Chapter 5: Primordial Spirit Avatar

At this moment, Lie Jin, Zi Sheng, and the others had already entered the depths of the Mangyuan Swamp adjacent to Lake Tianmiao via the secret passage of the Yvhe Corridor. Before the strange anomaly occurred just now, the Blue Souls had sensed ominous signs and notified Chi Yang. With no other choice, everyone had no option but to evacuate first.

Although the Mangyuan Swamp bordered Lake Tianmiao, it was located outside the sphere of influence of the Luan-shi Mountain Range. It was a massive, pitch-black swamp inhabited entirely by enormous, gentle-tempered aquatic creatures known as Biolong.

These giant beasts were basically not "meat-eaters." They were creatures unique to the Demon Realm, capable of absorbing spiritual energy at an extraordinarily fast pace. However, their intelligence was generally low, and apart from formidable physiques, they possessed no other strengths. They belonged to a relatively low-level tier of evolving demonic beasts. Because they had never practiced cultivation in the Human Realm and had never left their own territory, they felt nothing other than curiosity toward the sudden intrusion of Lie Jin and the others. They simply stared blankly as these bizarre figures suddenly appeared, hidden within a hazy barrier, without interfering or paying them any further attention.

Because of the sudden anomaly, the strategy initially formulated by Zi Sheng was completely disrupted. The whereabouts of Shi Jun were unknown, and they would never simply walk away under these circumstances. However, gathering so many people in one place was far too conspicuous. After some deliberation, they decided to adopt the fusion technique suggested by Zi Sheng, transforming into a single demon. However, the Butterfly-Bone Dragon Envoy was clearly out of the question; after that fierce battle just now, if a Butterfly-Bone Dragon Envoy were to emerge from the Luan-shi Mountain Range, it would instantly become the "center of common attention" for everyone. After much thought, they decided instead to transform into the Tree Demon clan, which held the greatest power in the Demon Realm.

There were several major factions within the Demon Realm, the most populous being the "Tree Demon Clan" and the "Beast Demon Clan." However, the Tree Demon Clan was merely a collective term for plants that had evolved into demons and did not consist exclusively of trees; plants such as grasses and bamboos also fell into this broad category, encompassing numerous branches. The Blood Blue tribe was merely one of the larger clans, while hundreds and thousands of other large and small ethnic groups were scattered across different spheres of influence. Although they usually had limited contact, their relations with one another were extremely harmonious, capable of mutual watchfulness and assistance.

The same was true for the Beast Demon Clan. Fish, birds, insects, tigers, rabbits, and other spirits transferred from the Human Realm accounted for the absolute majority, but there were also a considerable number of creatures unique to the Demon Realm, varied and diverse. Generally speaking, however, among the beast demon clans, "flesh-eaters are ignoble," and ferocious beast demons that preyed on their own kind were always unwelcome. After thousands of years of integration, the Beast Demon Clan eventually split into two major tribes: the "Feral Beasts" and the "Tame Beasts," known respectively as "Mangyuan" and "Wuhuan," ruled separately by the two great demon spirits, Hong Shuang and Ji Cheng.

The reason why Zi Sheng and the others abandoned the Butterfly-Bone Dragon form and chose to transform into a tree demon was precisely for this reason. After all, tree demons possessed a relatively large sphere of influence in the Demon Realm, and they were often pure-natured and benevolent toward other demons. No matter where they went, it was difficult for them to come into conflict with others or attract undue attention.

* * * * * * * *

After the discussion concluded, Zi Sheng recited the transformation incantation. Although these individuals possessed diverse attributes, all of them had achieved considerable cultivation. Aside from Fuyao and A Li, who found it slightly difficult, the rest quickly mastered the essentials.

Lie Jin originally held not a shred of favorable impression toward Chi Yang, but seeing how deeply concerned she was for Shi Jun, his attitude softened slightly, though his tone remained extremely cold. Among these individuals were people from the Demon, Fiend, and Underworld Realms. They were originally strangers to one another, and relations between the realms had always been antagonistic, yet under such strange circumstances, they had formed an alliance and merged into a single willow tree demon.

Behold, his entire head of wispy green hair hung straight down to the ground. His moon-white armor was adorned with countless small, fresh-green bells. His skin possessed a faint brown hue, with deep-set eyes and a high bridge of nose. His physique was well-proportioned and slender, and his fingernails were long and sharp. Coupled with the faint, unique fragrance of green leaves, these were the primary characteristics of a willow tree demon.

