Lu Mingfei, become the King of Elden!

Chapter 118 The Incarnation of the Golden Tree
Lu Mingfei dodged the thrusting swords and spears, brandishing his greatsword and, amidst a shrill whistling sound, ruthlessly beheaded the half-human, half-plant soldier with flower buds on his back. He then turned and delivered a side kick, knocking another guard who had somehow approached to the ground, before finishing him off with a fatal blow.

"Let's talk."

He continued fighting while complaining:

"There are way too many little golden tree guards here. You kill one, and another one keeps popping up, hiding in some crevices in the rocks."

Lu Mingfei was certainly not talking to himself. Not far from him, Natsuki Subaru was slaughtering the plant people with his ferocious hunting god greatsword.

Compared to Lu Mingfei, his fighting style was simple and brutal. He wielded the spiral greatsword like a hammer, and the black flames were terrifying. Ordinary monsters would scream and die as soon as they touched it.

His dead fish eyes glanced sideways at Lu Mingfei, and he muttered:
"Do you want to hear what you're saying? There aren't many guards around the Little Golden Tree, are they supposed to be in Stonewell City?"
"Stop talking nonsense, Lu Jun. After we clear out these weaklings, there's a big one waiting for us."

After clearing out the last small golden tree guard that pounced on the rock, Lu Mingfei and Subaru Natsuki continued forward. The crimson, putrid stench in the air was noticeably stronger, almost condensing into a pale red mist that clung to the tree trunks.

Lu Mingfei flicked the sticky substance on the blade—a substance that resembled both plant sap and blood—and frowned, muttering under his breath:

"This tastes exactly like my senior brother's socks that haven't been washed for 500 years, which have been pickled in a jar for 3 years."

"Come on, you haven't seen the rotten pools and rivers of decay that go deeper in. A little more smell won't make a difference."

Natsuki Subaru slammed his greatsword into the ground, leaving a shallow mark on the rotten, decaying leaves. His eyes scanned ahead.

Not far away was the small golden tree, soaked in crimson decay. Its twisted and gnarled trunk had an eerie color, and the branches and leaves that once symbolized life were now withered and mottled, in a state of half-death.

The two walked towards the tree roots, their footsteps crunching on the decaying branches and leaves.

The closer they got, the stronger the suffocating stench of decay became. An eerie silence enveloped them, broken only by the scraping of their armor.

Sudden--

boom!
A heavy, muffled thud.

Beside the basin of dewdrops, an incredibly tall figure, almost entirely twisted from decaying tree roots and branches, suddenly turned around.

Lu Mingfei paused, muttering a curse under his breath:
"Fuck me!"

This is the true guardian of the little golden tree, corrupted by decay, "the embodiment of the golden tree".

He was much larger than Lu Mingfei had imagined. His nearly eight-meter-tall body was completely twisted by crimson decay, as if it were wrapped in a pile of tree bark.

Dense vines and scarlet mycelium tangled and twisted on its surface, emitting a pungent stench. The top of its trunk was obscured, revealing only a few deep, dark openings that now faced the two uninvited guests.

In His enormous hand He gripped a uniquely shaped ritual staff, the radiant ancient ritual staff used to worship the Golden Tree, a weapon wielded only by the incarnations who guarded the Little Golden Tree.

The atmosphere in the entire space instantly tensed up, and a pungent, putrid odor assaulted Lu Mingfei's senses, almost suffocating him.

Natsuki Subaru gripped the greatsword of the hunting gods tightly, and black flames suddenly burst into intense flames, illuminating half of his expressionless face. Even his signature deadpan eyes showed a hint of seriousness:
"Lu Jun, did you see that? What did I tell you? It's an incarnation that's been completely corrupted and mutated by the crimson corruption. It's a hundred times more difficult to deal with than an ordinary incarnation."

Click—The colossal creature moved.

Its attack came without warning; its body, as thin as rotten wood, displayed unparalleled explosive power. The ancient ritual staff in its hand tore through the air, crashing down towards the area where the two were located with the force of a landslide!

"Get out of the way!"

Natsuki Subaru reacted extremely quickly, roaring as he rolled to the side.

The two veterans, both seasoned veterans, were naturally not harmed by such an obvious attack. However, the avatar's offensive continued unabated. The ceremonial staff that was slamming down showed almost no sign of retracting, and swept out horizontally along the ground!

Lu Mingfei was forced to parry, and the Storm Greatsword collided violently with the incredibly heavy ceremonial staff, sparks flying everywhere! Lu Mingfei felt a huge shock in his arm, but he was pushed backward by the sweeping force.

With his amazing flexibility and anticipation, Natsuki Subaru narrowly dodged beneath the staff's shadow, his black flames churning violently on his sword as he searched for an opening to counterattack.

"Damn it, no matter how many times I hit it, this tree stump is a real pain!"

Natsuki Subaru cursed as he steadied himself, raised his hand and swung his greatsword. The raging "Queen's Black Flame" ignited and leaped from the blade, and with the swing of his arm, he fiercely stabbed into the decaying branch!

"This guy is weak to fire! Use your dragonfire to burn him!"

As Lu Mingfei charged forward with his sword, relentlessly attacking the giant tree's crotch—the only place he could reach—he turned and roared:

"Why aren't you burning it! Dragon Flame consumes a lot of mana! You can't use it many times!"

Subaru Natsuki thrust again:
"Damn it! My black flames don't deal fire damage! It's a concept attack!"

Just then, the enormous, corrupting entity leaped up with a lightness that was completely different from its appearance. In mid-air, its body, made of vines and hardwood, twisted violently, pointing its bloated and deformed "buttocks" downwards!

Watch out for your head and your butt!

Natsuki Subaru, in a fit of rage, shouted a warning at the top of his lungs.

Lu Mingfei looked up, his pupils instantly contracting to their maximum size!
next moment--

Boom! ! ! !
The avatar plummeted downwards! Its massive rear end slammed solidly into the spot where Lu Mingfei had just been standing!

The Falling Golden Tree Shock - Crimson Corruption Edition.

A terrifying shockwave, visible to the naked eye and carrying a thick, crimson, putrid mist, exploded outwards in a ring! The ground cracked, bulged, and then collapsed as if struck by a giant hammer! Rotten branches, fallen leaves, soil, and rocks were all violently thrown out by this shockwave!
Although Lu Mingfei gritted his teeth and rolled backward in a sorry state the moment Natsuki Subaru reminded him, relying on his combat instincts, the distance was too close, and the edge of the shockwave slammed into his leg armor and back armor.

As if run over by a galloping stag horse, the knight's armor groaned, and Lu Mingfei was thrown back, a metallic taste rising in his mouth beneath his helmet, his vision blurring.

"Lu Jun!"

Natsuki Subaru was frantic, but he couldn't get close to the tremor-filled core. After the shockwave subsided, a crimson, decaying mist filled the air, and the massive figure slowly rose from within, its empty eye sockets once again staring at its two prey.

(End of this chapter)