Chapter 251: Yuanshi Tianzun: Official Walkers, Assemble Here (3/4)

Chapter 251 Yuanshi Tianzun: Official Walkers, Assemble Here (3/4)

The ice crust condensed in the gap of the trunk instantly shattered, accompanied by splintering wood chips.

"Bang bang bang..."

Gunshots rang out in rapid succession; bullets fired unceasingly into the same spot, each shot deepening the gap by a fraction, widening it by an inch.

The shooter hidden behind the scenes possessed not only a weapon of terrifying power but also marksmanship that could only be described as peerless.

Beneath the tree, the Maoshan sorcerer produced a mourning staff wrapped in white cloth strips, tossed it to the Yin Corpse, and manipulated it to charge toward the Tree King.

Miao Miao Sun opened her small mouth, spewing forth strands of vengeful spirits; they intertwined with one another, weaving an illusory long whip composed entirely of vengeful spirits.

The mourning staff and the Whip of God struck the trunk in tacit unison.

The fangs-and-claws-baring vines overhead froze instantly, then drooped limp and soft.

The Tree King's soul was wounded, plunging into a stupor.

Seizing the opportunity, the Witch-Guu masters transformed their Gu one after another, unfurling elytra and wings, carrying Fire Masters and Bewitching Yaos as they soared into the sky, rushing toward the fifty-meter height.

In an instant, fireballs, fire spears, fire knives detonated in succession; heat waves rolled, firelight soared to the heavens.

And the Bewitching Yaos, wielding armor-piercing weapons, inflicted bleeding effects, suppressing the Tree King's regeneration.

Spirit Realm Walkers of the Evil and Lawful camps, rarely fighting side by side, unleashed damage by the ton through their concerted effort.

The gap at fifty meters up the trunk sent wood chips flying horizontally, deepening and widening ceaselessly, gradually oozing a deep crimson liquid; fibers grew fewer, revealing tender red flesh and blood.

"See the tree heart! Wrapped in a layer of flesh wall, can't pierce it!"

A Bewitching Yao plummeting rapidly roared.

The next second, he was smashed to pieces in mid-air by vines, and more and more Fire Masters and Witch-Guu masters were slapped into bloody pulps like mosquitoes.

The Tree King broke free of the Whip of God and the mourning staff's influence, sensing a grave crisis, and launched a frantic counterattack.

Simultaneously, the surrounding trees all protruded human faces, staring at the crowd with hate-filled eyes; dense vines and roots, either coiling or winding, attacked the people.

The loose cultivators were powerless against the Tree King, exerting all their strength merely to contend with the assaults from the tree yaos.

"Send me up!"

A youth wielding a straight saber in each hand shouted lowly.

"Nine-Leak Fish, it's up to you..."

Guan Zhongkui pulled his palms against the ground; the mud beneath Nine-Leak Fish's feet bulged, a sky-supporting giant hand bursting from the earth, bearing him high into the air.

The giant hand had just risen a dozen meters when several vines crossed and slapped down; with a series of bangs, the palm condensed from earth and stone shattered into pieces.

Nine-Leak Fish leapt up, seeming perilous but actually agile, springing out from the gaps between the crisscrossing vines, inevitably beginning to fall.

"Huala!"

A water column surged skyward, happening to spray onto Nine-Leak Fish, boosting him up several more meters, and just barely dodging a vine sweeping horizontally.

At the same time, Jingwei Jiang strode out with large steps, a sphere of whitish fire condensing in her palm, which she thrust out with all her might like a shot put.

Boom!

The fireball detonated beneath Jiu Louyu, a shockwave of unimaginable ferocity blasting him skyward in an instant, yet the chaotic currents also robbed him of balance, sending him tumbling uncontrollably through the air.

At that very moment, Ah Yi, his wounds knitting shut, swooped in on beating wings like a fighter jet, catching Jiu Louyu and rocketing straight upward with him, hurtling them into the gaping maw a meter wide.

