Hearing the mission notification chime, Zhang Yuanqing felt a sudden sense of enlightenment. The five-hour time limit had been meant for the Spirit Realm walkers to hurry up, decipher the plot of the outer zone, and fulfill the conditions to enter the central forest.
Past five hours, the outer trial's boss would unleash a slaughter upon them.
"I—I..." Asano Ryo's little face was pale. "I killed a tree demon earlier... Will the Tree King hunt me down?"
Peony Fairy breathed a sigh of relief. "Good thing I haven't killed any tree demons... Don't worry too much. You only killed one. If the Tree King wants revenge, it wouldn't get around to you first anyway."
Hardly had her voice fallen when the three of them heard a sharp shriek, like the deafening roar of a launching missile—shrill and piercing.
"Watch out!"
Sensing danger, Peony Fairy gave a sharp cry of warning while swinging both arms.
The lush foliage above their heads rustled violently, swelling in a frenzy of growth as interlocking branches wove together to form a verdant barrier.
Yet in the very next instant, the barrier was whipped into splinters, broken boughs and pulverized leaves spraying in all directions.
A massive afterimage burst through the debris, viciously lashing toward Asano Ryo.
Peony Fairy's barrier had bought the girl precious time; she lunged sideways, tumbling in continuous rolls.
*Bang!*
A deep trench was gouged where she had just stood.
Zhang Yuanqing focused his gaze. The thing slamming into the ground was a vine as thick as a water vat, bristling with dense clusters of green leaves. Its tip was sharp as a barb, while its base stretched up toward the sky, extending beyond the limits of sight.
Zhang Yuanqing followed the vine upward with his eyes until the thick canopy blocked his view.
*A towering tree. A colossal tree of unimaginable height...* He withdrew his gaze and made his assessment.
Like a tentacle or a giant serpent, the vine writhed and coiled sinuously, lifting its barbed tip before whipping toward Asano Ryo once more.
Before the Japanese girl could even scramble to her feet, she shoved against the earth with both hands and leaped again, diving behind a large tree. A loud snap reached her ears along with a gale that threw her hair into disarray.
The tree, half a meter in diameter, was snapped clean in half by the vine.
*The Tree King's combat power is standard Saint-level. Every single lash of its vines equates to an attack from a Level 4 Saint. For Level 3 walkers, this is an absolute nightmare...*
*The Wood Demon profession has powerful regenerative abilities, and on vines this thick, blades won't do much. Fire is needed...*
Just as Zhang Yuanqing was debating whether to summon his Yinyang Robe to help Asano Ryo, an even worse scene unfolded.
All around the trio, slumbering tree demons awakened one by one. Ugly human faces pushed out from their trunks. Summoned by the Tree King, they joined this league of avengers.
"Eat you... eat you..."
Countless mutterings intertwined.
Stout roots burst through the soft, muddy ground, while vines dangling between the branches began squirming like tentacles.
"They've gone completely mad!" Peony Fairy's pretty face turned grim.
As a Wood Demon, plants in her eyes were no different from humans; she could communicate with them without barrier and sense their emotions. Right now, however, she had lost that ability.
These tree demons were not her kin—just as humans and zombies were not kin, impossible to reason with.
When zombies saw humans, they would only howl and pounce.
The tree demons before them were doing exactly that.
*No choice then. Setting the mountain on fire is the only way...* Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to summon the Yinyang Robe and make a big move, he caught sight out of the corner of his eye of Asano Ryo, standing several yards away in the encirclement of tree demons, calmly rising to her feet.
Her right hand gripping the hilt traced a slow upward semicircle, holding the Ice Spirit Blade high overhead.
"Frost Descent!"
As she softly uttered the incantation, the blade, covered in crystalline frost patterns, crackled with a layer of freezing ice, radiating a chill visible to the naked eye.
At the same time, Asano Ryo's skin took on an ethereal ice-blue hue. Her long hair cascading down her back lifted without any wind, strands fanning out, swirling with starlike ice crystals.
Her pure face was cold and detached, resembling the legendary, aloof and beautiful Yuki-onna.
Flipping her wrist, Asano Ryo thrust the Ice Spirit Blade downward into the ground before her.
The tip pierced the soil, and freezing air surged outward in all directions, icing over everything in its path. Ground, trunks, treetops... all were sealed beneath a layer of ice.
