Vegetation Spirit

The beautiful, serene primeval forest was deathly silent. There were no chirping birds or buzzing insects, no roars of beasts—it was as quiet as a graveyard.

Chen Daolin turned back to look at the lake, but not a single aquatic monster dared to surface.

Even with Chen Daolin's thick-skinned nature, he knew there was something wrong with this island in the center of the lake.

What exactly is here? A King Level Monster? Chen Daolin frowned in thought, but it didn't quite feel like that.

Chen Daolin found a patch of grass on the beach, sat down cross-legged, and decided to recover his injuries and stamina first. He also opened his tactical watch to send a message to Ji Xuan, letting her know he was safe and urging her to leave that mountain range as soon as possible; it was no longer safe, as there was no telling when the King Level Monster might return.

Staying far away from the forest, Chen Daolin sat on the grassy beach, closed his eyes, and let his breathing steady.

High up on a mountain peak in the wilderness, Ji Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the message of Chen Daolin's safety. She glanced once more in the direction where the King Level Monster and Chen Daolin had vanished, then leaped away several times, quickly disappearing into the vast, boundless mountains.

Splash, splash...

The lake water lapped against the shore, playing a gentle melody. On the tranquil island, Chen Daolin sat motionless on the grass like a statue.

Suddenly, Chen Daolin opened his eyes, stood up, and stretched his body, a smile appearing on his face. "My injuries have mostly healed. Even if I run into trouble on this island now, I have the strength to protect myself." A martial artist's physical constitution was already far superior to that of an ordinary person, and at the God of War level, it was nearly superhuman; even with internal organ damage or broken bones, recovery was rapid.

"Although this was dangerous, I managed to comprehend the third level of World Destroyer. If I had been practicing quietly on my own, it probably would have taken several years. No wonder people say that life-and-death tempering is the easiest way to improve one's strength." Chen Daolin smiled. "Now that my strength has increased again, even if I face that King Level Monster, I have the power to put up a fight."

The third level of World Destroyer increases force by twenty-seven layers, which is a 3.7-fold explosive boost.

Combined with the five-fold King Kai Fist, that's an 18.5-fold power amplification.

If Chen Daolin's previous maximum burst was 2.5 million kilograms, it was now 3.3 million kilograms. The increase in strength was indeed significant.

Even if he couldn't kill that King Level Monster, he would have no problem protecting himself.

Chen Daolin looked toward the dense, lush primeval forest, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

"Now, let me see what secrets are hidden here."

At the edge of the white mist on the lakeshore, the massive, two-hundred-meter-long cyan Winged Snake King paced back and forth. Its eyes were filled with unwillingness, but as it looked toward the lake, its gaze was also full of fear and caution, as if there were something terrifying inside.

It was waiting. Waiting for that human to come out.

It felt that, given that human's strength, he shouldn't die inside so easily.

The Winged Snake King dared not enter, so it could only guard the outside, waiting for the possibility of Chen Daolin emerging.

On the mist-shrouded, mysterious island.

Chen Daolin walked cautiously through the island's forests, his confusion deepening. "There is nothing here but trees and vegetation, yet there isn't a single trace of monster activity. It's too strange." Chen Daolin could see that the forest on the island was lush, with vibrant flowers and thickets of thorns; it seemed full of life.

However, apart from himself, he didn't see a single living creature. Despite the flourishing trees and flowers, it was a place of dead silence.

As Chen Daolin walked across a patch of grass covered in colorful flowers, rumble—the entire patch of ground lifted up. From all directions, the earth within a ten-meter radius rose high, as if it were a mouth closing toward the center.

"Hmm?" A cold glint flashed in Chen Daolin's eyes. He raised his spear and swept it horizontally. A terrifying sonic boom echoed through the air, and the entire patch of earth that was about to close was shattered into pieces, which rained down in a flurry.

Chen Daolin noticed plant roots resembling veins within the broken earth, some still twitching slightly as if they were alive. He couldn't help but frown. "What is this? A plant? No... this looks like..." A flash of inspiration crossed Chen Daolin's mind. He recalled the information he had found regarding Vegetation Spirit after obtaining the Crystal Vine Fruit at the gymnasium.

Vegetation Spirit is a mysterious and rare type of plant that appeared after humans and beasts evolved, for reasons unknown. These Vegetation Spirits already possess a 'spirit' and have simple consciousness for attacking and self-preservation. The more powerful the Vegetation Spirit, the more precious it is.

