We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 236 The Malice of the Forest

thump—

The moment Shane and the Tree Man collided, a muffled thud suddenly echoed from the seawater.

The undercurrent expanded rapidly outwards from the point of collision between the two forces.

The nearby trees were being tossed about by the water flow, their branches and leaves swaying wildly, as if a small storm was brewing underwater.

With an overall statistic of 5.8, Shane's power had already reached an extremely terrifying level.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a humanoid ferocious beast.

Especially in the [Projected Body] state, he can unleash his full strength without worrying about sustaining any injuries.

However, to Xia En's surprise, the power of the tree-man in front of him was actually quite impressive.

It held out for about three seconds in front of him before collapsing backward with a thud.

The arms made of tree branches shattered under the immense force, and cracks appeared on the trunk as well.

It's not that Xia En is exaggerating.

Given their similar rank, anyone who can contend with him for even a moment can be considered to possess innate superhuman strength.

"You...how is that possible?"

At this moment, the tree-man's feelings could only be described as utter horror.

It is important to know that treants, as one of the companion races of elves, have always been known for their strength and defense, making them like a walking fortress.

In those ancient times, tree people were even used as natural siege machines.

However, he couldn't even last three seconds in front of this indistinct figure.

Despite their shock, after receiving the Seed of Life from the Giant Tree God, the Tree Man decided to dedicate everything to that great deity.

even if……

It is its life!
"Invaders of the divine realm, die!"

The treant roared, and its already injured body exploded.

The vines and branches formed a vast, all-encompassing net, like tentacles reaching out to wrap around Xia En from all directions.

The power of these tree branch "tentacles" was extraordinary, and the barbs on the vines even tried to pierce Xia En's body and suck his blood.

If an ordinary person were to fall into this trap, they would most likely be sucked dry!
As a [Projection Body], Shane can ignore the attacks of the vines.

But the force with which those tentacles wrapped around him still startled him slightly, and it took some effort to break free.

at the same time.

A few lines of text flashed across the panel.

[Slay the mutated tree spirit!]

[Loot Obtained: Fragment of the Mutated Treant]

Quality: Poor

[Type: Material]

[Description: Tree-people corrupted by the mysterious power of ▇▇ have undergone changes in their physical form, mind, and way of life.]

They are willing to give everything for their gods.

Please note that this race is a social species.

"Ok?"

Xia En frowned slightly.

In the description, the prefix "secret power" has become blurred and difficult to distinguish.

Why does this happen?

Xia En not only recalled the chaotic illusions that flashed before his eyes during the previous [Submarine] mission, but also vaguely felt that there might be some connection between the two.

[“Secret Sea Crystal” detected within the corpse. Absorb?]

"These treants also possess [Secret Sea Crystals]?"

Xia En was overjoyed and decisively chose to absorb it.

[Ship Soul Experience +1%! (Black Swan)]

[Ship Soul EXP +2%! (Diamond Star)]

During this time, while Shane was diving at long distances, he certainly didn't forget to farm the ship soul experience of the two ships.

However, after the ship spirit reaches LV5, gaining even a single point of experience becomes extremely difficult.

As a result, the ship spirit level of the Black Swan is stuck at LV5 and has not yet been upgraded.

However, the Diamond Princess successfully crossed the LV4 threshold.

At this point, the experience progress of the two ships is as follows.

[Black Swan: LV5 (53%)!]

【Diamond Star: LV4 (8%)!】

The familiar coolness flowed into her body, but before Xia En could fully appreciate it, she suddenly noticed some rustling sounds coming from the surrounding seawater.

Xia En stared intently, and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Not far away, the underwater forest was already stirring. One after another, giant trees pulled their roots out of the soil below and swam aggressively toward Shane's location.

Each tree-man is extremely tall, and when they move together, they have an aura of earth-shattering force.

Only then did Shane understand why the description included a reminder that they were social creatures.

