Willow God

Unstoppable! The emerald willow branch glowed with green radiance. It looked incomparably soft, yet when it truly struck, it was harder than divine iron. With a pfft, it pinned Fei Jiao in midair. Strands of blood trickled down the gleaming green tender branch, eerie and mysterious.

Fei Jiao could no longer make a sound. In an instant, the scales all over its body lost their luster. Terror had seized it to the utmost; its essence, energy, and spirit rapidly drained away, and its entire body trembled violently.

"What happened, Uncle Jiao?!" Jiao Peng, riding atop the vicious flood dragon, shouted in panic.

It was a terrifying sight. This flood dragon was as thick as a water vat and dozens of meters long, its body densely covered in scales and bearing a pair of enormous wings. Mighty and ferocious, yet it had been nailed in midair by a slender willow branch, utterly unable to move. It was bizarre!

"How could this be?!" the powerful figures cried out.

Was this the sacrificial spirit of a mountain village? How could it be so terrifying? With only a single strike, it had pierced the body of such a powerful vicious beast.

"Quick, save it!" Jiao Cang, the middle-aged man from Luofu Great Marsh, shouted.

More than ten figures appeared from the forest, charging over at top speed. Their palms shone with flickering runes. In an instant, beams of light shot into the sky and enveloped the village entrance as they jointly attacked the Willow Tree.

The Thunder Clan, Purple Mountain Family, Golden Wolf Tribe, and the others all felt a chill in their hearts. Luofu Great Marsh had appeared to send only a few people, but a group had secretly followed behind them. They had come well prepared.

Yet it was already too late. In but an instant, the enormous Fei Jiao in the sky had gone dull-eyed. Its gleaming scales seemed to have weathered ten thousand years, beginning to crack as its entire body rapidly aged. At last, it split into pieces and fell from the sky.

This turn of events was far too horrifying. A Fei Jiao of immense ferocious might, one that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the powerful figures present, had returned to dust just like that, as though it had died of old age!

Jiao Peng was terrified and fell to the ground. He had truly been scared out of his wits. Just how powerful was this sacrificial spirit? He scrambled and rolled away in flight, all his arrogance gone. His little face had turned deathly pale, and his whole body shook.

A drop of gray liquid gently rolled along the gleaming green tender branch, emanating vigorous vitality. It had been refined from within Fei Jiao's body and absorbed by it.

Everything had happened in the span of a spark striking flint. From Fei Jiao being pierced, to its rapid disintegration, to its fall to the ground—it had all been completed in an instant.

Meanwhile, the dozen or so powerful figures who had leaped out from the primordial forest arrived just in time. All sorts of lights danced, runes filled the sky, phantoms of ancient birds and manifested vicious beasts swirled in dazzling radiance as they pounced upon the charred Willow Tree.

Whoosh!

The willow branch stretched out, transforming into an emerald chain that traced a graceful arc through the air. It looked light and crystalline, but the dreadful result it brought made people's blood run cold!

Pfft!

The willow branch swept past and severed an expert at the waist. It looked frail, yet it was comparable to a divine blade, cutting straight through him as blood spurted forth.

"What was that?!" Everyone was stunned.

This was only the beginning. Every expert who had charged close was within the range of its shimmering jade-green light.

The willow branch swayed and rose with the wind, strand after strand of green radiance blooming as it swept across the sky. Like a divine whip and like an immortal sword, it either cut one expert after another into two or cleaved them directly into halves.

This attack was far too terrifying. It was clearly just a willow branch, yet the slaughter it wrought was like that of a razor-sharp weapon sweeping through the air, cutting down every enemy!

Pfft, pfft...

Bloody blossoms splashed up, and the sounds continued without end. The willow branch swept lightly through the air as bodies fell to the ground in clusters, either severed or cleaved in two, while flower after flower of blood bloomed.

The evening glow reddened the horizon, dyeing the entire village with a layer of golden splendor. Beneath the setting sun, a tender branch swayed from a charred Willow Tree, crystal-clear and indescribably beautiful. On the ground lay bodies everywhere, stained with blood. This image was branded into the minds of every powerful figure, unforgettable for the rest of their lives.

It had been that simple. A group of experts from Luofu Great Marsh had all been slain within a single breath.

There had not been the slightest suspense. The sight made the powerful figures shudder from head to toe, cold air rising from them in waves. "Ah..."

Jiao Peng screamed miserably. He had been scared out of his wits. Several corpses had fallen on top of him, splashing his head and face with blood. He crawled and rolled back, crying as he fled.

Jiao Cang, the middle-aged man from Luofu Great Marsh, was ghostly pale, every trace of color gone from his face. He was drenched in cold sweat, and overwhelming terror enveloped his heart.

What kind of monstrously powerful sacrificial spirit was this?!

The powerful figures who had been calm and composed moments ago were all dumbfounded. Only a short while earlier, they had looked down on Stone Village and ignored it completely, acting as though no one else existed as they planned to deal with the Suanni Treasure Bone themselves and divide the three fledglings. Now, every one of them was horrified.

Shi Feijiao and the other simple, honest men, along with that group of children and the women and elders who had rushed over upon hearing the news, were also left gaping blankly at everything before them, unable to believe it!

It was too shocking. A single willow branch had cut through heaven and earth, slaughtered a host of heroes, and made people tremble.

For decades, the Willow Tree had never communicated with the villagers and had shown nothing unusual. Yet now it had produced such a shocking outcome that it all felt unreal.

Perhaps only the clan chief in seclusion and one or two others would not be surprised. Decades earlier, on that night of torrential rain, flashing lightning, and roaring thunder, they had witnessed an even more terrifying scene.

