Chapter 270 - 263: The Beast God Tree’s Abnormal Change

Chapter 270: Chapter 263: The Beast God Tree’s Abnormal Change

Qu Chengyuan appeared to be a mature and steady middle-aged man, but upon closer inspection, one could see hints of white at his temples.

Although his Cultivation was already at the late stage of the Three Flowers Realm, his age was advancing. If he couldn’t find an opportunity to break through, his journey would end here for good.

But for a Cultivator like Qu Chengyuan, he had already lost hope of advancing through normal Cultivation.

This was precisely why he had come to the Beast God Tree Forbidden Land.

The Beast God Tree Forbidden Land was extremely dangerous. Few dared to venture deep inside, and those who did almost always died.

Treasures and Spiritual Medicines rarely seen in the outside world could be easily obtained if one dared to brave the depths of the Forbidden Land.

But the price was one’s life.

However, the space within the Forbidden Land shifted periodically. If one was lucky, a great opportunity could be found even in the less dangerous outer areas.

Every few years, news would spread throughout the Cultivation Realm about someone who had stumbled upon a great opportunity in the outer regions of the Forbidden Land.

That was why, despite the clear danger of the Beast God Tree Forbidden Land, so many Cultivators still gathered in this valley.

Qu Chengyuan had been lingering outside the Beast God Tree Forbidden Land for decades. He knew full well that relying on luck to obtain one of these so-called great opportunities was virtually impossible.

Through his own investigations, he discovered that many of the rumored great opportunities were actually found by Cultivators following pre-existing clues.

So, Qu Chengyuan changed his strategy.

He still lingered outside the Forbidden Land, just as before.

The difference was, he now started observing newly arrived expedition teams, trying to identify which ones might be carrying clues to a treasure.

Once he identified a target, he would follow them, greatly increasing his chances of seizing the great opportunity for himself.

After adopting this method, he had actually managed to obtain two significant opportunities.

Unfortunately, these opportunities were still not enough to help him break through.

"Boss Qu, if we recruit that kid, we might be able to find that team from before."

"That team went into the Forbidden Land so long ago and still hasn’t come out. They must be searching for some great opportunity."

"If we can find them and take it, we’ll never have to do this kind of work again."

Qu Chengyuan’s group consisted of five Cultivators. They all claimed to be Loose Cultivators, but whether that was true, only they knew.

All five were at the Three Flowers Realm of Cultivation, and each possessed a Spirit Beast of at least the third rank.

Inside the Forbidden Land, the five of them engaged in murder and robbery, and they had succeeded several times.

They never left any survivors.

Since the deeds were done within the Beast God Tree Forbidden Land, deaths were considered normal, and no one suspected them.

About a year ago, Qu Chengyuan and his men had targeted a newly arrived team of Cultivators.

This team of Cultivators seemed furtive and gave Qu Chengyuan’s group an exceptionally unusual feeling.

Qu Chengyuan and his men all had a strong feeling that these Cultivators were carrying clues to a great opportunity.

They followed them secretly for a long way.

But unexpectedly, they were ultimately blocked by several fourth-rank Demon Beasts.

Although there were five of them, and they had two fourth-rank Spirit Beasts with them,

these fourth-rank Demon Beasts were like an impassable barrier, seemingly invulnerable, leaving them completely helpless.

Left with no choice, they could only turn back.

The space within the Beast God Tree Forbidden Land generally shifted once every four to five years.

In just over a year, the Forbidden Land’s space would shift again.

Thus, for the past year, Qu Chengyuan and his men had been trying to figure out how to deal with those fourth-rank Demon Beasts.

But in their view, simply recruiting more people would be useless.

Unless they found the Demon Beasts’ weakness, it wouldn’t matter how many more people or even fourth-rank Spirit Beasts they brought; they would never get past that point.

Now, the appearance of Jiang Zuo gave them an idea.

"We need to find a chance to talk to him."

Qu Chengyuan said in a low voice.

With only a little over a year left, how could Qu Chengyuan possibly give up now?

No matter what, he had to give it a try with this person.

However, over the next few days, Jiang Zuo was always surrounded by several other Cultivators, and Qu Chengyuan’s group couldn’t find a good opportunity to speak with him.

What made Qu Chengyuan want to cough up blood in frustration was that before they could even approach Jiang Zuo, two beautiful female Cultivators suddenly appeared.

They clearly knew Gu Changqing, and as soon as they arrived, the three of them formed a team.

After briefly resupplying, the trio headed straight into the Beast God Tree Forbidden Land.

"Follow them!"

Qu Chengyuan said decisively.

He had a sharp eye; he could tell at a glance that Jie Qiu and Xie Xiuyue were very likely carrying clues to an opportunity.

He just didn’t know if the opportunity was big or small.

’Am I being followed?’

Qu Chengyuan and his group were very cautious, but Jiang Zuo quickly noticed them anyway.

But Jiang Zuo didn’t let on, pretending he hadn’t seen a thing.

’Maybe they’re just heading in the same direction.’

’Besides, if I run into real danger, having a few human guinea pigs to test the way isn’t a bad option.’

"Is that the Beast God Tree? You can see its silhouette even from the outer rim. Just how tall and massive is that Beast God Tree?"

After entering from the end of the valley, the ground was varied. Some areas had normal green vegetation, while others were a stretch of gray and black, littered with withered branches and weeds, like ruins.

And the sky, even if it was a bright sunny day outside the valley, was perpetually a dreary gray within the Forbidden Land.

Even so, when Jiang Zuo looked toward the center of the Beast God Tree Forbidden Land, he could clearly see the silhouette of a colossal tree.

That massive tree was undoubtedly the legendary Beast God Tree.

The Beast God Tree’s trunk soared into the heavens as if to pierce the sky, and its branches, growing horizontally across the firmament, seemed to block out the sun.

No one knew the exact height or size of the Beast God Tree.

Although the Beast God Tree Forbidden Land was the easiest to reach, even a Manifestation Realm Cultivator could accomplish very little upon entering.

It was impossible to uncover the mysteries of the Beast God Tree Forbidden Land through sheer Cultivation power.

"Boss Qu, has the Beast God Tree... expanded outward a lot since two months ago?"

One of the men said, his expression changing slightly as he stared at the Beast God Tree.

Jiang Zuo and his two companions were also looking at the Beast God Tree, but they couldn’t perceive anything unusual.

But Qu Chengyuan’s group had been dealing with the Forbidden Land and the Beast God Tree for decades.

Soon after entering, they confirmed that the Beast God Tree was undergoing an unprecedented change.

Compared to two months ago, the branches and leaves of the Beast God Tree had extended significantly outward.

The outward growth of the Beast God Tree’s branches gave Qu Chengyuan and his men a very bad feeling.

What defined the outer and inner regions of the Beast God Tree Forbidden Land?

It was, of course, the area covered by the Beast God Tree’s branches.

The tree growing outward meant that the dangerous inner region was expanding.

"It has expanded a lot!"

"We have to hurry! This is probably our last chance!"

Qu Chengyuan said in a low voice.

He even had a faint suspicion that this was related to the team of Cultivators he had tracked a year ago!

If not for that, the Divine Tree in the Forbidden Land had been growing for countless millennia and hadn’t changed in a very long time.

’Why would it suddenly undergo such a massive transformation now?’