Halfway up in the air, there were six vine whips left, but only two people remained.
The vines danced wildly, and the last Taoist cultivator burst into a bloody mist, dying silently.
Jie Chen, however, dangerously made his way to the old tree.
The moment he stepped into the perimeter of the old tree, the vines all stopped their attacks and retracted back into the mud.
Ha... Hahaha, I'm not dead!
Jie Chen let out a sigh of relief and laughed arrogantly, "Jia Nan, you tried to harm me today. I must settle this karma with you!"
As he spoke, Jie Chen turned around and reached for the three fruits.
The next second, several wooden spikes suddenly shot out from the ground and pierced Jie Chen on the spot!
Despite his formidable physique, he didn't last even a second!
It was as if all the blood in Jie Chen's body had been drained instantly, turning him into a dried corpse before the wooden spikes brought him back into the mud. The surroundings became calm again.
These wooden spikes were the roots of the old tree.
Would the old tree make a move when someone got close to the fruits?
Wang Ye frowned slightly. To take these fruits was like entering hellish difficulty.
Mao Yong'an appeared next to Wang Ye at some point, emanating a hint of sorrow. "Those two were my martial uncles. They watched me grow up since I was little."
"I didn't want them to go, but they said... this was their destiny. They couldn't let the Dao Child take the risk."
"That damn Dao Child. From birth, everyone called me that, saying I was the hope of Dao City. But over the years, because of me... too many died!"
"Do you know how painful that is? Everyone dies for your sake.
"Each death was like a knife stabbing into you. Even if you took a little more risk and could save two more lives, no one would listen to you."
"Wang Ye... I feel uneasy."
Mao Yong'an rarely shed his nonchalant attitude, looking somewhat lonely and self-deprecating as he let out a bitter laugh.
Wang Ye raised his hand and patted his shoulder. "Become stronger and stronger, so their sacrifice has value and meaning. Only then can you protect more people in the future, without needing them to sacrifice themselves."
"Become stronger?"
Mao Yong'an murmured to himself as he fell into a daze.
Amitabha.
Having roughly grasped the situation, Jia Nan softly chanted the Buddha's name. He strode into the void, each step taking him higher. A golden lotus bloomed under every step, then dissipated into energy after he lifted his foot.
...
What a pretentious jerk.
Wang Ye's expression was a bit strange. He could barely manage such an energy display by forcibly expelling power from his body.
But...
Other than showing off, it was completely pointless.
Sensing Jia Nan's actions, black mist stirred around Li Hongtian. The next second, he blinked and reappeared several meters away in midair.
Vines whipped toward him but he flashed again, vanishing farther away.
It resembled teleportation but with a limited range.
Shall we go up?
Xiao Wu's gaze remained fixed on Jia Nan's shiny bald head, itching for a fight!
It was obvious this monk held an important status in the Buddha Kingdom. Killing him here would be like sounding the first horn of battle.
No hurry!
The old woman remained composed, still standing motionless like a shadow.
Rushing in now risked falling into a trap.
Xiao Wu suppressed his desire to smash Jia Nan's head. He endured and kept glancing their way.
Jia Nan and Li Hongtian showcased their formidable strength, navigating the vines as if merely strolling leisurely. Soon, they arrived beside the old tree, their expressions becoming much more solemn and vigilant against potential underground attacks.
Amitabha, these fruits have a karmic tie with my Buddha Kingdom.
Softly chanting, Jia Nan reached out to pluck a fruit. Buddha light wrapped around his hand to prevent mishaps.
Below, wooden spikes shot up but Jia Nan swayed like paper in the wind, evading them and moving closer to the fruit.
Seizing the chance, Li Hongtian blinked next to the fruit and quickly grabbed at it.
Hehe, leave some for granny here.
The old woman chuckled. Her aged voice rang out and in the next moment, she stepped across the mud and appeared right beside the fruit, laughing as she spoke.
A terrifying energy swept out. Jia Nan and Li Hongtian were blasted back as if struck heavily, crashing onto the ground.
That shadow rippled and suddenly vanished. Seconds later, it eerily emerged from Jia Nan's shadow to lunge at the fruit.
These two old yin creatures.
Both could take the fruit anytime but didn't make a move.
Wang Ye's expression was solemn.
Acting spooky!
For some reason, the old woman deeply scorned this shadow. She took the scissors from her waist and lightly snipped at the air.
The shadow was neatly sliced in half from the middle.
A figure fell to the ground, his face pale as he coughed up blood ceaselessly.
So this shadow was human too?
Seeing the figure, Wang Ye was startled. It seemed his guess was right!
But why did the old woman loathe this shadow so much?
Was it because he was pretending to be a ghost?
Wang Ye's body tingled. He decisively tore off the human skin mask, and the ghostly aura around him vanished instantly as he regained his original appearance.
The fingers in the basin kept falling out, surrounding and closing in on the man on the ground. Finally, they madly drilled into his mouth.
The figure struggled frantically but to no avail. His eyes bulged bigger and bigger until his expression froze grotesquely as he stopped breathing.
This boss-like character died in the old woman's hands within half a minute, without even a chance to resist.
Jia Nan and Li Hongtian were frightened into retreat, eyeing the old woman warily.
Good child, don't be afraid.
He was just hungry.
The old woman smiled gently. She took out her scissors and snipped at one of the fruits!
The ground seethed, but a layer of fingers tightly stuck to the surface.
Finally, the old woman safely cut off a fruit and placed it in the basin.
Showing no greed, she turned to leave but seemed to recall something. The old woman turned back and snipped off another fruit before departing contentedly.
As the old woman left, the fingers on the ground uncontrollably burrowed into the mud.
Jia Nan and Li Hongtian breathed sighs of relief.
Under the old woman's pressure, neither dared speak a word. But now...
As peers of this generation, we both have the heart of an unrivaled genius!
Now only one fruit remains. We shall decide by might.
This fruit is fated with my Buddha Kingdom!
Hehe, we of the Tian Group don't believe in the Buddha Kingdom!
The two were at an impasse, neither willing to give way.
Just then...
Charge!
Wang Ye waved and made his move!