"Haha, truly worthy of Brother Yuan! With such ease, you've resolved most of our troubles, and now with only three Tree Demons left, our chances of sneaking into the Time Cave have greatly increased," Wulu praised.

He had already recovered his Mana and was about to activate the Heavenly Escape Stone Talisman again to conceal both of their presences.

"Wait a moment, we still have a small problem to deal with," Yuan Ming looked back at the ground behind him.

Some hundreds of feet underground, two blood-colored shadows lay in hiding, precisely the objects released by Yuan Wuji earlier.

The two blood-colored shadows were barely visible and their presence was almost non-existent; had it not been for the Divine Sense of his first soul division, he would have had difficulty detecting them.

"These are the Blood God Puppets of my Blood Transformation Sect," Blood Shadow, upon noticing Yuan Ming's actions and extending his Divine Sense, said in surprise.

"Blood God Puppets? I see," Yuan Ming nodded.

Earlier, while he was in seclusion beneath the mountain practicing Breathing Control, he had obtained the complete Blood Transformation Technique Jade Scroll from Blood Shadow, which included the method for refining Blood God Puppets. It required a complete Cultivator's body, using blood as the medium, inscribing the unique talismans of the Blood Transformation Sect on the corpse, and then using the Yin Fire to forge it for ten years, refining every part of the puppet's flesh and bones, thus creating the Blood God Puppet.

Once made, the Blood God Puppet could transform into a Blood Cloud, capable of flying or tunneling through the earth without issue. Its aura of blood could even defile Magic Treasures, making it quite versatile.

The higher the Cultivation of the Cultivator who refined the puppet, the more formidable the resulting Blood God Puppet would be. According to the records on the Jade Scroll, the Blood Transformation Sect once fortuitously acquired the corpse of a late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator. The entire Sect spent a hundred years painstakingly refining it into the highest-quality Blood God Puppet.

This Blood God Puppet was formless and shadowless, its body existing somewhere between material and immaterial, not only impervious to Magic Treasures but also capable of transforming into an intangible Blood Shadow when fighting a person. It could pounce onto an enemy's body and breach even the strongest Protective Body Magic Treasures. The Blood Shadow passing through could instantly suck away the opponent's Essence Blood and Divine Soul.

For every bit of Essence Blood and Divine Soul it absorbed, the Blood God Puppet would grow stronger, until eventually, it developed spiritual intelligence and escaped the Blood Transformation Sect, leaving the higher-ups profoundly regretful.

"These two Blood God Puppets appear to be freshly refined. Someone used the Sect's secret Blood Concealing Talisman to hide their forms and auras so well, making them not difficult to deal with!" Blood Shadow spoke confidently, volunteering himself.

"No need, I can handle it," Yuan Ming controlled the first soul division to cast an Illusion Technique on the two blood-colored shadows.

The Blood God Puppets, in a state of confusion, had no power to resist the Illusion Technique of the first soul division and quickly became motionless on the spot.

Yuan Ming dived underground and activated the Cold Moon Ring with a flick of his fingers.

Two rays of white light shot out and struck the Blood God Puppets, instantly freezing them into ice sculptures.

Blood Shadow also revealed his true form, and he turned out to be Luu Changfeng and Elder Qi, the ones who had led Yuan Ming and others into the Secret Realm previously.

Yuan Ming displayed a look of surprise, then he waved his sleeve.

A streak of azure light flashed by, and the two puppets vanished into thin air.

After taking care of the two puppets, Yuan Ming returned to the surface without delay, joining Wulu in front of the Time Cave.

...

As soon as the two men neared the cave entrance, the remaining three giant trees began to twist, their hanging vines retracting and their bodies becoming more compact. Faces emerged on the dry trunks, each contorted and lunging towards them.

Upon seeing this, Wulu quickly grabbed Yuan Ming and immediately activated the Heavenly Escape Stone Talisman.

The two vanished into the void with a flash, leaving behind the three Tree Men, who looked around the empty space with a look of bewilderment.

Inside the Time Cave, Yuan Ming and Wulu quietly leaped in, concealing themselves within the void.

They had yet to steady themselves when they were immediately drawn to a pitch-black ancient tree not far ahead.

This old tree was no more than ten feet tall, with rough bark and convoluted branches, spiraling into complex configurations. It bore metallic luster and numerous descending black vines.

A huge and ancient human face grew amidst the tree trunk at mid-height.

Unlike the twisted faces of the Tree Men, this face was identical to that of a human, except for its black hue. Its eyes were slightly closed, and the face was cross-hatched with wrinkles, exuding a serene and even somewhat kind expression.

Wulu and Yuan Ming exchanged glances, about to examine it closely when the old human face on the tree suddenly moved its eyelids and opened its eyes.

The eyes revealed a pair of murky pupils, frosted over and misty, which in a flash turned into two swirling vortexes of chaos.

An air of wild chaos immediately emanated from the eyes, and countless vines on the black tree came to life all at once, thrashing wildly in every direction like dancing demons.

Billowing black fog spread from the old tree, quickly filling the entire cavern.