Thud!

Jiu Louyu’s feet caught the rim of the breach, his spine arching like a drawn bow, twin blades erupting in blinding white light; with the stance of a woodcutter splitting logs, he drove both knives with desperate force into the heart swaddled in flesh walls.

Pfft... Great gouts of fresh blood geysered from the breach, dyeing Jiu Louyu a deep crimson.

The vines whipping wildly through the sky froze instantly, then drooped limp and lifeless; those pairs of cold eyes embedded in the snakeskin bark slowly slid shut, retracting into the trunks.

The tree demons all around followed suit, losing their animation and reverting to ordinary plants.

...

Nearing the pool, Zhang Yuanqing invoked Night Roam, concealing his form as he advanced in silence.

Soon, he saw the pool, and the fruit trees encircling it, branches heavy with plump, hanging berries.

But Zhang Yuanqing did not pluck them immediately, not because of the macaques climbing the branches or grooming and frolicking by the water’s edge, but because of the Monkey King sprawled asleep on the green rocks by the bank, snoring thunderously.

The Monkey King measured roughly three meters in length, its body swathed in thick, dense white fur, its palms and fingers jet-black, its face likewise black.

A yellow-furred macaque with a lustrous coat leaned lazily against the white-furred King’s embrace, occasionally flicking its tail and letting out soft, gentle cries.

At that moment, a male monkey slightly larger than the yellow one crept close, snatched the glossy-furred female away, and dragged her several meters off.

Then, tail cocked high, it mounted the female and thrust with frantic speed.

The female resisted at first, crying out a few times, but soon crouched on the ground, rump raised, half-reluctant, half-willing.

Ballsy, sneaking the King’s woman? And the King doesn't even wake... Zhang Yuanqing’s confidence rose a few notches.

However, a Saint-realm Monkey King would inevitably possess senses terrifyingly acute; if discovered while stealing the fruit, he would have no chance of escape.

Night Roam masked scent and sound, but could not conceal the disturbance caused by running—brushing against leaves and bushes, setting them trembling.

To be safe, he needed a way to lure the King away... A thought struck Zhang Yuanqing, and he silently withdrew.

Once he retreated to a distance he deemed safe, he dispelled Night Roam and summoned Little Dudu.

"Abba!"

Little Dudu lay on the ground, head tilted, gazing at its master.

Zhang Yuanqing crouched, stroking the sparse fetal hair on its head, entrusting a grave mission to this infant mere months old:

"You crawl over there, pick a cluster of fruit, and the second you’re done, run—run as far as you can."

Little Dudu went "Abba," limbs scrabbling with surprising agility as it vanished into the undergrowth.

Zhang Yuanqing then invoked Night Roam once more, creeping toward the pool.

He returned to his original spot and waited in silence.

Roughly half a minute later, he saw a head crowned with sparse fetal hair poke out from the bushes across the pool, followed by a tiny infant no longer than a grown man’s forearm, scuttling rapidly up a fruit tree.

Zhang Yuanqing’s gaze flicked occasionally toward the slumbering Monkey King. The reason he had chosen Little Clown over projecting his own spirit, or summoning the Ghost Bride, was precisely because Little Clown’s aura was weak.

Though the Monkey King was not of the Night Walker profession, he was, after all, a Saint; his mental power was formidable. There was no guarantee the latter two wouldn't be sensed by him.

Good. It hasn't detected Little Clown... Seeing the Monkey King still fast asleep, oblivious to the feeble spirit that had entered its territory, Zhang Yuanqing let out a breath of relief.

Under his watch, Little Clown scrambled along the trunk to a branch, hugged a cluster of red berries, and, channeling spiritual energy, snapped it off with a desperate heave.

*Crack!*

The cluster broke free, plummeting straight down. Little Clown tumbled from the branch along with it, balancing the berries on its head, paddling its limbs, fleeing at breakneck speed.