It took Shane a lot of effort to take down that treant.

Right now, what if we get surrounded by these tree-men...

Although Shaen may not die, he will at least be held back.

There are countless tree-people in the entire forest; killing one will only attract more.

If the fight continues indefinitely, Xia En's ship spirit power will eventually be exhausted.

With that in mind, Xia En didn't hesitate and swam directly in another direction.

Compared to the tree people, he was much smaller and was difficult to spot when hiding in the dense forest.

——This is how it should be.

But soon, Shane realized that no matter how he hid, it was all for naught.

The raging tree people could always quickly locate him and swarm towards him.

boom!
Shane punched one of the treants away, using the recoil to propel himself backward.

"Strange, how did they find me?"

Xia En glanced through the forest out of the corner of his eye and suddenly sensed a faint malice, as well as a feeling of being spied on.

"Wait...it's the forest itself!?"

Xia En suddenly realized what was happening.

As residents of this underwater forest, the tree people have always had an inextricable connection with the forest.

Or rather, they are part of the forest!

In the mouths of the tree people, this forest is even called "the kingdom of gods".

"Perhaps... this forest possesses its own will, and that feeling of being spied on just now was it watching me."

"In other words, as long as I am in the forest, the tree people can always pinpoint my location."

Xia En couldn't help but frown.

What he is now fighting is not one or two tree people, but the malice of the entire forest!
Shaen looked around and saw more and more treants awakening from their dormant state and surrounding him.

The once peaceful and tranquil forest instantly became filled with murderous intent.

However, having faced countless dangers, Xia En was naturally not flustered by such a display of power.

At worst, I'll just turn around and explode against these treants!

Earning some Ship Soul experience is also a good option.

You might make a profit, but I'll never lose!

Of course, as this was his first dive into the City of Giant Trees, Shane hoped to gather as much intelligence as possible.

With that in mind, Xia En decided to stop concealing his whereabouts and head directly towards the center of the [Giant Tree City].

He planned to use his life, as a [projected body], to test the true master of this city—

[Giant Wood God]!
With Xia En's current physical abilities, at full speed, he practically became a black shadow, traversing the seawater.

His undisguised actions immediately attracted the attention of many treants, who seemed to have sensed Shane's intention to approach the giant tree.

Beside him, the underwater forest quickly became restless, revealing its extremely violent side.

Countless tree-men began to awaken, and they thrashed about like madmen, swimming in the seawater and rising upwards.

Some of them blocked Xia En's way, some swam above him, and some stretched out their vines below, as if to keep him in this forest forever.

Vines, branches, roots... swayed endlessly in the seawater, appearing soft and slippery.

This scene reminded Xia En of a jellyfish.

Indeed, at this moment, the tree people were like emerald jellyfish scattered throughout the sea, almost completely obscuring the view.

Behind this dreamlike and magnificent scene lies a deadly trap.

Meanwhile, Shane also saw some strange beings among the tree people.

For example, among the tree-dwelling people, there was a giant lobster.

It is about ten meters long and can move freely.

Xia En couldn't help but feel surprised.

Isn't this forest supposed to be a no-man's land?
Why is this lobster still alive and well?

But upon closer inspection, Shane noticed something amiss.

Numerous roots and vines grow prominently at the junction of the lobster's shell.

On the lobster's abdomen, the body of a tree-man is pressed tightly against it, the two having become one.

A chill ran through Xia En.

He could easily tell that the lobster was actually dead.

Right now, it's merely a puppet controlled by the tree spirit.

Or rather, it is the nourishment that the tree people parasitize.

Just like hermit crabs steal the shells of other crustaceans, taking over their nests.

These tree-people also seem to possess similar abilities.

Xia En scanned the area and, sure enough, spotted several more similar parasitic beasts in the forest.

A giant sea turtle covered in moss, a giant crab with branches, and even a whale over thirty meters long!
The whale was controlled not by one tree-man, but by at least ten tree-men.

