Chapter 554: Ominous Strange Entities

As the Netherworld Blood Fruit matured, they began to fall from the branches of the Demonic Tree, like the fruit of the apocalypse, bearing omens of destruction.

Upon touching the ground, these blood fruits each transformed into a strange-looking entity; their very existence was an ill omen, surrounded by a dark aura that made the heart palpitate.

Their skin was a desiccated crimson, like a tree drained of all vitality; their eyes flickered with an eerie green light, and the corners of their mouths bore a strange smile, as if mocking the cultivators' helplessness and fear.

Their forms were twisted, with spindly, misshapen limbs; each step they took caused the ground to tremble, as if the very earth shivered beneath their feet.

Upon seeing these entities born from the Netherworld Blood Fruit, the cultivators felt an unprecedented panic well up in their hearts.

Many of them, upon contact with these entities, were instantly drained of life force by some evil power, their bodies rapidly withering into empty husks bereft of soul.

The Vital Essence within their divine souls was mercilessly drawn out, leaving only withered divine soul remnants scattered on the ground, appearing exceedingly strange and terrifying.

"Fall back! Don't approach them!" an elder cultivator shouted loudly, his voice filled with urgency and fear.

The cultivators retreated as if avoiding snakes and scorpions, their eyes filled with dread of these strange entities.

Countless cultivators screamed and cried out in terror, his voice echoing between heaven and earth, yet it seemed utterly helpless.

Some cultivators tried to attack the entities with Dharma treasures and spells, but those attacks seemed to have no effect, instead only provoking their ferocity.

"These entities fear no ordinary attack!" a young cultivator shouted, his eyes flashing with resolve; despite his fear, he still sought a way to counter them.

"They are steeped in demonic qi!" a female cultivator suggested, holding a talisman that emitted a faint glow, preparing to try using purifying power against these evil entities.

The cultivators began to try various methods—some used fire to burn, some used ice to freeze, some used lightning to strike—but these attacks seemed unable to inflict substantive harm on the entities.

A low rumble rose as the strange entities let out an angry howl; the enormous Dharma formation in the sky seemed to awaken, creating a mysterious resonance with their roars.

The formation began to spin, the runes flashing, emanating a power that made the heart pound.

Suddenly, a mysterious pillar of light descended from the formation, striking the earth and merging with those strange entities.

At the moment the light pillar touched the entities, their forms began to twist and deform, ultimately turning each into a strange black treasure vase.

These vases were pitch black all over, their surfaces etched with strange runes, as if they were evil objects drawn directly from the Netherworld.

Within the black treasure vase, demonic qi ran rampant, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

In the blink of an eye, many entities could not escape this calamity and were swallowed into these black treasure vases.

The cultivators horrifiedly discovered that every cultivator swallowed was without exception a late-stage or peak Heavenly Spirit Realm cultivator.

These cultivators had been the backbone of the cultivation world; their loss was undoubtedly a massive blow to the fight against the Demonic Tree.

It was clear that the strange entities' abductions were not random; they had a definite purpose.

They seemed able to discern cultivators' cultivation levels, specifically targeting those with profound cultivation.

This selective targeting left the cultivators feeling an unprecedented panic, and they began to suspect that a more evil presence might be controlling these entities from behind the scenes.

"What is going on? Why do they only seize high-level cultivators?" a young cultivator asked in terror, his voice trembling.

"These entities seem to be seeking powerful divine souls as nourishment; cultivators of the Heavenly Spirit Realm possess strong divine souls, making them the best supplement for them." an elder cultivator replied in a deep voice, his eyes flashing with concern.

The cultivators began to organize themselves, aiming to protect the high-level cultivators while also seeking a way to break these black treasure vases.

They knew that if they did not quickly find a solution, the power structure of the entire cultivation world would be utterly destroyed.

"We must act at once to stop these vases from continuing to devour our fellow cultivators!" a female cultivator shouted loudly, her voice filled with resolve.

The cultivators began to try attacking the black treasure vases with various spells and Dharma treasures, but these attacks seemed unable to penetrate the vase's surface; the runes appeared to possess some powerful protective power.

Faced with these Netherworld Soul-Devouring Vases, the cultivators, despite exerting their utmost effort, could still not affect them in the slightest.

They tried all kinds of spells and Dharma treasures, but every attack was like a stone sinking into the sea, causing not a ripple.

Left with no choice, the cultivators could only rack their brains, gather together, and construct a solid defensive line, hoping to resist the intrusion of these strange entities.

