When the Tree Demon unleashed its full power, the entire forest cowered in fear.
Its thirty-foot-tall body stretched out completely, and countless roots surged out from the ground like angry dragons.
Each one was as thick as a stone pillar, its surface shimmering with a divine, ethereal green light.
Those lights contained some ancient power, the life force accumulated over countless years by devouring countless living beings.
It was so intense that even the air became viscous, and even the light distorted around it.
An aura belonging to the Pseudo-Eighth Tier, and even faintly touching upon a higher level, poured out in all directions like a vast ocean.
"You call me arrogant? Hahaha, that's the best joke I've ever heard!"
"You have no idea what kind of being I am." The Tree Demon continued to laugh arrogantly, "I am a special life form that has lived for thousands of years. Before me, what difference is there between you humans and insects? What difference is there between you and dust? Making you my servant is an honor for you."
Since you don't know what's good for you, then become nourishment for my roots.
Once the words were spoken, there was no more reservation.
Within a radius of several miles, the earth was torn open like a piece of paper, and countless roots broke through the soil, covering the sky and the earth.
That could no longer be called an attack; it was the entire land coming to life.
Beneath every inch of soil lies a deadly trap, and on every vine hangs an aura powerful enough to strangle all life.
The remaining evolved beings on the edge of the battlefield had weak legs, and some had already collapsed to the ground, too weak to even run away.
The live stream camera shook violently, making countless viewers feel breathless even through their screens.
Chen Du stood at the eye of the storm, his face expressionless.
He raised his hand, Spirit Martial Realm Divine Status, now in his palm, resembled a shrunken sun.
Everyone's eyes were instinctively drawn to that ball of light!
The light was not dazzling, yet it inspired an indescribable awe in all who saw it.
It was so magnificent, as if he were holding the weight of the entire world in his hands.
Then, the light merged into his palm.
The next second! He was completely engulfed by endless radiance.
Unlike the Tree Demon's eerie green aura, this radiance was vast and magnificent, inspiring no resistance whatsoever.
Chen Du's hair flew in the light, each strand looking as if it were ignited by golden flames.
His eyes were like two stars fallen from the Milky Way, deep and cold, carrying an otherworldly majesty.
Behind him, countless patterns spread out from the void, which were the projection of the power of his Divine Status in the mortal world.
Every line is like a law, every ray of light is like a mantra.
He stood there, no longer a "person," but some kind of being on a higher level!
Like a deity in the heavens, like a deity walking among humans, like a deity descending to judgment.
His existence,
The Tree Demon's overwhelming aura dimmed instantly.
The ravaged forest suddenly fell silent.
All the creatures kneeling on the ground held their breath.
The Tree Demon was immediately terrified, never expecting that Chen Du would unleash such powerful strength.
"Damn it! You actually possess Divine Status!"
But now, the Tree Demon is in a bind, and countless roots, like ten thousand dragons emerging from the abyss, are strangling him, blotting out the sky.
Chen Du neither dodged nor evaded, but simply threw a punch.
When he threw that punch, everyone saw a blazing sun explode on his fist, crashing into the overwhelming green tide with the most savage force.
The vines shattered inch by inch, and life energy burst forth like fireflies in summer, causing the entire earth to sink downwards from the force of the punch.
The Tree Demon let out a miserable scream, a sound so shrill it sounded like something being uprooted from the ground.
It desperately channeled its life force, unleashing a frenzied surge of eerie green light in an attempt to neutralize Chen Du's punch.
But the power of the Divine Status was overwhelming. The light and flames spreading from Chen Du's fist peak were like a celestial river bursting its banks, rushing into the Tree Demon's body. Wherever it passed, life was cut off and the patterns collapsed.
The Tree Demon's struggle lasted less than a moment before its massive body, like an ancient tree consumed by heavenly fire, shattered from the inside out, transforming into countless green specks of light that scattered across the earth.
Chen Du withdrew his fist and stepped into the rain of light.
The divine radiance emanating from him had not yet dissipated, casting a holy light on half the sky.
He lowered his head, gazing at the spot where the Tree Demon had vanished, his eyes indifferent, revealing neither joy nor sorrow.
That scene was strikingly similar to the descriptions in ancient texts of gods descending to earth to judge demons.
