Chapter 102: Sister Si, I Don't Want to Struggle Anymore

Following Si Qingguo came a sky full of talismans. Each talisman contained the magic power of a cultivator at the Penetrating the Law Realm, and once unleashed, it became a spell. Around Si Qingguo, yellow talismans danced and surged like a tide, numbering nearly ten thousand. It was equivalent to tens of thousands of cultivators at the Penetrating the Law Realm attacking simultaneously, yet it had barely managed to submerge the zombies controlled by the tree demon, failing to consume even one percent of its strength.

Even if every talisman had been drawn by a cultivator at the Penetrating the Law Realm with the lowest quality of magic power, being struck by such a sea of talismans would have forced even Qian Chen to cover his head and flee.

But in cultivator duels, there are many methods; how could one be limited to head-on combat?

At the very least, Qian Chen had dozens of ways to bypass the sea of talismans. When he dealt with Daoist Zhen earlier, even if he had had so many talismans for protection, could they have saved his life?

The tree demon extended hundreds of willow branches, their emerald chains interlacing like a net covering the sky, sealing off the surroundings.

At this moment, even more willow branches plunged into the small mountain of white bones at the tree's roots. Each branch carried a string of white bones, which clawed and struggled on the branches. The tree demon, like a puppeteer, transformed the small mountain of bones at its roots into an army of skeletons to face the sea of talismans.

Each of those talismans transformed into a spell—some burning with fire or striking with lightning, others manifesting golden light or black wind—gradually grinding down the skeleton army.

However, whenever a skeleton was blasted to pieces, the willow branch behind it would simply withdraw lightly, remaining completely unharmed. Occasionally, when the power of a talisman leaked through the skeleton sea and struck the tree demon, it caused no pain or itching.

"I knew this demon would be troublesome!" Si Qingguo thought with secret annoyance. If it weren't for the sake of saving people, would she have been in such a sorry state if she had figured out the demon's background before attacking?

Swish, swish...

More willow branches swayed, rising with the wind. Eerie demonic light bloomed, like whips and swords, displaying an astonishing, monstrous quality. Si Qingguo saw the danger and knew she couldn't let the tree demon continue to prepare, or even this sea of talismans wouldn't be able to protect her.

She bit her silver teeth and pulled a small golden pair of scissors from her sleeve.

The small scissors were shaped like interlaced mysterious birds. Once released from Si Qingguo's sleeve, they became agile and nimble, dancing into the air and transforming into two rays of golden-mysterious light, shearing toward the roots of the tree demon.

She remained calm, knowing that these willow branches were not the tree demon's foundation but merely a magic treasure, a part of its supernatural abilities. Even if she cut them all off, it might reduce the tree demon's means, but it would be hard to harm its life. Conversely, if she felled the tree roots, even if the tree demon had countless willow branches, it would still meet its doom.

The small scissors opened and closed, and rays of mysterious golden light flashed like lightning. Two mysterious birds took form...

The dozens of willow branches closest to the small scissors lashed out like whips toward the mysterious light transformed by the scissors. Two rays of mysterious light opened and closed, and the emerald, monstrous willow branches were severed one after another, as if their very vitality had been cut off. The half-severed willow branches fell into the dust; although they remained emerald green, they lacked that monstrous vitality.

But just with this obstruction, ten times as many willow branches surrounded them. The scissors wove left and right, shearing off hundreds of willow branches.

Finally, dozens of willow branches braided into a single strand, becoming thick like a ponytail. When the mysterious bird scissors found it difficult to shear through at once, dozens of these thick willow strands intertwined, wrapping around the small scissors and forming a huge willow-woven ball. Rolling demonic qi suppressed them; sweat appeared on Si Qingguo's forehead. She urged the magic treasure repeatedly, but could not break free.

She saw the surrounding willow branches beginning to weave into a net again, intending to trap her. She looked back at the young monk Shi Fang, who was already tied up beside the large willow tree, a trace of guilt appearing on her face... yet her hand decisively scattered a handful of thunder-fire. The popping sounds of the yin-thunder were actually no less powerful than Qian Chen's Soundless Divine Thunder, blasting a large hole in the willow branch net.

She had decisively abandoned both the rescue mission and her own magic treasure.

She raised her hand and released a flying shuttle. Spiritual light enveloped her, and in an instant, she escaped the tree demon's heavy encirclement.

At this moment, the tree demon emitted a strange, unfathomable laugh that was neither male nor female: "Coming to Granny's place, and you still want to leave? Granny sees that your foundation is excellent... just right for refining into a Corpse Concubine, to be my collection!"

The mountain was made of hard rock, but at this moment, several thick tentacles broke through the rock, as if the boulder-like mountain were as soft as tofu.

