Chapter 356 - Chapter 356. Liu Shu's Domain vs Dark Aether Swamp.

Liu Shu's move was not something that could stay under wraps. The moment she started attacking, Liu Shu stopped all the processes she was controlling with her energy besides . 

Then, that energy sunk into the ground and traveled through her complex and efficient root net, reaching the edge between the and Liu Shu's domain.

The second Liu Shu moved, there was a massive earthquake.

Rumble!

A creature of Liu Shu's magnitude encompassed hundreds of kilometers, and when all those roots began acting up against the , the surroundings trembled under the wrath of the World Tree. The quaking was terrifying enough to be noticeable several kilometers away, like water ripples but on land.

Of course, the earthquake couldn't make even a chair tremble. Liu Shu's strength was far from reaching the level of becoming a natural disaster in name. However, it was noticeable enough for anyone with sharp enough senses, alerting the top experts of all forces that were close enough. Several cities along the edge of the entered high alert, unaware of what was happening, sending informants to gather information.

"Is the trying to forcefully advance?"

"Impossible! The has been silent for several dozen years. It makes no sense for it to awaken at this time."

"Quickly! Send people to investigate! Don't care about secrecy!"

Once the informants arrived near the edge of the , their hearts couldn't help but tremble. 

The was being assaulted with pure violence! 

Gargantuan roots with glowing blue veins sprouted from the ground, toppling trees dozens of meters tall as if they were dry branches. Moreover, this sight could be spotted all along the horizon of their view, kicking up a dirt cloud of insane proportions.

Liu Shu's hovered high above the land, looking at everything from an eagle-eye view. Her cold gaze took everything in, and she attacked without a shred of mercy. Unlike the other times when she entered slowly and didn't dare destroy too much plant life, Liu Shu's current method was pure slaughter.

[Detected a large number of low-level lives being killed by Tianlian Liu Shu. You will receive a harsh Experience Point Penalty…]

Liu Shu glanced at that message but didn't stop her massacre. 'If I have to pay Experience Points to get rid of this thing, then I will.'

However, as she had become sure that she would need to pay a high price, another message popped up. 

[Wisdom: Check reasons.]

[...]

[Analyzing…]

[Reached Conclusion!]

[Attacked forest has title and . Tianlian Liu Shu is invading the terrain not for slaughter but to assimilate it. The penalty is invalidated.]

[Happy slaughter!]

Liu Shu almost lost her concentration when she read the last sentence. 'H-Happy slaughter!? Who says that!?'

At this moment, Liu Shu suddenly felt a terrifyingly profound presence awaken at the center of the . Corrupted essence skyrocketed in the , creating a faint blackish mist. 

Everyone that was observing heard a ghost-like female voice. It was so jarring that many people quivered in fear. "World Tree, I warned you last time. You dare come when you have yet to reach the Third Energy Cycle? Arrogant! Naive!" The voice turned cold as she stated. "Since you don't cherish the opportunity I gave you, I'll devour you and your entire domain."

The Corrupted World Tree's voice reverberated throughout the land, filled with resentment and anger. Everyone across the several hundreds of kilometers heard her statement, making their hearts shudder. While scared about the Corrupted World Tree, they also felt a sense of anger and resentment toward the World Tree that dared awaken such a monster. 

At this moment, though, Liu Shu stopped hiding how far she had spread her roots, and her aura manifested everywhere. Across millions of hectares, the World Tree's presence manifested, and her nature-like voice echoed like the judgment of a sacred goddess.

"Corrupted World Tree, you've been left alone for far too long." Her tone carried no anger, just compassion, and gentleness. "Now that I've gained strength, I will liberate you from your suffering and purify your land. I swear, after the war, I'll make the forest you were so proud of bloom with the radiance of the past."

Liu Shu's words made those who had started to get angry feel better. The reality of a Corrupted World Tree was popular knowledge. Once corrupted, a World Tree's attitude would change, and its values and instincts would flip, regardless of whether it wanted to or not. Many people thought that once a World Tree became corrupted, it meant that their previous selves were dead.

The only way to see a shadow of who they were was to contact them as an individual and speak with them without threatening them. Liu Shu had that experience in the past, and it was very fresh in her mind. 'The World Tree of the Dark Aether Swamp was coquettish and seductive, with an obvious trace of gentleness. Like a teasing big sister…' 

From their interaction, that much was clear for our World Tree. However, that was nothing but a shadow, an illusion. The real creature was the being she was facing now. A twisted monster that was only shackled by the echoes of her past. Thinking of how strong the World Tree's willpower must've been to stop herself from going crazy for so many centuries, admiration and heartache were all Liu Shu could feel for her.

'Don't worry, Big Sister. I'll reach you in no time.'

Liu Shu's face gained a touch of ruthlesness. 'For that, I need to pave my way to the core of your domain!' 

BOOOM!

