Wood Spirit

"What realm was that?"

Hong paid no attention whatsoever to the weapon at his neck that could take his life at any moment. Instead, he stared at Lu Yunhe with blazing eyes.

To hear the Way in the morning is enough to die in the evening.

For Hong, who had once been an assassin, death was not frightening. What was frightening was being unable to see the road ahead.

Hong had obtained some information about cosmic civilizations and knew of the ranks Apprentice level, Planetary Level, Stellar level, and Cosmic level.

As it happened, Lu Yunhe was using the standard equipment of a Domain Lord level expert. Ordinary Cosmic level experts could not comprehend a domain.

"A domain!"

Lu Yunhe withdrew Guan Hong. Hong had only just entered the Planetary Level, and his realm had merely reached the Artistic Conception Grade. He was still some distance away from comprehending a domain.

"Basic Grade, Microscopic Level, Perfect Grade, Artistic Conception Grade... and above that is the Domain Level?"

Hong murmured to himself. Lu Yunhe's sword strike had completely pointed out a path forward for him through the fog, and it suited him exceptionally well.

After all, in the original work, the domain Hong comprehended was the Light Field, while Lu Yunhe was currently using the Domain of Light. The insight it gave Hong was extraordinary.

"Thank you for your guidance!"

Hong respectfully gave Lu Yunhe the formal bow of an ancient disciple. One who had attained was a teacher; having often studied ancient texts, he had long embraced such principles.

"It's nothing. We're all doing this for humanity's future."

Seeing Hong, who was much older than himself, acting this way made Lu Yunhe feel rather uncomfortable. After all, he was still a kid under twenty.

"That's right. The universe is far too dangerous."

Hearing Lu Yunhe's words, Hong nodded in agreement. According to the information he had obtained from ancient civilization relics, any Stellar level powerhouse could sweep across the entire Earth with ease, to say nothing of Cosmic level powerhouses above them who could fight on White Dwarfs.

"Unfortunately, I only happened to acquire one piece of equipment. Once the crisis of the Great Cataclysm is resolved, I was planning to continue exploring those civilization relics as well."

There was no need for Lu Yunhe to reveal the matter of his avatar, so he went along with the public explanation and treated his Ultraman transformation as Weapons and Equipment, avoiding unnecessary trouble.

After a round of conversation about humanity and the universe, Hong once again asked Lu Yunhe about domains. At the same time, he shared his own insights from studying one's state of mind. Their exchange was thoroughly enjoyable.

"Once I return to the base, I'll send you the relic information I've collected."

Hong left reluctantly. Before departing, he did not forget to invite Lu Yunhe to visit the base he had built, and they agreed to have another martial arts exchange next time.

Two days later, having gathered sufficient information from various sources, Lu Yunhe silently left Jiangnan Base, leaving behind a bewildered Dong Nanbiao.

"First stop, the Amazon Jungle."

Civilization Relic No. 9 was also there, but it was not Lu Yunhe's target. According to satellite photographs, a massive black shadow had vaguely been captured deep within the jungle.

"It's only been a little over three years since the Great Cataclysm. Many things that can increase one's strength haven't been discovered yet."

Lu Yunhe pondered inwardly. Things like Dragon Blood and Water of Life were nowhere to be found. Of the remaining relatively safe options, there were probably only Wood Spirits and Wood Gems.

Lu Yunhe's current target was the Wood Spirit, which was more suitable for increasing the strength of an Apprentice level fighter.

However, Wood Spirits were exceedingly rare even decades later, let alone at the beginning of the Great Cataclysm. He could only try his luck.

At Ultraman's current flight speed, it took less than an hour to travel from the continent to the depths of the Amazon Jungle.

"Ultra Vision!"

Upon reaching his destination, Lu Yunhe immediately activated Ultra Vision to observe his surroundings, searching for the largest trees.

Even in a tropical rainforest filled with countless trees, some plants stood out for their immense size.

"Found one!"

Lu Yunhe discovered a towering tree over two hundred meters tall, roughly as high as a sixty- or seventy-story residential building. Its trunk was already enormous, to say nothing of its roots and branches.

Whoosh!

As Lu Yunhe gradually approached, the ancient tree seemed to sense some kind of danger, and its massive trunk began to sway wildly.

Seeing this, Lu Yunhe was delighted. "Since it has already developed a spirit, it seems it should have also nurtured a Wood Spirit."

As Lu Yunhe drew closer, the enraged ancient tree swung its thick branches.

Several branches over a hundred meters long and nearly ten meters in diameter immediately came crashing down on Lu Yunhe like enormous pillars.

Although these ancient trees that had developed spirits could not move around freely like animals, their immense size gave them unparalleled strength and vitality.

For an ancient tree two hundred meters tall, even a barrage of missiles would find it difficult to harm it. After all, Plant Lifeforms in Swallowed Star were famous for their massive size.

Several branches as tall as high-rises smashed down. It was impossible to calculate how many tons of force they could unleash, but in any case, it was not something an Apprentice level fighter could compare to.

Unfortunately, this ancient tree had encountered a bug on Earth at this stage: an Ultraman Avatar that had already reached high-level Planetary Level. It was not something the tree could resist.

"I'm already planning to take its spirit, so I'd better not smash it to pieces!"

Kind-hearted Lu Yunhe gave up on the idea of directly blasting it apart with Photon Fluid. His tiny figure instantly transformed into a streak of light and shot straight toward the ancient tree's trunk.

As for the ancient tree's attacks, such slow and lumbering force could never hit Lu Yunhe, who had already comprehended a domain.

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

Realizing that its attacks were completely useless, the ancient tree's branches instantly began to tremble. With its two-hundred-meter body, the resulting shockwaves unleashed terrifying force.

With this move, the ancient tree had driven back many Monsters that had tried to devour it.

However, before absolute power, all resistance was futile.

A scorching flash of light flickered, and a huge hole appeared in the ancient tree's trunk. A captivating green glow was firmly embedded at the core of the trunk.

"A genuine Wood Spirit!"

Lu Yunhe appeared before the Wood Spirit. Its aura, brimming with vitality, did not stir him in the slightest.

That was because he was currently in Ultraman form. Even if this Wood Spirit were ten times more effective, it would still be difficult for it to attract the Ultraman Avatar.

"Sorry about this!"

Lu Yunhe stepped forward and pulled hard, directly prying the egg-sized Wood Spirit free.

After losing the Wood Spirit, the previously frenzied ancient tree instantly became quiet. Without the spirit's support, it was merely a huge tree and naturally possessed no will to attack.

Having lost its core Wood Spirit, this ancient tree would most likely find it difficult to nurture another spirit. Whether it would die from this was unknown.

Looking at the ancient tree, whose once-vibrant leaves had turned somewhat withered and yellow, Lu Yunhe shook his head and landed elsewhere. Having grown accustomed to partings in life and death during the Great Cataclysm, such a small change could no longer disturb his heart.