In the Soluble Cave.

The aftermath of the Lank Chessboard's self-destruction had not yet dissipated, and the entire cavern was still racked with rampant shockwaves surging back and forth, mixed with thunderous echoes that caused everyone's eardrums to ache and heads to throb.

After a long while, the terrifying aftermath gradually subsided.

The Undying Tree's hanging branches were now motionless, not a trace of life emanating from it, seemingly heavily damaged and having perished along with the Lank Chessboard.

Nearby, the many Tree-man Puppets that were too close and got caught in the blast were also shattered by the terrifying force, some injured, some dead, with corpses strewn all about in a moment of devastation.

Such a ghastly scene left the many cultivators in astonishment, and for a while, no one dared to approach and investigate.

Yuan Ming, however, did not let slip this prime opportunity. He sent Hua Zhi rushing over to swiftly collect the dead bodies of the Tree Puppets from the ground, pulling them into the Shura Blood Devouring Map, even acquiring seven or eight Nascent Soul level puppets.

He then transferred these bodies into the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space where the Black Tree immediately extended its roots into their bodies, frantically absorbing the remaining Undying Tree Power.

The crowd that had fled far earlier were now poking their heads out one by one, looking towards the Undead Demon Tree.

Seeing the hellish sight here, everyone's expressions were filled with lingering fear.

Even the Green-clothed man and Jin Chao, Level 5 Demon Beasts like them, were startled by the Lank Chessboard's act of self-destruction, escaping in a panic and looking somewhat disheveled.

"This is too reckless!" Jin Chao couldn't help but sigh.

"We also owe it to that Artifact Spirit's fearlessness. Otherwise, we would have had no chance to turn the tables! Unfortunately, the Lank Chessboard is now lost to the world," the Green-clothed man sighed and a look of regret appeared on his face.

He too had been very interested in the magical abilities displayed by the Lank Chessboard.

Old Man Hei Zhu, Shi Yanshi, and others did not share the Green-clothed man's sentimentality, their faces beamed with ecstasy.

They had almost despaired, but the valiant Lank Chessboard took the Undead Tree Demon down with it.

At that moment, Luo Qi, from within the crowd, turned his wrist, and with a flash in his palm, the Daluo Chessboard — forged in imitation of the Lank Chessboard — flew out of his hand, spinning endlessly.

To the surprise of everyone present, black and white lights shone on the Daluo Chessboard, and the silhouettes of the Black and White Artifact Spirits took shape.

"The Artifact Spirit actually survived?" In an instant, the same question climbed into everyone's minds.

"It seems that the Black and White Artifact Spirits have been plotting for a long time, preparing to self-destruct to deal with the Undead Tree Demon, thus enabling the creation of the Daluo Chessboard on the outside," Yuan Ming mused inside the Stealing Heaven Tripod, admiring the Black and White Artifact Spirits' machinations.

"Do not let your guard down. The Undead Demon Tree has only been severely injured by me and has not truly fallen. Take advantage of its weakness now, continue your attacks, and do not give it a chance to recover," the Black and White Artifact Spirits said urgently as soon as they took form.

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked; even Yuan Ming was taken aback.

They had all probed the Undead Demon Tree and found no signs of life, assuming it to be dead, but how could they not believe the words of the Black and White Artifact Spirits?

Immediately revitalized, the crowd launched their most powerful attacks without holding back, all striking towards the Undead Demon Tree.

The once silent Hou Yi's Sun Shooting Bow now glowed brightly once more, and three Divine Arrows, slightly smaller than before, emerged on the bowstring, poised to launch, heading straight for the Undead Demon Tree.

A "whoosh" of a Wind-breaking sound!

Three streaks of light shot out, each hitting the top, middle, and bottom of the Undead Demon Tree, penetrating its core.

"Boom, boom, boom"

Three earth-shattering blasts rang out, the gloomy depths of the underground cave momentarily eclipsed by dazzling Golden Light, blinding nearly everyone's sight temporarily.

Then, the explosive gale, with its immense force, spread out in all directions, stirring up the scattered corpses and loose stones everywhere, throwing the entire cave into chaos.

People quickly put up their Magic Treasures for defense, while Jin Chao, bathed in the Power of the Sun, widened his eyes to look toward the blast.

He saw the body of the Undead Demon Tree being torn into four pieces in the fierce explosion, scattering apart.

Inside the Stealing Heaven Tripod, Yuan Ming activated his Divine Sense to carefully probe the interior of the Undead Tree Demon, quickly making a discovery.

The aura of the Undead Tree Demon had already dissipated completely, its remaining Divine Soul Power also rapidly crumbling, while the actions of the Tree-man Puppets in the cave slowed down, falling one by one.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief; having sustained consecutive fatal injuries, even the Undying Tree with its astonishing Life Force would find it difficult to survive.

Yuan Ming collected his thoughts and continued to have Hua Zhi transport the Tree-man Puppets; he focused on controlling the Black Undying Tree, drawing upon the Primordial Qi of these puppets, and the immense tree grew even taller once more.

A rich Life Force emanated from around Yuan Ming, surging intensely.

His Ju Mang Spirit Technique progressed further, finally reaching the Fourth Realm and beginning to break through.

Yuan Ming was overjoyed and fully activated the Ju Mang Spirit Technique.

His connection to the Black Undying Tree grew even stronger, his Mana and the vigorous Life Force of the Undying Tree completely merged as one, indistinguishable from each other.

