The Star River Era! The Dimensional Freedom Demon

Zhang Jing didn't sleep a wink all night, staying rooted to the isolation wall, waiting for Ji Chen's return.

Even though he had previously seen Ji Chen hold an absolute advantage and beat the black gorilla so badly that it had to run away with its tail between its legs.

But the thought of the dangerous wilderness outside the city still made him uneasy.

Now he understands that power, status, wealth, and everything else are merely byproducts of strength in this day and age.

Without absolute strength, even if one occupies a high position, one day it will all be swept away by the winds and rains, leaving one with nothing.

Boom boom boom!

Another heavy tremor struck, and everyone involuntarily gazed into the deep wilderness, a profound fear rising in their hearts.

Without their leader as a source of reassurance, their current strength is simply insufficient to stop the mutated beast that can cause such a huge commotion just by walking.

Thump—thump—

It's getting closer, closer and closer.

The black gorilla, covered in wounds, used its newly scabbed hands to push aside the branches that might disturb its older brother's head, gradually revealing its form.

Zhang Jing's already tense face turned deathly pale when she saw the gorilla that had fought fiercely with Ji Chen the night before. She muttered to herself:

"It's over, it's over..."

The soldiers on the isolation wall were also filled with despair, unable to believe their eyes.

"How is this possible? The commander was clearly in control, so why did this beast return? Why?!"

"Is even Heaven going to destroy our city, D?"

The sound of weapons hitting the ground was incessant. They knew that their weapons were futile against such a behemoth; they might not even be able to tickle it.

At that moment, a sharp-eyed soldier suddenly rubbed his eyes and exclaimed in disbelief:

"Look, look, there's someone on the gorilla's head!"

The dejected man looked up again at the approaching beast, his eyes gradually blurring.

Ji Chen stood atop the head of a 50-meter-high giant beast, his back against the rosy dawn, his features illuminated and outlined by the glow of the sunrise, making him appear like a god.

When he returned with the momentum of defeating the fourth-tier beast king, the mutated beasts, which had calmed down considerably, immediately scattered and retreated like a tide.

"We won! We won!"

Seeing the retreating beast tide and the leader who seemed like a god, all the humans who could still open their eyes cheered with joy.

Amidst the deafening cheers, Ji Chen raised his hand and pressed a button, as if God had pressed the pause button, and all the cheers ceased instantly.

He issued a victory declaration:

"All D City warriors who still have strength, leave the city! Bring the mutated beast corpses back to the city as food and as medals of victory—these are the rewards you deserve!"

Everything else can be spared, but these mutated beast corpses are absolutely essential and cannot be discarded.

Looking at the mutated beast carcasses scattered all over the ground, Ji Chen felt a sense of accomplishment.

At first glance, this beast tide seemed like a problem, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a massive gift of lives, a gift with even greater sentiment!

Without this opportunity, Ji Chen would never have achieved such a great harvest if he had gone hunting in the wilderness alone.

Mutant beasts aren't stupid; they run faster than anyone else when they're in danger. If Ji Chen goes out hunting, he can kill at most a hundred before the mutant beasts start avoiding him.

After giving a few brief instructions, Ji Chen drove the chimpanzee to the location of the strange tree it had mentioned.

Ji Chen certainly wanted to see something so amazing.

Although he felt that he had the cultivation acceleration mode under his control, he didn't need the strange fruit produced by this thing at all, and he could win by brute force on his own.

Moreover, according to the chimpanzee at my feet, the Strange Tree has requirements for any beast that wants to eat its fruit; it requires that the beast meet its conditions.

That's fine.

The strange tree has even developed intelligence; perhaps eating its fruit will impose other restrictions, and one will be subject to its control from then on.

After all, a sincere oath alone is clearly not enough to make the beast that ate the fruit strictly abide by it; there must be other means of restraint.

This is also something that Ji Chen is worried about.

However, judging from the effects and the reaction of the big black man, the Qishu is clearly a good thing.

Since it's a good item, Ji Chen wouldn't mind snatching it up and keeping it as a collectible, regardless of whether he'd actually use it or not.

He doesn't need to become stronger in this way, but he can prevent others from becoming stronger through monopoly, which is also self-interested.

dong dong dong-

Big Black ran wildly across the wilderness. As the king of beasts, the wilderness no longer posed a significant threat to him, and he could run free.

