, "Find your own food."

"Cheep!"

Watching the Little Chicken flap its wings, it scratched the humus layer on the ground, seized a centipede and swallowed it, prompting Yan Buji to raise an eyebrow.

That centipede... seemed to be a first-tier Poison Insect.

Insects aren't counted among the demonic races, mainly because no matter how strong they are, they don't develop spiritual intelligence, so the tier system is applied.

However, in the Nan Ting Mountain Region, these Poison Insects can be used to forge gu.

"Is it just my illusion?"

Yan Buji squinted, noticing a slight increase of white on the Little Chicken.

Immediately, the Little Chicken cheerfully scratched the ground, continuously devouring Poison Insects in the humus.

Although these Poison Insects posed no real threat to Yan Buji—letting them release toxin was useless—but this Little Chicken, after all, came from a mutated source stone, so it might possess some peculiar ability.

Just the peculiar dual nature of nether qi and spiritual energy made Yan Buji take a second look.

In theory, nether qi shouldn't coexist with spiritual energy within a body.

Then what does it have the right...?

"Could this be a unique precious beast of the Youming Jie?"

Yan Buji suddenly had a strange thought, because among the five realms he had never heard of any cultivator capable of Yin‑Ming Spiritual Qi dual cultivation; that is not the same as Martial and Law Dual Cultivation, as it draws on forces from different domains and is incompatible.

But the Youming Jie is different; it governs reincarnation, so it wouldn't be unusual for some odd things to be born there.

Soon, Little Chicken flapped its wings and ran forward.

Yan Buji followed behind, watching where it was heading.

"Cheep!"

Yan Buji stopped, watching Little Chicken flap its wings to signal him to look to the other side.

"What is it… huh? What a strange sight."

Yan Buji's face showed surprise; within the thick fog ahead seemed a marshland.

In the marsh, countless Poison Insects scurried out from the decayed stumps, then swarmed together, fighting fiercely over the crimson fruit at the very center.

"Fivefold Transformation Devouring Heart Fruit, the best Spiritual Material for cultivating Gu Worms," Yan Buji said in astonishment.

This item is quite precious in the Nan Ting Mountain Region; although Yan Buji knows little of the Gu Refinement Art, he has also studied the related Spiritual Materials.

He discovered that most cultivators who refine Gu exploit the property of toxins that feed on each other to amplify strength, then use peculiar methods together with Spiritual Materials to forge Gu.