Chapter 92

**Bang**

A colorful tiger, over two zhang long, fell to the ground, a broadsword over seven feet long embedded in its massive skull.

**Plop**

The sword was pulled out from the tiger's head, splattering a shower of blood.

Long Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead, glanced at the few beasts behind him, and let out a sigh of relief.

Over the past two days, Long Chen had dragged the corpses of the beasts forward, and as he had expected, the blood of the beasts had attracted other fierce beasts.

These beasts were extremely sensitive to the smell of blood, which meant that a beast was injured. Beasts were very savage, and they often fought fiercely over territory.

In the forest, being injured usually meant death. Beasts that normally wouldn't dare to challenge others would come looking for trouble.

This tiger was the eighth beast to fall for the trap. Now, behind Long Chen, there was a long string of beast corpses.

There were tigers, leopards, and giant lizards, all neatly tied together with beast tendons by Long Chen.

Xiao Xue lay leisurely on the beast corpses, eating voraciously. When she was full, she would sleep right there, and when she woke up, she would eat again.

The long string of beast corpses had become her luxurious carriage, complete with a free buffet.

Long Chen took a look and saw that there were three second-stage beasts and six peak first-stage beasts, which should be enough to repay the Forest God's favor.

After all, a second-stage beast was far more valuable than ten first-stage beasts in terms of blood and flesh. Long Chen's achievements had long surpassed the Forest God's requirements.

Long Chen was grateful for the favor and didn't want to owe too much. Additionally, the Forest God had helped him resist the heavenly punishment.

Long Chen had wanted to hunt more, but after another day, no more beasts were willing to come. The second-stage beasts were almost gone.

Even the weaker first-stage beasts, upon smelling the blood, didn't dare to approach, as even an injured second-stage beast could easily kill them.

After a day of hard work and seeing no more gains, Long Chen dragged the long string of beast corpses straight to the mountain where the Forest God resided.

When Long Chen arrived at the giant tree, the white-robed woman slowly appeared. However, she didn't show much surprise at the mountain of beast corpses behind Long Chen.

"You've come," she said.

"Yes, to repay the debt," Long Chen smiled.

"The reward you've brought exceeds my initial promise, which is unfair to you," the woman said.

"In this world, there is no such thing as fairness. I did this just to feel at ease. I don't like owing favors," Long Chen replied.

The woman nodded and said, "Thank you. The blood and flesh you've brought should be enough for me to perform the Blood Sacrifice Barrier and break through the space to return to the Spirit Realm."

With that, the giant tree trembled slightly, and the mountain of beast corpses behind Long Chen disappeared in a few breaths.

"Roar!"

Xiao Xue, who had been sleeping on the beast corpses, suddenly woke up. Seeing the corpses vanish, she panicked and tried to bite a piece, but missed. She then roared angrily at the woman.

"Xiao Xue, stop it," Long Chen said, finding her anger amusing and quickly stopping her.

"Hehe, did I take your meat?" the woman laughed. "Your growth does require blood and flesh, but I can give you something better than that."

With that, the woman extended her hand, and a beam of light entered Xiao Xue's forehead. To Long Chen's shock, Xiao Xue's body began to grow rapidly.

From originally being over three feet long, she grew to nearly ten feet, almost as tall as Long Chen's shoulders. Long Chen was stunned, as if she had been inflated.

Moreover, Long Chen could feel an increasingly powerful aura from Xiao Xue. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Second-stage?"

The aura Xiao Xue was emitting was that of a second-stage beast.

"Since I took your meat, I'll give you growth energy. We're even now," the woman smiled and patted Xiao Xue's head.

This surprised Long Chen, as Xiao Xue didn't let anyone touch her except him. If she attacked the woman, it would be bad.

However, Xiao Xue, contrary to her usual behavior, let the woman stroke her head, seemingly enjoying it, and then lay down to sleep.

"I've awakened her spirit, as a form of compensation," the woman said to Long Chen.

"It seems I owe you another favor," Long Chen shook his head and laughed bitterly.

He had wanted to repay the favor completely this time, but now he owed another one. However, this favor was absolutely worth it.

Xiao Xue, as a third-stage beast, the Crimson Flame Snow Wolf, was already a powerful fighter. Now, having advanced to the second stage, she might not be able to defeat a Bone Tempering Realm expert, but she certainly had the strength to fight one.

Having such a powerful companion provided him with greater security in the perilous world he faced.

