Chapter 845 - Devouring the Malevolent Tree

Liu Wuxie stared at the massive crimson tree, disbelief flashing in his eyes.

"A malevolent tree!" Liu Wuxie murmured. The tree had formed into a malevolent vein after absorbing baleful energy daily. As the roots had reached far into the earth, they could channel baleful energy to the crimson cloud, and a portion of the blood essence devoured by the crimson cloud would be fed back to the tree.

"What a terrifying, malevolent vein. If given a few hundred more years, it could evolve into a fiend demon, capable of cultivating on its own," Liu Wuxie commented as he circled the tree. He could tell that the tree was at least ten thousand years old.

He didn't hesitate to strike the tree with the Heretic Blade, but the tree stood firm, with sparks flying around. Liu Wuxie could also feel his hand going numb, and the Heretic Blade nearly flew from his hand.

"What a sturdy tree!" Liu Wuxie circulated his true essence, and the discomfort in his arm quickly faded. If he didn't destroy this tree soon, Lu Funian and the others would be in grave danger.

Without hesitation, he unleashed dozens of rapid strikes, but each slash left behind nothing more than faint white marks on the bark—he couldn't even cut through its surface.

A sense of unease crept into him. He had tried everything he could think of, but nothing worked. Even demonic flames, which could incinerate nearly anything, barely made a difference.

At first, the demonic flames seemed effective, scorching the tree's surface. However, as soon as the red flowers began to fall, the temperature plummeted, filling the air with an icy chill that even made Liu Wuxie shiver. The once-fierce demonic flames flickered and faded in mere moments, effortlessly extinguished by the falling petals.

Liu Wuxie gradually lost his calm as things were becoming tricky.

......

Lu Funian and the others were also becoming increasingly anxious. The crimson cloud had grown more prominent over time, and the fire crystals were losing their effect.

The crimson cloud surged wildly, ramming left and right, sending shockwaves through the spiritual array, which trembled violently, teetering on the brink of collapse.

"Young Master Liu has been gone for so long. Why hasn't he cut off the malevolent vein? Could he have run away?" asked a Lu Clan's deacon, his voice filled with worry.

"That's impossible. There's no way Young Master Liu would abandon us and flee," Lu Funian said. He never doubted Liu Wuxie for a moment and knew there must be a reason holding him down.

......

Meanwhile, Liu Wuxie had resorted to every means available to try and destroy the tree, including the Heavenly Dragon Seal, Earth-Binding Chains, Golden Flame Strike, and even the Ice Dao technique. But the tree stood firmly on the ground, supplying baleful energy to the crimson cloud.

"Is there no way?" Liu Wuxie felt defeated. His journey thus far had been smooth, and no challenge could stump him, whether it was alchemy, blacksmithing, spiritual talismans, spiritual array, or cultivation. He was confident no one could surpass him in any of those fields.

But he now realised the world was vast, and things were beyond his means. He could only collapse onto the ground with a wry smile. He even tried digging out the tree's roots, only to find them deeply entrenched into the ground, rendering the Heretic Blade ineffective.

He even attempted to use the Ancestral Tree, but it was useless as the malevolent tree didn't possess any wood-attribute energy. Time was running out, and he would soon reach the two-hour mark. Lu Funian and the others would surely lose their lives if he couldn't destroy the tree.

"Wait...what if I transfer the tree to the desolate world and plant it in the newly established Netherworld?" Liu Wuxie suddenly stood up, a bold idea sprouting in his mind. Since he could move the Golden Spirit Fruit into the desolate world, he should also be able to do the same with the malevolent tree.

If he could harness its endless baleful energy, he could use it to expand the Netherworld and boost his strength. He also knew he had no other options left.

The malevolent tree suddenly sensed the danger and lashed out with its branches at Liu Wuxie, trying to trap him.

Liu Wuxie quickly put his idea into action, as he had taken countless risks to come this far. Since there was little hope of leaving alive, he might as well bet everything on this one move.

The malevolent tree sealed off the surroundings, trapping Liu Wuxie in this forest. It was time to go for broke.

"Patriarch, the spiritual array can't hold on any longer! We need to think of something!" one of the deacons cried out.

But Lu Funian remained silent, focusing entirely on maintaining the spiritual array. There was nothing more to say; all they could do was trust Liu Wuxie and hold on until the last moment.

A small portion of baleful energy seeped through the cracks in the array, attempting to reach them. Though not dense enough to cause harm, it carried an oppressive discomfort that weighed heavily on them.

The situation was growing more dire by the second, and the threat of death loomed over them.

Meanwhile, Liu Wuxie pushed himself to his feet, his eyes bloodshot from the overwhelming amount of baleful energy he had absorbed but had yet to refine. Though it wouldn't take his life, if left unchecked, the energy would gradually erode his mind, making him increasingly unstable. His only option was to integrate it into the Netherworld and make it a part of himself.

"I have to take the risk!"

Liu Wuxie had chosen to go all out. The surrounding black trees began to move, their gnarled trunks and twisted branches closing in on him step by step. There was no path of retreat—only a battle to the death.

"Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron, come out!" Liu Wuxie summoned the cauldron without reservations, as no one was in the surrounding area.

