Reborn as Xiao in another world, targeted by the little red bird

Countless willow branches rushed towards us, resembling a vast swarm of snakes, their sheer force terrifying.

Bai Jie's expression remained unchanged. He took out a chessboard slightly larger than the palm of his hand, on which some small pieces were stacked. Then, without hesitation, he plunged into the dense willow branches.

The light suddenly dimmed, leaving only the faint golden glow emanating from the chessboard.

Willow branches surged from all directions, trying to entangle Bai Jie's limbs, torso, and even neck, tearing him to pieces. However, a blue light protected him, helping him avoid these attacks.

This tree canopy possessed king-level strength from the beginning, and now, nourished by the main body, its realm continues to improve. Bai Jie's power was insufficient to sever these willow branches, so he could only resort to a secondary measure: deflecting their attack trajectory.

As he dodged, Bai Jie glanced at the chessboard in his palm. Seeing that the small flags on it were not moving, he frowned and continued to rush in.

The closer he got to the thick blood mist shrouding the tree canopy, the denser the willow branches became, eventually forming a net that even he found difficult to deal with.

In the blink of an eye, several tears appeared in Bai Jie's clothes. Fortunately, his clothes were not ordinary and had a certain degree of defensive capability, so he was not injured. But if he continued to go deeper, it would be hard to say.

Bai Jie's vision was already limited, and the swaying willow branches further disrupted his senses, making it impossible for him to pinpoint his location.

Finally, he couldn't help but mutter, "Still not locked?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the chessboard in his hand reacted.

The golden light emanating from the chessboard suddenly intensified, and then, as if coming to life, it broke free from Bai Jie's palm and plunged into the gaps in the willow net.

What Bai Jie couldn't see was that the small pieces on the chessboard also flew up, like little fish, nimbly darting among the willow branches, heading straight for a certain place.

As soon as the chessboard slipped from his hands, Bai Jie breathed a sigh of relief. He then stopped advancing and instead turned around without hesitation, attempting to break out of the encirclement.

The chessboard that just flew out was a magic array he obtained by chance, which could sever the connection between the tree canopy and his main body.

He had just walked up the willow branches to trigger this thing's search and attack.

Bai Jie wanted the magic array to lock onto the tree canopy itself, but unfortunately, too much dense blood mist had gathered on the canopy, covering a large area and causing the canopy to become severely "bloated".

Fortunately, the magic array locked onto the target before Bai Jie stepped into the thick blood mist.

Getting close to the tree canopy is difficult, but staying away from it is not easy either.

The path out was blocked by layers of willow branches, making it almost impossible to see any light.

But who is Bai Jie?

He was highly skilled in agility and had extensive experience in escaping.

"Almost" doesn't mean all, which means there are gaps.

He can squeeze through any crack.

At this moment, Bai Jie was like a nimble fly, weaving and dodging between every crevice, seemingly able to penetrate everywhere. In just a moment, he saw a beam of blood-red light projected from the outside.

After a while, Bai Jie successfully escaped from the dense willow branches. He dusted off the torn corner of his clothes and continued to move away, out of the range of the willow branches' attack.

All that's left is to wait for the magic circle to take effect.

The Lunar Eclipse Fruit can only be produced by the Blood Crown Ghost Willow, and there is only one Blood Crown Ghost Willow in the world. Such a rare and precious material should be able to be exchanged for a good magic weapon.

Having reached a safe place, Bai Jie glanced at the tree canopy, which looked like a giant octopus with a thousand tentacles, but his hands didn't stop moving.

I wonder whose contracted beast that roc was, and whether its master is still around here.

You need to make some preparations to prevent being outmaneuvered.

Bai Jie rummaged through his storage bracelet for magical artifacts, including those that could warn of approaching enemies, those that could briefly confuse them, those with powerful destructive capabilities, and those that could help him escape, and then arranged them around him one by one.

Only by making thorough preparations can we avoid doing the work for others.

He, who often stole other people's wedding dresses, understood this principle well.

During the setup, the magic array that Bai Jie released also began to take effect, and golden light began to burst out from the gaps in the willow branches.

This magic circle can interfere with this area, severing the connection between the tree canopy and the main body, preventing the tree canopy from receiving power replenishment from the main body.

