Chapter 871: Chapter 871

The majestic giant tree uprooted itself from the earth, its heavy, layered, twisting flesh writhed beneath the bark.

Atop the tree, the verdant leaves and branches merged into an immense crown, which then snaked and twisted, dancing in the sky like blood-fleshed limbs.

Following that, the branches quivered and transformed, aimed downward, and densely, like a storm, they thrust towards the ground.

The white-haired girl watched the whooshing branches coming at her and performed a backflip, her body rotating midair before landing steadily on the top of a small hillock behind her.

The dancing branches penetrated where she had just been standing, exploding violently and kicking up dense smoke and dust.

The white-haired girl glanced at the rising dust on the ground and lifted her right hand slightly, revealing a small section of a pristine ’branch’ inside her palm.

Countless vibrant buds instantaneously sprouted from this white branch and then rapidly grew into slender vines. These vines looked as if they were extending plants, or writhing flesh, but their color was crystal clear, like fine jade.

In almost a blink of an eye, these lush vines intertwined and coalesced into a magic wand about the height of an adult.

The wand itself was not thick, appearing very slender, tapering at the bottom and rigid at the top. At the very tip, the green vines twined together, forming a hollow vine orb.

A branch suddenly shot out from the smoke and dust, aiming at the white-haired girl atop the hillock.

The white-haired girl plunged her magic wand into the soil, milky radiance sparkling in her palm, spreading rapidly up the body of the wand. At the center of the orb at the very top, it kindled wisps of white light.

And in the moment that white light beamed, the entire wand solidified, as if it had lost the characteristics of flesh and life and had turned into a crystalline jade.

Simultaneously, just beneath the white-haired girl’s feet, a green vine abruptly burst from the earth, meeting the incoming branch and intertwining with it.

Almost at the instant of the branch and vine’s entanglement, a tempest of densely packed branches broke through the dust and assault the white-haired girl.

Those disrupting branches reflected in the silver pupils of the white-haired girl, as she gripped the green magic wand in her hand and gave it a light twirl.

Numerous green vines in a flash surged from the dirt beneath her feet, forming a barrier made of vines, entangling with those fluttering branches.

New branches erupted from the smoke and dust only to be blocked by the vines shooting out of the ground.

With every additional branch, a vine would burst forth from the soil in response, in a repetitive cycle.

In the span of a breath, the sky filled with an intricate mass of intertwining vines and branches, branches stabbing from all directions, while the vines formed a massive, curved wall behind which the girl was shielded.

The intermingling branches and vines knotted together, obscuring the firmament, casting dense shadows that nearly completely covered the stature of the girl.

In the distance, a massive tree-entity split open a mouth as human-like as any, drew in a long breath and exhaled a puff of smoke into the roots of those extended branches.

In this instant, as if granted some extreme enhancement, the twisted branches began to swell rapidly from the roots, blooming like flesh.

The power quickly reached the tips of the branches, and under the suddenly swelling force, the vines that had been barely entangling and holding back the branches were crushed in an instant.

Although still wrapped around the branches, they were rapidly falling backward.

Seizing the opportunity, those thick branches broke through the vine’s defense, spread wide, and stabbed toward the girl’s body, about to pierce her full of holes.

In that split second, the girl fiercely pulled out the magic wand that had been stuck in the ground and raised it aloft.

The pure white radiance at the top of the wand flickered like a breath.

The emerald vines that had been intertwined with the branches turned yellow in that instant and withered and decayed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Soon, that withering power traveled along the connection to the branches entwined by the vines, and the branches, which had seemed sharp and hard, also swiftly turned yellow and decayed upon being affected by the withering power.

The sharp tips of the branches drooped down, turning into lifeless dry twigs, but that yellowing didn’t stop, spreading along the slim branches toward the base of the branches like ink in clear water.

Thick branches sagged helplessly from the sky, and the scent of rot and yellowing spread at a visible speed toward the distant colossal tree.

Seeing this scene, the giant tree’s gaping mouth took another deep breath and exhaled.

The branches, tainted by the scent of yellowing, snapped in unison from their roots and crashed to the ground.

The essence of the tree itself quickly grew lethargic.

The white-haired girl, seeing this progression, heaved a long sigh of relief, lifting the magic wand in her hand, and bright pure white light burst forth.

The branches on the ground contaminated by the scent instantly took root, drove into the soil, and right after, these sturdy branches quickly spread with greenery, rose from the earth, and turned to attack the giant tree.

The giant tree watched the overlapping green branches thrusting towards itself, and its vast mouth opened again, a thick pale fog poured from the gaping maw, forming a barrier that shielded it.

The fog expanded with incredible speed and, in the blink of an eye, completely concealed the giant tree.

