Chapter 311 Be good, Junior Sister. Senior Brother won’t take yours away

Old Wang’s eyes snapped open and found himself being cradled like a princess by Xue Zhiyu. His hands were hanging around Xue Zhiyu's neck, and his head was buried tightly in her chest, soft and sweet-smelling...

Xue Zhiyu’s cheeks were tinged with red.

"Ahem!" Old Wang coughed twice and quickly let go, jumping down from Xue Zhiyu's arms. "Whoa! Check that out!"

The Tree Demon in front had completely stood up, looming over a hundred meters tall, with dozens of blood-red roots spread out to support its body, like a colossal octopus stranded on land. The tentacles on its head had also grown longer than before, writhing like a tangled mane.

The disciples on either side were scrambling to retreat towards the outskirts of the forest, but the Tree Demon, now with legs, had gained the ability to move. Although its hulking frame was unwieldy, its size was enormous. With a single step of its roots, it could easily cover a distance of over a hundred meters. The size disparity was like ants facing a giant.

Fortunately, its attention was not on Hei Wukai and the Frost Spirits at the moment.

Hei Wukai had injured it, but so had Long Feixue. Compared to the directions these two had retreated, the Nine Gods side had far more people.

"Roar!"

Its roar had transformed. Its wide-open mouth glowed with a crimson light, and a massive root covered in blood vessels rose high, crashing down toward the crowd.

The crowd below erupted into panic. They were retreating as fast as they could, but they couldn't match the Tree Demon's roots, which could cover vast distances with a single step.

There was no escaping it, no dodging the inevitable.

The Steel Demon Kaiser was within the attack range. At this moment, like a mountain bearing down, Kaiser let out a furious roar, his soul power surging.

He bent his left leg, pushed his right leg back, and raised his arms diagonally upwards, bracing himself defensively.

The root above him slammed down at the same time.

Boom!

The steel-clad figure crouched slightly, using both his shoulders and hands to forcefully block the root, which was at least thirty to forty meters long and several meters in diameter!

He took the brunt of the impact, and Kaiser took a deep breath, slightly bending his knees again.

Black smoke burst from his hollow eyes, and he let out a tremendous roar: "Roar!"

Like the bellow of a tiger or dragon, his slightly bent legs suddenly straightened, and the massive root was hurled aside by sheer force, causing the hundred-meter-tall Tree Demon to stagger slightly, almost losing its balance!

Several disciples of the Nine Gods nearby were crushed into pulp.

"Holy hell! That’s insane!" Badeluo, who was also strong, was dumbfounded. This kind of strength—even ten of him combined probably wouldn't be a match!

"Insane, my foot!" Mo Tong cursed beside him, but his eyes were fixed on Kaiser, who seemed like a demon god descending. He swallowed hard: Damn, even if I improved, I still probably couldn't beat him...

The rest of the Nine Gods also reacted, realizing escape was pointless, and they turned to attack.

Under the night sky, light and shadow erupted. Thunder magic, fire magic, sword lights, energy bullets... a relentless barrage of attacks, like a storm of meteors, rained down on the Tree Demon.

Boom, boom, boom...

Explosions ripped across the Tree Demon’s body. Individually, these attacks would have been negligible, but together, even the Tree Demon had to feel the pain.

Its mouth opened wide, the blood-red maw like a gateway to hell. In an instant, the entire area was bathed in a crimson glow. Countless wraiths flew out of its gaping mouth, and from the cracks in the ground, even more wraiths surged out like demons emerging from a cave... No, these could no longer be called wraiths.

They were clearly stronger than the ones that had attacked earlier, with skeletal upper bodies, clad in armor, wielding various weapons like swords, spears, and halberds. They should be called undead, evil spirits!

The battlefield descended into chaos, as dense hordes of undead chased in all directions.

These undead were extremely powerful, no longer passing through enemies like wraiths but instead swinging their weapons like scythes of death, slashing at the disciples on both sides.

Ethereal weapons couldn’t harm human bodies, but they could directly strike the soul! Many, unaware of the undead’s tactics, tried to block the incoming weapons with their own, only to have the spectral blades pass through them instantly, leaving them stiff and lifeless, their eyes empty.

There were too many of these undead, countless in number, and their attack methods were bizarre. The disciples on both sides were caught off guard and suffered greatly.

