Chapter 617: Blood Tree Appears, Great Chaos Approaches

Xu Xiaoshou gasped, drawing in a sharp breath. This seamless execution truly shocked him.

"Aren't they all... Tai Xu?" Xu Xiaoshou's face turned green. He finally understood that there was a vast difference even among Tai Xu experts. Just as he, with his Innate cultivation and passive abilities, could resist a Sovereign—even if he couldn't kill them, self-preservation would certainly not be an issue. This demonstrated that on this continent, cultivation truly couldn't determine everything. Conversely, most of the time, people were confined by the concept of cultivation. But for the true powerhouses of the current era, cultivation was merely one of their tools, definitely not the entirety of their strength. This was even more true among Tai Xu experts.

"Indeed..." Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts shifted, and he suddenly felt a sense of relief. Perhaps that realm was still very distant for him. But for the upper echelons, the true chessmasters who controlled the Heavenly Dao, Tai Xu experts were certainly numerous. Yet, despite the abundance of Tai Xu experts, after tens of thousands of years of Sword Immortal legacy, each generation had at most seven. Wasn't that enough to indicate something?

"Pfft!" A pillar of blood spurted skyward from Cen Qiaofu's headless body. Gou Wuyue held him impaled with his sword, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Ba Zun'an. Anyone who saw the scene could tell it was a provocation. Anyone who saw it would be enraged!

"Are you trying to provoke me?" Ba Zun'an, however, didn't even glance his way. Even though Gou Wuyue had drawn his sword, shattered Haitang'er's domain, severely injuring him, then destroyed the Storyteller's external incarnation with another strike, and subsequently beheaded Cen Qiaofu on the spot, he appeared unfazed, as if nothing had happened.

Disappointment flickered in Gou Wuyue's eyes. "How much have you truly changed..." he sighed softly to himself. If it were the old Ba Zun'an, with his righteous character, he would have likely drawn his sword the moment Haitang'er was injured. But now... The eight-fingered man before him had changed so much he was practically a different person from decades ago. Gou Wuyue even doubted for a moment if this person was truly the same man from back then. Was he still the unruly, uncompromising... Eighth Sword Immortal?

"Leader." Haitang'er, dressed in blood-stained clothes, appeared beside Ba Zun'an and pressed a hand firmly onto his shoulder. "We should go," he said softly. The situation on the field had shifted too rapidly. Cen Qiaofu had just said he would cover their retreat, telling Haitang'er to take their leader and leave first. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he had been taken down by Gou Wuyue. Even if a Tai Xu expert couldn't die on the spot, Gou Wuyue's strength was truly beyond everyone's expectations. That fellow had unleashed no more than three sword strikes from the start until now! Yet, most of the Saint Servants were already severely injured. The tide had turned, and their morale had plummeted. If they continued fighting, even if their leader could contend with Gou Wuyue, what would be the consequences? Gou Wuyue could attack freely. Haitang'er knew that if their leader truly unleashed his full power, the first to be injured would definitely be himself!

"Go?" Haitang'er's grip on Ba Zun'an's shoulder was strong enough to snap it, yet Ba Zun'an's body didn't budge an inch. He said coldly, "Do you think he looks like he'll let us leave?"

Gou Wuyue remained silent, his keen, hawk-like gaze fixed on the few remaining Saint Servants on the field. Everyone felt immense pressure. Even though the white-clad figures hadn't moved yet, and only Gou Wuyue had made a move, all of his actions and demeanor were as if openly declaring an undisputed fact: "You are surrounded by me, Gou Wuyue!"

"Release me," Ba Zun'an said in a deep voice.

"But..." Haitang'er didn't let go; he couldn't let their leader die in vain.

"I said, release me!" Ba Zun'an's eyes narrowed, and the void seemed to tremble with him. Wisps of white mist rose from the ground, enveloping the surroundings with an ominous aura.

"Ugh!" Haitang'er's face twisted, and blood began to seep from his hand. He quickly released his grip, standing by his side, no longer daring to get close.

"Do I need to say it a third time?" Ba Zun'an's voice, however, turned completely cold. He stared intently at Gou Wuyue, paused for a moment, then his voice thundered, "Release!"

The void rapidly decayed. The white misty threads rising from the ground drilled into the void. At this moment, the white-clad figures throughout the area changed drastically in expression, and a commotion broke out among them. Even though they were far apart, everyone felt pain all over their bodies, as if thousands of needles were threading through them, threatening to pierce out.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft..." Some of the white-clad figures couldn't endure it, and sounds of blood being spewed rang out. Haitang'er also looked intently at Gou Wuyue, seeing his sword-wielding hand trembling violently, with white sword mist similarly emanating from it. Only then did he fully realize that the leader's three "Release me!" exclamations earlier weren't directed at him, but at Gou Wuyue.

"Sword Observation Art..." Gou Wuyue's pupils contracted sharply, clearly understanding what these white sword mists were. Sword Intent! It was the unique "Sword Observation Classic" created by Ba Zun'an, which could not only observe all spirit swords in the world to strengthen oneself but also observe and break through a Sword Immortal's body, harming enemies with the naked eye!