Under the curious gaze of the Biolongs, the barrier rose slowly from the deep mud. Within moments, the willow demon—who, after fusion, had taken the temporary alias of Li Fan (this name was suggested by Lie Jin for the sake of convenience, temporarily referring to this fused demon as Li Fan)—swanned around the vicinity in a swaggering manner before casting his gaze toward the Luan-shi Mountain Range not far away.

Yet, after taking one glance, he was equally dumbfounded by the forest that had suddenly sprouted within Lake Tianmiao—such a massive lake, gone just like that? And what about Shi Jun? Where had he gone?

Following the fusion, the divine souls and consciousness of several individuals were all concentrated in their brain regions. Panicking at this realization, disregarding the fact that very few among the tree demon clan possessed the ability to fly, they immediately leaped into the air, pierced through the dense crowds of demons, and re-entered the barrier of the Luan-shi Mountain Range, blending among the observing demons in hopes of picking up some news.

At that very moment, Xiao Tian came swaying as it flew out from the forest.

The appearance of this little fellow immediately caused an uproar. Coupled with the fact that it had been recognized as an "agent of the Immortal Realm" who had emerged from the just-vanished Treasury of Nisu, this was no trivial matter. Dozens of bold little demons and monsters immediately flew forward, surrounding Xiao Tian completely, and shouted in unison: "Audacious spy! Hand over the Nisu Treasury right now!"

Arguably, this was the territory of the Butterfly-Bone Dragons, and the ones with the greatest right to speak were they. Yet these fellows had all suffered heavy losses at the hands of Xiao Tian, and their courage had not yet recovered its warmth—how could they dare to make a disorderly sound now? They simply made up their minds to figure out the situation first, keeping their long, tusks-filled mouths tightly shut, staring with wide eyes, and pretending to be mere spectators.

* * * * * * * *

Who could have guessed that this time, Xiao Tian would not unleash its might, nor would it even deign to glance at the people surrounding it? Instead, acting as if it were rushing anxiously to attend to some important matter, it darted out of the forest, completely ignoring the existence of everyone else. As it soared into the air, its body rapidly shrank, and it slammed headfirst into a small golden pagoda that had suddenly emerged from below.

Before long, a flash of golden light illuminated the scene, and Xiao Tian suddenly vanished without a trace. Only that golden pagoda, which had appeared out of nowhere, hovered unsteadily in mid-air for a few moments before plummeting downward into the forest below, disappearing into a sea of trees with a "swish."

"...Look! What is that golden thing?"

"It's a treasure! That is definitely a treasure from the Nisu Treasury!"

Everyone fell silent in extreme astonishment for a few seconds. When someone suddenly let out such a shout, the entire heaven and earth instantly boiled over. Everywhere in the sky and on the ground, figures moved in rapid motion, all charging toward that suddenly appeared dense forest—

"Terrible! The Immortal Realm spy has stolen the treasure!"

"Everyone, go! If you're late, you won't make it in time!"

There were also some cautious-minded demons who felt that the current situation was truly too incredible, so they remained at a distance, observing and unwilling to act rashly.

Moments later, the demons who had entered the forest first leaped back out, cursing and swearing in exasperation: "Damn it! Why has the entrance disappeared? And that spy can't be found either! This forest is simply too huge to search!"

"Then just uproot all these trees! I refuse to believe we won't find it!" someone suggested from the distant bank.

A bear demon covered in mud, who had just crawled out of the forest, spat and cursed: "Easy for you to say! Why don't you come and try it yourself, you bastard? All you know is how to stand on the side and stare stupidly, waiting, waiting, waiting—will the treasure fly from the sky right into your embrace?"

Seeing that no signs of danger had materialized, some of the observing demons also began to stir restlessly, quickly joining the search party.

For a time, the banks and the forest were filled with chaotic throngs of demons and a clamor of voices. Meanwhile, the aquatic beasts that had been snatched away from the water by the suddenly sprouted dense forest and hung upon the tree branches, gasping for breath, were paid almost no attention by anyone.

***

While all the demons began their actions, Lie Jin recognized that the person and the object that had just appeared were precisely Shi Jun's magical treasure, the Pagoda Reaching Heaven, and Xiao Tian. Moreover, because he was thoroughly familiar with the characteristics of Forged Gold, he knew that Shi Jun would not appear and disappear for no reason. Hesitating for a moment, Li Fan did not join the search party, but instead continued to observe from afar.

* * * * * * * *

Why had Xiao Tian suddenly manifested? As it turned out, there was another reason for this.

