No One to Raise My Azure Cloud Aspiration-I Will Tread Through Snow to the Mountain Peak Myself!

"We're saved!"

"Captain Lu saved us!"

"Captain Lu is unbelievably amazing!"

Seeing the eerie black sea of trees that had been about to drown them completely destroyed by Lu Xuening, everyone could not help but cheer in jubilation.

Only Lu Xuening's face had turned much paler, her expression exceedingly grave.

That strike had looked powerful, but it had also drained her greatly. Moreover, she had only destroyed some black willow branches. As long as the Black Willow's true body remained alive, those branches would return in force. With her current strength, she could not unleash an attack like that many times!

Still, she had at least preserved her useful body and bought Chen Fan some time.

Watching the black willow branches that had just been shattered sweep toward them again, even faster than before, Lu Xuening's expression became even uglier.

Chen Fan, you can do it!

Black Mountain.

Chen Fan was still steadily approaching the enormous Black Willow entrenched atop Black Mountain.

His eyes were filled with scarlet light, while the Meteorite Iron Blade in his hand gave off terrifying black-red blade qi. Combined with his blade intent, which had reached perfection, its power was terrifying beyond compare!

He bulldozed his way forward, his stamina seemingly inexhaustible, drawing closer to Willow Lord atop Black Mountain step by step!

When he truly set foot upon the mountaintop, all the demons and monsters formed from black willow branches reverted to black willow branches and were drawn back into Willow Lord's true body. The black roots sprawling across all of Black Mountain also began to retract!

"No one raised my azure cloud aspiration—I will tread through snow to the mountain peak myself!"

"Willow Lord, are you ready to become a ghost beneath my blade?!"

Dressed in black, Chen Fan stood alone before the enormous Black Willow with a blade in hand, his gaze bright as he asked in a low voice.

"You yellow-mouthed brat, boasting without shame. How much strength do you have left?"

"Someone like you, who knows neither the height of heaven nor the depth of earth, is destined to perish on the road of growth. And I will be your ender!"

The enormous willow tree began to sway violently. Its black roots transformed into two gigantic feet, its thick trunk into a body, and its dense branches and leaves into a head. A monster covered from head to toe in black scales appeared before Chen Fan!

"You're a fucking monster-form Gundam!"

Chen Fan could not help but grumble at the colossal creature, but his hands did not slow in the slightest. He leaped into the air and unleashed Heaven and Earth One-Blade Slash, viciously cleaving toward the nine-zhang-tall Willow Lord.

This strike carried terrifying Bloodfiend True Qi, corroding bone and scorching the heart, dreadful beyond measure!

Although Chen Fan had only opened thirty-six apertures, and a complete Divine Aperture Realm Nine Heavens required one hundred and eight divine apertures, with every twelve apertures counting as one heaven, he was currently only equivalent to the third heaven of the Divine Aperture Realm.

Yet he had already grasped blade intent at the great perfection stage. Furthermore, in the Divine Treasury Realm, he had reached the utmost limit he could attain. His physical body was comparable to a ferocious beast cub's. With such terrifying foundations empowering him, he possessed the ability to fight above his level, continuously elevating his combat strength!

With a thought from Willow Lord, the creature condensed a heavy shield from black willow branches in its otherwise empty hand and raised it before itself, forcibly receiving Chen Fan's strike!

Boom!

A massive explosion rang out. Chen Fan's blade split Willow Lord's shield apart, and the terrifying blade qi carved a deep wound directly across Willow Lord's body.

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

Countless black branches and leaves immediately sprouted from Willow Lord's body, restoring its wound. Then, it condensed a wooden spear from thin air in its hand and viciously thrust it at Chen Fan!

Chen Fan raised his hand and swung another slash, directly cutting the massive spear in two!

The next moment.

Willow Lord manifested eight enormous arms, each holding a spear, and bombarded Chen Fan from all directions!

Boom!