As Yuan Ming's gaze met those vortex-like eyes, his Sea of Consciousness seemed to be struck by a heavy blow, as if a great bell had rung, freezing him in place.

His vision shifted as he suddenly saw an enormous black tree with a vast canopy and tendrils that blotted out the sky, its branches like the arms of demons, covered in black scales and sharp barbs.

Before Yuan Ming could react, those demonic arm-like vines were already lunging towards him, piercing into his body.

Yuan Ming only felt a dizzying vertigo as his consciousness plummeted sharply downward, as if he were falling into an endless abyss, constantly tumbling into the darkness, gradually losing all perception of himself.

He vaguely realized that his Soul Power was being rapidly extracted, but his chaotic consciousness could no longer sustain any counterattack.

Meanwhile, inside the Time Cave, the effect of the Heavenly Escape Stone Talisman wore off, and both Yuan Ming and Wulu's figures appeared.

Wulu's condition was much like Yuan Ming's, even worse, with his face showing an even more serious color of defeat.

Just then, the ground behind them suddenly cracked open, and two black Demon Vines shot out, each stabbing toward their backs.

"Ugh..."

Both Yuan Ming and Wulu couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, a flash of pain crossing their faces.

As the sound rang out, their skin began to turn a rapid shade of gray-white, but it was not the gray-white of a dried corpse when its moisture has been drained.

The muscle patterns on their bodies began to bulge, and grooves started to form along the edges, irregular hard plates sprouting over their skin; they were quickly transforming into something resembling trees.

Once their appearance had changed unnaturally, their skin color also began to darken gradually, and they now bore a striking resemblance to the wooden puppets they had seen earlier.

As their bodies transformed and their consciousnesses fell into oblivion, unable to resist, the first soul division hidden inside the Stealing Heaven Tripod immediately sprang into action.

At its call, streams of pure Desire Power gathered, infusing into Yuan Ming's Divine Soul.

The Soul Power that had formerly been extracted in large amounts was suddenly replenished, and his Divine Sense, which had already sunk into the abyss, finally saw a speck of light in the endless darkness.

Yuan Ming didn't give up on this glimmer of light, struggling desperately to reach upward.

His eyes, which had gradually turned to a gray-white color, suddenly brightened with spirit, and he finally regained some consciousness.

Seizing this fleeting opportunity, Yuan Ming immediately summoned the Night Parade of Hundred Demons, and a burst of white light flew out from it— the hidden All Living Beings Dream Rune, which flashed into the body of the black Tree Demon and disappeared.

The previously wildly thrashing Demon Vine tendrils suddenly paused, hanging in mid-air, as did the swarming black mist in the cave, which also solidified in the air.

In the Tree Demon's face carved in the black tree, the swirling mists in its widened eyes came to an abrupt halt, as if frozen in time.

Not knowing how long the All Living Beings' Dream Rune would hold, Yuan Ming dared not delay for even a moment; a Golden Light flashed above his head, and a gleaming Scripture Pillar emerged.

Within the sea of Golden Light, dozens of Magic Treasures, including the Thunder God Hammer and the God Bombarding Cone, were launched at once, various colors shining brightly as they bombarded the black tree in unison.

Yuan Ming, while grabbing the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear, activated nearly all his Star Power, channeling it into the spear.

Thunder, lightning, and sparkling lights like flint rained down on the black tree, producing a series of heavy booms, yet the results were no better than a mantis trying to shake a tree.

Only the Thunder God Hammer and the God Bombarding Cone managed to carve a crack in the trunk of the tree; the attacks from the other Magic Treasures barely broke its surface and could not inflict serious damage.

Even Yuan Ming's Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear only penetrated halfway before it became stuck, unable to advance further.

The toughness and resilience of the black tree far surpassed his imagination.

Seeing that the black tree was starting to awaken from his attack, Yuan Ming grew deeply anxious.

At that moment, he suddenly recalled something and immediately twisted his wrist, taking out the talisman paper that had been given to him by Hou Yi's Sun-shooting Bow, and poured his Mana into it to activate the talisman.

As the Mana flowed in, the talisman paper lit up, and a virtual image of a Golden Bow identical to Hou Yi's Sun-shooting Bow appeared in Yuan Ming's palm.

He reached out to grasp the virtual image of the Golden Bow and immediately felt a vast and scorching force seeping into his arm.

Without any hesitation, Yuan Ming took out a Golden Crow arrow, nocked it to the bowstring.

The more he pulled on the bowstring, the more the image of the Golden Bow was drawn, and a blinding light began to emerge around the Golden Crow arrow; a power both scorching and overwhelmingly luminous began to concentrate on it.

The temperature around the void rose sharply, and even Wulu, lost in the illusion, suffered burns that made him tremble uncontrollably.

The black tree seemed to sense the impending crisis and began to struggle violently; the gray-white mist in its pupils shook and swirled, as though it was fighting with all its might against the control of the All Living Beings' Dream Rune.

Seeing its eyes convulse and its gaze gradually clear, Yuan Ming did not waver, pulling the Golden Bow to its full crescent before releasing the bowstring.

"Whoosh," a sound rang out.

A golden arrow shot forth, tracing a fleeting arc before directly embedding into the black tree.

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