Druid Fairy

Chapter 213 Offering
A deathly silence enveloped the entire forest that had been transformed from a military camp.

The 300,000-strong Great Qian Armored Army, a force that struck fear into the hearts of the Eastern Regions, was now nothing more than ants trapped in a green cage.

Swords and blades could not cut through the supple vines, and armor could not stop the all-pervasive roots.

The most terrifying thing is that feeling of powerlessness that comes from the depths of one's soul.

The battle-hardened marshal Yuchi Gong now wore a bitter expression on his face.

Looking at the figure atop the forest, he finally understood what Qian Tianjue meant by "Dao Fruit".

"Your Highness... what should we do?" a lieutenant asked in a trembling voice. His sword had already been knocked away by a newly grown tree branch, and his hand was bleeding profusely.

Qian Tianjue did not answer, but stared intently at Li Mengze, his face, aged by the loss of his lifespan, filled with a crazed grin.

"What do we do? Wait!" he roared. "All of you, stay put! He wants to trap us? Let him trap us! I want to see how long he can hold out this forest all by himself!"

Although he spoke toughly, he had already secretly taken out a crimson jade talisman engraved with intricate cloud patterns from his sleeve and forced his remaining essence into it without hesitation.

The jade talisman flashed, transforming into an invisible message that broke through the forest's barrier and shot towards the distant horizon.

This is his last trump card!

Standing atop the ancient tree of life, Li Mengze naturally sensed the fleeting fluctuation of spiritual energy, his gaze growing increasingly calm and profound.

He did not launch an attack immediately, but the forest he had transformed into began to "breathe".

First, fog rolled in.

A layer of emerald green mist, carrying the exotic fragrance of herbs and trees, rose from the forest and quickly enveloped the entire area.

This mist is non-toxic, but it has a peculiar hallucinogenic effect.

The soldiers felt the scenery before their eyes begin to distort, their comrades beside them turned into ferocious demons, and the ground beneath their feet transformed into a quicksand swamp.

Panic spread like a plague.

Immediately afterwards, colorful pollen began to float in the air.

These pollens are also non-toxic, but they can undermine a person's fighting spirit, causing an indescribable fatigue and drowsiness from the bottom of their heart.

Many soldiers didn't even have the strength to stand up, so they collapsed to the ground and fell into a deep sleep.

"Stay calm! Everyone stay calm! Form the 'Mysterious Armor Turtle Breath Formation' and collect your minds!"

Yuchi Gong's eyes were bloodshot as he roared desperately, trying to revive the army's morale. However, his voice was so insignificant in the vast forest.

As Qian Tianjue watched all this, his expression of madness intensified, showing no concern whatsoever for the lives of these soldiers!

At the moment when the oppressive atmosphere reached its peak, a dazzling purplish-red streak of light, like a meteor falling to earth, streaked across the sky, carrying a terrifying power capable of burning mountains and boiling seas, and sped toward the direction of Blackwater Pass!

Before the light even arrived, the intense and domineering spiritual energy had already raised the temperature of the entire forest by several degrees, causing countless leaves to turn yellow and curl.

"They're here!" Qian Tianjue's eyes blazed with wild joy.

Li Mengze slowly raised his head and looked at the streak of light.

In the blink of an eye, the light was right before their eyes.

It was a huge ship made entirely of "Fire Scale Wood," with raging purple flames burning on its hull and a ferocious fire dragon carved on its prow, exuding a chilling aura.

On the deck of the ship, a dozen figures stood proudly.

The leader was an old man dressed in a crimson Taoist robe, with his hair and beard standing on end and an arrogant expression.

His eyes seemed to hold flowing magma, and the aura emanating from his body clearly indicated that he was a Foundation Establishment stage expert!
"Tianxuan Sect, Elder Fire Dragon!" Qian Tianjue forced himself to bow to the ship from afar, his posture extremely respectful.

The Fire Dragon Elder didn't even glance at him, his gaze fixed on Li Mengze, or rather, on the "Dao Fruit" within Li Mengze's body that had already merged with his soul.

"Excellent! Such pure life essence!"

Elder Fire Dragon's eyes were filled with undisguised fervor. "Boy, you've given me a tremendous surprise! How could someone from such a remote place like you be worthy of possessing such a divine object?"

