The Warrior of Love

Step by step...with no awareness of walking on water, under the stunned gaze of the three people, he walked calmly across the water and came to the small island in the middle of the lake.

——【Sakura Flow o Heavenly Movement】

By releasing the Armament Haki, one can "fix" the atmosphere under one's feet or around one for a short period of time, thereby changing one's own movement trajectory.

This was originally a move to make up for his lack of aerial maneuverability (after all, he has no wings), but since he can even fix the atmosphere, it would be much simpler and easier to use it on lake water, which is also a fluid and can be touched.

It's not so much that he was walking on the water, but it was only temporary of course.

When he walked under the apple tree, Jiang Liu realized that the age of this tree was probably quite terrifying. There was a sense of vicissitudes that was almost condensed into substance. To Jiang Liu, who had a keen intuition, it was as if the words "I am not simple" were clearly written on the trunk.

"But it's just a tree after all."

With a smile, without any hesitation, Jiang Liu reached out and picked up a golden fruit from the shaded branches, then gently plucked it.

Even Jiang Liu had to admit that this thing was very beautiful. Although it was called the "Golden Fruit", when observed closely, it did not have the texture of gold, but instead had the transparency of crystal.

The whole tree only had seven or eight fruits. When Jiang Liu was about to pick them all, the island in the middle of the lake shook suddenly, and the big tree stretched out its branches like a giant awakening...

Chapter 174: Old Tree Demon

"This, this is..."

"The tree actually moved?"

"No way... Is this level 5?"

The three people on the shore each had different reactions, but surprisingly they were not too anxious. Perhaps it was because after witnessing the previous battle, their confidence in Jiang Liu had reached a blind point. Even if the monster that appeared now was level 5 or above, they still didn't think Jiang Liu would be in danger.

Jiang Liu, standing on the island, was faced with the embarrassing situation of the ground cracking and he would soon have no place to stand.

However, there is more than one way for him to float in the air, so he doesn't have to worry about falling into the water. Instead, he calmly observes the monster in front of him.

Strong and sturdy - this was Jiang Liu's first impression.

Strictly speaking, it does not have the extraordinary size of the Chimera. The apple tree itself is only three or four meters high. Even when it turns into a monster, it is only five meters tall.

However, in contrast, its body is extremely sturdy. It is not big in the ordinary sense, but its shoulders are almost as broad as its height. When it stands there, it looks like a square hill, and the sense of oppression it brings is no less than that of Chimera.

The treetops gradually parted, and the fruits hidden in the leaves were all concealed in the monster's body. The branches stretched out, entangled with each other and turned into arms. Several branches tore through the island in the middle of the lake, slapping the water like the tentacles of a monster.

Cracks appeared on the weathered bark, forming the most abstract facial features, and a "human face" emerged.

Tree man...or tree demon.

There are similar monsters in the depths of the dungeon, such as some kind of tree man covered with moss, but they are just ordinary monsters, and their physical strength is not outstanding among monsters of the same level.

But the monster in front of me... is very strong.

Even from Jiang Liu's perspective, he had to say it was very strong, even stronger than the Chimera in front.

Is it the heaviness brought by the world?

Although he is not very outstanding in size, Jiang Liu feels like he is facing a mountain.

"Hoo-hoo-hoo!"

Take a deep breath and exhale, the strong wind pressure hits the water surface, almost splitting half of the lake in half. It is just breathing, but it feels like a sword.

After the human outline appeared, seven golden flashes appeared on the "chest". A closer look revealed that they were golden apples, but there was one missing in the center, as if one was missing.

The old tree demon seemed to have sensed something. He first lowered his head to "look" at his chest, then followed his senses to see the glittering golden fruit in Jiang Liu's hand, and someone's brilliant smile.

Bang!

It exploded like a cannonball!

Although it looks like a slow-moving creature like a tree man, it is decisive and violent when attacking, and its movements are so fast that they have nothing to do with plants. In the blink of an eye, a huge hole was smashed into the lake surface by the old tree demon's heavy punch, and countless water splashed up.

However, this punch did not actually touch the water surface. Only the wind from the fist had an effect, because it had been caught by another slender arm long before it hit the water surface.

"Oh, what a great strength!"

Jiang Liu gritted his teeth slightly and said with a smile: "But it's not enough!"

Dark stripes once again spread across the surface of the skin and quickly climbed up to his face. Jiang Liu now looked like the villains in strange martial arts dramas who only relied on tattoos to highlight their personality.

As these lines unfolded, the arm that had been trembling slightly suddenly stabilized, and the domineering aura emanating from his body became even stronger, gradually showing signs of materializing.

This is the "secret of the druids".

