The Alchemist's Guide to Flesh and Blood Ascension

"Remember, no matter what rare herbs you see... don't hesitate, take them with you."

Yonivore finally returned to the lead of the squad, repeatedly giving instructions to the two behind him.

He was clearly in a great mood—he had survived and figured out where he got the leverage to perform alchemy.

But in their eyes... Yonivore seemed to have suddenly become eccentric, occasionally plunging into the weeds and picking at the fallen leaves on the ground.

Then, he held up a few plants that looked like weeds but were actually weeds, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

Barlow initially thought there was something wrong with the potion that Yonivo had drunk, but seeing the glint in his eyes, he repeatedly hesitated to speak.

Nolay gradually got used to the scene, and under the unpredictable guidance of Yunevo, she filled her bag to the brim with all kinds of medicinal herbs.

After all, Ionevoy's fallacies always hit the nail on the head—"Zero-cost investment, why not take it if it's free?"

"Stop for a moment," Yunefu said.

They were indeed following the markings given by Vilkin—but the path was inexplicably littered with the corpses of church personnel.

Damaged silver armor with gold trim was everywhere, and several broadswords and staves engraved with runes were stuck haphazardly in the ground. Even the fatal wounds on the corpses were arranged in an eerie and neat manner.

Yune crouched down, his fingertips lightly tracing the cuts on the armor—there was no obstruction whatsoever, but rather they were perfectly neat.

Nolay simply tied Ballow's dagger to the long handle of his wand, and with each swing he could cut down a lot of tall weeds.

"This is really not right..."

Yonif frowned slightly as he looked up at the vine that Balo had pulled over.

The cut was as smooth as a mirror, and not even any excess juice leaked out. The precision of the magic control was simply astonishing.

On this only path leading to the Iron Core Ancient Tree, not even a remnant of a wooden figure can be seen?!

Not to mention the wooden figures... even the "assimilated" monsters showed no trace whatsoever.

"Barlow, what kind of creature... could take assassination to this level?"

"In my understanding... this is simply impossible," even the experienced Barlow was baffled.

"Yes...impossible," Yonivo caught a glimpse of a priest's corpse out of the corner of his eye. He leaned closer and examined its pupils and skin closely.

It's still relatively fresh; the time of death should be before Wilkins and his group passed by.

The marks left on the path were still clear, suggesting that they had also seen the bodies of these church members.

Byron, Zane, Simon...

Simon!

As if suddenly enlightened, Yonivore, amidst Nolei's inexplicable screams, ripped open the corpse's pristine white robe.

No gilded tattoos!

I almost got tricked into thinking that way by those bastards in the church!

Eunice will never forget the day they were surrounded and killed... Whether it was the priest Huijie or the Templar Knights, they all tried their best to show off their proud gilded tattoos.

Leaving aside the first two batches of cannon fodder, the church, adhering to the principle of "no more than three times," could not possibly be completely wiped out here.

In order to verify his conjecture, Yonivo disregarded the persona he had painstakingly cultivated.

He simply kept removing the protective gear and clothing from the corpses... until finally revealing a knowing smile.

There are ambushes ahead; we suggest a decisive strike!

Nolay swallowed the churning in his stomach; this physiological reaction was not caused by Yonivore's behavior alone.

Her mind was constantly on edge—the forest had been emanating unsettling magical energy fluctuations from beginning to end.

She suddenly turned her head to look at the way they had come, her eyes widened abruptly, and her trembling fingertips poked at Yonivore's back.

The assimilated "forest" behind them churned like stomach acid, as if trying to drive them to the iron-core ancient tree!

The restless thorny vines stretched out their joyful "hands" towards the three of them, their intentions clear, obviously no longer obscured by the concealment potion!

"We've been exposed..." Barlow exclaimed in surprise, quickly reminding the two, "Hurry! We must rejoin Wilkins and the others as soon as possible!"

"Hopefully this won't affect my plans..." Yunevo glanced sideways and ran forward with Nolei.

The whistling wind swept past their ears, and the magical energy fluctuations behind them surged almost like a tsunami, while in front of them...

The thorns no longer presented an obstructive posture, and the twisted path was more unobstructed than ever before.

"Does it... think it has us cornered?!" Barlow growled, his hand gripping the musket so tightly he didn't know where to fire.

"It's sending us to the real 'dining table'... to savor the prey that has struggled to its last breath," Yunev pulled up his hood and followed Nolay as he charged forward.

"Get down!" Byron's rough voice reached their ears, and the broadsword he swung created a gust of wind, knocking away the poisoned spikes that were aimed at Yonivo and his two companions.

The two groups then met... There were no polite greetings, only solemn expressions on their faces.

"Simon has disappeared...and Zane must maintain the Silverfire Sentinels to ensure we are not caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the Subtrees."

Vilkin looked somewhat tired, and his armor was stained with blood, though only a little.

Byron's heavy armor was scratched beyond recognition, and the surroundings were filled with the bitter smell of concealing potion.

Yunevo's gaze swept over the silver magical artifact emitting cold flames and lingered on Virkin's face.

"You didn't encounter any attacks from saplings or wooden figures along the way?"

"No," Vilkin shook his head, his face ashen, glancing to his side, "until we met it..."

Looking in that direction, everyone felt as if their throats were being tightly gripped, a suffocating sensation gripping their hearts.

Ahead lay a sunken basin, its thick, grayish-green tree roots tangled like strands of hair, and in the center of this…

Standing tall is a magnificent creature that "reaches the sky," which looks like it is made up of countless twisted hemp ropes, and has long since transcended the category of "tree."

At its heart, dark golden "blood" flows, pumping along the vines that have transformed into "vessels" to the leaves that reflect human faces.

The Iron Core Ancient Tree, which could originally be dealt with by a single Silver-level team, has become a disaster that is beyond the reach of everyone!

Golden light surged, transforming into a dome-shaped protective barrier that completely isolated the inside from the outside.

This is the Colosseum... a one-sided massacre witnessed by an audience...

"We have no way out, right?"

Nolay gripped her staff tightly, looking at Yunevo, her voice soft and unexpectedly steady.

"Why are you leaving?"

In the flickering firelight, a smile appeared on Yoniv's face beneath his hood. He did not answer, but simply took a step forward.

"The seats they reserved for us... are the main table of this grand feast."