The tentacles transformed from the willow roots surged into the sky, accompanied by countless rays of blood light. The blood light exploded into countless blood threads, entangling the spiritual light of the flying shuttle... Si Qingguo had no choice but to unleash her sword light, slashing at the blood threads everywhere. But as the countless willow branches behind her gradually closed in, it was already very difficult to escape.

She gripped a small jade seal in her hand, a ruthless look on her face, intending to detonate the magic treasure in her hand to give the tree demon a heavy blow.

At this moment, a yellow shadow flashed past her side...

Si Qingguo was slightly stunned. When she looked closely, she was even more shocked and confused.

"If I didn't see wrong just now... was that a chicken?"

The chicken was covered in pale yellow feathers, somewhat like the nine-jin yellow chickens often eaten, only larger. The feathers were pale yellow, bordering on gold, and the color was very pure, without a single stray hair. It was oily and bright, looking very well-maintained... and looking very delicious... After watching for a long time, Si Qingguo couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.

"Damn it... this demonic array has seen through the weakness of my temperament."

She said with some annoyance: "Conjuring such an absurd illusion to make me lose focus for a moment!"

The large yellow chicken's pupils were pure gold, staring tightly at the tree demon's trunk. The tree demon actually felt a hint of tension. It sensed the faint demonic qi on the large yellow chicken and sneered: "It's just a chicken. Do you know how many jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards I've eaten? There are also countless cattle, sheep, pigs, and horses... It's not just that they eat plants; there is also the principle that plants eat them."

"Haha, I'm not even afraid of a bull demon, let alone a chicken?"

Si Qingguo looked at Granny Tree Demon hesitantly, secretly wondering, is it so deep into its act of playing a double role?

Golden light flowed from the large yellow chicken's eyes. At this moment, it shot out a ray of golden needles. The thousands of willow branch tentacles and the blood light from the tree roots could not block it even by half. The golden light passed through the willow tree's body with incomparable speed and immediately nailed it into its Core Formation. Granny Tree Demon discovered that its magic power was circulating more and more slowly, making it even harder to escape its demonic body.

Moreover, the excruciating pain in its Core Formation felt like it was being scorched by the Sun True Fire. The emerald willow branches actually withered and turned yellow for a time.

The willow tree, full of monstrous vitality, was scorched and withered. Granny Tree Demon let out a miserable scream.

"This is a demon-subduing magic treasure, the Demon-Breaking Golden Needle..."

"Monster! Take my sword..." With a heroic laugh, Si Qingguo saw a sword light arrive in an instant, slashing at the tree demon...

"Sword Qi Dasheng Dasheng Leiyin! This is the Sword Immortal who fought the demon the day before yesterday!"

Her heart was filled with joy. That day, there had first been Sword Qi Dasheng Dasheng Leiyin crossing the sky, followed by monstrous demonic fire. She had been a bit far away, but she could still feel that astonishing divine might. She immediately exerted herself to urge the flying shuttle, her hand's sword light like a streak of silk, slashing through the now much sparser blood threads, and she stopped fleeing.

Si Qingguo shouted loudly: "Yan Shixiong, count me in!"

"Monster, take my blade!"

The short blade's light was like snow, following closely behind Yan Shu's sword. The blade and sword both struck the tree demon's roots one after another, nearly cutting the tree demon in half. The huge wound split open nearly halfway, and countless green branches and leaves sprayed out. However, the tree demon displayed extremely strong vitality. The countless rays of blood light rolled back, and the tree sap bonded into threads, the wound actually wriggling and healing.

Yan Shu was just about to slash another sword when countless willow branches swept over like mad...

He wielded his sword to slash through these chaotic branches repeatedly, but this demon had many willow branches, and they were growing at any time. The tree demon exhausted its accumulated monstrous vitality, actually looking somewhat immortal.

The tree demon only shrouded the area within a hundred miles under the tree with countless willow branches. Under Yan Shu's sword, he could indeed break through the obstruction of countless willow branches and slash directly at its true body trunk. However, this willow demon was also a demon that had cultivated a Divine Magic Dharma Form; it had refined its own body into a tentacle divine demon.

Although it had not yet achieved the unity of Core Formation and Divine Demon to become a Life-Bound Divine Demon, it was restrained by the Demon-Breaking Golden Needle, which nailed its demonic core.

It could not display the ability to move at will with its demonic core. As long as a single branch remained, it could be immortal and indestructible, and with a little time, it could recover to its original appearance—a terrifying prospect.

But at this moment, it consumed all its accumulated vast vitality on recovery. Urging its Core Formation, it could heal the wounds Yan Shu had slashed.

At this time, the disadvantage of a sword cultivator facing such an immortal enemy appeared.

