Chapter 15: The Evil Dragon and the Black Crow
"The Origin Divine Tree that seals the Evil Dragon... so the legend is true!" Qi Xiao's eyes were filled with disbelief.
According to legend, deep within the Evil Dragon Forest, there existed an ancient sacred tree known as the World Tree. Within it was sealed an immensely evil dragon, its body brimming with terrifying evil power. Anyone who approached would be instantly consumed by the evil energy and die!
"What's this?"
Xia Feng's sharp eyes caught something unusual. Less than a meter in front of him, there was an almost transparent film in the air.
He looked around, confused. The film extended infinitely in all directions, with no end in sight.
At that moment, the film seemed to be expanding, moving closer to Xia Feng and the others.
"Run! Hurry!" Qi Xiao seemed to recognize the film, his eyes filled with terror. But he was too gravely injured to move, leaving his fate in Xia Feng's hands. "Save me," his eyes pleaded.
Qi Xiao believed he could still survive. He didn't want to die yet.
Xia Feng wasn't foolish enough to rush forward and finish him off. In a flash, he retreated behind Qi Xiao, giving him a thumbs-up and a smile. "You've got this! You're the best!"
Though Xia Feng sensed no danger, he decided to let Qi Xiao test the waters first.
"You—"
Qi Xiao's eyes widened in horror. Before he could react, the film passed through his body. "Ugh—"
His words were cut short. His terrified eyes turned lifeless and empty. He sat against the tree trunk, motionless, facing the falling snow to the north.
"Huh? Why is there no sound?"
Xia Feng, standing behind, couldn't see Qi Xiao's condition. He called out, "Hey, are you still alive? If you're not dead, make a sound."
The film continued to move slowly. Xia Feng followed it step by step, staring suspiciously at Qi Xiao's back. Then, he noticed something strange.
A nearly transparent, blurry ball of light rose from Qi Xiao's head, vaguely resembling a human figure.
"Is this... a soul?" Xia Feng murmured. He'd only seen animations of this during his first-year theoretical studies but had never witnessed it in person.
The transparent figure twisted, its face contorted in agony, arms flailing wildly as it let out silent screams. It reached out to Xia Feng in desperation, but to no avail. The spirit floated higher and higher.
Whoosh—whoosh—
The snow fell heavily, the wind howling.
Countless dark gray mists surged from all directions, enveloping and devouring Qi Xiao's spirit, leaving only a single gray eye filled with despair and fear.
"No!!!"
Xia Feng faintly heard a shrill scream echoing through the sky.
In an instant, the gray mist dissipated, the spirit completely disintegrated, and the soul vanished.
"This gray mist... it's a force so dense it's almost tangible!"
Xia Feng mourned Qi Xiao for half a second, then grew excited. "Well then, I'll respectfully accept your offer!"
He stepped forward, passing through the film. His body froze.
"Huh?"
Xia Feng felt his body grow light. He looked down—his head was now below his crotch. What?
He kicked his legs, swimming through the air as his spirit body accelerated upward.
Soon, he saw vast clouds of gray mist floating in the sky. He sniffed, catching the scent of vanilla ice cream. His eyes lit up with excitement. He spread his arms wide, closed his eyes, and shouted, "Come on! Hit me as hard as you can! I can take it!"
Whoosh—whoosh—
The snow fell, the cold wind blew. Xia Feng squinted one eye. The gray mist in the distance remained motionless, lacking the enthusiasm it had shown Qi Xiao.
Confused, Xia Feng swam toward a small ball of gray mist.
Whoosh—
The small mist ball darted back ten meters.
"Huh?"
Xia Feng was stunned. He turned and flew toward a larger mist cloud in the north.
Whoosh—
The larger mist cloud moved even faster, vanishing in an instant.
"Eh??" Xia Feng took a deep breath. He refused to believe it. He flew toward a massive mist cloud in the east, growling, "Try running now!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
The massive mist cloud split into countless smaller balls, scattering in all directions. In an instant, the sky and earth were empty.
Snowflakes drifted, the north wind howled, and Xia Feng floated alone in the snow, feeling a chill in his heart.