The dozen or so Tianxuan Sect disciples behind him all wore expressions of greed, as if they were looking at a rare treasure.

"Offer your Dao Fruit and your soul together, and become my disciple to guard my alchemy furnace. I can spare your life and take the Great Yu Dynasty as an outer vassal of my Heavenly Profound Sect. This is an immense fortune for you!" Elder Fire Dragon's voice was like a decree.

Li Mengze laughed in response to these remarks.

He calmly looked at Elder Fire Dragon, "If you leave now, I can pretend you were never here. But if you take another step forward, this forest will be your burial ground."

"Insanity!"

Elder Fire Dragon was furious. He had dominated the Eastern Region for hundreds of years, and had never been so disrespected by a mere brat.

"Since you refuse a polite toast only to drink a forfeit, then this old man will come and collect it himself!"

Without further ado, he opened his mouth and spat out a fist-sized ball of flame, which was a deep purple color. It grew rapidly in the wind and instantly transformed into a ferocious fire dragon a hundred feet long. With terrifying heat that could burn everything, it roared and charged towards Li Mengze!
"Purple flames blaze across the sky! This is the elder's natal fire!" a Tianxuan Sect disciple exclaimed in horror.

This fire can melt even refined iron in an instant, let alone flesh and blood or plants!

Faced with this devastating attack, Li Mengze simply raised his right hand.

"Aquatic".

He whispered two words.

In an instant, countless plants throughout the forest had drops of crystal-clear water seeping from their leaves.

Billions of water droplets gathered together, transforming into a waterspout that stretched from heaven to earth, carrying the nourishing energy of the source of life, and heading towards the purple fire dragon!
"Hey!"

Water and fire collided violently in mid-air!

The earth-shattering explosion that was expected did not occur. The domineering purple true fire, upon contact with the "living water" containing immense life force, seemed to have encountered its nemesis. The flames dimmed at a visible speed and were eventually extinguished by the water tornado, turning into steam that filled the sky!
"What?!" Elder Fire Dragon's expression changed drastically.

His life-force fire was so easily neutralized by the opponent?
"Form the 'Heavenly Fire Burning Heaven Formation'! Burn this demon forest to ashes for me!"

Elder Fire Dragon roared and gave the order. The dozen or so disciples behind him immediately obeyed, each taking out a flaming array flag, standing in the mysterious positions, their magic power connected, and a huge fire array instantly formed, covering the sky for a radius of ten miles.

Countless fireballs and rockets rained down from the sky, determined to ignite this green ocean completely.

Seeing this, Li Mengze simply shook his head, spread his arms, and a profound Daoist aura emanated from him.

"All trees pay homage."

The next moment, an unbelievable scene unfolded!

At this moment, all the tall trees in the forest bent down at the same time, their thick branches and lush leaves intertwining to form a huge, emerald green dome that covered the entire forest!
The fireballs and rockets that fell from the sky only caused ripples when they hit the dome made of life force, before being completely worn away by the inexhaustible power.

"What kind of sorcery is this?!" The disciples of Tianxuan Sect were dumbfounded.

"It's not sorcery, it's Taoist magic."

Li Mengze's voice seemed to echo from every corner of the forest, "Since you all like fire so much, then I'll give you a big gift in return."

"Withered".

He uttered a single word softly.

On the ship, Elder Fire Dragon's pupils suddenly contracted. He felt an irresistible aura of deathly stillness, which transcended the distance of space and instantly enveloped him!

His proud cultivation level and his abundant life essence began to dissipate at an incredible speed at this moment!
His once full head of red hair turned gray at a speed visible to the naked eye, wrinkles appeared on his skin, and his vigorous blood and energy declined by at least 30% in just a few breaths!
"No! My lifespan!" Elder Fire Dragon screamed in terror. He desperately channeled his magic power, trying to resist this strange force, but found it was all in vain.

This attack directly targets the very essence of life, ignoring any spiritual energy shield!

"Help me! Help me!" he screamed in terror at his disciples behind him.

However, those disciples were also in dire straits at that moment.

In the forest, countless vines, like giant pythons that had come to life, shot up from the ground and bound them and the ship tightly, making them unable to move.

"Honor".

Li Mengze uttered another word.

On the vines binding the disciples of the Tianxuan Sect, enchanting emerald green flowers bloomed.

