Above the mage

Chapter 798 Distortion

The appearance of the Ice Jade Wutong underwent a tremendous change at this moment.

Originally, it was just an ancient tree, delicate and beautiful, like an ice sculpture, not at all tall.

But now, the once delicate Ice Jade Wutong tree has expanded as if it were inflated, with its entire shape growing larger.

The drooping, outstretched branches burst open and extended outwards, instantly expanding the diameter of the canopy several times over.

The tips of all the extended branches have lost their original texture, turning into icy sharp edges.

They transformed into cold, hard, and sharp ice jade spears, aimed at all the invading Void Aberrations in the entire arena.

It densely covers all areas of the front semicircle.

Then the Ice Jade Wutong tree moved.

All the spear-shaped strips of paper thrust forward.

It's not a traditional frontal thrust.

The branches pierced out simultaneously from different angles, at extremely high speeds and in various directions.

Some attacked from above at an angle, some advanced at ground level, and some flanked from the sides.

The sounds of air being torn apart merged into a dense buzzing, like hundreds of slender icicles simultaneously ripping through the air, causing the airflow to swirl wildly.

The two deformed void creatures closest to the Ice Jade Phoenix Tree were the first to be affected.

They were directly locked onto by the forest of spears, with no way to escape.

The cone-shaped leaves at the ends of the branches pierce their dark purple bodies.

The penetration depth was not deep, only about three feet.

But after it pierced through, the branch released an extreme chill, frantically eroding inwards along the wound.

It arbitrarily freezes the distorted energy flowing erratically within the bodies of void creatures, forcibly suppressing their self-healing abilities.

Faced with the offensive launched by the Ice Jade Wutong, the sixth-order void creature also began to act.

Its three long, whip-like whiskers swept through the air.

The first one got tangled in the two branches that were stabbing at it from the front.

The second barrier blocked the attack from the left.

The third one... Gao De noticed that it deliberately controlled the third long whip to pause in the air for a moment, and only when the branch attacking from the right was about to hit it did it suddenly swing it over to block it.

The three tentacles simultaneously completed the three-way interception.

In terms of both strength and coordination, it far surpasses those fifth-tier void creatures.

But it only has three tendrils, while the Ice Jade Wutong has hundreds of branches.

Therefore, this sixth-order void creature could not possibly completely block all angles.

A long spear, launched from below, bypassed the tentacles' protective range and precisely pierced the old wound on its right side, which had been previously penetrated by an ice blade.

Ice Jade Wutong remembers this location.

The twig pierced the new membrane at the site of the old wound's healing, and with a vigorous stir, a dark purple, gelatinous liquid seeped out again, even more than before.

These dark purple liquids made a dense hissing, corrosive sound as they fell to the ground, constantly scorching the permafrost.

Under this attack, the sixth-tier void creature let out an indescribable hiss.

Its body trembled violently, and dark purple ripples spread across its surface.

The violent void energy exploded, forcefully dislodging and sending the ice jade branches that had pierced the body flying.

As its body trembled, its dozens of eyeballs contracted and expanded, creating an extremely eerie sight.

Gao De witnessed this scene and couldn't help but secretly admire Bingyu Wutong's wisdom.

They actually knew how to add fuel to the fire, prioritizing their attacks on the wounds caused by the first attack.

But these void creatures did not retreat despite being attacked.

It's unclear whether they lack the sense of pain and intelligence, or are simply fearless in the face of death.

The fifth-order void creature on the left, with its flattened body, suddenly unfolded its wing structure.

The segmented protrusions on both sides of its body, which were originally closed and fitted together, now turn outwards.

Below it are densely packed, purple, thread-like tentacles, finer than the tip of a needle.

Those tentacles were exposed and instantly taut in the air.

Then, like worms, they sprayed a semi-transparent, dark purple liquid onto the Ice Jade Wutong branch, forming a mist-like jet.

Zizizi!

Several branches of the Ice Jade Wutong tree were swept by the liquid mist, and a layer of dark purple grime immediately appeared on their surface.

The originally flowing icy blue aura dimmed briefly there, as if a thin layer of grime had blocked some of the energy transmission.

Ice Jade Wutong reacted extremely quickly.

Those branches stained with the dark purple liquid detached themselves, starting from their tips.

It wasn't a break, but more like a conscious severance to prevent the corrosive power of the void from spreading to the tree trunk.

Ice Jade Wutong peeled the branch and leaves that were tainted by the corruption of the void from the main trunk.

New shoots regrow from the side of the cut almost as soon as they are peeled off, replacing the original infected parts.

The entire cycle from cutoff to regeneration takes only a few breaths.

