A Fierce Battle with the Mutated Willow Trees, and Capybara Stumbles Upon a Wood Bud Crystal

"Let's focus on getting stronger first! In the Swallowed Star World, strength is what matters!"

After saying goodbye to the two beauties,

Capybara left the city.

Now that he had reached Lord level,

his perception was noticeably stronger.

There were a few scattered monsters in the city, but most of them were low-level.

If he wanted to level up quickly, the best thing to do was head into the wild.

This was the South Australian Continent,

a monster paradise in the purest sense.

As a result, it had some of the most diverse monster species in the world.

There were plenty of Lord-level monsters, too.

That was definitely good news for him.

Perhaps it was because Capybara was small,

but most monsters didn't take him seriously.

Only when they saw his Black Hole did they realize they'd run into a ruthless powerhouse who'd been hiding his strength.

Relying on his Lord-level perception and speed, Ye Xiu soon crossed the abandoned city and reached the rugged coastline of the South Australian Continent.

His gaze settled on a remote island in the distance, shrouded in a hazy mist.

Rich, unusual life energy from plants and trees wafted from it.

Mixed in were several powerful energy signatures, making it an ideal hunting ground.

He leaped into the cold seawater.

His round body proved surprisingly buoyant and a decent swimmer, and he quickly made his way toward the island.

When he reached shore, the sight before him gave him pause.

The island was covered in unusually dense vegetation, but unlike an ordinary tropical rainforest, it was dotted with strange-looking willow trees.

Their branches didn't droop limply. Instead, they looked like living, emerald-green tentacles.

They swayed slowly in the air, gleaming with a metallic sheen.

[Warning! Lord-level plant life detected!]

The system's alert sounded right on cue.

"Plant-type monsters? And Lord level?"

Ye Xiu was immediately intrigued. This was his first time facing a plant-type opponent.

He cautiously stepped into the willow grove. The moment he entered, the trees suddenly sprang to life!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The swaying branches of more than a dozen seemingly ordinary willows abruptly snapped taut.

Like venomous snakes ready to strike, they shot toward Ye Xiu at incredible speed!

The piercing whistle of their passage revealed the terrifying force and penetrating power behind them!

Several thick, emerald-green vines also sprang from the ground like giant pythons, trying to wrap around his limbs!

"So there really is something strange about this place!"

Ye Xiu reacted swiftly, bracing himself with his limbs and nimbly dodging several deadly thrusts.

But there were simply too many branches, coming at him from every direction.

"Shhk!"

A sharp branch grazed his back, slicing open a shallow cut!

The branches were far tougher and sharper than he'd imagined!

"Roar!"

Ye Xiu let out a low growl and stopped holding back.

Space warped behind him, and a pitch-black Black Hole with a diameter of three meters opened in an instant!

"Bzzzz—!"

A powerful field of devouring force spread out from him!

The emerald branches, which had been swift as lightning and incredibly tough,

were seized by an invisible giant hand the instant they entered the Black Hole's range, their forward momentum stopping dead!

Then they began to tremble violently, unable to resist, as their life energy and physical forms were stripped away and broken down before his eyes.

They turned into streaks of green light and were forcibly dragged into the unfathomable Black Hole!

[Ding! Devoured a fragment of a Millennium Willow Heart. Energy +100]

[Ding! Devoured the essence of a spirit of plants and trees. Energy +150]

A string of system notifications rang out in his mind. These willows' branches contained quite a bit of energy!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

More branches were stirred into action, surging from the depths of the grove like a green tide.

Several especially thick willows, radiating Lord-level energy,

also swung their terrifying, barrel-thick main branches, lashing at him like the whips of giants!

Yet before the Black Hole, now expanded to three meters, all resistance was futile!

Whether it was the thinnest branch or the thick trunk of a Lord-level willow,

the moment it entered the Black Hole's devouring range, the result was the same.

It was forcibly broken down and compressed, then devoured as a stream of the purest energy.

Ye Xiu didn't even need to move. He stood where he was, controlling the Black Hole as it slowly rotated,

like a merciless harvesting machine.

Everywhere it passed, the menacing willows withered and crumbled at a visible pace, eventually turning to ash.

The once-lush, deadly grove quickly grew sparse and barren.

[Ding! Successfully devoured a Lord-level Millennium Willow King!]

[Converting energy...]

[Host level increased: Intermediate Lord!]

[Black Hole Domain diameter increased: 5 meters!]

[Extractable gene fragment detected: [Millennium Willow · Life Recovery/Wood Affinity]. Extract and fuse?]

A vast, vibrant surge of energy flowed into his body, raising his strength another level.

It also greatly increased the vitality of his cells and significantly improved his recovery.

At the same time, he felt an unusual affinity for the plants and trees around him.

"Extract and fuse!" Ye Xiu agreed without hesitation.

A cool, life-giving sensation flowed through his body.

The cut on his back healed before his eyes, leaving not even a scar.

Looking at the large clearing where the willow grove had been,

and recalling the generous rewards shown in the system notifications, Ye Xiu contentedly patted his round belly.

"Not bad, not bad. This place really is a treasure trove!"

His eyes gleamed as he looked toward the depths of the island, where even more powerful auras seemed to lie in wait.

At the same time, a faint scent of rice drifted up from underground.

It was coming from beneath the roots of the willow he'd just devoured.

"How could there be a smell like that here?"

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something.

He hurriedly used his little paws to dig frantically around the roots.

Before long, a white crystal appeared.

The rice-like fragrance was coming from it.

"Is this a Wood Bud Crystal?!"

As a transmigrator, Capybara immediately recognized what it was.

Like the legendary ginseng fruit,

this thing could do monsters a world of good.

If you could withstand its power,

eating just one could turn a Lord-level monster into a King-level monster.

But if you couldn't handle it, your body would explode.

After devouring so much, Capybara was now at the peak of Lord level.

He was already halfway to reaching the advanced Lord level.

"I'm a transmigrator. If I can't handle this thing, what kind of chosen one would I be?"

He didn't hesitate at all.

After digging out the Wood Bud Crystal, Capybara popped it straight into his mouth.

As he swallowed the treasure,

he seemed to hear a young girl's surprised exclamation.

"What? You just ate it like that?"

But when he looked around, there was no one there.

Could he have imagined it?