"What a coincidence, Mr. Deng just asked me to keep an eye on this kid's movements, and now he's assigned to me."

"Ranked 24th on the Hidden Dragon List, he's truly a great talent."

"But a genius that doesn't grow up is nothing. If they die prematurely, it's all for naught."

Wei Yun said with a smile.

He turned around and sat back in his original position, poured himself a glass of wine, and the grave expression on his face vanished.

...

Rustle~~

The breeze blew gently, making the trees rustle.

After entering the forest, Lin Zheyu didn't immediately start searching for demonic puppets.

Once sure no one was watching, Lin Zheyu altered his appearance, confirmed his direction, and then moved towards the location where he had previously buried the Ink Jade Disc and Blood Lotus.

Those two items are likely to be of the same level as a magical artifact. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Swish swish~~

Lin Zheyu moved quickly and soon arrived at the burial site.

Reaching the tree with the hidden mark, Lin Zheyu lightly tapped his toes and leaped to the tree's top.

He had hidden the Ink Jade Disc inside the tree trunk.

Puff—

With his right hand forming a claw, he fiercely tore open the regrown tree trunk, revealing the black Ink Jade Disc within.

"It's still here."

"But why are the spots of light on it gone?"

Lin Zheyu took the Ink Jade Disc and returned to the ground.

He took out some Spiritual Liquid and poured a drop onto the Ink Jade Disc, but nothing happened.

Lin Zheyu pondered for a moment, caught a fierce beast, applied its fresh blood onto the disc, then dripped another drop of Spiritual Liquid.

Still, no change occurred.

"Strange, has it become ineffective?"

"Or is there a special way to use it?"

Lin Zheyu muttered.

He brought the Ink Jade Disc closer to his eyes for careful observation, seemingly discovering an issue, then he tilted his head up, allowing the light to shine through for a clearer view of the disc's structure.

"The engraved patterns inside have disappeared."

"Not only that, but the entire Ink Jade Disc is cracked. Could it be it's just a one-time use thing?"

Lin Zheyu speculated.

The current state of the Ink Jade Disc felt completely different from before, lacking its mysterious aura and looking like ordinary jade.

"I'll hide it back here. If I discover its value in the future, I'll come to retrieve it."

Lin Zheyu studied it for a while and decided to conceal it again.

Regarding these mysterious items, he knew too little. Even if the Ink Jade Disc could still be used, he couldn't figure it out.

"Should I check on the spot where the Blood Lotus is hidden?"

"That item is full of evil. Even if it still exists, with my current knowledge, I probably can't research anything from it."

Lin Zheyu pondered.

However, after a brief hesitation, he decided to take a look and confirm if the item was still there.

The two hidden items weren't far from each other.

In less than a minute, Lin Zheyu reached the location where the Blood Lotus was hidden.

From the marks on the tree trunk, it seemed no one had come by.

Puff—

Lin Zheyu tore away the healed tree bark, revealing the Blood Lotus inside.

"Huh?!"

Feeling the evil, eerie aura emanating from within, Lin Zheyu sensed a strong sense of danger.

The Qi Blood within him instantly surged, his entire body's muscles tensed, ready to flee at any moment.

"The Blood Lotus has merged with the tree!"

Seeing the state of the Blood Lotus within the tree trunk, Lin Zheyu's face showed a look of uncertainty.

The once palm-sized Blood Lotus had sprouted several tentacle-like appendages resembling blood vessels from its core, piercing into the tree trunk.

Under the Blood Lotus's assimilation, the entire tree trunk had turned crimson.

The place where Lin Zheyu had torn it off even leaked strange, bright red liquid.

"What on earth is this thing?!"

Lin Zheyu was amazed.

He didn't dare linger. With a gentle tap of his toes, he quickly descended from the tree.

This bizarre thing exceeded his understanding and brought about a powerful sense of danger.

For safety's sake, Lin Zheyu felt it was more prudent to retreat immediately.

Whoosh—

However, sudden changes arose.

Just as Lin Zheyu began to retreat, the previously still branches suddenly lashed out at him with astonishing speed.

The branches moved swiftly, as if turned into countless fleshy tendrils, aiming to entangle Lin Zheyu.

Whoosh whoosh—

Lin Zheyu's eyes narrowed, a powerful aura erupted from him, the Purple Thunder Demon Slaying Blade sliced through the air, severing the encroaching branches.

Landing on the ground, Lin Zheyu rapidly retreated.

The long blade in his hand continually slashed, cutting down all the tendril-like branches pursuing him.

"What on earth is this thing!"

Lin Zheyu stood at a distance, watching the tree that had seemingly transformed into a monster, a look of uncertainty on his face.

The branches he'd cut all reverted to their normal form.

As he moved away from the large tree, it too returned to its original appearance, without the previous bizarre change.

"Just now, I seemed to sense an aura unique to the gods and demons..."

"Does this thing come from some god or demon?"

Lin Zheyu stared intently at the tree, glancing twice before immediately turning to leave.

This thing involved levels that exceeded his current strength.

Even if he was somewhat confident in destroying this monstrous tree fused with the Blood Lotus, Lin Zheyu didn't want to do so.

The level of gods and demons was beyond his imagination.

Lin Zheyu didn't want to invite unknown enemies through reckless actions.

When one is not strong enough, it's best to be cautious and grow in hiding.

Just as Lin Zheyu left, a face-like figure suddenly appeared on the tree, watching his departing back.

"Another one with a special destiny..."

The face murmured softly, soon disappearing again.

In the deep mountains, within a fog-enshrouded forest.

In a divine temple, a man dressed in priestly attire suddenly opened his eyes, looking towards the man on his left:

"Go, capture that person, he is someone the Demon God desires. Make sure not to kill him," the Priest commanded sternly.

"Yes, Priest," the man replied.

...