In an instant, the sweltering tropical rainforest seemed transformed into a polar wasteland, where a single breath of air would inflict permanent lung damage on an ordinary human.
Zhang Yuanqing and Peony Fairy retreated in haste, dodging the sheets of ice spreading toward their feet.
They exchanged a glance, both seeing astonishment in the other's eyes. Neither had expected that this Japanese girl, who had allowed herself to be pushed around the entire way, could unleash such terrifying power.
The massive vine from the Tree King chopped down from on high, yet before it could even touch Asano Ryo, thick, hardened shells of ice condensed over it.
*Crack!*
The frozen front section of the vine fractured and shattered heavily against the ice-encrusted ground.
*Whoosh—*
As if stinging with pain, the colossal vine from the sky snapped backward, retreating into the heavens.
"Huff... huff..."
Asano Ryo collapsed onto her rear, panting in utter exhaustion.
Zhang Yuanqing gave her a deep look, withdrew his gaze, and ordered his yin corpse Blood Rose to guard his physical body. Then he activated Astral Travel. His spirit body detached from the flesh, floating upward until it burst through the dense canopy layer.
His field of view broadened instantly.
He saw the blood-red setting sun, saw the gorgeous golden-crimson sunset glow, and simultaneously saw a colossal tree.
Its height defied estimation, like the World Tree of legend connecting to the celestial court. Its canopy was like rolling clouds, its boughs spreading outward for dozens of li on either side.
Compared to it, the tropical rainforest below seemed like mere saplings and weeds under an ancient giant.
At this moment, from the cloud-like canopy, vine after vine dangled down, agile as tentacles, whipping down across every corner of the primeval forest to punish the ants who dared harm its kin.
The canopy beside Zhang Yuanqing rustled. He turned to look and saw Peony Fairy scrambling nimbly upward, even better at climbing trees than a monkey.
She poked out of the canopy, unsteadily treading atop slender branches, yet somehow maintaining a delicate balance.
Peony Fairy looked up at the sky as if struck by lightning.
"Heavens..."
The plump figure of the Wood Demon young matron trembled faintly, as if confronted by a natural predator.
Not daring to look any longer, she dropped down with a pallid face, returning to the ground.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing swooped down and returned to his body.
"Too terrifying... That tree is definitely Saint-level. It's unbeatable!" Peony Fairy's face remained ghastly pale.
Zhang Yuanqing walked over to Asano Ryo and asked in a low voice, "How many times can you use that move from earlier?"
Kneeling on the sheet of ice, her small face drained of color and her eyes dim with exhaustion, Asano Ryo said, "Only three times a day, with a two-hour cooldown each time. The cost is that for half an hour afterward, my body becomes weakened and my joints stiffen."
With that, she panicked and added, "There's a countdown on my panel—ten minutes. That's when the tree demon will attack me next. I... I definitely won't survive the next attack."
*She has a trump card this strong. Which means before, when she was besieged by three evil profession walkers and surrounded by tree demons, being so pitiful and desperate was all an act?*
*She played the part so convincingly. Women really are born actresses. Then again, as a foreigner daring to enter a killing trial, she naturally had one or two trump cards...*
Likely, had he not shown up back then, Asano Ryo would have used Frost Descent to resolve the crisis. But with him there, she had started playing pitiful and weak, begging for mercy at full throttle to avoid burning her trump card unless necessary.
Later, once she realized he was a decent person, she had grown even more willing to "endure humiliation," serving as his guide dog while biding her time.
Zhang Yuanqing realized that this "partner of justice" wasn't quite so pure and righteous after all.
To be precise, she wasn't some naive, sweet fool—she had a sly side.
Peony Fairy comforted her: "Wang Tai and I will do our best to help you."
Among the orthodox professions, good people still made up the majority.
No sooner had she comforted the Japanese girl than she saw Wang Tai cast her a cold look. "Have you killed any monkeys?"
Peony Fairy froze, then realized what he meant. Her expression stiffened slightly. "I killed one... They chased me relentlessly and pushed me into a corner... You mean... you mean..."
