The strange beast spat out a pearl, radiating a green glow that bathed its surroundings in emerald light. Yet it was not the pearl itself that shone, but something inside it—a dragon, swimming within the orb. It was the Azure Dragon's light that illuminated the area.
Raina Bear's face changed slightly when she saw the green glow. She quickly turned and exclaimed, "That's True Heaven Palace's Azure Dragon Pearl!"
Quinn Shepherd turned to look. He saw that the pearl had grown to nearly a meter across, and the Azure Dragon inside it was even clearer now, swimming joyfully within. The flower-maidens rushing toward Brandon Yu and the others were struck by the green light and suddenly petrified—transformed into wooden statues, their bodies stiff and frozen in midair.
A popping sound came from their bodies, and soon green shoots sprouted from the woodified girls, followed by branches that dressed them in lush greenery.
The tentacles behind them—the Root Demon's root tendrils—also turned into rigid wood, unable to move.
Brandon Yu led his group forward, while the horned ape-beast raised the pearl high and followed close behind. Everywhere the pearl's light touched, the flower-maidens were frozen in place, each in a unique pose—no two alike.
"Azure Dragon Pearl?"
Quinn was slightly taken aback. This kind of pearl could actually restrain monsters like the Root Demon—truly an extraordinary treasure!
"Even True Heaven Palace's Saint Relic has been taken by them!"
Raina Bear snorted coldly and reached out from afar. The strange beast felt the Azure Dragon Pearl in its hands suddenly fly up, startling it. It hurriedly leaped and clung to the pearl, trying to press it down.
Several Heaven-Man experts around Brandon Yu erupted with yuanqi, activating the Azure Dragon Pearl and vying with Raina Bear for control. The pearl hovered in midair as both sides struggled to seize the Saint Relic.
The White Bat brothers immediately veered toward the pearl, spinning through the air as countless hair-needles shot out, aiming at Brandon Yu and his group to help snatch the treasure.
In the blink of an eye, the White Bats were stripped clean—every hair gone. Their hair-needles had already been refined into treasures; when fired, they were as sharp as needles, and if struck, would soften, burrow into the body, and kill instantly!
At the same time, the Dragon-Qilin shook its body, sending its dragon scales spinning like razor-sharp shields, whistling through the air toward Brandon Yu and the others!
The Dragon-Qilin was instantly left spotless, bare-chested and bare-bottomed, with only a tuft of qilin hair on its tail-tip and big head.
Raina Bear's expression changed dramatically. She hurriedly cried, "Don't interfere!"
But before she finished, the White Bat brothers' hair-needles were bathed in the pearl's green light and instantly woodified, falling to the ground with a clatter.
The White Bats tried to recall their hair, but could no longer sense them. The brothers stared in shock, hugging themselves in confusion.
The Dragon-Qilin's scales were also instantly woodified, turning into wooden shields that thudded to the ground. The fat dragon was stunned, its belly pressed to the earth—without its scales, its flabby stomach sagged uncontrollably.
"Cult Master..."
The Dragon-Qilin was completely at a loss and quickly turned to look at Quinn Shepherd standing on its back.
Quinn had originally planned to send his eight thousand swords flying in, but seeing this, he immediately held back.
True Heaven Palace's Azure Dragon Pearl was truly uncanny. Although the Dragon-Qilin's cultivation hadn't reached the Heaven-Man realm, its strength was nearly equal, with thick skin and tough flesh.
Back in the battle at Tianbo City, when the Nethervault Demon King descended and clashed with the Dragon King, the aftermath struck the Dragon-Qilin's rump—breaking its scales but causing little harm, which spoke to the strength of its defenses.
The White Bat brothers were even stronger, easily at the peak of the Heaven-Man realm, and their hair-needles were treasures they rarely used.
Yet none of their treasures could withstand the green light of the Azure Dragon Pearl—they were all instantly woodified and lost!
If Quinn sent his eight thousand swords forward, only the Worryless Sword might remain untouched—the rest would surely become wood.
Raina Bear grunted, her magic losing out to Brandon Yu and the others. Unable to seize the pearl, she watched as it drifted toward them—when suddenly, the ground shook violently. Countless roots erupted from below, swirling into a massive pitch-black cocoon that enveloped the Azure Dragon Pearl and dragged it underground.
Both Raina Bear and Brandon Yu's factions were caught off guard; neither had time to reclaim the Azure Dragon Pearl before the Root Demon snatched it away!
Brandon Yu shouted, "The Azure Dragon Pearl is True Heaven Palace's treasure! The true soul of the Azure Dragon is sealed inside—it can't be absorbed by that old demon!"
Suddenly, the tremors underground intensified. Everyone staggered as the earth beneath their feet kept shaking and rising, as if some enormous creature was drilling upward from below.
Boom—
Dirt and stone exploded outward as a surge of green burst from below, lifting them higher and higher. The Dragon-Qilin quickly leaped aside as the crown of a massive tree, spanning dozens of acres, erupted from the ground and shot up beside them.
The White Bat brothers immediately took flight, remembering their bare state and hastily covering themselves, only to tumble down into the dense foliage.
