Rifts

The pain from the explosion in his left palm almost made Lumian pull out the silver-black Dagger that was already embedded in the trunk of the "Shadow Tree".

With great willpower and familiarity with similar injuries, he managed to control his body's instinctive reactions with great difficulty.

His mind, stimulated by this, became clear enough to break free from the two desires imposed upon him by Suzanne Matisse.

Pain and Rationality intertwined, sweeping through his mind, followed by a torrent of vast and terrifying scenes.

Those are the experiences accumulated by the "Shadow Tree" over more than a thousand years; those are the countless fragments of desire that nourished it and formed its trunk; those are the many possible Future of this Evil Giant Tree.

They were strung together by Mercury-Colored, Illusory Long River, flooding Lumian's thoughts like Flood.

Not only were there so many of them that they could overwhelm the mind of any Low-Sequence individual, but in some scenarios, Lumian instinctively chose to ignore them, to overlook them, and dared not look at them or discern their true nature.

Just when he thought his mind would be swept away by this vast torrent and turned into a White Paper, he found that he had actually withstood it, as if there was an extra space to accommodate countless scenes beyond the limit.

Lumian didn't dare waste time choosing the Destiny he wanted to exchange. Following his Danger Sense and spiritual instincts, he directly selected a scene:

A brownish-green tree root stretched towards the base of an Ancient Buildings, only to be swallowed up by an invisible Flames that Burning silently in the darkness, illuminating an area.

With a snap, the tree root broke in half and fell into the Depths of Darkness. A purple flame first appeared on its surface, then, as the Flames turned to a color indistinguishable to the naked eye, it vanished instantly, leaving not even a trace of dust.

Lumian withdrew the "Fallen Mercury" and tried to pry open this Destiny, but it did not react at all.

Whoosh whoosh!

The not-too-thick brown- Green Trees trunks, like short guns thrown in unison by soldiers, flew down towards Lumian's body in an overwhelming manner.

Any one of them would be enough to pierce the target and embed itself in the gnarled tree roots.

After her attempts to influence Lumian with her abilities of "lust," "appetite," "greed," and "desire for recognition" failed, Suzanne Matisse, now within the ethereal Canopy, widened her emerald Eyes and chose to use the tree spirit's abilities to deliver a physical blow.

She is attached to the "Shadow Tree," and the power of her abilities far surpasses that of her kind who live alongside ordinary trees.

Although she still didn't believe that the Sacrifice could harm the "Shadow Tree" with that so-called "Cursed Blade," the other party's aura and performance made her somewhat wary, and she subconsciously thought it would be better to interrupt.

It's better to believe there's serious harm and take extraordinary precautions in advance than to be negligent and watch things escalate!

The former would at most waste some effort and energy, delaying the completion of the Ritual a little longer, while the latter might bring about Change she didn't want to see and lead to failure.

Even if the probability is low, we must take precautions and not wait until it actually happens to make amends!

Lumian's flesh -Flesh Robe suddenly contracted inward, making him thinner and thinner, thus avoiding most of the short spears from the tree trunks.

Two of them, with no way to dodge or avoid them, landed on Lumian's left and right shoulders respectively.

The flesh and blood that made up the Robe were like soldiers who had heard a command, rushing towards the spot where the short spear was about to pierce the tree, building layer upon layer of Blood-Colored cushions.

With a bang, layers of flesh were pierced directly by two brown-green short wooden spears, and more flesh surged in, frantically filling the gap.

Although the Flesh Robe formed from Mr. K's fingers mitigated the damage, Lumian was still forced to bend her legs and fall backward by the force of being struck by a giant hammer.

Just then, he felt that the Destiny of "the brown -Green Trees roots being burned by an invisible Flames" was beginning to loosen.

The illusory power that aroused it did not belong solely to Lumian, but also originated from his left chest, from an unknown source.

Lumian gritted his teeth and, with extraordinary difficulty, used the momentum of his fall to lift up that Destiny, turning it into a drop of Mercury-Colored liquid, exchanging it for the Destiny of "encountering the Montsouris Ghosts" stored within the silver-black Dagger.

With a crisp snap, the "Fallen Mercury," unable to bear the weight and destined for its Destiny, developed one obvious crack after another. Some were abnormally long, some were thin, and some went straight through the blade.

With a thud, Lumian collapsed onto the gnarled tree roots that had sprung up on the ground, freeing himself from the remaining force of the brown-green tree trunk spear.

His shoulder ached, but he was not physically injured. His Robe, woven from flesh and blood, began to crumble and drip, blocking the pale giant flower and brownish-green crack that were opening their "mouths" to devour Lumian — Lumian had fallen and landed on them.

With a whoosh, crimson Flames shot up, scorching the evil creatures. Lumian seized the opportunity to flip over and move to a relatively safe position.

Only now did a question come to mind. While inhaling the Mysticism Smelling Salts and dodging attacks from trees, branches, leaves, Vines, roots, and Flowers, he whispered amidst sneezing, "Encountering the Montsouris Ghosts, 'sneez,' doesn't mean the Montsouris Ghosts will immediately attack!"

