In short, that cultivator hadn't even managed to reach the entrance of Mount Luoqi before he himself ran into trouble.
The reason that cultivator became so obsessed with entering Mount Luoqi was, of course, due to an unresolvable obsession in his heart, something he could neither dispel nor let go of, which was why he was so determined to come here.
However, that cultivator was actually nearing his limit.
Therefore, as the cultivator drew closer to his goal, he could no longer hold on.
In any case, something went wrong.
The final outcome was that the cultivator turned into a tree, remaining in the forest not far from Mount Luoqi, and it became extremely aggressive.
After turning into a tree, that cultivator had actually already died.
That tree was, in fact, the manifestation of the cultivator's soul.
He had become a tree, possessing formidable destructive power, capable of commanding countless vines to attack others. Moreover, this tree had certain other abilities, such as possessing potent poison.
Upon hearing Bai Long's description, Ye Tiancheng and the others immediately had a thought.
Bai Long's description sounded eerily similar to the vine that had attacked them on their way here!
And because of that vine, the little fox had been poisoned and was almost in grave danger.
If Ye Tiancheng hadn't been so capable and able to treat the little fox.
And if the little fox's own constitution hadn't been so weak, to the point where, after the poison took effect, her internal organs would have been rapidly corroded by the toxins, leading to a swift death.
It could only be said that the little fox was very lucky.
Ye Tiancheng was actually quite angry.
If they hadn't been in a hurry to reach Mount Luoqi and were concerned about the spatial overlap issue, preventing them from investigating further, Ye Tiancheng would never have let the culprit off so easily.
After all, how could Ye Tiancheng stand by and watch the little fox suffer for nothing?
They had originally planned to seek revenge at a more opportune moment later.
As it turned out, their encounter matched Bai Long's description.
This presented a bit of a problem.
If they needed to use the cultivator's residual soul to mend the little fox's soul, then they would have no chance for revenge.
However, Ye Tiancheng quickly reconsidered.
If that guy could truly help the little fox, then choosing to spare him for the time being seemed acceptable. But if the other party couldn't help...
Just as Ye Tiancheng was halfway through his thought, he heard Bai Long continue.
Because Bai Long had desperately wanted to transform into a dragon back then, she had indeed utilized that cultivator.
Although it couldn't be said that Bai Long was entirely responsible for the cultivator's current predicament, Bai Long always felt that she was somewhat connected to the matter, and that it wasn't entirely unrelated to her.
Therefore, Bai Long believed that she and that cultivator had a karmic connection that needed to be severed.
To sever this karmic connection, she brought Ye Tiancheng and the others along, not only to facilitate things for them but also in the hope that the individual with whom she had a karmic tie could find release.
In this way, Bai Long would have truly severed her karmic tie with him.
She would no longer have to worry or keep this matter in her heart.
Hearing Bai Long's explanation, Ye Tiancheng felt quite helpless.
It seemed that the fellow in the forest was truly fortunate. Now, Bai Long, whom he had just contracted, also had a connection with that individual.
Bai Long would likely not wish to see Ye Tiancheng and that fellow engage in a fight and cause each other harm.
Even if that fellow was lucky.
Ye Tiancheng ultimately forgave the tree in his heart, which had greatly offended their group.
Bai Long was now a dragon, and her journey was effortless.
Ye Tiancheng and the others were quickly brought to their destination by Bai Long.
Ye Tiancheng and his companions had initially worried because the time here was still repeating and had not yet been repaired, so they were concerned about the overlap issue.
Fortunately, the place Bai Long took them was the location of the tree's main body.
This was not the same place where they had stayed and camped before.
It could only be said that the tree's vines spread over an incredibly vast area, which was why Ye Tiancheng and the others had been attacked by it.
In reality, the tree's main body was actually very far from where they were at the time.
Upon arriving in person, they could feel this even more acutely.
Bai Long brought Ye Tiancheng and the others to hover above the tree's location, not descending directly.
There was a reason for this.
After all, if they were to descend directly, they would immediately be attacked by the tree, and it would be truly unbearable.
It was with this in mind that Bai Long hesitated to descend.
Bai Long also informed Ye Tiancheng and the others of this, but in reality, it wouldn't have been a major issue for her to descend. Bai Long was primarily concerned that the tree might choose to attack Ye Tiancheng and the others.
After all, Bai Long and the tree were old acquaintances.
Therefore, there would be no problem if Bai Long descended; the tree would not choose to attack her.
But if it were Ye Tiancheng and the others, it would be a different story.
After some thought, Bai Long instructed Ye Tiancheng and the others to prepare their defenses, to the best of their ability, to conceal their auras and not leak them out, and then to completely hide their tracks.