Zhang Yuanqing said in a heavy voice, "Since the Tree King avenges its kin, why wouldn't the Monkey King? As one of the bosses in this outer trial, don't you think the Monkey King has been too docile? Up until now, only the monkey troops have been chasing walkers. Why hasn't the king made a move? Just look at the Tree King and you'll understand."
*After the Tree King, the one seeking vengeance might be the Monkey King...* Peony Fairy frowned. "We must enter the central forest before the Monkey King's revenge begins."
The Tree King was terrifying enough; how could the Monkey King be much worse? Even if it fell short of the Tree King, one couldn't forget the vast hordes of monkeys throughout the outer zone.
Her eyes darted as though struck by an idea, and she whispered, "We still have time. The Tree King won't target the two of us, but others won't be so lucky. Perhaps this is a good opportunity to eliminate the evil professions."
Zhang Yuanqing couldn't feel happy about this in the slightest. Exhaling a breath, he said, "While eliminating the evil professions, it will also purge the orthodox ones. Especially those near the top of the leaderboard—they're guaranteed targets for the Tree King's retribution. Before the Monkey King's vengeance arrives, let's figure out a way into the central forest.
"The longer this drags on, the more people will die."
With that, Zhang Yuanqing opened the leaderboard and found the count had already dropped sharply to 103. In just a few minutes, seventeen Spirit Realm walkers had died.
Anyone who had scored points by slaying tree demons was in mortal danger.
Including acquaintances like Jiang Jingwei and Yuan Ting.
Guan Ya's points had risen as well. Zhang Yuanqing wasn't sure whether she had gotten them by slaying tree demons, monkeys, or evil walkers. But he didn't dare gamble.
Descending vines whipped across every area of the primeval forest. Spirit Realm walkers were scattered through each one, and casualties climbed continuously.
Looking at Abalone Through a Tube, an Earth Monster, sprinted through the dense jungle. His gait was far from light; every step gouged deep footprints into the ground.
He was like a wild bull rampaging through the forest.
Not long ago, he had still been spectating the battle between Zhao Chenghuang and I Alone Am Supreme, waiting for a chance to snipe an advantage.
Yet before a victor could be decided, the Tree King's vengeance had arrived.
The three factions fell into instant chaos, all suffering serious injuries under the Tree King's lashing vines.
After a quick discussion, the three sides concluded that rather than being picked off one by one and perishing in the Spirit Realm, it would be far better to rally everyone and topple the boss together.
Looking at Abalone Through a Tube, blessed with boundless stamina, had been assigned the glorious mission of gathering the walkers.
*Smack!*
A vine crashed down from above, landing a solid strike across Looking at Abalone Through a Tube's body.
With a muffled groan, he flew over a dozen meters, bounced back onto his feet upon landing, and kept right on running.
A vine lash capable of whipping a Scout to death caused him only slight internal injuries—a surge of churned blood and qi—along with a wave of pain.
A few minutes later, following the commotion, Looking at Abalone Through a Tube reached the nearest "battlefield." The scene was gruesome: five or six mutilated corpses lay on the soft, muddy ground.
Internal organs were spilled everywhere.
All of them had been smashed to pieces by the vines.
*A-Yi, Nothing Is Taboo...* Looking at Abalone Through a Tube halted abruptly, eyeing the people in the clearing with vigilance.
The group noticed him as well. The youth at their head looked over expressionlessly, his eyes hollow like a doll's.
Meanwhile, the young man dressed in baggy shorts and flip-flops eyed him up and down before saying, "A goofy, honest-looking face... looks kind of familiar. Oh, you're Looking at Abalone Through a Tube, the fellow ranked sixth on the rogue list."
*You're the damn goofy one.* Looking at Abalone Through a Tube said in a deep voice, "I represent Zhao Chenghuang and I Alone Am Supreme. I'm here to rally Spirit Realm walkers to fight the Tree King together. Everyone, put aside faction conflict for now and raid the boss together. This is our only way out."
Nothing Is Taboo pondered for a few seconds. "Indeed, there's no reason to refuse."
Looking at Abalone Through a Tube relaxed slightly, a look of delight crossing his face as he said, "Then rendezvous beneath the tree! I'll keep rounding up people."
With that, he departed at once.
"You folks, head toward the Tree King right away! Zhao Chenghuang and A-Yi are gathering all Spirit Realm walkers to take down the boss."
