Xu Yue arrived at the same conclusion as Lu Yin. Without any hesitation, the blue phoenix charged forward. Even if Luo Zang died, it had nothing to do with her. The mighty Voidforce Universe did not fear the Three Monarch Universe, and besides, Monarch Luo had plenty of other sons.
The blue phoenix’s power surged and swept out in every direction, reducing all to ash. It arrogantly raised its head, and was about to let out a cry, only to abruptly stop. Luo Zang's stone mace was pressed to Xu Yue's forehead. Both of them were pale, though Xu Yue was in just a slightly better condition than Luo Zang.
"How did you do it?" Xu Yue asked, confused.
Luo Zang smiled. "Have you ever heard of the secret techniques that can only be created by peak powerhouses?"
Xu Yue glared at him. "Despicable."
Luo Zang shook his head. "Secret techniques are another form of strength. There is nothing despicable about using them."
He then lowered his stone mace. "Enough; I win."
Xu Yue snorted and reluctantly muttered, "Blue phoenix, return."
The blue phoenix stared at Luo Zang, also clearly reluctant. It could burn the tiny human to death without much effort.
"Blue phoenix, return!" Xu Yue shouted sternly.
The blue phoenix released a cry and transformed into a blue flame that disappeared into the void.
Luo Zang breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks. I wouldn’t have any idea how to escape from your voidforce puppet."
Xu Yue did not want to even look at the man, and instead turned to Lu Yin. "How long are you going to just stand there and watch? If you want to steal it, then do so. If you don't have the courage, then leave."
Luo Zang looked at Lu Yin. "Brother Xuan Qi, there's only the one tree. While there’s no rule that each tree can only grant an innate gift to one person, it's better for one person to try than two. Are you going to fight for it or not?"
Lu Yin leaped down. "I won't fight. First come, first served. Go on ahead."
"Coward," Xu Yue scoffed.
Luo Zang nodded. "In that case, I won't hold back."
He then made his way straight for the thunderstorm.
Kacha!
A bolt of lightning pierced the void, splitting the earth right in front of Luo Zang, but his expression remained unchanged as he continued to approach the great tree one step at a time. Even with the lightning raining down on him, his stride never faltered. He continued walking forward, making his way closer to the tree.
Xu Yue gritted her teeth, still feeling rather resentful. Even so, she had lost to Luo Zang, and thus could only watch. Only if Luo Zang failed could she make her own attempt.
Despite hoping for Luo Zang's failure, if he did, it would mean that Xu Yue would also be incapable of succeeding.
Complicated emotions ran through her, and she glanced at Xuan Qi with irritation. The guy looked completely indifferent, which only aggravated her annoyance.
"Hey, don’t you understand what this tree represents? It's most likely the most powerful tree in the entire Arboreal Sanctuary," Xu Yue said.
Lu Yin nodded. "Yes, that's very likely."
"And yet you're just going to watch him?" Xu Yue raised her voice.
Lu Yin looked over at the woman. "I can't defeat him."
Xu Yue opened her mouth to respond, yet ultimately remained silent. It was true, even she was incapable of defeating Luo Zang, so what could Xuan Qi hope to accomplish?
"Hmph, useless!" Xu Yue turned her head back to continue watching Luo Zang.
At the moment, less than a hundred meters separated Luo Zang from the tree. The area between them was densely filled with bolts of lightning, to the point that hardly any gap could be seen.
He stopped and did something, and when he was done, a shadow identical to his own appearance appeared in front of him.
Xu Yue’s eyes went wide. This was it. This was the technique that had defeated her. With this, Luo Zang had evaded the blue phoenix and moved close to Xu Yue to threaten her. This was the secret technique he had used.
Lu Yin was also amazed. A secret technique? The shadow that he was looking at appeared to be similar to a mirage, though Luo Zang could trade positions with the shadow. This was not a bad secret technique. When it came to movement, it was not as effective as the Ce Secret Art, but a shadow like this could occasionally create miracles during a battle.
Luo Zang's intention was to exchange positions with his shadow so that he could appear directly next to the big tree.
However, right at the moment when Xu Yue believed that Luo Zang was about to succeed, the thunderstorm suddenly became a furious downpour, and the entire area within a hundred meters of the large tree was reduced to dust. Luo Zang was terribly startled, and he quickly retreated. Luckily, he had managed to react quickly. If he had stood even another half meter closer, he would have been struck by the lightning.
The tree’s lightning was horrifying, and it far exceeded anything that Luo Zang could hope to withstand.
His eyes flickered as he stared at the tree before him. After a moment of consideration, he sighed and turned to leave.
Xu Yue frowned. He had actually failed.
Luo Zang walked out of range of the thunderstorm. He gave Xu Yue and Lu Yin a look of resignation. "I failed. That tree doesn't acknowledge me. Xu Yue, you can try."
Xu Yue rolled her eyes. "If you failed, so will I. I’d say that only someone who picked a tetra-chromatic fruit stands even the slightest chance of success."
As soon as she said that, they both turned to look at Lu Yin. Of the three of them, only Xuan Qi had any hope of success. He had not merely picked a tetra-chromatic fruit, he had also obtained a penta-chromatic fruit. It was infuriating to the other two.
Lu Yin looked at the huge tree that was in the distance. From it, it should be possible to receive an innate gift of lightning. Lightning was not a bad power, but he felt that it was not what he wanted.
He had not had many interactions with lightning throughout his time cultivating. The most powerful lightning he had ever encountered had been the bit that he had used to block Corpse God that he had obtained from the jiao's head. The terrifying power of that lightning was still vivid in his memory. Was he going to obtain a similar innate gift of lightning?
"Brother Xuan Qi, are you not satisfied with this tree?" Luo Zang asked curiously.
Lu Yin replied, "It’s not that. I'm just wondering if there is any danger."
Xu Yue sneered at him. "You don’t need to wonder about that; you can't go."
Lu Yin grew puzzled. "Why not?"
Xu Yue took a few steps forward and positioned herself so that she was blocking Lu Yin's path. She raised her head. "Do you remember a few months ago when you ruined my trial?"
Lu Yin shook his head. "Not at all."
Xu Yue glared at him. "Whether you remember it or or not doesn't matter. I will have revenge. You ruined my trial, so now, I won't let you get anywhere close to that tree unless you can defeat me."