CH 80

As the flames raged on, they voraciously devoured the forest, sending thick plumes of smoke billowing upwards. Fanned by the relentless north wind, the inferno gradually spread further afield with each passing moment. And when night fell, the flames seemed to burn with even greater ferocity, illuminating the sky with a faint crimson hue that could be seen as far as the eye could see from the Black Forest. The surrounding woodland, spanning tens of miles in all directions, became engulfed in a thick and pungent cloud of smoke that hung heavily in the air. The smoke was especially thick in the north, where the wind carried it away in large, cotton-like waves, shrouding everything in its path.

Zhou Fu and the others didn’t escape into the Black Forest but were instead heading north in a certain direction. Unfortunately, luck did not seem to be on their side tonight. Even if the raging flames did not reach them, the thick, suffocating smoke would certainly make it difficult for them to breathe, causing them to choke and struggle for air.

By midnight, the ferocious blaze had ceased its relentless advance and began to gradually diminish. As day broke, the fire had finally been quenched, leaving behind a smoldering aftermath that would take a day and a half to cool down completely. Only then did Xiao Yu lead a group of people into the ravaged woods. The area spanning more than ten miles was now a desolate, charred wasteland. As they walked on the still-warm ground, they were greeted by the sight of pitch-black, smoldering wood emitting thin wisps of green smoke. The ground was now covered by a thick layer of black ash, which was stirred up by the slightest breeze, creating an eerie snow-like effect.  

With a single, deft blade strike, Xiao Yu expertly severed a long, scorched tree that had been obstructing his path. From a distance, he spotted a towering, majestic tree that somehow managed to remain standing amidst the devastation wrought by the inferno. During the height of the blaze, everyone had been focused on burning this area, yet miraculously, the dryad still managed to emerge unscathed. However, its once-lush green leaves had turned a sickly shade of yellow and were now wrinkled and covered in soot, no longer radiating the vibrant life they had just a day prior.

Without the surrounding plants to draw upon for strength and vitality, the dryad’s combat power had been severely diminished. It was now no more formidable than an average monster in the latter stage of the first order. Even so, the late-first-order was not an existence that anyone could underestimate, especially given the dryad’s ability to wield the terrifying and macabre “Instant Disintegration skill.” This curse magic had the power to instantly obliterate any strong opponent, leaving no trace behind. One moment of carelessness could result in one’s immediate demise, with no hope of survival.

Jiang Xiaowen summoned the half-abomination with her scroll, and everyone else was ready to attack, waiting for Xiao Yu’s orders.

Turning to Jiang Xiaowen, Xiao Yu spoke, “The dryad possesses a powerful magic that is incredibly fast and difficult to dodge. For safety’s sake, I’ll launch the first attack. Xiaowen, have half-abomination toss me over to its location, and the rest of you can launch a coordinated assault once I’ve engaged it.” With an eye towards minimizing casualties, Xiao Yu urged his team to unleash a barrage of swift and aggressive attacks, hoping to bring the fight to a swift conclusion.  

With a mighty leap, Xiao Yu soared through the air, while the towering half-abomination stretched out its massive hands to grab hold of his legs. With a deep roar, the creature spun around with all its might, then hurled Xiao Yu towards the dryad like a shooting star. The power of the half-abomination was immense, propelling Xiao Yu towards his target with incredible force. However, the Dryad was ever vigilant and quickly spotted the intruder. Its hideous face materialized on the trunk of the tree, and in a flash, green flames gathered, coalescing into a potent “Instant Disintegration skill” that was aimed directly at Xiao Yu.

“I already knew that you would use this trick!”

A shimmering, water-blue “Water Wall Ring” appeared in Xiao Yu’s hand, its glow almost blinding. In the very next second, an enormous amount of water gushed forth from it, forming a protective barrier that enveloped him completely. This was the second-level water attribute defensive magic known as the “Water Barrier”. As the green flames of the Dryad closed in on the barrier, it looked as if it would be consumed in an instant. However, the barrier held strong, withstanding the onslaught of the flames. Finally, the Dryad’s magic dissipated, leaving only a fine mist in its wake. Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Yu emerged from the water vapor, brandishing his blade. He plunged it deep into the face of the monstrous entity on the trunk of the tree.  