Ever since it plunged into the water, because the water of Lake Tianmiao had already grown turbid and dark, making it impossible to see the situation clearly, Xiao Tian had been left at a loss. It had originally intended to dive to the bottom of the lake to search further, but right at that moment, countless carnivorous water beasts of various sorts rushed up, baring their fangs in an attempt to treat it as a fine meal. This completely infuriated Xiao Tian, who was already in a bad mood and possessed a eccentric temper. It simply unleashed a massacre once again in the water, spitting out over a dozen metallic spheres from its mouth. The spheres gleamed with a chilling light, all of them edged with razor-sharp blades, spinning back and forth as they rampaged through the water, terrifying the pack of aquatic beasts surrounding it into turning tail and fleeing in terror, desperate to avoid it.

After searching for a while without any results, Xiao Tian began to grow impatient: "This master of mine is truly something else! Running into the water for no good reason—what was that for? Didn't we just exchange a few casual words? To just abandon me like this lacks all style!"

The time it had spent with Shi Jun was extremely short, and they had established virtually no emotional bond; it had simply recognized him as its master on account of his exceptionally powerful mental strength. Now that Shi Jun had vanished, it was tantamount to losing its food supply, so it naturally grew somewhat anxious. Yet, lacking patience, after searching for a short while it began to feel irritated, bitterly rummaging around the bottom of the lake to no avail, uncertain of what its next step should be—should it leave the Demon Realm, or continue waiting?

Right at that moment, the mud at the bottom of the lake began to churn. Xiao Tian's vision was suddenly plunged into pitch darkness, unable to see a thing, so it pouted and swam upward.

Who could have anticipated that the anomaly below would occur with such astonishing speed? The lake water all around it surged downward like a flying waterfall, as if a gigantic beast had suddenly appeared at the bottom of the lake and gulped down every single drop of the brimming water. From the churning mud, countless massive trees erupted, and Xiao Tian, caught unawares, was wedged tightly between several large trees, which carried it away from the ground and up into mid-air.

"Xiao Tian, what are you doing?" Just as Xiao Tian was muttering angrily and trying to free itself from the entanglement of tree branches, a delicate little voice suddenly rang out beside its ear.

Startled, Xiao Tian looked up and saw that perched upon a twig of the very tree it occupied was a tiny wooden figure. This wooden figure was merely three inches tall, with a few leaves atop its head. If Xiao Tian had not been surrounded by open space and blessed with exceptionally sharp eyes, it would truly have been impossible to spot.

"Who are you?" Xiao Tian felt the voice was extremely familiar, as if it had heard it somewhere before, yet it could not quite place it, leaving it baffled.

"I am Shi Jun," the tiny wooden figure said, dropping a bombshell. "To be precise, I am his divine soul avatar."

"What?" Xiao Tian had an epiphany—*No wonder this voice sounded so familiar!* Staring at the wooden figure for a moment to confirm that the face, reduced in scale by dozens of times, indeed bore a certain resemblance to Shi Jun, it suddenly said indignantly: "What are you doing sitting here? You clearly knew I was looking everywhere for you! And Master, you're so petty, getting angry over nothing."

"Less nonsense," the miniature Shi Jun said expressionlessly. "Not admitting your own faults yet full of excuses—I really can't be bothered with you. Don't move around recklessly, or if I fall down, I'll give you a hard time."

If these words had been spoken by anyone else, Xiao Tian would have flown into a rage. Yet facing this transformed master of its, it felt a trace of intimidation and deep annoyance, muttering under its breath: "What kind of master is this! Never a pleasant look for me all day long; if I'd known, I wouldn't have followed you."

The wooden figure glanced at Xiao Tian, its tone icy: "Unhappy? Then feel free to leave."

Furious, Xiao Tian was just about to throw a persistent and unruly tantrum when its eyes rolled, and it suddenly reined in its temper, breaking into a cunning smile.

* * * * * * * *

This tiny wooden figure was indeed the divine soul avatar of Shi Jun, while Shi Jun himself was currently trapped deep within a bottomless cavern, tightly bound and buried by the countless plants and tree roots sprouting from his own body.

If Nisu had entered his body merely treating Shi Jun as a host like the other three forces, that would have been one thing. However, Nisu had fused his own divine soul with that of Shi Jun; the wood-attribute power he possessed, along with all his spells and incantations, had merged simultaneously with Shi Jun. Because it happened in haste, Shi Jun was unable to digest such a powerful divine soul immediately, and chaos finally ensued—those incessantly proliferating plants that filled the entire cavern, the forest that suddenly sprouted on Lake Tianmiao, and the desiccation of the lake itself were all the consequence of Shi Jun's physical body's inability to control the wood-attribute power at will.

Fortunately, those three mysterious forces sensed that something was amiss and immediately joined forces to forcefully assist Shi Jun in restraining this powerful wood-attribute power, thereby preventing an even greater disaster.

