“Yao Huo, save me!”
Xu Mu cried out for help, for the Celestial Tree was about to unleash its third attack. The remaining methods to evade such attacks, such as the Gen formation, came at too great a cost, and he hadn't mastered them well enough to guarantee their effectiveness.
Using them would risk his very existence!
“Me?”
Yao Huo heard Xu Mu’s plea and saw him running towards him. He froze on the spot.
Though he was a powerhouse on the World Rankings, he was not a Human King.
Each of these Celestial Trees was a Human King. Even with full preparation, he had only intended to contend with one of the weaker Celestial Trees.
But the one pursuing Xu Mu was the leader among them.
The disparity between them was so vast that even a hundred more like him couldn’t bridge the gap.
Yet, Xu Mu was asking him to save him.
Yao Huo shook his head, unwilling to get involved. He simply couldn’t!
However, Xu Mu’s cries had already attracted the Celestial Tree’s attention. It likely perceived the flame-clad human in the sky as a greater threat, and the branch descending towards Xu Mu veered towards Yao Huo instead.
Yao Huo was horrified. Simultaneously, he raised the hands of his Dharma Idol, manifesting countless flames to clash with the descending branch.
*Boom!*
The collision reverberated with terrifying force, the surging airwaves seeming to bring the entire space to a standstill.
*Pfft!*
Though the clash appeared evenly matched, with Yao Huo’s flames even scorching the Celestial Tree, he soon spat out a mouthful of blood.
All the Domain Lords present, including Daoist Jiu Xian, were struck with shock.
Did even the mighty Yao Huo of the Demon Extermination Division have to pay such a price to block a casual attack from a Celestial Tree?
“Esteemed elders, save me!”
Seeing that his tactic had worked, Xu Mu immediately changed direction, darting towards the other Domain Lords while still shouting for help in other directions.
The onlookers were stunned at first, then plunged into a state of utter panic. They saw that the Celestial Tree was clearly enraged, its colossal, sky-piercing form now charging towards them!
“Who are you calling an elder? I don’t know you!”
“Don’t come near me!”
“The Celestial Tree is here, run!”
Xu Mu’s arrival had thrown the scene into chaos. Fearing they would suffer the same fate as Yao Huo, being targeted by the Celestial Tree, they knew their only option was death!
Thus, all the Domain Lords unleashed their abilities and fled in a panic.
Xu Mu, all the while, sensed the danger behind him and deliberately ran towards the crowds, attempting to re-attract the Celestial Tree’s attention.
But the Celestial Tree was no fool; it realized it had been tricked and accelerated its pursuit with even greater fury. Countless tentacle-like roots extended towards Xu Mu, a dense, unavoidable swarm.
*Crack! Crack!*
Seeing this, Xu Mu could only rely on the wind and use his incomparably sharp demonic sword to create a net of blades before him, severing the roots and desperately buying time.
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
The Celestial Tree leader’s footsteps drew closer. Its leaves swayed wildly, and the entire space suddenly shifted from dimness to a vibrant emerald green.
An ancient, surging aura permeated the air, instilling fear. Its root system swelled several times over, appearing to gain sentience. With astonishing speed, it struck Xu Mu in an instant.
“This is the Celestial Tree’s domain!”
Xu Mu was shocked, his eyes wide with disbelief. His body was ensnared by countless roots and tendrils of the Celestial Tree, and no matter how he struggled, he couldn’t escape. The constricting force grew tighter, but his bones and heart were too resilient, allowing him to hold on for the moment.
“It’s over!”
Daoist Jiu Xian, having just freed himself, looked back and saw Xu Mu captured by the Celestial Tree. His heart grew cold.
Even if he could momentarily distract the Celestial Tree, he couldn’t rescue Xu Mu. Any rash intervention would likely result in him joining the captured victim on the roots soon enough.
Qiong Qi, who could manipulate spatial arts, merely bristled, daring not to intervene. They were within the domain of a Human King, a space that had forged its own realm.
If he were to carelessly traverse it, he might be lost in the turbulence, unable to navigate the spatial Dao and perish!
“I didn’t expect this outcome for him.”
The other Domain Lords sighed, their words laced with both pity and mockery.
They hadn’t anticipated that Xu Mu, this peerless genius of the Demon Extermination Division, the one who harbored so many secrets, would die in such a manner.
“No matter how much he struggled, he’s finally going to die now!”
As the Celestial Tree lumbered towards Xu Mu, appearing poised to crush him to death with its immense weight, the old ancestor of the Wang family’s face contorted into a sinister grin.
With the Celestial Tree before him and Xu Mu trapped in a desperate predicament, there was nothing he could do to change his fate.
Unless, he could make the Celestial Tree willingly stop.
But that was impossible!
“You need to find a way to pull its divine soul into your Sea of Consciousness. That is the only place you have a chance to defeat the Celestial Tree!”
Charles’s voice echoed in Xu Mu’s mind. Xu Mu’s face was already flushed red from the Celestial Tree’s roots as he replied mentally, “It’s a Human King-level being. If it’s not willing, how can I pull it into my Sea of Consciousness?”
Charles roared in anger, “You can’t force it, so make it willing! Do you understand the concept of provocation? Did I teach you for nothing?!”
Xu Mu gazed at the Celestial Tree inches away, his mind suddenly ablaze.
He understood Charles’s meaning. Without hesitation, he opened the path to his Sea of Consciousness, his divine soul surging forth. Just as before when establishing a connection, he conveyed his intentions to the Celestial Tree.
Xu Mu provocatively declared:
“You’ve lived for so many years, and though I’m not as tall or as tough as you, in my eyes, that’s just a facade – strong on the outside, weak within!”
“Little Celestial Tree, do you dare enter my Sea of Consciousness and spar with me?!”
Upon sensing Xu Mu’s provocation, the Celestial Tree leader’s spiritual sense became wary, not wanting to stir up more trouble. However, due to its inherent legacy, it felt an undeniable urge from its core not to refuse such a connection request.
Furthermore, the Celestial Tree leader didn’t perceive any danger within this human’s Sea of Consciousness.
Its divine soul was as powerful as its physical body, so even entering it should yield the same result.
Thus, with immense pressure, it surged into Xu Mu’s Sea of Consciousness.
“Human, come out and accept your punishment!”
Even in its divine soul form, the Celestial Tree spirit’s body remained impossibly vast. It stood in the bottomless ocean, its form only submerged by seventy percent.
With confidence and rage, it roared, summoning Xu Mu, who was hiding, to his death.
But the only response it received was a wave that seemed capable of overturning the world.
“It is you who should accept punishment, fool!”