Those tentacles were pitch black, ink-black, covered in sharp spikes and gleaming with metallic luster. At a glance, they were razor-sharp and chilling.
The tentacles were as thick as water jars, hovering above Long Chen's head. With that shout, the tentacles slowly withdrew to the ground and vanished without a trace.
"I did not know you were an honored guest. If I have offended you, please forgive me." Just then, an aged voice rang out.
"Whoosh!"
The tree in the forest moved slowly, actually clearing a straight passage. At the end of the passage stood a tall mountain, and atop the mountain stood an ancient tree, tall and graceful, covering most of the sky.
This ancient tree was not much smaller than the spirit gods of the Luoling Clan. Its life force trembled, endless immortal light flowed, like a divine tree descended from the celestial realm.
"If you don't mind, please come and have a chat." That aged voice came again, this time clearly coming from within the ancient tree.
"Sorry to disturb you like that."
Long Chen cupped his fists slightly and slowly walked toward the ancient tree. When he reached the base of the tree, he found an elderly man sitting cross-legged, with white hair and youthful face, full of vigor, exuding an aura of immortality and extraordinary presence.
Behind the old man were more than a dozen women dressed in white, each with delicate features. In their jade-like hands, they held fruit plates, placing various precious fruits on the table in front.
"I'm truly sorry. These children have been trapped here for countless years, often invaded by foreign races, and have been scared of them. Please forgive any offense.
In the mountains and fields, there is nothing else, just some fruit. If you don't pay respect, please don't disdain it. The old man sat opposite Long Chen and spoke kindly to him.
As they spoke, various fruits were placed on the table. Even before eating, the aroma of the fruit was already wafting over. Just smelling it made one's mouth water.
"Senior, you are too kind. It is already quite abrupt that I came here without a gift. Thank you for your kindness, and I am truly ashamed." Long Chen replied very politely.
But while he was very polite with his words, his hands were not idle at all. He picked up an apple and bit off half in one bite. The apple melted in his mouth, its juice sweet and full of intense vitality, even more effective than ordinary top-grade healing medicines.
"Crack
!" Long Chen held an apple in his left hand and a melon in his right, gnawing on it while praising it endlessly. This thing really was delicious.
Especially since Long Chen had consumed quite a bit on his way here, now he was replenished and quickly regained his energy.
"Hehehe, as long as you like it. It's a small place and nothing decent to offer. As long as you don't mind, you can eat as much as you want." The old man was very pleased to see Long Chen eating happily.
"Thank you very much."
Long Chen really didn't hold back, eating dozens of kinds of fruit in one go, only stopping when his stomach was full.
Long Chen burped and said, "Senior, you are considered the natives here, right? I wonder what happened during the great war in the Star Domain Divine Realm back then? Would it be convenient to share a few details?" The
old man sighed and said, "We are indeed the natives here. That battle back then shattered our peaceful lives, and the war of the gods brought disaster upon us at the very bottom."
It's a long story. Come on, you humans like to drink. I've learned brewing techniques from them here. How about I try my skills?" The
woman behind the old man poured fine wine from the prepared glasses for the two of them. The wine was amber-colored, with an extremely rich aroma—it was berry wine.
"I don't know how many years it has, probably tens of thousands of years. I can't remember it. Back then, I was saved by the kindness of your human powerhouses.
I even learned the art of brewing wine from you humans. You can say that you humans have done us a great favor. Our Treant Clan has always been grateful to you. Come, welcome to your arrival." The old man said happily.
"No need to be so polite. May the friendship between humans and the treant clan last forever. Come, cheers." Long Chen laughed heartily, holding his cup with both hands and using his sleeves to shield it, making an ancient drinking gesture as he downed the wine in one gulp.
After drinking, Long Chen smacked his lips and frowned slightly.
"What's wrong? Is this old man still lacking some refinement?" The old man looked at Long Chen and said, but deep in his eyes there was a hint of amusement.
"Frankly, the fruit is good, but the brewing technique is much inferior.
You might not believe it, but I happen to have a berry wine brewed here by a master of the art of wine. I usually don't want to drink it, so fine, today I'll take it out and prove the way of wine with you, senior." Long Chen said with some pain.
As he spoke, Long Chen took out a jar of wine, slapped open the seal of clay, and instantly, a rich aroma spread everywhere. Just smelling it instantly made people feel intoxicated.
"Good wine,"
the old man said, moved.
"Of course, if it weren't good wine, how could I dare to show off my face?" Long Chen chuckled.
"Come, let's toast to the friendship between the human race and the treant race." This time, Long Chen took the initiative to offer a toast.
"Good wine, truly good wine." After the old man drank it, he immediately praised Long Chen's wine highly.
"Haha, this is ..."
