Chapter 218: Chapter 217
"I was born into a family of officials. My father was falsely accused by a traitor and exiled three thousand miles. On the way, my father and I were attacked, and after I died, he buried my remains under an old locust tree. Little did he know that the tree had already become a demon. It took control of my remains and forced me to lure men to absorb their life force. Now, it even plans to marry me off to the Black Mountain Demon..."
Inside Lan Ruo Temple, Nie Xiao Qian was recounting her story, tears streaming down her face, her voice filled with sorrow.
After hearing Nie Xiao Qian's story, Yan Chi Xia's expression softened slightly, and he no longer looked at her with hostility.
Chen Ye comforted her, saying, "Xiao Qian, don't worry. You can stay here tonight, and once dawn breaks, we'll retrieve your remains. If that old tree demon dares to stop us, I'll turn her into roasted tree demon!"
Hearing this, Nie Xiao Qian bowed deeply to Chen Ye. "Thank you for your kindness, sir."
Retrieving her remains would allow her to reincarnate and no longer harm anyone.
Chen Ye nodded and then turned to Yan Chi Xia, saying, "Big beard, Xiao Qian is betrothed to the Black Mountain Demon. If we let her go, the Black Mountain Demon won't take it lying down. When he tries to take her back, you can lead me into Wangsi City. How about it?"
Yan Chi Xia was stunned for a moment, then said, "So that's your plan? It's quite a clever one, but it's also very risky. Wangsi City is the Black Mountain Demon's territory, and it's said to be filled with countless demons and monsters. Are you really confident?"
Chen Ye laughed heartily, "Don't worry, big beard, I'm not going to lead you into a trap! The Black Mountain Demon has done too much evil and should have been killed long ago!"
Hearing Chen Ye's bold words, Yan Chi Xia was also inspired and shouted, "Alright, old Daoist, I'll accompany you on this journey!"
Nie Xiao Qian stood nearby, secretly observing Chen Ye...
In the original story, Nie Xiao Qian was easily moved.
Because Ning Cai Chen didn't take advantage of her and even protected her from a small snake, she began to see him in a new light and eventually developed feelings for him.
But Chen Ye had outright saved her, and with his appearance and demeanor far superior to the silly Ning Cai Chen, it was only natural that Nie Xiao Qian would have a favorable impression of him...
...
The next day.
At dawn, Nie Xiao Qian had disappeared.
Chen Ye knew it was because she was a ghost and couldn't appear during the day.
"Big beard, let's go!"
Suddenly, Chen Ye remembered something and asked, "By the way, do you know where Xiao Qian's remains are buried?"
"I do, they're in the back mountain!" Yan Chi Xia replied.
Then, Yan Chi Xia led Chen Ye to the back mountain of Lan Ruo Temple, where they found Nie Xiao Qian's grave.
There were many other graves there as well, resembling a mass grave.
Nearby stood an enormous old locust tree, its crown covering half the hillside, with dense leaves that nearly blocked out the sky.
Chen Ye couldn't help but ask, "Big beard, is this tree the old tree demon's true form?"
"It is, and it isn't!" Yan Chi Xia shook his head.
"Stop being so cryptic, just explain it clearly!"
Yan Chi Xia then said, "It is the true form of the thousand-year-old tree demon, but the old demon has long since transcended this physical form. Any locust tree on this mountain could be its true body. You won't be able to kill the old tree demon just by destroying this tree. Unless you can uproot every locust tree on this mountain, it won't work."
Hearing this, Chen Ye nodded in understanding.
No wonder Yan Chi Xia had stayed at Lan Ruo Temple all this time without killing the old tree demon. It was simply too cunning and couldn't be killed.
In the original story, the thousand-year-old tree demon didn't die either, only had its illusionary array broken by Yan Chi Xia.
"So, what will happen if I destroy this tree?" Chen Ye asked.
"Destroying it would severely injure the old tree demon but wouldn't kill it. It would only make it angrier!"
"Oh? Anger it?"
Chen Ye smiled, "That's exactly what I want!!"
As he spoke, Thor's Hammer appeared in his hand once more.
Yan Chi Xia was taken aback, "When did you start carrying a hammer?"
Chen Ye couldn't be bothered to explain and simply raised Thor's Hammer high.
Instantly, the sky began to fill with dark clouds.
*Boom!*
The sky darkened, and lightning flashed.
Just moments before, the weather had been clear, but now it was as if a storm had descended, signaling that something was terribly wrong.
Yan Chi Xia was shocked, staring at Chen Ye in amazement.
"Big beard, you might want to step back!" Chen Ye warned, beginning to summon the lightning.
*Boom!*
A bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking Thor's Hammer, which absorbed it completely.
Chen Ye stood amidst the lightning, with electric arcs surging around his body.
He looked like a god of thunder descending to earth!!
Seeing this, Yan Chi Xia was startled and quickly stepped back, staring at Chen Ye in terror.
He never imagined that Chen Ye could unleash such a powerful technique.
It was simply beyond belief!!
In the next moment, Chen Ye pointed Thor's Hammer, and a massive lightning dragon surged from the hammer, charging toward the enormous locust tree with overwhelming force!
*Boom!*
A thunderous explosion echoed.
The massive lightning circle appeared once more, with lightning and electric light everywhere.
The old locust tree's trunk made a cracking sound and split apart.
This tree, which had grown for a thousand years and had a trunk thicker than an elephant, couldn't withstand Chen Ye's lightning.
Red blood began to seep from the split trunk...
Immediately after, a fierce fire erupted, starting to burn the old locust tree.
"Roar!!!"
A pained roar, like that of a wounded beast, echoed throughout the entire back mountain.
"Ah!!!"
Countless locust trees around them responded, emitting piercing screams that sounded like demonic wails.
With a clang, Yan Chi Xia drew his sword, scanning the surroundings vigilantly.
Chen Ye, however, remained calm.
"Keep screaming, and I'll blast this entire mountain!!"
Chen Ye shouted, raising Thor's Hammer once again.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Lightning continuously fell from the dark clouds above, striking one locust tree after another.
In just a few breaths, the surrounding area was in ruins, with shattered trees and stumps everywhere.
It looked as if the area had been bombed...
Immediately, all the ghostly screams vanished without a trace.
You could even see that the surviving locust trees were trembling slightly...
"Gulp!"
Yan Chi Xia couldn't help but swallow hard, staring at Chen Ye in disbelief.
Brutal!!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone