This world was a wild land filled with a shocking number of powerful Magical Beasts.

Some terrifying auras had been coming from the depths of the wilderness when the Dragonblood Legion had gone out in search of Wilde. They had then drawn a danger line that no one was supposed to pass.

Later, Yue Xiaoqian’s mother had also come over and warned the original devil race’s disciples not to go any deeper for fear of provoking those terrifying existences.

As for what actually lay in the depths of the wilderness, Yue Xiaoqian’s mother hadn’t said. She only said that as long as they didn’t step beyond that line, the original devil race would be safe.

Now though, Long Chen wanted to cross that line. Yue Xiaoqian was naturally worried.

“If it’s a disaster, it can’t be avoided forever. Knowing what it is earlier so that we can prepare isn’t a bad thing. Furthermore, whatever is beyond there must know about the original devil race’s movements by now. It doesn’t make sense that it would ignore you. We have to go check,” said Long Chen. Seeing her hesitation, he held Yue Xiaoqian’s hand. “Don’t worry, I’m here. I won’t go too far.”

Since Long Chen truly wished to go, and Wilde was hopping with excitement, Yue Xiaoqian could only accompany them.

However, before going, she sent a message to her mother and then set up a quick transportation formation at the line. If they didn’t go too far, they could activate a formation disc to return here. The only requirement was that they had to have a chance to activate the formation disc.

Long Chen and Yue Xiaoqian suppressed their auras so that they wouldn’t be sensed so easily. As for Wilde, he didn’t have a cultivator’s aura anyway. As long as he wasn’t in a battle state, his Blood Qi naturally hid itself. That seemed to be a kind of instinct, because keeping his aura inside reduced the amount of energy he was burning.

“Careful!”

Long Chen suddenly pulled back Yue Xiaoqian and Wilde, and in that exact moment, a tree root appeared out of the earth, snapping shut like a noose where the three of them had been.

“What is this?”

Wilde curiously pulled on the root, and as a result, the earth exploded, with millions of roots shooting at the three of them.

“Wilde, don’t resist!” said Long Chen suddenly. He took out an ordinary sword and slashed the roots, but the roots were too tough to break.

BOOM!

Suddenly, the world around them darkened. They were enveloped by the roots and pulled into the earth.

“It’s an Earth Cavern Tree Demon,” said Yue Xiaoqian.

The Earth Cavern Tree Demon was actually classified as a Magical Beast, but of a vegetative kind. It was split into two portions, the tree portion and the root portion. The tree portion could disguise itself as any precious tree and emit various auras to attract other creatures. When those creatures got close, they would fall into its trap.

The three of them were now bound by its roots and sucked underground like prey. Listening to Long Chen, Wilde pretended to struggle, only to find that a blue rune flickered on the roots whenever he applied force, and the roots would expand so that he couldn’t apply any power.

“This Earth Cavern Tree Demon is a twelfth rank Magical Beast. Long Chen, are you confident?” messaged Yue Xiaoqian.

Yue Xiaoqian knew that this Earth Cavern Tree Demon was extremely powerful and crafty. After its roots pulled its prey underground, it would form a tight net around it and crush it.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.” Long Chen gestured to be at ease. He also pretended to struggle.

BOOM!

Golden roots suddenly appeared around them when they reached a certain depth. These golden roots had sharp points, and when Long Chen’s sword slashed onto them, metallic sparks flew.

Long Chen used his sword to protect them, forcing back the golden roots. Although he couldn’t break them, the golden roots were also unable to harm him.

As time passed, more golden roots appeared, and the space around them shrank. The pressure grew greater.

“Xiaoqian, help!” shouted Long Chen.

Yue Xiaoqian nodded and formed hand seals. Runes flew out, enveloping the three of them in a barrier that blocked the golden roots.

In response, the golden vines tightened around the barrier, trying to crush it. But Yue Xiaoqian’s barrier was extremely tough.

“Brother Long, what are you doing?” Wilde stared. He still didn’t know why Long Chen was making it so troublesome. Why didn’t he just let him kill it with a smash of his club?

Long Chen gestured to be quiet.

The tree roots persevered for an incense stick’s worth of time. Then they seemed to lose patience. The golden roots vanished, and a giant mouth suddenly devoured the entire barrier.