Screams and wails filled the air, turning the place into a living hell in an instant. Though experts like Caesar Mo could hold their ground, most chose self-preservation, retreating to a safe distance and watching indifferently.

Together, they could handle the Tree Demon and weren’t afraid of the specters. But now, the Tree Demon was berserk, and anyone it caught would face a fight to the death. Who’d want to charge in, letting others profit while risking an ambush?

The Tree Demon rampaged, and casualties mounted. Faced with this behemoth and the swarming undead, ordinary cultivators had no power to resist.

Old Wang wasn’t about to take unnecessary risks now. The Frost Spirits, Mo Tong, and others had been wandering on the periphery, not venturing as deep as Ye Dun and the Nine Gods. With Hei Wukai covering them, they’d already retreated to safety.

Everyone could clearly sense that the combined attack of Hei Wukai and Long Feixue had severely wounded the Tree Demon. Now, it was just a desperate, vengeful last stand. By staying far away, they could naturally wait for it to exhaust itself and collapse.

But then, a little girl came skipping out of the forest, not fleeing but instead eagerly heading towards the Tree Demon.

"This big guy is pretty good!" she said with a laugh, then glanced at the swarming undead and smiled even more happily: "The undead are nice too!"

The spiritualist Fu Yu!

She was one of the Nine Gods’ top ten experts, but... honestly, she didn’t look like the serious type. Was she going to her death?

And at this moment, the Tree Demon, dealing with attacks from human elites all around, suddenly let out a strange roar, and all its tendrils began to concentrate towards Fu Yu.

The nearest few swept towards her, accompanied by countless undead, densely charging at her.

Fu Yu giggled, her body leaping up, dodging the sweeping tendrils, and she effortlessly hovered in the air.

"Bring it on, more!" Her eyes were nearly squinted shut from laughter, and with a wave of her small hand, the Tree Demon, already weakened by the relentless attacks from the young human elites—including the ones from Shadow Island, Hei Wukai, and Long Feixue—was now perfectly primed for her, and she didn't hold back.

In the air, dense clusters of star-like points shot out and spread around, resembling a dark blue river from the underworld.

Though the surrounding area was teeming with undead, these star-like lights were even more numerous, effortlessly piercing through the undead as if they were nothing.

All the undead that were hit seemed frozen in place, hanging motionless in the air.

The Tree Demon noticed this unusual occurrence and seemed to sense the danger. The densely packed tendrils at the top of its canopy suddenly shot out, reaching out to grab Fu Yu.

But then, the little girl whispered.

"Ritual—Paradise of Joy."

Boom!

The immobilized undead instantly exploded, like tens of thousands of fireworks exploding into a massive shockwave, transforming into more star-like lights that surged outward.

Startled, the Tree Demon's attacking tendrils split, most defending in front, while all its roots firmly gripped the cracked earth.

Boom...

The mountains quaked and the earth shook, and even the monstrous Tree Demon was forced to lean back by the shockwave, nearly toppling over.

But the real killing move had just begun.

As the white star-like points splashed from the explosions of the undead touched the ground, it was like a torrential rain hitting a lake, creating dense ripples on the calm surface.

The ground shimmered with tens of thousands of green lights, summoning runes glowed within those lights, and immense soul power surged forth.

In the blink of an eye, countless massive energy tentacles shot out wildly from each ripple, with a hundred small ones merging into a medium-sized one, and a hundred medium-sized ones converging into a large one!

This was a huge spirit world creature, soul-devouring. On her own, Fu Yu could only summon a tiny bit. But by sacrificing the undead, the more undead there were, the larger and stronger the demonic body she could summon!

Boom after boom!

Finally, ten giant tentacles, each soaring seventy to eighty meters high and half as thick as the Tree Demon's trunk, converged from all directions, surrounding the Tree Demon completely!

Both the cultivators from the War Academy and the members of the Blade Temple were completely shocked.

Even the Tree Demon itself was frozen in place.

Old Wang clicked his tongue, amazed. Fu Yu was a unique type of divine seed—the Spirit God Seed, one of the best soul seeds in the Nine Heavens. She was something else.

Fu Yu's face turned red at this moment. Although she was using outside help, summoning such a gigantic demon was a first for her. Controlling it was out of the question; even giving commands was tough.

In her sensory connection with the summoned creature, she was overwhelmed by a deafening noise, and that was just from the tentacles in their static state. It was enough to make her dizzy.

