The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

The world inside the restriction was completely different from the outside.

Once Fang Hao entered, he found himself within a dense forest. Towering trees—each easily reaching 300 feet tall—stood all around. Their branches and leaves were so thick that they blocked nearly all the light, with only slivers of brightness seeping through the gaps.

And it wasn't just the trees—on the forest floor, bizarrely shaped, vividly colored flowers and plants of every kind sprouted wildly.

But what was truly unnerving was the absolute lack of life. Not a single insect, bird, or animal. Nothing moved but the trees and grass in the wind.

Fang Hao's instincts went on full alert. He was even more cautious now than he'd been when facing Yun Chenglai and Fairy Qingyu earlier.

At first glance, the place looked harmless—beautiful even. Fresh air, natural splendor… almost like a hidden paradise perfect for rest.

But Fang Hao knew better.

Every Emperor-level cultivator leaves behind a unique law domain within their personal realm or relic. That domain's rules are shaped by the cultivator's body, cultivation method, and even temperament.

He recalled how the Grand Princess Jiang Hongye of Great Zhou, due to her Void Sacred Body, made the Great Zhou imperial palace a place of spatial chaos. One could be teleported away mid-battle.

He also remembered how Fang Ting and Yin Xianhong once entered the Myriad Mountains Emperor's micro-world, where intense gravity and flying peaks made the area extremely perilous.

Without first understanding the law structure of a relic, barging into an Emperor's realm was a death sentence.

So the first rule in exploring an Emperor-level relic was: figure out the rules of the domain.

Only then could one safely fight, search for treasures, or seek inheritance within it.

Fang Hao drew his blade and activated the golden bell, which hovered above him protectively.

"I wonder what happens if I try flying up."

He summoned a black-armored puppet and launched it into the sky.

Crack!

The puppet barely cleared the canopy before massive branches whipped out like lashes.

Boom!

The puppet, equivalent to a Fusion Realm-level warrior with a strong body, was instantly shredded.

Had it been Fang Hao up there, he might've barely escaped alive—if he was lucky.

His face darkened in shock.

"These tree demons... just one is enough to kill a Fusion Realm cultivator in a blink."

"Looks like this relic's laws are tied to these plant creatures."

Fang Hao silently prayed.

"Please let the relic's owner not have been too powerful in life..."

The danger level of an Emperor's relic is directly proportional to their strength in life.

He recalled that the Myriad Mountains Emperor's realm once nearly killed multiple Saint Kings. The man had been a Great Emperor, and even though he'd been dead for tens of thousands of years, the micro-world he left behind still brimmed with lethal threats.

If this relic's creator had been a Great Emperor—or worse, a Heavenly Emperor—then none of the young elites inside would have any chance of surviving.

Still, Fang Hao knew: There's no turning back now.

Better to explore than to stand still and die.

Clang!

He had barely taken thirty feet forward when a massive flower—over 10 feet tall, as wide as a millstone—suddenly revealed a set of thorn-lined petals that snapped together like jaws, lunging at him.

It was too fast for Fang Hao to react—but luckily, his golden bell absorbed the impact.

Had it not been active, he'd have been swallowed alive and digested by now.

Hiss!!

The flower lunged again.

Fang Hao dodged, landing lightly—only to trigger another trap.

Swish swish!!

Vines like spirit snakes erupted from all directions, slithering toward him.

Boom!

Fang Hao swung his blade, slicing the vines cleanly.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!

A relatively small tree, only 40 feet tall, suddenly shook violently, and its hand-sized emerald leaves turned into countless razor-sharp flying blades.

There were hundreds of them, forming a green storm of death.

Everything in their path—flowers, trees, vines—was shredded.

Fang Hao activated the golden bell, which glowed brilliantly.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The razor-sharp leaves pelted the bell like a rain of steel darts, producing metallic ringing sounds as they collided.

The pressure drove Fang Hao backward—sliding across the ground for dozens of feet before the barrage finally stopped.

"These leaves... are stronger than most Heaven-tier flying weapons."

Fang Hao muttered, then immediately launched his escape technique.

This area was far too dangerous—he needed to get somewhere else.

He fled more than 6,000 miles, but the surroundings remained the same: towering trees, colorful flowers, deceptive calm.

Every few steps, seemingly harmless plants would attack again.

He tried fire next—setting a large patch of dry branches aflame.

But as soon as the flames rose, large leaves from a nearby tree fanned down, instantly smothering the fire.

Each tree had hundreds of such leaves.

Unless one had an exceptionally powerful flame-type ability, fire wouldn't work.

Worse, the plants became even more aggressive after the fire—almost as if they held a grudge.

Fang Hao fled for half an hour, and then he noticed something strange.

"Wait a second... All these plant creatures—they're not attacking randomly. They're herding me in a specific direction."

"And they remember... like they're intelligent. Is someone controlling them?"

A chill ran down his spine.

This level of coordination wasn't something a normal young elite could manage.

"Don't tell me... the Emperor-level expert who made this relic is still alive?"

It was an outrageous idea, but Fang Hao couldn't shake the unease.

He had no time to dwell. To avoid more attacks, he could only follow where the trees seemed to "lead" him.

Suddenly, while running, Fang Hao looked up—and his breath caught.

In the distance stood a colossal tree, unlike anything he'd ever seen.

It soared over 33,000 feet high, like a tower piercing the heavens. Its branches blotted out the sky, casting the entire area into shadow.

From its limbs hung massive fruits, each glowing faintly.

"What... kind of divine tree is this?!"

Fang Hao stared, slack-jawed.

He had never seen anything like it in all his travels.