Ye Tiancheng had no objections.
He wasn't someone who courted death.
Or rather, Ye Tiancheng simply didn't want to challenge himself unnecessarily.
Who would willingly seek trouble for no reason?
Fortunately, for Ye Tiancheng and his companions, concealing their tracks and suppressing their auras was not a particularly difficult task.
Due to their previous experiences, performing these actions was already quite easy for Ye Tiancheng and the others, requiring minimal effort.
They had become quite skilled at it.
Therefore, after agreeing with Bai Long, Ye Tiancheng and the others immediately made preparations, first suppressing their auras and then completely concealing their forms.
On the surface, it appeared as though no one could see Ye Tiancheng and his companions.
However, in reality, Ye Tiancheng and the others were still sitting on Bai Long's back, never having left.
Bai Long also informed Ye Tiancheng and the others that once she descended, she would transform into human form to communicate with the tree, and Ye Tiancheng and the others should be prepared to jump off her back in a timely manner.
Otherwise, when Bai Long changed her form, Ye Tiancheng and the others would inevitably stumble.
Ye Tiancheng and his companions indicated that this was fine.
Ye Tiancheng embraced the little fox, then had the little fox hold onto Ye Wuji, and as Bai Long swooped down, nearing the ground and about to transform, Ye Tiancheng stated Bai Long's signal for transformation, and immediately, holding the little fox, jumped off Bai Long's back.
Everything went very smoothly.
Because Ye Tiancheng and his companions were so well-hidden, the tree did not detect their arrival.
The tree only sensed Bai Long's presence.
After a brief scan, the tree realized it was an old friend and made no move to attack, allowing Bai Long to approach its main body.
It was precisely by taking advantage of this opportunity that Ye Tiancheng and the others were able to approach the tree.
It had to be said that although it was a large tree formed from the soul of a cultivator, it was truly immense. Standing beneath it, one could only feel an overwhelming sense of grandeur.
Upon reaching the tree's main body, Bai Long greeted it.
"Hi! Old friend, do you remember me? I've come to find you?"
Bai Long did not receive an immediate response.
The tree's leaves rustled for a while, and after a considerable pause, a human face shape appeared on the tree's trunk. The mouth of that human face opened slightly, and it spoke.
The tree replied to Bai Long, "Old friend, it's been a long time."
"Your aura seems to have changed somewhat; I almost didn't recognize you. Fortunately, I'm still quite familiar with your aura."
Hearing the tree say this, Bai Long displayed an expression of slight triumph and pride.
Bai Long smugly said to the tree, "Why don't you guess why my aura has changed?"
Upon hearing Bai Long's words, the tree pondered for a moment before speaking again, "Bai Long, your lifelong wish was to cross the Dragon Gate and become a true dragon. Could it be... you've actually succeeded in crossing the Dragon Gate?!"
Bai Long chuckled and replied, "How about that? Did you not expect it?"
This was indeed something the tree had not anticipated.
The tree fell silent for a moment, then asked Bai Long somewhat curiously, "But how could the Dragon Gate suddenly appear? Could it be that the entrance to Mount Luoqi has finally opened?"
Hearing the tree's words, Bai Long paused for a moment.
Then, Bai Long honestly told the tree, "The entrance to Mount Luoqi has indeed opened. I obtained some fortuitous encounters, which finally allowed me to leap over the Dragon Gate, become a true dragon, and fulfill my lifelong wish."
After Bai Long's reply, the tree's state became somewhat peculiar.
The tree kept muttering, "The entrance to Mount Luoqi has opened? The entrance to Mount Luoqi has opened! Then... then I... what should I do? I can no longer go there. I am trapped here."
"What should I do? What should I do?!"
The more the tree murmured, the more agitated it became. The tree's agitation was reflected outwardly.
The entire forest began to stir.
Countless vines could be seen rising from all directions, flailing about and wantonly destroying everything around them. The entire forest was shaking violently, as if an earthquake had occurred, which would surely mislead anyone passing by who didn't know better.
Ye Tiancheng and the others were caught off guard by the tremors and were thrown about.
Fortunately, their preparations were thorough, so they were not suddenly exposed due to this change.
If they had been exposed at this moment, facing the agitated tree, who knew what actions it might take?
The tree was indeed extremely agitated.
As for the reason for the tree's agitation, it could naturally only be Mount Luoqi.
Bai Long had also mentioned that when the tree was still a cultivator, he harbored a deep obsession, wholeheartedly wanting to go to Mount Luoqi, but he couldn't hold on so close to his destination, leading to his ultimate failure.