Chapter 994: Inescapable Crisis P4: Harvesting Intent from Bitter Emotions

Faint green lines appeared along the scattered wooden debris’ surfaces, connecting the fragments like glowing veins.

Roots that Kanis had severed during the battle twisted violently, while broken vines dragged themselves across the ground. Even the smallest splinters began releasing wisps of green energy.

The energy converged.

Kanis’s eyes widened as he realized that the remains of the Demon Tree were not as lifeless as they appeared.

The Woodland Heart pulsed once.

A wave of Nature Essence erupted from it and spread through the debris.

WHOOSH!

The surrounding fragments rose into the air.

Before Kanis or Rumaal could launch another attack, the broken roots and vines began intertwining at an astonishing speed. They formed an enormous circular barrier around the mountain peak, with layers of twisted wood rising from the ground and joining overhead.

The green light spread rapidly through the structure.

Within moments, a familiar sight emerged from the debris.

A miniature version of the Devil’s Den Formation had taken shape around them.

Its scale was far smaller than the original formation that had once enveloped Emerald Cove Island, but its structure was unmistakable. Thick wooden roots formed the outer framework, while countless vines intertwined between them, creating a dense barrier that blocked the surrounding landscape from view.

The barrier continued expanding until its upper branches met overhead, completely enclosing Kanis, Rumaal, Anaah, and Mirelle within a woodland cage. All of this happened within a split second, not allowing Kanis or Rumaal to take countermeasures.

BOOM!

The final sections of the barrier slammed into place.

Kanis immediately turned around and swung his sword toward the nearest wall.

A blue-white slash struck the intertwined roots, releasing a shower of sparks and splinters.

Yet the barrier did not collapse.

Instead, the severed vines began moving again, their broken ends twisting toward one another as fresh layers of wood grew over the damaged sections.

Kanis’s expression darkened.

He had destroyed the Demon Tree. He had watched its trunk split apart and its roots fall lifelessly to the ground. He had even approached the Woodland Heart believing that the greatest danger had already passed.

And yet, the remains of the tree had somehow reconstructed a formation around them.

Rumaal and his wives quickly gathered near Kanis, their earlier excitement over the Woodland Heart replaced by caution.

Kanis’s attention remained fixed on the Woodland Heart, which was now suspended within the center of the newly formed barrier. The green veins beneath its surface had brightened again, and the pure Nature Essence it emitted was flowing through the surrounding roots.

The Demon Tree was dead but whatever mechanism had allowed its remains to form this woodland barrier was still functioning.

Kanis narrowed his eyes and raised his sword.

He had no intention of wasting time investigating the formation when he could simply destroy it again.

A sharp sword light flashed from his blade, carrying his formidable Sword Intent toward the nearest section of the barrier.

SHING!

The enormous roots split apart, and the surrounding vines were severed by the flying slash. For a brief moment, the barrier appeared to have suffered considerable damage.

Then the wooden fragments began moving.

Fresh roots emerged from the gaps, while the severed vines twisted together and rapidly filled the openings. Before the damaged section could collapse, the barrier had already restored itself.

Kanis’s sword strike had failed to break through.

His expression grew solemn.

He had used the same Sword Intent that had destroyed the original formation, yet the results were entirely different. Although his attack had damaged the woodland barrier, its recovery speed had surpassed his damage output.

The formation had held.

‘It has been modified.’

Kanis immediately understood that this wasn’t simply the original Devil’s Den Formation reconstructed from the Demon Tree’s remains. Someone—or something—had altered its operating principles, allowing it to recover from attacks that should have been sufficient to destroy it.

More importantly, the formation seemed to employ an Intent-based technique. Perhaps, the original Devil’s Den used the Intent-based technique as well. However, this was Kanis’s first time observing the formation from inside. Obviously, he could discern more details.

Kanis could sense something unusual flowing through the barrier, but he couldn’t identify its origin. It wasn’t the Sword Intent he cultivated, nor could he confidently associate it with any other Intent he knew.

He wasn’t even certain what powered the formation.

Was the Woodland Heart supplying the necessary energy? Had the Demon Tree left behind some special form of Intent that continued to function after its death? Or was another source sustaining the barrier from somewhere beyond their perception?

Each possibility raised further questions.