"Who are you, and why should we believe you?"
"You don't have a choice. Better to take a desperate gamble with everyone else than get whipped to death by the Tree King here. Even if you don't go, the Tree King will attack you all the same."
"Is it really Zhao Chenghuang and A-Yi calling for this?"
"Are you Human Nature Is Inherently Evil, the Illusionist ranked fourth on the Five Elements Alliance bounty list? A-Yi and Zhao Chenghuang are calling everyone to take down the boss. Please dispel your illusions and lay down faction hostilities."
"All Under Heaven Is White and Justice Lies in the Blade, right? A-Yi, Zhao Chenghuang, and Human Nature Is Inherently Evil have already gone to hunt the Tree King. They sent me to gather you."
"Dual blades... Are you Dropout Fish? Perfect. Head beneath the Tree King immediately. I've already rallied everyone to hunt the boss together."
"You folks are from the Five Elements Alliance? Perfect. Zhao Chenghuang told me to gather you beneath the Tree King to rendezvous and take down the boss together."
"Have you seen Yuanshi Tianzun?" a little red-haired girl asked.
"Nope. That guy's like he dropped dead. If he weren't still on the leaderboard, I'd suspect he died—hey, little girl, why're you throwing hands out of nowhere? So bad-tempered at such a young age!"
"You two, rendezvous beneath the Tree King immediately! On behalf of Zhao Chenghuang and A-Yi, I'm rallying everyone to raid the boss."
"Not interested!"
"What's your name?"
"World Returns to Fire. By the way, have you seen Yuanshi Tianzun?"
"Dead!"
And so, through the persistent efforts of Looking at Abalone Through a Tube, rogue cultivators, official faction members, evil faction members, and a handful of foreign Spirit Realm walkers were gathered one after another.
They made their way in streams toward the Tree King's location, preparing to combine their strength and raid the boss.
Aside from the banner of Zhao Chenghuang and A-Yi indeed carrying weight, the main reason the walkers responded so readily was that they had no other choice.
The Tree King's attacks were relentless. Although fending off an assault granted a brief respite, it treated the symptom, not the cause.
Furthermore, bringing down the boss would undoubtedly yield a massive points reward. Since someone was organizing it, and top Transcendent-stage figures like Zhao Chenghuang and A-Yi were participating, there truly was no reason to decline.
Tone-Deaf had met up with World Returns to Fire very early on. On his advice, Tone-Deaf hadn't hunted tree demons for points and had strictly obeyed the precautions, thereby escaping the Tree King's grudge.
"Why did you turn down that guy's invitation? Taking down the boss should yield quite a few points," Tone-Deaf asked, puzzled.
"That's a dead end!" World Returns to Fire snorted. "After taking down the Tree King, next comes the Monkey King. If we do it that way, by the time the outer zone's dangers are handled, at least half the people will be dead. Yet in reality, we haven't even figured out this trial's storyline."
Tone-Deaf furrowed his brows.
World Returns to Fire continued, "The proper way is to figure out the method to enter the central forest. Based on the difficulty this trial has displayed, I believe whoever enters the central forest first will receive a massive windfall of points."
Tone-Deaf came to an understanding. "Do you have an idea?"
World Returns to Fire shook his head. "The 'precautions' we've gathered are limited. At most, we can deduce that there are contradictions between the signposts. But that Yuanshi Tianzun fellow is a Night Walker—he can kill and question spirits. If nothing unexpected happened, that's exactly what he's doing right now."
Speaking up to this point, World Returns to Fire's tone carried a hint of frustration.
He had already grasped the proper way to play this trial, but constrained by his lack of ability (he couldn't devour spirits), he couldn't put it into practice.
In a clearing strewn with trenches and craters, Zhang Yuanqing stood before several corpses, the pitch-black darkness gradually receding from his eye sockets.
Through the spirit questioning just now, he had obtained yet another brand-new precaution:
[Monkeys are the guardians of the forest. They live in thickets filled with wild fruits; please do not disturb them.]
*I think I know how to enter the second stage...* Combining this with previous information, Zhang Yuanqing formed a hypothesis in his mind.
Meanwhile, enduring the onslaught of vines, the Spirit Realm walkers of both factions were arriving at the Tree King's domain after great hardship.
Chapter 250