Chapter 137 – In the Tree Realm, Ferocity First Revealed

Mu Yuan glanced at other major categories.

The number of Slimes had increased to 350, with no significant changes in rare units aside from a slight increase in Golden Slimes and Silver Slimes.

He planned to save most Evolution Points to feed the glutton Dolai.

These days, the Remnant Soul that cost Lord Mu the most Soul Crystals was the Falcon Remnant Soul.

The Hurricane Falcons served as his eyes and ears.

However, the territory previously had too few falcon-type units – sometimes several would die in battle shortly after purchasing a few, causing the numbers to stagnate.

It was difficult to accumulate enough Evolution Points to evolve one or two more Storm Falcons.

And without evolving to rare three-star grade, the breakthrough to Professional Tier wouldn’t have a 98% success rate, which was too unreliable.

Lord Mu couldn’t bear to allocate the limited slots in the Breakthrough Dojo to Hurricane Falcons with only an 80% breakthrough probability.

Even though,

with the territory’s upgrade, the available slots in the Breakthrough Dojo had increased to 60. However, compared to the growing number of ‘Level 9 Great Perfection’ units, the breakthrough slots remained tight.

After obtaining the ‘Black Wasteland’ and having a less empty wallet, Mu Yuan began spending great effort and high prices to acquire Falcon Remnant Souls.

Fortunately, the novice trial had ended, with fewer spenders competing for resources, allowing him to finally purchase…

over a hundred Falcon Remnant Souls!

Finally establishing a somewhat sizable reconnaissance corps led by ‘Asun’ – 12 Storm Falcons, 40 Hurricane Falcons, and several War Falcons.

As for the nature element, the numbers had slightly increased.

He had also evolved some additional ‘Flower Fairies’ and ‘Treant Guardians’, though not many, as most Evolution Points were saved.

Because the ace of the third main force, Tree Spirit Grandma, already possessed a solid foundation – only one evolution away from complete transformation.

Mu Yuan hadn’t forgotten that Tree Spirit Grandma was a unit that awakened self-awareness upon birth, with exceptionally high natural talent.

Hurry up, it’s not yet time for retirement.

…

The Treant Forest was serene and peaceful, with babbling streams and Flower Fairies and flower sprites playing among them.

And Slimes…

“Squish—”

A Slime let out a drawn-out squeal, tumbling and rolling out of the forest.

Dolai looked over with disdain – it had long passed the age of eating leaves, understanding that only during feasts could one truly enjoy delicious food.

In the forest’s core area, Tree Spirit Grandma basked contentedly in the sunlight, like an elder who had retired years ago to enjoy their twilight years.

Tree Spirit Grandma’s mentality was indeed not young.

Even though her existence spanned only about twenty days, she was extraordinary from birth.

She was an outstanding grade unit.

This grade already placed her in the high-tier category, and Tree Spirit Grandma was further blessed by heaven’s gifts, awakening self-awareness upon birth.

She also received racial Legacy.

As if having lived through many treants’ lifespans, Tree Spirit Grandma, upon awakening consciousness and wisdom, already understood numerous principles and common knowledge.

How to maintain branches;

How to choose the most suitable soil to take root;

A treant’s thousand years, nine hundred ninety-nine years of slumber;

Etc. Tree Spirit Grandma considered herself well-traveled and knowledgeable.”A person’s life, a tree’s life—from the moment of birth, it is predetermined. The barrier of rank is insurmountable. Goblins will always remain goblins, while dragons stand atop the world from the moment they are born. But…”

Over ten days ago, it had witnessed the evolution of the flower sprites with its own eyes.

At that time, Tree Spirit Grandma felt as if her entire worldview had been shattered.

According to the common knowledge passed down in her Legacy, if she recalled correctly, only one in a thousand, one in ten thousand—those with great Opportunity and extraordinary talent—could possibly evolve, right?

But what had she seen? Flower sprites, flower fairies, evolving one after another.

The miracles she had known seemed to be handed out wholesale, as if they cost nothing.

「There is still a cost.」

「The higher the rank of evolution, the more difficult it becomes, and the greater the expenditure.」

So said the Lord.

Tree Spirit Grandma thought that made sense… or so she tried to convince herself.

She was a cultured tree!

And today, the Lord decided to bestow upon her the radiance of evolution.

“This old one… can also evolve?”

“Basic stuff, all basic stuff~”

Dolai chimed in, putting on the airs of a seasoned Senior.

Mu Yuan approached slowly from a distance, surrounded by fluttering flower fairies, some perching on his shoulders.

He raised his hand toward the massive ancient tree.

With a distant wave.

The radiance of evolution descended.

This power was profound and mysterious, a Miracle that could only be understood by those who experienced it firsthand.

And at this moment, bathed in the Miracle, Tree Spirit Grandma transformed into light. Within the radiance, her tree body grew continuously, expanding, and expanding further!

Rumble—

Rumble—!

The very earth began to tremble. The commotion from this transformation was immense. Countless thick, brown roots surged forth like earth dragons, churning the soil into chaos, nearly affecting the surrounding trees.

Some trees could no longer stay put, pulling their roots from the ground and running away.

These were the ordinary treants rooted nearby.

But there were also many ordinary trees in the vicinity, none of which had the ability to move.

Suddenly, an invisible force emanated from Tree Spirit Grandma, who was still in the midst of evolution. The next moment, the surrounding trees seemed to come to life, shifting outward with the surging earth, clearing vast stretches of space.