At this moment, the green branches at the forefront also plunged into the fog.

In the dense fog, the branches’ green color faded rapidly, reverting to yellowed decay and drooping downwards.

The white-haired girl watched this scene, planted her magic wand back into the ground, and the pure white radiance flickered at the top of the wand.

The vivid green color spread once more to the tips of the branches, then, along with the branches, unhesitatingly charged into the depths of the thick fog.

The pervasive fog kept growing, becoming denser, and more branches delved into the mist.

There seemed to be the sound of sharp objects piercing into flesh coming from the void, accompanied by faint, gentle tearing sounds.

The sharp branches stirred within the fog, and the very earth seemed to tremble with them.

The white-haired girl watched it all silently, and as the battle continued, and the light on the wand kept flickering, her complexion became paler.

She gripped the green magic wand tightly, staring unblinkingly at the deepest part of the fog, watching those disturbed green branches.

Behind her, on the backside of the hill, a slender root system was emerging from the earth.

The root wriggled, pushing aside the surrounding soil before turning around, its tip fixating on the young girl’s back.

One after another, roots silently sprouted from the dirt, intertwining to form a huge spike that surged towards the girl’s heart.

In that instant, the girl suddenly realized something and immediately turned around to face her assailant.

By now, the spike had already reached her front, its sharp tip aiming directly for her chest.

In her "panic," she lifted her magic wand, and several emerald vines burst forth from the ground, entwining the root spikes, but they were always a step too slow.

As the spike drew ever closer, the girl had no choice but to dodge to the side.

But her speed was still a moment too late—the spike struck her magic wand, and with a ’pop’ sound, the green jade wand shattered violently.

The vines and countless green branches in the sky stopped still in that moment.

With its progress briefly hindered, the spike continued forward, striking the girl’s shoulder, tearing the flesh and leaving behind a ghastly wound.

Thrown by the momentum, the girl’s body flew off, tumbling down the hill.

Blood, aglow with white brilliance, sprayed out.

Those twisted roots rubbed together, emitting a shrill noise, as if laughing loudly.

The dense fog and turmoil around those giant trees served as a cover for these roots extending from underground.

Immediately after, more roots burst from the ground, twisting with the initial root spike to form a small ’giant tree’ about ten or so meters high and over two meters wide.

A surging life force emanated from this little giant tree as if it were the core of the towering arboreal titan.

This tree, supported by roots in mid-air, faced towards the girl, the trunk splitting open to reveal a two-meter wide ’giant mouth,’ oozing with thick mucus.

This massive maw lunged out, ’biting’ towards the girl, who now seemed devoid of any ability to resist, as if trying to swallow her whole.

But just as the ’giant mouth’ was about to reach the girl with the white hair,

streams of emerald vines instantly emerged from the ground, entwining the ’small giant tree.’

The girl, covered in mud and ash, rose from the ground, opening her hands to reveal a pristine white branch in her palm.

This branch quickly extended, forming a new emerald magic wand.

She lifted the wand and swung it forcefully.

Countless withered leaves spread along the vines to the root-formed ’small giant tree,’ then rapidly spread downwards along these roots.

The ferocious mouth stopped right in front of the girl, collapsing into decay in an instant.

The girl, leaning on the green wand, turned to look back.

The suspended green branches shot forth with greater speed, penetrating the majestic giant tree’s body, then forcefully yanked.

Accompanied by a violent boom, the towering tree collapsed, scattering a cloud of debris and dust.

At the same time, the dense white mist also dissipated.

Only when the white mist cleared to reveal the completely withered roots did the girl let out a long sigh of relief, leaning forward, collapsing to the ground with her wand for support.

She raised her hand to look at her palm.

Her originally fair skin had lost its luster, now dull and paper-thin.

The huge branches in the sky fell powerlessly to the ground, creating thunderous noises.

She no longer had the strength to sustain these branches’ assault.

The girl looked up at the azure sky, her hand propping the wand, struggling to stand.

After stumbling greatly, she thrust the wand into the ground, steadying herself on it, inching her way up.

Wisps of cool breeze blew through her pure white hair, the sky’s color seemingly fading, and shadows enveloped her figure.

Her progress was slow, her body even wobbled a few times, but at last, she steadied herself and stood up again.

A faint white glow flickered in the wand in her hand, spreading into her palm, healing her body.

Then she raised her head to look at the sky.

A massive face with an air of mockery appeared in her field of view.

It was a huge stone giant clad in black, who had appeared at her side, unnoticed, sitting quietly and watching her.

Its body blocked the sky’s radiance, and a dense shadow covered all the surrounding land.

A chilly wind brushed past the white-haired girl’s cheek, and she could distinctly feel the overwhelming, almost tangible life force and pressure emanating from the giant.