The corrosive liquid mist from the void creatures did not have any substantial impact on the core trunk of the Ice Jade Wutong Tree; it only consumed some of its energy reserves.

The situation became briefly entangled during this process.

The branches of the Ice Jade Wutong tree attacked, covering most of the airspace in front, continuously creating breakthroughs and wounds for the void creatures.

The attacks of those void creatures were not particularly swift, but their vitality was exceptionally strong; they often survived being wounded.

The sixth-tier void creature then acted again.

It seems to have some inexplicable connection with other void creatures.

Just moments before the branches of the Ice Jade Wutong were about to touch the nearest fifth-tier void creature once again.

It suddenly lashed out its three tentacles, which wrapped around a large bunch of branches of the Ice Jade Wutong tree at a precise angle and pulled them to the side.

The immense pulling force instantly ripped the three branches off their original trajectory.

The once dense thicket of branches and spears now has gaps about three feet wide.

The two fifth-tier void creatures, which had been lying in wait for a long time, immediately seized this fleeting opportunity.

With a swift movement, he broke through the gaps in the defenses and charged straight at the domain barrier protecting Sunefa!

Seeing that the defense line had been breached, the translucent ice crystal leaves of the Ice Jade Wutong tree trembled again, solidifying into ice blades.

A flurry of tiny ice blades instantly filled the airspace, densely blocking the path of the two advancing monsters and forcibly halting their momentum.

At the same time, two thick and tough wooden roots swept out from the bottom of the tree canopy, carrying great force, and slammed into the two void creatures.

Bang!Bang!

Two muffled, loud bangs exploded in succession.

The two fifth-tier void creatures that had been charging forward desperately were swept away by the immense force of their root systems and crashed heavily back onto the outskirts of the battlefield.

Bingyu Wutong maintained a calm and steady pace throughout.

It does not pursue, does not advance rashly, and does not even launch an offensive.

They only intercept and repel void creatures as quickly as possible when they enter the threat range, never lingering in battle.

Each repulsion leaves wounds on the surface of these void creatures.

Ice Jade Wutong is waiting, waiting for Sunefa to successfully upgrade to the ring; its priority is defense.

The same applies to void creatures.

Their primary objective is to attack Sunefa; it's a surprise attack.

He had no intention of engaging in a prolonged battle with the Ice Jade Wutong; he was focused on finding a way to break through.

They do not intend to let the Ice Jade Phoenix wait until Sunefa successfully ascends to the ring.

By this time, more and more Northern mages were arriving at the sacred site.

The battle between the Ice Jade Wutong and the Void Creatures was so intense that they couldn't help but notice it.

However, the highest level of the mage among them was only fourth ring, and they were powerless to intervene in the battle against the extraordinary combat power of several late-stage fifth-tier void creatures and a sixth-tier void leader.

The arriving mages could also see this, and at Gao De's instruction, they all chose to stop and observe the battlefield situation, without making a rash move.

At this point, the only option is to trust Bingyu Wutong; acting rashly might just backfire.

The stalemate did not last long, and further changes occurred.

The sixth-order void creature was surrounded by an extremely dense dark purple energy.

The murky, profound energy of the void completely enveloped every inch of its body.

The body surface exhibits deformed, twisted, and peristaltic muscle textures.

Then, the Void Leader's figure suddenly became ethereal and transparent, completely dissipating into the air.

The next second, the space outside the field barrier set up by the Ice Jade Wutong suddenly distorted.

Tiny, crisscrossing void fissures opened and closed, flickering.

The Void Leader's form materialized on the outer layer of the barrier, appearing out of thin air and bypassing all the outer branches.

boom!

The moment it manifested, it unleashed its full power, pouring out its primal strength.

A massive, dark purple torrent of void energy crashed violently against the field barrier that Ice Jade Wutong had set up in advance.

The surface of the field barrier instantly exploded with layers of magical ripples.

The barrier suddenly changed from bright to dark and trembled violently.

Countless fine cracks spread rapidly from the point of impact.

The purple energy that slanted out continuously washed away and eroded the barrier's power.

The extreme clash of energies triggered a terrifying shock.

The out-of-control residual void energy transformed into violent jets that exploded in all directions.

It advanced too fast, too suddenly.

Several Northern mages closest to the core, including Goddard, were instantly swept across their bodies by this strange stream of void energy.

Although they all activated their most convenient protective spells immediately.

However, all of these protective spells were penetrated.

Their clothes were silently corroded, and their flesh felt a strange, tingling, and hollow sensation.

The mage who was swept by the energy jet immediately groaned and stumbled.

Gao De's perception was incredibly clear because he was actually the person closest to the sacred place.

