Chapter 987: Multiple Factions Arrive

As Li Qing pondered, unusual activity began to stir beyond Condensed Light Lake.

His void refinement realm divine soul was not to be trifled with; he sensed it immediately.

In the distance, the earth churned violently as massive green plants erupted from the soil, one after another.

Boom!

The Tree Demon Clan had arrived!

Sensing the commotion, Li Qing's pupils contracted sharply. Beneath the solid earth, vibrant qi mechanisms surged upward.

In an instant, a true colossus of a tree shot skyward, its canopy obscuring nearly half the sky and dimming the light.

It was a treant, its trunk adorned with twisted limbs that resembled roots.

The massive treant shook its canopy, scattering a vast shower of leaves that drifted on the wind, filling the air.

As the leaves touched the ground, they took root and rapidly grew into low-lying saplings, sealing off the entire Condensed Light Lake area.

"Only a few humans present?"

"Good. Let's just sweep them all away together."

The colossal treant let out a deep growl and immediately attacked Li Qing and the others.

Overconfident, or perhaps looking down on the human race, it chose to face all three of them at once.

Boom!

Hundreds of branches shot out towards Li Qing and his companions at blinding speed.

But those who had reached this point were no ordinary foes. The treant's attack missed its mark as Li Qing and his companions easily evaded it using their individual techniques.

However, this maneuver scattered them, breaking their formation.

"Breath of the Great Earth!"

Having separated the trio, the treant wasn't done. It animated the newly sprouted saplings, transforming them into small tree-like creatures that swarmed towards Li Qing and his companions.

"Let's strike together. We'll cut down this treant first," Old Lord Hei You murmured, unwrapping the bandages that had been wrapped around his body.

Screech!

A chilling wind swept through the area as grotesque yin souls erupted from Old Lord Hei You's body, charging to meet the advancing tree-creatures.

Hu Sheng proved his mettle as well, refining his lifebound magical treasure into a scarlet jade bell.

Clang!

A resonating bell wave erupted, instantly reducing the surrounding treants to dust.

Li Qing, however, was even more decisive. With a single hand, he unleashed a pitch-black spiritual flame, condensing it into a flame dragon that swept through the area.

Roar!

A realistic dragon's roar echoed as a sea of fire erupted across dozens of square kilometers, leaving no trace of life!

Li Qing took a deep breath, enveloped himself in flames, and unleashed the four types of heavenly spirit fire within his body.

Boom!

Terrifying flames swirled around him and soared upward, manifesting a colossal flame giant that towered between heaven and earth.

The giant treant watched in shock. "Flame Dharma Manifestation?" it cried out.

Ignoring the treant's exclamation, Li Qing took a massive stride forward and hurled a devastatingly powerful fire fist at the treant's core.

Boom!

The scorching heat warped the air, leaving a trail of blackened earth in its wake.

Seeing this, the giant treant hastily conjured a shield of countless leaves before it.

Bang!

A fiery fist strike landed on the treant's leaf shield, but it didn't shatter. It only left a scorched mark.

"So it's merely a facade, not a true Dharma Body manifestation."

The treant clearly breathed a sigh of relief, sensing no substantial threat from the Fire Extreme Dharma Body Li Qing had conjured.

Just as it prepared to unleash its full power against Li Qing, Old Lord Hei You seized the opportunity and drew out his bone staff.

"Great Yin Nether Burial!"

The yin souls he commanded exploded, transforming into streams of yin qi that began to devour the treant's body.

"Not good!" The treant had grown overconfident, believing Li Qing and his companions to be weak humans. It never expected to be up against two iron plates.

Seeing this, Li Qing murmured, "Perfect timing!"

In the next instant, he drew a golden killing sword from the void, imbuing its blade with four-colored spirit flames.

The flame giant swung the sword in a horizontal slash, unleashing a terrifying blade gleam wreathed in intensely blazing flames that hurtled toward the treant.

Hummm!

But before the sword gleam could strike, a sharper sword cry echoed through the void.

Li Qing's strike had been blocked!

It was a blade of grass, its leaves as straight and sharp as swords, surpassing countless renowned blades in the world.

In the clash of swords, Li Qing even found himself subtly at a disadvantage.

Heavenly Sword Grass!

The legendary spirit grass said to be capable of felling stars. It had appeared with astonishing speed, instantly nullifying the treant's certain death.

As the sword qi from the Heavenly Sword Grass repelled the flames on the Immortal Slaughtering Sword, Li Qing knew he couldn't continue this stalemate.

He immediately withdrew, even leaving the flame giant behind, and swiftly fled.

In the next instant, he watched the Flame Dharma Body he had left behind be split vertically, exploding into a shower of fiery sparks.

Soon, the full form of the Heavenly Sword Grass was revealed.

It was a five-leaf sword grass, each leaf as straight and sharp as a blade, radiating an aura of extreme sharpness.

Holding the Immortal Slaughtering Sword, Li Qing's gaze fell with grave intensity upon the bud that was about to sprout the sixth leaf of the Heavenly Sword Grass.

The Heavenly Sword Grass was on the verge of maturing into its six-leaf form. Once it reached this stage, it would likely become peerless, even invincible among those in the void refinement realm.

Its astonishing potential sent shivers down Li Qing's spine. Even the bud of the sixth leaf had sprouted, meaning it would likely encounter few bottlenecks on its path to becoming a six-leaf swordgrass.

"I told you the humans who entered the Heavenlight Secret Realm this time were unusual. Even the Spirit-Devouring Flower was destroyed—that must have been this human's doing."

As a cold voice rang out, a slender jade bamboo stalk erupted from the earth.

Zhu Xuan fixed Li Qing with an icy gaze. He had already killed several aliens who had escaped from the Spirit-Devouring Flower's belly, and through their seas of consciousness, he had confirmed that the flower had failed to refine its contents, relying entirely on this human.

This was his mistake, one that had directly led to the Spirit-Devouring Flower's demise. Upon returning to the Tree Demon Clan, he would face severe punishment.

"Human, hand over the life seed left behind by the dead Spirit-Devouring Flower, and I'll grant you a quick death," Zhu Xuan demanded.

Hearing this, Li Qing naturally thought of the flower seeds he had found at the root of the Spirit-Devouring Flower.

It seems these seeds are quite important. Good thing I picked them up.

However, Li Qing was no fool. He refused to admit anything and replied with equal coldness:

"I don't know what you're talking about."