That intense feeling was like facing the world itself.

The formidable giant slowly raised its immense hand, with gathering dark clouds obscuring the blue sky in an instant.

Thunder gathered at the giant’s fingertips, and a fierce gale took shape in the palm of its hand.

It seemed as the sole sovereign of this world, a divine being in control of life and death.

The girl looked up at the giant hand that blocked out the sun and steadied the magic wand she had thrust into the ground, her silver pupils gradually constricting.

The sound of thunder exploded in the sky, like the death knell tolling.

From above, the splendid brilliance of lightning, like a sharp blade, illuminated the dark sky obscured by clouds, and shone on the pale cheeks of the girl with white hair.

A figure, swift as a streak of light, appeared between the girl and the giant hand, riding on the thunder.

His hands gripped an invisible sharp blade that seemed to carry lightning, raised high, and he slashed down fiercely.

The sharp sword light cut through the sky, through the shadow, through the enormous palm that seemed to cover the sun.

The entire firmament seemed to crack open with this sword strike, igniting a dazzling brilliance.

The huge black stone giant’s palm split in two in front of the young hero, crashing to the ground with a thunderous noise.

He Ao stood with his feet on the ground and raised his hand, as the Shadowless Sword returned to his grip.

He turned his head to look at the girl behind him, "Sorry, it took some time to squeeze into this space."

Then he turned back, facing the furious stone giant, and casually asked, "Can you still fight?"

Goya lifted her head, gazing at the slender figure standing before the majestic giant.

Thunder shone overhead, and the wind whipped his clothing.

The figure before her eyes was as tiny as her own but stood like another giant in front of her.

Feet planted firmly on the ground, hand holding lightning, igniting a flame of hope in the midst of despair.

She tightened her grip on her magic wand and replied softly.

Hearing the response from behind, He Ao nodded lightly, then stepped forward and leapt out.

The colossal stone giant swung its other giant hand in anger, not hesitating to slap at He Ao.

He Ao, with the Shadowless Sword in hand, stabbed into the giant’s palm and then, using the momentum, rolled over its back and ran up the giant’s arm.

The giant watched He Ao running up his arm, opened his mouth, and a torrent of flames erupted, blocking He Ao’s path.

He Ao flipped and leaped into the air, bypassing the gushing flames with a somersault.

The Shadowless Sword reappeared in his hands, and he stabbed downward into the giant’s shoulder. Then, with a boost, he jumped onto the giant’s head.

This stone giant did not seem to have flesh or visible energy circuits, so He Ao decided to dismantle the giant to take a look inside.

At that moment, the stone giant lifted its hand, attempting to smack He Ao on its head.

A green vine that had been lying at his feet shot out instantly, briefly entangling the giant’s wrist.

He Ao glanced down and saw Goya on the ground, holding her magic wand aloft.

At the moment he looked at Goya, white light flashed vividly from the top of her magic wand; some invisible connection crossed the space between them, linking to He Ao’s body.

A surge of life force instantly spread along this connection and began to meld into He Ao’s body.

He Ao channelled this life force to repair the damage caused by overexerting his body while using Super Memory.

The life force wasn’t strong, indicating Goya was not in good condition, but it eased some of the strain on He Ao’s overdrawn body.

However, He Ao didn’t have time to think about these things. While the stone giant’s hand was temporarily restrained by the vine, he stabbed his sword into the giant’s head and sliced downward.

A howling roar came from the stone giant’s mouth as it broke free from the vines on the ground.

The dark clouds in the sky surged with intense light, and thick bolts of lightning struck downwards, aiming directly at He Ao.

He Ao looked up at the sky and quickly flicked the Shadowless Sword, then leaped backward.

The surging thunder struck right at the top of the stone giant’s head, accompanied by the scattering of electric light and the melting of stone on the giant’s crown; the embedded Shadowless Sword sliced downward, opening up the back of the giant’s head.

There was nothing but stone inside the head.

As He Ao rapidly descended along the giant’s back, he lifted his hand, and the Shadowless Sword appeared in his grip. Then he plunged the sword into the midpoint of the giant’s spine.

The sharp blade swiftly slid down, creating a long, narrow wound, and He Ao steadied himself on the lower half of the giant’s back.

Is this guy really all stone?

That thought flashed through his mind, He Ao reached out, pressing on the wound, and his Divine Sense spread quickly into the depths of the cut.

About three meters into the stone, he sensed rich, Transcendent-power-infused flesh in his perception.

At that moment, the stone giant suddenly turned around, its hand crackling with lightning, reaching to smack He Ao on its back.

He Ao grasped the hilt firmly, pulled with force, and flung himself into the sky. Before the giant could react, he landed on a position closer to the top of the giant’s back and stabbed in with his sword.

