"Awooo!"
The Crimson Crown Wood Demon, having missed its attack, became enraged. The branches it used as hands swept towards Ming Tian, scattering many red leaves.
"Scorpion Claw Slash!!"
Ming Tian ducked to avoid the giant branch sweeping over his head. His hands transformed into scorpion claws, and two purple crescent blades slashed towards the Crimson Crown Wood Demon's main body.
"Ding!!"
Just as the Scorpion Claw Slash was about to hit the Crimson Crown Wood Demon, a red, round wooden shield quickly appeared, protecting the giant trunk of the Crimson Crown Wood Demon.
The Crimson Crown Wood Demon's innate soul skill, Demon Wood Shield!
"Shh shh!!"
Several branches emerged from the crown of the tree, intertwining and reaching towards Ming Tian, trying to bind him like thick ropes. Ming Tian's Scorpion Claw Slash struck out, but instead of severing the branches, it split them into a forked state. After being split, one branch became two, rapidly extending towards Ming Tian.
"Boom!!!"
Ming Tian quickly dodged to the side. Crown Leaf Flying Needles attacked the spot where Ming Tian was dodging. It seemed the Crimson Crown Wood Demon had anticipated Ming Tian's move, and the Crown Leaf Flying Needles were already prepared.
"As expected of a thousand-year soul beast, its strategy and intelligence are much stronger than some hundred-year soul beasts."
Ming Tian sighed. While the Crown Leaf Flying Needles were attacking, he switched to the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger Martial Soul and used the Evil God Bodyguard to block the thousand-year soul beast's skill.
"Wooo aaaa!"
The Crimson Crown Wood Demon was furious. It raised the tree roots that had been deep in the ground, walking towards Ming Tian. At the same time, countless branches extended into the ground. Ming Tian, who was trying to dodge, felt the ground beneath his feet loosen. Before he knew what was happening, countless wooden branches emerged from under his feet, intertwining to form a wooden prison!
The wooden prison was very large, cone-shaped with a pointed top and a round base.
"Hound Blade Hundred Claws!!"
Ming Tian released his third soul skill of the Crimson Hound, wanting to break the wooden prison. Countless red dog claw blades clawed at the wooden prison. He thought it would be easy to break through, but after the skill ended, Ming Tian looked at the intact wooden prison and gasped.
"Tsk...this defense...is too overpowered."
"Cluck!"
The Crimson Crown Wood Demon covered its mouth with a branch, laughing as if mocking Ming Tian's ignorance. With a thought, the soul skill, Crimson Wood Prison, that trapped Ming Tian, changed again. Thick branches wrapped around Ming Tian like water snakes, lifting him high.
A branch immediately pierced Ming Tian's shoulder, incredibly sharp. Ming Tian felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, followed by a strange sucking force that was consuming something from him, like life force!
The Crimson Crown Wood Demon's signature soul skill, Life Sucking!
Life Sucking, absorbing the prey's life force to nourish itself, growing Crown Blood Fruit. It was also the main soul skill of the Crimson Crown Wood Demon, used to improve its cultivation. Because of this soul skill, the Crimson Crown Wood Demon had grown to be what it was today.
The Crimson Crown Wood Demon laughed, already anticipating Ming Tian becoming withered and dry under its Life Sucking, becoming a lifeless corpse to serve as nourishment.
It felt the life force coming from the branches, believing that this little guy's life force should be quite good.
Strange, why hasn't any life force come yet? Has it already been absorbed?
The Crimson Crown Wood Demon looked at Ming Tian and saw that the little guy it had captured was actually smiling, as if something was particularly funny. Then, it saw Ming Tian's left arm flash, turning into countless dark blue Silver Grass. The Silver Grass intertwined and transformed into a dark blue short sword. With a slash, the short sword cut off the branch piercing Ming Tian's shoulder. Then, the short sword transformed, becoming a black-handled, blue-tipped spear. The spear instantly lengthened, directly stabbing towards it.
"Pfft!!!!"
The Crimson Crown Wood Demon didn't even have time to use its Demon Wood Shield, and was pierced through the main trunk by the black-handled, blue-tipped spear, directly贯穿 the entire Crimson Crown Wood Demon!
"Using a swallowing skill in front of Dark Blue Silver Grass is simply asking for death."
Ming Tian looked at the Crimson Crown Wood Demon pierced by his spear and laughed.