"Fine, fine! That's how you want to play, huh?"
He felt the blatant discrimination.
"No, I don't believe it!" He locked onto a small mist ball, gritted his teeth, and gave chase. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Wherever he went, the mist clouds fled in panic, like fish scattering before a shark.
Frightened and repulsed.
"Alright, very good, great! You win!" Seeing he couldn't catch any, Xia Feng finally gave up.
But when he looked down, he was stunned.
Dozens of figures stood scattered across the endless snowfield. They all wore dazed expressions, staring quietly toward the World Tree.
These were likely adventurers or soldiers who had entered years ago, seeking the Evil Dragon's treasure, only to have their souls trapped here.
Xia Feng looked into the distance, spotting dry bones, broken limbs, and ice sculptures half-buried in the snow.
This was the surface scene. Countless souls' bodies lay buried beneath the snow.
Xia Feng returned to his original path, using the method taught in textbooks to return to his physical form. Once his body functions normalized, he relaxed his resistance, and his spirit body soared into the air, flying deeper.
Before he knew it, he'd been flying for over an hour, yet the distance to the World Tree hadn't shortened.
However, he discovered a second film stretching between heaven and earth.
Xia Feng looked up at the dark sky. The snow still fell, the blood moon casting a cold, bloody light over the earth.
Boom! Boom!
The pale golden light in his heart beat faster, roaring like thunder. The Demon Heart's primal power, rooted in his spirit body, seemed to sense something, growing excited, cheering, and fueling his inner desires.
It was as if it was telling him what he sought was ahead!
"Evil Dragon, is it just ahead?"
Xia Feng took a deep breath and stepped through the second film.
"Huh? Huh!!!" His mind spun, the scenery around him flashing past like lightning. The wind howled in his ears, a terrifying suction pulling him toward the World Tree!
Shocked, he quickly adjusted, looking down. His pupils contracted.
Below, a dense sea of human skeletons knelt, swords over their shoulders. They had horns on their foreheads and bony tails hanging from their backs. A black mass, they knelt toward the World Tree, as if paying homage to the King of Heaven and Earth, the God of the World!
As he flew forward, the skeletons covered the entire snowfield. Hundreds of thousands! Millions! Tens of millions! A sea of skeletons, both spectacular and terrifying.
Xia Feng's scalp tingled.
But he had no time to think. His speed doubled under the strange suction. The surroundings distorted into a blurry fluid. His body felt bathed in an invisible force. Though he didn't need to breathe, he felt suffocated.
Soon, he saw massive clouds of gray mist, towering like mountains, enough to blot out the sky.
The mist clouds stirred excitedly at his approach, as if fresh prey had arrived after years of waiting. But the next moment, they seemed to notice something, wilting and fleeing in all directions, terrified of being destroyed.
The mist cleared, and Xia Feng's path was smooth. Soon, he saw the gray halo surrounding the World Tree growing larger in his vision. Whoosh—
He passed through the third film!
The world spun. He lost his strength—bang, bang, bang! He fell from the air, his head throbbing.
"Ouch!" Xia Feng clutched his forehead, struggling to stand. "Damn, why does it still hurt so much in spirit form?"
Looking up, the crowns of the giant trees stretched endlessly.
"Strange, why did the evil energy suddenly disappear?"
He reached out, grabbing at the air. The concentration of evil energy around him had dropped to near zero, a stark contrast to the dense mist outside.
Looking around, he found himself in a field of pansies.
Ahead, a jade-white path paved with bones stretched forward, pansies blooming on either side, leading to an unknown end.
Xia Feng walked along the bone path for a long time.
Finally, he seemed to reach the end. He took a deep breath, pushing aside the flowers. The sight before him made him freeze, his head slowly tilting up.
In the center of the massive, endless tree trunk was a pale, skeletal dragon. Its cervical vertebrae, made of hundreds of bones, held its majestic head high even in sleep. Its bone claws rested on the ground, surrounded by eternal green flames.
And beneath the skeletal dragon, on a black-gold throne, sat a gray-haired woman with her eyes closed.
