Chapter 329

Chapter 329: The Witch Path Legacy, the Spirit Root Acknowledges Its Master

Ye Xu turned his head and took a deep breath.

The Formless Demon Lord sneered coldly, thinking that since the other knew fear, it proved he still commanded some degree of authority.

Boom!

The battle erupted without warning.

Domains of the Great Dao unfurled one after another; divine abilities dazzled with bewildering variety. Magical treasures clashed in an onslaught that could shake heaven and earth and move even gods to tears.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of immortals perished.

Men die for wealth, as birds perish for food. Even upon attaining immortality, escaping this law remained nearly impossible.

Qi Yuanchu gazed at the Ancient Tree, his eyes flickering thoughtfully.

Upon the Ancient Tree, peculiar totemic patterns formed strange textures. These patterns appeared like some marvelous visualization method, bearing a striking resemblance to Witch Path cultivation techniques.

Qi Yuanchu rubbed his eyes and looked again. The totemic textures began to spontaneously evolve in his mind’s eye—he had unconsciously begun visualizing the Ancient Tree itself.

"It truly is a Witch Path technique." Qi Yuanchu’s mind trembled with shock.

Imprinted upon the Ancient Tree was an entire Witch Path technique! This discovery utterly astounded him.

It had to be known that the Everlasting City of Desolation possessed ancient origins, existing since the very creation of the heavens. And the Ancient Tree belonged eternally to the city, never once descending into all realms.

If the Ancient Tree bore markings of the Witch Path, did this not prove that the origin of the Witch Path might not lie with the Witch Ancestor at all, but could instead be a legacy inherited from the Everlasting City of Desolation?

Qi Yuanchu’s mind went blank.

If this were true, the established history of the Witch Path would be overturned.

"No…" Qi Yuanchu shook his head. Overturning the belief that the Witch Path originated solely from the Witch Ancestor wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. If he could prove its lineage stemmed from the Everlasting City of Desolation, he could refine his own theories accordingly.

"Hongxiu, stay here. I need a closer look." Qi Yuanchu instructed before transforming into a stream of light, speeding towards the Ancient Tree.

His power was immense. When the Great Dao divine abilities unleashed by Immortal Kings and true immortals struck him, it felt like mere tickling, inflicting not even a trace of harm.

Qi Yuanchu swept through domain after domain of the Great Dao, charging forward like splitting bamboo, unstoppable.

"An Immortal Venerable has entered the fray! It’s that Witch Path expert!"

The faces of Bai Muyue, Zhong Ling, and Han Ziyu paled slightly. Their strength was negligible before a Witch Venerable.

"He seems uninterested in the Everlasting Spring," Yu Ziyi noted, a hint of relief flashing in her eyes.

Qi Yuanchu headed straight for the Ancient Tree.

"Damn that Qi Yuanchu! He ruins everything!" The Formless Demon Lord’s face twisted with rage. With an Immortal Venerable descending into the battle, he couldn’t afford to stay idle—if he delayed, there might be nothing left to seize.

Whoosh!

The Formless Demon Lord activated the Formless Celestial Demon Sutra, manifesting a colossal Heavenly Demon Dharma Image. This demon possessed eighteen arms, each pulsating with a distinct, terrifying power.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The eighteen arms of the Heavenly Demon weaved intricate patterns, forming eighteen distinct sealing techniques: Death, Slaughter, Oblivion, Darkness, Termination…

Eighteen divine abilities exploded in a simultaneous barrage, aimed at the multitudes of immortals.

"Get away! Now!" Bai Muyue and the others felt their scalps crawl with terror. The Formless Demon Lord’s indiscriminate attack was clearly meant to purge the battlefield—he intended to leave no scraps of fortune for anyone else.

Su Mu’s eyelid twitched. "He didn’t listen to a single word the Master said."

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Terrifying demonic arts engulfed millions of miles around. True immortals were crushed one by one. Only those at the periphery and Bai Muyue’s group of Immortal Kings narrowly escaped.

Whoosh!

With a mere thought from the Formless Demon Lord, his eighteen-armed heavenly demon Dharma Image opened its maw. It inhaled the essence of the fallen immortals, refining their power. His aura surged violently.

