All of this may seem a lengthy tale, but it actually occurred in the blink of an eye. As a result, the Undead Tree Demon did not notice anything unusual, only feeling that compared to White Scale Master, the speed of eroding and transforming Queen Ming Kong and the Water Ape Clan's strongmen was much slower.

However, the Undead Tree Demon did not find this strange, merely assuming that compared to White Scale Master, their resistance was stronger. Moreover, as members of an Alien Clan residing in the East Sea, they faced different survival pressures. Compared to Human Clan's cultivators, their mental fortitude was stronger, naturally slowing down the transformation process, and even White Scale Master experienced the same.

The Undead Tree Demon soon dismissed this and extended more vines from the treetops, enveloping Queen Ming Kong and the other two in black cocoons and hanging them on the second layer of the tree, planning to slowly refine and control them.

Meanwhile, the other two with Queen Ming Kong sensed another force aiding their Nascent Souls in resisting the erosion, and they immediately realized that it was the Nether Moon God intervening, greatly uplifting their spirits.

Despite being seasoned veterans in the martial arts world, they showed no trace of their emotions, lest the Undead Tree Demon notice.

"Do not worry, continue praying, and don't stop for a moment. I have a way to rescue you," Yuan Ming soothed them upon seeing this.

Hearing his words, both companions of Queen Ming Kong were overjoyed and silently vowed to keep praying, their piety unmatched in this life-and-death situation.

Seeing that he had temporarily halted the transformation of the two with Queen Ming Kong, Yuan Ming then turned his attention back to the Undead Tree Demon.

At this time, the Undead Tree Demon was unaware that Yuan Ming watched all its actions. After dealing with White Scale Master and his companions, it spoke up again, calling out to another figure.

"Qi Ye, you come out as well, assist me in refining the Golden Crow."

As the Undead Tree Demon spoke, the giant black cocoon at the very center split open instantly, and a black silhouette flew out, landing before the huge black cocoon on the left.

The person who emerged from the cocoon was dressed in black and was also a Returning to Void Stage Cultivator. Moreover, his appearance looked quite young, his features gentle and handsome, seemingly like a young prodigy who had just started his journey not long ago.

"So, he is Qi Ye..." Yuan Ming thought to himself.

The young man in black showed no extra expressions, his eyes filled with indifference. Upon appearing, he followed the instructions of the Undead Tree Demon, casting ray after ray of black light that entered the cocoon on the left.

The cocoon gradually stopped vibrating and no longer spewed flames from its cracks. However, Yuan Ming could still feel the indomitable will inside the cocoon.

"We don't have much time, we must speed up, even faster!" whispered the Undead Tree Demon, its half-open eyes closing again, and the cave returned to darkness.

...

After observing for another moment, Yuan Ming started searching around, hoping to find an exit from Penglai Island, but he found nothing after a complete search.

For safety's sake, he did not act rashly and, after retracting his Divine Sense, left the White Jade Lotus Platform and recounted everything he observed to Xi Ying.

"So the situation inside the Round Moon is like this. To deal with that Undead Tree Demon, the first challenge we face is his entourage of Nascent Soul Stage Tree-man Puppets," Yuan Ming explained.

"With all my strength, I can only restrain seven or eight Nascent Souls, but facing such numerosity with the Undead Tree Demon coordinating them, facing them head-on is as difficult as ascending to heaven," Xi Ying said, furrowing her brows.

"Yes, their numbers are indeed too great. Even if I sit on the White Jade Lotus Platform, supporting with Desire Power and risking damage to my Divine Soul, I can handle a few more. But for the rest, we can't possibly rely on Yuan Wuji and his group, can we?" Yuan Ming sighed.

"If we could release the Level 5 Golden Crow, it would probably be much easier," Xi Ying suddenly mentioned.

"He has never had faith in me, and besides, he's too far from Queen Ming Kong and the others for me to aid in freeing him," Yuan Ming shook his head.