Momentarily stunned, the White Bats watched as the giant tree continued its frenzied growth—the crown expanding, the trunk climbing ever higher. Soon, white clouds drifted by the treetop.
The air grew colder, the sunlight fiercer, and the White Bat brothers began to struggle for breath. They hurriedly flew downward, trying to escape the tree crown.
Only then did they realize how vast and dense the crown was. Despite their speed, it took a long time to break through the thick canopy.
Emerging from the crown, they found themselves dizzyingly high above the ground—the colossal trunk towering above the surrounding mountains.
The White Bat brothers hurried downward, and after a while, finally glimpsed the earth below.
Meanwhile, the tree kept rumbling, sending out countless branches that rapidly grew into second, third, and fourth crowns.
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The White Bat brothers dodged frantically as thunder cracked overhead and rain began to pour.
When they finally landed, the brothers quickly covered themselves, glancing around for Quinn Shepherd and the others. All they could see was the massive trunk blocking their view.
The ground kept splitting open as thick, dragon-like roots crackled and stretched wildly, reaching into the distance—even wrapping the peaks of far-off mountains in a dense embrace.
Above, the sunlight was completely blocked out, leaving little brightness.
The Bat brothers clung to the trunk, scrambling up at high speed, searching for Quinn Shepherd and the others.
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the lower crowns—roots dangled down, each bearing a large flower bud.
"This must be the Root Demon's true body, right?"
Quinn's voice called out. The Bat brothers, Fu Yuqiu and Fu Yuchun, quickly scrambled over and spotted Quinn and the Dragon-Qilin, finally breathing a sigh of relief. They leapt down, covering themselves with their wings to avoid exposure.
Quinn gazed up at the giant tree formed by the Root Demon, astonished. He stepped forward and peeled open one of the dangling flower buds.
Peeling open the flower bud, Quinn saw a young girl hanging inside, motionless, her arms dangling.
She weakly opened her eyes, glanced at Quinn, and whispered, "Cult Master..."
Quinn closed the girl's eyes, but she immediately opened them again and glared at him fiercely.
Quinn opened more buds, each containing an upside-down girl—strange creations of the Root Demon, not true lives, but extensions of its body.
"The Root Demon was once just a mass of roots, but after absorbing divine and demonic blood, it became a great demon. It had no tree body before, but now, having absorbed the Azure Dragon Pearl's energy, it's grown one and is even more terrifying."
Quinn said worriedly, "We need to leave this place as soon as possible!"
The White Bat brothers spotted some of their hair on the ground, no longer woodified. Delighted, they quickly shook themselves and gathered it up.
Nearby, the Dragon-Qilin also shook itself, collecting its restored dragon scales.
Raina Bear shook her head. "The Azure Dragon Pearl contains the true soul of the Azure Dragon. This great demon can't absorb it and is likely immobilized by its energy. If we find the pearl it swallowed, we can turn the tide and defeat Brandon Yu and his traitors!"
Her daughter, Qier, asked curiously, "Mother, if we take out the Azure Dragon Pearl, will the Root Demon come back to life?"
Raina Bear shuddered. With the pearl suppressing the Root Demon, if it's removed, the demon will regain its mobility and they'll be in danger again.
Suddenly, a voice called out, "Young Master, the Azure Dragon Pearl is here!"
Quinn's face changed. "No! We can't let them dig out the Azure Dragon Pearl!"
They hurried toward the sound and saw Brandon Yu and the True Heaven Palace experts staring at a section of the tree trunk. Green light glowed within, illuminating an area several acres wide like jade.
Clearly, the Root Demon had swallowed the Azure Dragon Pearl, whose terrifying power instantly woodified it. The roots grew a tree body, pinning it in place—its tendrils stiff and immobile.
"Don't remove the Azure Dragon Pearl! If you do, this demon will be free and none of us will survive!"
Brandon Yu finished speaking and glanced at Quinn and the others, frowning. His followers immediately braced themselves, guarding him closely.
Quinn smiled. "Greetings, senior brothers. Can you still use your True Heaven Palace powers here? If not, I'm afraid we'll have to send you on your way."
Brandon Yu suddenly darted to the green glow, thrust his hand into the tree trunk, and sneered, "Cult Master, if we're dying, we'll die together... What a scent. What is that smell?"
He had just spoken when the world spun and he collapsed.
"It's the scent of Lost Dream Incense," Quinn said with a smile.
Thud, thud—one by one, the True Heaven Palace members collapsed, leaving only three Heaven-Man experts still standing. Their faces flushed as they struggled to resist the incense, but could muster little power.
Suddenly, a woman's voice rang out, laughing, "Lost Dream Incense? Just a narcotic? Let me try!"
Raina Bear's face changed dramatically, while the three Heaven-Man experts rejoiced.
"Poison Master!"
"Mu Yingxue!"
Quinn turned toward the voice and saw a woman in black, adorned with gold and silver jewelry and a jade-bead crown, walking among the hanging girls. Wherever she passed, the flower girls withered to ash.
Quinn produced a jade vial and tossed it to her with a smile. "It's a narcotic—see for yourself."