The Suppressing Prison Seal had already locked down the void, sealing the heavens and the earth. At that moment, the Earth-Crushing Seal emerged, channeling the seismic force from below and the crushing gravity from above. These combined forces enveloped the area where the Tree Demon Grandmother stood, compressing the space like an inflating balloon on the verge of bursting.
Heaven and earth were fully sealed—there was nowhere to run.
Even more critically, the nature of plant-based spirits is their attachment to their native land. This is their greatest shackle. Unless they completely abandon their main body, they remain bound to it and cannot easily escape.
Caught off guard by Yi Tianxing's sudden assault, the millennia-old tree demon was unable to evade or defend. Her main body was exposed and immobilized. Facing the deathly pressure emanating from the two ancient seals, she felt a surge of rage and dread.
Yet even now, she would not wait idly for death.
Life Diagram—Extreme Demon Realm!!
A pitch-black demonic diagram unfurled, unleashing a tide of black demonic light that surged into the heavens. Wherever it spread, a surge of Profound Yin Qi exploded outward, and the temperature of the world plummeted as though everything would be frozen—not just physically, but on a soul-deep level. One could even see a dark demon dragon coiling within the diagram.
This was Extreme Ice, capable of freezing all creation.
No force seemed capable of resisting it.
Now, the Tree Demon was fully unleashing her domain, with the demon diagram becoming a realm of her control. Here, she was the absolute sovereign. Everything was under her rule. Clearly, this was her only possible defense against the two incoming divine physical manifestations.
Unfortunately, she faced Yi Tianxing's two divine physical techniques, both infused with blood essence power that was purely yang, directly counteracting the Profound Yin Qi—as if fire and ice collided. Crackling sounds rang out as golden light flared, and layers of Yin Qi were rapidly disintegrated. As the two seals descended, the scope of the Extreme Demon Realm continued to shrink—visibly so.
🟨 [New Technique Highlighted: Extreme Demon Realm (命图——极度魔界)]A soul-freezing, Yin-domain field that creates a realm of extreme cold and control, containing a black demon dragon and capable of suppressing all yang-aligned powers.
"No! This is my territory. You can't defeat your Grandmother here!"The Tree Demon shrieked in rage.
Suddenly, streams of immense Yin energy surged from the surrounding locust trees into the Tree Demon, stabilizing the collapsing domain and even pushing it outward again—an attempt to blast the two seals away.
But the Suppressing Prison Seal burst with golden light, freezing the surrounding space entirely and sealing the Yin Qi outside. At the same time, the roots below were crushed under the Earth-Crushing Seal. Some Yin energy was absorbed, but it too was sealed.
One zhang!
Two zhang!
Three zhang!
(The seals pressed downward rapidly.)
With a massive BOOM, the Extreme Demon Realm shattered entirely.
"No—how can this Grandmother die like this? I refuse to accept it!!"The Tree Demon let out a final, miserable scream. A violent golden light swept outward, incinerating all the Yin Qi in the area.
It was a devastating and breathtaking sight.
To those watching—like Yan Chixia—it was staggering. They saw a colossal ancient tree completely explode, its pieces shattering and flying in every direction.
"How is that possible? That was a great demon at the Law Manifestation realm, and she just—just died like that!"Yan Chixia's eyes almost popped out from the shock. It was beyond belief.
It was common knowledge: when plants become spirits, their vitality surpasses nearly all other demonic creatures of the same level. Their survivability is terrifyingly high. Yet this Tree Demon was annihilated in one strike.
"Soul lamps—no!!"A chorus of female ghosts wailed in agony.
As the Tree Demon shattered, the soul lamps embedded in her trunk were all extinguished. As they were snuffed out, the ghostly women lost color in their faces and dissipated like mist—completely obliterated, not even leaving ghostly remnants behind.
"They're merely scattered souls. Their true spirits remain intact. One day, they'll be reborn again."Yi Tianxing observed calmly.
The true essence of any life lies in the True Spirit—not the soul, but the life imprint, the core origin. From the True Spirit, souls are born, and through reincarnation, a new life emerges. This is the secret of life.
Even if the soul is destroyed, as long as the True Spirit remains and enters the cycle of reincarnation, a new soul will naturally form. It represents a new life. In this way, it is not a complete erasure of existence.
These ghostly women had committed grave sins in life. Their deaths were, perhaps, a form of mercy.
Whoosh!
As the Tree Demon exploded, a nine-inch-long wooden core appeared—a condensed essence of her thousand-year cultivation.
When plants attain spirit form, they form a Wood Heart. With sufficient cultivation, they can use the Wood Heart to achieve physical transformation, freeing themselves from their immobile roots—breaking the innate shackles of plant spirits. It's a treasure as vital as life itself.
Yi Tianxing reached out and collected the wooden core.
"A fine treasure. Locust wood is inherently Yin-aligned. This wood heart is a supreme Yin treasure, rich in life essence. It can nourish souls, condense Yin Qi, and craft artifacts. A rare and precious item indeed."Yi Tianxing held it in his palm, nodding with satisfaction.
🟨 [Important Item: Locust Tree Wood Heart]
A powerful Yin-element treasure full of life essence, ideal for soul cultivation, Yin Qi condensation, and refining dark-attribute artifacts.
"Xiaoqian greets King Yi. Thank you for delivering me from suffering,"Nie Xiaoqian bowed respectfully.
"No need for formalities. This was karma. Had you not remained untainted in the mire, you'd have perished alongside the other ghosts."Yi Tianxing replied calmly.
"Xiaoqian knows. I also know that Grandmother kept a hidden stash—treasures from Lanruo Temple's heyday. I know where it is and am willing to present it to Your Majesty."Nie Xiaoqian offered sincerely.
"What? A secret stash from the old Lanruo Temple? Where is it? Show me at once."Yi Tianxing's interest was piqued.
Lanruo Temple was no ordinary place. If the Tree Demon had hoarded treasures from there, they were bound to be extraordinary.
"Understood, Your Majesty."Nie Xiaoqian nodded and flew toward the Tree Demon's original territory—not the precise location of her body, but several thousand meters away. There, she dug up a treasure chest.
"Your Majesty, this is Grandmother's secret vault. All her treasures are stored here."
It was a wooden chest, rich with an ancient, sandalwood aroma—exuding the aura of time. Though wooden, it gleamed with a metallic luster and had no visible seams or openings—completely sealed.
"How do we open it?"Yi Tianxing asked.
"This chest was crafted by Grandmother herself. Only she could open it—but now that she's dead, perhaps the Wood Heart can unlock it."Nie Xiaoqian replied.
She had seen the Tree Demon simply touch it to open it before, but never knew the mechanism. Still, she was certain the stash was real.
"Let's try it."Yi Tianxing nodded. He brought the Wood Heart close to the chest.
The chest reacted instantly, glowing with dark light. With a click, the lid opened automatically.
The chest was small—but an intense radiance burst forth.
"This is no ordinary chest. It's a treasure in itself, with internal space. A mustard seed holding a mountain. No wonder she used it to store her collection."Yi Tianxing observed with approval.
"Husband, quick! Let's see what treasures this Tree Demon collected!"Cai Yan's face lit with curiosity.
This was her first time experiencing a "loot box" moment, and she couldn't help but be excited.
"Let's each reach in and draw one item. See who gets the most valuable treasure."Yi Tianxing grinned.
"Great idea! I'll go first."Lianxing's eyes sparkled as she eagerly reached in and grabbed an item—then hid it behind her back.
"I'll try next."Yaoyue also joined in, drawing one item.
Cai Yan followed suit.
Yi Tianxing chuckled and picked something for himself.