The young man's eyes flickered with gold and silver flames. Suddenly, he pressed a hand seal, and with a "pffft," a golden spiritual flame erupted from his body, spinning smoothly before transforming into a magnificent golden robe that fully enveloped his figure. Then, he raised one hand and reached toward the crystal sphere in the air. Instantly, the sphere shot upward with a "whoosh," vanishing into his body as if absorbed by it. "You dare take this treasure—my very life's work in the Immortal Realm, which nearly cost me my life when I first brought it there! Regardless of who you are, I shall pursue you to the farthest corners of the world and erase you from existence entirely! Yet, since you have now been reborn, I shall no longer remain here." The young man lifted his head, murmuring softly—though his words should have been filled with fury, his face remained utterly still, an eerie calm. At that moment, he suddenly rubbed his hands together, and with a flash of golden light, he raised them toward the sky. A golden orb suddenly materialized, initially no larger than a clenched fist, but after a few shimmering pulses, it rapidly expanded. A resonant hum filled the entire chamber! Within just a few breaths, deep beneath the sea, the mysterious palace first emitted several deep thuds, followed by several golden beams shooting out from within and radiating outward in all directions. Then came a continuous series of thunderous roars, as more golden light surged forth from within—so powerful that the entire palace collapsed and disintegrated instantly. The entire region was completely engulfed by this strange golden light. When the light finally subsided, only the young man in the golden robe remained, expressionless, standing on the now-empty site of the former palace. He was gently drawing his arms back, as if he had not moved a single step since the beginning of the event. A moment later, a golden beam surged upward from the nearby sea surface, spiraled once, and then shot off toward a clearly designated direction—directly toward Fengyuan Continent! ...Within the Wood Nation's domain, a graceful white-robed woman with two feet floated elegantly above a towering, emerald giant tree—over ten thousand zhang high—facing off against an elderly man dressed in green robes, exuding dignity. Below her, at a height of several hundred zhang, a stout, unattractive man clad in black armor was half-surrounded by two middle-aged figures with pale complexions. The man with his arms crossed, his eyes flashing with fierce determination, stared intently at the two figures across from him. The two middle-aged figures—the man composed and refined, the woman beautiful and elegant—watched the man with cautious vigilance, clearly intimidated. Yet Wu Dao-you seems rather petty—what could be so important about this modest black spirit flower that he should be so indignant over it?” The white-robed woman replied calmly, unhurried and composed, as if her serene state of mind were unaffected at all by the formidable opponent across from her. “Hmph. You speak with ease. The black spirit flower possesses truly miraculous properties. Even our own black spirit sacred tree yields no more than a hundred blooms every ten thousand years. You have taken nearly half of the remaining blooms in one go—do you truly intend to leave me without an explanation?” The scholar in the green robe frowned, his expression now visibly strained. This elder of the Wood Clan had been deep within a nearby secret sanctuary, diligently practicing meditation. Had it not been for an urgent matter requiring his immediate attention, he would never have noticed that strangers had entered the sacred grounds and harvested the clan’s spirit flowers. Though he was now furious and had dispatched his attendants to block the path, the woman’s profound magical prowess left even him, a being at the peak of cultivation, deeply impressed—thus, he had not yet chosen to confront her directly. “An explanation? What kind of explanation?” The Lady only took half of the Black Spirit Blossoms—she had already shown mercy. Your cultivation is indeed commendable, yet still not enough to match mine. What good would it do to waste more words?" The white-robed woman spoke these words, which stirred fierce indignation in the green-robed elder. "Very well. Very well. Since you have not regarded our Wood Clan at all, I shall test your abilities. Should you truly surpass me, I shall immediately command the entire Wood Clan to refrain from attacking you, allowing you to depart unmolested." The green-robed elder, furious yet smiling, said this. "Should you not be my equal, then the other branches of the Wood Clan will only court certain doom. But would you really like to fight here, right now?" The white-dressed woman glanced at the towering trees below and suddenly smiled gently. This young lady had always been exceptionally graceful and refined; with this smile, it seemed as though flowers were blooming in unison. Even the Wood Clan's senior elder, facing her, could not help but feel a sudden jolt, quickly regaining composure and responding with a serious expression: "Our combat prowess is surely