The stamens of these flowers exude a powerful suction force, frantically devouring their magical power and vitality!

The life force that was absorbed flowed continuously into Li Mengze's body, instantly restoring him from the depletion caused by activating the Dao technique.

"Monster!" Elder Fire Dragon completely broke down. Feeling his life slipping away, he finally abandoned all dignity and begged for mercy in a hoarse voice: "Fellow Daoist, spare my life! I was blind to your greatness! Fellow Daoist, spare my life!"

Li Mengze ignored his pleas for mercy and simply looked at him calmly.

Only after Elder Huolong's lifespan was reduced by a full two hundred years, turning him into a withered old man on the verge of death, did Li Mengze slowly withdraw that "withered" death aura.

"Go back and tell your sect leader."

Li Mengze's voice was icy, echoing throughout the battlefield, "This Dao Fruit belongs to the Li family. This land is called Dayu. If you dare to step into this place again, next time, all of you will become nourishment for this forest."

As soon as he finished speaking, he had a thought, and the vines that were entwining the ship suddenly dispersed.

The disciples of Tianxuan Sect felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They dared not linger for even a moment. They boarded the ship, whose spiritual light had dimmed, and fled the place in a sorry state with the Fire Dragon Elder, who was barely breathing. They didn't even dare to leave behind a harsh word.

In the forest, only Qian Tianjue, his face ashen and utterly despairing, and the 300,000 bewildered Great Qian Armored Army remained.

Li Mengze's figure slowly floated down from the Tree of Life and came to Qian Tianjue's side.

"Now, let's talk about the border."

Qian Tianjue collapsed to the ground, all his pride, ambition, and schemes shattered after witnessing a powerful figure being toyed with like a plaything.

His lips trembled as he looked at the man in the blue robe before him, whose aura was still gentle yet terrifying, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence.

"What...what do you want?" After a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out these words through gritted teeth.

“I don’t want anything.” Li Mengze shook his head. “I gave you a chance before. Unfortunately, you didn’t cherish it.”

He surveyed the forest he had created with his own hands, and the 300,000-strong army within it, their expressions numb and utterly devoid of fighting spirit, and slowly said, "War only brings death and resentment."

His gaze returned to Qian Tianjue: "I want you, as the Crown Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty, to sign a 'peace treaty' with my Great Yu."

"An alliance?" Qian Tianjue was taken aback.

“Not bad.” Li Mengze nodded. “The alliance is very simple. First, within a hundred years, Daqian shall not wage war against Dayu for any reason. Second, the border between the two countries shall be open for trade, allowing for the exchange of goods. Third, and most importantly, Daqian shall provide Dayu with 100,000 seeds of various rare and precious medicinal herbs every year.”

Upon hearing this, not only Qian Tianjue, but also the Duke of Zhenguo and others who were observing the battlefield through secret methods on the distant pass and city wall were extremely surprised.

They didn't demand compensation or cede land; instead, they only wanted some insignificant seeds.

Only Li Mengze himself knew that for him, who had mastered the "Hundred Herbs Dojo," no amount of gold and silver treasures could compare to a rare plant seed.

Each seed represents a possibility, a training ground, and the potential to gain more strength and control over this world in the future.

"What if you don't agree?" Qian Tianjue asked subconsciously.

"You won't agree?" Li Mengze laughed. He stretched out his hand, and a tender green sprout broke through the soil in his palm, instantly growing into a small tree. Then it quickly withered and turned into ashes. Finally, in the ashes, a seed as black as ink and exuding an aura of death condensed.

“Then this ‘Seed of Withering and Flourishing’ will be planted in your soul.” Li Mengze’s voice was gentle, but it chilled Qian Tianjue to the bone. “Believe me, you don’t want to experience the feeling of being able to clearly feel your life slipping away every day, yet being unable to die.”

Qian Tianjue's body trembled violently; he had no doubt about the truthfulness of the other party's words.

Finally, he let out a long sigh and said dejectedly, "Even if I agree, my father might not."

"That's none of your concern," Li Mengze said calmly. With a thought, the vast forest rapidly "withered."

The towering trees turned into rotten wood, the tenacious vines into withered grass, and the entire forest transformed into the purest life energy, flowing back into the earth, leaving only the 300,000 disheartened Daqian army and the devastation on the ground.

(End of this chapter)