Shock

Vast purple qi surged in like a boundless ocean, filling the sky and blanketing the mountains and rivers. Its majestic pressure made souls tremble. The clouds and mist transformed into a purple giant, whose foot stamped down toward the thick Willow Tree at the village entrance, bearing the divine might of heaven and earth, as though the heavens themselves had struck.

Such a sight, such momentum, left all the heroes stunned. Purple Mountain Marquis truly lived up to his reputation. With a single stomp like that, he could directly destroy an entire tribe!

No wonder there were tales that Purple Mountain Marquis had struck several times and erased several enormous tribes from this land. Such methods were earth-shattering and uncanny—truly an irresistible divine might.

Stone Village had encountered a crisis. Willow Tree was being attacked jointly by four great experts, shrouded from top to bottom. Every strike was astonishing.

The willow branch did not change its course. It continued upward to meet the attack of the Lord of Luofu Great Marsh.

It was a savage flood dragon over two hundred zhang long, filling the western sky. It spewed rosy radiance, its attacks terrifying as it ground countless rocks and forests into dust.

"Whoosh"

The gleaming green willow branch was indestructible. Before the astonished eyes of the crowd, it pierced through the savage flood dragon's brow bone and passed clean through, like a green divine chain carrying heaven-soaring might, unstoppable wherever it went.

The flood dragon was simply too enormous. Though it had been pierced through and its essence, qi, and spirit were rapidly dissipating, it still bared its fangs and brandished its claws, writhing across heaven and earth, spewing dawnlight and attacking below. The wilderness around Stone Village suffered devastating blows. Mountains and forests vanished, jagged rocks flew everywhere, and the earth cracked open.

"Whoosh"

The tender willow swayed, emitting dazzling light. Its jade-green branch twisted like a hornless dragon, swiftly winding around the savage flood dragon's neck. Then it gave a fierce tug, and that immensely powerful flood dragon plunged headfirst from the sky toward the ground.

In the distance, beside a great river amid the mountains and forests, the Lord of Luofu Great Marsh spat out a mouthful of blood essence. Two beams of light shot from his eyes as shock appeared on his face. He knew that the precious technique containing his essence, qi, and spirit had been broken. In but an instant, it had become nourishment for that willow tree. The flood dragon shriveled at a visible rate, its essence, qi, and spirit drained dry by those emerald willow branches, its divine radiance scattering away!

At the same time, the willow branch encountered an attack from due north. Dozens of layers of lightning arrived at once, black bolts dancing wildly as they intercepted the tender, emerald-green shoot.

Could it withstand them? That branch was so tender, crystal-clear and translucent, looking fragile no matter how one saw it. Yet the lightning was so violent. With black bolts interweaving, even refined iron would be cleaved into dust!

Everyone held their breath. Lightning was one of the most terrifying powers in this world, and Willow Tree had already suffered such an attack before, its entire body charred black. That proved lightning could harm it. Now that it faced such an assault again, could it still survive?

"By my name, I grant you destruction!" Thunder God roared, his voice as mighty as mountains and rivers. The mountain range resonated, and the earth trembled.

Yet something astonishing happened. The lightning filling the sky surged forth and submerged the willow branch, but it only became greener and greener, as though nourished by sweet spring water, so fresh and tender it seemed ready to drip.

Everyone was horrified. Thunder Marquis stood dumbfounded, losing confidence in himself for the first time in his life.

The willow branch swayed, sending out a green ripple. All the lightning in the sky vanished, absorbed completely. It all happened in an instant, leaving people gaping soundlessly.

"Whoosh"

Specks of green light rippled outward. The willow branch gave a gentle swing, tracing a graceful arc amid flecks of green radiance. Its branch lengthened and shot toward a great river in the west.

A figure stood there, hazy with water vapor and emanating a powerful aura. It was the Lord of Luofu Great Marsh. Though they were more than a li apart, the willow branch arrived in the blink of an eye, too fast for anyone to react.

"Wuuu..."

The tender branch lashed down fiercely. The Lord of Luofu Great Marsh cried out and resisted with all his strength, bringing forth a beast bone. It was an extraordinarily powerful precious artifact, used as a substitute while he himself rapidly fled.

The area blazed with dazzling light, illuminating the entire mountain forest and the whole river as brightly as day. Yet even such a powerful precious artifact could not block it. With a "Puff," it was shattered by the tender shoot, turning into a cloud of bone powder. Its runes vanished outright, and its essence merged into the green willow. "Ah... no!" the Lord of Luofu Great Marsh screamed. Though fleeing at top speed, he was still too late. The willow branch descending from the heavens was sharper than an immortal sword. With a light sweep, it split him into two halves, which fell into a pool of blood. Then his essence boiled away. It was as if he had aged ten thousand years; his flesh dried up and split apart, all divine splendor gone.

At this moment, the gathered heroes were terrified and the experts silent as cicadas in winter. The people of Luofu Great Marsh were pale to the extreme. Not long ago, they had proclaimed that their clan lord had arrived, that a mere village was nothing, and that they would flatten it completely to avenge Jiao Cang. Yet now the outcome was so brutal and terrifying. Luofu Great Marsh's strongest clan lord had been cut into two pieces, blood staining the ground as his corpse lay there!

"Clan Lord!" many cried out in grief.

At that moment, countless people felt their hairs stand on end and their scalps go numb. This willow tree was far too horrifying. It simply could not be confronted by force!

"Clan Lord, run!" the Thunder Clan members cried, loudly warning Thunder Marquis.

For the willow branch, glimmering with specks of dawnlight, had already withdrawn and changed direction, charging north toward Thunder Marquis.