formidable—how could we possibly engage in battle within our sacred sanctuary? Since you have such divine strength, let us journey together with Wu." As soon as she spoke, the elderly man in the green robe suddenly shook his broad sleeve toward the higher reaches of the void, and instantly a column of luminous green light, as thick as a serving bowl, surged forth. The light shimmered softly, and upon a slight flicker, it transformed into a colossal celestial sword, over a hundred zhang in length. With a mere sweep of his sword, it cut through the void. A thunderous roar followed, and where the sword struck, a brilliant flash of white light erupted, spreading out powerful ripples. Instantly, a space rift, stretching for several dozen zhang in length, appeared in mid-air, glowing faintly with a pale yellow, dim radiance. Remarkably, the senior elder had managed to forge a space rift directly Then, with a subtle movement, the elder stepped ahead and vanished into the fissure, as if the dangers within the spatial crack were entirely invisible. Upon seeing this, the young woman in white, her lips slightly curled—half-smiling, with a subtle air of disdain—gently inclined her head and softly instructed the black-armored man below: "Stay here a while. I'll be back shortly!" "Yes, Lord Saint!" Though his face was stern, the man bowed deeply and responded with utmost deference. With a delicate touch of her foot upon the void, the young woman caused a rare pink blossom to bloom beneath her, lifting her gently and drifting into the spatial fissure. Soon, a powerful gust of wind and thunder erupted within the crack, followed by a series of explosive and resonant sounds. Streaks of brilliant light surged forth from the fissure, as though the very heavens had collapsed within it. The two middle-aged members of the Wood Clan exchanged glances, their expressions instantly turning grave. As for the bulky, unattractive man, he scanned the two with a stern expression, showing not a single sign of concern, as though fully confident in the young woman in white. The various booming sounds emanating from the crack did not last long—within the space of a cup of tea, all the light faded, returning to their original dimness, and the interior instantly fell silent. The middle-aged couple raised their heads toward the crack, their expressions now tense. The black-armored man remained composed, merely observing the two across from him, his eyes gleaming with quiet scorn. A moment later, a flash of jade-green light burst from the crack, and a figure emerged—none other than the elderly scholar in a light blue robe. Though outwardly unharmed, the elder of the Wood Clan appeared noticeably paler than before. Upon steadying himself, he turned back to gaze at the crack, and in that gaze, a subtle sense of apprehension began to surface. At that moment, the young woman in white robes, her feet stepping upon rare blossoms, drifted gracefully out from within the crack, her demeanor calm and almost unchanged from when she had first entered. The middle-aged couple from the wooden race, witnessing this, naturally felt their hearts sink. "Master, may I now depart?" the young woman asked the elder, her tone simple and composed as soon as she emerged. "Wood King, Wood Jiao—issue the command. No one from our clan shall dare to interfere with these two. Let them leave our domain on their own terms." The senior elder of the wooden race spoke with a face as still and serious as water, but after a deep breath, he finally issued the order in a cold, firm voice. "Senior Elder, those black spirit flowers have been—!" Hearing this, the male member of the wooden race quickly found himself eager to speak up. "Enough! Do you dare to question my words?" The elder in green robes raised his brows sharply, his expression immediately turning stern and commanding. "Of course! I shall carry out your command immediately!" The man was startled, and quickly bowed in deference. "Hmph. Then just pass the message on," the elder said coldly. This time, the middle-aged man immediately took no further hesitation, flipping his hand once, and a stack of shimmering green scrolls appeared in his grasp. With a few gestures in the air toward the appendix, and a quick flick of his wrist, the scrolls burst forth as a sheet of bright green light, vanishing instantly into the surrounding void. The white-robed woman, witnessing this, gently brushed a strand of her dark green hair aside, smiled faintly, and with a simple gesture, beckoned to the black-armored man below. Without a word, she turned and took flight. The black-armored man, however, raised his head and burst out laughing, then as a wave of dark energy surged over his body, he surged forward with a gust of fierce wind, closely pursuing. Seeing such boldness from a mere Consolidation-stage being—so unyielding before himself—the elder's face grew as cold as frost. Yet he merely watched the woman and the man receding into the distance, his expression calm and unyielding, with no further action. "Mu Jiao, your Qingling Wisdom Eye is truly extraordinary. What have you observed in these two?" the elder in a green robe suddenly asked.