Edited by Aelryinth

The tree had retained its sacred brilliance. Back when Mo Fan had first witnessed the elegance of the godly tree, he mistook it as a blessing from nature. He assumed the godly tree had existed to protect something, yet everything was merely his imagination. It did not exist to fulfill a sacred duty. It was merely following the core principle of nature, the law of the jungle!

"It's the Giant Purple Linden… I didn't expect that demon to have escaped all the way here!" Mo Fan clenched his fists, fixing his gaze on the Giant Purple Linden standing there aloofly.

"Didn't Yan Shi kill that thing? Are you telling me the paradise of the Winged Beasts has another one..." Zhao Manyan said.

"It had nine trunks. Yan Shi and the Moon Moth Phoenix managed to destroy eight of them. It only has its final trunk left," Mo Fan said.

"No wonder that thing doesn't look as astounding as the Giant Purple Linden we stumbled into, only a ninth of it is left," Zhao Manyan murmured.

Even with only a ninth of itself left, the Giant Purple Linden retained its majestic appearance. It was like a godly tree in the woods of the Ashwood Wind Layer, soaring into the sky together with the mountains nearby.

"Do you know what that is?" Zhang Xiaohou was surprised. It was Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan's first time in the Qinling Mountains. Why would they know that tree?

The purple tree was clearly one of the main trees of the Ashwood Wind Layer. It served as a pillar, together with thirteen other Ashwood Trees. It must have been here for a long time!

"That thing is a demon!" Mo Fan briefly explained their encounter at Mount Kunyu to Zhang Xiaohou.

Zhang Xiaohou was astounded after hearing about the series of events at Mount Kunyu.

"I was here half a year ago. Another troop tried to climb the purple tree to make their way up, but we soon lost contact with them. We had no idea how they died until now!" Zhang Xiaohou exclaimed.

The purple tree had given Zhang Xiaohou a strong impression when he saw it for the first time. He immediately recalled the fate of the troop after learning its true identity.

"It's very likely that the demon has eaten them. It nurtures itself with fresh blood. I remember it wasn't looking so good when it ran away from Mount Kunyu. It must have absorbed the nutrients of many things after hiding in the Qinling Mountains," Mo Fan said.

"We can't let it live any longer. Once it regrows its trunks, it will move to somewhere close to a human city. Many people will end up as its food if they don't realize what it is," Lingling said.

It was hard to recall the terrifying series of events at Mount Kunyu. If it wasn't for Yan Shi, the half-Forbidden Mage who had sacrificed everything to stop the demon, it would have dragged countless innocent lives from Yantai into the abyss of death!

"It's not a coincidence. I'm afraid this place was once the Great Purple Linden's old nest. Yan Shi and Jiang Xia must have discovered its existence here in the past when they brought back the Tree of Vows to the Enforcement Union," Mo Fan said.

"That makes sense!" Zhao Manyan nodded.

Lingling twisted her lips. Wasn't it obvious? Did they really have to analyze it so seriously just to reach such an obvious conclusion?

"I bet it won't be easy to fight that thing, right?" Yu Shishi asked.

Even though the Great Purple Linden had lost eight of its trunks, it was still exceedingly strong, even with only one trunk left. They also had to take into consideration the Winged Beasts residing on it, too!

"If the Violet Imperial Battalion was still around, they might be able to distract the Winged Beasts for us. It might be a chance for us to get rid of the Great Purple Linden!" Mo Fan said.

If they were only up against the Great Purple Linden, they might actually stand a chance. The Great Purple Linden was a great threat. They would only feel at ease after killing it.

They would also fulfill Yan Shi's last wish by killing it!

"Why can't we forget about it? Can't we avoid it by climbing another tree?" Zhao Manyan sighed.

They suddenly heard a soft movement while they were deep in thought.

Apas was the most alert in the group. Her glittering eyes immediately stared at a shrub a hundred meters away.

The sound had come from the brush, and it was getting closer!

A tanned face suddenly poked out from the shrub. The man scanned the area alertly. He was overjoyed when he saw Mo Fan and the others.

"You are all here, what a relief!" The tanned soldier jumped out from the shrub and headed toward them.

Mo Fan was confused. Why was a soldier of the Violet Imperial Battalion here? He saw them taking a different path. Didn't they already part ways?

"Why are you here? And how did you find us?" Zhao Manyan asked.

"I'm good at tracking. Basically, the others are currently in trouble, so I was hoping that you could lend us a hand," the tanned-face soldier said.

