Chapter 181 - 166 Invitation

"Tree Demon Spirit?" murmured Lin Fang, as he picked up the Little Monster effortlessly, barely noticing its tiny arms and legs struggling.

After scrutinizing it closely, he finally said, "So, this is a Tree Demon Spirit!"

He had heard of such a mythical race; legend had it that Tree Demon Spirits were the favored children of nature, born without parents, and came into being through the essence of Heaven and Earth.

They weren’t powerful in mana, but they were favored by nature, so the places where they dwelled often thrived with life.

If anyone harmed them, they would incur the wrath of Heaven and Earth, leading to incessant bad luck and occasional strikes of lightning. For this reason, this frail race still lived on this land with resilience.

"Put me down, you jerk!" the Tree Demon Spirit shouted angrily, wriggling incessantly between Lin Fang’s fingers.

Seeing his annoyed expression, Lin Fang chuckled and released his grip. The little fellow quickly flew up into the air and glared at Lin Fang furiously.

When it saw Lin Fang’s indifferent face, a tiny Wooden Bow suddenly appeared in the Tree Demon Spirit’s hand, wrapped in lush green vines.

"Humph, detestable fellow, take this arrow." As soon as the words were spoken, a Wooden Arrow appeared on the small bow, its light flashing briefly.

With a whoosh, the Wooden Arrow sliced through the sky and shot straight toward Lin Fang, but Lin Fang just smiled slightly. The Wooden Bow was indeed mystical, and the fired arrow seemed to be surrounded by a mysterious force which, if it struck in this city, would leave a mark.

Although Lin Fang did not know the purpose of this mark, he had no intention of letting such an unknown mark take hold on his body.

Mana surged within him, and with a light flick in the air, a faint flame appeared on the arrow, reducing it to ashes in the blink of an eye.

But the instant the flame appeared, the Tree Demon Spirit flying in the air showed a look of profound fear.

In this flame, it sensed an aura of destruction, not just any flame, but one that seemed to consume all things in the world.

For nature, fire symbolized destruction; countless forests had been devoured by fearsome flames, making fire the natural enemy of Tree Demon Spirits.

The flame Lin Fang wielded was the notorious Samadhi True Fire from the Three Realms, an unrivaled inferno, the very epitome of fire. Thus even a mere spark was enough to terrify the Tree Demon Spirit.

"You bad person!"

Under everyone’s gaze, the Tree Demon Spirit began to wail loudly, with its cries immediately drawing the attention of onlookers.

When they saw the wailing Tree Demon Spirit, they showed a schadenfreude expression. That Tree Demon Spirit was the treasure of the city, and anyone who bullied it would undoubtedly be hated by the Great Chun King and eventually expelled from the city.

However, contrary to their expectations of expulsion, an elderly monster slowly emerged from the crowd.

This figure was hunched, his face covered in wrinkles, a white beard hanging down to his chest, and in his hand, he held a Wooden Staff that sprouted tender green shoots.

"Esteemed guest, please do not frighten this little fellow. He may be mischievous, but he’s not bad by nature," the elder said hastily.

Lin Fang nodded with a smile. He was just giving this little brat a small lesson and hadn’t actually intended to hurt him.

Little did he know, it seemed he may have accidentally scared the little guy.

The Tree Demon Spirit saw the arriving elder and immediately hid behind him, crying and pointing at Lin Fang, saying, "Tree elder, it’s this guy who bullied me."

Her words were brimming with endless grievance, as if she had indeed been harshly bullied by Lin Fang. However, her small hand covering her eyes was slightly open, wanting to catch a glimpse of Lin Fang being dealt with.

To her surprise, the elder spoke softly, "You little troublemaker, among all the Tree Demon Spirits, you’re the most restless. Now you realize there are always greater powers out there, don’t you?"

Feeling extremely wronged, the Tree Demon Spirit took a few steps back and pouted, but said nothing further.

"Esteemed Fellow Taoist, the Great Chun King invites you to be a guest. I wonder if you would be interested," the elder said gently, extending the invitation to Lin Fang.

Lin Fang smiled and nodded. He too was curious about this being who could protect a faction of the Demon Clan in Luzhou in the North.

Thus, under the elder’s guidance, Lin Fang slowly made his way towards the city.

Along the way, the people all stared at Lin Fang and the elder with a peculiar gaze. It had been many years since anyone had been received by the Great Chun King, and they wondered what abilities this handsome man possessed to gain the Great Chun King’s favor.

After all, he was a true relic of the past. It was said that he had lived since the very beginning of Heaven and Earth, had witnessed the passage of time, and had even survived through the once chaotic ages, standing firm to this day.

Such experiences were the stuff of legends. Even now, with the Heavenly Court’s authority over the Three Realms, the land protected by the Great Chun King remained a haven for the Demon Clan, with Heavenly Court’s Naval Forces deliberately avoiding it during their purges.

Throughout the long years, as a witness to the rise and fall of countless heroes, being favored by him signified an unlimited future.

Thus, in addition to being curious about Lin Fang, the people couldn’t hide their envy.

"Who exactly is this, commanding such prestige that even the Great Chun King would extend him an invitation?" someone asked softly, speculating about Lin Fang’s identity.

"Don’t recognize him, he looks quite unfamiliar, and it’s not clear what race he might belong to."

"I think I recognize him!" a monster suddenly exclaimed, drawing everyone’s attention.

The monster felt a bit frightened by all the stares and quickly said, "Actually, I’m not very sure, it’s just that not long ago, a wanted poster came from Xiniu Continent, and the person drawn on it looked a lot like him."

"Xiniu Continent, that’s Buddhist Sect’s territory. What did he do to be hunted by them?"

"It seems he clashed with a Buddha from the Western Heaven and managed to escape unscathed," the monster said weakly, not quite believing the information deep down.

"How is that possible? The Buddhas of the Buddhist Sect are prominent figures in the Three Realms, to escape from them... that requires immense strength."

Yet, with Lin Fang receiving an invitation from the Great Chun King upon entering the city, this news didn’t seem entirely false. The crowd buzzed with discussion.

Meanwhile, Lin Fang turned a deaf ear to these rumors. The elder beside him, however, said with a smile, "I had not thought that Fellow Taoist had experienced such a glorious past."

Lin Fang simply waved his hand and replied, "It was merely a stroke of luck to escape with my life, nothing to be proud of."

"You’re being modest, Fellow Taoist. Even escaping with one’s life is an extremely difficult feat," said the elder with a smile.