[Race: Tree Demon]

It seems these creatures are officially not called Tree Men.

The location of the Tree Demons is far away from the routes commonly taken by Adventurers.

Lin Jun never thought there would be such a hidden green sanctuary deep within the sixth layer.

The roots of countless old trees crisscross the ground, covered with green moss that extends throughout the space.

The Tree Demons have also integrated their roots into it.

Until one large and two small Puki suddenly broke in, did they slowly extract their feet from the soil.

Faced with intruders, the Tree Demons displayed a strong sense of territorial defense.

Several Tree Demons slowly circled around, the roots on their arms writhing, ready to attack at any moment.

The Tree Demons stood between 2-3 meters tall, while an average Puki is only 80cm, and Xiao Hai, mimicking a large Puki, is only 1.5 meters tall.

When surrounded, it still felt quite oppressive.

Xiao Hai didn't seem threatened at all; instead, she excitedly pulled one fist behind her, her chubby body arching backward like drawing a bow.

At her limit, her short legs exerted force, propelling herself forward with full power.

The spot she previously stood on exploded into a small pit, and a large amount of soil splashed onto the scale armor of the two Pukis behind her.

Even before the sound arrived, the Tree Demon on the opposite side had already suffered a heavy blow.

The Tree Demon's trunk instantly shattered into powder, and the relatively intact limbs flew apart, one of which pierced straight through another Tree Demon's chest.

Lin Jun was also seeing this for the first time, the speed of a Puki so fast it left afterimages!

Yet the Tree Demons seemed ignorant of fear; facing Xiaoninn's instantaneous slaying of a companion, their attack showed no hesitation.

Seven or eight roots crawled up from the ground, wrapping around Xiao Hai's two short legs, trying to restrict her speed.

[Entanglement]

Lin Jun knew this move as well.

This skill was pretty much standard for most plant-type Demons.

If it were anyone else, even High Tier Werewolves on the tenth layer might be somewhat restricted by their entanglement.

Unfortunately, this time they faced Xiao Hai, a super elite monster with a level of 58 and attributes far beyond the norm!

Just walking normally caused all the tangled roots to snap.

A Tree Demon clenched its hands together, its branches forming a large hammer, struck Xiao Hai squarely, but it couldn't even leave a mark on the black scales.

No technique, purely a matter of numerical disparity!

Xiao Hai behaved like a mischievous child, methodically dismantling each Tree Demon.

Without a hint of malice, simply indulging her destructive desires.

After the last Tree Demon was disarmed, Xiao Hai seemed to have played enough.

Rather than delve deeper into the forest of Tree Demons, she turned around and retraced her steps.

Lin Jun controlled a Puki to follow closely, while another Puki stayed behind.

It looked at the moss in symbiosis with the roots, then at the last Tree Demon that was still alive with broken limbs.

The Puki tried sprinkling spores all around.

This area currently isn't connected to the Fungal Network, so the spores would only grow autonomously.

Lin Jun was just testing if the fungal threads might be able to compete for space against the moss.

The Tree Demons likely wouldn't allow Slimes into their territory, but if their mushrooms could compete with the moss, this place could be a natural Fungal Mat node.

Finding a few more spots like this would make expanding downward much easier later on.

After expelling the spores from its body, this Puki turned to chase after Xiao Hai.

It turns out Xiao Hai found the Tree Demons using her senses, not by recognizing the path.

This creature got lost after walking a mere couple of steps back…

In the end, Lin Jun's Puki led the way to bring her back to the main route.

Having had her play, Xiao Hai rubbed her tummy, glancing at the two Pukis beside her who didn't have [Magic Storage].

Time to go back and eat something.

"What luck, handling that Flower Demon before it reacted, preventing it from spraying paralyzing liquid. This whole bottle is worth half a month's wine for us…"

The distant conversation abruptly stopped at the corner.

Four returning Adventurers cautiously drew their weapons, seeing the large black Puki, inappropriate for the sixth layer.

Among them was a handsome young man with a short bow, dressed in green clothes and a green hat.

Xiao Hai looked at him, her body beginning to stretch backward…

!?

"Xiao Hai! Stop! Not this one either!!"

Bang——

-----------------

In the heartland of the Hermit Empire, within Muling Castle.

Pale fingers stroked the armrest of the Crystal Throne, as twelve large Demon Crystals on either side of the hall lit up one by one.

When the last crystal stone also glimmered, a giant Prism suspended in the hall's dome suddenly refracted twelve scarlet beams.

Beneath each pillar of light appeared a shadow whose true form was indistinct.

"Night eternal, my lords," the voice from the throne reverberated beneath the blood-colored marble dome.

All the shadows bowed in unison, responding, "Empire eternal, my lord."

The Emperor's gaze swept across the hall, noting the one vacant pillar of light.

"What about Sigmund, do you know, Eleanor?"

"How could Sigmund let me decipher his motives, Your Majesty."

A languid female voice emerged from the third crystal on the right, Duke Eleanor's projection reclining on a long couch of piled bones.

Her territory bordered Sigmund's, but clearly, their relationship wasn't great.

"Perhaps he foolishly fell into that human Duke's trap again?

He lost half a Knight Order last time; he might even lose himself this time."

Nobody took Eleanor's latter half seriously—they all knew it was merely her "wishful thinking."

The last time an Empire's High Tier noble died due to humans was over a century ago.

"You're bound to be disappointed then, I was only delayed by a small matter, unlike some, who manage to lose the whereabouts of a Holy Scripture this big."

A robust figure, uncharacteristic of a Vampire, coalesced under the empty light, indicating Sigmund clearly overheard Eleanor's comments earlier.

"You!"

Ignoring the provoked Eleanor, Sigmund turned to the emperor and added a greeting: "Empire eternal, my lord."

Eleanor seemed intent to argue more but was halted by a soft tapping from the throne.

"The Holy Scripture need not be concerned for now; this matter at hand is urgent."

Saying so, a sealed message written on parchment floated to the hall's center, displaying its contents to all the noble attendees, sparking an intense discussion.

"So it's a summoning ritual…"

"Hero…"

"Even the Western Islands are aiding their resource gathering…"

"If they truly summon it, on our side…"

"Lord Demon King has already…"

"We must not let them succeed; we should now…"

As the debate waned, the shadow closest to the throne on the left timely inquired:

"My lord, may I ask how credible this information is? What are your intentions?"

The Emperor, satisfied, glanced at his right-hand aide, one of the only two Princes of the Empire, and replied:

"The authenticity is unquestionable.

As for the plan?

If humans wish to summon the Hero, then let them summon it.

I want to see their despair when the Hero they painstakingly summon is slain immediately."

"You mean?"

"Eleanor, Noksefier, this task is well within your abilities to accomplish."

"Yes." The two addressed immediately rose to respond.

After they sat down, the Emperor continued:

"At that time, the United Kingdom, after burning through vast resources, receives merely a Hero's corpse, inevitably causing internal discord.

We then divide and conquer them without resistance."

"Your Majesty is wise, but if they fail, how should we proceed?" The question came from the Prince once more.

"What do you mean by this?"

"Even His Highness the Prince cannot insult us this way!"

Feeling slighted, the two questioned at once but were quelled by a gesture from the Emperor.

"If failure occurs…then we commence war instantly, at all costs, never allowing humans to rally behind the rise of a Hero."

The non-negotiable icy tone left no room for dissent.

"We shall follow your will."

Twelve shadows disappeared simultaneously, leaving only the initial figure in the vast hall.

Silence lingered long.

A faint whisper came from the throne:

"In the end, it shall be proven, I am the Demon Race's most perfect ruler."

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