With a fierce thrust, Xiao Yu’s four-foot blade was completely submerged into the trunk of the dryad. The bright cyan light of the blade protruded from the other side of the trunk, indicating the depth of the cut. Suddenly, the entire tree shook violently. Then, with lightning speed, a blood-red root covered in thorns emerged from the ground, stabbing fiercely towards Xiao Yu. Sensing the danger, Xiao Yu deftly stepped onto the trunk with his right leg and drew his knife. In a single motion, he flew through the air, blade raised. As the blade and root collided, a shower of sparks burst forth.  

“kill!”

Jiang Xiaowen spread her wings and flew up, Wang Chao entered his berserk state, while Jin Shi with his complete rock formation, Han Kexin, and the half-abomination all rushed towards the dryad together.

After releasing the instant disintegration skill, the dryad seemed to be exhausted. It was still able to extract power from the earth, but at a very slow pace. Red liquid flowed out from the piercing incisions on both sides of its body, resembling fresh blood.  

more than a dozen slender, blood-red roots covered with thorns suddenly broke through the ground, resembling  ferocious centipedes as they attacked everyone. These were all the roots of the dryad’s body, as hard as iron stones. Jin Shi rushed to the front and was caught off guard by a tree root that suddenly rushed out and hit his body, sending him flying more than ten meters away. The power of the roots was evident, showing how formidable the dryad still was.  

Without a chance to react, some people amongst the group were quickly pierced by the tree roots, and their bodies began to shrivel and wither. Meanwhile, the damage sustained by the dryad was healing at a seed visible to the naked eye

Everyone was stunned for a moment and stopped, not daring to rush carelessly.

Seeing this, Xiao Yu shouted: “Everyone else backs off, only us are able to deal with it!”

The half-abomination let out a fierce roar and swung its blood-red sickle, creating a red slash that cut through the air and struck the dryad’s body. Simultaneously, Xiao Yu launched a powerful blast flame skill that resulted in a thunderous explosion. The trunk of the dryad shattered into countless pieces, and bright red liquid rained down on the ground like blood. The damage caused by the attack was severe, and more than half of the monster’s trunk was blown to pieces.  

Four tree roots shot straight at the half-abomination, tightly binding its huge body, and then blackish energy gushed out from the half-abomination’s body and was directely absorbed by the dryad along the roots.

Jiang Xiaowen exclaimed in shock: “No, it is absorbing the power of the half-abomination!”

Using bullet time, Xiao Yu vanished from his spot and reappeared next to the half-abomination, delivering a forceful strike. The sound of metal clliding with metal  filled the air as all four long and slender tree roots snapped off, releasing a large amount of sour and putrid liquid from the fractures.

“Miss Han, Xiaowen, attack with magic!”

As Han Kexin and Jiang Xiaowen’s rings glowed simultaneously, a sudden burst of flames erupted from the dryad’s torso, accompanied by a massive thorn that shot up from the ground and pierced the creature’s body from front to back. The dryad writhed in agony, its body trembling violently as if it were a flesh-and-blood being that could feel pain.  

Xiao Yu didn’t give it a chance to relax and bombarding it with a blast flame.

The two flame explosions had caused the dryad’s massive torso to shatter, leaving the ground littered with a black, blood-like substance and stripped of its bark to reveal what lay beneath. Much to the surprise of everyone present, the interior of the creature was filled with writhing flesh and blood.

To be more specific, it was a hybrid of a plant and a beast!

Among the plant tissues and flesh tissues, there was something beating like a heart; obviously this was the dryad’s key point.

Xiao Yu was preparing to attack.

Whoosh…Suddenly, Amidst a series of piercing sounds, over a dozen slender tree roots shot up into the sky and rapidly headed towards Xiao Yu, aiming to puncture him. Reacting swiftly, Xiao Yu swung his blade like a whirlwind, the sharp light of the blade creating an airtight shield around him. The sound of metal clashing against metal echoed through the air as he expertly parried hundreds of attacks in the blink of an eye, each one falling futilely as his defense remained unbreakable. 

