Evan Chu locked his eyes on that pulsing red core, feeling a surge of excitement. "This time, watch how I play you to death!" he laughed.
With that, he shot straight toward the pulsing red core. At this moment, Evan’s position was exactly where a human’s dantian would be, and that jumping red mass was clearly the Tree Fiend’s equivalent of a heart.
Evan whipped out the Frostbane Sword and slashed at the red core, but the immense recoil from the blow sent him flying backward.
"What are you doing, brat? Stop right now!" The Millennial Tree Fiend’s voice rang out, full of panic and urgency.
"I’m hacking at your heart, old monster! Didn’t expect your core to be this tough. You really are a ten-thousand-year freak, aren’t you? But looks like today’s the end of your road. Scared yet? Regretting all your choices?" Evan sneered.
At this spot, Evan felt completely safe—there was no danger at all. But the Tree Fiend’s core defense was so terrifying it made his head ache.
"Evan, that’s not actually the Tree Fiend’s heart. It doesn’t even have a real heart. What you’re looking at is its Heaven Star Core—the same as a human’s dantian or Divine Star Core. As long as you shatter this, its energy collapses, and it’ll be left waiting for death." Sword Spirit Luna explained.
"Wait—so if I destroy this, it won’t die?" Evan asked, startled.
"No, it won’t die outright—just lose all offensive power. But that’s basically the end for it. With its energy gone, its defenses drop, and you can finish it off at your own pace. This is its true weak point. Only by destroying this can you get what you came for." Luna replied.
"Alright, then today I’ll smash it to pieces!" Evan grinned to himself, then swung his sword for another furious strike.
"Kid, please stop! Whatever conditions you want, I’ll agree to them—just stop attacking!" The Millennial Tree Fiend begged.
"Too late. I know exactly what you’re plotting. If I showed up outside, you’d kill me on the spot. Better to just destroy this thing myself." Evan laughed coldly.
"I’m begging you! I haven’t hurt a single human in tens of thousands of years. You can’t just destroy me like this. I swear by the Tree God, I won’t lay a finger on you. If you spare me, I’ll never make things difficult for you!" The Tree Fiend sounded on the verge of tears.
Evan didn’t know that if the Tree Fiend expelled its red liquid ten thousand more times, it would finally purge all its impurities—and its power would multiply.
Most importantly, it would be able to take human form and move freely, instead of being trapped here forever. But it never expected to run into someone like Evan Chu.
After cultivating for tens of thousands of years, it only needed one more month to achieve its grand ambition. Now that dream was about to collapse, and it was desperate—not just for its goal, but for its life.
"I don’t trust you. Killing you outright is the only safe option." Evan said flatly.
With a thought, Evan unleashed the seventh form of Demon-Breaking Fist he’d mastered underground. The deafening boom echoed out, but his punch only left a faint mark on the core.
"No way! That’s my strongest attack, and it barely scratched it. This damn Tree Fiend’s defense is insane!" Evan cursed.
"Go ahead, keep attacking all you want. My energy source isn’t something a weakling like you can break. I thought you were strong for making it this far, but now I see I overestimated you. Just sit here and wait to die!" the Tree Fiend taunted.
"Oh yeah? Then let me show you what my Ice-Fire Demon-Breaking Fist can do!" Evan snapped.
His fist surged with both ice and fire elements as he unleashed the seventh form of Demon-Breaking Fist once more. This time, the explosion was even louder than before.
The recoil from this strike sent Evan flying several meters, pain shooting through his arm as if it was about to snap. Cold sweat broke out across his forehead.
Despite the agony, he saw a tiny crack appear on the Tree Fiend’s energy source. It was small, but it was there—proof that his attack was working, though the price was steep.
That blow made the Tree Fiend tense up—the entire trunk shuddered, and wild winds howled through the Life-and-Death Grove as if the forest itself was moving.
"How do you have this kind of power? It’s impossible! You haven’t reached Ninth-Layer Divine Martial Realm—there’s no way!" the Tree Fiend roared.
"Ninth-Layer Divine Martial? So my attack really is at that level now? Demon-Breaking Fist is insane!" Evan realized as he heard the Tree Fiend’s words.
The recoil was brutal, but Evan wasn’t afraid. He had to break this energy source as quickly as possible—maybe he could even absorb its power for himself. He couldn’t help but anticipate what might happen next.
He unleashed another Ice-Fire Demon-Breaking Fist, once again blasted back by the recoil and wracked with pain, but the crack in the energy source grew longer.
"Evan, this won’t work. Your body can’t handle this much rebound force yet. Even with your defense, the backlash will leave hidden injuries. You need to alternate hands, and when both arms can’t take it anymore, use Lion Spirit Fist. Only Lion Spirit Fist stands a chance of breaking the energy source." Luna advised.
Evan switched to his left hand for Demon-Breaking Fist, then his right, each punch making the Tree Fiend scream—a scream that grew louder and pierced the clouds.
Outside the grove, Heaven Ape Tyren heard the screams and grew curious. The pain in those cries was obvious, and only a truly powerful being could make a sound that shook the heavens.
It meant Evan was fighting some terrifying monster inside. Heaven Ape didn’t know exactly what kind of beast it was, but he wanted to rush in and help. Still, he remembered Evan had the Timewheel Bracelet, so he held back, confident there was no real danger.
By now, Evan’s arms hung limp at his sides. He’d lost track of how many times he’d attacked the energy source. His Chaos Dragon Force was almost depleted, and the core was webbed with cracks—but still refused to break.
"Out of Stellar Power, aren’t you? Once daylight comes, I’ll repair my energy source, and you’ll never recover your power. You’re doomed to die here!" the Tree Fiend gloated, seeing Evan’s exhaustion.
But Evan only laughed. "You’re celebrating too early, Millennial Tree Fiend. Now taste my Lion Spirit Fist..."