He extended his hand again and continued to probe into the back of the giant with his Divine Sense.

The giant palm struck again.

This time, He Ao forcefully pulled on the sword handle, tossing his body upward, and landed directly on the shoulder of the stone giant.

Then the Shadowless Sword followed his figure, cutting through the shadow.

The giant’s vast black neck came into his field of view. The dark shadow fell into his hands, forming an invisible blade.

The Shadowless Sword had already been adequately fed today, and was sharp enough, so he didn’t need to go through the process of feeding the sword again.

He abruptly lifted his sword and slashed, the sword light leaving his hand, cleaving the giant’s head in two.

The giant’s split brain fell backward, like a huge stone ball rolling onto the ground.

And at that moment, surging flames burst forth from the sliced neck of the giant, forming a wave of fire tens of meters high, spreading in all directions to the west, rushing towards He Ao standing on the shoulder.

While watching the flames that kept surging towards him, He Ao threw the Shadowless Sword forward, then leapt backwards, quickly descending along the giant’s back.

The blade, transformed into a shadow, plunged into the center of the flames, then flew directly above the severed neck of the giant, condensing into a blade, pointing downwards.

The sharp blade pierced into the giant’s neck in an instant, into its spine, from top to bottom, traversing the giant’s body, slicing open all the flesh hidden deep within.

The flesh within the spine was the true core of this stone giant.

As He Ao landed on the ground, the massive stone giant collapsed behind him, shattering on the ground, the earth shook in response, stirring up rolling thick smoke.

Fine cracks of nothingness spread across the entire sky and land at this moment, with thunder surging in the void.

At this time, Goya, wielding her magic wand, also ran over, her calm face marked with obvious tension and surprise as she looked at He Ao, "How did you..."

He Ao looked at her and gently raised his hand, the Shadowless Sword appearing in his grasp.

The power of the Eye of Truth was summoned by him, covering the blade, and then he reached out with the sword, lightly tapping the void beside him.

Unlike the space he was in before, the core hub of this area was hidden beside this seemingly ordinary hillside.

However, for He Ao, who was blessed with the Eye of Truth, it wasn’t difficult to find, especially when the giant died and the entire space structure was extremely unstable.

As He Ao’s sword tip touched the void, an invisible gust of wind suddenly rose, lifting his hair.

Dense lightning quickly converged from where the sword tip of the Shadowless Sword touched, as if it harbored the power to destroy everything, dimming the whole world at that moment.

Goya watched blankly as the young man before her was illuminated by the intense lightning, looking so familiar yet strange, seeming like a human yet distinct from humans.

An invisible pressure from a higher plane of life spread in the void, causing her body to tremble involuntarily, wanting to prostrate on the ground.

However, her movements did not cease, nor did she retreat; she could clearly sense the terrifying lightning that was gathering, filled with ’hostility’ towards them.

The green magic wand shone brightly, endlessly pouring life force into He Ao’s body.

But in the end, the terrifying lightning did not burst forth.

Because in the instant that the light was fully conceived, accompanied by a sound that seemed real and illusory, a ’pop,’ the entire world shattered violently, turning into fragments scattering and vanishing into the void.

He Ao reached out, invisible strength converging in his hand, finally coalescing into a wisp of tiny ash.

Layers upon layers of boat illusions appeared beneath their feet and rapidly solidified, supporting their figures.

Goya looked at the ash in He Ao’s hand, asking with confusion.

"Perhaps this is the ’key’ that can help us get into the core area of this region," He Ao put away the ash and quickly replied, "But it seems not strong enough for now."

Since the Echo of the Bygone Days could enter the most central area with the help of the transparent planet’s connection, then these ashes should be able to produce a similar effect.

It’s just that the current amount is too little.

The girl nodded softly.

Seeing He Ao’s actions just now and the boat beneath their feet, Goya also somewhat understood how He Ao had entered the ’space’ she was in.

He Ao looked at the still bleeding shoulder of Goya, asking in a soft voice.

"No, it’s nothing," Goya stretched out her hand, covering the wound on her shoulder, and with a flash of white light, the bleeding of the wound slowed.

Then she looked at He Ao and softly explained, "I’m not great in combat, easily overextending and getting hurt, but I recover quickly, it’ll be fine in a while."

In other words, she wasn’t strong in combat or defense, but she had strong recovery abilities.

It might have been an illusion, but He Ao felt that Goya spoke more fluently and openly to him than before.

"Where do we go next?"

Goya raised her head, looking around.

In her field of view, around the little boat, there was only the unattainable darkness.

"Keep going forward."

He Ao looked ahead at the dense clusters of bubbles and spoke slowly.

To their right and slightly ahead, there was a pulsating bubble that appeared as if it was about to burst.