Chapter 289

Before Ang could react, a tall figure rushed forward, her longsword tapping the vines as qi exploded violently, shredding the vines to fragments.

The Dragon Hunter Gellard arrived unscathed, her body wrapped in battle aura, swinging her longsword like a heavy war chariot, carving a path through the chaos.

Without looking back, Gellard charged into the white mist, and soon, a series of screams echoed from within.

This Gellard, who earlier claimed she couldn't push through, had only meant she couldn't push through while carrying others.

Ang followed and soon saw the creatures emitting the screams—tall mantis-like monsters, resembling those encountered underground in Dark City, but vastly larger.

Yet now they were all decapitated, limbs severed, flesh and blood a bloody mess.

Swarms of insects swarmed over the grotesque remains, frantically gnawing, but their own bodies also sprouted thick white mycelium; as they ate, they gradually collapsed and died.

After breaking through the white mist, they finally reached the base of the Tree of Life.

Gellard held her sword upside down, gazing up at the Tree of Life, whose trunk was now entwined with those black, metallic vines.

The vines grew from the ground, coiling around the Tree of Life's trunk, straining upward, growing denser and thicker by the second; at the base, the trunk was nearly entirely wrapped.

On these vines, Ang sensed an alien consciousness.

God of Insects Ma Disi?

The consciousness settled on Ang, observing him, while Gellard was entirely ignored.

That was not a wise move, for what it ignored was a Dragon Hunter.

Gellard lunged forward, swinging her sword at the vines.

These metallic-gleaming vines looked impossibly hard, yet under Gellard's blade, they shattered effortlessly.

Her sword was no ordinary weapon—each swing emitted a humming vibration, quivering at high speed.

Gellard swung her sword in a sweeping arc, cutting through everything in her path; wood chips flew, vines snapped apart, and within moments, she had severed a large section of the metallic vines.

Ma Disi couldn't hold back—he lashed out with his vines toward her.

She spun back, lightly tapping with her blade; force surged through the sword, shredding the incoming vines to pieces.

But there were too many vines—just as she shattered one, two more whipped toward her; after destroying those, four more came; even the vines she'd cut down regenerated rapidly, restoring themselves fully, leaving no trace of her strikes.

Gellard looked up at the trunk, breathing desperately—this growth rate meant even if she died of exhaustion, she could never clear them all.

The Dragon Hunter was immensely powerful, yet faced with a wall of vines, she felt utterly helpless.

"My lord, what do we do?" Gellard turned to Ang.

Ang tilted his head—he didn't know what to do, because he hadn't expected Ma Disi to exist in vine form. Would insecticide work on vines?

Ang pulled out a packet of insecticide and hurled it at the vines; the packaging burst, scattering powdered insecticide across the vines.

Ma Disi's consciousness settled on Ang, then on the scattered insecticide—its emotion was one of confusion.

It seemed… ineffective.

"Don't worry about me. Save the forest." The Tree of Life's voice echoed through the air, slow and casual, as if chatting.

Negril cried out immediately: "Old Tree Head, how are you? Are you alright? How do we get rid of this stuff on you?"

The Tree of Life's slow voice replied: "Can't be removed. I was careless—I thought it was just a parasitic vine. So many things grow on me, I didn't pay attention. Unknowingly, it fused with my trunk, and used strange insects to parasitize every insect on me."

"Alas, who would've thought the insects crawling on me daily were all parasitized? Only after you warned me did I check—and it was too late. Those parasitized creatures became its egg chambers, instantly unleashing tens of billions of insects."

"I've cast a barrier covering a hundred-kilometer radius—they can't escape for now. Don't let them spread, or they'll devour the entire forest."

Negril gasped: "Sss, a hundred-kilometer barrier? But shouldn't you focus on yourself first? Without you, there's no Elf Forest."

Other barriers could barely contain five or six people; even the top-tier Farm Barrier spanned only three thousand mu. The Tree of Life casually created a hundred-kilometer barrier?

How many mu is a hundred-kilometer diameter?

Such a massive barrier, sustained by the Tree of Life alone—yet no matter how powerful, it couldn't eliminate the parasites fused to it. Unknowingly, Ma Disi's vines had merged completely with the Tree of Life.

This fusion occurred silently. The Tree of Life couldn't monitor every change on its body—too many organisms lived on it: fungi, insects, even elves. Hundreds of billions of individuals—how could it notice a single parasitic vine?

Parasitic vines, and most vines, rely on other plants to grow—this is common symbiosis in forests. A harmless parasitic vine? Why would it draw attention?

Who knew this vine wasn't a vine at all, and most insects were parasitized?

Looking back, my blight likely stemmed from these vines and insects—they drained my vitality excessively. That's why insect ash relieved it: it countered them.

Had Ang not noticed the signs, and allowed them to continue parasitizing, they'd eventually drain me again, causing blight once more.

The Tree of Life merely felt sluggish due to its size. When it focused, nothing escaped its perception—but now it was too late. The vines had fully fused with its body; ordinary methods could no longer separate them.

Everyone felt a wave of serenity emanating from the Tree of Life: "No, the forest is not just the forest—it is the home of countless lives. I am one among them, merely larger and sturdier."

"Birth, aging, sickness, death—these are parts of life. I am no exception. When a great tree falls, the grass beneath grows stronger."

"This world holds more than one Tree of Life. I am not alone. Younger lives will rise, growing alongside them."