“I was waiting for this.”

Long Chen suddenly smiled and had Yue Xiaoqian release her barrier. A lightning spear appeared in his hand, and he threw it out.

When the barrier dissipated, Long Chen and the others found themselves within a sticky pool of foul-smelling liquid. Long Chen’s lightning spear instantly blew that liquid apart. The space they were in shook.

“Xiaoqian, help me extract the demon heart. I’ll draw its attention. Wilde, you come with me.” Long Chen transmitted instructions to the other two. Lightning wings spread on his back, and he flew forward.

Green liquid arrows shot at Long Chen from every direction.

“Do you think you can corrode thunderforce?” Long Chen smiled mockingly, continuing to charge forward with Wilde.

BOOM!

A large hole appeared ahead. Long Chen and Wilde were pulled toward the hole.

Long Chen resisted the suction. “Now that you’ve invited the devil in, don’t think that you can send him out.” The Earth Cavern Tree Demon had sensed something wrong and was trying to expel them.

Although they were underground, Long Chen saw a giant monstrous figure made entirely of roots. Those roots shot toward them like swords, but Long Chen threw a lightning spear forward.

The spear exploded, blowing apart the roots. The lightning then transformed into chains that bound the Earth Cavern Tree Demon’s body.

“You think you can bait me with a fake? How could it be so easy to escape?” Long Chen pulled on the lightning chains, and just like that, he tore his way above ground again.

“Let me smash it to death!” Seeing the trapped tree demon, Wilde raised his club.

“Wilde, don’t hit it.” Long Chen hastily stopped him.

The Earth Cavern Tree Demon struggled intensely, but Long Chen’s lightning chains were too strong for it to escape. The surrounding earth was destroyed.

Suddenly, its body shook one final time before it stopped struggling. It began to shrink and wither.

Its body split open, and Yue Xiaoqian walked out. She held a foot-long rhombus-shaped object.

That object was blood-red and also emitted a bloody air. Some strange runes were flickering on top of it, and it was almost possible to hear an unwilling roar.

“I didn’t fail your expectations,” said Yue Xiaoqian with a smile.

This was the demonic heart of the Earth Cavern Tree Demon. Vegetative Magical Beasts didn’t have crystal cores. This demonic heart was where all its energy was gathered, and once taken, it would instantly die.

The Earth Cavern Tree Demon had been very crafty, and as soon as it had sensed the danger, it had tried to flee underground. Since it only attacked creatures weaker than it, practically no one had ever seen its demonic heart. But Long Chen refused to let it escape. The reason he knew about the demonic heart was because one of the ingredients in the pill formulas he knew involved its demonic heart.

A twelfth rank Earth Cavern Tree Demon’s demonic heart was very precious and could merge into many kinds of medicinal pills. If it was used as a main ingredient, he knew three formulas. If it was used as a supplementary ingredient, it had even more uses.

Long Chen took out the Moon and Star Refining Furnace right there and started refining the demonic heart.

The demonic heart continued to struggle, but it quickly melted into a drop of blood liquid.

Long Chen put that liquid away and smiled. “Just this one drop of blood made the risk worth it.”

Yue Xiaoqian also smiled, as she knew about this Earth Cavern Tree Demon. It was very difficult to kill one.

“Wilde, keep going forward.” Long Chen indicated for Wilde to pick a path. That was his habit. Unless he was alone, he would always let someone else pick which direction to go.

To be able to run into a rare Earth Cavern Tree Demon like this was definitely Wilde’s luck. Long Chen was benefiting from that. He had always been very confident in his bad luck.

Although Wilde didn’t quite understand, he simply followed Long Chen’s instructions. The three of them went deeper and deeper.

As they got deeper, Long Chen felt a heart-palpitating sensation. Yue Xiaoqian sensed the same thing. Only Wilde didn’t feel anything.

“Long Chen, we’ve gone too far. Any further, and we’ll be beyond the range of the transportation formation,” warned Yue Xiaoqian. Any further and the formation disc she had prepared would be useless.

Just at that moment, a furious roar rang out. Although it came from a great distance, the divine pressure that came with it made Yue Xiaoqian and Long Chen’s hair stand on end.