Chapter 58: The Strange Trees

With a swift wave of his right hand, Qiu Han summoned his unicorn and cast a flight spell, soaring down toward the cliffs below.

“A hundred zhang... a thousand... two thousand... three thousand...” he muttered.

At four thousand zhang down, Qiu Han landed on a small ledge on the mountainside. Peering down, he found the abyss below still unfathomably deep. Yet, scattered along the cliff face, a few towering ancient trees grew, their leaves astonishingly green and lush despite the autumn season.

At first glance, the placement of these trees seemed random, but any cultivator of sufficient skill would immediately discern that the arrangement formed a formation.

Qiu Han noticed nothing strange at first. He observed for a while, then caught sight of an exquisitely crafted iron sword lodged in the rock wall behind the trees. Curious, he moved forward, but after just a few steps, an invisible force rebounded him, sending him stumbling back.

Fortunately, the force did not injure him. Qiu Han was taken aback; he hadn’t expected to encounter such a mysterious phenomenon here. Unwilling to give up, he tried again, only to be repelled once more.

“Could it be related to these trees?” he mused.

Qiu Han, sharp-witted as he was, though he knew little of formations, soon deduced the root of the obstruction through careful observation and subtle clues.

“A formation!”

His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the surrounding trees.

“I thought this place odd from the start—on this cliffside, halfway up the mountain, a small, flat ledge on the rock face, and yet, trees grow here. The entire ledge is solid stone—how could trees take root?”

“If that were all, perhaps it could be explained—this world is full of wonders, and strange places form naturally. Trees, for various reasons, might still manage to grow here.”

“But now it’s clear this is no ordinary spot. It’s late autumn, yet these trees’ leaves are a vivid green—such an anomaly would never occur in the mundane world. Besides, I noticed the temperature here is peculiar, and there was that sound earlier...”

“From my observations, the trees themselves aren’t unusual, yet when I try to walk past, a repelling force blocks me. If I’m not mistaken, long ago, a powerful cultivator must have set a formation here!”

“My master once told me that the world is filled with extraordinary people, skilled in all manner of arts, and formations are among them. Yet all things are but transformations of their own essence. Nothing departs from its root—if one possesses absolute strength, one can shatter the source of all things. The same must hold true for formations. Though I know little of the art, if I find the right method and use force to break it, it’s not impossible!”

Qiu Han’s understanding of formations came from sect records and the occasional mention from his master, Gu Sui Feng.

“These trees are of the wood element, which is countered by fire. If I attack with fire magic, perhaps I can break the formation. Especially since my recent insights into fire within the Celestial Compass realm—at present, aside from the Mo Yu Blade, whose full power I cannot yet wield, my strongest attack is with fire spells.”

With this in mind, Qiu Han slowly raised his right hand, fixing his gaze on one of the great trees. If someone had looked closely at that moment, they would have seen a spark flicker in his left eye.

He closed his eyes, extended his right arm before his chest, palm up. Suddenly, a fireball the size of an egg appeared in his hand, but its flames glowed white.

As the fireball emerged, the air around him shimmered, as if boiling away.

“Go!”

With a soft command, Qiu Han sent the fireball flying toward the nearest tree. Yet, a foot from its target, the fireball halted abruptly, unable to advance a hair further.

Qiu Han strained to control the fireball. Soon sweat beaded on his brow—his fire magic was far more powerful than before, but its consumption of spiritual energy and mental focus had likewise grown.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the fireball crawled forward another half foot, nearly touching the tree’s trunk. Qiu Han felt himself struggling, sweat streaming from his forehead, his reserves of spiritual energy nearly a third depleted.

Gritting his teeth, he persevered. At last, after another stick of incense’s time, the white fireball grazed the trunk, scorching a patch of bark—yet it could not ignite the tree. Seeing some effect, Qiu Han was reluctant to stop, but the fireball seemed unable to burn the tree further, and the small flame it had kindled began to flicker and die.

“Can I really not break through?” he muttered, feeling the toll his efforts had taken. Achieving so little for such expense of energy, he had no choice but to abandon the fireball and sit cross-legged to recover.

An hour later, Qiu Han rose, contemplated the trees, and after a moment’s thought, drew a plain black short blade from his storage pouch. The blade was jet black, gleaming coldly, its hilt carved with the image of a legendary dragon—a weapon of obvious distinction.

Channeling his consciousness, Qiu Han for the first time poured all his spiritual power into the blade. It hovered in the air, then suddenly let out a clear dragon’s cry, shone with dazzling light, and with its hilt pointed at one of the great trees, it struck down.

With a thunderous crash, the Mo Yu Blade cleaved into the tree, sending it crashing to the ground. In that instant, the remaining trees toppled as well, tumbling down into the abyss below.

Exhaling deeply, Qiu Han withdrew several spirit stones from his pouch and clutched them in his hand, sitting cross-legged to recover his depleted energy. That single strike with the Mo Yu Blade had unleashed immense power but left him with only a tenth of his spiritual strength.

Now thoroughly exhausted, he was grateful no one else was present—one reason he had dared to unleash his full power here.

He spent an entire day in meditation at the spot, releasing the unicorn from its beast pouch for companionship. The next day at noon, his meditation finished, Qiu Han rose.

The unicorn, seeing him awake, bounded onto him, letting out a cheerful cry. Qiu Han patted its side and set it down, then turned to survey his surroundings.