"Whoosh!"

In an instant, Li Changge darted into the portal of light at the exit and vanished.

Following closely was Hua Qingyun, whose mastery of formations was quite profound, allowing her to arrive second. After her came Wei Wudao and Ji Qing.

Ah Yin and her senior brother, Hai Teng, Shi Lan, and Wang Xiu, all flew into the portal of light one after another. They had burned their primordial spirits, paying a hefty price, but managed to escape unscathed.

Night Owl initially wanted to lend a hand, but after glancing at Xu Hei and seeing his calm demeanor, he recalled Xu Hei's words and decided to enter the portal, disappearing from sight.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"...

In the distance, several explosions echoed as a purple-haired elder flickered continuously, dodging the attacks of the branches, leaving numerous large pits in his wake.

One branch of the Soul Nourishing Tree was chasing Xu Hei, while another pursued this elder.

Xu Hei was also fleeing for his life. Upon witnessing this scene, he was overjoyed and shouted, "Han, my friend, let's join forces..."

Han Te gritted his teeth, spat out a mouthful of blood, and drew a golden rune in mid-air.

The rune merged into his body, and in an instant, he vanished, flying into the portal and disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Escaped..." Xu Hei's face turned ashen, his heart sinking to the depths.

At this moment, the branch that had lost its target turned and flew toward Xu Hei, attacking from both sides, leaving him with no escape.

…………

Outside the portal.

This was an ancient hall, existing for countless millennia. At its center was a formation point engraved with a Yin-Yang Bagua diagram.

Here, Yin and Yang intertwined, and the Five Elements were balanced. It was the convergence of the Land of the Moon and the Land of the Sun, and also the location of the exit.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

One figure after another appeared at the formation point.

Once they emerged, they immediately moved to the edge of the hall, summoned their magical treasures for protection, and then took pills, sitting quietly in meditation.

These people were the cultivators who had narrowly escaped death from the Land of the Moon.

At the same time, they discovered that those from the Land of the Sun had already arrived. Led by the Flame Demon Ancestor, the cultivators of the Blood Refining Sect were staring intently at the formation's exit, ready to strike, seemingly waiting for someone.

"Whoosh!"

Finally, Night Owl and Han Te appeared one after the other. The moment they saw these two, the Flame Demon Ancestor raised his palm, a crimson flame swirling, his eyes flashing with a cold light.

Night Owl and Han Te sensed the danger and immediately retreated to a corner, their eyes filled with vigilance.

"Did you have my five-colored mushroom?" Xiong Yan asked first.

Night Owl stared coldly at Xiong Yan and the others, saying nothing.

"It's not with him. I saw Xu Hei take it with my own eyes," said a cultivator surnamed Sun from the Yan Dao Sect.

"In that case, we'll have to wait for Xu Hei to appear," Xiong Yan said with a cold glint in his eyes.

The others also turned their gaze to the formation point, continuing to wait.

Night Owl was quite surprised and asked, "Does that poisonous mushroom have any special effects?"

"No special effects. I just want my thing back. What, do you have a problem with that?" Xiong Yan sneered.

No one believed this.

Everyone speculated that the Blood Refining Sect must have discovered some secret. Otherwise, why would they go to such lengths to block Xu Hei here just to retrieve a discarded poisonous mushroom?

Moreover, judging by the Flame Demon Ancestor's stance, if Xu Hei appeared, he would likely strike immediately, killing Xu Hei without hesitation to seize the treasure.

Night Owl felt a headache coming on.

"Why is everyone targeting Xu Hei? Traveling with him once feels like it would shorten my life by a hundred years," Night Owl thought, rubbing his forehead in distress.

If he had known, he would have let Daoist Sparrow endure this pain, and they could have switched places for some peace.

Wei Wudao suddenly stood up and said, "If it's just for Xu Hei, I think you all don't need to wait."

"Why?" Xiong Yan and the others looked over.

"Xu Hei is most likely already dead in the Land of the Moon. The next time we enter, he might have transformed into some kind of corpse king."

Wei Wudao briefly recounted what had happened in the Land of the Moon.

Xiong Yan questioned others and received similar responses, confirming that Xu Hei was likely dead after being pursued by that strange tree.

When Li Changge also stated that Xu Hei was probably dead, the matter was considered settled.

"Are you kidding? He's actually dead!" Xiong Yan's eyes widened, feeling like he had punched the air.

"Without the Divine Extinguishing Talisman, it's not impossible to enter the inner hall. We just gain fewer benefits," Huang Tiancheng said.

The Flame Demon Ancestor squinted his eyes and pondered, "Let's wait a few more days. If he doesn't appear, we'll set off."

Everyone sat down cross-legged, waiting quietly.

The others also noticed that whatever Xu Hei had seemed really important, as even Huang Tiancheng from the Yan Dao Sect was involved.

Night Owl remained silent for a long time, then looked at Han Te and asked, "Brother Han, you were the last to come out. Can you share any details?"

Han Te was about to brush him off, but when he saw Night Owl hand over half a Supreme Spirit Stone, his eyes flashed, and he discreetly accepted it, saying, "I can only say it was very dangerous. That thing is unpredictable, and someone could be in serious trouble with just one move."

Night Owl: "..."

…………

Inside the Land of the Moon.

On both sides of Xu Hei, thick branches shot toward him, stopping ten inches in front of him, unmoving.

If he moved forward, he would be pierced through.

At this moment, Xu Hei was unleashing the most intense demonic energy from his Heavenly Demon Technique, staring directly at the monstrous tree in the darkness, his expression unchanged, saying nothing.

In truth, he was panicking inside.

"The Heavenly Demon Technique, and you've cultivated it to the fifth level!"

The monstrous tree emerged from the darkness, emitting a sinister and eerie laugh, with a hint of surprise.

The two thick branches had extended thousands of feet and were now slowly retracting, transforming into arm-like structures.

Those hollow eyes scrutinized Xu Hei, and he could clearly feel a powerful divine sense probing him, examining him inside and out.

The strength of this divine sense was unparalleled in his life, even surpassing that of a late-stage Divine Transformation cultivator.

Xu Hei was greatly alarmed.

"It's said that the Soul Nourishing Wood has the effect of nurturing the soul and can enhance the primordial spirit. What kind of astonishing power would a complete Soul Nourishing Tree possess?" Xu Hei speculated inwardly.

After scrutinizing Xu Hei for a while, the monstrous tree asked, "Speak! Where did you get your Heavenly Demon Technique?"

The tone of this interrogation made Xu Hei's heart tighten. He cupped his hands and replied, "I obtained it from a... a senior."

He didn't know the relationship between this monstrous tree and Hei Huang. If they were enemies, it might cost him his life, as he had clearly sensed the presence of killing intent earlier.

But with such a powerful divine sense, it was hard to hide his little thoughts, so it was best to admit it honestly.