Finally,

「Ding!」

「Prompt: Your troop ‘Ancient Treant · Tree Spirit Grandma’ has bathed in the light of evolution, advancing to ‘War Treant (Outstanding Three Stars),’ and has been perfected during evolution, learning the skill ‘All Trees Grow,’ and awakening the talent ‘Root Spirit Draw.’」

——

「Root Spirit Draw: When rooted in the earth, the War Treant can draw heavily upon the earth’s energy and the power of vegetation to restore its own energy and body. While rooted, the War Treant’s strength and defense are significantly enhanced.」

「All Trees Grow: Can manipulate its own branches to grow rapidly while becoming increasingly resilient. This skill can also be applied to surrounding trees.」

Earlier, Tree Spirit Grandma had likely used this skill to some extent to influence the nearby trees.

However, this growth was different from that of the flower fairies. This skill was more like forcing growth—a destructive, rampant surge. For War Treants and Ancient Treants, it was most suitable to use on themselves, manipulating their roots to lash at enemies.

Their bodies were their strongest weapons.

Weapons of war.

The prompt sound suddenly rang out again.”Notification: Your troop type Tree Spirit Grandma has gained some insight during evolution and learned the skill ‘Myriad Tree Realm’. This skill possesses…”

This seems to be a terrain-type skill similar to ‘Withered Bone Earth’!

Could it be that Tree Spirit Grandma also has the potential of little Deadbone?

Dolai hasn’t even glimpsed the shadow of terrain skills yet.

No, probably it’s just that Dolai is too dumb.

Mu Yuan thought with certainty.

……

With everything prepared, the Tianyuan Territory army began its march.

Although Deadbone wanted him to remain in the territory, Lord Mu decided to accompany the troops this time. It wasn’t that he particularly wanted to fight, but rather that some things could only be accomplished by him as the lord.

“If the situation is roughly as expected, we can employ Tactics A.”

Within the army, Mu Someone in black armor hid among the Skeleton Generals, completely inconspicuous.

He surveyed his surroundings.

The underground space was dim and gloomy, with only some special moss emitting faint, barely illuminating light that did little to dispel the darkness.

It was so eerily quiet that it seemed like some great horror could emerge at any moment.

Yet Mu Yuan remained completely calm, not the least bit nervous.

Even when occasional battles broke out in the distance and stray arrows flew past, his expression remained unchanged, as natural as if he were returning home.

After all,

he was a man who had experienced death dozens of times!

“According to reconnaissance, the monster tribe’s headquarters is located within the ancient underground city district, and the paths through the underground city…”

Three routes had been discovered so far.

The first was the most concealed, though the passage was quite narrow.

The second path was wide, but it passed by a flowing underground river and required a detour.

The third path was moderate, passing through a silent forest, though this route had complex terrain well-suited for ambushes.

“So, we’ll take the third route.”

“This path… I see.”

Deadbone understood.

Dolai followed Deadbone’s lead, its eyes shining with wisdom… wait, why are we taking the third route?

The main force contained no weak soldiers, and even rugged paths felt like walking on flat ground.

Soon, the silent forest came into view.

The vegetation here was black and purple, not particularly tall, growing in twisted shapes that resembled clawing demons in the dim light.

Suddenly, these demons tore off their disguises, revealing sharp fangs.

Numerous cave dwellers, cave spiders, jackalweres, lizardmen, and even higher-level creatures like Minotaur Warriors and night hunters appeared from all directions. The silent forest instantly became noisy and chaotic, filled with battle cries.

Slash—!

The outermost Skeleton Generals swung their swords, each strike capable of killing several cave dwellers or lizardmen.

However, the number of ambushers far exceeded expectations. It seemed their goal wasn’t just to weaken their forces, but to completely bury them here.

Even if Skeleton Generals could fight one against a hundred, they would eventually be overwhelmed by the surging tide.

At this moment, the powerful members of the monster tribe began to make their moves.

“It’s about time.”

Mu Yuan said.

With these words, he raised his hand. The Lord’s Mark on the back of his hand shone brightly, projecting a colossal figure into the dense forest nearby!

The War Treant had made its entrance!

Tree Spirit Grandma, fully prepared from the start, immediately sank its roots into the surrounding ground upon appearance, extending them deep into the earth. Simultaneously, using these spreading roots, it began frantically absorbing the surrounding earth energy and vegetation power.Clusters of plants and trees with dark purple leaves withered at a visibly rapid pace.

Meanwhile, Tree Spirit Grandma’s already massive form began to grow swiftly once more.

She brought her hands—which resembled gnarled roots intertwined with foliage—together gently in front of her.

Power rippled outward.

The earth churned, and tough, dragon-like roots burst through the soil, transforming the surrounding area into a forest domain in the blink of an eye.

These roots coiled around the monsters, binding and crushing them one by one.

Then, they absorbed the corpses and blood as nourishment.

Imperceptibly, the Root Spirit Draw talent seemed to undergo a subtle transformation. Enormous crimson buds sprouted from the roots, blooming slowly.

Inside, grotesque monsters covered in viscous fluid were revealed.

Their eyes snapped open.

They leaped down.

This, perhaps, was the peace-loving War Treant.

Apologies for the late second update—I’ve been feeling a bit off today and my mind is foggy. I hope I can pull myself together by tonight_(:з」∠)_

(End of Chapter)