boyutpedia Chapter 414 Divine Tree Authority?
Chapter 414 Divine Tree Authority?
Lu Lin stayed close to Lu Linglong's side, her palms striking out alternately. The steady and powerful Bagua Palm technique blended seamlessly with her sister's agile and elusive movements. Each strike created an invisible wall of energy, causing the cyborg rushing towards Lu Linglong from the side to stagger backward, the muffled cracking sounds of bones breaking as frequent as popping beans.
Barron operated as a guerrilla fighter on the outskirts. His grip on his military dagger was unique—a reverse grip, blade pointing downwards. With each wrist flick, the blade flashed in a tiny arc, yet every strike landed on the carotid artery, the side of the waist, or the armpit—soft spots not covered by body armor. He moved as lightly as a cat, weaving through the gaps between soldiers, taking them down one by one without lingering in combat.
Ruan Feng, still carrying the half-empty bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), strolled along the edge of the battlefield with a swaying, drunken gait. He walked unsteadily, as if about to collapse at any moment. Every Behemoth soldier who came within three steps of him suddenly felt their legs give way, as if their spines had been removed, collapsing to the ground, unable to even lift a finger, their eyes filled with horror and bewilderment, dying without ever knowing how they had fallen. Someone raised a gun and fired at him. The bullets, flying half a meter before him, seemed to hit a viscous substance, their speed decreasing abruptly before clattering onto the stone slabs at his feet, their surfaces riddled with countless corroded pits.
"The Six Treasures Immortal Thief..." Zhang Chulan glanced at it amidst his busy schedule, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. This was one of the Eight Extraordinary Techniques? Silent and without warning, like an invisible hand snatching life force from within the body. He suddenly realized that his previous respectful attitude towards this disheveled monk was correct.
The battle erupted in full force in the square. Flames illuminated everyone's faces, and the sounds of gunfire, sword clashes, the cracking of bones, and the explosive clashes of energies created a tumultuous chaos. The remaining members of the Nathan Guard, blessed by King Nathan, had experienced a surge in power and were currently locked in a fierce battle with a squad of Behemoths on the west side of the square. Sparks from clashing swords flew through the air, forming a chaotic web of light.
Nie Lingfeng fought his way through the crowd. The cold glint of his Snow Drinking Blade flickered in the firelight, each flash signifying the fall of another cyborg. The blade sliced through the fibers of his tactical vest, cutting into flesh and bone with swift, concise strokes. His movements were ruthless and efficient, devoid of unnecessary actions. His steps were almost constant, but his gaze remained fixed across half the square, fixed on the three figures standing on the high platform overlooking the entire situation.
Ron. Sean. Gade.
The three leaders of Behemoth's expedition were standing on a surviving observation platform on the east side. Ron, in the center, was impeccably dressed in military uniform, sunglasses obscuring most of his face, his hands behind his back, his posture like a bronze statue cast on a pedestal. To his left was Sean, a burly man as imposing as a moving wall, his bald head gleaming in the firelight, the mechanical markings on his arms flashing red, like the breath of some living creature. To his right was Gade, the hem of his white lab coat billowing in the evening breeze, his hands in his pockets, his back hunched, a pair of round goggles perched on his thin face, making him look more like an over-fermented culture dish in a laboratory.
"Ron," Sean clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking, staring down at the silvery-white blade flash below, "that kid with the longsword is interesting. He's faster than a bullet, and he sliced two of my SP receptors in half with one strike. Should I go check him out?"
"No rush." Ron's voice was deep and steady, like an engine idling. "Let them wear themselves out. SP receptors are consumables, but King Nathan isn't. Every time she uses her spiritual power, it diminishes. We'll make our move when she can't hold on any longer."
Gade pushed up his goggles, staring intently in Nathan's direction, his gaze as sharp as a lens under a microscope: "The energy fluctuations of the Divine Tree are intensifying. Nathan is sacrificing her life force to the Divine Tree. If she continues, she will be exhausted in no time. I suggest we act before she is completely depleted. The more complete the living sample, the greater its subsequent extraction value."
"No rush," Ron repeated, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I want to see her kneeling down and begging for mercy."
Just as he finished speaking, the situation in the center of the square suddenly changed.
King Nathan had emerged from the palace entrance at some point and ascended the highest step before the main hall. She stood on the white stone platform, a corner of which had been chipped away by cannon fire, the evening breeze ruffling her long robes. She raised her arms, palms up, fingers slightly spread, and began to chant.
