Qiang Hao walked.
Not flew.
Not sprinted.
Not teleported.
He walked.
One step after another across the vast plains of the Ascendant Grounds, hands in his pockets, expression calm, posture relaxed—
as if he were strolling through a garden instead of tracking one of the most dangerous creatures alive.
He had followed the trail for two days.
And the trail was obvious.
Collapsed buildings.
Shattered rooftops.
Scorch marks on stone.
Wind patterns disturbed unnaturally.
Qiang Hao knelt once, touching a cracked rooftop tile between his fingers.
"This again…"
He exhaled.
"The weird woman."
That was how he referred to The Owl—a calamity-level being who could kill Elders effortlessly.
To Qiang Hao, she was simply an inconvenience.
A troublemaker.
And troublemakers needed consequences.
So he continued walking until the land changed—
the air thickened—
and roots began to rise from the ground like black ribs of a sleeping monster.
The Tree stood before him.
Massive.
Ancient.
Alien.
Qiang Hao tilted his head slightly.
"Found you."
The moment he stepped forward—
thump
A heavy footfall shook the ground.
thump
The Bear from The Tree emerged from between two roots—towering, monstrous, a mountain of muscle and killing intent.
Beside him, moving like a shadow cast by death itself, came The Crow, her presence cold and suffocating.
They stood in front of Qiang Hao.
Blocking him.
Guarding the Tree.
The Bear's voice cracked the air:
"You step too close, human."
The Crow's voice followed, whisper-like but razor sharp:
"Turn back… strongest or not."
Qiang Hao scratched his cheek with a bored expression.
"Mhm. Right."
He looked at both.
Then laughed.
A low, careless chuckle.
"You two think you can stop me?"
He wasn't mocking.
He wasn't threatening.
He was speaking genuine truth.
The Bear tightened his stance.
The Crow's aura flared.
Qiang Hao raised a hand lazily.
"Relax. If I wanted to fight, there wouldn't be much left to talk to afterward."
Silence.
Not denial.
Not offense.
Recognition.
Even the Hunters knew he wasn't bragging.
Qiang Hao looked past them, at the Tree's towering trunk.
"This thing has been causing weird disturbances for decades. Makes sense you'd be the ones behind it."
A faint vibration rippled through the ground.
The roots shifted.
And with them… she descended.
The Lady emerged from the Tree like a spirit woven from its bark—hair white as falling snow, robe red like evening sun, eyes crimson and ancient.
"Qiang Hao," she said softly.
They stared.
One minute.
Entirely silent.
The Bear and the Crow dared not breathe.
Qiang Hao finally spoke.
"What are you doing here? There's nothing for you in the Ascendant Grounds. No power, no prey. Just a bunch of cultivators trying to survive."
His gaze sharpened.
"And I don't like sudden visitors."
The Lady took one fluid step forward, as calm as still water.
"To keep you calm…
to keep you uninterested…
I will answer."
The Crow stiffened.
The Bear growled low.
Hunters were not meant to share truth.
But Qiang Hao wasn't "someone."
He was the reason truth had to be shared.
The Lady clasped her hands.
"One hundred years ago," she said, "The Tree planted a seed into the world, expecting it to sprout. But it did not."
Her eyes closed briefly.
"For one century, it gave no answer.
No movement.
No resonance."
She raised her gaze to Qiang Hao.
"But then… some months ago… The Tree matured."
Qiang Hao's eyebrow twitched.
"Matured?"
"Yes."
Her voice was calm, but the weight of her words was colossal.
"The Tree blooms only when the Seed awakens."
Wind howled suddenly, bending trees hundreds of meters away.
Qiang Hao's expression darkened—not with fear, but with interest.
"So you're saying," he murmured, "the Seed of Destruction… is here."
"In the Ascendant Grounds," she confirmed.
"And it grows."
The Bear bowed his head.
The Crow lowered her wings.
Even the Tree itself trembled.
Qiang Hao stood still for three seconds.
Then sighed.
"Troublesome."
The Lady tilted her head.
"We will take our leave eventually.
When our purpose is complete."
Qiang Hao turned away, cracking his neck lightly.
"You Tree people always do whatever you want."
He started walking back, hands in his pockets again.
"But let me be clear."
He didn't turn around—
his voice alone split the air:
"If your Seed threatens this world,
I will uproot your entire Tree myself."
The Crow's eyes widened.
The Bear clenched his fists.
The Lady's smile was faint—
not amused, not afraid.
Simply acknowledging.
"We know."
Qiang Hao continued walking.
He didn't run.
He didn't activate qi.
He didn't look back.
But every root of the Tree shivered as he left.
Because even The Lady understood:
If the Seed was real,
and if Qiang Hao decided to act—
the Tree itself would be in danger.