Once a plant transforms into a 'Vegetation Spirit', it poses no threat as long as you don't get close. Furthermore, every Vegetation Spirit is said to contain the essence of heaven and earth and possesses special effects.

"Right, that must be it. This is a Vegetation Spirit." Chen Daolin smiled, growing excited.

He searched the broken ground for a while and unearthed a green plant about ten centimeters in diameter. It looked a bit like a cactus, but its roots were a spiderweb of countless vein-like tendrils spread out around it. As soon as any living creature stepped in, the entire patch of earth would immediately close, suffocating the prey to death.

"The power and speed of this plant just now barely reached the God of War level. Its roots are not only numerous but also very tough. Once an ordinary monster gets trapped, it's hard to get out, so it really might have succeeded." Chen Daolin shook his head. He peeled open the cactus-like plant and found a tender red object, two knuckles long and diamond-shaped, which emitted a strange, fragrant scent. After examining it carefully, he put it away and stored it safely.

He looked toward the other parts of the island again, his heart burning with fervor.

"Since this island is so quiet, there should be other Vegetation Spirits in other places, right?"

Every Vegetation Spirit possesses magical effects. Some can increase cell vitality, some can improve one's strength, some can make skin incredibly tough, and some can allow severed limbs to regrow... Each Vegetation Spirit is extremely precious and rare. Once discovered, they trigger struggles between various factions.

"But, right now, only I have discovered this place." Chen Daolin's eyes shone. "The Vegetation Spirits found here all belong to me."

As for the Vegetation Spirits having God of War level strength? He didn't care at all.

As long as there wasn't a Vegetation Spirit on par with a King Level Monster, all the Vegetation Spirits on the island belonged to him.

"Search, keep searching." Chen Daolin was full of enthusiasm and began searching the vast island with great interest.

In just twenty minutes, he actually found three other Vegetation Spirits. After all, the fact that they automatically attacked any creature that approached them made it easy for them to expose their own existence.

Chen Daolin only needed to spend time searching the island carefully.

After a while, Chen Daolin's eyes lit up as he spotted several willow trees in the distance.

There were nine of them in total.

Perhaps because no one had been here for a long time, these willow trees had grown to be very tall and thick. The thinnest one was a meter in diameter and thirty to forty meters tall, while the thickest one reached three meters in diameter and nearly a hundred meters in height. As the wind blew, countless tender green willow branches danced, full of poetic charm.

Chen Daolin was captivated and couldn't help but walk over. Just then, all the willow branches suddenly moved as if they were alive, coiling toward Chen Daolin in unison. They were dense, overwhelming, and moving faster than the speed of sound.

Chen Daolin paused, a look of 'as expected' on his face. His figure instantly blurred as he retreated rapidly, dodging the siege of countless willow branches.

"I knew there was something fishy!"

Chen Daolin swung his spear horizontally. With his immense explosive power, countless willow branches were severed. The branches of the smaller willow trees were tough enough to withstand the full-force strikes of a High Warlord Level martial artist's weapon, and the pale golden branches of the massive three-meter-diameter super willow could even withstand attacks from a God of War level martial artist's weapon. However, in the face of Chen Daolin, a freak who could fight a King Level Monster, they were almost as fragile as paper.

After hacking through the coiling branches, Chen Daolin ignored their subsequent attacks and instantly appeared beside the nine super willow trees. Bang, bang, bang... His spear struck countless times in an instant, hacking at their trunks near the roots. Wood chips flew, and green, dew-like liquid seeped from the wounds in the trunks. The willow trees went berserk, and countless branches swarmed in from all directions, but Chen Daolin casually swiped his spear, leaving broken branches scattered everywhere. While defending against the trees' attacks, he still had time to hack at the trunks. Under Chen Daolin's force of over three million kilograms, even the incredibly tough willow trunks couldn't withstand the assault. Soon, the nine Vegetation Spirit willow trees collapsed one by one with a roar, and the willow branches that had been dancing in the sky instantly lost their strength and hung down limply.

"This willow king is probably the most powerful Vegetation Spirit I've ever seen." Chen Daolin looked at the massive fallen trunk. "The more powerful the Vegetation Spirit, the more precious it is. Tsk tsk, I wonder what kind of effect it has." Chen Daolin felt very expectant.