Thorn Tree Sea, Primordial Tree

Mu Yuan's target was Sunset Forest.

According to exploration records preserved by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect through the generations, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast of the plant type had once been discovered in a hidden area of Sunset Forest.

Although much time had passed since that exploration was recorded, Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts possessed extremely long lifespans. This amount of time was nothing to them.

Mu Yuan intended to hunt this Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and use it as his sixth soul ring.

In the world of Soul Beasts, rank distinctions were extremely clear. Each had its own territory, and even Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were no exception. Unless something unexpected had happened, that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast should still be within the recorded area.

Following the location described in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect records he had read before, Mu Yuan made his way there. He inevitably encountered some Soul Beasts blocking his path, but he had the Wood Dragon drive them away or kill them.

Sunset Forest was much smaller than Star Dou Great Forest. After passing through the outer forest and the mixed zone, Mu Yuan soon approached the recorded location.

Since the records were from a long time ago, the passage of time had changed all the landmarks in the forest. The exact location could no longer be found, leaving only a general area.

However, once Mu Yuan arrived in that general area, he immediately spotted where the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was hiding.

There was no other reason—it was simply too obvious.

It was a vast region clearly distinct from the rest of the forest.

Within this area, the grass, shrubs, and trees were all withered and decayed. It was as though something had forcibly stolen away their vitality, and even the air here had lost its liveliness.

With the Wood Dragon circling around him, Mu Yuan cautiously stepped into the area and proceeded inward.

Suddenly, a row of wooden spikes formed from trees rose beneath Mu Yuan's feet and stabbed toward him.

Mu Yuan's gaze sharpened. The Wood Dragon instantly counterattacked at even greater speed, its tough body directly crushing all the Wood Thorns that had grown from underground.

"Hm?" An aged voice came from deeper within.

Immediately afterward, the previously dead region seemed to suddenly come alive. Countless tree roots and Wood Vines surged forth from every direction, attacking Mu Yuan.

Mu Yuan remained calm. Bringing his hands together, he unleashed even more powerful Soul Power from within his body. More and larger trees grew forth like a landslide and tsunami, blocking the enemy's attacks under Mu Yuan's command.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Mu Yuan controlled the Wood Dragon and charged forward in one breath, breaking through the tangled Wood Vines and entering the inner area.

Here, Mu Yuan finally saw the true form of this mysterious Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

It was a gigantic tree!

Enormous beyond measure!

Its terrifying width was like a row of houses, while its height soared into the clouds, reaching an astonishing fifty or sixty meters. Its countless branches spread outward, blotting out the sunlight and drooping in all directions like a canopy.

The Wood Vines Mu Yuan had encountered earlier were part of its branches.

Before such a colossal creature, a human could only be described as tiny.

The giant tree's bark was mottled and cracked. At the center of its trunk, a human face had grown in a twisted shape.

At this moment, the face on the tree grinned viciously at Mu Yuan.

"Boy, you're only a mere Soul King, yet you dared barge in here. Do you know that your Soul Power is exceptionally delicious to me?"

Mu Yuan did not respond at all. He directly chose to attack.

With a lift of his hand, the Wood Dragon coiled through the air and swiftly wrapped around the giant tree.

When Mu Yuan obtained his fifth soul ring, his Wood Dragon had been twenty meters long.

Now that Mu Yuan had cultivated to Level 60, his strength had increased, and the power of his soul skills had naturally increased as well. The Wood Dragon he summoned was now forty meters long.

The Wood Dragon was covered in sharp Wood Thorns. Once it wrapped around the giant tree, those thorns rapidly grew, piercing through the tree's outer bark and embedding deeply into its body.

"Boy, you've hurt me!"

The giant tree's aged voice rang out.

Its trunk shook, and countless branches and Wood Vines instantly swept forward like crashing waves. At the same time, the ground churned as dense roots burst from beneath the earth and attacked Mu Yuan.

Mu Yuan frowned slightly. From the looks of it, this giant tree had already drained all the nutrients from this region. Its roots filled the underground, which was why this area had become so desolate.

"Tree Realm Descent!"

Mu Yuan unleashed his soul skill, summoning a large number of new trees to contend with it.

The face on the giant tree wore a savage grin.

Perhaps because it had gone too long without speaking to anyone, the giant tree seemed especially fond of talking.

"Boy, your soul skill is quite powerful, but what a pity. You're only a Soul King. How long can you last? Once your Soul Power is exhausted, I'll slowly drain your corpse dry and turn it into my nourishment!"

Mu Yuan still gave no response. He focused wholeheartedly on resisting the opponent's attacks.

He was not worried about exhausting his Soul Power.

His Soul Power reserves were extremely vast. In terms of quantity, they were not much less than those of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Moreover, from the very moment the battle began, he had controlled the Wood Dragon to attack and wrap itself around the giant tree's trunk.

The Wood Dragon could absorb Soul Power. As it coiled around the giant tree, it constantly absorbed the giant tree's Soul Power and fed it back to Mu Yuan. As one side weakened and the other grew stronger, there was no way he could lose.

The giant tree could also sense the Wood Dragon absorbing its Soul Power, but it believed that while Mu Yuan was somewhat strong, he was ultimately only a Soul King. Even if the Wood Dragon absorbed its Soul Power, it would not have much effect.

After all, how could a mere Soul King possibly defeat a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast like it?

Although Mu Yuan could temporarily withstand its attacks, he must have used some secret technique for a short burst of power. Once this human's Soul Power was depleted, he would be at its mercy.

The two sides fought fiercely.

The surrounding environment was completely devastated.

Mu Yuan alone was an entire forest.

The giant tree, meanwhile, was a single tree that had drained an entire forest.

Both sides possessed immense power, and neither could do anything to the other in a short time. The battle gradually entered a stalemate.

Large numbers of the giant tree's branches broke and shattered.

The trees summoned by Mu Yuan likewise suffered considerable damage.

Feeling its rapidly depleting Soul Power and seeing Mu Yuan's composed expression, the giant tree could not help but grow slightly panicked.

It drove the branches and Wood Vines on its body, trying to tear away the Wood Dragon, but the Wood Dragon was firmly embedded in its trunk and could not be pulled free at all.

Unable to hold back, the giant tree threatened him.

"Human, how much longer can you hold on? Your attacks are like scratching an itch to me. My Soul Power hasn't been depleted at all! Just let me eat you. If you stop resisting now, I can still give you a quick death!"

But Mu Yuan had already seen through its bluff.

Because those who truly wanted to win would not talk so much.

Mu Yuan silently increased his Soul Power output, driving the Wood Dragon to absorb the giant tree's Soul Power even faster.

Time passed second by second.

Finally, the giant tree was about to collapse.

The face on its trunk twisted into a knot as it let out an enraged roar. "Damn human, what exactly are these ghostly things wrapped around me?!"

Mu Yuan remained silent and quietly retreated a little farther.

A trapped beast would still struggle. Before he had truly secured victory, he would not let down his guard in the slightest.