In truth, Thunder Marquis had sensed that something was wrong long ago. He reacted at once, producing a precious artifact and controlling lightning as he rose three chi above the ground and raced into the distance, preparing to flee.

Yet the willow branch was far too fast. It transformed into a green beam that cut across the northwest and swept over in an instant.

With a "Whoosh," the stone mountain where Thunder Marquis had stood was sliced in two as easily as a sharp sword cutting spring mud. The branch did not pause. Within a breath, it caught up with him, the tender shoot aiming at his back, about to pierce through him.

"Open for me!"

Thunder Marquis roared. Every hair on his body stood upright as ten thousand arcs of electricity flashed. He transformed into a blinding ball of lightning, releasing immense bolts of electricity with shocking force, blasting even that stone mountain apart.

The willow branch stopped at that moment and did not pierce his body. Instead, it greedily absorbed the lightning before suddenly coiling around him, hoisting him up, and returning to Stone Village.

Many people cried out in alarm. Such a powerful Thunder Marquis had been captured just like that. Why had Willow Tree not killed him, but brought him back in this manner?

Thunder Marquis let out a long howl and struggled continuously. His precious artifact shone and resonated with him, attempting to break the willow branch, but all of it was useless. It could not damage the tender branch in the slightest, while the willow tree greedily absorbed the lightning he released.

"This is..." Everyone was startled as they realized what Willow Tree intended to do. It wanted Thunder Marquis to keep using precious techniques, continuously generating lightning for it to absorb.

"Reborn amid destruction—it actually seeks nourishment from lightning..."

Everyone was chilled to the bone. This Willow Tree was too monstrous and wicked; it could not be judged by ordinary reason. The four great clans joining forces to attack it would likely prove to be their greatest miscalculation.

Thunder Marquis was hung from the willow tree at the village entrance, struggling without cease. Yet his aura was growing weaker and weaker, and it was clear he would not live much longer.

Everyone was shaken. This was the dignified Thunder Marquis, one of the two rulers of marquis territories, yet he had been hung up like this and turned into a prisoner. It was unbelievable!

What happened today was destined to spread across this land. Stone Village's name would shake all directions. It was only a sacrificial spirit that appeared close to death, its entire body charred black, yet it was so terrifying—killing one man and hanging another. Those were two among the four supreme experts. Its divine might truly shocked the world.

The Thunder Clan members looked incomparably grim. The dignified lord of an entire clan, who commanded all directions and ruled boundless lands, had actually been captured.

Not long ago, experts of their clan had declared that they would eradicate Stone Village without the slightest effort, saying that Suanni precious bones and such were not things a mere village could possess. What had happened now was not merely a slap rebounding onto their faces—it was skinning them alive. Their clan lord was about to die!

All of this had happened in the time it took sparks to fly from flint. One clan lord had been killed and another captured, while the other two attacks had only just begun.

That golden wolfskin precious artifact was no different from a real divine wolf. Its entire body seemed forged from gold as it pounced forward, extending a pair of invincible claws that directly dug through earth and stone, seeking to destroy the willow tree's roots.

However, the moment a single rootlet emerged from the ground, that divine wolf was horrified. The root, like a coiling horned dragon, shot upward and instantly wrapped around it before dragging it into a crack in the earth.

"Awooo..."

The golden divine wolf howled, all its fur standing on end and gleaming brilliantly. It radiated dazzling light and struggled violently, its pair of huge claws clawing fiercely at that root.

"Crack"

To everyone's horror, those sharp golden claws snapped apart, shattered into three pieces by the root. The rootlet flicked once, sending earth and stones flying to bury the area.

Everyone stood frozen, nearly dumbstruck. Such a powerful precious artifact, almost equal to the divine wolf personally taking the field, had been crippled just like that.

Before the sand and soil completely covered the place, people saw that the golden wolfskin was withering and decaying, broken down by the root until it turned into fertilizer.

"Such a powerful precious artifact, the cast-off remains of the foremost sacrificial spirit within fifty thousand li, was only fit to serve as nourishment?!" People shuddered in fear.

Everyone from the Golden Wolf Tribe was bloodless. The supreme divine wolf, hailed as the foremost sacrificial spirit of this land, had been suppressed like this.

They remembered their arrogant words from not long ago: that they would charge through on iron cavalry, trample this place beneath their horses' hooves, and raze it to the ground. Now, it seemed nothing more than a joke in which they had slapped themselves across the face!

With this Willow Tree here, who in this land would dare call themselves the foremost sacrificial spirit?

"Rumble!"

A purple foot descended from the sky, stomping toward the willow tree at the village entrance. It was Purple Mountain Marquis's attack. He was the strongest expert in this vast territory, and such a move could be called heaven-shaking.

The willow branch remained wrapped around Thunder Marquis, swaying in the wind. Then it raised its tenderest tip and gently swayed. A green vortex immediately appeared, growing larger and larger until it ultimately formed a tornado that reached the heavens!

The sight was utterly astonishing, leaving every expert dumbfounded. The change had come too quickly. It was merely a tender shoot, yet with a light stir, it had created such a terrifying heavenly phenomenon!

This was also the first time the willow branch had used a different method, showing how extraordinary Purple Mountain Marquis, the foremost expert, truly was. His reputation was well deserved.

"Boom!"

The green vortex expanded, reaching the vault of heaven and connecting sky and earth. Its momentum was vast, shaking the surrounding lands. Like mountain floods bursting forth and a vast sea battering the heavens, it rumbled thunderously, making the experts feel as though they would collapse and suffocate.

That purple foot was dragged into the vortex, followed by the entire purple giant. It crashed down, crumbled apart, and was swallowed whole by the heaven-reaching tornado, torn to shreds!

At the scene, there was only dread and terror.