Crooked-Neck Tree

"Everyone, go back and absorb your Crystal Cores. Hold them in both hands and use your ability to connect with the energy inside. You'll understand once you try," Bai Yaoyao said.

After everyone returned to their rooms, Bai Yaoyao stopped Fat Brother.

"I'm going out tonight."

Fat Brother paused. "Is it dangerous? I'll go with you!"

"No need. I know what I'm doing, and I have my space, so my safety is covered. I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn't worry if you couldn't find me," Bai Yaoyao replied.

"All right. Let me know when you're back."

Bai Yaoyao planned to go to Phoenix Cry Mountain that night to find a mutated willow tree-the Invincible Willow Emperor.

In her previous life, this tree had devoured countless humans, animals, plants, and Zombies. In the end, even twenty high-level Ability Users above level 7 and fifty ordinary Ability Users working together had failed to take him down. Instead, the humans had suffered devastating losses.

Almost all the ordinary Ability Users had died, along with several of the high-level ones.

At the time, Bai Yaoyao had taken the Dark Night Squad on another mission, narrowly escaping that disaster.

Later, she had heard that this mutated willow originally grew at the foot of Phoenix Cry Mountain, so she wanted to try finding him. If she couldn't tame him, she would destroy him.

That would eliminate a formidable enemy of humanity before he grew powerful.

Still, she would absorb today's Crystal Stones first. After leveling up, she would be better able to protect herself and have a greater chance of success.

Bai Yaoyao slipped into her space and discovered that the honeysuckle and cassia seed she had planted earlier were almost mature.

Since she had stockpiled plenty of food, she had prioritized planting commonly used medicinal herbs.

She returned to the cabin in her space, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began absorbing Crystal Cores.

The level 0 and level 1 enhancement-type Crystal Cores successfully raised her strength ability to level 2, while twenty-five ordinary level 0 Crystal Cores raised her spatial ability to level 2.

After her spatial ability leveled up, a pool of spring water appeared beside the cabin. Bai Yaoyao paused, then approached and studied it carefully for a while. She even cupped some in her hands and tasted it, but found no difference between it and ordinary water. All she managed to do was wet her sleeve.

So she left it alone.

She had too many mouths to feed and not enough food to go around. Her psychic ability would have to wait until next time.

When Bai Yaoyao absorbed the Crystal Cores, she deliberately checked the time. She discovered that absorbing all of them had taken less than an hour-more than three times faster than normal!

She therefore took a leftover Crystal Core that hadn't been distributed and tried absorbing it outside her space. Not only was it much slower than absorbing it in the cabin, but the effect was also greatly reduced.

Bai Yaoyao was suddenly delighted. With this advantage, as long as she had enough Crystal Cores, her overall leveling speed wouldn't be slow even with three abilities!

She was so excited that she wanted to head out and bash Zombies right then.

Still, she held herself back. Business first.

Bai Yaoyao drove to the vicinity of Phoenix Cry Mountain. Under the moonlight, it wasn't completely dark, but it was strangely quiet.

After wandering around the foot of the mountain for a while, she realized she had oversimplified things. Phoenix Cry Mountain was enormous. If she hadn't seen two hundred willows already, she had seen at least eighty, and they all looked more or less the same.

How am I supposed to know which one's the badass? It definitely can't be this crooked-necked one in front of me. He's the ugliest of the lot.

Bai Yaoyao sighed, turned, and took two steps away. Then she abruptly stopped and spun around to look at the Crooked-Neck Tree in front of her.

His willow leaves were fluttering against the wind!

She checked the other willows. They were all normal. Only this ugliest one behaved like that.

Why are you so stubborn?

Bai Yaoyao instantly went on full alert. Every muscle in her body tensed, and her machete appeared in her hand. The big willow wasn't the only one whose strength had diminished. Hers had too.

Standing perfectly still, she extended her psychic power and cautiously probed the crooked-necked willow. She sensed no desire to attack from him. Instead, she felt a cheerful lightness.

Bai Yaoyao tried moving a few steps closer. The willow's leaves shook even more merrily. Although they couldn't exchange words, she felt as though he was greeting her.

She slowly raised her hand, and the willow slowly lifted his branches and leaves. Just as her fingertips were about to touch them, a branch suddenly shot forward and wrapped around her wrist.

Bai Yaoyao reflexively moved to slash him with her blade, only to discover that the willow meant no harm. He merely kept rubbing against her sleeve as though there was something seriously wrong with him. When he saw her raise the blade, he trembled and shrank back a little.

Even so, he couldn't bear to release her hand. Bai Yaoyao realized she could actually hear a hint of grievance in the rustling of his leaves.

Well, damn. I don't even have a wood ability. Why can I communicate with plants?

Bai Yaoyao suddenly remembered the pool of spring water that had appeared after the cabin in her space upgraded. When she had cupped some in her hands to drink, a little seemed to have splashed onto her sleeve-right where the willow kept pawing at her and refusing to let go.

She took out a little spring water and held it in her palm. The willow froze for a moment, then excitedly flailed his branches, looking like hair standing on end from an electric shock.

"Want a drink?" Bai Yaoyao asked gently, like a creepy older man coaxing a child.

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

"Then you have to come with me. From now on, you'll behave and do as you're told. If I tell you to go east, you can't go west. If I tell you to walk the dog, you can't chase the chickens!

"In return, I promise you'll have spring water to drink every day. How about it? Are you in?" Bai Yaoyao stroked his branches, negotiating with him in complete seriousness.

The willow actually understood. Without the slightest hesitation, he nodded, then guided his leaves and branches to suck up every last drop of spring water from Bai Yaoyao's palm.

Bai Yaoyao didn't know whether she could bring him into her space. If not, she could have Keke come and take him. Keke had a wood ability and could form contracts with plants.

To her surprise, it worked on the first try. The Crooked-Neck Tree vanished from before her, leaving only a deep pit. Bai Yaoyao peered inside curiously and instantly broke out in goosebumps.

She hadn't expected the willow to be this powerful right at the start of the apocalypse. The densely packed, bottomless holes left by his roots in the pit made that obvious.

Bai Yaoyao didn't hurry back. Instead, she slipped into her space.

She found the willow beside the spring water, frantic with longing but afraid to drink without permission in case she threw him out. He could sense that Bai Yaoyao was the boss in this space, so he at least knew how to read the room.

"Go ahead. There's plenty!" Bai Yaoyao said, pointing at the spring water.

There was a spring feeding it, so the water would replenish itself. She didn't need to be stingy.

As soon as the willow heard her say that, he plunged every one of his branches into the spring water...

His impatient behavior really lacked the dignity of a powerhouse.

In less than five minutes, the willow drank all the spring water, then came over to act cute and seek affection as though possessed by a puppy.

Bai Yaoyao didn't begrudge him the water. She couldn't expect a horse to run without letting it eat grass.