Chapter 675: Though the Tree King Is Dead, Its Might Remains
However, one still needed the life to take it out.
Therefore, for many, the current value of the Ten-Thousand-Year Tree Heart was not that great.
For Shen Mo, the direct use of this Ten-Thousand-Year Tree Heart was also not particularly important.
In terms of restraining baleful thunder beasts, the Nine Nether Ice Flame and Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Flame within him surpassed the Ten-Thousand-Year Tree Heart by hundreds or even thousands of times.
In terms of refining spirit tools, he already possessed several saint artifacts—why waste effort to refine a mere peak-grade Heaven-tier spirit tool?
But because Shen Mo had kept in mind all of Shi Tianhao's fortuitous encounters, he knew of another use for the Ten-Thousand-Year Tree Heart.
Within this Thousandfold Thunder Prison was a Baleful Thunder Vine Dragon that had cultivated into form on its own.
It greatly craved the Ten-Thousand-Year Tree Heart of the Thunderbone Tree King, but, unable to defeat the Tree King, it could only give up.
Frightened by the Thunderbone Tree King, the Baleful Thunder Vine Dragon had not come to the Thunderbone Forest in a long time, and did not know that the Tree King was already dead.
Shi Tianhao had, by sheer coincidence, stumbled into the lair of the Baleful Thunder Vine Dragon.
Because he carried the Ten-Thousand-Year Tree Heart, he had been able to threaten the dragon and strike a deal.
If Shen Mo brought this Ten-Thousand-Year Tree Heart before the Baleful Thunder Vine Dragon, he could likewise obtain the treasure Shi Tianhao would have received.
That was what he truly wanted.
Shen Mo stepped forward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
From the treetop of the dead Thunderbone Tree King, a surge of intense violet lightning erupted, striking fiercely toward Shen Mo.
Though the Tree King was dead, its might remained!
Its corpse could not be violated!
However, of all the lightning that fell upon him, at least thirty percent was neutralized by his lightning-warding robe.
Of the remaining seventy percent, sixty percent was absorbed by the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Flame.
Only a negligible ten percent actually harmed Shen Mo.
The injury was so minor that it would heal almost instantly.
Naturally, this could not hinder Shen Mo's advance.
"If you were still alive, with dense violet thunder raining down upon me, I truly would not be able to approach so easily."
"But now…"
Shen Mo smiled faintly and strode forward with long steps.
Moments later, he stood at the base of the Thunderbone Tree King.
Bathed entirely in violet-black lightning, he showed no fear.
With a wave of his hand, the Black Dragon Shears obediently fell into his palm.
Swish!
Two streaks of black light, one left and one right, slashed toward the Tree King's rock-hard trunk.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Countless wood chips flew in all directions.
Shen Mo had already anticipated the toughness of the Thunderbone Tree King and was prepared.
Even so, with the Black Dragon Shears—an incomparably fierce, razor-sharp mid-grade saint artifact—it still took two hundred breaths to cut through the trunk.
Boom!
The massive tree fell, smashing a huge crater into the ground.
In that instant, the violet lightning suddenly paused.
Standing atop the stump, Shen Mo easily dug out the Ten-Thousand-Year Tree Heart.
This piece of the Tree Heart resembled bone, both hard and light.
It pulsed with fine, threadlike currents of strange power.
It was similar to the baleful thunder force in the air of the Thousandfold Thunder Prison, yet superior to it.
With such strange power, even carrying the Ten-Thousand-Year Tree Heart could frighten off many weaker baleful thunder beasts.
Shen Mo, of course, had no need for that.
With a casual toss, he sent the Tree Heart into his storage ring and quickly departed.
As he left the Thunderbone Forest, not a single bolt of lightning struck him.
It was as though all the Thunderbone Trees had suddenly gone blind and deaf, aware of nothing.
Even their branches and leaves ceased to sway.
When the strong wind blew, they forcibly remained still.
They simply allowed Shen Mo to stride out of the Thunderbone Forest unhindered.
Some dim-witted black bone bats still tried to rush forward and cause him trouble.
They were immediately ensnared by the branches of the Thunderbone Trees.
No matter how angrily the bats screeched and squealed, the branches refused to let go.
Shen Mo found it amusing.
Who said plants had no intelligence?
These Thunderbone Trees were clearly very clever.
Knowing that even the violet thunder from the Tree King's remains could not harm him in the slightest, how would they dare to attack?
Letting him pass quietly was the wise choice.
Shen Mo was happy to oblige.
He soon left the Thunderbone Forest at a speed far greater than before.
Only when he was far away did the violet-black trees resume their rustling, as if conversing.
"That human… so terrifying…"
"Even the King's remains couldn't harm him… let's not court death…"
"Those little bats are so stupid… wanting to die… if you want to die, don't drag me with you…"
The Thunderbone Forest quickly regained its ferocious, menacing demeanor.
As though Shen Mo had never been there.
…
Half a month later.
Shen Mo stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
Tai Er worked hard to wield the Black Dragon Shears.
Two streaks of black light, one left and one right, sliced with cunning precision at the giant lion's belly and throat.
The lion was already covered in wounds and too slow to react.
It managed to avoid the strike to its belly, but failed to evade the one aimed at its throat.
With a wet tearing sound, blood spurted like a fountain.
Tai Er gave a sinister laugh and drove the Black Dragon Shears straight into the throat wound, twisting and tearing violently like a stirring rod.
Chunks of flesh spilled from the lion's throat.
The beast let out a few dying howls before its massive body collapsed heavily to the ground, dead on the spot.
A strange sphere, glowing with violet-black lightning, suddenly burst from the lion's body and bounced toward a nearby river.
At the same time, countless fish-type beast demons in the river began to leap wildly, as if welcoming the sphere.
Shen Mo let out a cold laugh.
With a flick of his hand, a pitch-black spear formed in his palm.
One moment it was just taking shape in his hand, and the next it pierced through the void, appearing directly before the strange sphere.
It was the Void Annihilation Saint Spear!
Puff!
The spear pierced through cleanly!
A harsh, grating scream rang out from within the strange sphere before it went limp.
Before Shen Mo could move, Tai Er had already brought the sphere to him.
He casually collected it and tossed it into a corner of his storage ring.
This strange sphere was a Baleful Thunder Demon Seed.
Over the past half month, Shen Mo had already destroyed twelve such seeds—nearly one a day.
At times, these Baleful Thunder Demon Seeds even tried to parasitize his body.
Against other Nirvana realm cultivators, such a tactic was nearly unstoppable.
But against Shen Mo…
It was like prying open a police car in front of a policeman—purely seeking death.
"The Baleful Thunder Vine Dragon should be just ahead."
Shen Mo gazed at the vast, lightning-wreathed valley in the distance and nodded slightly.
…
Meanwhile.
Over fifty cultivators were trapped within a forest of vines, unable to advance or retreat.
They were divided into three factions.
The first faction was led by Sikong Lie, the Holy Son of the Reincarnation Holy Land.
The second faction was led by Li Yin, the Twelfth Prince of the Eastern Li Empire.
The third faction was a mixed group, with members from the Creation Heaven Sect, the Thunder Prison Clan, and several itinerant cultivators.
Since there was no leader among those from the Creation Heaven Sect or the Thunder Prison Clan, the group had naturally come to follow the strongest among them—Hu Xinyue.
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