As the three red orbs in Jiang Mochou’s hand merged, an extraordinary crimson flame burst forth from within.
This flame seemed capable of birthing all things, crackling with explosive energy.
Once the three orbs completely fused, a brand-new orb appeared in Jiang Mochou’s hand.
Its color turned an even deeper blood-red, and within it blazed fierce flames, a fire that seemed to annihilate the world itself.
Jiang Mochou knew this wasn’t the place to fuse with the Battle Physique. Under the cover of night, he left Supreme Primal Sacred Ground.
Deep within a hidden cave in the mountains, Jiang Mochou camouflaged the entrance with tree branches, then took out the crimson orb.
He swallowed it in one gulp. It burned like fiery liquor sliding down his throat, and his face flushed bright red.
He felt a powerful wave of flame surge through his throat into his stomach, his entire body burning with intense heat.
Sweat poured from his skin, only to instantly evaporate, white steam rising from his body.
His skin turned scarlet. Not just his skin, his hair and eyes also became fiery red.
His hair looked like a mass of flames. Even his breath came out as pure white vapor.
Slowly, Jiang Mochou lifted his head. Deep violet flames radiated from his body, annihilating the surrounding space.
Once the Scarlet Flame Imperial Physique was fully fused, Jiang Mochou felt an unprecedented surge of power.
He casually clenched his fists and punched the air. A one-meter-wide black hole ripped open the space in front of him.
Stepping out of the void, Jiang Mochou glanced in the direction of Supreme Primal Sacred Ground.
Now that he had found the third orb, there was no longer any reason to remain there.
“Just wait… Even if you stand like untouchable gods in the sky, proud and invincible, there will come a day when I drag you down from your lofty divine thrones into the dirty mud, and make you taste the bitterness of defeat, as I crush you beneath my feet.”
Jiang Mochou gave one final look, then turned and walked in the opposite direction.
As Xu Zimo entered the vortex, his vision flipped violently. Waves of spatial distortion rippled around him.
Drawn in by the vortex’s suction, the group was transported into the Hidden Realm. After a long period of darkness, their sight finally cleared.
It was a vast forest, with countless trees rooted deep into the earth.
What shocked him most was that every tree trunk was so wide it would take over a dozen people linking arms to encircle one.
Even more bizarre, the tree trunks had faces. Eyes, noses, and mouths grew from the bark.
Ominous crows with cloudy eyes flew overhead, scattering leaves as they passed.
This gloomy forest, filled with trees bearing human faces, was eerie and terrifying.
As Xu Zimo arrived, the faces on the trees began to move.
“How many years has it been… and now someone shows up again.”
Sinister voices echoed from deep within the forest, like whispers or low conversations in the shadows.
Xu Zimo glanced around. He had been separated from the others and now stood alone in this creepy place.
The towering trees leered at him with mocking expressions. Thick, interwoven branches completely blocked out the sky.
These branches waved like claws of demons, writhing overhead.
As they came lashing down toward him, Xu Zimo drew his blade, Shadow Tyrant, and its edge erupted in flames.
He slashed, cutting through the branches, fire roaring along the splintered wood.
With crackling explosions, flames surged midair. Just as the fire was about to engulf the massive trees,
A green light burst from within the trees. Overflowing with life energy, it snuffed out the flames instantly.
The severed branches regenerated and struck again with renewed fury.
Xu Zimo frowned slightly. That green light, filled with life force, stirred something in him.
When the Hidden Realm first opened, he had seen a similar green light shoot into the sky, its life energy exactly the same as this.
Xu Zimo couldn't imagine it. The Spring of Life already ranked tenth among the world’s rarest treasures…
But the vitality here was even more potent than that.
As the branches lashed at him again, Xu Zimo stepped back.
The branches slammed into the ground with a thunderous boom, carving a crack dozens of meters long.
No one would have guessed that such supple-looking branches could wield this much power.
Seeing Xu Zimo retreat, one of the tree-faces twisted in panic and shouted:
“Stop him! The exit to the Hidden Realm is over there!”
The shout triggered a frenzy. Branches whipped through the air, packed with brutal force, and charged toward Xu Zimo.
Upon hearing the exit’s location, Xu Zimo quickly retreated.
He dodged the relentless attacks, letting the branches strike the earth with deafening crashes that tore open more and more cracks.
After several minutes of evasion, he finally spotted another vortex in the distance.
The voice from earlier became even more frantic:
“We haven’t had fresh meat in ages, don’t let him escape!”
Spiritforce surged through Xu Zimo’s body. With one step, he reached the vortex.
As he placed a foot into the swirling energy, the voice shouted in despair: “It’s over, he’s going to get away!”
Just as Xu Zimo’s figure was about to vanish into the vortex, he suddenly turned around, stepped back out, and spiritforce swirled around him.
“You… why did you come back?” the panicked voice asked, stunned.
“Nice performance,” Xu Zimo said with a chuckle.
“What performance?” The voice grew furious, shouting: “Brothers! Catch him! Skin him alive, grind his flesh to dust!”
The branches lashed down again, their force so overwhelming it seemed space itself would shatter.
But this time, Xu Zimo didn’t dodge.
Yet the branches missed, striking nowhere near him.
Dust flew everywhere, and cracks split the ground all around Xu Zimo.
“I didn’t even move, and you still missed,” he laughed. “Did you really miss, or are you just afraid to hit me?”
His words enraged the tree-faces even more.
“Enough with the act,” Xu Zimo said. “From the moment I arrived, you tried to scare me. You even told me how to leave.”
“Putting on a big show… Now I’m curious, what are you, really?”