A moment of silence followed within the Stealing Heaven Tripod as both fell into deep thought.

Right then, the voice of Qi Ye unexpectedly came from within the Shura Blood Devouring Map: "Yuan, do not worry. I have a way to deal with the Tree-man Puppets."

Yuan Ming was startled, remembering the scene he had just witnessed. He tentatively asked, "Senior Qi Ye, is that you? Are you able to communicate with me now because the Undead Tree Demon has fallen back into sleep?"

"Almost, but he isn't really asleep, just preoccupied with something else and not paying attention to me for the moment, which is why I'm able to contact you," Qi Ye replied.

Hearing this, Yuan Ming paused momentarily. He wasn't sure if Qi Ye had overheard him discussing the situation within the moon with Xi Ying, but he still pretended to realize something.

"I see, by the way, senior, you just mentioned that you have a way to deal with the Tree-man Puppets. Could you elaborate?" Yuan Ming diverted the topic.

"At this point, you should also know. The Undead Tree Demon I've been discussing with you is hidden within Guanghan City, that is, inside the White Round Moon above Penglai Island. The Tree-man Puppets you've encountered are all controlled by this demon using the Undying Tree Heart, and you might have guessed by now that I am also one of the puppets of the Undead Tree Demon. The Undying Tree Heart is where the demon's soul resides. If I find an opportunity to attack there, I can temporarily disrupt the Undead Tree Demon's control over the Tree-man Puppets," Qi Ye swiftly responded.

"How can I create an opportunity for you, senior?" Yuan Ming immediately recognized the critical point.

"This demon is extremely cautious. Without an external disturbance, it would be almost impossible for me to succeed, so we need you to find a way to storm into Guanghan City. Then with your help from outside and mine from within, I am eighty percent confident that I can succeed," Qi Ye declared confidently.

Yuan Ming frowned slightly: "The Undead Tree Demon has reached Level 5, with a large number of Tree Demons at his disposal, just storming into Guanghan City might not be enough to distract him to the point of allowing an attack, right?"

"Yuan, do not underestimate yourself. With your current strength, the Undead Tree Demon must also be wary of you," Qi Ye chuckled as he spoke.

"What do you mean by that, senior?" Yuan Ming asked in a deep voice.

Currently, as both a Soul Cultivator and a Magic Practitioner, he had indeed made significant strides in strength, but without the help of the Desire Power within the White Jade Lotus Platform, he was far from being able to contend with the Undead Tree Demon.

Could it be that Qi Ye had detected the existence of the White Jade Lotus Platform?

The Stealing Heaven Tripod was Yuan Ming's biggest secret, known only to Xi Ying, who was aware of the tripod's divine skills. Hua Zhi was merely allowed to stay within the space of the Stealing Heaven Tripod and was unaware of the effects of the White Jade Lotus Platform. That such a major secret had been leaked to an outsider!

At this thought, Yuan Ming felt extremely perturbed.

"Through the Shura Blood Devouring Map, I sensed a powerful residual Divine Soul fluctuation on you. You must possess a Soul Cultivator's treasure that can amplify the Divine Soul, right? With this treasure, you're already capable of posing a threat to cultivators at the Returning to Void stage," Qi Ye explained.

"I see, senior, that's quite a tactic." Yuan Ming chuckled, though he did not believe Qi Ye's words, his mind quickly spinning with various thoughts.

"Even if what you say is true, senior, and even if we manage to subdue the Tree-man Puppets, the Undead Tree Demon's own strength is too formidable. Even if we join forces, we might not be able to defeat it," he then said.

"The Undead Tree Demon suffers from a hidden affliction within its body. As long as I can catch it off guard with a sneak attack and injure its Demon Soul, with your cooperation and that of the sleeping witch next to you, plus the help of other Nascent Soul cultivators, the chances of success are not low," Qi Ye said.

Yuan Ming wondered, "May I know what kind of affliction it suffers from?"