Observing that there were no gaps to exploit, the dryad swiftly withdrew a few more roots and redirected them towards Jiang Xiaowen, targeting her with ferocity. However, the half-abomination under her control let out a deep roar and positioned itself in front of her, blocking all incoming attacks. The creature’s massive body trembled with exertion as it held its ground against the oncoming assault. Seizing this opportunity, Jiang Xiaowen deftly stepped onto the creature’s shoulder and, with a swift wave of her right arm, hurled her Splitting Air Spear towards the dryad.

The spear tore through the air, hurtling towards it with a deafening roar. Just as it was about to strike, a tree root suddenly swept over and deflected the weapon, sending it careening off course. In the blink of an eye, the same root turned and lunged towards Han Kexin, who narrowly avoided the attack but was grazed by the sharp spikes lining the surface of the root. 

Ahh!” Jin Shi, whose whole body turned into rock, rushed up again, jumped up and grabbed the tree root stabbing at Han Kexin, while simultaneously using his free hand to block another tree root. The intense fight had taken its toll on Jin Shi, as he endured five to six whips on his body, causing chunks of rock to break off and form a fissure on him. However, despite the beating, he quickly regained his composure and backhanded the incoming tree roots with incredible strength, gathering them all in his arms.

The dryad retaliated by forcefully slamming its roots back at Jinshi, but he clung on tightly. The impact sent him hurtling forward, leaving a deep, long mark on the ground beneath him. Struggling to keep his grip, he let out a loud shout, “Hurry! I can’t hold on much longer!”

With a quick flip, Han Kexin leapt over Jin Shi and struck the beating heart of the monster with the toxic claw on her right hand. However, as the purple blade of her claw made contact with the demon’s heart, a tree root suddenly impaled her from behind. The attack left Han Kexin severely wounded and frozen in place. Despite the injuries, the heart that she had torn open with her poisonous claws pulsed with life and broke free from the surrounding tissues. It transformed into a burst of light and swiftly shot out from the demon’s body, fleeing away.

As soon as the dryad’s heart was removed from its body, the roots of the tree collapsed lifelessly. The dryad’s heart was undeniably intelligent, and in the current state of panic, it dared not approach Xiao Yu, who was the strongest. As a result, it had no choice but to focus on breaking through by targeting Wang Chao, who appeared to be the weakest of the group.

Obviously, the dryad underestimated Wang Chao’s fighting power.

In a berserk state, Wang Chao’s speed skyrocketed and doubled, and he swung his mace with tremendous force towards the flying heart dryad. The heart, which had already been severely injured by Han Kexin’s toxic claws, shattered under the impact of Wang Chao’s strike, leaving only a small half remaining. The damaged heart soared into the sky, accompanied by a steady stream of blood gushing out.

Already for this sake, is there any reason to let it escape?

Xiao Yu gathered flames in his hand and hurled it upwards, resembling a magnificent display of fireworks bursting into the sky. The shattered heart of the dryad was completely engulfed by the blazing flames, which caused hot air waves to sweep across the area, stirring up dust all over the ground. Before long, five to six balls of light descended from the sky, and three strands of essence split and got absorbed by Xiao Yu, Han Kexin, and Wang Chao, respectively.

Xiao Yu had dealt the dryad a fatal blow, which resulted in him receiving the most energy from the fallen enemy. The energy content was immense, not inferior to that of a monster in the middle stage of the first order. And Xiao Yu’s strength had a slight increase

.

After Wang Chao and Han Kexin absorbed the essence of the dryad, they both advanced!

A few minutes later, the two broke out of their cocoon.

Han Kexin’s appearance had undergone some changes, but not significant ones. Her long pink hair had grown down to her waist, and her facial features had become more refined and beautiful. Despite these changes, the coquettish expression between her brows remained unchanged. However, there was a new air of arrogance about her, as if she were a high-empress looking down upon all the sentient beings in the world.

Wang Chao was consumed by an overwhelming sense of murderous intent, making him appear as if an unmatched deity of death had descended upon the world. His skin seemed to liquefy as a layer of blood-red condensed on the surface, enveloping his entire body. The intensity of his aura was so great that he appeared like a vicious demon god, striking fear into the hearts of all who gazed upon him.