Demon Ancient Tree

"Sir, why not take my earlier advice and just burn down the mountain?" Li Zhouhai retreated, his tone exceptionally earnest.

It was no wonder he suggested it. Any normal person would probably shrink back at the sight of that thing ahead.

The trunk of that demonic tree was over fifty meters in diameter and nearly a hundred meters tall, like a festering tumor forcibly squeezed out of a wound in the earth.

Its exposed bark was pale, and its texture looked less like wood than a relief layer formed from countless struggling, twisted animal and plant corpses crushed together and petrified.

Half its roots floated above the swamp like gigantic veins and sinews, oozing thick, foul-smelling black resin.

Lincon's gaze passed over Li Zhouhai and settled on the demonic tree, leaving him quietly shaken.

He had never expected that, not far from Longwind Fortress, there would be not only Pale Wraiths but also such a devilish ancient tree.

"Afraid..."

A thought came from the Ancient Maple Guardian. Aside from the swamp, the greater reason it had stopped advancing was the existence of this demonic tree.

They had found the source, but how to deal with it had become a major problem.

Either they followed Li Zhouhai's advice and burned the whole mountain down, no matter how bizarre it was, or they blocked the polluted water flowing from the swamp and cut off the demonic tree's contamination.

Purifying this place would likely be no less difficult than dealing with the Pale Wraiths.

Everyone looked toward Lincon, waiting for his decision.

They had to decide quickly. Otherwise, once night fell, no one wanted to know what would happen in this forest.

Yet Lincon made a strange move. He closed his eyes again and began to sense.

His spiritual power was like invisible tendrils, crossing the muddy, dangerous swamp and touching the bizarre demonic tree.

As long as it was a plant, he could use spiritual perception to sense its emotions and listen to its voice.

So before making his decision, a strange thought arose in Lincon's mind.

Could he communicate with this demonic tree?

No matter how one looked at it, this demonic tree was no ordinary plant. Even the Ancient Maple Guardian feared it. Its life level had likely surpassed the mortal rank, making it similar to humanity's powerful ability users.

At first, Lincon's spiritual power repeatedly hit a wall, but as he continued trying, he finally pried open a gap.

Yet the response in his consciousness surprised him even more.

Its consciousness was like that of a young child who had only recently been born, full of confusion and curiosity toward him.

This strand of consciousness bore him no hostility, creating a peculiar contrast with its terrifying and bizarre appearance.

[Demon Ancient Tree]

[Advancement Path 1: Infernal Demon Ancient Tree]

[Sunlight Required: 5000 points]

[Unlock Conditions: Demon Heart, Blood of a B-Rank Lifeform]

[Hidden Advancement Path 2: Devil Fruit Tree]

[Sunlight Required: 10000 points]

[Unlock Conditions: Life Fruit, A-Rank Dark Matter Crystal]

The panel flashed before Lincon's eyes, informing him that the Demon Ancient Tree could advance.

This was the plant Lincon had encountered with the highest advancement requirements.

That alone showed how terrifying this demonic tree's growth potential was.

Even Ashen Purifying Sunflower, which the panel had once judged to possess astonishing potential, required only 5,000 points of Sunlight and materials for its hidden advancement path.

Yet this Demon Ancient Tree before him required as many as 10,000 points.

But... was that Devil Fruit Tree the same kind of tree he was thinking of?

If so, the value of this Demon Ancient Tree was beyond imagination. Once it advanced, Longwind Fortress would be able to produce ability users through Devil Fruits in the future.

Lincon communicated with the Demon Ancient Tree's consciousness through his spiritual power. When he finally withdrew his attention, he discovered that the surroundings had already darkened.

"How much time has passed?"

"Sir, you're finally awake!"

Li Zhouhai's voice rang out in the darkness, carrying a trace of excitement.

"It's about to get dark. Good thing you woke up now, or I would've had no choice but to carry you and run!

"The swamp is right beside us, so we didn't dare light a fire just in case. What should we do next?"

Li Zhouhai was clearly anxious as he spoke.

If they delayed any longer and night fell completely, all of them would likely die here.

Without a light source, dark creatures became several times more dangerous. They could neither be seen nor touched, and in the end, one might not even know how one had died.

There were only a dozen or so minutes left before complete darkness. If they left now, quickly escaped this swampy region, and lit an open flame, they might still have a chance to survive.

"It's too late. Set up camp here," Lincon ordered decisively, glancing at the sky darkening at a visible rate.

They were nearly ten kilometers from Longwind Fortress. Walking back in the dark would definitely take longer than it had during the day.

Li Zhouhai was deeply confused by this order. "Sir, we can't light an open flame here..."

However, Lincon waved a hand and cut him off before he could finish.

"I know. Don't worry, we don't need to light a fire."

"???" Li Zhouhai froze.

They did not need to light a fire? Were they supposed to wait here for death?

Still, despite his doubts, Li Zhouhai chose to obey Lincon's order.

The more than twenty people who had followed them stood back to back.

They were all subjects with loyalty above 80, and they had blind faith in Lincon. Just like that day, when Lincon had sat atop the Ancient Maple Guardian's shoulder and raised the Purifying Fire high to lead them out of danger.

So even though Lincon said they did not need to light an open flame, they still chose to trust him.

Time passed slowly. Gradually, darkness far thicker than that outside seeped from the shadows and cracks.

Rustling sounds began to rise around them. Suddenly, a heavy wave of malice spread toward Lincon and the others.

Goosebumps rose all over their bodies. They all sensed it and turned toward the source of that malice.

In the darkness not far away, countless pale arms supported an indescribable bodily outline as it rapidly crawled toward them.

Devouring Worm!

Li Zhouhai's eyes widened as energy rapidly gathered within him. With every step he took, his body expanded another fraction.

"Bring me my weapon!"

The moment he spoke, someone handed him an exaggerated glaive.

"Whoosh—"

The blade carved a streak of silver through the darkness. Its force was fierce as it savagely cleaved into the Devouring Worm's twisted, writhing body.

Yet the Devouring Worm seemed to suffer little damage. Its speed did not decrease at all, and it had even spread its arms to embrace the group.

The first Law of Darkness: Only while within light could dark creatures be touched.

Li Zhouhai's glaive had struck the Devouring Worm, but because they were not within the light, the blow could not harm it.

"This is bad!"

Li Zhouhai glared furiously and stepped forward, trying to block the Devouring Worm's attack with his own body.

But at that moment, the Demon Ancient Tree behind them suddenly erupted with a tremendous light.

"Clang..."

At the same time, Lincon drew the Shadow Sword and swung it from the side. The sword arrived with the light, piercing the Devouring Worm's twisted head just as its arms were about to fall upon Li Zhouhai.