This strange void energy invaded the body and raged within.

There was no pain, no burning sensation, but rather an indescribable, strange feeling.

His skin had a very faint gray sheen.

The damage from void energy is unlike that from fire, ice, acid, or lightning; it is unlike any other elemental damage.

Gao De looked down at the back of his hand, where there was also a gray glow.

Under the gray light, a brief, visible change appeared on that patch of skin.

On the previously smooth skin, a dense, dark purple pattern appeared.

It resembles a tortoise shell, or the keratinous texture of some reptile.

The joints of several fingers are slightly raised, as if the bones have been stretched out by an external force and have not fully retracted back to their original position.

The shape of the fingertips has become slightly sharper than before.

These changes are not drastic, far from deforming a person, but enough to make it immediately obvious that something is wrong with the hand.

He then looked at the Northern mages who were standing a little further away and were also affected.

Dark purple, scaly patterns also appeared on their bare arms.

There was even an unfortunate one whose cheekline looked as if it had been pulled to the left by some force, the corner of his eye was half a finger lower than the right side, and the curve of his lips had become asymmetrical.

They managed to remain calm and didn't scream.

However, faced with this strange change in themselves, their faces turned deathly pale.

"Is this the damage from void energy...?" Gao De murmured to himself.

It does not cause direct harm, but rather undermines life by altering the direction of cell growth.

In fact, ordinary void energy is not that scary.

Although it is strange, it is ultimately just a form of energy and is not necessarily more difficult to resist than elemental energy.

However, these residual void energy waves originated from a sixth-order void creature.

Therefore, the mere impact easily shattered their protective spells and brought about strange changes to their bodies.

However, as this strange void energy eroded his body, something deeper within Gao De's body was activated.

The void energy began to encounter a slight resistance in him.

Within his deformed skin, an extremely faint power emerged, attempting to eliminate the deformities.

You have been corrupted by void energy, causing slight distortions in your body. You are beginning to adapt to the void energy...

Your Void Perception has increased by 0.1%, your Resistance to Void Energy has increased by 0.2%, and your body's self-healing abilities are beginning to have a more powerful restorative effect on the aberrations...

The adaptive technology is starting to take off.

Moreover, Gaode Maps also gleaned a crucial piece of information from the appearing entries:

The body's self-healing ability can restore normal function to deformities.

In other words, this distortion is not irreversible.

This made him breathe a sigh of relief.

After all, he has [adaptive ability], which others don't!

If this distortion is permanent, then it can be quite distressing.

Since it can be restored, it will just take a while.

But this is only the aftermath of one incident; what would happen if it happened several more times?

At this moment, Bingyu Wutong realized that the Northern Mage had been affected.

A thick, wooden branch extends from the side of its canopy.

An icy blue aura poured down from it, enveloping Gao De and several other Northern mages, forming a thin protective layer.

Another wave of void energy rippled out.

This time, all the void energy was isolated by the protective layer bestowed by the Ice Jade Wutong, preventing it from causing further damage to Gao De and the others.

"Back off!" Even so, Gao De still shouted in a low voice, causing everyone to quickly retreat to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

They were too close, which not only prevented them from helping the Ice Jade Wutong, but also forced the Ice Jade Wutong to divert its strength to protect them.

The Void Leader pressed his face against the Ice Jade Wutong Tree, directly attacking the domain barrier.

Its body was surrounded by layers of dark purple energy surging wildly, and the continuous power of void distortion was frantically washing over the ice-blue barrier.

The barrier trembled incessantly, each clash of energy creating a wave of shock.

Ice Jade Wutong's power was largely tied down by the Void Leader, resulting in a high-intensity head-on tug-of-war that left her struggling.

Ultimately, it has only been three or four years since it advanced to the sixth rank.

Three or four years is far too short for the Demon Tree to establish itself at the sixth tier.

The other fifth-tier void creatures immediately seized the opportunity upon seeing this.

Although they are not as powerful as the Void Leaders, they also possess the ability to traverse the shallow void.

This is the talent of void creatures.

Of course, their movements were somewhat flawed and far less swift than the leader's.

The process of his body becoming ethereal was sluggish and slow, the trajectory of the spatial jump was abrupt, and the depth of his escape into the void was extremely shallow. He could not completely avoid the attacks of the real world and barely managed to bypass the outer layer of branches and spears.

Several illusory figures appeared one after another on the flanks of the barrier, forming an encirclement with the leader and joining forces to attack the barrier, aiming directly at Sunefa, who was ascending her ring within it.

They lacked sophisticated tactical coordination, driven solely by a destructive instinct, unleashing their full internal void energy to relentlessly bombard the flanks of the barrier.

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