However, as time passed, the situation worsened. The Demonic Tree, as if nourished by some evil power, grew ever larger, its branches and leaves covering the sky, its roots plunging deep into the earth's core, as if seeking to bring the whole world under its dominion.

The strange entities spawned from the Demonic Tree grew ever more numerous, surging toward the cultivators' defensive line like a tide; each entity emanated the powerful aura of the Heavenly Spirit Realm, and their methods were strange and ruthless.

At this moment, all the cultivators were filled with shock, deeply realizing the truth of the saying that many ants can kill an elephant.

Although each strange entity individually was no match for a high-level cultivator, their overwhelming numerical advantage made them a force that could not be ignored.

Moreover, each of these entities had reached the Heavenly Spirit Realm in cultivation; their methods were extraordinarily strange, capable of devouring a human's Divine Ability and magical power and converting it into their own strength.

The cultivators horrifiedly discovered that whenever a fellow cultivator was devoured by these strange entities, the entities' strength increased by a notch.

These entities not only devoured cultivators' divine souls, but also spared neither their Divine Ability nor magical power; through some unknown means they absorbed and fused the devoured Divine Ability and magical power, making themselves even stronger.

"We must stop them from continuing to devour our fellow cultivators!" a cultivator leader shouted hoarsely, his eyes filled with determination and resolve, "Otherwise, our strength will only grow weaker while theirs will only grow stronger!"

The cultivators began to try new tactics, no longer fighting alone but forming small combat teams that supported each other and advanced and retreated together.

They used formations and barriers to restrict the entities' movements, while seeking opportunities to deliver a lethal blow.

"Quick, set up the Demon-Confining Formation to trap them!" an elder cultivator commanded, his voice revealing a hint of fatigue but mostly resolve.

The cultivators swiftly acted, using spirit stones and Dharma treasures as mediums, drawing intricate patterns in the air to form a massive Demon-Confining Formation.

Once the formation was activated, it immediately emitted a strong suction, drawing the surrounding strange entities into it.

"Now, launch the attack!" another cultivator shouted loudly, the Dharma treasure in his hand flashing with brilliant light as it released a powerful spell.

The cultivators responded in kind, their Dharma treasures and spells falling like rain upon the strange entities within the Demon-Confining Formation, inflicting massive damage.

However, the entities' vitality was extraordinarily tenacious; even after suffering grave wounds, they could still continue fighting.

The battle grew ever more brutal, with cultivators constantly sacrificing themselves, yet they gradually began to discern ways to counter these strange entities.

They discovered that although these entities could devour Divine Ability and magical power, at the moment of devouring their defenses would momentarily lapse.

"Now is the time—attack their true form!" a cultivator who had uncovered this secret exclaimed, his voice brimming with excitement.

The cultivators immediately seized the opportunity, concentrating firepower to attack those entities that were in the act of devouring Divine Ability and magical power.

Their strikes hit the entities' true forms with unerring accuracy, inflicting fatal damage.

With one anguished cry after another, those strange entities finally began to collapse one by one.

Although the victory came at a heavy cost, the cultivators finally caught a glimpse of hope.

They knew the battle was far from over, but they were no longer helpless lambs unable to strike back.

They would continue fighting until they found a way to utterly annihilate these strange entities, or until they shed their last drop of blood.

The battle was raging fiercely, and the cultivators, relying on the newly discovered tactic, began to gradually regain a foothold. They learned to launch an attack at the moment when the strange creatures devoured Divine Ability and mana; although this tactic was dangerous, it was also extraordinarily effective.

Each successful attack could eliminate some strange creatures, but the cultivators also paid a heavy price; many brave cultivators fell in battle.

As the battle continued, the cultivators began to feel exhausted, their mana consumption enormous, while the strange creatures seemed endless.

The Magic Tree continued to constantly breed new creatures, which, like an inexhaustible army, wave after wave assaulted the cultivators' defenses.

"We must find the core of the Magic Tree; only by destroying it will these creatures cease to be born!" a cultivator shouted loudly, his voice revealing a hint of despair, but more so determination.

The cultivators began trying to divert the strange creatures' attention; part of them continued fighting them, while another part attempted to infiltrate the Magic Tree's interior to locate and destroy its core.

This was a daunting task; the interior of the Magic Tree was filled with danger, each step potentially a deadly trap.