When he has exhausted the remaining power in the tree canopy, he will be able to obtain the Lunar Eclipse Fruit that he has been longing for.

However, since this Lunar Eclipse Fruit was not formed from the blood mist of the entire domain, its quality is naturally inferior to that obtained after truly killing Blood Crown Ghost Willow. But this method is safer and has fewer competitors.

Once the domain is removed, he has a hundred ways to escape safely with the Lunar Eclipse Fruit.

Before setting off here, Bai Jie studied the information left by his predecessors and considered taking the tree canopy to a secluded place to deal with it. However, after weighing the options, he realized that with his attack power, he probably couldn't cut down the Ghost Willow at all, so he gave up the idea.

That being said, the situation on the battlefield is ever-changing, and you never know when such an outcome might actually occur, so he still made preparations for it, and unexpectedly, they actually came in handy.

No one knows which kind person cut down the ghost willow for him and then left the half-cut here, benefiting themselves.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, a sneeze drifted from some unknown corner, so soft that it seemed as if Bai Jie was just hallucinating. But Bai Jie dared not think that way. He clutched the life-saving treasure he had just taken out and looked around warily.

A thin mist of blood permeated the air, obstructing vision. In this pale red world, Bai Jie saw no one.

Moreover, as an awakened individual with wind-attribute bloodline, his greatest strength lies in detection and perception, yet these abilities failed to warn him of the presence of a third party.

Was the opponent using a magical artifact that could conceal their presence, or... were they at a higher level than me?

For no apparent reason, Bai Jie thought of someone—the boy who had hidden his true nature all the way until he was injured.

Could it be him?

Regardless of whether it's him or not, he definitely doesn't have good intentions.

This half-cut willow branch is indeed bait.

Bai Jie was pondering whether his methods could protect the Lunar Eclipse Fruit and whether it was worthwhile when another sigh drifted from nearby.

"Tsk, we've been exposed."

Why does that voice sound so familiar?

Could it really be him?

Unable to find the source of the sound, Bai Jie looked around and called out in a familiar tone, "What a coincidence, Young Master Xiao, you're here too."

His response was a cold laugh.

Bai Jie sensed something was amiss. He tightened his grip on his life-saving magic weapon, a smile on his face, his tone as usual: "Young Master Xiao, you've come at the right time. Before anyone comes looking for us, let's work together to exhaust the power of this half-ghost willow. When we get the Moon Eclipse Fruit, we'll split it evenly, how about it?"

Whether it was the olive branch extended or not, no sooner had Bai Jie finished speaking than a blurry figure appeared in the blood mist.

It was only at this moment that he detected the presence of the third party.

It is indeed a demon, but something seems a little different.

Such strong self-control.

Bai Jie sighed inwardly.

Ever since "Xiao" was exposed, Bai Jie had felt a chill run down his spine. He guessed that the suddenly appearing boy might have murderous intentions towards him.

Recalling his recent experience of being easily captured by Xiao, Bai Jie felt somewhat uncertain.

I certainly won't die, but if it really comes down to a life-or-death situation, I'll have suffered a huge loss.

No, he couldn't just sit and wait to die; he had to buy himself some time to find a solution.

Bai Jie then spoke again, explaining the current situation: "The Blood-Crowned Ghost Willow has withdrawn the power it used to maintain 'Shadow Play,' and its realm has now climbed to the late Emperor level. The strength of this half of the Ghost Willow has also increased accordingly. Even if I sever its connection with the main body now, its strength will not drop back. We need to be careful."

The strength of this tree canopy has barely broken through to the Emperor level. You and I are both at the King level. We can't possibly take it all by ourselves, can we?

Bai Jie's intention was to suggest that the other party put aside their grudges and unite to fight the enemy, but he heard the other party say, "Oh? So that's how you do it."

After he finished speaking, the figure finally emerged from the fog, revealing its appearance.

It was the stunningly handsome young man that Bai Jie knew well.

but……

The moment Bai Jie's eyes met the boy's blue gaze, alarm bells rang in his mind, and he turned and ran without hesitation.

At that moment, he finally understood where the unease he had been feeling came from.

This is not a demon!