Chapter 135: Encounter [2]

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!Drya's team went to work. They were noticed by the several other groups, but nobody paid them any more attention than the rest. A new set of competitors had arrived, but the most likely scenario was for them to die without being able to do anything.

That was what happened to the rest, after all.

'Creating an opening. We can do that easily.'

The beast moved a great deal. Its body was wedged into the wall so it couldn't act outside of a small range. It thrashed from side to side to extend the reach of its fleshy tentacles and attack, so there were several gaps that were created every few minutes.

Only, nobody was willing to take advantage of them. They were simply too small, and all who tried to use them were crushed into meatpaste against the cave wall.

As Drya originally intended, they needed to bring the beast towards them and away from where Atlas was trying to go. In order to do so, they needed to make it remove itself from the wall just slightly and force the other cultivators into difficult positions as well.

They were able to achieve this goal quite easily. The fleshy beast was easily agitated after all.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

There was a sort of order that had come to this battle. Those who kept their lives started to understand when to attack the beast and when to retreat, so they were able to establish a rhythm that would eventually kill the beast.

When Drya's people destroyed that rhythm, the beast also acted out of its usual patterns. Its tentacles went flying, crashing into everything in their reach. The rock crumbled and the earth shattered into countless pieces.

Suddenly, the relatively controlled environment became a real field of death.

"Hemaphrya, cover Gorron! Drya, they are coming from your left!"

Klaus' voice cut through the madness and gave directions and information to his people. He was being protected by a female demon who looked similar to the deceased Yari. The last six were controlling the battlefield.

While Drya used the full force in her arsenal against the beast, the rest corralled the cultivators themselves and forced them into a corner.

It was an obvious plan to understand.

"I will not contribute to their foolishness."

In the midst of everything was a blonde man and the old man by his side.

"Sebastian, find a way out of this. I will not provide them any aid."

"Young master, that is not possible. Once they ruined the flow of battle, they forced us into a position where all of us are forced to work as one. Otherwise, we will die."

It was true. The old man was forced to be impressed by their swiftness as they acted. Somehow, they managed to find the crux of the issue and instigate it so that the rest would have to play to their tune.

It was only curious what their purpose was. Such a strategy would only accomplish one thing. While gaining everyone else's ire, it would ensure that the beast would die rapidly.

The consequences just weren't worth the benefits, so what was their purpose?

Regardless, it was true that they didn't have a choice. The enraged beast's attacks were exactly what killed the rest of the Ascenders who entered this place. The reach of its tentacles had extended significantly, and a clear and strong qi was starting to flow from its strikes.

BOOM!

A huge amount of rock crashed into the man and his servant. The old man called Sebastian hurriedly blocked it with his qi, but his young master did nothing.

"I told you. I will not contribute to this battle."

Sebastian sighed.

"At least for the sake of appearances, please attack it a few times, young master."

The blonde man rolled his eyes.

"Very well, but that is the extent of it."

"Thank you, Young Master Carrian."

The blonde man harrumphed and raised his hand. He formulated a blast of golden qi that looked imposing but barely had any substance.

That was why he didn't expect such a scene to occur when it struck the fleshy beast.

But, this blonde-haired man named Carrian happened to have conflict with a certain group, and as they plotted a way to create an opening, they incorporated his existence into their plans.

The attack he released only looked powerful, but as it streaked through the air, it was met with several waves of qi that enhanced and empowered it.

By the time it reached its target, though it still looked like the same attack and still radiated with the aura of Carrian's qi, it was truly an amalgamation of several different powers.

OOOOOOH!

The beast let out a loud bellow of pain. Its multiple heads whipped towards Carrian even as several other attacks landed. The bottom of its body shifted, and its upper half swayed as it tried to move.

However, it was stuck. It pulled its body away from the wall for but a moment before it was returned back to its position.

There it was. In that single instant when the beast turned its entire attention towards the man, Atlas charged out of the shadows like a speeding bull.

He, like a flash of lightning, cut through the entire cave. The gap barely existed before the beast crashed back into its original position, so Atlas had to time it perfectly.

Even then, he could not guarantee success.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The tentacles were slamming into whatever they could find. Atlas was able to avoid them without much of a problem as they weren't directly targeting him. He jumped over one, slid his body to the side, and rapidly approached the beast before jumping into the air with all his might.

'Tch.'

He gritted his teeth. He could feel the heat of hostile qi approaching him from behind. It was not going to hit him as it was released rapidly without actually locating the target, but its aim was not to hit Atlas.

The sudden burst of qi in a completely different area from its main focus brought the beast's attention towards where Atlas was.

He acted fast, so not many people noticed him, but he couldn't hide from everyone. Those people who did see him absolutely wouldn't allow him to have his way.

However, Atlas did not look back. He kept his eyes on that gap, and as the qi burst flew by, for just a second, he made eye contact with the beast.

It was like time suddenly resumed its flow in that moment. The many moving parts in the moment came together with the sound of that gargantuan beast crashing into the cave walls.

BOOOOM!

Drya moved in and attacked, forcing the beast to forget about the being it had just seen. The rest of her team members did the same while spreading around the cave. Because of them, the beast's attention was placed on the entire crowd. Those who saw Atlas were now also too preoccupied to chase him.

As for the man himself…

For a split second, he was there right in between the wall and the beast. He saw its disgusting flesh approaching him, and with his eyes wide open, he was forced to trust the forces of nature to get him out alive. Read latest stories on mvl

The winds against his face, the pungent smell of the beast's body, and the adrenaline rushing into his head all came together and created a scene that felt impossible, but by some miracle, he made it.

He squeezed through the crack.

Bang!

His body was still struck by the flesh beast. Its backside slammed into him and threw him into the opposing wall, but that was fine. Even as his bones rattled and creaked, Atlas accepted the pain knowing that he had reached the final goal.

That beast was not only stupid, but also unreasonably sized. It did not have the maneuverability to turn around and face him.

He was able to look at what was hidden in this small cave area without being wary. At least, until someone else found their way to this place.

'I see, so the Demonic Root Tree never disappeared. It merely ascended.'

Plants could also follow the path of cultivation. It was very rare for there to be a high enough concentration of mana in an environment to give them sentience, but there were some species of plants that were born with a will that guided them closer to the heavens.

The Demonic Root Tree was one of such beings. After several millennia of resting and absorbing the blood and aura of the environment, it had become something entirely different and changed the entire secret realm as a result.

'The Caridian Flesh Tree.' Sёarch* The Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

It was most notable for its connection to moonlight, as when moonlight shone on this tree, it would create an environment perfect for demonic cultivation.

However, there was a little-known fact about the very same tree.

'If its sap is extracted and combined with the proper ingredients, its effect can be even more potent than Devil Fruits.'

Atlas walked up to the tree, raising his hand to touch it.

However, that was when he was interrupted.

"You look like you're having fun."

Atlas' smallest hairs stood on end. He rapidly spun around to find the source of the voice, as he didn't sense anything like another presence.

What he saw was the picture of a man who looked more like a beast.

"Mind if I join you?"

That man smiled widely, two rows of triangular saw-like teeth revealing themselves to the world.

Atlas immediately frowned.

His words were not necessarily hostile, but there wasn't a need to question it.

This man's interpretation of that phrase was definitely not the same as others.

And he…

Well, there was no way in hell that he wasn't hostile.