"I volunteer to lead the team into the Magic Tree to seek its core!" a cultivator of high cultivation level stepped forward, his eyes flashing with the light of determination.

"We'll go too; more people means more strength!" other cultivators responded in kind, knowing this was a near‑suicidal mission, but for survival and the future of the cultivation world, they were willing to take the risk.

These brave cultivators formed a small team, using formations and Dharma treasures to shield themselves as they silently approached the Magic Tree.

The interior of the Magic Tree was a world filled with darkness and evil power, everywhere writhing roots and dripping demonic fluid, the air reeking with a nauseating stench.

The team members moved cautiously through the Magic Tree's interior, continually solving the traps and obstacles set by the tree.

During this process they lost some companions, but the remaining members pressed on resolutely.

Finally, after enduring countless hardships, they found the core of the Magic Tree—a huge black fruit that emanated evil power; it was this fruit that continually bred the strange creatures.

"That's it, we must destroy it!" the team leader cultivator spoke with a firm voice, the Dharma treasure in his hand flashing with brilliant light, ready to unleash a fatal strike.

However, at the moment they prepared to attack, the Magic Tree seemed to sense their presence; the entire trunk began to shake violently, a powerful evil force erupting from the core fruit and forming a solid protective shield that encased the fruit.

"Oh no, it's protecting the core!" a cultivator exclaimed, his face turning pale.

The cultivators did not give up; they began launching more violent attacks, attempting to break the shield.

Dharma treasures and spells fell upon the shield like a torrential rain, producing deafening booms.

Under the strong assault the shield began to show cracks, yet it also repaired itself rapidly.

The battle entered a white‑hot phase; the cultivators knew they had little time left.

If they could not destroy the core fruit in a short time, they would be overwhelmed by the incessant surge of strange creatures.

At that moment, a cultivator discovered the weakness of the Magic Tree's core fruit. He shouted loudly: "Attack the southeast corner of the shield; that's where its power is weakest!"

The cultivators immediately adjusted their attack direction, concentrating fire on the shield's southeast corner.

Through their combined effort, the shield's cracks grew larger, finally shattering with a tremendous bang.

Without the shield's protection, the core fruit was exposed before the cultivators.

The team leader cultivator unleashed his strongest attack without hesitation; a blinding beam struck the core fruit.

The core fruit shattered into pieces in a violent explosion; the Magic Tree lost its core, and the entire trunk began to collapse.

Deprived of their source of new birth, the strange creatures' strength began to wane rapidly, and they collapsed one after another.

However, just as everyone was celebrating victory, an abrupt change occurred.

The black bottles that had been destroyed, upon hitting the ground, left no debris; instead, they rapidly rotted as if corroded, turning into wisps of black smoke that dissipated in the air.

As the bottles vanished, a great number of soul bodies were released, carrying imprisoned resentment and unwillingness, gathering toward the sky like wind‑blown withered leaves swirling in the air.

The enormous formation in the sky seemed to possess a mysterious attraction for these soul bodies, emitting a vast, boundless black hole that was deep and mysterious, as if linking to another unknown world.

Within the black hole, a stone coffin could be faintly seen; ancient and heavy, its surface engraved with the marks of time and complex malevolent runes.

As the black hole rotated, the stone coffin slowly opened, exhaling a scarlet mist like a heat lamp, bringing with it a suffocating aura of death.

It seemed as if some terrifying existence were about to awaken from the coffin; that oppressive atmosphere filled the cultivators present with an unprecedented fear.

The soul bodies gathered in the sky seemed to have been subjected to an irresistible summons, being sucked into the mysterious coffin like a whale gulping down water.

Each time a soul body was absorbed, the malevolent runes on the coffin flared violently, emitting ever more terrifying light.

Terrible, ferocious visions emerged one after another as the runes flashed; they were manifestations of the power within the coffin, each vision bearing a destructive aura, roaring and ravaging the sky as if seeking to drag the whole world into the abyss.

The cultivators watched this scene in horror, realizing that a far more terrifying enemy might be about to appear.

"Everyone, quickly set up formations and prepare to meet the enemy!" a cultivator leader shouted loudly, his voice carrying undeniable authority.

The cultivators immediately took action, laying down layer after layer of strong defensive formations around the black hole formed by the stone coffin; meanwhile, some cultivators of high cultivation level began to study the malevolent runes on the coffin, hoping to find a way to seal or destroy it.

As time passed, the scarlet mist within the stone coffin grew denser, and the flickering of the malevolent runes became more frequent.