I am the sacred tree, evergreen for eternity.

Xuan stood in the golden light screen, looking at the middle-aged man kneeling on one knee in front of him.

His skin was ashen, his eyes were cold and distant, and one could still vaguely see the stubborn young man he once was in his features.

But that face...

His face was already sculpted by time and death, a mature and resolute one.

Mixed feelings.

It seemed as if a thousand words were churning on his lips, but in the end, they all boiled down to a single, stubborn statement from a father:

"It's alright... I won't die."

Ao stood up, a slight smile curving his lips.

The king of the Abyss rarely showed his expression; at this moment, he was merely a son.

I haven't seen them for decades.

It turns out that he was already more than half a head taller than his father.

The enemy is currently.

Without exchanging pleasantries, Xuan raised his hand and patted the broad shoulder heavily.

Then he drew the iron knife from his back, straightened his back, and walked into the darkness.

Just like it did back then.

He strode forward and walked to the front of the group.

A dark, abyssal power surged from within him, its eerie light emanating a suffocating sense of oppression.

The expeditionary travelers held torches, illuminating the entire bottom of the fissure.

Only then did everyone realize that the bottom of the fissure was much wider than they had expected.

This is a huge grotto with an immeasurably high dome, and the surrounding rock walls are covered with gnarled tree roots.

In the very center of the grotto, a tree grows.

It rose from the depths of the earth, extending upwards, breaking through the rock wall at the top of the cave, and growing all the way to the outside world.

"This is... the true form of the Demon Eater?"

It is unclear who asked the question, but no one answered.

Surprisingly, the giant tree lay quietly underground, emitting no illusory fragrance and releasing no evil energy.

It lay there silently, like a long-decayed corpse.

"It's too quiet," Qi muttered, gripping the iron greatsword tighter. "I'll give it a try!"

After saying that, a blazing white spiritual flame ignited on the iron-clad greatsword.

With a single stroke, it fell.

The blade struck the trunk of the giant tree without a loud clang of metal on metal or a backlash of evil energy.

The spiritual flames, as if encountering dry, withered wood, spread instantly, climbing up the trunk and igniting the entire giant tree.

Flames shot into the sky.

The spiritual flames illuminated the cave as brightly as day, and waves of heat swept over people, making their cheeks burn.

The giant tree crackled in the flames, its grayish-white bark peeling away layer by layer to reveal the equally grayish-white, cracked wood beneath.

"That's it... over??"

A young expeditionary couldn't help but speak, his tone tinged with disbelief.

"That monster... could it be all bark and no bite???"

The spiritual field suppressed the evil energy, the totem pole purified the illusory fragrance, and the ley lines were reawakened...

Everything went too smoothly, so smoothly that it didn't seem like a war that had been in preparation for years.

Yu glanced at the relaxed young faces but said nothing.

He simply crossed his two swords in front of his chest, his eyes fixed on the burning giant tree.

The idle gossip immediately fell silent under his cold gaze.

He is one of the people most familiar with Culling.

From Wangyoulang's rampage at the festival to the human race's eight-thousand-mile expedition, the entire nation mobilized and several years were spent...

He was more certain than anyone else that the monster could not have disappeared so easily.

Qi seemed to realize something as well.

His spiritual sense pierced the giant tree, and the spiritual light penetrated the wood, instantly touching a complete and violent evil energy.

But it is not in the giant tree, nor even in a place that can be reached by a sacred site.

Qi's gaze sharpened slightly, and the spiritual light of the peak of the Mingling Realm emanated from his body, transforming into a dazzling golden blade of light that slashed out.

"boom--"

With a dull thud, the giant tree split open, revealing a huge gash in the center of the trunk.

Its power was so great that even the void itself showed subtle distortions.

however.

Deep within the gap, a colorless and transparent curtain of light appeared, like an oil film on the surface of water.

"You noticed it too, didn't you...?"

A deep voice came from beside me.

Ao had already walked up to Qi's side without anyone noticing, his dark abyssal power flowing around him, reflecting the spiritual light.

The two former rivals, the supreme leaders of the two branches of the Tree God's forces, now stood side by side.

Their gazes were fixed on that distorted void, an alternate dimension.

Everything before our eyes is nothing but a mirage, a reflection of reality discarded here by the Devourer of Sin...

"It's hiding inside."

"Can we get in?"

"Smash it open!"

Spiritual power and ghostly light erupted simultaneously.

Golden spiritual light burst forth from Qi's body, condensing around him into a three-zhang-tall white-armored giant with distinct ridges and angles.

A surge of dark, abyssal power erupted from Ao's body, transforming into a black-armored giant. His armor was as cold and deep as an abyss, and gray-white death flames flickered in his eye sockets.

Qi and Ao stood behind the two giants, their eyes met, and they nodded at the same time.

The two giants raised their arms, clenched their fists, and then—

"Boom! Boom!"

The black and white intertwined fist slammed into the transparent illusion screen at the gap in the giant tree, and the powerful force caused the space itself to visibly distort.

The illusionary screen trembled violently, and ripples spread outwards, like water surface tossed with pebbles.

One punch, two punches, three punches...

The giant swung his fists repeatedly, each blow carrying earth-shattering power.

Finally, at a certain critical point—

The void shattered.

Countless transparent fragments scattered and flew into nothingness.

Like a mirage, it vanished in an instant.

A rift suddenly opened, and a purplish-black illusory mist surged out.

Through the crack, everyone looked into that other dimension.

All that met the eye was an endless purplish-black chaos.

Deep within the chaos, a gigantic shadow is writhing.

It has no fixed shape, resembling a pool of rotten silt or a burning black flame.

Eat sins!

Body! !

Qi and Ao turned around and looked at the elite forces of the two clans gathered here.

The air seemed to freeze inside the cave.

Countless thoughts converged into one will!

It's time to put an end to this.

As Qi took a step forward, spiritual light ignited on his body, turning into golden flames that repelled the surrounding purplish-black mist.

Ao stepped forward side by side, his dark abyssal power condensing into armor around him, with ghostly and spiritual light intertwining to form a black and white protective shield.

The two figures walked side by side into the spatial rift.

The golden light of the spiritual field poured down from the totem pole, desperately holding up the edge of the crack and preventing the evil energy from engulfing the entrance.

Xuan straightened up from beside the totem pole, picked up his fine iron battle sword, and took his first step.

Qi followed closely behind, surrounded by a pale golden light.

The expeditionary travelers behind them formed a column and walked silently and resolutely toward the rift.

The warriors of the Abyss Clan followed silently, with Li walking at the very front of the procession, her face showing only a calm acceptance of returning to the Abyss.

Footsteps echoed in the grotto, steady and orderly.

As the last Abyss warrior disappeared into the rift, the golden light of the spirit field finally dimmed.

The spatial rift, like a hideous gash, slowly closed.

Everything returned to silence.

Only the remains of that giant, cleaved tree still slumber in the darkness.

The wind poured down from above the crack in the ground, passing through the empty cave and making a howling sound.

Like a battle horn!