But she was at the height of excitement.

Unable to issue complex commands, Fu Yu pointed her small hand and shouted sharply, "Kill!"

Boom!

The ten energy tentacles slammed down together toward the Tree Demon at the center.

The Tree Demon's mouth opened wide, gathering a huge red energy inside, as if ready to strike back.

But in the next second, the ten tentacles came crashing down, hitting its gaping mouth.

The sheer force instantly shoved the brewing energy back into the Tree Demon's stomach.

Boom!

The tentacles and the internal explosion finally killed the Tree Demon.

The remaining undead that hadn't been sacrificed simultaneously ceased their movements, their bodies slowly dissipating in the air, while the Tree Demon's body exploded with a loud bang, sending red energy shooting into the sky, transforming into countless specks of light.

"It's done!"

Many from the Nine Gods and the Holy Sanctuary cheered, but soon, everyone's attention was drawn to the myriad red specks of light in the sky.

At first, they thought it was just the residual energy from the explosion, but the specks quickly cooled in the air, turning into tens of thousands of blood-red beads!

Everyone's eyes gleamed with desire.

Although the purpose of these beads was still unknown, they were the condensed essence of the Tree Demon's energy. Grabbing them couldn't be wrong!

Everyone quickly reacted, with Mo Tong being the first to leap up and grab the nearest bead. Others around him also flew up, snatching at the scattered beads in the air.

Though there were many beads, they were spread out widely, and the ground below was littered with cliffs and crevices from the earlier battle. If a bead fell into one of those, it would be lost forever. Moreover, most of the people from both the Nine Gods and the League of Blades were clustered together, so only a few could actually secure any beads.

Old Wang, however, wasn't in a hurry. Those who scrambled aimlessly were just novices.

His eyes gleamed as his right hand rested on the oil lamp in his bag, but he didn't immediately summon the ice bees.

Fighting monsters was one thing, but when it came to looting equipment, Old Wang was a master. Back in his prime, he had roamed the Nine Heavens, using a level-zero account that couldn't be PKed, standing on the divine gear dropped by a boss, waiting for the protection timer to expire while other players were still figuring out their tadpole-like strategies.

Picking the fruits of victory—Old Wang was an expert. He wouldn't let Old Hei's efforts go to waste!

Insects have the sharpest senses. The Tree Demon was of a high level, and its death couldn’t just produce a bunch of ordinary energy-infused beads; there must be something special about them.

"Open!"

His pupils suddenly shifted, their color subtly changing.

Insect Vision!

The world shifted in Old Wang’s vision, turning into a dull gray, but the Bloodsoul Orbs in the sky glowed an even brighter red.

He could see the crimson light swirling within, the energy currents swirling inside the Bloodsoul Orbs.

The speed and brightness of the spiraling energy could roughly indicate the potency and rank of the soul power within these Bloodsoul Orbs.

At first glance, the orbs seemed identical... Wait!

Old Wang noticed one that was exceptionally bright, the soul power within it churning violently, almost as if it was about to burst out of the Bloodsoul Orb. He could even faintly detect the Tree Demon’s lingering presence.

That's the one!

Old Wang broke into a wide grin, suddenly retracting his Insect Vision. He saw the orb flying towards a spot not far from him, where some stragglers from the Blade Temple had gathered. He didn't even bother to summon the ice bees, taking a swift stride towards the area.

When it comes to looting, the Wang brothers are always first in line.

...

"Mapeier, over here!" Andy grabbed Mapeier's hand.

Earlier, the Judgement team had assembled four members, including the captain Ashoka and the exorcist Wind Without Rain. At the start of the battle, they had mixed in with Ye Dun's team, advancing under the cover of the experts. But when the Tree Demon went berserk, Ye Dun and the other elites didn’t hesitate to ditch the weaker disciples and retreat.

Ashoka and Wind Without Rain were both killed by the undead with a single strike, leaving only Mapeier as a teammate, and she wasn't even a combat type. Andy refused to leave her behind, dragging her along as they fled for their lives. By sheer luck, they managed to escape, stumbling and scrambling their way out.

By the time the two of them reached a safer distance, the Tree Demon behind them had already been defeated, and countless blood-red soul orbs burst into the sky. Andy, though, was utterly spent.

