Chapter 60 : Chapter 60
Chapter 60: Come, Keep Up That Arrogance of Yours!
Lu Zhan’s entire seamless chain of attacks had caught the grotesque peach tree completely off guard.
Fast!
Far too fast!
In the span of a lightning flash, Lu Zhan had appeared right in front of it. Then he had given it a savage beating on the spot, nearly knocking it senseless.
Only after being pinned beneath his foot did it finally react.
It was enraged.
This human had actually dared to humiliate it like this.
“Human, you are courting death! I had only intended to let you die in bliss, but since you insist on seeking death, I will grant your wish!”
Countless thick roots burst out of the ground. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. They crossed through the air and stabbed toward Lu Zhan from every direction.
“Your life is already in my hands, and you still dare threaten me? You’ve got some nerve.”
Lu Zhan did not waste words. The Longevity Saber came straight out of its sheath. Dark red Saber Intent poured forth and instantly shredded the grotesque peach tree into pieces.
Hm?
There was no kill notification? It was still not dead.
This time, Lu Zhan was genuinely surprised. He casually slashed through the roots lunging at him.
For a moment, broken roots rained down everywhere.
Yet among them, one pitch-black root, hard as iron, was not severed. It shot straight toward Lu Zhan.
Hidden in the dark, the grotesque peach tree could not help sneering at the sight.
“Hahaha, human, this is my main root. I spent endless effort nurturing it. It can even pierce through a Demon Nest itself. How could your blade possibly cut through it?”
“Hahaha, pay the price for your arrogance!”
Bang!
The main root struck Lu Zhan’s body, yet there was no scene of flesh and blood spraying everywhere as expected. At some point, a Qi and Blood Armor had appeared around him. The collision was like an ordinary peach tree slamming into a steel plate.
Lu Zhan did not even budge where he stood.
Talent [Refining Stomach Effect 3: Qi and Blood Armor]
The excess energy from the devoured flesh of Demon Beasts is automatically converted into a qi-and-blood defensive armor, capable of blocking a single attack equivalent to 80% of the host’s own power value (resets once per day).
“Qi and Blood Armor? Then let me see just how many attacks that armor of yours can withstand.”
In the next moment, the pitch-black main root of the grotesque peach tree lashed at Lu Zhan again and again like a whip.
“Hahahahaha, die! This is my home ground. I admit that you are strong, but I have cultivated this place for decades. How can you possibly fight me here?”
“If this were outside, perhaps I would not be your match. But inside the Demon Nest, you are fit only to become my nourishment.”
The grotesque peach tree laughed triumphantly. It wanted revenge for Lu Zhan’s humiliation.
It wanted to trample on Lu Zhan’s dignity. It wanted to kill him and crush his spirit.
“I have no idea what nonsense you’re babbling about. It’s just one rotten old root. If cutting it works, then I’ll cut it. Look how smug you are over it.”
Talent [Lesser Five Elements Treasure Body]
Effect 2: Can Sever All Things (Metal)
By absorbing Geng Metal Power, you can grant an item the [Can Sever All Things] trait, increasing damage dealt to a single target by 30%. Releasing Geng Metal Power allows you to weave a [Heavenly Net], increasing damage dealt to groups by 20%.
In the next instant, the already razor-sharp Longevity Saber became even sharper. A layer of gold spread over its original red glow, until the golden light completely covered the crimson.
Lightning flickered beneath Lu Zhan’s feet.
Then he shot straight toward the grotesque peach tree’s main root.
“Hahahahaha, human, you still think you can cut through it? Impossible. I used over a thousand human lives, their flesh, blood, and souls, to nourish it for decades. How could you possibly sever it?”
“Tell me, how could you possibly... sever it?!”
“How? Like this!”
In the next moment, golden saber light flashed past, and the pitch-black main root was cut cleanly in two!
Pain!
Violent, searing pain!
Pain of the flesh, and even more of the spirit.
“Ahhh!!!”
A shrill scream spread through the entire Demon Nest.
