Chapter 2052: Breaking Through the Cauldron, Growing Toward the Sky

The battle among those inside the cauldron had been separated by the giant tree, turning into a deadly game of hide-and-seek, obscured by dense foliage and impenetrable darkness.

Just then, two figures swiftly emerged from the south of the forest and, without a word, charged directly towards the Wood King Cauldron.

Qingyang's guards, who were protecting the great cauldron, quickly formed a battle array upon seeing them.

Unexpectedly, meteorites began to fall from the sky. Some were as large as houses, others as small as millstones, and over a hundred of them crashed down within ten breaths, all landing within an area of about a hundred zhang.

Everyone's faces showed great alarm, and they scrambled to dodge; how could they possibly maintain their formation?

Liu Qingdao, who had been rushing forward, finally put away the paintbrush in his hand and drew a pair of precious swords.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, the ground shook and the mountains swayed.

The largest meteorite struck the Wood King Cauldron with precision, shattering into several pieces with a resounding crack.

Severely damaged by this impact, the walls of the Wood King Cauldron were slightly deformed.

Normally, such damage would heal in an instant. However, it was currently expending all its energy to suppress the growth of the Ask-the-Dao Tree within it, leaving no strength to repair the damage.

Crackling and snapping, several of the giant vines covering the cauldron were also snapped.

Amidst the rising dust and smoke, two streaks of sword light, one blue and one red, twisted and soared like dragons, piercing through the chests of several people as they flew.

Immediately after, the Bat Demonic Puppet transformed into its colossal full form, and, carrying Number 66, landed on the cauldron's body, striving to sever the remaining giant vines.

The Ghost Ape also produced a giant axe and began wildly hacking away with a series of thuds.

Yuan Xuan was anxious to regroup his forces and attack, but it was already too late.

Just as Dong Rui's demonic puppets severed three of the giant vines, the top of the cauldron suddenly bulged upwards, and with a continuous crackling sound, the remaining giant vines snapped simultaneously!

Immediately after, the Wood King Cauldron shattered!

Green flames and hot air erupted from inside the cauldron, surging outwards in all directions and causing the nearby forest to burst into raging flames!

Those standing outside the cauldron were caught off guard and, without the protection of True Monarch Muxiu, were swept away by this terrifying wave of fire; many were instantly vaporized, leaving not a trace behind.

Fortunately, as soon as Dong Rui approached the battlefield, he released his Snail Toad and had it carry him deep underground.

Ever since the treacherous ambush in Miancheng, he knew he had become a prized target in the eyes of the celestials, who would rather waste divine power and divine descent bodies to capture him. Therefore, in every major battle, his top priority was always his own safety.

Once underground, even immortals would find it difficult to catch him.

The Wood King Cauldron was directly burst open from within, as the giant tree, after breaking through the cauldron's mouth, continued to grow rampantly, only barely stopping when it reached a height of a hundred zhang!

Such a massive commotion startled all the birds in the forest, sending them flying and circling above the valley, chattering angrily.

Their incessant chirping could be heard from afar.

The giant tree's trunk was far thicker than the great cauldron, so the Wood King Cauldron was now a pile of shattered fragments.

The space inside the cauldron had long been squeezed out, forcing everyone to climb onto the tree.

After such a huge commotion, Dong Rui immediately asked the eyeball spider on his shoulder, "Hey, hey, are you still alive?"

"Alive," He Lingchuan's voice immediately came through the little spider. "An enemy is heading west!"

West? Dong Rui replied loudly, "Got it." Wasn't west precisely where he was?

Several demonic puppets immediately turned their heads in unison.

The person who landed and charged forward was a man around thirty years old, with a bruised, darkened face, pale lips, and cracked, bleeding skin.

He didn't look like an immortal, or even a master. But Dong Rui mused, how could an ordinary cultivator last so long inside the Wood King Cauldron?

