Distant laughter echoed.
"So, this is the legendary Nether Ghost Mist!"
"I remember someone mentioning that this Nether Ghost Mist can seep into the soul, even directly destroying a martial artist's spirit."
"Fortunately, I had the foresight to temper my spirit with elixirs. Otherwise, even if I could defeat the Nether Demon Tree, I would have suffered heavy losses!"
Zhou Yan mused to himself.
He looked up and saw several crystal-clear fruits, the size of fists, hanging from the towering ancient tree. He could faintly feel the potent spiritual energy surging from the surface of the fruits.
"The Heavenly Gang Battle Tiger is indeed worthy of being a ferocious beast of the Martial Ancestor realm. Even its remaining fruits after death are so astonishing!" Zhou Yan's gaze burned with intensity.
Without hesitation, he immediately rushed towards the Nether Demon Tree.
However, the Nether Demon Tree seemed to sense the threat. Wisps of emerald-green poisonous smoke billowed out, engulfing the space within a three-meter radius.
Hiss, hiss, hiss~
The emerald-green poisonous smoke rapidly converged, and in the blink of an eye, it covered an area of over ten meters, causing Zhou Yan to be fully immersed in the toxic mist.
"Such potent poison."
Zhou Yan's pupils contracted. The poisonous smoke was too bizarre; it seemed to possess a will of its own, actively attacking enemies. Moreover, this poison appeared corrosive. Ordinary martial artists who came into contact with it would undoubtedly be corroded.
"No, I must leave here quickly. Otherwise, once the poisonous gas dissipates, I won't be able to resist it either." Zhou Yan turned and fled.
Unfortunately, the roots of the Nether Demon Tree were tougher than steel. If he hadn't concealed his aura in time, the Nether Demon Tree would have detected him, and he would have been in danger.
However, this Nether Demon Tree clearly lacked the capability. It could only watch helplessly as Zhou Yan ran further and further away, eventually disappearing into the vast expanse of the forest.
"Roar!"
The Nether Demon Tree let out an angry hiss, wildly brandishing its vine-like branches in an attempt to stop Zhou Yan. However, it was utterly useless against him.
Zhou Yan displayed his movement techniques, weaving through the dense forest, and soon broke free from the Nether Demon Tree's range.
Although the Nether Demon Tree was formidable, it was merely a sapling. Its power was limited, and it was incapable of harming Zhou Yan. It eventually ceased its attack.
Zhou Yan, too, breathed a sigh of relief. The threat of this Nether Demon Tree had exceeded his expectations.
This Nether Demon Tree was truly bizarre, not only growing in strange shapes but also possessing human-like intelligence.
"Hmm? Where did my Nether Ghost Mist go?"
Zhou Yan froze for a moment.
Earlier, the Nether Ghost Mist had been lingering around him, but now it had completely dissipated.
Moreover, these Nether Ghost Mists transformed into streaks of ethereal blue light, rapidly drilling into Zhou Yan's mind.
Instantly, Zhou Yan felt a dizzying, heavy sensation.
He struggled to maintain his clarity and carefully observed the scenes unfolding in his mind. To his horror, a vast panorama materialized.
"This is... a deep mountain valley."
"A towering Nether Demon Tree, piercing the clouds, stood at the pinnacle of the sky. Its trunk bore an immense piece of bark, inscribed with countless patterns, like runes, containing unfathomably profound laws that caused the soul to tremble at a mere glance."
"This is..."
Zhou Yan's eyes widened in utter shock.
He saw the Nether Demon Tree, as if alive, breathing out wisps of Nether poisonous mist. These mists entered Zhou Yan's mind and immediately transformed into countless strange lines, integrating into his blood, bones, and meridians, finally converging at the core of the bark's patterns.
As time passed, these Nether poisonous mists slowly condensed into a single droplet.
Buzz, buzz, buzz...
This droplet flickered incessantly in his mind, emitting a dazzling silver-white radiance.
"This is..."
Zhou Yan was filled with shock.
On the bark in his mind, a cultivation technique manual actually appeared.
Nether Ghost Mist Art!
The Nether Demon Tree's innate skill – the Nether Mist Art. This was an extremely profound martial art. If mastered, one could easily control the Nether poisonous mist, killing people invisibly and leaving them defenseless.
"The Nether Ghost Mist Art is divided into seven levels. Once successfully cultivated, it is sufficient to contend with martial artists of the fifth level of the Divine Marquis realm!"
Zhou Yan took a deep breath.
The Nether Ghost Mist Art was extremely precious, its value considerable even in the dynasty.
"Unfortunately, the Nether Ghost Mist Art is too wicked and unsuitable for my cultivation. My spiritual root is the innate Purple Thunder Spiritual Body. To cultivate the Nether Ghost Mist Art would only defile my spiritual root."
Zhou Yan sighed, setting aside the Nether Ghost Mist Art, and then continued to track the Nether Demon Tree.
...
...
After circling the Nether Demon Pond for a while, the Nether Demon Tree suddenly trembled, as if sensing something. Its body twisted sharply, and then it swiftly moved in another direction.
Whoosh!
A dagger, as black as ink and emanating a chilling, dark glow, suddenly lunged out, piercing the void with ruthless precision and striking the Nether Demon Tree's body.
*Splat!*
The Nether Demon Tree let out a sharp cry of pain. Its thick trunk instantly split open, scattering a large amount of blood that stained the ground red.
This is...
Zhou Yan's figure slowly emerged.
At this moment, Zhou Yan held the Nether Demon Blade, his clothes tattered, revealing a silver-white soft armor. It was the treasure he had just scavenged from the Nether Demon Tree's corpse.
"What a treasure!"
"I never expected the Nether Demon Tree to be transformed from this treasure. All it takes is a little infusion of spiritual energy to activate the effects of this soft armor."
Zhou Yan was overjoyed.
The Nether Demon Blade was incredibly sharp, and combined with the boundless malevolent energy contained within, it was like a nemesis to the Nether Demon Tree. With a single strike, it had cleaved the Nether Demon Tree in two.
"Roar!"
However, after being severed, the Nether Demon Tree did not immediately die. Instead, its branches thrashed violently, and streams of hazy Nether demonic energy spewed forth, instantly condensing in mid-air into a swarm of ferocious Nether Demon Dragons.
Each of these Nether Demon Dragons exuded the aura of the eighth level of the Divine Marquis realm. Once unleashed, they were capable of sweeping across experts of the eighth level of the Divine Marquis realm!
"So powerful!"
Zhou Yan gasped, his eyes narrowing. "This Nether Demon Tree can unleash such terrifying attacks?"
"Boom!"
In an instant, the Nether Demon Dragons roared and swooped down, their claws and fangs bared, lunging at Zhou Yan.
The Nether Demon Dragons were massive, entirely black, resembling small flood dragons. Their bodies were covered in dark scales, exuding a destructive oppressive aura.
"This Nether Demon Tree actually knows summoning?"
Zhou Yan's expression shifted slightly.
The Nether Demon Dragons roared, carrying a torrential aura of malevolence as they charged towards Zhou Yan.