Even so, Shi Jun was firmly trapped and unable to move. Because the toxins within his body had not been completely eliminated, he could not temporarily mobilize excessive mental energy to break free. At the same time, those three forces wished to take this opportunity to thoroughly remodel Shi Jun's physique, sparing them from having to hold their breath in anxiety every time they engaged in combat with others for fear that this host might "unfortunately sacrifice himself," so they simply set about their work independently.

Shi Jun lay sprawled out amidst the intertwined green plants. Though his limbs were powerless, his consciousness was exceptionally clear. A long time had passed, and Nisu had ceased speaking; it appeared he must have lost consciousness and vanished forever after merging his divine soul with his own. He could also feel his body alternating between freezing cold and scorching heat, his spirit alternating between agitation and clarity. Perhaps this special environment was particularly conducive to mobilizing all his instincts, for this time he was able to perceive the three distinct forces within his body with utmost clarity. Associating this with the series of bizarre events that had befallen him, his chaotic mood finally gradually calmed down as he analyzed his current predicament.

Judging by the present situation, he was trapped within the cavern with no idea how to escape, and since Big Uncle and Chi Yang had no knowledge of his whereabouts, they must be frantic with worry. The most urgent task now was to devise a way to notify them to come to his rescue; otherwise, before long, he might truly be buried alive for good.

With this thought, Shi Jun swept his gaze around and finally hit upon an idea.

That tiny wooden figure, referred to by Nisu as the divine soul avatar, sat expressionlessly upon a serrated leaf, unmoving. Ever since Nisu withdrew his divine soul from it, this little object had become an inanimate dead thing without consciousness, quietly awaiting the entry of a new divine soul.

*Very well, let you accomplish this task of seeking rescue for me!*

Thinking thus, Shi Jun immediately silently recited an incantation. A pale cyan radiance surged forth from his body with the activation of the spell, wrapping him within it.

The three forces were in the midst of jointly regulating Shi Jun's divine soul when they suddenly perceived that Shi Jun intended to extract a portion of his divine soul. They were instantly driven to distraction—at that moment, Shi Jun's divine soul was entirely unstable; rashly extracting a portion of it would likely invite disaster. Yet Shi Jun seemed utterly resolute, his divine soul continually stirring restlessly. Though the three forces were formidable, they dared not suppress Shi Jun with excessive severity, lest some mishap occur. Furthermore, having to divert their attention to purge his poisons, they had no choice but to begrudgingly allow Shi Jun to split off a tiny fraction of his divine soul.

* * * * * * * *

The pale cyan radiance rose slowly around Shi Jun, gradually condensing into a speck of light that hovered in mid-air for a few moments before beginning to wander aimlessly about like a wandering ghost.

Right at that moment, the tiny wooden figure suddenly rose into the air, beginning to chase after that speck of light. For a time, the entire cavern was filled with two shadows, one fleeing and one pursuing. The speck of light drifted here and there on its own accord, while the wooden figure awkwardly followed closely behind, taking a long, long time before finally overtaking the speck of light and swallowing it in one gulp. Immediately thereafter, losing control, it plunged headfirst downward into the dense undergrowth.

After all, this was Shi Jun's first time employing a divine soul avatar, and in his haste, he had inverted the sequence of the incantation's steps. Fortunately, his luck was extraordinarily good; under the catalysis of the spell, the wooden figure had actually managed to catch up to the divine soul. This was also because they were trapped within this cavern; had they been outside, the tiny speck of light transformed from Shi Jun's divine soul would have long since flown off to parts unknown.

*Close call! It seems I should have memorized the incantation thoroughly first; operating blindly like this, who knows if something could go wrong?* Shi Jun breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing that his entire body was soaked through with sweat.

Collecting his thoughts, Shi Jun suddenly perceived something amiss. Now, not only was his body unable to move, but even speech eluded him. Once he successfully attached his divine soul to the wooden figure, how would he communicate and interact with it later? What if this little fellow simply slipped away on its own accord without a care in the world? Wouldn't that be disastrous in the extreme?

As his thoughts drifted wildly, he suddenly heard a faint rustling sound, followed by a tickling sensation on his belly as something seemed to crawl upward, moving across his body before a small face suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Perhaps due to the infusion of Shi Jun's divine soul, the clothing and demeanor of the tiny wooden figure had undergone a dramatic transformation now, appearing almost as though carved in Shi Jun's exact likeness, pouting its lips, knitting its brows, and staring hard at Shi Jun.

At the same time, Shi Jun curiously sized up this tiny wooden figure standing upon his chin, an inexplicable sense of familiarity welling up within his heart.

