「Half a day passed.」

Eastern Taizhong Palace was no longer far away. Word had it that the palace was constructed in imitation of Afang Palace. Though whether this was true remained to be seen. The surface world’s Afang Palace had long since vanished. What did the underground one really look like? Wu Tian was equally curious.

It was daytime. The sun had been scorching just moments ago when, suddenly, dark clouds obscured it, and a downpour began in the forest. The land sharks moved closer to the shore, taking shelter from the rain in tree hollows and caves in the nearby woods to rest. The little one slept with Qin Yuhan, while Wu Tian found a tree hollow for himself, preparing to absorb the Spiritual Energy within the Three Treasures Fruit and cultivate.

As if drawn by some powerful force, the surrounding Spiritual Energy rushed toward Wu Tian’s location. The disciples of Eastern Taizhong Palace had to abandon their own cultivation. With the Spiritual Energy gone, how could they possibly continue to cultivate?

The Palace Master, the Heavenly King’s father, grew even more desperate for Wu Tian and the little one to arrive. He planned to consume their Spirit Roots to advance his own cultivation. At the same time, his thousand-year birthday was approaching, an event that would be attended by many significant figures. He hoped someone among them could unravel the mystery of why the ambient Spiritual Energy was growing so thin.

At that moment, Wu Tian finally finished absorbing the Spiritual Energy from the Three Treasures Fruit. The fruit, its power depleted, dissipated into nothingness. Wu Tian felt a subtle change within his body. He had always had an affinity for fire, but now, he felt a strong connection to the earth.

I must have awakened an Earth Spiritual Root! If a Fire Spiritual Root controls fire, couldn’t an Earth Spiritual Root manipulate the earth?

Wu Tian’s eyes shone as he pondered. Cultivation isn’t entirely without merit. For instance, the Sun God has many marvelous uses that haven’t even been discovered within the realm of Cultivation. Could there be a connection between the Earth Spiritual Root and the Law of Earth? The Laws are forces that only an Immortal Emperor can command, yet none of the four great Immortal Emperors has mastered the Law of Earth. If I fully mastered the Earth Spiritual Root, might I be able to comprehend the Law of Earth from it? Wu Tian was filled with hope.

At the same time, Wu Tian’s Spiritual Sense swept across the surroundings. He knew that the forests on the surface harbored dangerous beasts; the underground forests were likely even more perilous. His scan, however, didn’t reveal any subterranean beasts. Instead, he detected a group of men clad in black approaching his location.

The rain drizzled incessantly through the forest. A group of men in black drew near the place where Wu Tian and the others were resting. The flickering lights from the caves and tree hollows were an enticing sight.

"It seems our targets are here," the assassin leader said coldly. "Remember, we can’t kill them, but we can maim them. Capture them and bring them back to complete the mission."

"Yes!"

"They’ve only just awakened their Spirit Roots and have very little cultivation. Capturing them should be easy."

"Right!" the men in black responded one by one.

Wu Tian had already positioned himself in the branches of a large tree nearby. Hearing their words, he couldn’t help but smile. Their voices could barely conceal their glee, having no idea what a grim fate awaited them.

Still, I wonder who sent them to capture me? I’ll just capture one of them and perform a Soul Search later.

Naturally, Wu Tian wouldn’t let them disturb Qin Yuhan and the others.

"You’re mainly after me, aren’t you?"

Wu Tian stepped out from behind a tree. With a single step, he vanished and reappeared in the blink of an eye directly in front of the men in black. It was the technique of shrinking distances into inches.

The men in black froze, their eyes wide with disbelief. This was a technique only achievable by someone above the Divided Spirit realm of Cultivation.

Their minds reeled. My God, this guy is probably at the Divided Spirit realm!

"You... Which Sect Hierarch are you, sir? Please don’t joke with us," the leader of the assassins stammered, stepping forward cautiously.

They couldn’t bring themselves to believe this person was Wu Tian. Didn’t he just awaken his Spirit Root? How could he possibly perform such a skill? In their minds, it had to be some powerful Immortal Seeker who had taken Wu Tian’s form just to toy with them.

"Heh. I don’t hide my name. It’s Wu Tian," he said, looking down on the assassins with disdain. They’ll think of anything to deny the reality staring them in the face.

The men in black were stunned. This was their target?

The leader was so shocked he began to stutter, "Th-this..." He was so flabbergasted he couldn’t form a complete sentence. The other assassins were equally dumbfounded.

Their masked employer had told them that Wu Tian and his companions had only just awakened their Spirit Roots, didn’t know how to use them, and had not yet truly set foot on the path of Cultivation.

But what is going on? How could this expert possibly be the novice our employer described? What kind of joke is this?

"Speak. Who hired you to come after me?" Wu Tian asked, his voice cold and indifferent.

"We have our code of honor! An assassin can be killed but not humiliated!"

"That’s right! We don’t fear death! We won’t reveal a single thing about our employer!"

"If it comes to it, we’ll fight you to the death!"

One by one, the men in black charged toward Wu Tian.

As Immortal Seekers without a sect, their strength was not particularly great. Out of the hundred men, sixty-one were only at the First Realm of Cultivation, [Foundation Establishment]. Practitioners at this stage develop a glowing, lotus-seed-shaped object at the location of their Spirit Root within their Dantian. This allows them to use basic Daoist Magic, such as talismans. Twenty-eight of them were at the Second Realm of Cultivation, [Enlightenment], where their sight and hearing were greatly enhanced. The remaining few were at the Third Realm, [Fusion]. At this stage, the lotus seed in the Dantian grows and blooms into a distinct flower. One can then perceive the slightest disturbance in their surroundings and use a much broader range of Daoist Magic.

"Fireball Technique!"

"Lightning Ball Technique!"

They unleashed a barrage of Daoist Magic, sending it hurtling toward Wu Tian.

"Ignorant fools," Wu Tian sneered. From his Nine Dragon Ring, a Little Kirin leaped out.

A dog? was the first thought that came to the assassins’ minds.

The word made the Little Kirin furious. Me? A dog? The hell with you!

Instantly, fire erupted from its mouth. In the darkness of the night, the Little Kirin’s form was a dazzling spectacle.

"Wait, it looks like a Qilin..."

"A little Qilin?"

"Isn’t that a mythical creature?"

"You really thought it was a dog?"

"We are Immortal Seekers, searching for traces of immortals! If immortals exist, then Qilin must exist too!"

Under the pressure of the divine fire, the men in black felt their very breath tremble. They instinctively began to retreat, but the Little Kirin had no intention of letting them off so easily.

It opened its mouth wide, but instead of a fireball, it unleashed a deluge of flames—a roiling sea of fire that erupted forth, stretching for miles.

"AH!"

The assassins were too slow to react. All but their leader—whom Wu Tian intentionally spared for questioning—were consumed by the sea of fire.