She wore a light gray tulle dress dotted with misty light, exuding a quiet, mysterious aura, like a proud goddess living alone in the Moon Palace.
But her head was slightly lowered, her eyes closed, as if she had fallen into an eternal slumber.
"Could she be the Evil Dragon?" Xia Feng took a deep breath, approaching cautiously.
The woman didn't react. There were no barriers around her.
As he drew closer, Xia Feng could see her face clearly.
Her soft, cloud-gray hair cascaded over her shoulders and neck. A dark golden cross mark adorned her forehead. The left side of her face bore enchanting, crystal-white dragon scales extending to the corner of her eye, while the right side was pure and sacred, untouched by dust.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Xia Feng's face changed. He clutched his chest, his black pupils widening in shock. His heart raced wildly, as if dancing with excitement.
It was the thrill of seeing the most delicious food, the urge to indulge immediately.
"Gulp—" Xia Feng stared at the woman less than ten meters away. The evil energy radiating from her was beyond rich—it was intoxicating.
She seemed like a humanoid entity condensed entirely from a sea of Evil Spirit Liquid. The temptation was overwhelming, driving Xia Feng to the brink of madness.
Slap!
He slapped himself hard on the cheek, forcing himself to take two steps back, gasping for breath.
After a moment, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Ten meters seemed to be the limit.
Within ten meters, the Evil Dragon's overwhelming evil energy would trigger his insatiable appetite.
Xia Feng exhaled, staring at the woman on the throne with suspicion and seriousness. "Ahem, um, Miss Evil Dragon, hello? Are you awake? If you are, could you say something?"
The woman remained silent.
"Hello? Miss Evil Dragon, can you hear me?" Xia Feng shouted.
Still no response.
"Miss Evil Dragon, I need to absorb a bit of your evil energy. Are you willing?"
"If you don't say anything, I'll take it as consent~"
Silence.
"Alright, thank you for your generosity! I'll repay this favor in the future!" Xia Feng clasped his hands and bowed.
Rustle—
The sound of leaves shaking startled Xia Feng. Guiltily, he retreated dozens of meters, taking a defensive stance.
"Who's there?!"
No response.
He looked around, spotting a crow perched on a high branch.
The crow was no larger than three palms, its body pitch black. Its eyes were slightly closed, its claws resting quietly on the branch.
Xia Feng's brow twitched. He doubted this crow was an ordinary animal.
"Hey, Miss Evil Dragon is asleep. You're awake, right?" Xia Feng called out.
The crow slowly opened its eyes, its dark, star-like pupils gazing down at him coldly.
It opened its beak, speaking in a cold, indifferent tone:
"Human, did you see the bone path you came from? That was the fate of all intruders over tens of thousands of years. If you value your life, do not enter her force field. Leave the way you came."
Xia Feng blinked, then said seriously, "So, if I still want to go in, you won't stop me?"
Seeing the human ignore his warning, the crow glanced at him calmly, then closed its eyes, returning to sleep.
"Great! Since they won't stop me, there's nothing more to say. Let's go!"
Xia Feng took a deep breath and stepped forward!
"Ugh—"
His face flushed instantly. His heart raced like it was on a highway, his ears buzzing with blood and tinnitus. His breathing grew rapid. "Gulp!"
His black eyes fixed on the gray-haired woman on the throne, Xia Feng struggled to restrain his desire, slowly approaching her step by step.
When he reached the base of the throne, he barely adapted to the overwhelming desire, his eyes regaining some calm.
That was when he noticed the pale, silver-armored dragon tail resting beside the woman's bare, snow-white feet.
Xia Feng shifted his gaze from her tail and feet, looking up. At this close distance, he could fully appreciate the Evil Dragon's alluring figure, like a delicacy made from a sea of Evil Spirit Liquid. Just one taste would be exhilarating!
Xia Feng's thoughts ran wild as he climbed the stairs.
Finally, he reached the throne, standing before the Evil Dragon.
Rustle!
The crow, about to return to sleep, suddenly opened its eyes again, its dark gaze filled with unusual surprise.
(End of Chapter)