The gargantuan roots of the World Tree soared high and fell down, toppling down dozens of trees each second along the vast tree line of their war. Any creature that tried to fight Liu Shu's advances was also struck down without mercy. 

In the Golden Sap City, people were looking up at the World Tree, and the face she currently showed was very different from usual. Instead of the peaceful and gently smiling countenance, she had a serious and cold look while her branches swayed with the wind generated from her terrifying energy reserves moving along her energy net.

Galia's face turned serious, and she spoke to the rest. "You might be unaware, but the Corrupt World Tree inside the is too strong for Liu Shu to face. She must be nearly Level 70. While she has some debuffs when fighting a World Tree, her stats must be at least double Liu Shu. She can't win!"

Flor glanced at Galia, and worry sprouted in her heart. Galia sighed and said. "At least, let's go look in case she needs help."

The group quickly went to the edge of the battlefield. Once they arrived, Flor stood rooted on the ground above a small hill. From her vantage point, the situation of the entire place was quite clear, making her lips arch in a helpless and slightly hurt smile. "Help…? How can we help, Lady Galia?"

Galia also looked at the ridiculous size of the battlefield, and her words got stuck in her throat. When two World Trees fought with each other, there was not much humanoid creatures could do to help unless their strengths far surpassed the World Trees.

Fertalia looked at them and spoke. "You might want to pour some buffs onto her main body. While they won't help her much with the roots that are so far away, you might be able to help her Ternary essence regeneration and stats. Also, ask the army to come and cordon the area off. A group of cleaners should gather Liu Shu's materials, which are strewn over as meticulously as you can. Gathering everything will be impossible, though. From today onward, Lady Liu Shu's root wood and her sap will appear in the markets, so if she has any uniqueness, please tell us first so that we can do some damage control."

Flor nodded and spoke about the and the uniqueness of her Wood, which had many purifying buffs and unparalleled essence conductivity. 

Hearing about the B- Rank skill, the delegation people were solemn, and everyone started moving. 

"Disgusting World Tree! I will taint you until you fall to the depths that I am in! I will tear every single root from the ground, dismembering you until you become nothing more than a glorified stick!"

Liu Shu didn't answer and continued meticulously tearing down the . Of the many advantages Liu Shu had, her natural regeneration was incredible. Each hour, Liu Shu could regenerate more than 2.3 Aether Cores, 3.5 Phoer Cores, and 3.1 Anima Cores, and that was her raw regeneration without any buff!

What was the most important in a battle between World Trees was not the raw power but the ability to form a relentless and unstoppable offensive. Battles between World Trees lasted from a few days to a few months or even years. It all depended on how evenly matched both sides were and how far their roots could advance.

For Liu Shu, the first three days of the battle were actually the easiest. She was currently fighting on the outer layer of the . Therefore, she could easily overpower the other party who didn't have a Perfect Energy Cycle. 

Moreover, after fighting for three days, Liu Shu could finally tear through the Corrupted World Tree's veil and see her stats. When Liu Shu first saw them, she became extremely solemn.

(AN: Since we've reached the hundreds, I will stop placing the decimals in the Core values; the Raw Shards value will always be available)

***

Name: -----

Race: Corrupted World Tree.

Level: 66

Aether Mana Cores: 98/132 (13,286,665) 

Phoer Body Cores: 114/140 (14,061,460) 

Anima Energy Cores: 191/228 (22,878,200) 

Attributes: Aether (8415), Physique (8960), Anima (12579), Willpower (2514), Destiny (-245)

Affinity Percentage: Aether Resonance (135), Physique Refinement (135), Anima Affinity (171)

Resistance Percentage: Aether Resistance (64), Physique Resistance (64), Spiritual Resistance (70), Mental Resistance (55)

***

During the last three days, Liu Shu had managed to slice off 30 Phoer Body Cores in damage. However, the cost of that was really too severe. While fighting, the Corrupted World Tree constantly spread her corrupting aura, withering some parts of her body and trying to invade her through her sap stream. 

Thankfully, Liu Shu's was ridiculously strong, nullifying the only few advantages that Corrupted World Trees had over normal World Trees. 'Strong… She is really strong. Even when I am trying my best, I feel that she will take advantage the second I lose concentration and start to push back.'

On the fifth day, Liu Shu finally arrived at the inner part of the . It was here where she previously met this World Tree. 

Both their energy reserves were almost halved at this point, and the exhaustion of the battle had started taking root inside of them. 

The second Liu Shu stepped into the inner domain, the Corrupted World Tree, and used a skill. The words she mouthed were full of ruthlessness and deranged laughter. "Welcome to your doom! !"

The swamp that had been nothing but a minor inconvenience until now suddenly started boiling. Liu Shu's roots started sending painful electrical currents all over the place, almost ripping out a scream out of her throat. 

[You've been affected by !]

[ defenses have been breached due to the difference!]

[Your body is dissolving and corrupting…]

[Corruption Rate: 1%]