"What seemed to be happening over there?"
The distance was simply too great.
Su Heng could only vaguely make out blazing flames in the forest on the other side of the mountain range, dyeing half the sky crimson.
"Forget it. I should deal with the Willow Tree's advancement first."
Willow Template Unfolded
Willow Tree Status: Good Life Level: 1 Vitality: 10.13 (Limit: 10) Height: 29.77 meters Talents: *Life Enlightenment* (Rare Quality), *Root and Stem Activation* (Rare Quality), *Super Absorption* (Common Quality), *Body Doubling* (Common Quality)
With Super Absorption and the butterfly's Spring Return Technique talent,
the Willow Tree had grown at an incredible pace and had officially reached the limit of a Tier 1 Lifeform yesterday.
Next,
what Su Heng needed to do was find a way to break through that limit
and allow his Second Template to officially enter the ranks of extraordinary lifeforms.
By then, with its increased strength and intelligence, as well as the mutated plants and animals scattered throughout the valley,
even without Su Heng's help, the Second Template Willow Tree would be able to live safely in this forest.
"Then I'll finally be able to give myself a break."
Su Heng thought with some emotion.
These past few days had truly not been easy for him. Both templates had been in less-than-normal condition, requiring him to spend time caring for them and checking for danger.
He could not even sleep in peace.
As for exactly how to break into the Extraordinary Life Domain,
with his experience raising Gamia, the First Template Great Serpent, Su Heng now had some ideas.
Once vitality reached the limit of the first stage of life, it would stop increasing.
It was like how a person stopped growing taller after reaching adulthood.
This was a limitation imposed by genes, and also the limit of a lifeform.
To break through that limit, Su Heng guessed there were probably two paths to choose from.
The first path
was to gradually absorb the supernatural power within the Red Moon, slowly transform, continuously accumulate nutrients, and eventually, after enough buildup, have a certain chance of breaking into the Extraordinary Life Domain.
Under the Red Moon, most Mutated Creatures followed this path.
The other method, however, was much simpler and more brutal.
Directly kill a mutated creature in the Extraordinary Life Domain and absorb its nutrients. That would naturally allow one to rapidly break through their own limits.
That was how Gamia had done it.
After Devouring the evil ghost leader, the Great Serpent had quickly entered the Extraordinary Domain.
"Speaking of which, Gamia seemed close to waking up lately as well."
Recently, Gamia's sleeping posture had become increasingly awful. Its hundred-meter-long body could make the forest sway and the earth tremble with a casual flick.
It had been making quite a commotion.
As for which method the Second Template would use to break through its Life Level,
Su Heng had long since made his decision.
Naturally, it would be the second.
The second method seemed riskier.
In reality, however, that was not the case.
In the increasingly dangerous Dark Mountain Range, weakness was the greatest sin. During this period, Su Heng had already sensed more than one powerful aura lingering around the valley.
Clearly, mutated creatures from the Extraordinary Domain had set their sights on the Willow Tree.
If there was only one mutated creature from the Extraordinary Domain, it would still be manageable. With the Willow Tree's enormous size and the assistance of the surrounding mutated creatures,
Su Heng was confident he could defeat, or even kill, those things.
But if several mutated creatures from the Extraordinary Domain attacked together, or brought along a large number of ordinary mutants,
then who would win or lose
would be hard to say.
Su Heng did not dare gamble on it. He decided to strike first.
"Screee!"
A sharp bird cry, like metal scraping against metal, pierced the ears.
It suddenly rang out above the valley, interrupting Su Heng's thoughts.
The enormous Black Giant Bird spread its wings, which spanned nearly thirty meters, and slowly glided through the sky.
"That thing... is back again!"
Among the mutated creatures of the Extraordinary Domain lingering around the valley, this black giant bird was the strongest and most arrogant.
These past few days,
it had flown back and forth over the valley several times almost every day.
Each time it arrived, the giant eagle brought immense psychological pressure upon Su Heng and the many mutated creatures in the valley.
The reason it had not attacked immediately
was likely because, Su Heng guessed, it was wary of the Willow Tree's immense size and the mutated creatures growing around the valley.
Beasts of the Extraordinary Domain had completely entered another level of life.
Not only did they possess intelligence comparable to that of humans, some of them even actively learned human language to communicate.
So...
when faced with powerful prey,
these hunters would observe first, then attack once their prey exposed a weakness.
One strike, one kill!
However, as the Willow Tree continued to grow, the patience of this mutated black eagle from the Extraordinary Domain was clearly beginning to wear thin.
"If that's the case, then you can become the sacrifice for the Willow Tree's advancement."
Su Heng murmured.
In his original plan, this giant eagle had not been his first choice for breaking into the Extraordinary Domain.
The giant eagle had a wingspan of over thirty meters, and its massive claws shimmered with a metallic luster, faintly covered in dragon scales. If that thing dove down and slashed fiercely with its claws,
even the spinal dragonbone on a Supernatural Creature's back could be shattered outright.
Honestly...
Su Heng was not completely confident he could defeat this giant eagle either.
But if he did not make a move now, then once the giant eagle launched an attack on its own, he would lose the initiative and be placed in a very disadvantageous position.
The Black Giant Bird slowly descended to its lowest point, its shadow almost completely enveloping the Willow Tree.
Time passed bit by bit.
Through the Willow Tree's special sensory vision, the surroundings of the valley were completely reflected within Su Heng's consciousness.
He saw
an inconspicuous clump of weeds lying flattened not far away, yet its nine sharp, slender leaves glinted with bloodthirsty cold light.
Several wild pea plants grew luxuriantly beside the stream, with butterflies dancing over their petals.
Wisps of mist carrying a distinctive fragrance slowly drifted from the stamens of the Morning Glory, spreading through the valley.
And last of all...
under the blood-colored moonlight stood two towering oak trees outside the valley, like giants.
"The path of evolution is destined to be cruel. Only after weathering blood and carnage can one see the bright sunlight."
"Then..."
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Green Willow Branches shot out like arrows from fully drawn bows.
In the sky, the Black Giant Bird had just descended to its lowest point when countless blood spots appeared across its body. Then, innumerable feathers fell away like black snow in the depths of winter.
Before you continue