The Purple Spiritual Tree

After bidding farewell to the group from the Heaven Snake House in Wanlin Mountain, Zhou Chen followed the guidance of the map and set off for the Jia Nan Academy.

Over three days, the three of them traveled at full speed. At dusk, they slowly descended at a location marked on the map.

If they had gone slightly faster, Zhou Chen and Medusa could have entered the gates of Jia Nan Academy before nightfall. However, Xiao Yan's speed was much slower, so they couldn't make it.

There was also another reason: within a hundred-mile radius of Jia Nan Academy, one could not fly forcefully, otherwise they would be attacked.

But not flying was also good. The people here were a mixed crowd; not flying allowed them to blend in better and avoid drawing attention.

"Catch." Landing on the yellow earth, Zhou Chen threw a jade slip scroll backward toward Xiao Yan.

"This is?" Xiao Yan instinctively caught the treasure, looking at it with doubt. He found that a pair of lifelike wings was drawn on the jade slip, with faint lightning intertwining on them.

Xiao Yan was instantly shocked, "Big Brother Zhou, this... this is the Heavenly Lightning Wings!"

"Yes."

"Giving... giving it to me?"

"Take it."

Zhou Chen replied without hesitation. Xiao Yan was deeply moved, "I didn't expect you to give this away, Big Brother Zhou. But this is too precious, I cannot accept it."

"Don't push it back and forth. I see that you have an extraordinary skeletal structure, making you a great piece of material for cultivation. If I have any trouble in the future, you'll have to help me."

The corners of Xiao Yan's eyes turned red. He nodded heavily and said with excitement, "Big Brother Zhou, I will never forget this kindness. If you ever need Xiao Yan in the future, I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

"Good, keep it up. The young person I think most highly of is you," Zhou Chen patted Xiao Yan's shoulder, his expression calm and breezy.

Zhou Chen laughed in his heart. Xiao Yan was a man of loyalty and gratitude. Seeing this posture, he naturally regarded Zhou Chen as family from the bottom of his heart. In the future, Xiao Yan would definitely be able to trust Zhou Chen with his back, treating him like a brother.

Not far away, a small town loomed in the distance. It was one of the paths leading to Jia Nan Academy. Zhou Chen didn't think much and quickened his pace to enter.

Behind him, Xiao Yan's footsteps slowed slightly, his hand tightly clutching the jade slip scroll.

"This flying Dou Skill is incredibly precious. Countless people would spend a vast fortune to snatch it. I didn't expect Big Brother Zhou to be willing to give it to me. He chose to give it to me, a mere Da Dou Shi, even though there are many in the Pill Alliance who are more suited for this. Big Brother Zhou truly regards me as a brother!"

Walking on the yellow earth main road, Zhou Chen didn't need to think much to know what Xiao Yan was thinking behind him. He must be moved to tears.

Entering the small town, the pedestrians on the street began to stream in. Many of them carried a murderous aura, but it seemed the reputation of Jia Nan Academy was heavy enough that these guys behaved themselves.

Even if they found someone annoying or met an enemy, they could only stare at each other.

A sign hung at the entrance of the town. This town was named Peace Town, the first town surrounding Jia Nan Academy.

At the entrance of the town stood a strange black tree with twisted, broken branches, looking like a monster from a painting, exuding a creepy feeling.

Xiao Yan quickened his pace. There were quite a few onlookers near the tree, which made him curious.

Getting closer to take a look, Xiao Yan instantly gasped.

Hanging from the dry black branches were quite a few corpses. The corpses had died horrific deaths. If one got closer, they could even see disgusting creatures squirming beneath their skin.

Some corpses were hanged, exposing a long stretch of tongue, looking like hanged ghosts!

It was terrifying enough to make one suffocate...

This tree was the famous Purple Spiritual Tree. Its name and stories had been passed down through generations, striking terror into the hearts of those who heard of it.

Years ago, forces from the Black Corner Region provoked Jia Nan Academy, and a conflict erupted, eventually escalating into a bloody battle between the two sides.

In the end, one Dou Huang corpse and two Dou Wang corpses were hung beneath the Purple Spiritual Tree, and a secret technique was used to keep the corpses from decaying as a warning to all! Later, more and more corpses were hung on it, making it the landmark of Peace Town.

Since the incident of the Purple Spiritual Tree, a safe zone had been drawn outside Jia Nan Academy. People within this zone could not kill and had to keep quiet.

Initially, this rule made some powerful experts of the Black Corner Region uncomfortable. They came to cause trouble, only to find their corpses hanging on the Purple Spiritual Tree the next day. Since then, peace had reigned.

Entering the town, it was indeed a different scene from the outside world. Street vendors called out loudly, children chased and played on the streets, and everyone had smiles on their faces, looking like a paradise.

Bloody slaughter outside, safe and harmonious inside—two completely different worlds.

The three originally intended to go deeper, but another situation arose.

Rhythmic footsteps echoed on the rooftops on both sides of the street as over a dozen agile figures leapt down.

In just a moment, these dozen figures stopped at the main gates, looking at everyone with serious expressions.

Most of these dozen figures were in their twenties. The middle-aged man leading them stepped forward. The others were all dressed in light blue robes, with a special emblem pinned to their chests.

On the blue emblem, a blood-stained dagger was carved, reflecting a cold light under the sun.

The dozen figures slowly scanned the crowd, careful and alert.

"After reporting your identities, everyone swallow this medicinal pill." At some point, a small jade bottle appeared in the middle-aged man's hand, containing many pale red pills.

"Do not be nervous. This is a medicine formulated by our Jia Nan Academy. It can sense murderous intent. If you expose murderous intent in the town, your body will undergo a change and emit a red light. When that happens, our Law Enforcement Unit will find you based on the red light. If you were able to enter this place, you should know what kind of end those with murderous intent will meet. Finally, when you leave, we will distribute the antidote. However, once you receive the antidote, you must leave immediately. Our Law Enforcement Unit will monitor you the entire way until you depart," the middle-aged man added coldly.

Although these people called the Jia Nan Academy Law Enforcement Unit spoke with reason, the people of the Black Corner Region, who licked blood from the edge of a blade all year round, had long become sensitive. Swallowing an unknown pill made everyone's faces turn ugly.

Before anyone could argue or resist, the sound of swords unsheathing rang out in unison. Over a dozen streaks of Dou Qi of various colors enveloped the longswords, coming with a fierce momentum.

The middle-aged man clasped his hands behind his back, constantly exerting pressure, "Everyone, this is the rule of Peace Town. It is not mandatory. If you do not wish to take it, then leave. If you do not follow the rules, I believe you have all seen the Purple Spiritual Tree at the gate."