"Are you kidding me now? We already brought you here without asking a single cent in return, your leader acted like it was going to cost his life just to thank us, and now you're asking for our help now?!" Zhao Manyan nearly exploded.

"What happened?" Mo Fan asked calmly.

"Captain Ling Fei was eager to rescue our target. She ended up provoking a bunch of Skyice Winged Beasts. They are currently stuck in a tree cave. The Skyice Winged Beasts keep using their Ice Magic. They are trying to trap us in the tree… I managed to escape with the Shadow Element," the tanned-face soldier admitted.

"You guys are not familiar with the Qinling Mountains, yet you are still so clumsy and careless. It was only a matter of time before you found yourself in a situation like this. The Skyice Winged Beasts aren't easy to deal with. We have other matters to attend to. You should ask Major General Li Dexin to figure out a plan himself," Zhang Xiaohou said.

"General Zhang..." The tanned soldier did not expect Zhang Xiaohou to reject him so decisively.

"Did you find the person you're looking for?" Mo Fan asked.

"We did, but..." The soldier was lost for words. He was obviously not good at expressing himself. He also privately agreed that Li Dexin had overdone himself along the journey.

"We'll come with you, but we are risking our lives to do it. Once the others are safe, I will need you all to do us a favor," Mo Fan said.

Mo Fan did not expect the Violet Imperial Battalion to show up just when he was thinking about them. Speak of the devil...

The truth was, Mo Fan knew there was no way Zhang Xiaohou would leave them to die, especially since he was a soldier, just like them!

However, if they were going to help, they had to ask for a favor in return! With the help of the Violet Imperial Battalion, they might have a chance to destroy the last trunk of the Giant Purple Linden!

"Not a problem, it's our duty to be helping one another in the wild!" the soldier agreed right away.

---

The tanned soldier immediately led the way back. He was quite impressive as he wove through the trees and vines. It was easy to lose track of him if they did not pay attention.

"Yu Shishi, isn't the Giant Purple Linden closely related to the Moon Moth Phoenix?" Mo Fan asked as he recalled something.

"If we can kill the Giant Purple Linden and take its leaves, the Moon Moth Phoenix can skip the cocoon phase and turn into a moth straightaway," Yu Shishi confirmed quickly.

The Moon Moth Phoenix and the Giant Purple Linden were one another's nemesis. The last Moon Moth Phoenix had given Yu Shishi a second chance at life. She was more than willing to avenge the last Moon Moth Phoenix by taking out the Giant Purple Linden. On top of that, the Sacred Linden Leaves of the Giant Purple Linden were even more nutritious than the leaves of the Moon Mulberry Trees to the Moon Moth Phoenix!

"Are you saying that the little guy can turn into a mature Totem Beast right away?" Mo Fan blurted out in surprise.

"I believe she is still a phase away from her stronger form. You can think of her as a little Moon Moth Phoenix," Yu Shishi said.

"That's not too bad, she would be at least a Ruler-level creature, right?" Mo Fan said.

"Yes," Yu Shishi nodded.

"That means our Fanxue Mountain will soon have a Ruler-level Totem Beast as a guardian!" Mo Fan exclaimed.

Apart from Hangzhou, which was protected by the Black Totem Snake, were there any other cities that were looked after by a Totem Beast?

Yu Shishi had settled down in Fanxue Mountain, so the Moon Moth Phoenix was clearly going to treat Fanxue Mountain as her home too!

"Let's kill it! We have to kill the Giant Purple Linden. We'll get rid of it while it's still weak!"

Yan Shi had left the Giant Purple Linden with serious injuries. The demon was at its weakest point now. However, judging from how its leaves had regrown after moving to the Qinling Mountains, the Giant Purple Linden was slowly recovering from its injuries.

Once it regrew all nine of its trunks, it would be impossible for them to kill it!

Therefore, they had to take out the Giant Purple Linden here. It was going to drop lots of valuable loot!

Perhaps the loot would be enough for them to achieve the Super Level, even if they failed to locate the Tree of Vows.

"They are just ahead," the tanned soldier called out.

Mo Fan's thoughts were preoccupied with the Giant Purple Linden. He only realized the vegetation in front of them was covered in thick ice after collecting his thoughts. Even the breeze was chilly!

"Their numbers are going to be trouble," Apas reminded Mo Fan.

Mo Fan looked at Zhang Xiaohou, wondering if Zhang Xiaohou had a plan in mind.

"The Skyice Winged Beasts normally have a leader. I'll lure their leader away while you help the people escape. Don't even bother fighting them," Zhang Xiaohou told him.