In the live stream, the comments were no longer frenzied, but rather a burst of fervor after a collective silence.
"God... this is God!"
"Did I just see God...?"
"How could a human possess such power? Is he even human?!"
My mom asked me why I was kneeling while looking at my phone.
"The oppressive aura is so strong it's suffocating even through the screen; the people at the scene must be scared to death."
"The Ancient Gods are nothing compared to him! This is the true god!"
"From this day forward, I believe."
Chen Du ignored those stares. He turned and walked away into the distance.
The light gradually faded, and night fell once more.
But the shock he left to the world is like a brand, deeply imprinted in the hearts of everyone who witnessed that scene.
All major powers have fallen silent.
At the headquarters of the Ancient Saint Group, the executives, who were initially furious at the instant defeat of the Ancient God, fell silent.
They had just been discussing how to find out Chen Du's background, but when the Tree Demon descended with the appearance of Pseudo-Eighth Tier being, and when Chen Du killed it with a single punch like a god descending to earth, everyone knew that this was no longer someone they could try to take advantage of.
The group's decision-makers stared at the screen in silence, some oblivious to the fact that their cigars had burned their fingers.
Inside a nearby equipment vehicle, a technician reported in a trembling voice, "The peak energy... can no longer be calculated using existing models."
Preliminary estimates suggest it's at least at the Seventh-Tier Peak Stage, no, possibly exceeding the Eighth Stage. We... cannot assess it.
Everyone present looked at each other, and no one dared to speak.
They knew that such power was beyond the scope of all currently known weapons and evolved human capabilities!
At the Magic City Branch, Meng Mingyuan stared at the live stream on his phone screen and suddenly jumped up from his chair.
He watched the replay three times, his heart pounding faster with each viewing, until finally he grabbed the communicator and rushed toward the director's office.
As soon as he entered, his voice trembled. "Director Qin! Did you see the live stream? It's him! It's definitely him! The lone evolver I documented in the mountains! He's even stronger now, stronger than... like a god!"
Since the other party didn't speak, an extremely excited Meng Mingyuan was still standing in Qin Wanghai's office, his eyes still fixed on his phone screen, replaying that scene over and over again.
He watched the moment Chen Du was enveloped in radiance, shattering the Tree Demon with a single punch like a god descending to earth, no less than ten times. The more he watched, the deeper the shock in his heart became.
Last time in the mutated forest, he only thought that the other party was an absurdly powerful lone evolver, just over the Third Tier, with a frighteningly calm fighting style.
Later, during the Black-Feathered Bird attack in Magic City, the opponent was already able to kill a Third Tier evolved beast with a single sword strike.
Meng Mingyuan immediately felt that this person's growth rate was simply outrageous.
But now, how long has it been? He can already kill a Peak Stage Third Tier Ancient God with a single punch, and then blast Tree Demon that no evolved being could withstand a single blow with another punch!
That was a monster that instilled despair in all evolved beings; its aura was so oppressive it could suffocate anyone who looked through the screen.
But in front of this person, the Tree Demon was like a piece of paper, easily torn to shreds.
"This is not the growth rate that an evolved being should have..." Meng Mingyuan murmured, as if speaking to Qin Wanghai, but also as if talking to himself, "This is not an increase in strength, this is a dimensional attack, no, it's simply cheating, it's completely unreasonable."
He became more and more agitated as he spoke, "Director Qin, I remember it very clearly. The first time I documented him in the mountains, I wrote 'Extremely dangerous, conflict not recommended, maintain observation.' Looking back now, I was so naive. What's there to observe about someone of that level? We don't even have the qualifications to observe them."
Qin Wanghai didn't interrupt him. "Mingyuan, you're lucky to have discovered such an extraordinary person."
Meng Mingyuan took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind. He stood up straight and reported earnestly, "Director Qin, I will write down what happened today, every single detail. This person will become even stronger in the future, stronger than we can even imagine."
He saved my life. When his file is written in the future, I am the most qualified person to do so. I must remember it well, remember every time he appeared and every time he became stronger.
Director Qin slowly removed his glasses and said in a low voice, "Retrieve all the previous observation records about him and set them to top secret. Also, if you encounter him in the future, do not alert him."
He walked to the window, his voice so low it was almost a whisper to himself, "This era is about to produce a true god."