This technique can neither be called magic nor a skill. Logically, it requires three natural magics of the same series for subsequent practice. However, Jiang Liu is different. Due to his special physique, he can practice directly.

The essence of this technology is to use the free magic power in the external environment to strengthen one's own body. However, due to the difference between the "outside world" and the "inside body", these magic powers can only be used as temporary supplements at most and cannot remain in the body for a long time. If the secret method is used for too long, it may even cause hidden dangers to the body.

As for the stripes on his body?

It is something like a "sensor", which is the free magic power gathered and materialized on the surface of the body. After it is officially formed, it will be particularly sensitive to the free magic power, and the efficiency of absorption and conversion is extremely high.

Jiang Liu not only used the absorbed magic power to strengthen his body, he also developed methods to restore physical strength and heal injuries. Out of some complicated feelings, he once jokingly called the Druid secret method "Little Fairy Mode".

Of course, unlike a certain ninja’s worldview, the Druid secrets here are similar in principle and usage to the Sage Mode, but there is a huge gap in actual power.

The Druid secret technique only improves physical ability to one level, and it does not have the kind of earth-shattering power that the later Ninja world has.

"—"

The old tree demon let out a silent roar, and the surrounding atmosphere suddenly "frozen", and even Jiang Liu's body sank slightly.

This was not an illusion caused by momentum, but there really was a force suppressing everything in the space, naturally including Jiang Liu.

This is the field!

I don’t know if it’s magic or talent, but the old tree demon can actually release something like a barrier. Anyone who is inside it will be bound by it and their body will become "heavy".

In addition, this old tree demon is LV7 and is a special race with specially enhanced muscle strength.

With the two combined, its pure power has even surpassed the A+ strength in the Type-Moon world!

However, Jiang Liu is not easy to deal with.

"Ha! Come on!"

The thin body seemed to "swell" a bit at this moment, and actually recovered a bit of Jiang Liu's former style. The explosive muscles carried the pressure of the field and pushed the old tree demon's fist back!

"call!"

After activating the druid secrets, Jiang Liu at level 1 was already able to chat and laugh with the old tree demon, and even wrestle with him.

Originally, he might not be able to reach the domain, after all, he is only in the "growth stage" now, and is at level 1 without any upgrade. Even if he trains his overall ability to S, he cannot fight against a guy like the old tree demon who specializes in strength.

But, in fact, after he killed Chimera, his physical ability value had increased again, but the sacred text on his back needed to be updated by Hebe, so it did not change for the time being. However, the "Original Codex of All Things" in his spiritual world had been updated long ago.

Chapter 175: Underwater Sea of ​​Trees

"Oh!"

"Oh!"

A huge, deep sound like a battering ram hitting a city gate was heard, and waves more than ten meters high were raised on the lake again and again. The entire space seemed to have turned into a raging sea under a storm, and the surging white waves made it impossible to see what was going on inside.

Even on the shore, there is no way to escape the wind and waves, but fortunately, Bell and the other two are adventurers. Although they cannot intervene in a battle of this level, they can still hide behind rocks to avoid the waves.

But even so, Aisha still needs to pull the other two, otherwise Chunji and Bell might not even be able to grab the stone and be washed away.

In the center of the lake, what was originally an isolated island has now completely become the center of the vortex. The old tree demon's legs are immersed in the water. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary humanoid monster, but after a fist fight with Jiang Liu, the lake water surged and parted, revealing the huge root system hidden underneath.

Its roots are crisscrossed and twisted, and their volume is much larger than the entire body above the water!

Jiang Liu couldn't help but be amazed when he saw it. This guy's roots might be able to extend directly to the bottom of the lake. No wonder it didn't shake at all during such a fierce battle on the water. It turned out that it had a "foothold".

On the contrary, Jiang Liu must rely on the "Heavenly Movement" technique to move on the water surface.

He had never specifically practiced the "Moon Step" among the six styles, and in this case it might not be as good as Sakura Ryu or Tendo.

(Among the six styles, Jiangliu only learned "Shaving" at the beginning, and later learned "Iron Block" to practice Armament Haki. As for "Storm Kick" and "Paper Painting", they were learned naturally, but he didn't learn "Gun Finger" and "Moon Step" too much, mainly because these two skills already have better alternatives for him.)

Moreover, the "lake water" environment is quite unfavorable to Jiang Liu...

He had also eaten a devil fruit, and although he had avoided the worst situation because of his divinity, it would still take a lot of training to completely get rid of the landlubber curse, and he hadn't spared much time since then (although he had been here for a few years, he was basically learning druid secrets, and to get rid of the landlubber curse, he had to be in combat or in a more urgent state - taking a bath every day would definitely not work).

