Chapter 398: Chapter 14: Cursed Tree

Creak.

Su Ziyu slowly pushed open the incredibly heavy door in front of him.

In his line of sight appeared some drooping tree branches and vines, completely different from the decayed and ruined scenery outside. Su Ziyu actually saw some blooming flowers here.

That was the breath of life.

He could feel a twisted life force spreading within, emitting decay and vitality bit by bit, as if it had completely fused into one. These flowers did not emit a single fragrant aroma; instead, Su Ziyu could smell a faint scent of blood. The roots of these flowers had penetrated the scattered corpses around them, drawing nutrients from the bodies to grow vigorously.

Facing him were two grotesque statues.

There were many strange beliefs in this world, and all sorts of statues were equally bizarre. Su Ziyu had already seen quite a few in the dim chapel.

Vines coiled around the statues and stone pillars.

As Su Ziyu and Nun Fried entered, the vines and branches seemed to quiver slightly, as if they were living creatures.

There were candles lit ahead.

“Someone?” Su Ziyu glanced at Nun Fried beside him, who frowned slightly, as if sensing something.

There were people here.

But they were not normal people; they were some deranged zombies.

Upon seeing Su Ziyu’s figure, they immediately rushed forward waving weapons, but were easily dispatched by the two.

The courtyard in front of them was quite large.

There were some creeping vines on the ground, and those blooming flowers. Su Ziyu could see some worshipping zombies in the corner. They were obviously not dead yet, but some roots had grown into their bodies, and it looked like they would completely die before long.

Straight ahead were several already withered giant trees.

These ancient trees had been decayed for a long time. On the bare trunks hung some things, and upon closer inspection, they turned out to be shriveled heads wrapped in cloth.

—”Cursed Tree! [Pollution Source][Curse][Activation]”

Beneath those dead ancient trees was a bloated humanoid monster with a massive belly. Its body was entirely composed of dead wood, its arms and legs tangled with vines, and strange white things seeming to parasitize its body, looking from afar like insect eggs.

“Alert! Alert!”

“You have entered a cursed domain!… The unknown curse could very likely cause spirit pollution!…”

Is this wretched thing bearing the curse of the Undead?

Su Ziyu turned and looked at Nun Fried beside him, stepping slowly towards the cursed tree in front.

Boom.

As if sensing someone’s approach, the cursed tree suddenly awakened. It used its hands to support its huge body as if trying to stand up, but the unbelievably massive belly prevented it from doing so, and it could only sit on the ground, turning its body with difficulty.

A large hand reached out towards Su Ziyu.

The movement was not fast. He rolled to the right to evade and slashed his sword at the creature’s arm.

Not a scratch!

The tree’s arm bore only a shallow sword mark. Even Spiritual Lightning did not affect it.

Looks like fire is needed.

Su Ziyu pulled out a flame pot and tossed it. As expected, when the flame ignited, the cursed tree let out a human-like shriek of pain, and suddenly, a liquid spewed from its abdomen, like pus from a festering wound, extinguishing the fire.

A giant deadwood arm slammed down.

Su Ziyu leaped into the air, carefully observing the monster, and gestured to Nun Fried in the distance.

Too bad no incendiary bullets were brought along.

This pollution source seemed not fully transformed and couldn’t even stand up. If they had incendiary bullets, Su Ziyu reckoned it would be very easy to take it down. The enemy’s physical defense was astounding; the Yirushir Straight Sword only left a shallow mark with full force, and Spiritual Lightning’s effect was also poor, requiring Nun Fried to be the main damage dealer.

Whoosh.

Just as Su Ziyu’s figure suspended in midair, the vines growing throughout the courtyard suddenly moved. Dark green vines danced like snakes, directly entwining towards Su Ziyu’s body.

Dozens of vines completely blocked Su Ziyu’s retreat, forcing him to shout and slash at the vines.

Not far away.

Finally, Nun Fried was no longer in spectator mode. A bright flame appeared in her pale palm, and after nodding slightly at Su Ziyu, she crushed the remnant flame in her hand.

The King of Wandering Souls of Londor!

Black flames ignited beneath Nun Fried’s feet.

Boom.

Nun Fried’s aura surged dramatically, much stronger than when she had fought Su Ziyu before. Her figure soared instantly, surrounded by two ribbons of black flames swirling around her body. As she swung the giant scythe, a sea of black flames mixed with a chill, like a monochrome ink painting, surged towards the cursed tree.

This monster clearly felt fear!

Almost the instant Nun Fried launched her attack, the cursed tree’s belly burst open, and a ghastly white arm stretched out from inside, as if something was trying to break free!

A piercing scream rang out.

From Su Ziyu’s perspective, within the cursed tree’s body was a humanoid monster, albeit not fully developed. Most of its body remained inside the wooden belly, enveloped in murky, amniotic-like fluid, revealing the outline of a giant-like burly figure, its head still wrapped in a thick layer of white matter.

It’s nurturing some dreadful thing inside!

Su Ziyu’s timing was perfect; the monster within the cursed tree had not yet hatched, likely making it extremely weak now.

Boom!

Nun Fried descended from the sky, drawing a frigid, gleaming arc. Black flames spread rapidly across the cursed tree’s body, with the icy power tracing the wood’s veins, and amidst the wailing shrieks, the ghastly white arm retracted. After landing, Nun Fried frowned at the tree’s belly slit, her figure disappearing suddenly to reappear above the cursed tree’s abdomen.

The black flames of Londor!

The courtyard was engulfed in burning black flames. As Nun Fried brought down the giant scythe, those black flames crashed like surging tides, forcing Su Ziyu, who attempted to help, to retreat and avoid the eerie black fire.

Boom!

The ground trembled.

Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the ground, accompanied by unbearable wailing amidst the black fire, and a notification appeared beside Su Ziyu’s ear.

“Gained 20 Source Power Value.”

“Task complete! Authority Level increased!…”

The cursed tree’s massive body collapsed, its internal unhatched creature shattered, leaving only the remnant of a pale arm in the abdomen.

Who am I?

Where am I?

What do I want to do?

Suspended in midair, Su Ziyu looked at the cursed tree’s broken shell and the strands of burning black flames, momentarily frozen in place. Then he shrugged and descended.

Oh well.

Why think so much, better check out the spoils of battle first.

………

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