"arrive."

About half an hour later, the massive body of the big black man suddenly came to a stop, his fierce momentum abruptly halted, and the dust kicked up by inertia surged forward like waves.

Ji Chen leaped down, looked around, and frowned slightly.

Apart from a few rather tall trees and gnarled grass covering the ground, there was nothing else in sight; it was just like any other wilderness, with no trace of anything extraordinary about it.

If Old Black hasn't misremembered the way, given his eyesight and mental abilities, the fact that he could remain undetected by such a strange tree must mean it's something special.

Are you sure this is the place?

Ji Chen asked doubtfully.

"Yes, that's it."

Big Black stretched out his finger and pointed to the dry bark of a large tree.

Ji Chen leaned closer and then realized something was wrong.

This piece of bark, which has become one with the tree, is actually a separate entity.

"I've already spotted you, so hurry up and come out, or else..."

Ji Chen's palm surged with internal energy, as if he were about to strike.

"No, no, no, I'm coming out right now."

A clear voice, tinged with panic, rang out immediately, as if afraid that Ji Chen would actually make a move.

Then, under Ji Chen's gaze, the dry bark seemed to be painted by an invisible paintbrush, quietly covered with a layer of vibrant green.

In the blink of an eye, a strange tree, no more than three meters tall and shimmering with a lustrous, crystal-like light, appeared out of thin air, standing gracefully.

What's even more striking is that among those gnarled branches, only one exotic fruit hangs low, its color warm and lustrous, emitting a rich and captivating fragrance.

Ji Chen took a breath of the fragrance, and instantly, it felt like a stream of sweet spring water had drenched him from head to toe, making him feel indescribably comfortable.

Ji Chen steadied himself, and then a thunderous whooshing sound came from above. Big Black was so tempted by the aroma that he almost drooled.

"Gorilla, you broke your promise!"

Qishu raised a clear voice in protest, full of grievance, "You promised to protect me this once, that's why I gave you the fruit, but instead of protecting me, you brought others to bully me... You're bullying the tree too much! You bad gorilla!"

Ji Chen heard it clearly this time: the sound emitted by the strange tree was not transmitted through vibration, but directly at the level of the mind.

His eyes gleamed as he stared intently at the strange tree, his heart itching with a desire to tear it apart and examine it.

Besides, the voice sounds a bit childish.

Big Black lowered his head, resisting the temptation of the aroma, and scratched his head sheepishly.

"Little Tree, I have no choice. If I don't sell you, the boss will eat me... So, you'll have to bear with it for now."

The strange tree seemed to discern the truth or falsehood in the old black man's words, and angrily shook its branches before saying to Ji Chen with a wronged expression:

"You're a human being, you can't eat my fruit. Coming to me is useless. You're a good person, can you please not arrest me?"

Ji Chen walked closer, touched its trunk, branches, leaves, and fruit, and then slowly said:

"Why can't I eat it? Is it because we're not meant to be?"

The voice was calm, as if it were just a casual question, yet it made the strange tree tremble wildly, its branches and leaves shaking violently.

"No, no, it's just..."

With a trembling voice, Qishu explained why humans could not consume the exotic fruit.

Its unique fruit is only suitable for mutated beasts; this is the result of natural selection.

After all, in the wilderness, the only threats to it are mutated beasts and other mutated plants; humans are no longer in that category.

Even if humanity becomes powerful again in the future, it will no longer be afraid, thanks to the beast lineage accumulated from the exotic fruit and the increasingly powerful concealment ability of the strange tree.

Its results and the number of times it evolves are limited, making it the optimal choice.

But who would have thought that it had only evolved three times and hadn't even become a fourth-order creature before being blocked by Ji Chen, this illogical guy.

Sensing Ji Chen's power, it didn't dare call its fellow beasts who had eaten its fruit before.

If this evil star wipes it out in one fell swoop, it will lose everything and won't even have a place to cry.

Ji Chen remained silent for a moment, digesting the information given by the strange tree, before continuing:

"Alright. Now, describe in detail the specific effects of the extraordinary fruit you have produced, without omitting any details."

His gaze sharpened slightly as he continued, "..."

"Also, tell me, how do you control the mutated beasts that have consumed your exotic fruit?"

"Don't try any tricks, or I'll burn you down."