Two fists could not beat four hands, much less the eight hands manifested by Willow Lord. Chen Fan was sent flying by the assault!

"You are no more than this. Die!"

Seeing Chen Fan fall into a disadvantage, Willow Lord spoke in a droning voice.

"Damn it!"

"This thing has far too many methods. My attacks are simply not lethal to it!"

"It fears neither water nor fire, is unharmed by blades, changes in a myriad ways, and can regrow severed limbs. Just how did it evolve?"

Chen Fan truly could not understand it. Even top-tier demon kings had weaknesses. Flying creatures generally had weaker physical strength; terrestrial beasts were sometimes too slow, sometimes weak in attack, and sometimes had intelligence too dreadful to behold. Plants that became demons generally feared flames, and their true bodies were difficult to move.

But Willow Lord before him looked like a black willow tree and should have belonged to the plant-type demons. Yet where did it resemble a plant demon at all? The enormous feet formed from black roots strode about with wind and fire beneath them. Apart from its attacks being slightly weaker, it was practically a lump of meat that could not be cut through!

"I'll gamble on it!"

"Its roots and branches can change in a myriad ways, but the trunk forming its body has not changed much. Moreover, it is covered in thick, scale-like bark. This means it cares deeply about its trunk, values it greatly, and does not want it to be harmed."

"If I can break through that thick, scale-like bark and destroy its trunk, perhaps I can break this deadlock. Otherwise, it will exhaust my stamina sooner or later."

As Chen Fan resisted Willow Lord's endless stream of attacks, he secretly pondered.

He pushed the Blood Fiend Art to its utmost limit. Terrifying blood mist spread from his body, while the Bloodfiend True Qi within him burst forth from his dantian and surged through his eight extraordinary meridians into the Meteorite Iron Blade!

Heaven and Earth One-Blade Slash + Bloodfiend True Qi + Blade Intent + Blade Qi!

With the infusion of Bloodfiend True Qi, the Meteorite Iron Blade gleamed entirely with black-red radiance. Unable to bear this terrifying power, the blade let out crisp sounds, and cracks even began to spread across its surface!

"Slash!"

Chen Fan fused all his methods into this one strike, then swept fiercely at Willow Lord. The terrifying blade radiance shone with an eerie scarlet glow. Wherever it passed, countless black willow branches shattered, and the dreadful blade radiance struck directly against Willow Lord's trunk.

Its bark scales exploded apart with a sound like clashing metal. The Meteorite Iron Blade hacked viciously into Willow Lord's trunk, severing more than half of its body in one blow.

"Explode!"

Chen Fan shouted loudly. The Meteorite Iron Blade embedded in Willow Lord's trunk suddenly shattered, its terrifying energy bursting outward and blasting Willow Lord's trunk into pieces!

Chen Fan saw a black, water-droplet-shaped crystal buried within Willow Lord's trunk, radiating terrifying energy. This energy flowed into Willow Lord's roots and branches, allowing them to grow without end. Now, that energy was also rapidly repairing Willow Lord's trunk!

But Chen Fan clearly would not give it another chance. He tossed aside the Meteorite Iron Blade, which now had only a hilt remaining, and threw a punch. He blasted apart Willow Lord's damaged trunk, then smashed his fist viciously onto the strange water-droplet-shaped crystal!

"No!"

Willow Lord roared at the sight, an earth-shattering expression flashing across its aged face.

Crack!

Chen Fan's punch sent the water-droplet-shaped crystal flying from Willow Lord's body. His fist was enough to shatter gold and split stone, yet it failed to break the strange crystal. Instead, the crystal's recoil split his fist open, and blood flowed without stop!

Yet from the instant the water-droplet-shaped crystal left its body, Willow Lord's mangled remains began to tremble violently. In the end, they turned into a pile of black powder, which scattered completely into the wind with a single gust.

Slain Willow Tree Demon. Stolen remaining lifespan: zero years!