If it delays for a while, what's the point of all the effort we just put in?

Even if the Montsouris Ghosts were to return to attack the "Shadow Tree" only after a month or two, Lumian felt he had little hope. By then, the preparations for the Ritual would surely be complete, and the sacrifice would have already been underway for some time. Given the characteristics of the Montsouris Ghosts, under the watchful eye of the Evil God "Mother Tree of Desire," it would most likely choose to wait a while before returning.

The Termiboros echoed once more within Lumian's body and ears:

"It is coming; it is its Predestination Destiny."

At the edge of the ethereal Canopy, Suzanne had stopped attacking Lumian. While using the "Shadow Tree" to remotely instruct Charlotte to control the Sacrifice, she also immersed her consciousness into the brown-green Giant Tree, searching for any potential problems caused by the silver-black Dagger's attack.

The sooner it's discovered, the sooner it can be resolved, and the sooner the sacrificial Ritual can proceed!

After hearing Termiboros's words, Lumian couldn't help but ask again, "Can the Montsouris Ghosts really destroy the ' Shadow Tree '?"

Although both are Evil entities, this Giant Tree, which has been rooted in the Underground Trier for over a thousand years, nourished by countless desires, and connected to Concealment Evil God, clearly feels to be of a higher status, more terrifying, and more Evil.

Termiboros's deep voice rang out:

"Cannot.

"But it can influence the ' Shadow Tree ' to some extent, giving you a chance to escape."

Termiboros finished speaking than Lumian saw a dark figure suddenly appear to his side.

It was slightly hunched over, like an old man who could no longer bear the burdens of life.

Montsouris Ghosts!

It overcame all limitations and ignored numerous obstacles to arrive at this Alternate Dimension occupied by the "Shadow Tree".

The hunched-backed figure took a step forward, instantly reaching the edge of the brown-green trunk, where it came into Eyes of Suzanne and Charlotte.

They instinctively sensed a threat, but none of them connected the shadowy figure with the Montsouris Ghosts legend of Trier.

They frantically stirred up all sorts of desires in the Montsouris Ghosts, but it was like throwing a stone into a bottomless Abyss, with no echo whatsoever.

At this moment, Lumian saw for the first time the true appearance of the Montsouris Ghosts.

It was not an old man, nor even a human; it was more like a viscous black shadow that had been stretched into a human form, with its back hunched over.

The Montsouris Ghosts stared at the "Shadow Tree" for two seconds, then moved forward again, pressing itself against the brownish-green trunk.

It suddenly turned into Evil, Pitch-Black liquid, eroding the layers of tree bark.

A large, wet, black patch appeared on the surface of the massive tree trunk, continuously spreading and enlarging its surroundings.

In the blink of an eye, the entire base of the "Shadow Tree" was occupied by this dark shadow, and all of Suzanne Matisse and Charlotte Calvino's attacks failed.

The next second, this world, with its Blue Sky and White Clouds like Oil Painting and ground covered with gnarled tree roots, began to shake noticeably, as if it had been hit by a violent Earthquake.

Tiny, illusory cracks appeared on the tree trunks, on the ground, and high in the sky. Some of them were slowly expanding, allowing Lumian to see through them a corner of the street outside, a chaotic microcosm influenced by branches, Vines, and desires.

"Get ready." The Termiboros reached Lumian's ears.

Seeing that she couldn't stop the Montsouris Ghosts, and that the situation was deteriorating, Suzanne Matisse revealed a resentful expression and began chanting an Incantation in Ancient Hermetic:

"You are Divine Child Imprisonment should not have been born, a prison of Curse, an evil that erodes history."

"I Devout beg you for your help."

As soon as Suzanne Matisse finished speaking, the branches under the blurred Canopy simultaneously "secreted" a lot of viscous, Pitch-Black liquid.

This is similar to the black liquid that the Montsouris Ghosts embodied, but it is also very different; it is more chaotic, more insane, and more Evil.

Almost simultaneously, from the liquid secreted from the tree trunk, Paleness and deformed skulls grew, yellowish eyeballs Entanglement with thick blood vessels grew, bright red tongues oozing disgusting pus grew, and many other bizarre and indescribable things grew that would drive anyone mad just by looking at them.

On the Wilderness where Lady "Judgement" and Lady Moon " fought.

The Messy Street and other places remained scattered everywhere, while the giant brown-green Giant Tree began to sway, and tiny cracks, as if piercing through the void, appeared on its surface and around it.

Just then, a layered, Phantom Gate appeared high in the sky.

Lady in Orange Long Dress, exuding a languid air, emerged from the crowd. Her face was covered with shimmering Starlight- like Insects that crawled and burrowed in and out, obscuring her original appearance.

The Lady stepped in front of the giant brown-green Giant Tree, stretched out her hands, grabbed the two sides of an invisible crevice, and intended to tear it open!