Countering Zhao Wuji! Self-Created Soul Skill: Art of the Wooden Man!

The next moment.

Over a hundred Golden Ancient Trees began growing wildly. Within a few breaths, the Golden Ancient Trees that had been blasted through recovered, and they became even thicker.

Each one was a giant tree roughly two meters in diameter.

These Golden Ancient Trees continuously absorbed the earth's power from underground, transforming it into vast life force that flowed into Zhou Tao's body. Zhou Tao's injuries quickly healed.

"Kid, your soul skill is pretty strange."

"How are you like an unkillable cockroach? The more you fight, the stronger you get?"

Zhao Wuji had been mocking Zhou Tao just moments ago, but when he saw this scene, he immediately sensed that something was off.

"Zhao Wuji, you're bullying the young with your age. You're simply a disgrace to the Soul Master world."

"A Soul Saint bullying an eight-year-old child—if word got out, people would laugh their teeth off."

"Even so, I will still fight you openly and honorably. I'll show you what it means when the waves behind the Yangtze push the waves ahead, each generation surpassing the last!"

Hearing this, Zhao Wuji felt both anger and shame.

The young man's words were like sharp blades, each one stabbing straight into his heart.

Clearly, this was no ordinary Soul Master.

But morally speaking, he truly was bullying someone younger than himself.

Who would have thought that the other party would not be afraid, but would instead actively accept the battle and challenge him across such a huge gap in rank?

A thought immediately surfaced in Zhao Wuji's mind:

This child's temperament far surpassed that of ordinary people. As long as he grew smoothly, he would surely soar into the skies and astonish the entire continent!

But since the boy had chosen to challenge him, Zhao Wuji could not back down either. Then they would fight.

"Kid, you do have the spirit of a hero. I, Zhao Wuji, accept your challenge. Come."

"Take my Mighty Vajra Fist!"

With that, Zhao Wuji once again gathered all his Soul Power, transforming into an incomparably powerful Mighty Vajra Bear as his iron fists smashed toward Zhou Tao.

At the same time.

Zhou Tao moved swiftly as well.

Several hundred Golden Ancient Trees trembled, forming tens of thousands of even tougher pale-golden vines brimming with life force. They layered and intertwined before Zhou Tao, forming a thick golden shield.

The shield was roughly five meters long and wide, and five meters thick.

It was practically a gigantic city wall!

Zhao Wuji's palm strike, containing terrifying Soul Power, slammed solidly into that "city wall"!

"Boom!"

A thunderous explosion rang out. The shield formed by the Golden Ancient Trees shook violently, countless cracks appearing across its surface as though it might shatter at any moment.

Although the shield absorbed most of the force, the remaining impact was still beyond what Zhou Tao could withstand.

Naturally, Zhou Tao would not take it head-on.

He had learned from the previous lesson.

He had optimized the shield.

He linked the shield to over a hundred Golden Ancient Trees, allowing tens of thousands of vines to share the force and transmit it into the trees.

Moreover.

Each Golden Ancient Tree grew hundreds of aerial roots, which dug deeply into the ground and dispersed the force once more.

After being dispersed twice, the immense force was broken down from large to small, then from small to nothing. In the end, it caused Zhou Tao no harm at all.

At most, less than half of the vines had snapped.

But that was not a serious problem. Within a few breaths, the vines regrew, and the shield returned to normal.

Clearly.

Being able to withstand a full-power strike from Zhao Wuji at the Soul Saint level was enough to demonstrate the strength of this soul skill.

Zhou Tao named this combined soul skill:

Golden Ancient Tree: Wood Shield Technique!

It gathered the power of all the Golden Ancient Trees to defend against an enemy's strongest attack.

Its effect was practically equivalent to a martial soul's true body!

This showed just how terrifying the potential for all-around upgrades was for tree-type soul skills!

"How is that possible?"

"How did the same soul skill fail to hurt you?"

Seeing Zhou Tao's miraculous maneuver completely neutralize his strongest strike, Zhao Wuji froze on the spot, unable to calm his heart for a long while.

He could not understand how the other party, merely a Soul Elder in his thirties, could block the full-force attack of a Soul Saint in his seventies.

If word got out, what would that make him?

He had tried to bully a weaker opponent and failed, only to get beaten back?

Thinking of this, Zhao Wuji immediately grew anxious.

However.

In that moment of hesitation, Zhou Tao endured the churning pain in his internal organs and sharply seized this fleeting opportunity.

Just now, a flash of insight had crossed his mind, and he had come up with a new Self-Created Soul Skill!

"Golden Ancient Tree: Wood Dragon Technique!"

"Attack!"

The next moment.

Over a hundred golden ancient trees went into a frenzy. Countless thick, pale-gold vines rapidly entwined, forming more than a dozen golden dragons five meters in diameter!

Under Zhou Tao's command, the dozen-plus golden dragons roared as they charged at Zhao Wuji!

Boom!

Dragons filled the sky, sweeping in from every direction toward Zhao Wuji as if they intended to crush him into a meat patty.

"Immovable Bright King Fist!"

Faced with this dangerous scene, Zhao Wuji's ferocity erupted as he unleashed terrifying power once more.

Boom!

Under his iron fists, two golden dragons were forcibly severed and crashed down from midair.

However.

That was not the end.

The remaining dozen-plus golden dragons did not pause in the slightest. In an instant, they filled the gap left by the two severed dragons and crushed toward Zhao Wuji.

They would not stop until Zhao Wuji was destroyed.

Moreover.

The severed golden dragons were rapidly repairing their broken sections, growing into new golden dragons once again.

"This really never ends!"

Seeing the golden dragons rapidly recover, alarm bells rang in Zhao Wuji's mind!

How was he supposed to fight this?

Wasn't his opponent just a Soul Ancestor?

Why did he seem to have inexhaustible Soul Power?

This was no fun at all.

Even if he could break every single golden dragon, at this rate, wouldn't new dragons appear the moment he severed the old ones?

"I have to end this quickly!"

With his extensive combat experience, Zhao Wuji saw where the problem lay.

He could not keep dragging this out with Zhou Tao.

He simply could not outlast him!

He had to deal with Zhou Tao directly!

With that thought, Zhao Wuji moved. His massive body frantically smashed through the golden dragons as he charged toward Zhou Tao.

"So you're coming for me!"

"You finally figured it out."

Zhou Tao remained as calm as still water, seeing through Zhao Wuji's purpose in charging at him.

He simply could not outlast him, so he had chosen to end this quickly.

However.

How could Zhou Tao let him have his way?

"Golden Ancient Tree: Wood Human Technique!"

"Defend!"

In an instant, over a hundred golden ancient trees rapidly spread countless vines, obstructing Zhao Wuji's movements.

At the same time.

Around Zhou Tao, countless vines condensed into a Golden Giant over twenty meters tall and more than ten meters long and wide, completely enveloping him within.

The Golden Giant was covered in thick wooden shield armor, resembling Senju Hashirama's gigantic wooden arhat!

Zhou Tao stood atop the Golden Giant's head, overlooking the entire battlefield.

This was a new Self-Created Soul Skill he had developed by combining the wood shield technique and the Wood Dragon Technique:

Golden Ancient Tree: Wood Human Technique!

It possessed both the formidable defense of the Wood Shield Technique and the powerful offense of the Wood Dragon Technique.

And it could move like a person!

Simply perfect!

"Wood Dragon, get him!"