We bear people have power

A piece of bark covered in moss, which looked like it had fallen off after being struck by lightning. Guan Bo grabbed it and squeezed it hard. "Heh, it's pretty hard."

Guan Bo exerted five-tenths of his strength, yet he couldn't crush the bark, nor even deform it. In terms of material, it did indeed possess the feel of a rare treasure.

"What exactly is this thing?" Guan Bo asked Ling Kongzi and the tree demons.

"We don't know. All we know is that this treasure seems to contain endless Yi Wood spiritual energy, so we used it to set up an array and also used the spiritual energy of this treasure to cultivate," Ling Kongzi explained.

But this was almost meaningless, as Guan Bo could naturally sense the immense spiritual energy contained within the tree bark, making it particularly suitable for cultivators who cultivate the Yi Wood spiritual energy.

"This treasure is perfect for you. Carrying it with you will make your cultivation twice as effective." Guan Bo handed the tree bark to Ling Xiu.

Unexpectedly, an incredible change occurred as soon as Lingxiu received the piece of bark. The seemingly dead bark suddenly sprouted many tiny aerial roots, which pierced directly into Lingxiu's palm, causing the little girl to scream in pain.

This sudden change startled everyone, and in just a moment of stunned silence, Lingxiu's entire body was completely enveloped by the roots growing from the tree bark.

But that wasn't enough. These roots intertwined and transformed into a large tree, which took root in the ground and grew to a height of ten zhang in the blink of an eye, and it was still growing.

Shocked, Guan Bo grabbed Ling Kongzi and demanded, "What on earth is going on?! What the hell is this so-called treasure of yours?"

“We really didn’t know.” Ling Kongzi also looked shocked.

Guan Bo didn't care whether what he said was true or false. He threw the four tree demons onto the ever-growing tree and roared, "Get Lingxiu out of here safely, or I'll make you all pay with your lives!"

The voice was like a sharp sword, piercing the eardrums of the four demons with pain. This was Guan Bo's imitation of the Queen Mother of the West's ability to make her words come true in his desperation.

The wrath of the true god is a heavenly fire born from the void; the rebuke of the true god is like a sharp sword that can pierce the heart.

Guan Bo was genuinely anxious at this moment, never expecting that this piece of tree bark would be so malevolent. It hadn't mutated when it was in his hands, but it devoured Ling Xiu the moment it touched her.

If it weren't for his innate supernatural ability to sense things, which meant Lingxiu was not in immediate danger, Guan Bo would probably have already broken open this strange tree.

Although the four demons of Lingkongzi did not know the origin of the tree bark, they had controlled the treasure for many years and knew more about it than Guan Bo.

Four beams of green light poured into it, temporarily halting the continuous growth of the giant tree. However, Guan Bo still noticed that the giant tree was constantly sprouting roots, digging deep into the ground. Fortunately, this was in Wuji City; if it were Sickle Hammer City, the defensive sword array would probably have been triggered long ago, and it might even have dug through the earth's crust and penetrated deep into the underground insect nest.

"Fellow Daoist Guan, we can only stabilize this treasure's growth for now, but I'm afraid we can't sustain it for long," Ling Kongzi said loudly.

"What exactly happened? Would it be dangerous for me to break open the tree trunk to rescue the person?" Guan Bo asked.

“I’m not entirely sure of the reason either, but it seems that the little girl’s bloodline is somewhat special, which has given this nearly dead tree bark a new lease on life. It seems that this tree bark is a divine object from the beginning of time, constantly absorbing the spiritual energy from the little girl’s body to strengthen itself. We can only slow down this absorption for now. You have to find a way to sever the connection between the little girl and the divine object, otherwise her life will be in danger. But now the divine object and the little girl are already combined. If you forcibly break the tree trunk, you might hurt the little girl,” Ling Kongzi explained.

"Looking at it won't work, and breaking the trunk won't work either. What do you want me to do?" Guan Bo asked anxiously.

"We don't know either. Fellow Daoist Guan, your magical power is high and your knowledge is far greater than ours. This matter can only be handled by yourself. We can only try our best to buy you some time."

"How long can it be delayed?" Guan Bo asked.

"At most three days!" Ling Kongzi said.

A streak of light flashed across the sky, and Wu Meiniang, who had been stationed in Wuji City, also arrived here.

"Guan Bo, what's going on?" Wu Meiniang asked, looking at the giant tree that was nearly twenty feet tall.

Guan Bo forced himself to calm down and explained the situation to Wu Meiniang, but he couldn't think of any good ideas for the time being.

After listening, Wu Meiniang pondered for a while and then said to Guan Bo, "Don't panic. Since there is a way to slow down the growth of this giant tree, we have enough time to think of a solution."

“But there are only three days,” Guan Bo said, frowning.

"Four tree spirits can only delay it for three days, but we can find more people to help. It's just a matter of using spiritual energy. There are many tree spirits in the world, and many cultivators who cultivate the Yi Wood spiritual energy. Let Ling Kongzi tell others about this delaying method. If we work together, we can delay it for a while longer."

Wu Meiniang's words gave Guan Bo a bright idea; this was indeed a good solution.

"But where can we find cultivators and demons who practice the Wood element in such a hurry?" Guan Bo asked.

"If you can't find them, then enlighten them. Aren't there a few osmanthus, winter plum, maple, and apricot trees that are almost demons? Use your magic to enlighten them into demons and let them do some work first."

The enlightenment that Wu Zetian spoke of refers to a highly skilled person using their magical power to awaken the intelligence of plants and animals that are about to become demons, thus accelerating their transformation into demons.

Generally speaking, the deeper one's cultivation level, the better the effect of enlightenment. These plants are already close to the stage of demon transformation, so enlightenment is easy and won't have any negative impact.

However, if you just find any wild grass to enlighten, it will be time-consuming and laborious, and the little demons that are enlightened will not be very intelligent and their strength will be quite weak.

Guan Bo didn't know this method, but Wu Meiniang had spent much longer at Fangcun Mountain than Guan Bo, and being a legitimate cultivator, she naturally knew this method as well.

Without delay, Wu Meiniang approached the four demonic plants and said in a deep voice, "I have an urgent matter that requires your help, so I have no choice but to force you to transform into demons. However, I guarantee that I will compensate you double for any losses. If you can save Lingxiu's life, there will be an additional reward. However, the situation is urgent. If you are unwilling to help or show the slightest negligence, then don't blame me for being ruthless."

The four demonic plants had already developed sentience and were only one step away from transforming into demons. Hearing Wu Meiniang's words, they dared not disobey in the slightest, even though they were unwilling. Even if plants and trees became spirits, they were only mindless creatures, not fools.

The four demonic plants swayed their branches and leaves gently, which was considered their agreement.

Wu Meiniang didn't delay. She cast a spell, gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to bestow blessings upon the four demon plants, instantly transforming them into demons.

The osmanthus and winter plum blossoms transformed into two petite girls, the maple tree into a red-headed demon, and the apricot tree into a charming and alluring female demon. The four demons bowed respectfully and then approached Ling Kongzi, seeking his guidance on how to slow the growth of the divine tree.

With these four people taking action, we have three more days.

Seeing that the situation had stabilized, Wu Meiniang said to Guan Bo, "This matter is most likely related to Lingxiu's background. It's probably because she used the willow branch dew to reshape her body. You go to Guanyin Bodhisattva for help, and I'll have Shuhuan go back to Fangcun Mountain to ask the patriarch for help. I'll keep an eye on Wuji City and guarantee that Lingxiu will be in no danger whatsoever."