Chapter 997: Eternal Demon Tree

"I have to admit, you've got me cornered. Tell me, what are your conditions? I'll agree to whatever you ask, as long as I can do it. But you absolutely cannot harm this heart of mine; you must ensure its form remains intact. Otherwise, I’ll fight to my last breath to make sure you regret it!"

Xu Yang sneered, unfazed by the Doctor's fierce demeanor. He knew he was the one in control, holding the Doctor's lifeline. No matter how viciously the Doctor spoke, he wouldn't dare genuinely harm Xu Yang.

"My question is simple: Tell me, who is the real mastermind behind all of this?"

As soon as Xu Yang spoke, even his servant, Empress Xi, beside him, looked confused.

"Master, what do you mean? Isn't the Doctor the one in charge here?"

Xu Yang burst into laughter. "In charge? You're thinking too much, friend. How could someone like him be the controller? If he were truly the actual head of this entire legion, he wouldn't have hesitated to devour the life force of his assistants just now.

More importantly, with his abilities and resources, how could he have obtained this special seed planted within his heart? As far as I know, the intelligence of Doctor Ping alone should be sufficient to accomplish the transplantation of a plant life system into a cultivator's body.

However, if one also wished to integrate a soul into the plant life system, that would be completely beyond his level of existence. Tell me, who gave you this seed? And who helped you establish your current plant system form?

Think carefully before you answer this question, because if I determine you are lying to me, you will lose everything you have now."

As Xu Yang spoke, the pressure in his palm silently intensified. During this process, the Doctor's body began to convulse wildly, as if in a spasm.

Clearly, this heart meant everything to him. The slightest increase in pressure from Xu Yang's hand would plunge the Doctor into endless agony, leading to his demise.

"I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you! Please, don't crush this heart. What’s planted in it is the Seed of Life, the life force fruit of the Eternal Demon Tree, one of the three dark overlords beneath the Endless Sea.

Everything you see now, including the power of this divine soldier legion, is controlled by the Eternal Demon Tree behind the scenes. I am merely a puppet of Lord Demon Tree. It’s because I possess this technological energy, civilization, and technology from an extraterrestrial world, that Lord Eternal Demon Tree decided to replicate me and make me one of the three most powerful legion overlords in this Endless Sea. Of course, I am merely his puppet.

As an investment and exchange, Lord Eternal Demon Tree bestowed this Seed of Life upon me and planted it in my heart. He also empowered me with a plant life system, allowing my strength to contend with any top-tier expert in the Endless Sea."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yang finally nodded calmly. "You haven't lied. Continue, I want to know more about these matters."

However, this time the Doctor failed to satisfy Xu Yang. According to his account, the Doctor had been imprisoned in this laboratory ever since acquiring the life force system.

Even his assistants had never left this laboratory; these people had been toiling here for hundreds of years.

While they had accumulated countless experimental results, the Doctor had not participated in the actual application of these findings in the real world.

As for how to reach the separate spaces where Xu Yang's other teammates were being held? The Doctor had no idea.

Xu Yang could tell that the Doctor, supported by a strong will to survive, was not lying. But the Doctor couldn't solve the problem Xu Yang truly wanted to address, which was quite awkward. At that moment, Xu Yang suddenly noticed that the heart in his palm had become extraordinarily agitated on its own.

"How could this happen?"

Xu Yang desperately tried to hold the heart firmly in his hand, preventing its power from exceeding his control. However, he ultimately failed to contain the terrifying force about to erupt from the heart.

Boom!

With a mighty roar, the incredibly powerful heart exploded in Xu Yang's palm, its energy diffusing outwards. Initially, this force carried a potent destructive power, seemingly intended to perish with Xu Yang.

However, how could Xu Yang's physical body be so easily harmed? This level of energy fluctuation was nothing more than a mere tickle to Xu Yang.

As the heart shattered, the Doctor's life force rapidly withered within a very short time. Witnessing this, Xu Yang finally understood: this must be the doing of the mastermind known as the Eternal Demon Tree, remotely severing the life force of its puppet, the Doctor.

By remotely controlling and shattering the power within the heart, it naturally cut off the Doctor’s life force supply. This was how it manipulated these puppets to achieve its unspeakable secrets.

"Master, act quickly! The Eternal Demon Tree wants to destroy the Seed of Life planted in this heart!"

Empress Xi quickly interjected, and at that very moment, the energy previously contained within the heart transformed into a chilling, purplish-black skeletal form, launching an assault on the small, emerald-green seedling in the center.

How could Xu Yang allow it to succeed? With a cold snort, he stomped his foot, and a powerful Angelic Domain swiftly enveloped the green seedling entirely.

Simultaneously, an immensely powerful primal force instantly erupted from Xu Yang's palm, utterly obliterating the black skeletal totem and completely nullifying the Eternal Demon Tree's control and threat over this Seed of Life.

With a gentle flick of his palm, the emerald-green seedling calmly settled into Xu Yang's hand.

The Seed of Life—this was definitely something immensely useful!

Such a plant could likely only exist within the Endless Sea. The value of this seed was truly immeasurable, far more valuable than the legion's treasure.

Xu Yang unhesitatingly stored this Seed of Life in his possession. At the same time, he extracted a trace of its inherent essence and infused this stolen information onto his Jade Bone Divine Sword.

"Hahaha! Master, are you planning to use the essence of this life to further locate where your teammates are being held?"