The Mysterious Tree Spirit!

The Golden-Armored Puppet held a golden sword, its radiance blazing!

Luo Xiaotian snorted coldly, gripping the Black Dragon Sword as sharp light burst from his eyes!

Crack! Snap!

The golden sword in the puppet's hand was actually cleaved in two by Luo Xiaotian's Black Dragon Sword on the spot.

With its golden sword severed, the Golden-Armored Puppet paused briefly, then suddenly opened its mouth and spewed endless flames!

The heat was terrifying beyond belief!

"Such intense heat!"

The other seven inner disciples were also affected by the flames as they fought the two Silver-Armored Puppets.

An unbearably scorching force filled the entire room, and the seven disciples' expressions turned grim.

They discovered that the flames could actually absorb the spiritual energy within their bodies, gradually draining them dry.

With their spiritual energy depleted, they naturally had no strength left to fight. Before long, the two Silver-Armored Puppets would surely kill them, and they would be teleported out!

Splurt!

At last, an inner disciple at the Heavenly Mansion Fifth Heaven proved too weak. A Silver-Armored Puppet pierced his chest with its sword, and he collapsed.

As he fell, he was teleported out of the nine-story palace.

"Let me."

Under everyone's astonished gazes, Yun Qingxue resolutely stepped forward.

"I can extinguish these flames!"

"You can extinguish them? You're just a puny Sea Transformation Realm cultivator. What gives you the right to claim you can put these things out?"

The voices brimming with distrust and disdain still failed to shake Yun Qingxue.

"Just because you can't doesn't mean I can't."

Yun Qingxue spoke calmly. She gently spread her hands, and a wisp of dusky-white spiritual energy gradually emerged from her palms.

"Frost Corrosion!" Her cool voice rang out as endless frost surged from her arms!

Before anyone could react, the flames were actually frozen by the frost.

"This..."

Everyone was startled, staring blankly at Yun Qingxue. Never had they imagined that the Sea Transformation Realm burden they thought so little of would resolve such a troublesome problem for them.

For a moment, the other inner disciples began to see Yun Qingxue in a different light.

Even Xu Xuan could not help gaining a higher opinion of her.

"Let me destroy these two puppets first."

Xu Xuan had almost fully recovered by now. Although his cultivation was the lowest among those present apart from Yun Qingxue's, his strength was beyond question.

Without wasting any words, Xu Xuan hurled a fierce punch at the two Silver-Armored Puppets before everyone's eyes.

Bang!

With a single punch, one Silver-Armored Puppet was wrecked on the spot.

Xu Xuan stepped forward again and followed up with another punch. Two punches in succession left both Silver-Armored Puppets completely destroyed!

Only after seeing the two puppets reduced to scrap metal did Xu Xuan lower his hands. By then, Luo Xiaotian had also dealt with the Golden-Armored Puppet.

Once all three puppets had been dealt with, the passage to the next floor finally opened.

"We'll part ways here. Until we meet again!"

The other six inner disciples cupped their hands slightly, bid the three farewell, and left.

"Let's go in."

When they reached the sixth floor, they found trees growing thickly everywhere.

Powerful energy emanated from almost every corner, filled with endless demonic aura.

"Hm?"

Xu Xuan took two steps forward, only to suddenly sense an extremely powerful demonic aura rushing toward him.

"This sixth trial probably won't be easy!"

Luo Xiaotian also wiped the playful grin off his face, becoming exceptionally serious.

"We have no choice but to take this seriously. As expected of the sixth floor, this is probably the limit for almost all inner disciples!"

Xu Xuan's expression grew somewhat grave as he surveyed the forest. Any random demonic beast in there was at the Heavenly Mansion Realm.

He even sensed a deadly threat.

"There may be a Purple Mansion Realm demonic beast in the deepest part!"

"Getting through this will probably be as difficult as ascending to heaven!"

Xu Xuan shrugged and let out a deep breath.

"Let's go in. When soldiers come, we'll meet them with generals; when water comes, we'll dam it with earth. I, Xu Xuan, am no spineless coward. If others can get through, so can I!"

Before Luo Xiaotian could react, Xu Xuan took Yun Qingxue's hand and walked straight inside.

But when he turned to look back, Luo Xiaotian was nowhere to be seen.

"Hm?"

Xu Xuan froze, but he still could not find any trace of him.

"Forget it. He's the strongest one apart from the core disciples, so he should be safe. Even if there is danger, the worst that can happen is that he gets eliminated."

Comforting himself with that thought, Xu Xuan continued forward.

Yet a wall of trees stood firmly in his way.

"Human, you are the first to come here."

The great tree before him eerily spoke in a human tongue.

"Human, you must understand that no one who comes here can leave!"

"If you can defeat me, all the wood essence within my body will belong to you. What do you say?"

Before Xu Xuan could react, the great tree's branches suddenly began to shake. As they trembled, countless branches wound around Xu Xuan at incredible speed!

Xu Xuan had not even moved before the great tree's branches bound him.

Only Yun Qingxue remained standing there, utterly flustered.

Xu Xuan, meanwhile, was hoisted into the air by the great tree's branches.

"You, let him go!"

Yun Qingxue pouted, glaring fixedly at the great tree before her.

"Heh, you little brat. Get out of here yourself, or don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

Yun Qingxue moved her hands slightly, and masses of milky-white frost appeared directly in them, one after another.

"You're courting death!"

Yun Qingxue spoke softly. The next instant, the phantom of an enormous Ice Snake appeared behind her!

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

The Ice Snake flicked its forked tongue, its chilling eyes fixed on the great tree before it and on Xu Xuan, who hung from its branches!

"System is predicting the host's fate..."

"Fate one: the host does nothing. The great tree is devoured by the Ice Snake, and the host is frozen into an ice sculpture!"

"Fate two: the host resists. The great tree is snapped apart, and the host dies along with it!"

Hearing the system's predictions, Xu Xuan was instantly dumbstruck.

"Wait! Don't attack!"

Xu Xuan immediately spoke up. Seeing that the Ice Snake behind Yun Qingxue was about to strike, he knew that if the attack landed, both of them would die!

"Hm?"

Upon hearing him, Yun Qingxue instinctively stopped, utterly puzzled. "Brother Xuan, what's wrong?"

Xu Xuan said, "This Tree Spirit isn't so simple. If you kill it, I'm afraid I'll die too."

"Let me handle this myself!"

"Oh."

Yun Qingxue nodded without understanding, but she still withdrew her divine ability, stepped back, and watched Xu Xuan with her full attention.

Although he was dangling in midair, Xu Xuan had not suffered any serious harm!