"Go!"
Huo Lian opened her mouth and blew gently. A ball of purple flame burst forth, twisting and surging like a wild beast, rushing toward Smith with sharp fangs and claws.
Members of the Burning Fire Clan all possessed powerful fire-related abilities. Whether they had other powers remained unknown, but their control over flame was undeniable.
Smith, however, was already familiar with their unique purple fire. It was stronger than ordinary flames—yet still slightly weaker than Amaterasu.
He had used Amaterasu before to overpower and consume Karu's purple fire, burning the man to ashes. But now, after learning more about the Fire Clan, Smith no longer needed to rely on Amaterasu.
"Wood Release: Tree Wall!"
Smith quickly formed a series of hand seals. In an instant, thick, interwoven trees burst from the ground, forming a dense wooden shield that rose in front of him, blocking the incoming flames.
"Ssszzzz..."
The shield hissed as the purple fire slammed into it, rapidly shrinking and charring its surface.
"You think a rotten wooden wall can stop my flames?" Huo Lian sneered in contempt, waving her jade-like hand.
"The wind is rising!"
A dark green gust of wind surged up from beneath her feet and merged with the purple flames. The fire took advantage of the wind and instantly expanded two- to three-fold, becoming a massive sea of flames that filled the sky.
Compared to this blazing inferno, Smith's wooden shield was no more than a paper barrier.
Seeing this, Smith didn't hold back any longer. He clasped his hands together and roared:
"Wood Release: Advent of the World of Trees!"
Boom!
The earth beneath their feet buckled, then exploded. Countless thick trees erupted from the ground, growing wildly and twisting together like dragons emerging from the deep.
They surged forward, tearing gaping holes through the roaring sea of fire.
The power of life radiating from the trees was like a vast tide, completely overwhelming the firestorm in both momentum and force.
Dozens of vines and branches reached toward Huo Lian, Dong Mie, and their allies.
"What overwhelming life energy!"
Faced with the torrent of growth, Huo Lian and the others' expressions changed drastically.
"Fire and wind!" she shouted, biting her tongue to draw blood. The blood mist ignited, summoning a deeper purple flame from her body. She combined it with her wind chakra, forming a massive tornado of fire and wind over twenty meters high.
With a loud boom, it crashed violently into the encroaching forest.
Dong Mie also sprang into action. He manipulated thirteen steel needles, turning them into razor-sharp blades that slashed wildly at the incoming trees.
The combined power of two fourth-tier psychics produced immediate results. Trees were shredded into sawdust, then incinerated mid-air by the scorching flames.
But this was only a temporary reprieve.
The true terror of Wood Release wasn't its explosive might—it was its relentless endurance.
Even though nearly half the forest had been destroyed, new trees sprouted almost instantly, continuing their assault with unyielding strength.
On the other side of the battlefield, other members of the Burning Fire Clan and the Night Demons were locked in battle against Wang Yan and his companions.
The wildly spreading trees separated the battlefield into chaotic zones.
The third-tier psychics didn't fare as well. Once ensnared by the vines, their spiritual energy was drained in an instant, leaving them weak and helpless.
"This is insane!"
Huo Lian and Dong Mie's expressions grew increasingly grim. They had underestimated Smith's power.
They had assumed his Wood Release was of the auxiliary type—useful for defense or support, but not direct combat. But this... this was an overwhelming force!
Even Huo Lian's purple fire couldn't burn down the relentless forest.
Now that Smith had trapped the two of them within the vines, he formed seals once again.
"Wood Release: Grafting Technique!"
Whoosh!
From the forest canopy, a rain of wooden thorns shot downward like countless falling spears.
"Watch out!" Dong Mie shouted.
The two were already overwhelmed dealing with the vines on the ground, and now had to face this new aerial threat.
If a single thorn struck true, it could be fatal.
Dong Mie moved quickly, his thirteen steel needles forming a defensive web in front of him. He managed to block most of the falling spikes with flawless precision.
But not every attack could be parried.
Occasionally, a thorn slipped past the steel needle defenses—and Dong Mie had to rely on sheer reflexes to dodge.
Whoosh!
Another spike broke through, faster and more silent than the rest. Dong Mie instinctively evaded it, only to realize—too late—that this wasn't a wooden thorn.
It was a Flying Thunder God Kunai, engraved with a unique spatial marker.
Flash!
In the blink of an eye, Smith appeared behind Dong Mie. A dagger gleamed in his hand, freshly smeared with blood.
"Cough!"
Dong Mie's eyes widened. He clutched at the wound on his neck, choking on his own blood. He tried to speak, but only a gurgle came out.
He collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Huo Lian turned, horror flooding her expression. She prepared to unleash a torrent of fire to force Smith back.
But just as she opened her mouth—
She saw it.
The Mangekyō Sharingan.
Scarlet, spinning, and impossibly deep, the eyes locked onto hers.
"No!"
The Burning Fire Clan had long been aware of Smith's unique Spirit Eye system. The Sharingan was known to possess both black flame and illusion abilities.
The clan's intelligence noted that his illusions often required direct eye contact.
Huo Lian had memorized this detail. But in her panic, she had made the fatal mistake of looking into those cursed eyes.
She squeezed her eyes shut in an instant, trying to shield herself from the Genjutsu.
But it was already too late—and closing her eyes only made things worse.
With her defenses down, Smith simply gave up on casting the illusion.
Instead, he stepped forward and seized her by the throat.
His fingers tightened around her slender neck. Behind her, vines coiled tightly around her body, locking her in place.
She felt her spiritual energy being drained away at an alarming rate.
Within seconds, eighty to ninety percent of her power had vanished.
Her limbs grew weak. Her struggles ceased.
"You've lost," Smith said coldly.
He let go.
She slumped forward, unable to move, completely wrapped in the living wood.
The vines twisted around her body in suggestive patterns, accentuating her curves. With her impressive figure, Huo Lian was undeniably attractive.
Under different circumstances, Smith might have taken a moment to appreciate her beauty. But now?
He felt nothing.
"Now tell me everything you know," he said firmly. "Otherwise, I can't guarantee your survival."
Huo Lian smiled weakly, her lips stained with blood.
"Do you remember the Purple Scorpion I once told you about?" she asked suddenly, seemingly off-topic.
"In the Burning Fire Clan, when a mission fails... death is the only outcome. Whether I tell you or not, I die."
She gave a broken laugh.
"So why should I tell you anything?"
Smith's gaze narrowed. "Even if you don't say it, I have my ways. Don't test me."
He raised his hand to activate a Genjutsu and force the truth from her lips..
But at that very moment—
Whoosh!
Purple flames erupted from Huo Lian's body.
She had chosen spontaneous combustion!
"You'll never know the secrets of the Burning Fire Clan! Hahaha!"
Her maniacal laughter echoed through the clearing as her body was engulfed in the flames. In seconds, she had turned to ash, scattered on the wind...