Ou Yangming looked at the boundless tree wall then at his small body.

He knew that his Military Fire was marvelous, and it was also the reason the Wutong Tree valued him so much. Nonetheless, he would be overestimating himself if he wanted to leave a mark on the tree.

The face on the bark flashed a flattering smile as though it perceived Ou Yangming's thought. "Sir, don't worry. I'll fully cooperate with you and won't disappoint you."

Ou Yangming twitched his mouth and expressed, "Honestly, can you change your face? I'll have a mental disorder if I look at you."

The tree person was imitating Ou Yangming's face. Even if anyone else was in his situation, one would not be happy about it.

There was an immediate foundational change in the tree person's face but instead of a male's face, a pretty female's face appeared this time. Moreover, the tree person's voice changed drastically and became pleasing to the ear.

"As you wish, sir."

Ou Yangming shook his head helplessly. He wanted to leave, but he vaguely sensed the Wutong Tree's determination.

If he simply left without bothering about the Wutong Tree, nobody would know what crazy actions it would take. After all, the tree had been waiting for over 10,000 years in this hidden, small world, and it was similar to a drowning person that suddenly saw the hope of being saved. If its wish could not be fulfilled…

As Ou Yangming extended his arm, his fire burned. "How can I leave a mark?"

The tree person was elated, hence it quickly answered, "Sir, you only need to leave a burn mark on my body."

Ou Yangming raised another question, "Where?"

"The main trunk, of course." The face shook and disappeared all of a sudden, then it was replaced by a handprint.

Without needing to ask, the handprint's size was definitely the same as that of Ou Yangming's hand.

Ou Yangming's face twitched. 'How long has this old dryad been waiting? It's quite rare for it to be so proactive.'

He flashed to the side of the tree wall, then he pressed it hard with his Military Fire.

Given that he was incredibly sharp-eyed, he perfectly placed his hand on the handprint on the bark. Following that, his blazing Military Fire burned intensely.

Ou Yangming did not hold back at all this time; he went all-out. In front of this unpredictable giant tree, he did not think about wanting to conceal his abilities at all.

Nevertheless, Ou Yangming was in disbelief because the old tree's bark seemed to be unaffected by his Military Fire even though he had released the fire to an extremity. Not to mention being burned at all, there was no mark at all.

The young fellow widened his eyes, and he was so shocked that it was indescribable.

His Military Fire could melt any strong materials in extremely short times, but he felt helpless against the old bark.

No matter how powerful the fire he released, the bark was unaffected and did not change at all.

Ou Yangming's face changed. Just as he was going to withdraw his fire, he heard the Wutong Tree shout with excitement, "Ah, that's such a mighty Heavenly Phoenix Fire. Sir, you're truly amazing."

His face turned red with rage as he questioned furiously, "Hey, do you find me amusing?"

He could sense that his fire could not hurt the Wutong Tree at all, but the tree person praised him for having a remarkable Heavenly Phoenix Fire. Was it not obvious that it was mocking him?

The tree person instantly responded, "Sir, please calm down. I dare not find you amusing at all. It's just that your fire's power is astonishingly pure… It's the purest Heavenly Phoenix Fire."

Ou Yangming was moved, but he spoke mercilessly, "Hmph, a Heavenly Phoenix Fire? It can't even break through your bark. Forget it, you should look for someone else."

Even so, the fire in his hand still burned fiercely without any signs of its intensity being reduced.

"Ah, sir, you mustn't," the tree person screamed and persuaded the young fellow right away, "My bark's too thick, but I'm already doing my best to control it and weaken all of its defenses. Sir, please hold on a little longer. As long as your Heavenly Phoenix Fire can burn past a layer of my bark, you should be able to reach my core and leave a mark."

Ou Yangming pondered and asked, "Your mark's quite tough indeed. How long will it take for me to burn past it?"

"Sir, it'll be very fast," the tree person answered carefully.

"How exactly long will it take? If you don't tell me, you can forget about this," Ou Yangming noted directly.

Feeling helpless, the tree person lowered its voice and said, "It'll take roughly a month."

"What? How long did you say it'll take?" Ou Yangming was in disbelief.

"Ah, uhm… It'll take at most 3 months!"

Ou Yangming's expression kept changing. He only felt that the old bark was truly and unbelievably formidable.

