"What did you just sprinkle?"
Zuo Lingyun stared somewhat vacantly at Ye Xuan’s methods, which had so effortlessly taken care of such a large group of tree-men.
"It’s Holy Spirit Powder, a scent that tree-men are fond of, and then I added a bit of a hypnotic drug." Ye Xuan said with a faint smile.
"You really have quite a knack."
Zuo Lingyun smacked her lips; even in such a situation, Ye Xuan could still think so thoroughly. Any ordinary person would have been thrown into complete disarray by now.
"Enough chatter, if we don’t take action now, those tree-men are going to wake up. Senior Sister, just watch carefully, I’ll deal with the Tree-man King."
Ye Xuan’s figure darted out, unleashing a sword burst that shot straight towards the Tree-man King.
"Brat, what Evil Skill have you used? What’s happened to my tribesmen!"
Seeing the fallen tree-men, the Tree-man King flew into a rage. He didn’t know what Evil Skill Ye Xuan had used to knock down so many of his tribesmen all at once.
"Don’t worry, they’ve only fainted. Once the drug wears off, they will wake up on their own."
Ye Xuan said, noncommittal.
The Tree-man King’s branches and leaves spread out; his roots and branches were extremely tough, turning into a dense cage, violently enveloping Ye Xuan.
Seeing this, Ye Xuan also activated his True Yuan. Between his hands, a flame grew from small to large, rapidly spreading outwards until Ye Xuan himself was bathed in flames, forming a large fireball that furiously smashed towards the Tree-man King.
Flames burst forth from around Ye Xuan; any tree-man that came into contact with the fire was quickly engulfed by the flames, turning into fire-men. The remaining tree-men couldn’t avoid it quickly enough and could only flee.
"You’re too arrogant, boy!"
The Tree-man King, after all, possessed the cultivation of the Saint Realm. Although Ye Xuan’s Earth Core Cold Fire was fierce, it was blocked by a layer of green Light Shield.
The overwhelming sea of roots covered the entire area; the sky above Ye Xuan was completely obscured, descending into darkness.
"Do you really think I can’t handle you?"
Ye Xuan sneered sharply, he suddenly clenched his hand, and the Earth Core Cold Fire that entwined around the Tree-man King suddenly blazed up. The green Light Shield covering the Tree-man King quickly dissipated under such scorching, collapsing.
"Despicable brat, to think you can control such Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire!"
The Tree-man King was immensely horrified. As a tree-person, their greatest fear was fire—a spark could start a huge blaze, let alone Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire.
The Tree-man King felt considerable pressure. He not only mobilized his branches but also called upon his roots, transforming into a giant with a thousand hands and a thousand arms, repeatedly launching attacks against Ye Xuan.
Although the Tree-man King hadn’t cultivated any Martial Arts, having lived for two to three thousand years gave him a strong understanding of the laws of heaven and earth. Every attack carried precise intent and lethality.
"As expected of the Tree-man King, even under the suppression of the Earth Core Cold Fire, you still have such offensive power."
Ye Xuan didn’t compete with the Tree-man King for strength, instead, he kept swinging his sword, attempting to use the sharpness of the Rain Saint Sword to sever the Tree-man King’s branches and roots.
The saying goes that metal overcomes wood; to suppress the Tree-man King, one must think of more strategies.
But the Tree-man King was very clever. With every attack, he deliberately avoided the blade and aimed directly at Ye Xuan’s flesh, trying to force Ye Xuan into close combat.
"If that’s the case, then I’ll just have to use the Sword Control Technique."
Ye Xuan sent the Rain Saint Sword flying out, passing through branches, and attacking straight at the Tree-man King’s trunk.
A tree root as thick as a water bucket burst from the ground, swinging by and striking the back of the Rain Saint Sword, sending the Rain Saint Sword flying.
"It’s been deflected!"
Zuo Lingyun exclaimed in surprise, the strike just then, had it been her, would have been hard to block; this Tree-man King was truly formidable. They had just entered the Martial God Mountain and had already encountered such an opponent.
Ye Xuan sneered, extending a finger to control the Rain Saint Sword, which after being sent flying, flew back again. With a "pfft," it pierced through the Tree-man King’s back, leaving a large hole as a bright red liquid splattered out.
The Tree-man King roared, in the instant before death, it controlled two roots to strike forward, hitting Ye Xuan squarely in the chest.
The Tree-man King’s final counterattack, containing its life’s strength, broke through Ye Xuan’s Protective True Essence and physical defenses, sending him flying.
Zuo Lingyun’s pretty face showed shock; she leaped to Ye Xuan’s side and steadied him.
Seeing Ye Xuan injured, the tree-men and Wood Spirits surged like a tide, seeking an opportunity to counterattack.
Zuo Lingyun’s expression darkened. She activated the Phoenix Pattern Exquisite Sword and at the same time, the phoenix pattern on her arm lit up. As she swung her treasured sword repeatedly, a phoenix bathed in fire emerged from her, and it was as though she had grown a pair of phoenix wings on her back.
"Phoenix Wings, Nine Flights!"
With a delicate shout, Zuo Lingyun soared into mid-air, like a phoenix reborn from the ashes, flashing nine times in the air. Each flash incinerated a large swath of tree-men and after nine times, the tree-men and Wood Spirits suffered heavy casualties and completely disintegrated.
The surviving tree-men and Wood Spirits scattered and fled.
Zuo Lingyun didn’t pursue them, instead returning to Ye Xuan’s side and quickly asking, "Are you okay?"
The Tree-man King’s final strike was extraordinary; even with a Sacred Body, it would be difficult to withstand.
"It’s nothing, just a slight oversight."
Ye Xuan lifted his head and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. The Tree-man King’s retaliation had indeed caused him considerable harm, but after slaying the Tree-man King, he had obtained the king’s essence, instantly replenishing his spent Primordial Qi and even slightly improving his Cultivation, becoming more refined.
Killing the Tree-man King had added fifteen hundred points to the Crystal Stone record.
"Having killed so many tree-men and Wood Spirits, I’ve also gathered around a thousand points by now." Seeing that Ye Xuan was unharmed, Zuo Lingyun also breathed a sigh of relief. She checked her own Crystal Stone and was pleasantly surprised; just now, she had slain over a hundred tree-men, and even at ten points per tree-man, that was almost a thousand points.
"It seems following you was indeed the right choice."
Zuo Lingyun patted Ye Xuan’s shoulder, in high spirits. If she had been alone, the chances of finding so many tree-men would have been slim, let alone encountering the Tree-man King.
"Beings like the Tree-man King are probably unique in the entire Martial God Mountain; we were just lucky to have come across it."
Ye Xuan smiled. They were indeed fortunate; a Tree-man King was an extremely rare creature in the Martial God Mountain, and their encounter could only be attributed to good luck.
"Let’s go, we’ll keep looking for the next place."
Ye Xuan was about to search the vicinity again when suddenly, a burst of brilliant fireworks appeared in the distant sky, accompanied by a sound like thunder.
"Someone’s sending a distress signal, let’s hurry over and see!"
Zuo Lingyun’s face changed slightly, it seemed someone in their team was in trouble.