The World Tree Under Attack

“Something... something is coming!”

A trace of urgency and unease crept into Angela’s voice. Before her words could even settle, the ground beneath their feet shook violently, as if the entire massive World Tree was trembling, letting out a low, rumbling groan.

As the tremors intensified, the surrounding space seemed to warp. The light flickered erratically, and the air grew thick with an indescribable sense of oppression.

“I didn't expect this moment to come so soon. The catastrophe revealed by the World Tree... is here! Leave, quickly. Go and do what you must.”

Before Starlight and Po Kong could react, Angela had already taken action.

With a gentle wave of her hand, a soft, warm light instantly enveloped them. Under the influence of this light, the two felt their bodies become weightless. The scene before them blurred and twisted, followed by a dizzying sensation of weightlessness.

When they opened their eyes again, they had already left the core area of the World Tree and returned to the vicinity of the entrance at the base of the tree.

Beside them, the sisters Xia Duo and Moen were staring at the distant sky as if facing a mortal enemy. Deafening explosions echoed from high above.

Starlight followed the sound and looked up. He saw the two giant Wood Spirits that had previously blocked their entry soaring through the air, engaged in a fierce battle with a gargantuan entity.

The black figure possessed a slender body hundreds of meters long, coiling in the air like a massive serpent, radiating waves of an ominous aura.

Beneath its colossal size, the Wood Spirits, standing several meters tall, appeared as insignificant as insects.

Dark energy swirled around it like a thick fog, completely obscuring the details of its body and making it impossible to see its true form.

However, even beneath this mist, a terrifying power could be faintly felt. The only visible features were a pair of greyish-white pupils, shimmering with a cold, death-like light.

“What kind of monster is that!? Little Shadow! Are you guys okay?”

Po Kong asked with concern. He breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that the two girls were unharmed.

“I don't know. It appeared out of nowhere like a ghost and attacked the World Tree, immediately triggering a counterattack from the two guardian spirits.”

Xia Duo’s eyes were filled with anxiety. They had left in such a hurry that she hadn't brought her longbow from home. She could only watch helplessly as the battle in the sky grew more intense, unable to provide any assistance.

In the gap of their tense conversation, the black monster suddenly struck. It opened its massive maw and unleashed a greyish-white breath toward the Wood Spirits fighting in the air.

This breath spread rapidly through the sky, like the tentacles of a reaper, dyeing the entire firmament a murky grey.

Under the gaze of Starlight and the others, the two giant Wood Spirits’ bodies began to change rapidly the moment they touched the greyish-white mist.

Their originally deep brown skin lost its luster, turning as dull as sand and stone. Immediately after, those parts began to rot at an alarming speed.

Elemental creatures like Wood Spirits were famous for their powerful vitality; losing limbs was usually considered a minor injury to them. Yet, against this power, they were as defenseless as children.

Moen’s gaze was locked onto the black monster in the sky, her expression exceptionally grave. As a Nature Priest, she possessed a keen perception and a deep understanding of various natural forces.

But at this moment, the power radiating from that black monster made her feel an unprecedented sense of alienation and dread.

“That is... the power of death.” Her voice trembled slightly, filled with apprehension.

This power was the exact opposite of the natural power she wielded. It was cold, ruthless, and seemed capable of devouring all life and hope in the world.

Moen could clearly feel her body’s rejection and a sense of oppression. It was a chill that originated from the depths of her soul, making her instinctively want to flee.

“Death power? How could such a thing appear near the World Tree!?”

A flash of shock crossed Starlight’s eyes. He immediately associated this power with the undead creatures in the Great Cemetery of the Violet City-State.

Although the skeletons and ghosts in his memory also emitted an aura of death, they were worlds apart compared to the power released by this black monster.

This power was stronger, purer, as if it could directly touch the essence of life and strip it away entirely.

What puzzled him even more was that, logically, the life-filled World Tree should be the least likely place for such a power to appear. How had this monster appeared here out of thin air?

Seeing the two Wood Spirits about to fall under the attack of the death power, Starlight knew this was no time to sit and wait. Among the four present, only he had the ability to launch an attack into the high sky.

He extended both hands and clapped them together in front of him, and the mana within his body immediately began to surge. A second later, a massive dragon made of flames rapidly condensed above his head.

Under his command, the fire dragon let out a long roar and charged toward the black monster in the sky with the momentum of a thunderbolt. Wherever it passed, even the air seemed to be ignited, leaving behind trails of scorching heat.

The moment the fire dragon made contact with the death power permeating the air, a violent reaction erupted.

The raging flames struck the greyish-white mist fiercely, churning it up in an attempt to incinerate it all.

However, to Starlight’s surprise, the fire dragon he released was actually shrinking at a visible rate under the erosion of the death power, as if even the flames themselves could experience death.

Conversely, despite being attacked by the flames, the monster’s main body remained largely unaffected. The vast grey mist continued to radiate its heart-wrenching aura of death in the sky.

Starlight realized that the intensity of this death power far exceeded his imagination. It possessed the ability to devour all life; relying on the fire element alone would not be enough to destroy it.

In this situation, the only thing that could truly damage it was the opposing power of life. However, Moen had already tried; she had placed her protection on the two Wood Spirits the moment the battle began, but with her current strength, she simply couldn't stop the spread of the death power.

Soon, the fire dragon summoned by Starlight was completely swallowed by the grey mist, and his connection to it was severed.

With the disappearance of the fire dragon, Starlight suddenly felt a sense of emptiness within his body—a reaction to the massive consumption of his mana.

He looked up at the sky. The grey mist that blotted out the sun still lingered, seemingly unaffected by the recent fire attack.

The massive black monster also seemed to have noticed the presence of Starlight and the others below. A cold light flashed in its greyish-white pupils as it looked down at them without a hint of emotion.

As its icy gaze swept over the four of them, the air around them seemed to freeze. The temperature plummeted to the freezing point, making them shiver involuntarily.

“Roar!”

Following that, the monster let out a low growl, causing the previously still grey mist in the high sky to suddenly boil.

It was as if the mist had come to life, surging and roiling frantically.

Then, the mist began to condense rapidly, forming a massive grey wall that pressed down toward the ground at an incredible speed.

Starlight immediately grabbed his companions' hands, intending to use instant movement to take them away. However, he found that the surrounding space had become as viscous as liquid. They were forced out of the spatial rift after moving only a hundred meters.

Wherever that grey wall passed, even the air was compressed until it let out a sharp whistling sound, as if space itself could not withstand its weight.

The four of them could clearly feel the oncoming pressure, as if the entire world were collapsing upon them at that moment.

“Damn it! I have to give it my all!”

Seeing the grey wall getting closer and closer, Starlight could no longer care about the warnings You had given him. Right now, only by forcibly fusing the Power of Destruction again could he contend with this force.