He had confirmed that the Wutong Tree was fully cooperating with him so that he could leave a mark on it. Since it said that it was trying its best to weaken its defense, it must be the case.

Despite that, Ou Yangming's Military Fire still could not burn the tree's bark in a short time. Even if he continued to burn it, he could only achieve his goal through an accumulated effort of 1 to 3 months.

If the Wutong Tree were to set up a full defense, how potent would it be?

The thought of it gave Ou Yangming goosebumps.

He suddenly had a feeling that even Ghost-clawed Venerable One or the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One would not be able to hurt the Wutong Tree at all.

Having said that, the powerful being was being obedient to beg him to build a nest here…'Pfft, I'm not a real bird, so why should I build a nest?

'No matter what, this is an exceptional good fortune for me. Not to mention 3 months, even if it'll take 3 years, I'll have to finish marking this tree first.'

Ou Yangming curbed his thought and shifted his mental power to his fire, causing it to burn more intensely. While the fire had a slight breakthrough, the old Wutong Tree, which had been alive for several 10,000 years, did not feel anything at all.

However, the tree could sense that Ou Yangming was doing his best, thus he was touched.

Ever since the Wutong Tree was born, it must complete its mission of a lifetime.

This was the instinct of its kind, and it was something that was deeply imprinted in it. Regardless of the situation, the imprint could not be erased at all.

After experiencing setbacks, difficulties, and loneliness for countless years, the Wutong Tree finally made progress, so it was not going to give up. When it sensed Ou Yangming's effort, it was so touched that it almost cried.

It finally met the chosen one after waiting for countless years. Unless it experienced the feeling itself, it could not put it into words.

Without warning, willow twigs appeared behind Ou Yangming, where large leaves could be seen growing strangely on both ends on them.

Subsequently, the leaves swayed quickly according to a frequency. They stirred up a strong wind, which kept blowing Ou Yangming's body.

Ou Yangming, who was burning with his Military Fire, was stunned. He only noticed the leaves, which had appeared soundlessly, when he turned to look. He could not help but laugh when he glanced at them, and he thought, 'This old tree person's quite an interesting fella.'

That said, this was just a beginning. Before long, another willow twig appeared in front of Ou Yangming, but this one bore a big fruit. The fruit suddenly split from the tip when it arrived in front of him, causing a sweet smell to fill the air.

The eyes of Big Yellow and the 2 spirit beasts lit up as soon as they picked up the smell. They forgot themselves and drooled.

Ou Yangming was hesitant. He naturally understood that the tree person would not harm him at this moment.

As he opened his mouth and sucked, the liquid inside the fruit flowed into his mouth like flowing water. Once the juice entered the young fellow's mouth, his eyes could not help but gleam.

'How is this fruit juice? It's simply comparable with an immortal liquid… No, it's superior to an immortal liquid.'

The fruit juice entered Ou Yangming's mouth and flowed toward his stomach, then it turned into spiritual power and mental power in a split second, allowing his losses to be compensated. The young fellow only took a few gulps of the juice, but he felt stuffed. Not only was his thirst quenched, but he also became highly-spirited again.

Ou Yangming did not have life-or-death battles after he entered the secret realm, but he also consumed some powers. At this time, he no longer felt sleepy nor exhausted.

"Woof…"

Big Yellow barked suddenly as it could not hold it back anymore.

'Think of me when there's something good!'

Ou Yangming chuckled and asked, "Can you give some of this to it?"

"As you wish, sir," the tree person replied to him without any hesitation. With that, 3 more rattans appeared, and the same fruits were presented to the 3 spirit beasts.

The fruit was precious to Ou Yangming, but the tree person did not attach any importance to it.

After all, the few fruits were an insignificant portion of what it had.

Ou Yangming pressed his hand against the handprint and continued to release his fire to burn the old bark.

The old bark was truly stubborn and tough, such that it could not be penetrated by the Military Fire, which could melt gold and metals. Nonetheless, Ou Yangming showed immense patience at this moment. After 2 months, his eyes glowed as he vaguely felt that there was some progress.

At the same time, the entire oasis shook a little. The tree person expressed delightfully, "Sir, you'll succeed soon, so please do your best."

Ou Yangming laughed. His aura began to change subtly, and his endless fire seemed to have completely burst out.

The explosive power was intense and fearsome. It gathered his essence, energy, and spirit, then it penetrated the giant tree at once...