The tiny figure slowly opened its mouth: "I know what you want me to do. You don't need to speak—in fact, I know you can't speak right now." Its voice was tender yet carried a rather old-fashioned tone.

*Is this the other me?* Shi Jun blinked, feeling as though he were in a dream.

"That's right," the tiny wooden figure frowned, speaking at a leisurely pace. "However, the name Shi Jun doesn't sound good; I strongly demand to have my own name!"

*Haha!* Though Shi Jun was speechless, he couldn't help smiling inwardly, thinking: *Nisu said that once this little fellow is injected with a divine soul, it acquires its own independent consciousness. It truly seems to be just as he said—it looks like this little avatar of mine has quite a personality!*

"Of course!" The tiny wooden figure looked rather pleased with itself, paused for a moment, and then continued: "I've decided! I'll give myself a name. Surname... let's still use Shi. But not Shi Jun... let's call it Shi Buyi instead! How about that? Doesn't that name sound nice?"

*Shi Buyi?* Shi Jun pondered it and felt it was quite good, so he smiled and blinked his eyes.

Seeing Shi Jun's agreement, Shi Buyi immediately grew jubilant, repeating his new name twice with self-absorption, before saying somewhat reproachfully: "You, why were you in such a rush? If you had called me out a bit later, my power would have been much greater. After all, you're still someone who hasn't practiced cultivation... Oh well, never mind. Let me ask you, do you like me?"

Shi Jun smiled faintly; wishing to nod, yet suffering from a rigid body, he had no choice but to blink his eyes once more.

Shi Buyi crooked his little mouth into an arrogant smile and said with supreme haughtiness: "Rest assured, I will definitely rescue you out of here! But remember, you mustn't summon me back casually; otherwise, even if you cast the spell again, it won't be me anymore. Just like human beings, I only have one life too!"

With that, he nimbly leaped down from Shi Jun's chin. Amidst a rustling sound, Shi Buyi soared into the air and dashed toward the cavern exit, which was tightly plugged with all manner of plants.

Watching Shi Buyi's tiny figure vanish, Shi Jun finally withdrew his gaze, sighed silently, and closed his eyes.

* * * * * * * *

Xiao Tian gazed at Shi Buyi with ill intentions, rapidly scheming in its heart while maintaining a submissive outward demeanor: "Master, it was my fault, I admit I was wrong. To apologize to you, Master, I've decided to invite you to a certain place."

The reason why Shi Buyi held no favorable impression of Xiao Tian stemmed from the memories left behind by Shi Jun, where he always felt that Xiao Tian was too willful and unruly to easily keep in rein. Thus, he intended to continue teaching it a minor lesson.

Moreover, although Shi Buyi was the divine soul avatar of Shi Jun, he had only inherited a portion of Shi Jun's personality—specifically that untamed, arbitrary temper that was usually suppressed and hidden deep within Shi Jun's subconscious. Meeting Xiao Tian at this moment, he lacked any of Shi Jun's benevolent compassion, and right off the bat, he displayed a cold demeanor, casually nodding: "Knowing your wrongs is good enough. However, I have important matters on my hand and cannot afford delays."

"What important matter could be so urgent, Master? I am offering this out of pure goodwill. You must know that the place I'm inviting you to visit isn't somewhere just anyone can enter. Even as my master, it depends on whether you have the affinity for it. Go on, it won't take much time, and once you're inside, it will be of immense benefit to the enhancement of your own cultivation."

Shi Buyi was tempted.

He had originally felt that Shi Jun's cultivation was limited; although he had mastered numerous spells, he lacked the capacity to utilize them effectively, and having inherited such a divine soul, he himself wouldn't be much stronger. The reason Xiao Tian's words managed to sway him was precisely because of this. Shi Buyi thought: *If I can find a place first to properly elevate my power, wouldn't Shi Jun's power be enhanced simultaneously? Conversely, my own power would grow even greater. Since it won't take much time, I believe that fellow Shi Jun should be able to wait a while, right? Anyway, lying there is also lying there; let's just treat it as resting.*

Though his heart was already willing, he still hummed indifferently on the surface: "Don't think I can't see through your little schemes. Let me tell you, seeing that you are sincere, I will reluctantly go take a look—but only for a tiny moment!"

Xiao Tian smiled secretly: *Hmph, I'm afraid once the time comes, it won't be up to you anymore! Although you, Master, possess powerful mental strength, you are ultimately a mortal after all. In any case, I must teach you a lesson this time. Though I acknowledge you as my master, it's merely for the sake of your mental strength; otherwise, do you think I'd bother with you?*