Once the enemy's Primordial Spirit could not be killed, every time the sword light was driven, it was merely a consumption of magic power and demonic qi. With the willow tree demon's vast demonic body, Yan Shu would truly be exhausted to death before he could kill it.

Watching Yan Shu gradually being entangled by countless willow branches, Si Qingguo gave a sharp shout: "Yan Shixiong, look at my magic treasure!"

The jade seal she had been gripping was activated. In an instant, a huge seal script landed on the tree demon's heavy willow branches. The seal script bore the words "Pingyang Merit Seal." The restrained divine might was slightly activated, and in an instant, it shattered the countless willow branches. Yan Shu took this opportunity to slash two more swords, nearly piercing through the willow tree.

Qian Chen, who was far away and whose injuries had not yet healed, could only watch the battle and hold the line. Seeing this scene, he immediately felt sour: "Magic treasure! How come this girl has so many magic treasures... Not to mention the quantity, the quality is better than mine. And there's even a magic treasure..."

"I really am too poor! Ever since the company (Supreme Louguan) went bankrupt, the vast family business has turned into flowing water... living a life of eating chaff and vegetables. The only magic treasure I have is a demonic treasure I captured that cannot be easily used."

"I've been fighting for my life here to earn this little bit of family property, and it's not even as good as this girl relying on her father."

"Supreme Dao, I don't want to struggle anymore. Throw a spirit treasure to me!" Qian Chen muttered in his heart.

Even though they had nearly succeeded this time, under the circumstances of the willow tree demon desperately urging its roots to rise and obstruct them, Yan Shu was still two swords short of cutting off its foundation.

"I have already probed its background. Ning Ning Shimei Ning, fight for three more swords for me. Once I achieve the unity of pill and sword, I will be able to kill it!" Yan Shu shouted.

"Ning Ning Shimei Ning?" Si Qingguo's face turned slightly pale, somewhat puzzled: "Although my surname is not Si, it's not Ning either!"

At this moment, a faint, cold voice entered her ears: "This Ning Ning Shimei, how many more times can you activate that magic treasure just now?"

Si Qingguo was not on guard and said honestly: "This is a magic treasure my father bestowed upon me for self-defense. My magic power is insufficient. After activating it once just now, I can only use it two more times. But my father strictly ordered me that I can only use it in the face of a life-and-death crisis for the last time."

Ning Qingchen pondered slightly, then also pecked fiercely...

Although her sword light did not have the height of Sword Qi Dasheng Dasheng Leiyin, she had also cultivated Sword Light Differentiation. However, she did not slash toward the tree demon, but slashed a sword at the willow branch ball in the middle that was already slightly smaller.

At this moment, Si Qingguo was overjoyed and repeatedly urged the small scissors. Two rays of mysterious golden light pierced out from the willow branch ball, turned back and sheared, and joined hands with Ning Qingchen to shatter it.

"You use this magic treasure to continuously shear off those willow branches and tree roots..."

"Master Feng! You and I might have to take a risk!" Ning Qingchen had just set the strategy when she heard Qian Chen's voice transmission: "Ning Ning Shimei Ning, there is no need for this. I have already secretly buried many thunder sounds around the tree demon with the Soundless Divine Thunder. This thunder sound has accumulated and already formed an array. It only needs me to play a tune to detonate the thunder array."

"At that time, Ning Ning Shimei Ning, you must take Yan Yan Shixiong Yan and the others far away. Wait until I blow up these branches and leaves, and then let Yan Yan Shixiong Yan take the opportunity to kill it. Leave any arrangements for that time!"

Ning Qingchen's heart was settled. She said to Si Qingguo, who was dressed in red and looking at her pitifully beside her: "Prepare that magic seal for a strike. When I say release, you release it. Do not hesitate!"

After saying this, she pulled her slightly away from the tree demon's trunk.

On the snowy peak of the mountain far away, Qian Chen looked down at the slightly lower peak in front. There, a towering demonic tree was waving countless tentacle branches, setting off blood light into the sky.

"The commotion here is so big, the arrangements I left behind won't be able to hide from those demons for long."

"I originally wanted to exercise Yan Yan Shixiong Yan and Ning Ning Shimei Ning's cooperation, but now I have to force myself to hold on with my injuries and attack with one percent of my power!"

After thinking... Qian Chen plucked a silk string. A low, hoarse zither sound echoed. The invisible and colorless thunder light attacked with the zither sound.

The tree demon vaguely sensed countless strange magic powers attacking in the void. It roared, and countless branches on its body danced wildly. One willow branch lashed out a hundred miles away, and thousands of willow branches swayed and circled with it, densely forming an array. ===== CHAPTER 103 =====