"You're too kind. We of the Spirit Race also dislike owing favors. I might have had to stay here for hundreds of years to return to the Spirit Realm. Your arrival has greatly accelerated my return. I should be the one to thank you," the woman said politely.

"Next, I will activate the Blood Sacrifice Barrier. You'd better stay far away," she added.

Long Chen, hearing this, quickly woke Xiao Xue and ran to a distance. Seeing the woman's serious expression, he didn't dare to be careless. He was also curious about what the Blood Sacrifice Barrier was.

**Rumble**

After running for several miles, a sudden rumbling sound echoed. Long Chen turned back and was shocked.

The giant tree, which was several miles tall, suddenly grew even larger, its canopy reaching the sky and covering half the horizon.

The dense leaves on the tree could cover a mountain, and countless runes shimmered, emitting a myriad of rays of light, filling the sky.

Long Chen was dumbfounded. What kind of existence was this? Was it really a god? Did this world really have gods?

If it wasn't a god, who could cover the sky and emit an aura that could awe the ages? In the presence of that aura, Long Chen felt like he wasn't even an ant, just a speck of dust.

"It's the Forest God," the village chief said, shocked, recognizing the Forest God.

Seeing this, the hunters in the village all knelt devoutly and bowed in that direction.

After the Forest God revealed its true form, the white-robed woman suddenly flew into the air, forming a strange seal with her hands.

"Respected ancestors, please hear the call of your people. With blood as the guide, open the path home for your people—Blood Sacrifice Barrier!"

With the woman's devout voice, a pattern made of blood appeared in the air. If one looked closely, it resembled a leaf pattern.

Long Chen guessed that the blood was from the beast essence the woman had collected over the years. However, he couldn't understand why a being as powerful as a god would need human help to collect beast essence.

With her terrifying cultivation, even the strongest beasts would turn to ashes with a single breath. Could the resentment she spoke of be that terrifying?

**Boom**

Suddenly, the earth shook violently, and Long Chen stumbled, almost falling. He looked up and saw the sky where the blood pattern had been floating begin to distort.

As the space slowly twisted, it eventually formed a massive gate over a hundred miles tall. The moment the gate appeared, it began to open slowly.

The moment the gate opened, Long Chen saw the world on the other side, a vast forest with trees that reached the sky and countless spirit beasts soaring within, some as large as mountains.

A dense, almost tangible spiritual aura rushed toward him, clearly flowing through the gate from the other world.

Just a few breaths of the air made Long Chen feel his cultivation rapidly increasing. It was truly astonishing.

"I'm leaving. Thank you for your help, respected strong one. Our Spirit Race looks forward to your arrival. I know that day won't be far off," the woman waved to Long Chen as the sky-reaching tree slowly shrank and entered the other side of the gate.

"This is a gift for you. The previous agreement is over, but this can be considered another agreement," she said, extending her hand. A dragon-eye-sized green water droplet floated toward Long Chen, who quickly caught it.

The water droplet emitted an extremely dense life aura, and Long Chen could sense the terrifying life fluctuations within.

The woman's figure dimmed significantly after throwing the droplet, indicating that it was a very important item to her.

"I can sense that you will become a world-class strong one in the future. Our Spirit Race needs your help. You have... ah!"

The woman suddenly screamed, her face showing fear. She didn't have time to say goodbye to Long Chen and quickly entered the gate.

**Boom**

Suddenly, a rainbow-colored thunderbolt appeared in the sky, shattering the gate.

The sudden event left Long Chen in shock. By the time he reacted, the gate had disappeared, and the other world was gone, as if it had all been a dream.

However, a pit appeared on the mountain where the Forest God had been, the place where she had once rooted herself.

Now that the tree god was gone, but the area still retained a dense spiritual aura. Long Chen sat down to meditate, with Xiao Xue helping to guard him.

Long Chen's choice was very wise. In just a few hours, a loud rumble came from his body.

The rumble came from his blood, and he finally entered the first stage of the Blood Condensation Realm, becoming a true Blood Condensation Realm expert.

The dense spiritual aura left by the gate had also disappeared, and Long Chen didn't waste any more time. He returned to the village, ready to say goodbye.

However, Long Chen had a major question in his mind. What was the Forest God's last sentence? Why did she panic and leave without finishing it?

She said he had something on him. What was it? What could make someone as powerful as her so wary?

His mind was filled with countless questions as he approached the village. Suddenly, a faint smell of blood wafted into his nose.

Long Chen's face changed, and he sped toward the village like an arrow.