It was a language that didn't belong to any known language family. The syllables were ancient and obscure, each word like a stone dug from the depths of the earth's crust, bearing the marks of a thousand years of moss and dampness. Her voice became exceptionally ethereal as she sang, as if two voices were resonating simultaneously—one belonging to herself, and the other to something far older than this island.
As the chanting progressed, a pale golden halo began to emanate from her body. The light initially formed a thin layer on her skin, then grew thicker and brighter, like a drop of ink slowly spreading in clear water. The golden radiance flowed from her shoulders to her waist, then from the hem of her robes to the stone steps beneath her feet, spreading out in a golden ripple emanating from her. Where the ripple passed, the cracks in the stone slabs healed at a visible speed, the broken stones re-embedded in their recesses, and extremely fine golden roots sprouted from the cracks, moving like living creatures within the crevices.
"That's..." Elijah's pupils contracted sharply, his voice becoming urgent for the first time, "The power of the Divine Tree?! She's going to use the power of the Divine Tree's roots!"
"Stop her!" Ron shouted from the platform, his gaze behind his sunglasses finally sharpening.
Sean and Gade moved simultaneously. Sean leaped off the watchtower, his weight of over 200 pounds crashing to the ground, sending stone chips flying. The red light from his two mechanical arms suddenly blazed blindingly bright, and he charged straight toward King Nathan like an out-of-control heavy truck! Gade, on the other hand, circled around from the side, his white coat billowing like a sail in the wind. His steps were extremely light and fast, his toes barely touching the ground, bypassing the main battlefield and cutting towards the left rear pillar of King Nathan.
Just then, Nie Lingfeng's blade struck down another cyborg. His gaze lifted, perfectly catching the route of Sean and Gade's combined attack. With a twist of his foot, he swung his Snow Drinking Blade horizontally, forcing back three soldiers on the flank. His figure suddenly rose high, like a seagull skimming the water, spanning half the square—
"Your opponent is me."
His voice was as cold as shattered ice, and he landed in front of Sean the instant he stepped down. The Snow Drinking Blade slashed down vertically, its energy condensing into a silvery-white crescent moon that forcefully severed Sean's momentum! Sean crossed his fists to block, and the instant his metal arms collided with the blade, a visible shockwave erupted, shattering the stone slabs beneath their feet, sending pebbles flying in all directions!
"You little brat, you're asking for death!" Sean roared, his vocal cords rough as if they had been sanded. He pulled his right fist back to his waist and then slammed it out. The patterns on his mechanical arm shone brightly, and the fist, carrying a cloud of compressed, white air, slammed into Nie Lingfeng's chest! The air was compressed by the punch, producing a muffled explosion. The surrounding soldiers were shaken back by the shockwave.
Nie Lingfeng didn't take the blow head-on. At the critical moment, his body shifted to the left by less than a palm's width. The gust of wind from the punch grazed the fabric of his right shoulder, blasting a bowl-sized dent into the stone pillar behind him. In the same instant he shifted to the side, his knife slashed upwards, the tip of the blade grazing the inside of Sean's wrist—with a hiss, a shallow white mark appeared on the surface of the metal arm, sparks flying everywhere.
Sean glanced down at the white mark, his pupils contracting slightly. He took a half step back, the red light on his robotic arm flickering a few times, but a sinister smile tugged at the corner of his rough lips: "Such a fast knife. Interesting."
Meanwhile, Gad, on the flank, had bypassed the main battle as Sean was being held back, and was sprinting towards King Nathan along the crumbling palace wall. He was less than twenty paces away, and King Nathan, still with his back to him, was shrouded in golden light, completely unaware that someone was approaching from behind.
Just then, an empty liquor bottle flew through the air, carrying a strong smell of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), and landed precisely on the ground half a step in front of Gade. It shattered into glass shards with a crash, and the liquor spilled onto the stone slab, leaving a wet patch.
"Ouch—" A drawn-out, lazy voice rang out from behind the pillar, "Esteemed benefactor, why are you walking so fast? In a hurry to be reincarnated? Why don't you have a couple of drinks with this humble monk and rest your feet?"
Ruan Feng emerged from behind the pillar, his eyes still blurry with drunkenness. He was carrying another unopened wine bottle and swaying as he blocked Gaide's path. His wide monk's robe was covered in wine stains, whether his own or someone else's, with a few blades of grass stuck in the folds.