"Waa..." Jiao Peng finally crawled out from the pile of corpses and fled to Jiao Cang. He grabbed his leg and wept and screamed, utterly overwhelmed by fright.

Only at this moment was the silence broken. The powerful figures gradually recovered from their terror, filled with awe and fear, not daring to look directly at the Willow Tree.

Jiao Cang of Luofu Great Marsh felt unwillingness, but even greater fear. Standing at the village entrance, he said, "Mighty sacrificial spirit, please forgive my ignorance and offense..."

Just as he began speaking, a gentle breeze passed by. The willow branch swayed, stirring up a hazy mist that drifted down. With a pfft, the willow branch pierced through his right arm.

"Ah..."

A miserable scream rang out. No matter how Jiao Cang struggled with all his strength, it was useless. The divine radiance in his body rapidly drained away. That arm withered, then cracked. With a pfft, it broke off like rotten wood and fell to the ground.

Jiao Peng howled miserably. He was directly below, clutching Jiao Cang's legs, and was struck by the shattered, dried-up arm. Then, seeing the crystalline branch above his head, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted dead away from terror.

Jiao Cang laughed bitterly. Not only had he lost an arm, half his cultivation had also been crippled. He swayed unsteadily, his heart filled with boundless bitterness. A moment ago, he had stood high above the villagers, looking down upon them, their lives and deaths decided with a single thought. Yet in only a brief moment, he had been crippled and turned into a useless man.

Two somewhat older youths from Luofu Great Marsh stepped forward to support Jiao Cang. These two talented youngsters had trembling hands and quaking hearts. Everything they had witnessed would be seared into their minds forever, impossible to erase in this lifetime.

The powerful figures stood silent as cicadas in winter, gripped by profound terror. This sacrificial spirit was too terrifying; it made every bone in their bodies turn cold.

The Golden Wolf Tribe, Thunder Clan, and Purple Mountain Family were all filled with dread. Just now, they had been discussing how to deal with Stone Village and planning to seize the Suanni Treasure Bone. This scene made their scalps crawl.

Every one of them regretted it to death. Had they known this Willow Tree was so astonishing, even if they had been given treasure artifacts, they would never have come here to utter a single reckless word.

"Hey, weren't you going to snatch our treasure bone? Come take it, then!" Once the children had calmed down, they all erupted in indignation.

"Golden Wolf Tribe, Luofu Great Marsh, and also the Thunder Clan and Purple Mountain Family—weren't you high and mighty just now, completely ignoring us? Why have your faces turned pale now?" Er Meng said bluntly.

"And didn't experts from several clans say they were going to bathe our Stone Village in blood?" Snot-nosed Kid clenched his little fists as he dredged up old scores.

At those words, the powerful figures all jolted, their scalps prickling as they quickly looked toward the Willow Tree, terrified that it might display its divine might again.

"Little brothers, those were all jokes. You mustn't take them seriously or hold them in your hearts."

The powerful figures broke out in cold sweat. Their status was so lofty—when had they ever cared about such villagers? Wherever they went, they were treated with the utmost respect. What mountain villagers would dare disobey them? Yet now, they had no choice but to swallow their pride and apologize to the villagers.

"Brother, do you think this misunderstanding can be put behind us? We will repay you handsomely another day." The Golden Wolf Tribe's leader spoke, looking toward Shi Linhu and the other strong men.

Swoosh!

A streak of green radiance flashed by. The Willow Tree moved, and that branch swiftly descended, piercing through one of his shoulders. At once, the blood in half his body dried up, one arm cracked and fell away, and half his body was crippled. His symptoms were exactly the same as Jiao Cang's.

Then the willow branch moved swiftly again, like a divine spear, piercing through seven or eight powerful figures in succession. Some had spoken of bathing Stone Village in blood, while others had made threats. Now, the tender branch took vast amounts of their life essence.

"You may leave," Shi Linhu said.

The powerful figures trembled. The Willow Tree was too terrifying; they simply could not contend with it. Unless they reported this to their clan leaders and had them come in person, remaining here would be nothing but throwing away their lives.

A group of people rushed out of Stone Village. The Golden Wolf Tribe's leader and Jiao Cang of Luofu Great Marsh wore miserable smiles, while Purple Mountain Marquis's clan uncle and the Thunder Clan's old servant said nothing. This time, they had been utterly defeated.

Only the people from Cloud Heaven Palace remained calm, because they had suffered no losses. The old man led the two beautiful little girls, narrowing his eyes without saying much. The two girls blinked their large eyes as they looked toward Stone Village, clearly wanting to speak, but he stopped them.

The evening glow had long since faded, and night had fallen. From afar, the Willow Tree in Stone Village emitted a hazy radiance that enveloped the entire village.

"Our population numbers in the tens of millions, and our tribal territory is vast. It treated us like this—does it not fear calamity descending upon its head?" More than a li away from Stone Village, someone spoke indignantly.

"We must report this to the clan leaders and have them leave the mountains in person. Setting everything else aside, neither the Suanni Treasure Bone nor this sacrificial spirit can be allowed to slip away!" someone said viciously.

Yet as soon as those words fell, even from so far away, the sacrificial spirit sensed them. A fresh green willow branch carrying radiant mist stretched out for more than a li and lashed toward them.

Pfft, pfft...

Every person who had spoken viciously was cut through the body, as though the sharpest demonic blade had swept across the sky, separating their upper and lower halves as blood gushed forth.

The leaders of the various clans were also injured. The Thunder Clan's old servant and Purple Mountain Marquis's clan uncle each lost a hand, severed cleanly at the wrist as a warning.

The powerful figures' scalps went numb. They no longer dared utter another word, fleeing through the night. They all brought out treasure artifacts that gleamed brilliantly, flying close to the ground toward the depths of the primordial forest.

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