Chapter 183 : Tree of Causality Ruins
Traveling with Yi Cheng, Lonis truly experienced the strength of a Rainbow Abyss inheritor.
The underground world was complex and intricate, but Yi Cheng would absolutely never get lost. And though certain mechanisms were hidden, they still couldn't escape Yi Cheng's observation.
Having such a person as a companion was undoubtedly very reassuring.
Under Yi Cheng's guidance, several people silently arrived at the core of this underground ruin.
The scene that greeted them stunned Lonis.
This was an exceptionally grand cylindrical cavity, estimated to be over a hundred meters high, with a diameter of about several dozen meters.
At the very top of the cavity, a tree was growing upside down.
Its roots continuously spread and attached to the ceiling, while its branches and leaves stretched forcefully toward the underground position.
But unlike ordinary trees, all its leaves were black.
An ominous aura permeated the space, making Lonis feel as if even breathing had become a difficult task.
(This is the Tree of Causality Ruins? But it feels slightly different from what Dr. Okali described... And those people bound by the hearts earlier, could they also be providing energy here?)
......
Lonis held her breath. There were quite a few Animated Armors in the cavity, vigilantly guarding the surroundings.
Dr. Ma Run, dressed in work clothes, stood on a high platform, seemingly performing some kind of ritual:
"Ancient power, please respond to my call and open the path to the Tree Abyss for me! I will use my own blood as nourishment, fulfill my destiny to revive the Boundless Lands. I will eliminate all the vermin in this world and clear the path for your glory."
......
What was Dr. Ma Run trying to do?
Though Lonis was still confused, Elucia seemed to see through something and said:
"I knew it... I knew it would be like this."
"Master, what do you mean 'knew it'..."
"Dummy, don't you feel it? The Green Temple."
"Eh?!"
"Using the power of the Tree of Causality Ruins, Ma Run is trying to open the path to Green Temple... We can't hesitate any longer, we must stop him."
"How do we do it..."
"Dummy maid, you and Dr. Okali stay here. Yi Cheng and I will act simultaneously to see if we can subdue Dr. Ma Run while dealing with the guards."
Elucia's attack was extremely swift.
The demon soldiers standing outside didn't even have time to react before their bodies were pierced by pitch-black swords. The demon soldiers in the inner perimeter didn't have time to resist before their heads were covered by black mist.
This was Elucia's finishing move, Sensory Deprivation.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yi Cheng also stepped forward, drawing out the weapon granted to her by Clear Temple.
It was a beautifully shaped, arc-like long staff.
Though it appeared to be for casting magic, Yi Cheng used it as a halberd... The weapon imbued with Clear Temple's divine power was exceptionally sharp, slicing through the Animated Armor's bodies as easily as cutting vegetables.
Because of this, though there were quite a few Animated Armors in the hall, even including what looked like a demon officer who seemed to be a captain, after just a few rounds of combat, all the demons were slain.
......
(So amazing!)
Watching Elucia and Yi Cheng fight was like watching a performance.
No wonder the power of Rainbow Abyss was so coveted—it could almost change the world's balance.
......
However, though Elucia and Yi Cheng's battle was clean and efficient, an unexpected incident occurred.
Originally, Elucia's Sensory Deprivation should have also affected Dr. Ma Run... but Dr. Ma Run's position was right next to the Tree of Causality Ruins.
That ball of black light hadn't even reached Dr. Ma Run before it was completely absorbed by the Tree of Causality Ruins.
......
So the bearded Dr. Ma Run also saw this scene...
Facing Elucia, who was like the Grim Reaper, his body couldn't stop trembling.
"How, how is this possible?"
"Dr. Ma Run, I think you should surrender."
At this moment, this black-haired girl's aura was so concentrated, sharp like a fierce and malevolent female demon... In contrast, the disheveled Dr. Ma Run appeared thin and weak. If uninformed people saw this, they wouldn't know who the real villain was.
However...
Faced with the imminent threat, Dr. Ma Run seemed to give up on himself and laughed maniacally:
"Haha, hahahaha!!!! You foolish humans are already too late."
"Ma Run, what exactly are you trying to do? Why did you steal the Tree of Causality Ruins? Why did you harm other researchers?"
Okali stepped forward and sternly questioned him.
She tightly clenched her fists, as if she had pent-up anger with nowhere to vent.
However...
"Oh, Dr. Okali, you came too... Why I stole the Tree of Causality Ruins, don't you already know?"
"What?"
"Stop playing dumb. You and I both know that the Boundless Lands was once an incredibly dense and prosperous forest. It was human warfare and biochemical weapons that completely destroyed this place! And now, I will use the power of the Tree of Causality Ruins to erase all humans from here and restore the world to what it should be."
"Ma Run, how can you think like this!!"
......
Dr. Okali roared, while Elucia seized the opportunity to attack Dr. Ma Run.
But Dr. Ma Run seemed to have anticipated this and stepped back.
He was already on a high platform, and now with a leap, no one could stop him in time.
Splat!
With a violent impact, Dr. Ma Run fell onto the reserved floor, becoming a pile of bright red minced meat.
"How is this possible?"
"!"
This gruesome scene made Lonis unable to bear watching.
But at the same time, strange things happened.
The Tree of Causality Ruins, which had been relatively calm, slowly began to writhe... It extended its branches toward Dr. Ma Run's corpse.
And then...
Whether blood or flesh, everything was absorbed by the branches.
Bright red blood flowed along the branch veins, gradually surging toward the core... And the branch tips that originally only had black leaves bloomed with blood-red petals one by one.
At the same time, those dead demon soldiers seemed to be affected as well, with blood continuously gathering toward the branches and leaves, making those flowers even more vivid.
"It's reversal!"
Gazing at this scene, Yi Cheng gasped.
"Reversal?"
"That's right. In the normal biological world, plants are producers while animals are consumers. Energy flow is always from nature to plants, then to organisms. But the Tree of Causality Ruins is exactly the opposite. It can devour the energy of humans and various organic matter to supply its own growth... And the reason Ma Run captured those researchers was to cultivate the Tree of Causality Ruins's ability to consume people."
"!"
Plants eating people?
Hearing such a thing, Lonis's first reaction was that it was absurd.
But just like the laws of nature...
Circulation was the essence of material flow in this world, the foundation that constituted the world's operation.
And Dr. Ma Run's purpose was to completely eliminate traces of humanity in this world and restore everything to its natural state.
(So Dr. Ma Run actually...)