Rumble... Rumble...

The massive roar shook the heavens and earth. A large section of the mountain range collapsed, resembling the gaping maw of a gigantic beast. Trees, grass, and boulders were all dragged underground, even smaller mountain peaks sank into the ground as if swallowed by the sea—an apocalyptic scene unfolding.

Wang Xiaoqiang stood on the Holy Path of Courage, his figure slightly elevated; the Patterned Beast let out a panicked screech and flapped its wings to fly higher. Both master and pet displayed looks of shock as they witnessed the horrifying scene below.

Ever since arriving in the Biluo Realm, this was Wang Xiaoqiang's first brush with a life-threatening crisis, a massive sense of fear growing within him. As this fear burgeoned, the two Fear Shields inside him grew stronger, then split into four.

At that moment, large, black and shiny tree roots burst from the collapsed ground, resembling the claws and skin of a beast, stretching out in all directions across a kilometer-wide radius. These roots varied in thickness from as thick as an arm to as thick as a tree trunk, reaching several feet into the air, aiming for Wang Xiaoqiang.

As Wang Xiaoqiang's body rose further along the Holy Path of Courage, no amount of collapsing ground or emerging tendrils seemed capable of harming him.

Yet, as Wang Xiaoqiang soared to evade the threat, the roots below grabbed large boulders, hurling them skyward like a catapult, targeting Wang Xiaoqiang.

The kilometer-wide area was saturated with those massive roots. Countless roots took hold of gigantic rocks, launching billions of boulders at Wang Xiaoqiang.

With billions of boulders raining down, Wang Xiaoqiang had to raise the Immortal Liquid Barrier and unleash his Fear Shields. The four shields stacked together beneath and formed four layers of protection.

Wang Xiaoqiang then flew higher into the sky, but his speed was no match for the incoming boulders.

Bam, bam, bam, bam...

The boulders crashed onto the Holy Path of Courage with fearsome echoes. Although the path had formidable defensive power and retaliated with continuous lightning strikes, the relentless hammering shook it unceasingly.

At that point, tens of thousands of roots banded together like numerous arms, wrapping around a collapsed mountain and heaving it toward Wang Xiaoqiang, hurling it like a rock from a catapult.

The force required to fling a small mountain into the air—how immense was that strength?

Boom!!

The mountain shot forth like a cannonball toward Wang Xiaoqiang, causing winds and thunder to explode, with gusts striking so hard one could feel the sting against the face from afar.

Wang Xiaoqiang dared not slack, immediately steering the Patterned Beast to rapidly ascend into higher skies.

As Wang Xiaoqiang and his pet took off, the mountain crashed onto the Holy Path of Courage, sending it flying. Subsequently, the four Fear Shields were knocked away in succession. As the mountain neared Wang Xiaoqiang, he felt an asphyxiating pressure bearing down. He quickly shimmered into a Golden Flow State, exploding into countless starry particles scattered like a swarm of butterflies under the impact of the mountain.

He narrowly evaded a catastrophe.

The reasoning was simple: a wheel could crush a person but not an ant.

Wang Xiaoqiang capitalized on his body's capacity to transform into Golden Flow to withstand the fierce attack. Even if he hadn't transformed, he'd have survived, though likely injured.

When the mountain's momentum faltered and it plummeted, the dispersed golden particles reassembled, consolidating into a human form and transforming back into Wang Xiaoqiang.

"Tree Spirit, if you've got any tricks left, show them quickly. Grandpa's getting annoyed and has no time for games..." Wang Xiaoqiang's face was pale, yet he gazed downwards with a shout.

"Hmph, you insignificant cultivator, such audacity! If I weren't toying with you, the Purple Blood Poison Flower would have ended you long ago." A deep voice resonated from underground, sounding as though it came from the Nine Nether Hell.

"Pssh, come out if you've got the guts, stop hiding in the shadows," Wang Xiaoqiang retorted angrily, curious to see what kind of monstrosity this Ten-Thousand-Year Tree Demon was.

Before he finished speaking, a section of the ground, a hundred meters in diameter, abruptly cracked open. A giant tree surged out of the splintered earth. To Wang Xiaoqiang, the hundred-meter-wide tree trunk resembled a towering skyscraper, shooting up from the ground.

Thud, thud, thud, thud...

The giant tree ascended endlessly... no one knew how tall it could grow. It only stopped when it reached below Wang Xiaoqiang's feet.

Then a human-like face materialized on the crown of the tree, opening its eyes and gazing at Wang Xiaoqiang with a teasing expression, "Boy, are you scared?"

"No matter how big you are, aren't you still beneath me?" Wang Xiaoqiang was amazed by the huge demon body of the Tree Demon but kept a cool expression, returning the teasing smile, "If you have the guts, come up above me."

Before Wang Xiaoqiang could finish his sentence, the tree expanded again, thrusting directly toward him. Wang Xiaoqiang hadn't expected that the towering tree, seemingly at its limit, could actually grow even taller.

He swiftly darted upwards, barely evading it.

The face on the tree laughed, "Ha ha, little boy, if you were any slower, you'd have been caught."

Wang Xiaoqiang looked down at it, laughing in turn, "Any other tricks besides your size?"

The face on the tree was indignant, facial features twisting into a scowl, as it ground its teeth. Then it opened its mouth, screeching, "Shoot!"

As the word left its mouth, the enormous tree crown suddenly spread open like hair struck by static electricity; each branch stood upright like giant arrows, hurling toward Wang Xiaoqiang like a volley of arrows.

While retreating rapidly, Wang Xiaoqiang willed the four Fear Shields to position themselves before him on all sides, front, back, left, and right.

Bam, bam, bam, bam...

The branches slammed into the Fear Shields, sending them flying. Just as the branches were about to pierce Wang Xiaoqiang, his body flickered into a Golden Flow, shattering into stars. Despite their immense power, the branches struck nothing.

The scattered stars coalesced again into a human shape, transforming back into Wang Xiaoqiang.

Though Wang Xiaoqiang could evade attacks by transforming into Golden Flow, each transformation sapped considerable energy, leaving his face progressively paler.

Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang remain unscathed, the face on the tree crown revealed a fierce look. With a sudden move, it transformed into a green humanoid, entirely naked.

The green humanoid leapt from the tree crown, charging straight at Wang Xiaoqiang.

"Hmm? This Tree Demon can detach from its body! So powerful." Wang Xiaoqiang murmured cautiously. Typically, Demon Species of this caliber could assume humanoid forms as Avatars, but never detach from their true bodies. Yet here was the Ten-Thousand-Year Tree Demon transforming, evincing a humanoid form separate from its demon body.

As the green humanoid approached, Wang Xiaoqiang patted his Storage Bag, and a spear shot out, flying straight towards that Tree Demon. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit the Qidian web site (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation tickets or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile readers, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)

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