The branches binding Ming Tian were all eliminated. The Crimson Crown Wood Demon was beyond saving. The Blue Silver spear piercing its body differentiated into countless Dark Blue Silver Grass, devouring it. Its entire body was being broken down, and the Crown Blood Fruit on its crown scattered all over the ground.
A purple soul ring appeared, circling its giant trunk. At the same time, the complete soul phantom of the Crimson Crown Wood Demon appeared. A Dark Blue Silver Grass reached in, and the soul phantom and soul ring of the Crimson Crown Wood Demon crashed towards Ming Tian, instantly crashing into Ming Tian's body. Ming Tian only felt a red round ball gradually forming within his body, and another purple soul ring appeared on himself. The Crimson Crown Wood Demon's soul mark appeared on the ground, and the dead Crimson Crown Wood Demon re-emerged as Ming Tian's new Martial Soul.
"Another Martial Soul, and the new skill is Life Sucking? It's a bit redundant for me, who already has the ability to devour."
Ming Tian muttered to himself. He waved his hand, and the soul mark disappeared, and the Crimson Crown Wood Demon returned to his body.
He quickly picked up the Crown Blood Fruit on the ground. He couldn't let Yan Qingwan wait too long; she was probably starving.
Ming Tian ran to where the Crimson Crown Wood Demon had been and picked up the Crown Blood Fruit. There were more than ten in total, enough to eat for a while.
One Crown Blood Fruit was enough to fill him up.
"Chirp, chirp!"
The little squirrel that had brought Ming Tian here ran out of the bushes again; it hadn't left yet.
The little squirrel held a Crown Blood Fruit and looked at Ming Tian with a pleading expression.
"I know, I know, consider it your guide fee."
Ming Tian patted the little squirrel's head and gave it the remaining Crown Blood Fruit.
The little squirrel, holding the Crown Blood Fruit, ran into the forest.
Following the path he had taken, Ming Tian returned to where he had been before.
Seeing Yan Qingwan's anxious expression, he smiled and said:
"Sorry, I'm late."
"Ming Tian, are you okay? We heard the fighting earlier, and I was so scared. I wanted to find you, but Master told me not to worry..."
"Ah! What happened to your shoulder? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Yan Qingwan looked at Ming Tian's shoulder, concerned. She reached out and touched it, quickly tearing off a piece of cloth and bandaging Ming Tian's wound.
Ming Tian felt somewhat comforted. He looked at Meng Qianji, who shrugged and smiled at him.
"Xiao Wan, I'm fine. I ran into a Crimson Crown Wood Demon, and I've already taken care of it and devoured it as my Martial Soul. I picked some Crown Blood Fruit; this can fill you up and help with cultivation, here."
Ming Tian said, handing the Crown Blood Fruit to Yan Qingwan.
"Crimson Crown Wood Demon? Not bad. This kind of soul beast has extremely strong defense. It's good for you to train with it. Its soul skill, Crimson Wood Prison, is a good control skill. Did you inherit it?"
"No Master, my soul skill is Life Sucking."
"Life Sucking?!"
Meng Qianji exclaimed, then shook his head.
"What a pity, what a pity. Life Sucking can be called a god-level skill among plant-type soul beasts, but for you, with the domineering ability of Dark Blue Silver Grass to devour everything, a mere skill to devour life force is not enough."
"It doesn't matter, the devouring ability of Dark Blue Silver Grass shouldn't be revealed, and Life Sucking is still somewhat useful to me."
"Xiao Wan, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Ming Tian suddenly felt Yan Qingwan in his arms, crying, her hands grabbing his shoulders.
"Ming Tian, promise me you'll take me with you wherever you go from now on, okay? I'm scared."
"I'm afraid of losing you. I have nothing else, only you to rely on. If I lose even you, I'll be very sad."
"Mom was killed by Dad, Dad was killed by the Hall of Martial Souls, Brother doesn't believe me, and his life is uncertain. I have nowhere else to go. Please don't leave me..."
Yan Qingwan grabbed Ming Tian's collar, weeping miserably.
"It's okay, Xiao Wan, it's okay, I'm here. I'll always be here, I'll protect you."
It was at this moment that Ming Tian understood how important he was to her.
Yes, she was just a child, why should she have to endure these things, this tragic fate...
Could he already be someone else's reliance?
He had to become stronger.
Ming Tian patted Yan Qingwan's back, and two lines of tears also flowed from his eyes.