Chapter 363 - 198: A Gathering of Geniuses, a Monster’s Nest

Chapter 363: Chapter 198: A Gathering of Geniuses, a Monster’s Nest

Countless trees awakened one after another, drawing their branches up from the ground.

Watching this scene unfold, Pei Ze instantly understood and couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.

Clearly, all the trees in this vast forest were some kind of monster!

This vast island was nothing short of a monster’s lair!

And this was the trial for the first level!

Pei Ze’s expression immediately grew grim.

If these were just the branches of ordinary Tree Spirits and Tree Demons, he wouldn’t have been too concerned.

But the branches attacking him now seemed more like artificial creations. Each one was thick and massive. Not only were they harder than steel, but they were also imbued with a potent Power of Wood Element. Even Silver Star had to exert its full power just to shred them.

There were hundreds of thousands of trees on the island, which meant the number of branches was even greater.

As he looked out, the sky above the island was a writhing chaos of branches. Only the area at the island’s center, where the pillar of light stood, remained untouched and peaceful.

’So, the trial is to get through this blockade of branches and reach the pillar of light.’

With the objective clear, Pei Ze wasted no more time. He commanded Silver Star to transform into hundreds of metal spikes that swirled around him, forming a conical drill that spun at high speed. He then shot forward, a living, razor-sharp drill bit.

Every thick branch that tried to stop him was torn to shreds in his wake.

For a moment, Pei Ze was like a high-speed tank, forcefully carving a path through the ocean of branches, leaving the other Wizards staring in stunned disbelief.

"Who is that guy?"

"His attacks are so powerful! What kind of ability is that?"

"That’s clearly a Witchcraft Artifact, and a Tier Four Witchcraft Artifact at that!"

"No way... Oh, crap!"

That single moment of distraction was all it took. A Wizard was caught off guard, his defenses torn open by the surrounding branches. He was ensnared by a dense mass of them, which constricted tightly and dragged him down, where he vanished into the thick canopy below.

A few seconds later, a streak of light shot out from the forest and vanished into the distance.

The others saw this and instantly understood: the Wizard had been forced to use a life-saving item to escape. Their expressions grew serious, and they quickly refocused on the branches around them, not daring to let their attention wander for even an instant.

Pei Ze was unaware of what had happened behind him. All his attention was focused on fending off the onslaught of branches.

The closer he got to the pillar of light, the more numerous the branches became. And since there were fewer Wizards this far in, the number of branches targeting each person increased significantly.

Pei Ze felt as if he had fallen into a quagmire of branches, where every inch of progress demanded immense effort.

Taking a deep breath, he decisively unleashed his ancient runes.

A surge of blue and white light erupted as three arcane runes materialized and affixed themselves to Silver Star. Instantly, the metal spikes swirling around him were wreathed in a layer of dazzling electricity.

The metal spikes, which had been struggling to advance, gained a sudden surge of power, and his forward momentum increased dramatically.

"Oh?"

A soft sound of surprise reached his ears.

Pei Ze turned his head and saw a beautiful young woman looking his way. Her emerald eyes, like deep pools of water, held a hint of astonishment, as if she were surprised that he could brute-force his way through the ocean of branches.

After sizing Pei Ze up for a moment, the young woman quickly looked away and flew toward the pillar of light.

To Pei Ze’s astonishment, the surrounding branches didn’t attack the young woman at all. Instead, they parted before her as she advanced, clearing a path.

’This is...’

A flicker of realization crossed Pei Ze’s face.

He had researched the participants of the Battle of the Holy Ring before, and he recalled reading about a Female Witch named Ye Sinan. She was said to have an extraordinary aptitude for Plant Magic and was very likely in possession of the Heart of Wood Element.

Looking at the scene before him, he wondered, ’Could this young woman be Ye Sinan?’