All the initial rage and fury seemed to be merely a brilliant cover for a feigned maneuver.
A cold, arrogant smile touched Yue Jun's lips. The Heart of the Divine Wood had to be his, and thus, he had to bid farewell to this White Divine Maiden.
The sharp spearhead silently yet incredibly swiftly tore through the oppressive space, about to touch Bai Shengyi's back. Suddenly, Bai Shengyi flipped in mid-air.
A sword was drawn, steadying the swift spear.
Brushstrokes painted, countless emerald lines flickered in the air.
The maiden in white suddenly curved her lips and gave Yue Jun a slight smile.
A bad premonition instantly gripped Yue Jun. He rapidly retreated, but it was too late.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three consecutive explosions resounded through the cave within the ore vein.
"What's happening?" Wú Qún exclaimed in panic, overwhelmed by the deafening roars.
Han Bei knitted his brows and said gravely, "Something has happened in the cave. We must leave here quickly."
He hadn't forgotten Bai Shengyi's instructions. However, due to the great commotion in the cave, some spirit beasts had been attracted, preventing him and Wú Qún from leaving the vicinity of the cave until now.
Wú Qún shook his head, "No, I have to wait for Ayue. It's rare for our West Divine Temple to have a chance for the Divine Maiden to survive this time, I..."
Before he could finish speaking, a massive pillar of emerald light suddenly shot up from the ground of the cave.
A vibrant, flourishing green.
Even the most magnificent gems in the world could not describe a tenth of this green. It soared upwards, dazzlingly bright, as if attempting to connect heaven and earth.
"Bai, you stop for me!"
Before Han Bei and Wú Qún could recover from such a tumultuous scene, they heard a crisp, clear boy's voice, utterly unfamiliar.
"Is there someone else in the cave?" Wú Qún asked numbly.
Han Bei frowned tightly, "That's not important. We need to leave this place quickly. Something has clearly happened in the Forest of Ten Thousand Woods, it's different from previous years."
Wú Qún felt Han Bei was right, "But I still want to wait for Ayue. Han Bei, you go ahead."
Han Bei cast a deep glance at Wú Qún but didn't persuade him further. He left silently.
Within his wide white sleeves, a small Divine Wood Stone glowed faintly in his hand.
Yue Jun had no idea what Bai Shengyi had done. Seeing her wave her brush in the air, the entire cave had exploded into pieces. He himself had been thrown onto a ground dragon by a powerful force. Coincidentally, the ice on the ground dragon had melted and was now attacking him.
Yue Jun had to evade the ground dragon again before pursuing Bai Shengyi.
At this moment, rage was surging within Yue Jun. He no longer cared about hiding his identity. Consequently, he didn't see Wú Qún's stunned gaze the moment he leaped out of the cave.
"Bai!" Yue Jun spoke again, suddenly realizing he didn't even know the White Divine Maiden's name!
Damn it!
His face was flushed, entirely from anger.
"Tell me, who exactly are you?"
He thought Bai Shengyi wouldn't turn back and would leave immediately. After all, his actions had already revealed his killing intent. If Bai Shengyi were smart, she should focus on the competition at this point.
Yet, Bai Shengyi suddenly stopped.
She slightly lifted her chin, turned her head, her profile against the dazzling morning light of the Forest of Ten Thousand Woods, her gaze rebellious and unrestrained.
"It's dawn."
Yue Jun didn't understand her meaning.
Bai Shengyi spun the Samsara Brush, her pupils suddenly shifting to one pure white and one light blue. The faint morning light gradually brightened, and no one noticed the change in her eyes.
In Bai Shengyi's eyes, this world revealed its original form, countless outlines emerging, some deep, some shallow, some dark, some bright.
Bai Shengyi had always pondered: if time has rules, and space has rules, then shouldn't all things in heaven and earth also have their own rules?
The sun rising in the east and setting in the west is a rule, the flourishing of plants in spring and their decay in autumn is a rule, the condensation of rain and clouds is a rule... Rules carry the three thousand Great Daos, pervading the growth of all things, ubiquitous. And in this folded space, the rules had a loophole, thus giving birth to the ground dragons of the Spirit Light realm.
She didn't understand formations, nor talismans, but she could see that where the sun rose, the top of the huge emerald pillar had a gaping void. Clouds drifted by, attempting to fill that void.
Bai Shengyi raised her brush and slowly lowered it.
"Wind."
A gentle breeze blew, pushing the clouds far away, leaving the gap exposed.
The tip of the brush continued to wave in the air, showing no signs of stopping.