Kanis tightened his grip on his sword as he studied the glowing veins running through the wooden walls.

‘What kind of Intent is this? And whose Intent could be powerful enough to sustain such a formation?’

He had encountered many unusual techniques during his cultivation journey, but this one was beyond his current understanding.

The original Devil’s Den Formation had already been extraordinary. Its woodland variant was even more troublesome in a different way.

Rather than relying solely on its defensive strength, it could repair the damage inflicted upon it before an attacker managed to break through.

Kanis couldn’t help feeling that he had overlooked something important. Unfortunately, the formation had no intention of giving them time to investigate.

RUSTLE! RUSTLE!

The wooden walls suddenly trembled.

Before anyone could react, countless vines burst out from the ground and descended from the canopy overhead. Thick roots shot toward the four cultivators from multiple directions, while smaller branches twisted together to form cages intended to restrict their movements.

At the same time, the ground beneath them erupted.

Woodland boars charged out of the exposed soil, their enormous tusks gleaming as they rushed toward the intruders. Behind them came woodland bears covered in thick bark-like fur, their claws tearing through the earth as they roared. Other woodland creatures emerged from the tangled vegetation, each one displaying varying degrees of strength and ferocity.

The sudden assault came from every direction.

Kanis’s expression hardened as he swung his sword, severing the vines approaching him. Rumaal and his wives immediately began casting their respective Spirit Spells, preventing the roots from surrounding them.

However, the formation’s attacks weren’t concentrated on a single target.

Instead, the woodland creatures and countless vines coordinated their movements, forcing the four cultivators to defend themselves against repeated waves of attacks. Whenever one of them attempted to assist another, fresh roots and vines emerged to obstruct their path.

One had to know that the intensity and power of this modified woodland formation was much more potent than anything previously observed. This was because the island was full of negative emotions at this point.

Even someone like Kanis was forced to engage with the distractions. Such was the power of the formation when it was employed using its original functionality. One could even say that this was the first time Devil’s Den formation had been deployed with its fullest potential.

The woodland bears charged into the gaps between their attacks, while the boars exploited every opening to force the cultivators away from one another.

It was a clever strategy.

The formation wasn’t merely trying to overwhelm its opponents with brute force. It was deliberately separating them, ensuring that no imperial cultivator could easily come to another’s rescue.

And while Kanis, Rumaal, and Anaah were occupied with the more obvious threats, Mirelle encountered something far more dangerous.

Several blue and purple vines emerged from beneath the ground near her feet.

Unlike the ordinary woodland vines attacking the others, these possessed a strange, almost unnatural appearance. Their surfaces shimmered with faint blue and violet patterns, and their slender branches were covered in tiny thorns that seemed to absorb the surrounding light.

Mirelle immediately recognized that something was wrong.

She flicked her wrist, releasing a Spirit Spell that swept through the approaching vines. A wave of energy tore apart most of the branches before they could reach her. She then summoned her weapon artifact and swept it through the air, cutting down another cluster that had descended from above.

For a brief moment, she appeared to have gained the upper hand.

Then several thin roots emerged from beneath the remains of the severed vines.

They moved too quickly.

One wrapped around her ankle, while another coiled around her wrist. Before Mirelle could sever them, several more branches shot toward her from different directions, winding around her waist, arms, and legs.

“Get off me!”

Mirelle’s expression changed as she released another Spirit Spell.

The resulting burst of energy destroyed most of the vines clinging to her body. Yet a few managed to survive, their smaller branches burrowing between the gaps in her defenses.

Tiny thorns pierced her skin.

At the same time, countless fine subroots spread from the vines, digging into her flesh and tightening their grip around her limbs.

Mirelle gritted her teeth and tried to tear them away.

That was when the real attack began.

A strange substance flowed through the blue and purple vines, entering her body through the embedded thorns and subroots. It wasn’t ordinary poison, nor did it resemble the Spirit Essence used by conventional techniques.

It was something far more insidious.

Negative Emotion Essence.

The woodland formation had harvested it from the countless mortals and low-level cultivators scattered across Emerald Cove Island. Their fear, grief, despair, anger, and helplessness had accumulated during the destruction of their homes and the apparent death of the tree they regarded as their guardian.

The formation had gathered those raw emotions and refined them into a usable essence.

Now, it was injecting that essence directly into Mirelle.