Qi Yuanchu frowned lightly. He turned and unleashed a punch toward Formless Demon Lord.

Void shattered.

The Great Dao vanished.

The force blasted the heavenly demon Dharma Image tens of thousands of miles back.

"Mu Daoting, you wish to fight me?" Qi Yuanchu said coldly.

Formless Demon Lord cackled a mad laugh. "Daoist Friend Qi, I only want the Everlasting Spring. Withdraw, and I won’t target you."

Qi Yuanchu replied lightly, "Take it if you crave it. I’ve no interest in sparring with you."

"Bold move indeed!"

Formless Demon Lord waved a jade gourd. Its stopper lifted, and like rivers flowing to the sea, the Everlasting Spring gathered into the vessel without end.

Meanwhile, Lin Qianmo walked toward the Ancient Tree.

"Master, might she face danger?" Pang Taiyue asked anxiously. With two beings at the end of the Great Dao present, Lin Qianmo—merely an Immortal King—stood precariously close to peril.

Li Ruoyu replied, "The Ancient Tree manifested because of her. Why would she face danger?"

He kept one thought unspoken:

He was right there.

The closer Lin Qianmo drew to the Ancient Tree, the stronger her soul’s resonance grew. Strange visions surfaced in her mind—scenes she’d never witnessed before.

Who am I, truly?

A question bloomed within Lin Qianmo.

Was she Lin Miaochang? Lin Qianmo? Or someone else entirely?

"Hmm?"

Formless Demon Lord noticed Lin Qianmo. Cold fury sparked in his eyes. "How dare she covet my treasure? Fool courting death."

Boom!

Formless Demon Lord thrust a palm downward.

A sky-blotting demonic palm descended.

Aura of the Path of Death saturated the land, poised to subdue Lin Qianmo.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, branches of the Ancient Tree swayed.

One branch lashed like orderly divine chains.

It severed the demonic palm instantly.

Power of the Life Dao surged forth, purging the Path of Death.

Formless Demon Lord gaped in disbelief.

What just happened?

The Ancient Tree voluntarily shielded Lin Qianmo?

"Impossible…" His eyes darted wildly. "Can fate truly twist this sharply?"

Immortal Kings and true immortals gasped in astonishment.

For the Ancient Tree to act—to shatter Formless Demon Lord’s attack? Utterly unprecedented.

"Could some bond exist between her and the Ancient Tree?" Bai Muyue’s gaze sharpened. An ordinary woman intertwined with the mythical tree? Earthshaking news.

"Daoist Friend Lin… How did she achieve this?" Su Mu murmured, voice thick with awe.

So she’s connected to the Ancient Tree. Ye Xu observed silently. Her secret lies within the Everlasting City of Desolation.

Qi Yuanchu remained wholly absorbed in comprehending the Witch Path techniques upon the Ancient Tree. The complete legacy offered more insight than his battle with the Chaotic Demon God ever had. So immersed was he that he noticed neither the tree’s movement nor the clash of energies.

Swoosh!

The Ancient Tree swayed.

Branches unfurled and stretched—not randomly, but deliberately weaving a path. Welcoming home a long-lost soul.

Formless Demon Lord recoiled with primal dread. True fear, sharp and cold, finally surfaced in his eyes.

The Ancient Tree was no ordinary relic like the Ziwei Spirit Root. This was the fully realized Spirit Root of heaven and earth—a peer to the human ancestor’s Jianmu divine tree itself. Its raw might rivaled a Three Yuan Proof supreme being.

Even the boldest demon would never oppose it.

"Time to vanish," he grumbled. With the Everlasting Spring secured, he saw no profit in staying. Crossing Lin Qianmo now meant death.

Formless Demon Lord dissolved into swirling black smoke and fled.

Lin Qianmo stepped onto the branch-laid road. Surging life essence flowed into her, resonating profoundly with the Life Dao deep in her soul.

There, a seal slowly stirred—a locked memory stirring awake. Forgotten scenes flashed rapidly.

As vital energy washed over the seal, awareness dawned within Lin Qianmo’s eyes. She gazed at the Ancient Tree with newfound tenderness.

"So… The Ancient Tree was something I planted."

Its branches coiled gently around her. A soft smile touched her lips as she stroked a vine-like limb and whispered.