Yue Jun didn't understand what Bai Shengyi was doing, but the Divine Wood Stone mine in the cave had disappeared due to the previous fight. He hadn't obtained the Divine Wood Stone, nor had he killed Bai Shengyi, so he once again drew his saber and charged towards Bai Shengyi.
"Arrows," Bai Shengyi said softly, as if she hadn't seen Yue Jun's movement at all.
This was her first time using the Art of True Speech to conjure weapons, but not her first time using archery. Bai Shengyi placed her hands on the smooth, jade-like great bow, nocked an arrow, aimed at the void in the sky, and suddenly let go.
"Swish—"
A sound so light it was almost imperceptible, but as the arrow flew, more and more spiritual energy gathered around it, and increasingly powerful and fierce attacking force converged at the arrow's location!
Yue Jun thought his saber strike would surely hit Bai Shengyi, but the blade was easily blocked by a green brush.
"How is this possible!" Yue Jun's heart was greatly shaken, his composure disturbed.
He cultivated the way of the saber, practicing the foremost saber technique of Yingwuzhou, the Hegemon's Ultimate Saber, which emphasized an unstoppable, expansive momentum. Yet, he had been thwarted by Bai Shengyi time and time again, which made his saber intent less bright than before.
The Samsara Brush's resistance to Yue Jun's attack was not as effortless as it appeared.
"Shengyi, the brush needs to rest. The rest is up to you," the Samsara Brush said quickly. "By the way, remember to find Little Vine Leaf first when you get out."
As the voice faded, the Samsara Brush fell into slumber, its emerald shaft instantly losing its support and unable to float in mid-air.
Bai Shengyi caught the brush and raised her gaze. When she looked at Yue Jun, her killing intent was already surging.
"Heavenly Sever!"
An ancient, rust-stained long sword was suddenly unsheathed, drawing a cold glint, pointing directly at Yue Jun's heart.
Yue Jun immediately raised his hand to block. He felt his movements were already very fast, but the sword was even faster than his actions. In less than the blink of an eye, it was upon him.
He instinctively raised his saber, only to feel the cold blade pierce his skin.
"Pfft!"
The sword narrowly grazed his arm.
But before Yue Jun could breathe a sigh of relief, the clear sky let out a "rumbling" sound, and the entire Forest of Ten Thousand Woods shook violently.
The massive emerald pillar seemed to gain sentience, rapidly compressing and shrinking, transforming into a thick, long Divine Wood Stone.
Yue Jun's eyes lit up, and he instinctively reached for it. However, the Divine Wood Stone mine had already vanished from its spot, replaced by the head of a ground dragon emerging from the cave.
The ground dragon swayed, sniffed, detected a familiar scent, and immediately whipped its tail towards Yue Jun.
"Bai!" Yue Jun never expected to be tricked by Bai Shengyi at this moment. He wished he could turn and hack Bai Shengyi to pieces right then.
But he couldn't.
Bai Shengyi said lightly, "Go out alive."
She was also unhappy that she hadn't killed him with one sword.
However, this was not the time to continue fighting Yue Jun.
Bai Shengyi confirmed the Divine Wood Stone was secured and flew towards the exit on her sword.
This place was about to be destroyed.
On the way, she encountered the dazed Wú Qún, flicked her fingers, and gave him a slap. "Run! What are you waiting for?"
In the Pavilion of the Divine Summoning, the chair of the Ming Divine Envoy suddenly shook violently, throwing him to the ground!
This happened so unexpectedly that the three Divine Masters and Divine Envoy Cui didn't react, watching the scene in astonishment.
The North Divine Master had just been speaking to the Ming Divine Envoy, and now he wished time could rewind, and he could have sat quietly without speaking.
Would the Ming Divine Envoy kill him to silence him after witnessing such an awkward scene?
However, the North Divine Master soon had no energy to think about these things.
The Ming Divine Envoy clearly knew something. His expression changed, and he began searching the Pavilion of the Divine Summoning. Before he could finish, someone rushed in.
"Divine Envoy, the two sacrifices imprisoned in the Chongming Pavilion have escaped!"
A divine attendant knelt on the ground in a panic. Another divine attendant ran over quickly, not even bothering with the prohibition against loud noises within the temple.
"Bad news! Divine Envoy, the Wood God is enraged!"
No one cared about the divine attendant who had suddenly disappeared from the temple due to the removal of the prohibition. Panic spread through the Pavilion of the Divine Summoning.
"Ming Divine Envoy, what should we do?" The South Divine Master, who could least hide his thoughts, immediately asked.