Hearing the old man's praise, Long Chen laughed heartily and was about to continue speaking when he suddenly shut his mouth.
"What?" The old man was taken aback and hurriedly asked.
"It's nothing,"
Long Chen waved his hand. "I'm fine. Maybe I drank too quickly, so I feel a bit unwell." Long
Chen said it was fine, but his face began to turn pale, and his aura became chaotic.
"Do you feel like your bones are being bitten?" The old man looked at Long Chen, the smile on his face gradually fading, replaced by a sinister grin.
"You... You ... What did you do? Long Chen was shocked and shouted at the old man.
"Hehehe, nothing much." The old man chuckled. At this moment, he no longer had any of the immortal aura or the aura of a Taoist priest. At this moment, his face was full of sinisterness, like a vicious old fox, his eyes full of ferocity.
The women behind him had their skin turning black, then countless bumps appeared, their eyes flashing with fierce light, looking extremely ferocious.
"Did you poison the wine?" Long Chen pointed at the old man and cursed loudly.
"Hehehe, you're wrong. My wine isn't poisonous, and the fruit isn't poisonous either, but if you eat the fruit and drink it again, sorry, your human race will be poisoned.
Are you feeling uncomfortable now? Feeling thorns stirring in the bones, the soul being pierced bit by bit? Even the flow of blood must be excruciatingly painful. The old man stood up, hands behind his back, and looked at Long Chen as he spoke.
"You... You're so despicable. Didn't you say you were favored by the human race? Long Chen pointed at the old man and cursed.
"Human Grace?" "Screw your mother's favor! The world I've ended up in today is all because of you human bastards. I wish I could wipe out all of you." The old man suddenly roared with a ferocious expression.
He looked at Long Chen: "If it weren't for that bastard of your human race destroying my true body, how could my primordial spirit have just clinging to this small world and barely surviving?"
All of this is because of you humans. Kid, your vital energy is so strong, just the right nourishment for me, helping me break through the final step and reshape my true body. The
old man sneered, and suddenly the towering tree behind him trembled. Countless tentacles hung down from the tree, each tentacle extremely slender, like a strand of hair.
The heads of these tentacles had small mouths, like those of mosquitoes, looking extremely sharp.
"You came at just the right time. I was only a little short of vital energy to reshape my true body, and yet you came to me at this very moment.
You human bastards, you destroyed my true body. Just as you said, it's karma. The old man slowly formed hand seals, his face twisted into a ferocious grin.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, the old man's expression changed. From the center of his brow appeared a black rune, rapidly spreading like a spiderweb, covering his entire body.
"This... The
old man was shocked, realizing he was completely unable to move.
"Poison an alchemist?" You really are a blockhead. Long
Chen, who had been squatting on the ground with a pale face, chuckled and slowly stood up.
"Buzz!"
As Long Chen stood up, the wood demons suddenly transformed into tree monsters, surrounding him completely.
"You... What did you do? The old man was shocked.
"Whatever you did for me, I'll do it for you." Long Chen grinned, his eyes squinting as if he wanted a beating.
"Is there poison in your wine?" The old man was both shocked and angry.
"No, this wine comes from the Wine God Palace. It's not poisonous, and I would never poison its wine. Otherwise, the High Priest will look down on me. The real poison is right beneath your feet." Long Chen chuckled.
At some point, the soil beneath their feet had turned black, and they hadn't noticed a thing.
"While you were fully focused on my poisoned wine, I quietly gave you some gifts. How about it? Surprised? Surprised, aren't you?" Long Chen chuckled.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, the ground exploded, dust flew everywhere, and the old man vanished in an instant. The towering giant tree trembled all over, and the black earth tainted by Long Chen was blown away, sending Long Chen and him flying into the air.
At the same time, countless roots shattered, and the trunks stained with black soil were all stripped away.
"This bit of poison can't do anything to me." From the void came the old man's furious roar; clearly, this giant tree was his true form.
"Not necessarily. You have to understand, this black soil is the essence I extracted. It can move at my will, and it has silently tainted your soul." Long Chen said with a leisurely smile.
Entering the third step of the Tongming Realm and mastering the power of death, Long Chen gained a deeper understanding and control over black soil.
That's why Long Chen was able to conceal the destructive aura of the black earth, quietly poisoning the towering giant tree. Moreover, the destructive laws within the black earth, driven by Long Chen's power of death, directly invaded the tree demon's soul.
"This bit of toxicity is no problem for me." The towering giant tree roared, its branches and leaves glowing with light. Each leaf radiated light, and the energy of life erupted.
"Want to spread out the poison and eliminate it one by one? The solution was a good one, but unfortunately, it was useless. Long
Chen sneered, forming a force with both hands, and black spears condensed in the void.