“Damned human, stop! Stop!!!”
It wailed. The entire peach grove was wailing in agony. But what did that have to do with Lu Zhan?
You wanted to fight, so they fought. And now you wanted him to stop, so he should stop?
There was no such good bargain in this world.
Lightning flashed beneath Lu Zhan’s feet, and the saber in his hand never paused.
One strike, two strikes, three strikes...
The pitch-black root went from one section to two, then three... more and more, until at last it became countless pieces.
The grotesque peach tree hurriedly tried to pull the main root back underground, only to discover in the end...
it was bald.
“Human, how about we stop here?”
The gorgeous face of the grotesque peach tree appeared on another peach tree in front of Lu Zhan. This time, the arrogance from before was gone, and its voice was full of wariness.
Lu Zhan smiled and slashed with one stroke.
“I still preferred that unruly look you had just now. Come on, keep up that arrogance of yours.”
In the next instant, the grotesque peach tree’s face appeared on another tree elsewhere in the grove. But now its features were twisting in fury.
“Human, must you really push this to mutual destruction?”
“Shut up! Trash like you thinks you can drag me down with you?”
Lu Zhan suddenly raised his head and looked at the entire peach grove with growing impatience. In the next moment, he lifted a hand. Threads of golden light burst forth and wove together into a [Heavenly Net] in the air.
Then he brought his hand down and clenched it in empty space.
“You’re in the way!”
In the next instant, Geng Metal Qi surged wildly like a vast ocean. Wherever it swept through, rocks, shrubs, bones, peach trees, everything in sight was reduced to dust in an instant.
Within a hundred-meter radius, not a blade of grass remained. Everything had been flattened to bare ground, save for a single peach tree standing silently at the center.
“Cough, cough, cough!” The grotesque peach tree coughed violently. “Master, please spare this servant. This servant was wrong. This servant is of the Nightmare Demon Peach clan. Spare this servant’s life, and this servant can bring Master enormous benefits.”
“And this servant can also attend upon Master. Master, please be merciful and spare this servant!”
As it spoke, the grotesque peach tree finally transformed into a gorgeous woman with a vaguely human form. She was the most human-like Demon Beast Lu Zhan had seen so far.
The third realm of Demon Beasts was called the Demon Guard Realm, the Form-Condensing Demon Guard.
But most demons could not reach her degree of transformation. And this Nightmare Demon Peach was indeed formidable. It had forced him to use several talents in succession.
It had brought out one technique after another. Had it been anyone other than him, even another Divine Sea Realm cultivator would probably have had grass three meters high growing over his grave by now.
The gorgeous woman knelt on the ground, imitating humans as she kowtowed and begged for mercy. Even the way she addressed him had changed from “human” to “Master.”
Lu Zhan merely looked at it with cold indifference.
“Arrogant, were you not? Why did you stop now? Weren’t you saying I was fit only to become your nourishment? Go on, keep performing.”
The Nightmare Demon Peach trembled. “I am sorry, Master. This servant deserves death. This servant has a foul mouth. Please punish this servant, Master!”
She looked pitiful and delicate.
An illusion?!!!
A sharp chill burst from Lu Zhan’s eyes. Under the creature’s horrified gaze, he seized the Nightmare Demon Peach and lifted it into the air.
“You are seeking death. You still dared to try to shake my state of mind!”
Crack! Crack!
The sound of something breaking came from its neck.
“No!!! Don’t!!! I don’t want to!!! Master, please spare—” Bang!
The Nightmare Demon Peach was reduced completely to dust.
Lu Zhan coldly dusted off his hands, as though he had just crushed an ant.
[ Ding! Congratulations, Host, on completing the side quest — Flatten the Demon Nest ]
[ Evaluation: The host single-handedly flattened the entire Demon Nest and successfully rescued 80% of the residents within the jurisdiction. Your achievement has left all your colleagues ashamed of themselves. ]
[ Overall Rating: A ]
[ Distributing rewards... ]