"Squeak~"

At the sight, the few monkeys in the tree froze, pointing at their fleeing provisions, letting out sharp, urgent cries.

The squeaking drew the attention of more monkeys, followed by even more squeaking, until finally, it roused the slumbering Monkey King.

A few meters away, two monkeys copulating violently suddenly froze.

The male stared dumbly at the awakened Monkey King, scratching his head...

*Roar~*

The Monkey King bellowed in rage, baring sharp fangs. It clamped its jaws onto the neck of the male monkey—still buried deep within the female—and with a fatal, violent shake, snapped it.

Meanwhile, the surrounding monkeys hopped and jumped, pointing into the distance, shrieking shrilly.

The Monkey King listened for a few seconds, a flash of fury crossing its pitch-black eyes. It spat out the dead male, let out a deep, heavy growl, and its massive, heavy frame launched into the air. It cleared the ten-meter-wide pool in a single bound, charging off in a thunderous gallop to hunt down the petty thief who dared steal the clan's rations.

Only with the leader on the move did the other monkeys dare give chase.

No time to lose... Zhang Yuanqing sprinted toward the pool. Reaching the nearest fruit tree, he leaped up, snapping off a half-meter-long branch laden with four clusters of red berries.

The moment the branch broke, it vanished from sight, concealed by the Night Walk.

Zhang Yuanqing didn't linger. He turned and ran, simultaneously ordering Little Clown to ditch the berries and run for its life.

The spirit servant had no physical form; it would make no sound. The Monkey King would never be able to lock onto Little Clown.

After running several hundred meters in one go, he stopped with his back against a tall arbor, waiting for Little Clown to return while examining the half-branch in his hand.

"Whether it works or not, one bite will tell..."

Zhang Yuanqing plucked a berry the size of a longan, popped it into his mouth. The fruit was sweet and sour, melting on the tongue.

A warm current surged into his stomach, then coursed through his limbs and bones, bringing a languid warmth that banished his fatigue.

*Hiss, hiss...*

Wisps of illusory black smoke rose from his body; some filth within him was being purified.

The berries heal wounds and restore stamina. No wonder they say to pick wild fruit when the body ails. But what's with this black smoke? It feels like I've been purified... A thought struck Zhang Yuanqing, a guess forming:

The purifying black smoke signified his alignment was being cleansed, or undergoing a shift.

"Go back and verify. See if I can enter the central forest."

Before long, Zhang Yuanqing rendezvoused with Little Clown, swallowed the small spirit servant, and returned to the spot where he had parted ways with the Guide Dog and the Peony Fairy.

The scene was a shambles, trees toppled, gullies crisscrossing, great clods of earth churned up as if a massive logging operation had swept through, leaving a landscape of desolation.

Asano Ryo lay on the ground drenched in blood, her chest heaving violently; her Ice Soul Blade lay slanted beside her, her left lower leg bent at a grotesque angle, bone piercing flesh, blood pooling across the earth.

Blood Rose stood woodenly to the side, caked in mud, the back of her T-shirt torn, the nano-combat suit beneath also shredded, revealing a back of snowy jade, flesh torn open.

The Peony Fairy crouched beside Asano Ryo, palm pressing gently on the calf wound, a soft green light flickering in her hand.

This was the Spiritualist's healing skill.

It could staunch bleeding and knit wounds swiftly, but for knitting shattered bone, it proved unequal to the task.

"Seems she's weathered a second crisis." Zhang Yuanqing stepped forward, surveying the scene, confirming the guide dog was in no mortal danger.

Hearing that familiar voice, the Peony Fairy's heart leapt; she turned her head, staring dumbfounded at the tree branch in Zhang Yuanqing's hand, and said:

"Y-you... you were gone so long, and all you bring back are a few strings of red fruit?"

Zhang Yuanqing tossed down a few red fruits, saying: "Feed them to her."