Basically, you have to rely on adventuring in certain floors of the dungeon to train.

Originally, after his body was transformed by Timothy, all aspects of his physical qualities were improved and optimized, but the curse of being a landlubber did not disappear, but always followed him, as if the ability of the devil fruit was always in him.

It seems that the power of the devil fruit and the curse are inseparable, but Jiang Liu's special situation can increase his tolerance to the curse.

Having said that, Jiang Liu cannot take in water now. Although he will not be drowned, his physical ability will definitely be limited. And how could he reveal such a flaw in such a fierce battle?

Therefore, Jiang Liu had no choice but to try his best to fly in the air or step on the water to deal with the tree monster.

Fortunately, he had rich combat experience, his strength was not inferior to that of his opponent, and his skills were far superior, so he was not in much trouble. However, he was unable to win quickly, which made him quite troubled.

"Come!"

Jiang Liu, who was gradually losing his patience, summoned the Demon Armor. His fists were covered with a thick layer of domineering aura. He shouted and attacked the tree monster with all his strength.

This was not a simple straight punch. The strong wind it created swirled around his hand like a small tornado, while its core was the Sakura Style domineering aura that turned into a pointed cone.

"Sakura Flow o Diamond O Break!"

The invisible conical wind pressure crushed the tree demon's fist and pierced through his chest mercilessly, leaving a transparent hole with a diameter of one meter.

The tree demon's movements suddenly froze, and the branches and trunk that made up its body suddenly scattered, revealing the golden fruit inside...

However, just as Jiang Liu was about to step forward to take the golden apple, he suddenly thought of something.

It seems that all monsters in this world will drop magic stones when they die.

Jiang Liu paused, and almost at the same time, the tree demon that had "scattered" suddenly shook itself up again. The messy branches rolled up and surrounded Jiang Liu in the center like a giant with outstretched arms. The thick branches that attacked from all directions blocked his limbs, and then suddenly shrank, seemingly about to crush this human of a much larger size into a meat paste!

"Tsk!"

Feeling the tremendous pressure coming from his body, Jiang Liu did not panic at all. Instead, he snorted impatiently.

"You are underestimating me!"

A sword pressed through the layers of branches and cut the huge tree monster in half!

The sword pressure extended out, splitting the entire lake into two, like a reappearance of a myth!

Yingliu o Dragon Slash - Immortal Slash is already in Jiang Liu's hand.

The tree demon's disintegrated limbs fell on the lake and gradually sank into the water...but it was still not dead.

Looking at the branches that retracted into the water and formed a huge shadow together with the huge root system, Jiang Liu stood on the water with the Immortal Sword in his hand, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"I won't let you run away!"

Taking a deep breath, the light and shadows that were almost visible to the naked eye were twisted and flickering around Jiang Liu. It was the cherry blossom flow that stirred the atmosphere, forming a "shield" with a thickness of one meter.

Then, without hesitation, Jiang Liu lifted the effect of "Heavenly Movement" and sank into the lake like a falling rock, stirring up countless waves.

"—"

A white line rushed from the water surface to the bottom of the lake like an arrow shot from a bow. The resistance of the water seemed to be non-existent to him. After he dived underwater, what he saw was a twisted monster that almost filled the entire bottom of the lake, like a sea monster running out of a nightmare.

Every root and every branch seemed like a sea devil's tentacle, waving and trying to catch something in the dim bottom.

Ordinary adventurers probably don't even have the courage to face this thing, but Jiang Liu has no fear or intention of retreating.

Time is running out!

Even though he has reached a level where he can hold his breath for a considerable period of time, he cannot completely get rid of oxygen. The more intense the battle, the more oxygen is consumed.

In addition, although this shield composed purely of domineering aura can prevent him from being submerged in water and maintain his full combat effectiveness, the consumption of "Sakura Flow" in this way is quite high. The longer the time goes on, the more exhausted his physical strength will be.

Finally, there is this opponent...he is too big.

Previous speculation about its root system was wrong. It is much more than “several times the size of the tree crown”!

Even if the trunk was destroyed, it would not be enough to kill it completely. Jiang Liu didn't think that such a huge plant would die just by cutting off one or two roots or branches.

In that case——

"Open the world!"

The fruit ability and spiritual perception were released at the same time, and Jiang Liu's invisible domain instantly covered the entire bottom of the lake.

For a moment, the whole world stopped in his eyes, and the dark bottom of the lake became as clear as day.

Any slight fluctuation will be captured by it, even the faint undercurrent in the distance.

The tree demon that occupied the bottom of the lake now exposed its true appearance to Jiang Liu's perception.