The tiny black dot rapidly grew larger to the naked eye, and in just a few breaths, it covered the entire arm.
Concurrently, Number Three’s face contorted in pain, cold sweat beading and dripping from his forehead.
Despite this, Number Three did not withdraw his hand, gritting his teeth fiercely to suppress any sound.
I had no idea what was happening, but I had to remain absolutely calm.
"Don't worry, don't be afraid, I'm here!" I said.
The Shepherd God Power within me surged out, enveloping Number Three's entire arm.
Then, it began to compress the black substance with ferocious intensity.
"Ah!" Number Three cried out in agony.
My own expression grew grimmer. This was the first time I had encountered such a situation, and I had no idea what was happening.
A pang of regret suddenly struck me. I should have thoroughly understood things before acting. Now, using Number Three as a test subject, he must be in immense pain.
However, at this point, there was no turning back.
I gritted my teeth and accelerated my efforts.
The black, tattoo-like substance was aggressively squeezed by me. Finally, after about ten minutes, it was compressed back into a black dot, just as it had been before.
Lin Chun watched from the side, afraid to speak, lest he disturb me.
Number Three's expression had eased by now, appearing less pained, but a flicker of fear was evident in his eyes.
It was clear the recent agony had left him shaken.
"What comes next might be quite dangerous, so be aware..." I said, a daring decision forming in my mind. "And it might hurt quite a bit..."
"Brother Ye... I'm... I'm okay..." Number Three stammered, his voice trembling.
I gripped the short sword in my hand, my gaze fixed on the black dot on his arm.
"Brother Ye, are you going to cut off my hand?" Number Three asked, clearly apprehensive.
"Don't worry, I won't do anything so rash!" I said sternly, then turned to Lin Chun. "Get him something to bite on!"
Lin Chun searched for a moment and found a deer leg, which he shoved into Number Three's mouth.
Number Three bit down without hesitation, his words muffled. "Brother Ye, go ahead!"
I aimed at the black spot. With a slight flick of the short sword, I pricked Number Three's skin. Then, with a forceful thrust, I pried the black dot out of the flesh.
Number Three's face contorted instantly.
This pain was different from the initial prick; it felt as if something far more significant was being torn away.
But I couldn't afford to hesitate. The moment the black dot emerged, I immediately enveloped it with Shepherd God Power.
"Get him out of here!" I shouted.
Lin Chun was quick, grabbing Number Three and pulling him away.
Even within the embrace of the Shepherd God Power, the black dot could be seen writhing ferociously, as if it possessed a life of its own.
Moreover, I could sense a terrifying power contained within it.
I channeled the Shepherd God Power into my eyes and stared intently at the black dot.
As I saw it clearly, my face changed slightly.
Although it was only the size of a needle tip, I could clearly discern that this appeared to be a fragment of the Tree of Life!
I felt that this substance was extremely dangerous. I immediately sealed it with Shepherd God Power and then, with all my might, hurled it towards the sea.
Lin Chun, though unsure of what I had thrown, followed its trajectory with his gaze.
Several hundred meters away, a faint ripple emanated.
The next instant...
"Boom!"
A terrifying explosion erupted, the water surface forced down by the immense pressure into a pit some ten meters deep.
Then, water surged upwards, splashing more than ten meters high.
Countless droplets of mist, carried by the wind and waves, spread outwards. Ripples appeared on the sea, spreading in concentric circles.
Witnessing the power of the explosion, my face paled dramatically.
This thing's detonation had produced a force even greater than a medium-sized bomb.
If this had exploded in front of me, I wouldn't have been confident of completely withstanding its impact.
Seeing the commotion, Lin Chun stiffly turned his head to look at me, his eyes filled with shock. "Brother Lu... you just..."
"It's fine..." I smiled. This was indeed difficult to explain.
A needle-sized fragment of the Tree of Life could generate such terrifying power.
What would happen if a segment of the Tree of Life exploded?
I dared not think about it.
Next, I turned my gaze to Number Three. His face was extremely pale. Seeing my look, he managed a strained smile. "Brother Ye... I'm okay..."