This person wasn't actually heading for Dong Rui. He stopped as soon as he landed and turned to make hand seals and draw incantations towards the tree—

His true target was He Lingchuan, who was moving among the branches and leaves, battling Qingyang!

Seeing a faint purple aura emanating from his fingertips, Dong Rui realized the divine art he was preparing for He Lingchuan must be quite powerful. Displeased, he ordered his two demonic puppets:

"Get him!"

The Bat Demonic Puppet reverted to its smallest form, dropped from above, and shot like an arrow straight for his crown.

The man continued his hand seals without pause and looked up, blowing a breath at it.

The Bat Demonic Puppet felt as if its foremost wings had suddenly been burdened with immense weight, making it unable to fly and nearly causing it to plummet to the ground.

However, it successfully attracted the enemy's attention, making him oblivious to the monkey that had appeared behind him—until he felt a whoosh of air at the back of his head.

At this point, the man had no choice but to interrupt his divine art and first reach out to block the overhead strike from the Ghost Ape.

What a pity! This divine art, which required a long incantation, was more powerful than any he had cast before. He had once used it on a powerful cultivator who, in desperation, struggled violently, resulting in his own arm being torn from its socket.

Not merely dislocated, but literally pulled clean off!

Earlier, inside the cauldron, the strange tree grew too fast, and he couldn't always target people precisely. Fearing the effect would break bones if he used it haphazardly, he saved it for when he was outside.

His physical strength wasn't great, but the character "Exchange" glowed faintly in his palm.

This divine art allowed any weapon his hand touched to transfer its attack force to the ground beneath him, but it could only be used up to three times.

Thus, to the Ghost Ape, its fierce and unparalleled attack seemed to vanish like a mud ox entering the sea, effortlessly blocked by the opponent.

Absurd. Even the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds couldn't have stopped his great club with one hand.

Fortunately, at this moment, a pair of claws suddenly seized the man's elbows from behind and gave a mighty tug!

With a crisp snap, clear as a firecracker, the man's tendons tore and his bones separated!

Both his arms were forcibly torn off, making him unable to draw talismans any longer—

The one who enjoyed back attacks the most was none other than Number 66.

It didn't even need to move to the man's front, and with another crunch, it snapped his head.

Immediately, a cluster of gray light flew out from the man's mouth and nose, soaring straight for the sky.

The Ghost Ape, from somewhere, produced a cloth bag, untied its mouth, and roared at the gray light.

The cloth bag naturally emitted a powerful suction.

The gray light struggled desperately, darting left and right, but could not escape and was eventually sucked in.

The Ghost Ape tied the bag mouth tightly and let out two triumphant hoots, pleased with itself.

This Soul-Capturing Bag was another old treasure from the Illusion Sect, which Dong Rui shamelessly demanded and took by force, claiming that everyone else could capture souls, but he couldn't.

And look? A successful start.

A doorway inexplicably opened in the folds of the tree's roots, and Nanrong He and two others jumped out, their faces filled with stunned surprise.

After spitting out these three burdens, the Soul-Devouring Mirror instantly reverted to a palm-sized small round mirror, transformed into a faint glow, and went to find its master.

To protect these three people, it had barely participated in the previous battle, letting the Haoyuan Golden Mirror take all the credit—how infuriating!

Liu Qingdao had just arrived and followed the faint glow up the tree to support He Lingchuan.

Qingyang was already struggling greatly just dealing with He Lingchuan as a strong opponent. Several times she attempted to descend to the ground, but He Lingchuan intercepted her, knowing that once she landed, complications would surely arise.

Now, with the addition of another great immortal as an opponent, Qingyang was truly hard-pressed. She barely managed to parry for over ten rounds before He Lingchuan's halberd pierced her left lung, causing her to choke on blood immediately.

The wound was no more than three fingers' width from her heart.

But at the same time, a brilliant green light suddenly erupted from all around her.

"Retreat!" Liu Qingdao shouted loudly, and quickly retreated, covering He Lingchuan.