A pitch-black cauldron appeared before Liu Wuxie. He had learned from the divine race that this cauldron was called the Primal Chaos Cauldron, capable of devouring an entire world. So, it shouldn't be an issue for it to devour a single tree.

Through his control, the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron expanded in size and enveloped the crimson tree.

"Devour!" Liu Wuxie wanted to uproot and transplant the entire tree in the desolate world. Only he could attempt something so reckless.

The ground began to crack as the soil was sucked away by the cauldron, and the colossal tree began to emit creaking sounds. The malevolent tree had reached ten thousand feet in height, which wasn't something ordinary people could severe. Even someone at the Earth Profound Realm would be helpless against it.

The entire ground began to tremble like an earthquake, with cracks spreading crazily. This caused the swamp in the distance to overflow, and murky water covered the ground.

Liu Wuxie had to leap into the air to avoid the murky water. No one knew how many lives the swamp had claimed, with their bones submerged to the bottom, giving rise to various monsters.

Right then, strange-looking worms crawled out from the swamp and bared their fangs at Liu Wuxie. He retaliated by releasing a demonic flame to incinerate the worms.

The malevolent tree struggled, firmly gripping the ground with its roots, trying to break free from the cauldron's suction force. However, the cauldron's suction force grew stronger as the surrounding space collapsed, sending countless spatial fragments into Liu Wuxie's body.

This was a great boon to Liu Wuxie, as these fragments could help him comprehend spatial laws. Spatial laws were incredibly profound, and only those at the Earth Profound Realm could understand them. Even many cultivators at the Heaven Profound Realm struggled to comprehend their profundity.

However, Liu Wuxie's current cultivation level was insufficient, and his comprehension of spatial laws was futile.

The exposed roots were not as tough as the trunk, and Liu Wuxie easily sliced through them with the Heretic Blade. As he continued severing the roots, the tree's grip on the ground weakened.

The malevolent roots were connected to the Netherworld, drawing baleful energy for its growth. Liu Wuxie was not just trying to remove the malevolent tree; he also intended to sever the connection between the roots and the Netherworld.

After all, a new malevolent tree could sprout within a few years if any of the roots survived.

When all the roots were severed, Liu Wuxie sat in a pitch-black hole, with boundless baleful energy gushing out. He began forming hand signs as countless spiritual runes flickered, shrinking the black hole as he worked to seal the connection between the tree and the Netherworld.

The malevolent tree was a mysterious entity capable of connecting to the malevolent vein. If he could transplant it into the desolate world, he could absorb baleful energy from the atmosphere.

"Redirect!" Liu Wuxie waved his hand and directed the swamp's murky water to cover the black hole. To end it, he had to seal the connection between True Martial Continent and the Netherworld.

This meant the baleful energy would have to find another path if it wished to seep out.

This mountain range was safe now, and baleful energy wouldn't reappear for at least the next century.

With the source cut off, the malevolent tree's struggle weakened. However, the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron continued its pull, gradually consuming the tree.

When the massive baleful energy erupted within the cauldron, it was swiftly converted into liquid baleful energy.

"Time to make a breakthrough!" Liu Wuxie planned to use this opportunity to reach the ninth-level Nascent Transformation Realm.

Under the surge of boundless energy, the desolate world began to expand. Once the malevolent tree was fully transplanted, the desolate world would continue to grow.

The Ancestral Tree stood at the core, acting as the central control system, firmly occupying the desolate world's center. No tree could surpass it, as they existed under its rule, submitting to it like subjects to an emperor.

The malevolent tree had yet to be entirely devoured by the cauldron, but it had been significantly weakened after losing its supply of baleful energy.

......

Lu Funian and the others had reached their limit, and the spiritual array was on the verge of collapse. Even Lu Qiang had stepped forward to help defend it, but they were only a few breaths away from total failure.

Just when all hope seemed lost, the crimson cloud began to dim, as it couldn't last long without a continuous supply of baleful energy.

"Father, look! The crimson cloud is weakening!" Lu Qiang roared in excitement. The black skull began to twist and distort, but it was far less threatening than before.

"It must be Young Master Liu! He must've found the malevolent vein and destroyed it!" Lu Funian screamed in excitement. If they could destroy the crimson cloud, the city would finally find peace, and those who had fled from the city would eventually return.

However, concern soon etched on their faces when there was still no sign of Liu Wuxie when dawn broke.

"Father, could something have happened to Young Master Liu?" Lu Qiang asked anxiously. So much time had passed without a word, and it wasn't hard for them to fear the worst.

"Don't speak of such nonsense! There's no way Young Master Liu will fall so easily!" Lu Funian rebuked his son. But the unease on his face was unmistakable as Liu Wuxie had been gone for a long time now.

"Why don't we enter the mountain range and search for him?" Lu Qiang suggested. His admiration for Liu Wuxie ran deep, and the mere thought of something happening to him made him feel uneasy.

"The few of you return to the clan to report the good news. I'll venture into the mountain range to find him," Lu Funian said. He soon made the decision, as it was dangerous for the rest to venture into the mountain range with him with their low cultivation.