Chapter 383: War Ancient Tree

Five-ring Starfall Technique!

This spell can be called the Druid's specialty; from one-ring to six-ring it is the Starfall Technique, and when raised to seven rings it advances to the wide-area "Stellar Fall", combining energy damage with physical impact.

The Minotaur's casting speed exceeded Lei En's expectations.

He could, while executing a mass root entanglement, instantly trigger the five-ring Starfall Technique.

That means Hei Jiao has at least reached Mid-stage legendary!

After two consecutive spells, Hei Jiao's mana fluctuations showed no sign of pausing; instead they surged, and he was about to unleash a third spell.

Lei En reacted in an instant, his Soul Force surged, activating the enchantment on his staff.

Stasis Field!

An invisible field instantly spread outward, centered on Lei En, enveloping everything within dozens of meters. The power of the six-ring Arcane manifested at once; within the field, space seemed frozen, even time slowed, dazzling starlight fell inch by inch, and the surging energy inside the light columns could be seen.

Except for Lei En, everyone else was bound, unable to move, and could not complete their casting.

The Minotaur Hei Jiao's eyes flashed with astonishment.

Lei En did not attack him immediately; instead he leapt from the phantom warhorse tangled in vines, reached out to grab Ai Mi Li Si standing nearby, his wind‑and‑thunder wings vibrating behind him, carrying her away from the Starfall attack and creating distance from Hei Jiao.

He landed on a soft patch of grass and said quickly, "Defeat him first, then sound the horn."

Having her sound the Dragon Summon was to test whether Hei Jiao was a dragon; the Minotaur's reaction confirmed it beyond doubt. Blowing the horn would inevitably alert nearby mercenaries and adventurers, and according to the Dragon God's decree, Jia La De Luo Si and Xin Da La could not take part in the battle.

Ai Mi Li Si, still within the field and unable to react, conveyed her understanding through a flicker in her eyes.

Lei En released her and sensed the Minotaur's breath rising.

In just one or two more breaths, he would break free of the Stasis Field's bind.

"What high spell resistance!"

Lei En muttered, noting that the dragons Jia La De Luo Si and Xin Da La, still trapped in the field like insects in amber, had spell resistance far inferior to Hei Jiao's.

Obviously, Hei Jiao is at least an adult dragon, thus already Mid-stage legendary.

Seeing the opponent about to break free, Lei En waved his staff without hesitation, casting an Exile Spell; mysterious rune light fell, forming a cage that trapped the Minotaur inside.

The four-ring Exile Spell has almost no effect on a Mid-stage legendary dragon.

Lei En did not expect it to work.

He only needed the Exile Spell to interrupt Hei Jiao's resistance to the Stasis Field, buying a few seconds.

After launching the Exile Spell, Lei En flashed to Hei Jiao's side, smiled at the Minotaur within the exile space, gripped his Thunder Hammer, its head crackling with electric light, ready to charge a strike.

A hint of panic finally appeared in the Minotaur's eyes.

"Roar!"

A deep roar, the Minotaur's size swelled wildly, its massive form almost instantly forced the exile space to rupture, blocking Lei En's view.

He could only see its leg-like walls, like two thick tree trunks standing before him.

Looking up, a towering tree was entwined with vines and roots; its branches formed two arms reaching the ground, the emerald canopy became hair and beard, and midway up the trunk a twisted face of gnarls and branches revealed a weathered yet fierce aura, the vast natural power invigorating the surrounding marsh.

War Ancient Tree!

In that instant, Lei En doubted whether he had made a mistake.

The War Ancient Tree is a symbiotic species of the Wood Elf race; only the most devout legendary Druids can command such a potent natural form, so how could a dragon achieve it?

Could the opponent truly be a Minotaur Druid, unrelated to the dragon?

This humanoid colossal tree stood over fifteen meters tall, comparable to a Titan Giant; as soon as it appeared, it lifted its right foot and slammed down forcefully.

Its massive footplate fell like a wall crashing down.

Boom!

The ground shuddered violently, a shockwave rippled outward like lightning, instantly toppling Ai Mi Li Si, Jia La De Luo Si and Xin Da La to the ground; the four phantom warhorses Ai Mi Li Si had summoned shattered and vanished, and the Stasis Field collapsed.

A deep pit was gouged beneath the War Ancient Tree's foot.

But Lei En's figure was absent from the pit.

The War Ancient Tree hesitated briefly, noticing Lei En had already flashed behind it; it suddenly turned, a lightning‑glowing war hammer swung forward, striking the twisted face on its trunk.

Boom—...

Lightning struck the War Ancient Tree's bark, scorching a charred patch; the hammer's massive force pushed it back several steps, leaving a series of deep footprints. As it retreated, its branch‑arms rose, the marsh trees trembling as if alive, and thick wooden spears as big as arms shot outward.

These seemingly rough wooden spears were incredibly hard, each several meters long, their sharp tips laced with jet‑black poison, firing at Lei En from all directions without leaving a blind spot.

Simultaneously, a mass of roots surged beneath Lei En's feet, coiling around his legs like frenzied vipers.