Ju Mang Spirit Technique Fourth Realm, breakthrough success!

In the instant that the Ju Mang Spirit Technique broke through to the fourth level, a violent fluctuation suddenly erupted from the black Undying Tree. In the span of a single breath, it drained all the Primordial Qi from the Tree Puppets in the space.

At the same time, a spiritual energy vortex suddenly emerged within the trunk of the black Undying Tree, beginning to incessantly absorb nature's spiritual energy and converging toward it.

The majestic Life Force on the Undying Tree also converged towards it, and even Yuan Ming's own Blood Qi was drawn in by the vortex, continuously gathering toward it.

Yuan Ming was initially startled but soon turned from shock to joy and couldn't help laughing out loud.

After absorbing these three types of power, the spiritual vortex gradually shifted from intangible to tangible, and a Undying Tree Heart condensed out of it, a speed far beyond Yuan Ming's expectations.

"Quick, while you can, split a portion of your Divine Soul and merge it with the Tree Heart. In doing so, you can completely control the Undead Demon Tree," Xi Ying, who had been silent up until now, suddenly opened her eyes and urgently reminded him.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming's gaze shifted, as Xi Ying had not mentioned this before.

However, out of trust for Xi Ying, he immediately activated the Soul Splitting and Soul Merging Technique.

Yuan Ming's Divine Soul had grown increasingly powerful, with the aid of Desire Power supplementing it, and his understanding and utilization of the Soul Splitting and Soul Merging Technique had become more refined, shortening the time required to execute the technique.

In just a few breaths, a soul splitting separated from his Divine Soul, was drawn out by Yuan Ming from the Sea of Consciousness and flew towards the Undying Tree Heart, vanishing into it.

The instant the soul splitting entered the Tree Heart, Yuan Ming's split soul immediately felt as if it had entered another Sea of Consciousness, which was vastly different from his own.

This Sea of Consciousness was quite vast yet cold and deathly still, like a barren wilderness that had not been cultivated.

As his split soul entered, the uncultivated wilderness seemed to receive a gentle spring rain. Wisps of Soul Power began to converge, like nourishing moisture silently invigorating life, and gradually life began to burgeon.

Yuan Ming swiftly controlled the split soul to fuse with the Undying Tree Heart, and the black Undying Tree grew rapidly.

It was like a ravenous beast, greedily absorbing the spiritual energy within the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space. Its body began to ripple with demonic power fluctuations, emitting a pure demon energy, full of vibrant life.

Perhaps since the split soul residing within the Undying Tree Heart was his, this Undying Tree's demonic power was somewhat different from the Undying Tree Demons in the Soluble Cave, less wild and more spirited.

Upon sensing it, Yuan Ming quickly realized that the strength of the Undying Tree's demon energy had reached the Third Level Realm.

With the transformation of the Undying Tree into a Tree Demon, Yuan Ming immediately controlled it with a thought, trying to direct its actions.

But since the soul splitting had just merged and was in the form of a Tree Demon, Yuan Ming was initially unskilled, still subconsciously trying to control it as though it were human.

At the thought of stretching an arm, the vines and branches on the Undying Tree began to move, but the movements were so extensive that many branches collided and entwined, causing numerous knots to form.

And when Yuan Ming wanted to move the legs, the roots buried underground trembled and soon pulled out of the soil, supporting the massive body as it began to shift bit by bit.

However, before it had moved a zhang, the roots beneath became tangled, nearly tripping him over.

Although Yuan Ming was greatly pleased in his heart, he immediately suppressed the feeling.

He quickly retracted his Divine Sense and stopped controlling the tree's movement. Instead, he carefully sensed every inch, every millimeter of the Undying Tree body, attempting to disperse his Divine Thought and explore every part of this body.

This feeling was very special, like piecing together a shattered porcelain vase through continuous exploration, only by passing Divine Thought through each part could he clearly and completely perceive this body.

Fortunately, the fusion of the split soul and the Tree Heart made this process incredibly smooth. In just a short while, Yuan Ming had completely grasped every vine and root of this body.

When he once again controlled this body to move, the action had become extremely smooth, without the earlier issues of entangled vines or tripping roots.

Yuan Ming continued to test other capabilities of the Undying Tree, especially the roots.

The roots of the Tree Demon were exceptionally sturdy and had a terrifying absorbing effect. Although his own tree was still young, its essence was not much different, so it should not be significantly lacking.

Feeling the Undying Tree roots, his face soon showed a smile.

After becoming a Tree Demon, the power of the black Undying Tree's roots to devour had significantly improved. Although it could not dispose of a Nascent Soul Being in just a few breaths like the Undying Tree Demon in the Soluble Cave, dealing with Core Formation Stage cultivators was not difficult.

However, the root system of his own Undying Tree was not as resilient, which was a significant difference from the roots of the Tree Demon in the Soluble Cave.

"It seems that the Tree Demon must have used a special method to strengthen its roots," Yuan Ming thought to himself.

He shook his head, controlling a black root to extend towards the front, trying to see its limit of extension.

However, the root extended only about ten zhang before it stopped growing further.

"Only a mere ten zhang..." Yuan Ming sighed, feeling somewhat disappointed.

But at the same time, he felt something strange. Although the root had stopped growing, he still had the illusion of a limb extending.

"Could this sensation be a phantom limb?" Yuan Ming couldn't help frowning as he spoke.

Was it a phantom limb sensation because the fusion with the Undying Tree Heart had just been completed?

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