The whole tree exploded with whiteness. Its insides, trunk, roots, branches, and leaves abandoned their dark shades to transform into channels for Heaven and Earth's influence.
Noah saw the event unfolding from its very center. He had been right in front of the seed. Everything around him had transformed, and his influence had been unable to affect the expanding whiteness.
The tree transformed during the expansion of the whiteness. The change didn't only affect its color and aura. It also modified its nature and effects, which deeply morphed its structure and fabric.
The metallic material of the trunk transformed into a blinding dense liquid that radiated an unnatural heat. The roots began to release large drops that spread in the area and expanded the tree's reach. The branches and leaves gained additional pulling forces, which soon gave birth to proper vortices that attracted even the energy far away.
It was as if the tree had taken life after that transformation. Heaven and Earth's light had made it show its true form, and its might obviously skyrocketed after every change stabilized.
The new pulling forces generated by the vortices pierced the healing aura released by the life dragon and drained many rank 8 specimens. Even some of the creatures in the ninth rank couldn't withstand the pressure unleashed by the tree's crown and felt forced to leave the battlefield.
The liquid released by the roots acted as branches of the tree. The fabric of space shattered due to the energy the plant absorbed, and seeds slowly formed among the various large drops hovering on the battlefield.
Everyone had it hard. Most of the dragons had to run away, and many died due to the surprising new abilities of the tree. Only June, the four upper tier specimens, and the creatures in the middle tier could remain in the area without suffering severe injuries. Still, they also saw their offensive might falling due to the pressure created by the pulling forces.
Noah had it harder than his companions. He was at the very center of the tree, in the middle of the blinding liquid. The heat released by that white substance melted his fiendish armor and shattered his skin. Cracks opened on his figure, and his ethereal blackness sent more potential to slow down the event.
The attack was beyond the regular upper tier. Noah could sense that the tree had transformed into something similar to the privileged cultivator. It wasn't exactly at their level, but the nature of its existence had grown incredibly close to those powerful experts.
It immediately became clear that Noah couldn't defeat the tree. The issue with the magical plant wasn't a matter of depth. He could hurt his opponent, but the sheer difference in the amount of energy made him unable to deal with everything falling on him.
The blinding and scorching halo was enough to suppress most of Noah's abilities. His companions couldn't come out of his body, and even the parasite's branches that had grown at the crown's base melted in a few seconds. His body would follow if he didn't do anything, but his centers of power and assets were already preparing themselves to unleash their might.
Noah's instincts raged as he decided to retract part of his power to prepare for an attack that would use the entirety of his assets. The destruction of his body immediately picked up speed, and most of his skin crumbled to reveal a dense layer of dark matter that covered his insides. That shield also began to melt, but a sharp aura soon came out of him.
His body exploded with power, his dantian unleashed energy that it couldn't usually generate, his black crystal sent dense flares, and his mind moved everything to exploit the flaws in his surroundings.
The matter didn't end there. Duanlong ate a large chunk of the dense liquid, Shafu moved away part of that substance, Night sent countless black lines, the Cursed Sword spread destruction, the Demonic Sword launched slashes, the parasite released its corrosive liquid, and Snore spat destructive dark matter.
The intense radiance that had enveloped Noah fell prey to a series of dark gales. Everything shattered as he unleashed his best attacks. The tree saw a massive chunk of its liquid trunk vanishing as a black storm expanded from its center.
The void had long since filled most of the battlefield, and the recent transformation only worsened that phenomenon. Noah couldn't see the space-time array in that environment, but he still mustered the entirety of his understanding in those aspects to improve his movement technique. Something vague appeared in his vision before he shot forward.
His body burnt, and everything else hurt. Even his companions suffered due to the immense power that they had been forced to unleash. Noah had called upon his entire might before jumping right through his techniques, so something ended up hitting him.
Nevertheless, everything eventually began to stabilize. Noah's senses freed themselves of the scorching and heavy pressure and allowed him to inspect his surroundings. He found himself outside the battlefield, with the tree unable to reach him with its influence.
Noah didn't need to check his condition to understand its severity. His body was a mess that barely had any skin left. Black crystals covered his muscles and insides as his centers of power tried to find the energy to heal the many injuries. His instincts also screamed in fear due to the drawbacks that he would have to suffer later on, but none of that distracted him from the main issue.
The tree had gone past its previous peak after the transformation. All the damage suffered during the initial offensive had vanished as if it had never existed. Moreover, the energy stolen from the weaker dragons and environment had made the magical plant grow.
New branches, roots, and leaves had come out of the trunk, and the latter had also enlarged. The structure had a big uneven hole filled with black storms, but the whiteness appeared about to suppress them.
Noah could see that the tree had gained the upper hand. Only the four leaders could fight properly in that environment. The other dragons were too busy protecting their energy to launch proper attacks, and June was in a similar situation. She saw her power vanishing before she could unleash it.
The tree didn't follow Noah, so he took that chance to muster his power. His ethereal blackness was filling every aspect of his existence with potential. He couldn't get stronger than that, so he decided to exploit his current state to create an attack that a regular battle would never give him the time to perform.
Different types of energy came out of Noah's body and created an unstable sphere in front of him. The structure transformed into a black hole before turning into something that began to twist the void in its surroundings.
The faint space-time array that Noah had seen before appeared again, but he felt unable to inspect it. He knew that his mind couldn't understand the path past the ninth rank, and he had no intention to focus on that now. He had a specific target, and most of his attention remained on creating the perfect attack.
The black hole shrunk until it transformed into a tiny sphere that threatened to release huge flares, but Noah made sure to suppress it. His swords then rose to point their tips at the attack. He retracted his arms as power gathered on his blades, and he pushed them forward once he felt ready.
The blades' tips touched right before hitting the tiny black hole. The small sphere immediately shattered, and a beam shot forward. The attack was thin but incredibly dense, and the blinding liquid couldn't do anything to stop it.
The beam pierced the trunk and reached the center of the dark storms that the light had almost finished suppressing. An earthshattering explosion resounded inside them, and a rectangular platform suddenly expanded. The tree found itself divided in half by that odd slash that continued to grow and split the battlefield into two parts.
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Author's notes: I have an interview with webnovel soon, but I plan to stay awake until I make two more chapters for Demonic Sword.. As always, thank you for your patience.