Gade stopped abruptly, his pointed shoes leaving two shallow marks on the ground. His goggles flashed in the firelight, his gaze as cold as a probe: "Get out of my way, monk."
He had no intention of getting entangled with this inexplicable drunkard, and raised his hand to strike Ruan Feng's face. The force of the blow carried a pungent medicinal smell, so strong it was as if an entire chemistry lab had been overturned, and the edge of his palm was an unnatural bluish-purple—his palm was poisoned.
Ruan Feng neither dodged nor evaded, even leisurely uncorking the new wine bottle and taking a swig. The palm struck him squarely in the chest with a muffled thud. Gade's palm had indeed struck the monk's flesh, but instead of the expected sensation of bones shattering, it felt as if he had struck a lump of sticky rubber; the force was completely swallowed up by the monk's body, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.
Gade's pupils dilated violently. He pulled his hand back and found that the skin on his palm that had touched Ruan Feng had lost its color, and the veins were bulging and twisted like earthworms, as if something was trying to climb up his palm and was only barely freed by his forceful ripping.
"What...what kind of kung fu is this?!" His voice finally showed some emotion.
"The Six Treasures Immortal Thief." Ruan Feng smacked his lips, grinning to reveal a set of yellow teeth. "Want to learn, benefactor? This humble monk can teach you. But the tuition is a bit pricey—just one braised pork knuckle will do."
"You're asking for death!" Gade roared in fury, unleashing a flurry of palm strikes with both hands. The palm shadows were as dense as a torrential downpour pounding against a window, each strike imbued with potent poison and internal energy. But Ruan Feng was like a wooden stake soaked in a wine vat, neither dodging nor blocking, letting the poisonous palms strike him. He would only occasionally sway his shoulders and twist his waist, dissipating the force into the ground, leaving shallow craters. He even took a moment to take another swig of wine and grinned at Gade.
"Benefactor, your palm strike is weak, as if it were just tickling this humble monk. Have you not eaten dinner? I have some wine here, would you like a sip? Plenty to go."
Gade's lips were pressed into a thin white line, and his eyes behind his goggles were bloodshot.
At the same moment when the battle raged on one side, King Nathan's chanting finally reached its climax.
The golden radiance emanating from her suddenly surged! The light transformed from pale gold to a dazzling crimson gold, like a miniature sun exploding from her chest, a beam of light shooting straight into the sky, tearing a bright slit through the twilight. A vast and ancient aura surged forth from her body, like an ancient behemoth that had slumbered for millions of years slowly opening its eyes.
"Divine Tree...with my blood, you grant my people the protection of the Divine Tree!"
Her voice soared to an almost transparent high note on the last syllable, a sound that transcended the battlefield, the palace walls, and every inch of Nathan Island. Golden light surged like a tide towards the surviving Nathan guards, flooding their wounds, filling their veins, and replenishing their depleted dantian. Those Nathan guards who had been on the verge of collapse saw their wounds heal visibly under the golden light; their muscles bulged, their bones cracked and snapped back into place, and the bloodshot in their eyes faded, replaced by a burning fighting spirit.
"The blessing of the Divine Tree!" Elena felt the surge of power within her, tears welling in her eyes. She gripped her twin swords and rose from beside Alfonso, the bloodstains on her silver armor gleaming in the golden light. "His Majesty has invoked the Divine Tree's authority! To protect us—"
"For Nathan Island!" a Nathan guard shouted hoarsely, raising his broken scimitar.
"For Nathan Island!" The rest of the Nathan Guards responded in unison. The voices of seven or eight people blended together like a great bell, causing the Behemoth soldiers around them to stop in their tracks at the same time.
They launched a frenzied counterattack as if they were completely different people. Swords flashed and blood splattered in the crowd. Behemoth's vanguard was forced back more than ten steps by this counterattack, and a brief vacuum appeared in the center of the square.
But King Nathan's face was visibly paling. The color drained from her cheeks, her lips turned pale, and large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, sticking stray hairs to her temples. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably, her knees bent and then straightened, and the tips of her clenched fists turned an unhealthy bluish-gray.
"Your Majesty!" Elena turned around and saw her like this, her voice trembling with tears, "Please, don't overdraw your life anymore! If this continues, you will—"
"I'm fine." King Nathan smiled weakly, but the corners of his mouth trembled violently. "As long as we can defend Nathan Island... this price... is nothing..."
She took a deep breath, her chest heaving twice, and raised her hands again to continue singing.
At that very moment—