Huff!

The Thunder Hammer was pulled back into his hand by the electric suction ring; Lei En exerted a slight effort to break free of the roots, a portal opened before him, and he calmly stepped through, evading all the wooden spears.

The other side of the portal was atop the War Ancient Tree.

Lei En launched a Lightning Claw, gripping the War Ancient Tree's canopy, pulling himself toward it, then plummeting down with both hands raised, hammering down heavily; the massive power coursed through his body, unleashing an unreserved Level Four Destruction Critical.

The War Ancient Tree felt no effect from the Lightning Claw's paralysis.

He showed no intention to retreat; after transforming into the ancient tree, his massive, hard body granted him up to Level Eight strength and innate seven-ring "Tree Skin Technique", with defense and spell resistance astonishingly high, even confident enough to confront the so‑called Land‑War King, the Bimon Beast, head‑on.

If Lei En tried to duel at range with spells, he would still have some reservations, but in close combat the War Ancient Tree never fears anyone!

The War Ancient Tree looked upward, raising its right arm toward Lei En.

Vines intertwined, coiling around the trunk that would take two or three adults to encircle, twisted into a rope‑like mass; the terrifying arm stretched nearly fifteen meters, its fist at the end as massive as a carriage compartment.

The punch simultaneously triggered the War Ancient Tree's Level Five "Heavy Strike".

A large and a small opponent, their sizes differing by dozens of times, collided head‑on; what seemed like an egg striking a stone turned out to be the opposite.

Bang!

Splintered wood flew everywhere as the War Ancient Tree's massive fist shattered like rotten wood; a terrifying force traveled along the arm, each segment of the thick branch exploding, the airborne debris consumed by lightning and turned to ash.

In a single glance, the War Ancient Tree's right arm vanished.

It let out a mournful, painful howl.

A twisted face on the tree trunk showed an incredulous expression and shouted, "How could this be…?"

Lei En, after landing a hit, was blasted dozens of meters by the recoil, hovering in mid‑air, and raised his hand to unleash a four‑ringed rainbow‑light beam. The massive beam struck the tree trunk; although it did not fully pierce the seven‑ring Tree‑Skin Technique shield, it left a half‑meter‑deep hole.

The War Ancient Tree winced again, stubbornly casting spells despite the damage.

A distant call echoed outward.

Suddenly, a group of unfamiliar yet formidable presences emerged from the surrounding marsh; the forest, grassland, and water surface roiled, revealing massive triangular heads, each dragging a long, scale‑covered body at least twenty meters long.

Lei En felt a slight chill in his heart.

They were all Blackwater Forest Boas; each was equivalent to a high‑grade monster, and in the marsh they were more terrifying than the ferocious giant bears or wolf packs typically summoned by druids.

The Blackwater Forest Boas surrounded them from all directions, their thick serpentine bodies stirring up muddy waves as they lunged at Ai Mili Si, Jia La De Luo Si, and Xin Da La.

They were stunned dizzy by a trampling strike from the War Ancient Tree; just as they recovered, they were encircled by the Blackwater Forest Boas.

Each had to face four or five giant boas, and they were momentarily flustered.

Lei En glanced quickly and saw that the Blackwater Forest Boas were not lethal to Ai Mili Si and the others; their only effect was to hold them back.

"He wants to run!"

Lei En immediately sensed Hei Jiao's intention.

He turned into lightning, charging at the War Ancient Tree that now had only one arm, and within a few breaths his right arm had already regrown a small segment.

Electric Flash Teleport was just past its midpoint when the massive silhouette of the War Ancient Tree suddenly vanished.

Lei En descended, astonished as he scanned the huge footprints on the ground; such a massive ancient tree had slipped away right beneath his eyes.

Ai Mili Si and the others were slaying the Blackwater Forest Boas, each soul flying over and converting into electric charge.

Lei En poured all the electric charge into the "Strength" Element, thinking, "He didn't go far; he must still be nearby, just hidden."

Soul Eye, combined with Truth Willpower, swiftly scanned the surroundings, discerning all things.

Suddenly, a worm came into view.

It was only a finger's length, its fragile body half‑buried in a mud pit left by the War Ancient Tree, motionless as if already crushed dead.

Yet Soul Eye saw that the worm was not only alive, but its soul was immensely powerful, though a hazy veil prevented it from being seen through.

It was a druid in shapeshift, feigning death.

"What a brilliant transformation technique!"

Lei En sighed in awe; anyone without Soul Eye, even with a detection technique, would find it hard to spot an inconspicuous half‑dead worm.

He pretended to feel nothing, walked past the worm, and suddenly swung a hammer down.

Before the war hammer could strike, the worm swelled, instantly turning into a mountain‑sized giant bear that slammed into Lei En right before his eyes.

The ferociously savage giant bear made a barbaric charge—not toward Lei En but in a panicked retreat, and midway it suddenly transformed into a Wind Roc.

Its speed was incomprehensibly fast; it flew into the sky and vanished in a blink of an eye within the mist.

Third Watch today!

(End of Chapter)