They grow all over the whale's body, penetrating its thick flesh, yet they keep it alive and prevent it from rotting.

But it is precisely this characteristic of being "alive" that makes people instinctively feel uncomfortable.

It's like, this is a kind of...

A desecration of life!

"Is this also one of the abilities bestowed by the [Giant Tree God]?"

Xia En raised an eyebrow, guessing to himself.

In his mind, tree beings shouldn't possess such a desecrating ability to destroy life.

This is also different from the image that the elven goddess has always presented, and it is filled with an eerie feeling.

The Fairy Goddess was once a righteous deity, so how could she possess such bizarre and blasphemous authority?

It's more like a power wielded by an evil god.

Xia En turned to look at the enormous tree in the center of the city and thought to himself.

"This [Giant Tree God] is getting more and more sinister."

"Just who is He?"

At this point, Xia En's probing plan could only be considered half successful.

He did indeed discover another strange ability of the tree people.

The problem was that the dense swarm of tree-men in front of him blocked his path to the [Giant Tree God].

Even for Xia En, it would be unrealistic to kill through so many mutated tree people.

Not to mention, even more tree people are flocking here from this area.

"It seems this underwater mission is coming to an end."

Xia En sighed and decided to fight with his back against the wall, killing as many treants as possible to gain more experience.

But that's it.

An old voice suddenly rang in Xia En's ear.

"Kid, if you don't want to die, burrow into the mud and sand at the bottom of the sea."

Xia En looked around but couldn't find the source of the sound.

Judging from the behavior of the other tree-people, it seemed that none of them heard this reminder.

This is likely a method similar to "spiritual communication".

Although he didn't know who the voice belonged to or what their intentions were, Xia En had no choice at the moment.

Rather than die in the Tree People's attack and waste this opportunity to dive, Shane would rather live a little longer.

With that thought in mind, Xia En no longer hesitated and, like an arrow released from a bow, plunged into the deepest part of the seabed.

At the same time, he unleashed the domain of [Great Dark Heaven] and compressed it to a very small area around him.

—This is the inspiration Shaen received on the Island of Sand.

【Great Dark Heaven】 can be used not only as an attack area that encompasses enemies, but also as a protective armor.

Using the domain, Shane successfully isolated the mud and sand from his body and continued to drill deeper.

Then, the aged voice rang out again.

"Follow the direction of the roots in front of you!"

A root appeared not far from Xia En and began to guide him.

Since he had already taken the voice's advice, Xia En decided to go all the way and quickly followed the root.

at the same time.

The tree-people above also realized that Shane was hiding and fell to the bottom of the sea.

Their roots easily penetrated into the mud and sand, beginning a sweeping search.

Judging from their proficiency, this was clearly not the first time they had encountered this situation.

In fact, the marine life hidden in the seabed mud and sand had long been wiped out by the Tree People in this way.

Shane followed the direction indicated by the roots.

About two or three minutes later.

The aged voice said, "Stop! Right here!"

"Conceal your presence and don't move!"

Shane did as it said.

However, the roots of the other tree people soon followed, eventually reaching within five meters of Shane.

Xia En hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should take action.

But suddenly, several roots blocked the tree-people's search path, as if to indicate—

This area is its territory.

The other roots hesitated for a moment, but eventually left silently.

The silent wait lasted for a long time.

Xia En could clearly feel that the commotion in the surrounding mud and sand was gradually subsiding.

This means that the tree people's search has come to an end.

"Kid, you can come out now."

The aged voice reminded him, "But don't leave the area shaded by my leaves."

Upon hearing this, Xia En slowly crawled out from underground and looked up.

The sight of "emerald green jellyfish" covering the seawater has disappeared, and the entire forest has returned to its former tranquility.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, it would be hard to imagine that this underwater forest could present such a crazy side.

And at this time.

A tall tree-man stood before Shane, casting its shade.

(End of this chapter)