Honestly, making it this far was nothing short of a miracle. Whether it was the Fire Mage last time or the Tree Demon just now, either could have killed him several times over. But thanks to some divine intervention or sheer luck... During their escape, several undead had surrounded him and Mapeier. The Golden Ape was still wounded, and as a Soul Beast Master, his combat power was at its weakest. He thought they were done for, but somehow, they were saved. He didn't even know who had intervened—it was as if the heavens had favored them.

Now, having narrowly escaped, Andy collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, finally letting go of Mapeier's hand. Seeing Mapeier's pale face, Andy couldn't help but laugh.

He could understand. Mapeier was just an exorcist—or more accurately, a potion master. She could be useful in assisting the captain and others in battle, but when it came to surviving alone...

Besides, she was just a cute girl.

"Don't worry," Andy comforted her. "I won't abandon you!"

...I want to abandon you!

Mapeier nodded, both amused and exasperated.

Oh, come on...

Her identity was already a liability, and being alone would’ve been far easier in a place like this.

She had never intended to meet up with the Judgement team, but two days ago, she had coincidentally run into them in the jungle.

Being with these people, she couldn't even use her soul power freely, which was unacceptable. So during the battle with the Tree Demon, Ashoka and Wind Without Rain of Judgement had died. As for this Andy, his Soul Beast was injured, rendering him unable to fight. He had stayed far behind the main force, keeping a distance where it was difficult to act. But once the Tree Demon was dealt with and the second layer of the illusion opened, Andy, who had lost his combat ability, would most likely not follow. There was no need to worry about him.

Just after taking out Ashoka and Wind Without Rain, Mapeier saw the spiritualist Fu Yu make a dazzling entrance. Of course, it was time to leave quickly. But to her surprise, Andy suddenly appeared out of nowhere, grabbed her, and desperately pulled her away. In his eyes, the rest of the Judgement team was already dead, so he was Mapeier's last hope as an exorcist.

Mapeier was speechless. If it weren't for this guy pulling her along, she would have been long gone, avoiding all the stumbling and dangers they had faced.

What really ticked her off was that the undead could tell she was stronger than Andy. As they made their escape, all the pursuing undead zeroed in on her, forcing her to fight them off. Her plan to use the undead to kill Andy fell through.

Mapeier scanned the area. They were on a small rise, the open ground offering a clear view. The distant Tree Demon had just been slain, and escaped Holy Sanctuary disciples littered the ground nearby. With so many witnesses, it wasn’t the right time to make a move.

This kid’s got all the luck…

Now that the Tree Demon was dead, dazzling Bloodsoul Orbs exploded into the sky, scattering in all directions. The streaking Bloodsoul Orbs drew everyone’s eyes. Most, except for a few like Long Feixue, were scrambling for them.

She knew about the orbs. The Empire knew far more about this than the League of Blades, thanks to their ancient texts.

Out of the countless Bloodsoul Orbs, only one was the real deal. It held the Tree Demon’s life essence, maybe even its soul.

She was a Blood Spider, which hungered for this kind of blood soul power. If she could get her hands on it, it would greatly benefit her cultivation, and she might even break through to the ghost level in one go.

Find the real one!

She closed her eyes, carefully sensing.

Insect species were generally considered weak by most, but since heaven had created them, they must have their unique strengths. Moreover, as a top-tier insect species, the Blood Spider possessed super-sensitive perception, which was one of her abilities. Detecting the entire sky was a bit of a stretch for her, as her perception could only cover an area of about one or two miles. It all depended on luck…

Hmm?

Mapeier’s eyes flickered slightly, and she suddenly opened them.

Whoosh!

A Bloodsoul Orb shot through the air and landed not far in front of her.

The origin orb!

This really was… It had to be said that luck was also part of one’s strength.

Mapeier was ecstatic and didn’t hesitate to dart toward it. Just as she was about to bend down and grab it, a figure rushed over in the next second, grabbing her hand.

“I saw it first!” a voice came. The person’s hand wasn’t idle, and they had already snatched the Bloodsoul Orb while Mapeier was momentarily stunned.

Mapeier frowned slightly, a flash of killing intent in her eyes. She turned to look at the newcomer, and her mouth instantly formed an “O” shape.

Wang Feng?!

Old Wang, having successfully grabbed the Bloodsoul Orb, was in high spirits. He happily tucked the orb into his robe and then grinned at Mapeier, “Junior sister, be good. There are plenty over there. Go pick some up, I won’t compete with you!”