Demon Eye Demon Tree

Tang Hao's eyes split with rage. His Martial Soul appeared instantly, nine Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red—circling the enormous Clear Sky Hammer, yet they did not pulse like the Soul Rings of other Soul Masters.

"Xiao Liu!"

He roared, releasing the full pressure of a Titled Douluo without restraint. The surrounding trees seemed to tremble beneath that oppressive force.

At the same time, the air before Tang Hao twisted violently under his pressure, then shattered like a mirror.

A nauseating stench immediately assaulted his nose, but it meant nothing to Tang Hao, who was desperate to save his son.

Not far away stood a tree. Its entire body possessed only two colors: a sickening green and a terrifying black. Its trunk was over five meters wide, but the most bizarre thing was the countless green eyes growing across it.

Its roots were incomparably thick, twisting and knotting together. Bones of unknown species could vaguely be seen among them—perhaps human bones, perhaps Soul Beast bones.

That unbearable stench was being emitted by it.

Its hanging branches were vine-like tendrils resembling giant pythons, its most convenient weapons. Tiny thorns covered them, capable of injecting corrosive sap into its prey.

But its strongest and most proficient weapon was still its elusive, imperceptible, unavoidable, omnipresent Mental Power.

This was an extremely rare species of tree within the Star Dou Great Forest.

The king of its kind even held a rank among the Ferocious Beasts.

Its name was the Demon Eye Demon Tree. Its king ranked fifth among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts and was known as the King of Ten Thousand Demons.

At this moment, Tang Liu was tightly bound by one of its vines, while the thorns on the vine continuously injected corrosive tree sap into his body.

The unbearable stench it emitted could not only drive away Soul Beasts, but also had a numbing effect.

And Tang Liu, who had been captured by it, had naturally already fallen unconscious.

However, a faint blue-black glow radiated from his body, preventing the thorns of the Demon Eye Demon Tree from piercing his skin and keeping him safe for the moment.

His Martial Soul, the Haolan Spell, had automatically protected its master.

But it was only a temporary reprieve, because Tang Liu's Soul Power would eventually run out.

Earlier, Tang Liu had hidden his aura by activating the Ethereal Blue Emperor Domain. Thus, the nearby Demon Eye Demon Tree had mistaken him for a plant.

But once Tang Liu dispelled the domain, his aura was immediately exposed. The Demon Eye Demon Tree lurking in the shadows had acted without hesitation, capturing this prey that had delivered itself to its door.

At such close range, with Tang Liu completely unprepared and so weak, the Demon Eye Demon Tree could have killed him almost instantly.

But what it had not expected was for blue-black light to radiate from Tang Liu's body and block its thorns. What it had expected even less was for a Titled Douluo to come chasing after him!

Yes, no matter how strange the Demon Eye Demon Tree was, it was no match for a Titled Douluo!

Thus, Tang Hao's furious hammer blow smashed it directly into a near-death state. Most of the entire tree turned to powder beneath the Clear Sky Hammer, leaving only a small section of root and one green eye upon it.

If Tang Hao had not feared hurting Tang Liu, that single strike would have taken its life outright.

After swinging his hammer, Tang Hao flashed to Tang Liu's side, grabbed him in his arms, and quickly carried him out of the Demon Eye Demon Tree's territory.

He poured Soul Power into him, waking the unconscious Tang Liu.

"Xiao Liu, Xiao Liu? Are you okay?" he called softly, his voice filled with anxiety and self-reproach.

Why had he stood there spacing out? If he had stayed by Tang Liu's side, what had just happened would never have occurred.

Tang Liu woke under the stimulation of Tang Hao's Soul Power and opened his eyes, though they were filled with confusion.

Only after quite a while did he remember what had happened and figure out the current situation.

"Dad... is that tree dead?" Tang Liu's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

Tang Hao thought he was still frightened, so he said, "It has one breath left. Dad will go kill it right now."

Seeing Tang Hao's murderous expression as he prepared to summon the Clear Sky Hammer and deliver the Demon Eye Demon Tree its final blow solely to vent his anger for him, Tang Liu did not know why, but he felt a warmth he had never experienced before slowly flow through his heart.

Tang Liu grabbed hold of the man, who had become somewhat irritable from anxiety and guilt, and weakly spoke again. "Dad, that tree's Soul Ring suits me."

That was right. The Demon Eye Demon Tree was one of the targets recommended to Tang Liu by the system.

Moreover, the age of that Demon Eye Demon Tree, which now had only one breath left, happened to suit him perfectly. There was no reason to let it go.

"You want its Soul Ring? Fine. Dad won't kill it. I'll save it for you. Recover first." Tang Hao stared at him intently, as though Tang Liu might be snatched away by another Soul Beast the next moment.

Tang Liu did not know what to say. He only felt warmth filling his heart, and that warmth made him want to laugh involuntarily.

But he was still affected by the Demon Eye Demon Tree's paralytic toxin and was far too weak.

"Dad, help me sit cross-legged..."

After saying that, Tang Liu exhausted the little strength brought by Tang Hao's injection of Soul Power and could no longer speak.

His head felt heavy and muddled, as though he would fall asleep at any moment.

Hearing this, Tang Hao hurriedly helped him sit cross-legged, supporting him from behind so he would not fall backward from weakness.

Tang Liu hung his head listlessly. Then, his Third Martial Soul appeared, and three blue-black Soul Rings began to pulse around him.

Immediately afterward, the first Soul Ring flashed. The next instant, the remaining root of the Demon Eye Demon Tree exploded with a boom.

Naturally, this was the effect of the Hao-Lan Mark. Tang Liu had marked it when he was first captured by the Demon Eye Demon Tree.

Purple Soul Power light swept toward Tang Liu and Tang Hao, but Tang Hao merely waved his hand casually. The purple light split around him like a river meeting a reef.

When the purple light faded, a bright purple Soul Ring remained in place. Then, as if drawn by something, it slowly flew toward Tang Liu.

As the Soul Ring was gradually absorbed by Tang Liu, Tang Hao finally no longer needed to support him.

The Ethereal Blue Silver Emperor grew in his palm, continuously receiving wisps of Soul Power from the purple Soul Ring.

Tang Hao stood guard nearby, extending the pressure of a Titled Douluo far into the distance to prevent any Soul Beast from approaching.

If plant-type Soul Beasts below ten thousand years of cultivation had possessed intelligence rather than mere instinct, the Demon Eye Demon Tree would certainly have regretted capturing Tang Liu.

Because an enraged parent afterward was deadly.