"Many years ago, the Undead Tree Demon was entangled by a curse-powered evil object. Since then, it has had to be careful day by day, often undergoing seclusion to suppress the encroachment, and its strength has also been considerably limited, unable to fully demonstrate its capabilities. Otherwise, it would have broken free long ago and wouldn't have had to wait until today," Qi Ye openly stated.

Seeing that Qi Ye did not provide a detailed explanation of the injuries suffered by the Undead Tree Demon, Yuan Ming immediately speculated some possibilities.

It was then that a blood-colored Jade Scroll suddenly flew out from the Shura Blood Devouring Map and fell into Yuan Ming's hands.

"I cannot stay here too long, lest the Undead Tree Demon discovers me. This contains the information I have collected over the years about the tree puppets. Yuan, please scrutinize carefully. It will be of great help when you confront it. I will not say more; I ask you to act according to the plan as soon as possible and not miss the opportunity," Qi Ye said as his voice gradually faded away.

Yuan Ming's eyes flickered. He suppressed his speculations, employed multiple methods to completely shield the Shura Blood Devouring Map from external perceptions, and then carefully began to examine the contents of the Jade Scroll.

Under the Undead Tree Demon, there were more than a thousand Core Formation Stage Tree-man Puppets and one hundred and nine Nascent Soul Stage Tree-man Puppets. However, during this opening of the Three Immortals Island, nineteen Nascent Soul Puppets had been destroyed, leaving only ninety still usable.

Above the Nascent Soul, there were also two puppets; one was Qi Ye, and the other was named Elder San Jue.

Additionally, the Jade Scroll mentioned that the Undead Tree Demon controlled an array called the Wood Emperor Array, which at a minimum requires five Nascent Soul cultivators to lead, with thirty-six Core Formation Cultivators coordinating the formation.

This array has a strong confinement ability; once formed, it can literally consume individuals alive within it.

Moreover, the Wood Emperor Array can also increase the number of people forming the array, such as configurations of seventy-two, one hundred and eight, or three hundred and sixty people, with its power increasing with the number of participants.

Realizing this description, Yuan Ming instantly recalled the array he had just broken through. It seemed to be the Wood Emperor Array.

Since there were too many people and their cultivation was relatively low, the part about the Core Formation Cultivators in the Jade Scroll was not very detailed, but for those one hundred and nine Nascent Soul Cultivators, not only their cultivation levels and identities were listed, but even their cultivation techniques, magic treasures, and weaknesses were clearly enumerated.

Yuan Ming quickly skimmed through the list, memorizing all the information, and also noted the names of Wan Tianren, Gu Xuanyang, Murong Yanyu, Tu Shixiong, Jia Sifang among others.

As he reunited with Xi Ying and learned about the situation inside the Void Temple on Fusang Island from Guoguo, seeing these names now did not come as a surprise to him.

However, upon finishing the list, he found that it did not contain the name of Ni Mu.

Seeing Yuan Ming put down the Jade Scroll, he passed it to Xi Ying beside him.

Xi Ying inserted her Divine Sense into it, and soon set the Jade Scroll down.

"Can we really trust this Qi Ye?" Xi Ying asked, full of doubt.

"I'm not sure, but considering his actions previously, he should have no ill intentions, at least in terms of dealing with the Undead Tree Demon, where our interests align," Yuan Ming shook his head as he responded.

"I'm not talking about this, but about the Stealing Heaven Tripod," Xi Ying slowly said.

"Let's discuss that later. For now, let's focus on dealing with the Undead Tree Demon," Yuan Ming said after a moment of silence.

"Alright, what should we plan next?" Xi Ying asked.

Yuan Ming pondered for a moment, then sighed helplessly, "We'll have to take it one step at a time. Let's set up the Space Array first. Once we have the ability to step into the Round Moon, we can think about other things."

Xi Ying nodded and continued to work on refining the array plate, while Yuan Ming touched the White Jade Lotus Platform again, bringing his Divine Sense into the Round Moon.

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