"Can't hold back anymore?" Gou Wuyue felt relieved and chuckled softly, "I thought you would only choose to fight me after all your people were cut down, but now..."

With a 'hiss', the Slave Gale Sound sword was pulled from Cen Qiaofu's body. Gou Wuyue spun his sword, leaving afterimages, and with a surge of spiritual energy, he sent Cen Qiaofu flying.

"Pfft!" Deprived of the sword's damage and the suppression of Tai Xu energy, Cen Qiaofu's head instantly regenerated, but he still couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood. His face was filled with awe, but his eyes held absolute resolve.

"Haitang'er!" A broken cry, with no further words. But everyone knew that this guy was unwilling to give up. Previously unprepared, he had been taken down in a single round. Now, he still intended to uphold his promise from that moment: to let Haitang'er take Ba Zun'an and leave first, while he covered their retreat!

"Crack." Pulling a thin, leafless branch from his embrace, Cen Qiaofu snapped it in half and swallowed one part.

"Shadow Branch of the Blood Tree?" Haitang'er exclaimed in alarm, "Woodcutter, no!" Cen Qiaofu, however, gestured for silence. His mind was made up. This battle, he had to fight it himself. The leader could act, but not now!

"Crack, crack—" The faint sound of cracking bones could be heard as Cen Qiaofu's body slightly contorted, seemingly undergoing intense internal changes. Then, he hunched over, his back clothing tearing, as a dark, blood-red branch burst forth. Cen Qiaofu's already aged face instantly lost all color. His body, which had barely any flesh to begin with, as the blood-red branch on his back swelled and contracted, his flesh seemed to be completely drained, and he immediately became skin and bones.

"Whoosh!" The blood branch, nourished, grew vigorously. In an instant, its canopy expanded, forming a tall, thick blood tree rooted to Cen Qiaofu's back. Cen Qiaofu's consciousness seemed somewhat unclear. His voice was low, yet he still struggled to utter a single word: "Go..."

Ba Zun'an's eyes flickered, narrowing, his four fingers clenched tightly.

"Leader!" Haitang'er's voice was filled with anxiety.

"A branch of one of the nine ancestral trees... the Blood Tree?" Gou Wuyue watched Cen Qiaofu's transformation with some surprise, then looked at Ba Zun'an with amusement. "Since when has the Eighth Sword Immortal, who once dominated an era, fallen so low as to require his subordinates to fight to the death to protect him, while he himself chooses to cling to life?"

"Gou Wu—" A cold light burst from Ba Zun'an's eyes, and he took a step forward.

"Pardon me." Haitang'er, disregarding everything, slapped him hard on the back of his head, directly implanting the "Confusing Flower Seed" into Ba Zun'an's mind.

"Me?" Ba Zun'an's vision blurred, and his body directly fell downward.

"Flowers bloom halfway, Nine Seas obscure the sky!" Haitang'er scooped with his left hand, embracing the unconscious body of Ba Zun'an, who had no defenses against him. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, the ground buzzed and trembled. Exquisite flower buds bloomed one after another, and in an instant, the earth was drained and cracked by the strange and exotic flowers.

"Whoosh." A gust of wind blew, and the hazy flower mist obscured everyone's vision. Haitang'er, holding the unconscious Ba Zun'an, vanished.

"Damn it!" "Act now, don't let these fellows escape! The grand formation... activate the Sky Veil Covering Nation!" "To your positions! With Senior Wuyue here, Flower Fragrance Hometown is nothing to fear. We just need to hold our ground, there's no need to..."

"Boom!" An explosion scattered the somewhat panicked discussions of the white-clad figures. Immediately, amidst the floating flower mist, they saw a pale blue figure stained with blood-red streaks shoot past them.

"This..." Everyone was stunned. Pale blue... In the entire area, besides a certain cluster in the sea of flowers, only Senior Wuyue had pale blue. Senior Wuyue, was he sent flying?

"Whoosh!" Another streak of bloody light shot out. As everyone's pupils trembled, they saw Cen Qiaofu, whose speed had become unnaturally fast under the Blood Tree's enhancement, too quick for anyone else to react. He had already soared into the sky, holding the Pan Immortal Axe high.

"Holy God, Rupture!" With one axe strike, the Sky Veil Covering Nation, which could quickly recover even after being attacked by Ba Zun'an, was instantly split in two! And then, "Rumble, rumble, rumble..." Countless specks of light burst forth across the sky. The Sky Veil Covering Nation was shattered!

"Holy crap!" "What kind of destructive power is this?" "That Blood Tree... it must be a joke. It's just a branch of the Blood Tree. Even if it can enhance a Spirit Refiner's attack, defense, speed, and combat awareness, how could it make someone so terrifying?" "This, this, this... could it be because the one being enhanced is an enraged Tai Xu expert?" "Holy crap! Look up!!"