Gellard's eyes instantly reddened—those words struck her heart. True, the Tree of Life rarely spoke to them, yet every elf's growth had been quietly nurtured by its presence. Though silent, it had always been with them.

But now its words carried the tone of departure—was the enemy truly this powerful? Was there truly no other way?

Before Gellard could grieve, Negril began cursing—it had no patience for the Tree of Life's philosophy: "Natural part? Pfft. If insects devour the forest, that's natural too? Then why not lift the barrier and let them eat their way out?"

Ma Disi agreed wholeheartedly: "Yes, yes, why not?"

"I'm sick of your nonsense. Elves pick your fruit and block seed dispersal—you call it natural. Insects eat you—you call it natural. If the forest turns to desert and all creatures vanish, is that natural too? Then why don't you just let nature take its course?"

Negril ranted on, oblivious to Gellard's face turning pale, her entire body trembling with shock.

From childhood, she'd been taught: never let the Tree of Life's seeds escape, lest other species gain it. To her, this was unquestionable, sacred doctrine.

Ang had grown a World Tree only after the elves endured long psychological preparation, and only because the Tree of Life was dying—yet even then, the seeds were forbidden to leave.

But Negril's words made her suddenly realize: had they ever asked the Tree of Life's will?

No. No elf had ever asked. No elf had ever even considered the question. Pingshenme do they decide whether the Tree of Life's seeds may spread?

At that moment, Gellard recalled Kelandael's recent muttering: "The Tree of Life dislikes elves." Now she understood why—how could any being like a species that blocks its reproduction?

"Oh gods… what have we done?" Gellard whispered, dazed.

Negril continued shouting: "Listen, I've lived over ten thousand years. Of all the beings I knew in life, you're the only one still alive. Don't you dare die. Stay alive. We'll find a way to save you—just cooperate. We have the God of Cultivation, who specializes in reshaping nature."

Without waiting for the Tree of Life's slow reply, Negril turned to Ang: "What do we do? How do we save it?"

Ang pointed his hand: "Cut it down."

"What? Cut the vines? There are too many—can you even cut them all?" Negril asked.

"No. Cut the tree." Ang said.

Then Ang stepped down, leaving a footprint, and extended both hands toward the Tree of Life.

As the Instant Death Aura activated, a row of explosive fireballs surged forward, slamming into the Tree of Life.

The vines wrapped around the trunk took the first blow, exploding into splinters.

Gellard cried out in panic: "Lord Ang, no—"

Before she finished, the Tree of Life's voice echoed in her ear: "Listen to him…"

Gellard's breath caught in her chest, her face flushing crimson; she barely suppressed it.

Listen to Ang? Even if he was attacking the Tree of Life, she had to obey?

But this command came directly from the Tree of Life—if the Tree of Life was the elves' god, this was divine decree. Could she defy it?

Gellard was trapped in a paradox: the god commands you to obey by cutting it down—should you obey?

Thirteen secondary explosive fireballs per second slammed into the trunk like a chain of fire, slicing through vines in waves—faster than they could regrow.

After clearing the vines, the fireballs struck the Tree of Life's trunk directly, blasting off splinters of wood, soon carving a massive hole.

"You're serious? You really mean to cut down the Tree of Life!?" Negril blurted. It had assumed Ang was bluffing—but then it realized: Ang didn't have that kind of cunning. He truly meant to cut the tree.

The vines had fused with the Tree of Life. To destroy the vines, you had to cut down the tree. From another angle, Ang's approach was logical.

Now it was Ma Disi's turn to panic—he lashed vines toward Ang.

Ang's eyes flickered, locking onto the vines, preparing to adjust the explosive fireballs.

At that moment, a blade's light slashed through, shredding the thick vines—Gellard stood before Ang, teeth clenched: "Dragon Hunter Gellardia, I obey your command, Lord Ang."

In that paradox, Gellard chose to obey the divine decree.

Negril noticed her expression and asked: "Are you struggling?"

Gellard blushed: "I don't know why, but I suddenly feel hungry."

Negril glanced at the footprint on the ground—of course she was hungry. Within the aura's range, minutes equaled a full day.

Ang pulled out several pieces of candied beetroot and tossed them to Gellard. She devoured them in a few bites, then suddenly widened her eyes.

Every insect in the forest went mad—some gnawed at plants and trees, others at birds, beasts, insects, some slammed against the barrier, others devoured the corpses of their own kind.

But as an invisible wave passed, all insects instantly changed direction, surging frantically toward the Tree of Life.

They had devoured nearly everything within the barrier, their numbers now immense, surging like a tidal wave.

The white mist had quietly vanished; insects flowed unimpeded to the tree's base, pouring into the Instant Death Aura's range.

Mid-flight, insects dropped dead—whole swarms flew a short distance, then collapsed without warning.

"What's happening? My children—why are they suddenly dying?" Ma Disi cried in panic.

Yet a few newborn insects, whose lifespans barely stretched across the death aura, managed to reach Ang.

Ang didn't turn—he opened his mouth and released rhythmic soul shocks.

The Bone Priest had once used this tactic against Hemer's insects. Ang's soul was many times stronger—the soul shocks caused these tiny insects to explode en masse.

The swarming insects couldn't survive the Instant Death Aura or the soul shocks; the lashing vines couldn't pierce Gellard's sword; relentless explosive fireballs hammered the trunk. Now the question was: would Ang cut down the Tree of Life first—or exhaust his mana?

That question lasted until the Tree of Life ignited, becoming a colossal torch reaching heaven and earth.