The voices of the white-clad figures gradually grew more trembling as time passed. Because they noticed that Cen Qiaofu, who had split the Sky Veil Covering Nation with his axe, had lowered his head. His scarlet and inhuman eyes were like those of a monstrous beast. After a brief gaze, Cen Qiaofu raised his axe.

"Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish..." His hands moved so fast they became afterimages. Everyone's vision blurred, and by the time they reacted, tens of thousands of axe-lights unleashed by Cen Qiaofu had already struck!

"Damn it..." In that instant, everyone's hearts turned cold. An enraged Tai Xu, with the Pan Immortal Axe enhanced by the Blood Tree... Who in the entire area could withstand this attack?

"How dare you!" In this critical moment, Gou Wuyue's figure reappeared. Those with keen eyes could see that his back was already stained with blood. Clearly, in that instant when the flower mist emerged, even Gou Wuyue, one of the Seven Sword Immortals, had been affected. Although Cen Qiaofu seemed to have fallen in a single round earlier, a Tai Xu was still a Tai Xu. Even without the Blood Tree's enhancement, Cen Qiaofu had almost taken his life during Gou Wuyue's momentary daze.

"Sword Net!" The situation was critical, and Gou Wuyue didn't hesitate. He pulled the inverted famous sword into the air at light speed. The moment the Azure Silence sword shadow merged with the Slave Gale Sound, tens of thousands of horizontally and vertically intersecting sword lights rose from the ground. In a blink, the sword lights intercepted the tens of thousands of axe-lights. But during this brief delay, Gou Wuyue's unguarded front, where he couldn't recall his sword in time, was exposed to Cen Qiaofu's axe blade.

"Swish!" Cen Qiaofu let out a guttural roar that didn't sound human. Before anyone noticed a change, his figure disintegrated on the spot, then solidified behind Gou Wuyue.

"Boom!" A cross-shaped axe light flashed, spanning several miles in the void. A black hole replaced everything!

"Pop!" The anticipated bloody explosion didn't occur. Gou Wuyue was struck upwards by an axe. His body disintegrated into crystalline fragments.

"Illusion Sword Art!" Those below watched, terrified, yet they involuntarily cried out, their hearts surging with emotion. He's not dead! Senior Wuyue isn't dead! What luck... Bah, what luck? Shouldn't Senior Wuyue be alive? He's a Sword Immortal!

The battle on the field was intense. Gou Wuyue's body showed no sign of stopping. As his illusionary body dissipated and reappeared, he had already reversed his grip on his famous sword, stabbing fiercely towards Cen Qiaofu's crown.

"Soul-Nailing Sword!"

"Buzz—" A ripple of green spread through the void. Cen Qiaofu seemed to be in a trance, failing to react, and his head was pierced straight through from crown to chin. However, no blood gushed out. All the flesh and blood in his body had long been sacrificed to the Blood Tree.

"Roar!!!" Along with an extremely hoarse roar, the famous sword Slave Gale Sound dimmed. Then, the Blood Tree on Cen Qiaofu's back grew wildly again. The suddenly protruding branches not only absorbed the famous sword's power but also coiled around the sword body, attempting to entangle Gou Wuyue's entire being. Gou Wuyue quickly shook his sword, shattering the Blood Tree branches and pulling his sword free. As one of the nine ancestral trees, the Blood Tree's devouring power was terrifying. This could be seen from Cen Qiaofu, whose Tai Xu body couldn't withstand it.

"Number Thirty-Three!" After pulling his sword, Gou Wuyue didn't linger in battle but called out loudly. Then, his eyelids fluttered as if sensing something, and his figure flew into the distance.

"St-stay..." Cen Qiaofu mumbled unconsciously. The moment his toe touched the ground, his body, which had shot forward, was met by a high-intensity aerial whip kick that sent him crashing into a deep crater in the earth.

"Your opponent is me." Number Thirty-Three's figure appeared out of thin air. He lowered his head and looked at his right leg, which was full of holes from being pierced by the Blood Tree branches during the attack's interlude. He was very surprised. If he were human, if he had blood... He would have surely died after that one kick!

"Roar!!!" After Cen Qiaofu's beast-like roar, he pressed his hands onto the ground. The ground cracked and split rapidly. The Blood Tree took root and instantly grew vigorously, transforming the empty area spanning several miles into a dense forest of blood trees. The scene in the forest suddenly became somewhat bloody...

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" "Bang, bang, bang!" "Ahhh—"

After a brief pause, the Blood Tree thrashed wildly, as if possessed. Its branches lashed out erratically. White-clad figures who reacted even slightly slower were pierced by the branches and instantly drained into lifeless corpses amidst their wails.

"Damn it..." Number Thirty-Three watched the terrifying commotion below, remained silent for a long time, then uttered an exclamation he had learned from the human world. This scene was undeniably spectacular and chilling! Even as a Heavenly Secret Puppet, the thought of fighting that Blood Tree-bearing Tai Xu monster in this place made his scalp tingle.

"Huh, I don't seem to have a scalp?" He ducked, his toe pushing off the void, and his body shot downwards. To rescue the white-clad figures from peril, that was the mission of him, a Heavenly Secret Puppet!