novelraw Chapter 84: The Ancient Primordial Tree’s Powerless Rage
Chapter 84: The Ancient Primordial Tree’s Powerless Rage
As his talent leveled up, a surge of scalding heat suddenly swept through his entire body.
The torrent was fierce and seemed to flow out from the depths of his soul, rushing into every limb and bone.
Lin Xun felt a swelling sensation throughout his body, his bones itching and aching as if countless ants were gnawing at him. The discomfort was intense.
He clenched his teeth tightly, barely managing to stop himself from crying out.
After a long while, the wave of heat slowly receded.
His chest and back were drenched in sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of water.
The sweat gave off a strong, unpleasant, fishy odor.
Lin Xun grimaced at the smell and hurried into the bathroom to take a shower.
With a light rub, the old outer layer of his skin turned into black-gray flakes, peeling away to reveal fresh, smooth skin underneath, white and supple yet full of resilience.
Testing it out, Lin Xun gently scraped the back of his hand with a sharp razor blade, leaving only a faint white line.After showering, he stood in front of the bathroom mirror. His previously bulky, bodybuilder-like muscles had diminished considerably.
In their place were sleek, streamlined muscles, the kind of physique seen in professional athletes who trained year-round in combat sports and track and field.
It was that perfect build, slim and toned when dressed, lean but muscular when undressed.
He could feel it: his control over his body had reached an unprecedented level.
Trying a split, he effortlessly extended both legs into a full 180-degree stretch.
Standing up, he lifted one leg high without any strain, easily pulling it behind his head.
When he clenched his fists, the immense strength surging through his body was even greater than before.
His agility and strength had both broken through human limits.
“Is this what they call rebirth?”
Having been with the organization for a while now, Lin Xun knew that upgrading a soul talent gave Apostles significant enhancements to their real-world bodies.
It was said that once the soul talent reached the +4 stage, new upgrades would unlock.
That would go beyond just physical enhancements.
However, progressing from +1 to +3 was one phase, and only required Epic-grade Divine Power items.
To reach +4, a Legendary-grade Divine Power item would be needed.
The Epic-grade Divine Power items that the organization rewarded were usually passed down from elite Apostles who had already reached the +3 stage.
After savoring the physical boost from his talent upgrade, Lin Xun returned to his writing work.
He didn’t know whether it was a burst of inspiration or a side effect of the upgraded talent.
But he found his thoughts unusually clear, and the plotlines for his web novel suddenly became much easier to organize.
“Upgrading my talent even cures writer’s block?”
Lin Xun smiled slightly and began typing rapidly, the keyboard clattering under his fingers.
The next morning.
Lin Xun’s soul strength had fully recovered. He pulled out his phone.
The Book of Salvation, activate.
[A feeble wandering soul awakens in the familiar shed…]
The Engineer Shell had already been reshaped the night before. Now, with the one point of soul strength he had, Lin Xun was going to use it on the Three-Headed Lion.
[Do you want to consume 1 point of soul strength to reshape the summoned creature Corrupted Three-Headed Lion?]
[With a crisp whistle, you summon the fierce and massive Corrupted Three-Headed Lion.]
[You can issue simple combat commands to the Corrupted Three-Headed Lion.]
After possessing the Yellow-Robed Bishop Shell, Lin Xun rode the little lion and set off toward the Shadowy Forest.
[You ride the lion off the path, galloping southwest…]
[All along the way, you see no sign of life. The entire forest is eerily silent, the only sound being the rustling of scarlet leaves in the wind.]
[You have entered the Shadowy Forest!]
[Do you want to continue following the map’s directions, or linger here?]
Having uprooted the Tree of Life of the treant race, Lin Xun had essentially cut off their bloodline.
No doubt the Ancient Primordial Tree hated him to the core.
At this point, there was no way he was sticking around, afraid that the giant tree would show up again and squash him a few more times.
He quickly clicked to follow the map’s directions.
[You continue galloping on the lion, racing toward your destination along the mapped route…]
[Your unique scent and that of the Corrupted Three-Headed Lion drift through the forest. The scarlet trees seem to sense it, their branches and leaves rustling.]
[The rustling spreads deeper into the forest…]
What the hell?
These trees can sense scent? And even transmit messages?
Lin Xun’s heart sank. No surprise if the forest’s trees were calling the giant tree over.
[At the edge of your vision, a towering tree gradually comes into view. In the distance, you can faintly hear earth-shaking footsteps…]
[Do you want to stay put and wait for death, or keep fleeing along the map’s path?]
“… All this over a sapling? Is this really necessary?”
There was no way the Three-Headed Lion could outrun the Ancient Primordial Tree. Trying to escape would probably still lead to death.
Lin Xun quickly brainstormed countermeasures.
From the text’s description, it was clear that the giant tree bore a grudge, tracking him and the lion by their scent. The forest trees acted like sensors, locking onto his position.
Lin Xun opened his inventory and clicked on the Brass Whistle again.
[You blow the whistle, dismissing the Corrupted Three-Headed Lion.]
The rest could be handled by switching to a different Shell.
Lin Xun opened the Shell Panel, ready to possess another Shell.
Looking carefully, he noticed that the three surviving Shells in his list had all been used in the earlier fight against the treants.
He frowned, then quickly relaxed.
He clicked on the Dancer Shell.
[You have possessed the Corrupted Theater Dancer Shell.]
[You use Bloodshadow Step. With agile movements, your Shell’s body gradually fades and disappears.]
[You sprint along the mapped route at high speed…]
[You race past the Corrupted Ancient Primordial Tree, slipping right by it.]
[Looking back, you see the Corrupted Ancient Primordial Tree stop where you had just been, stomping furiously and shaking the ground with loud booms.]
Seeing the giant tree unable to locate him, Lin Xun kept running.
His newly acquired Phantom of the Night Cloak had a special effect: it could block detection skills and conceal his scent.
Paired with the Dancer’s Bloodshadow Step, not only could the giant tree not detect him, but even the trees acting as sensors in the forest were left clueless.
[The duration of your Bloodshadow Step has ended. Your Shell becomes visible.]
[A tree ahead in the forest suddenly manifests human-like facial features on its trunk. Crimson light shines from its eye sockets, and its branches sway, the rustling sound spreading deeper into the forest…]
“Damn it! You really can’t uncloak in this forest.”
Lin Xun immediately activated Bloodshadow Step again and clicked on the Hidden Blade.
[You step forward swiftly. The Hidden Blade on your left arm shoots out its sharp blade.]
[You plunge the blade into the tree’s trunk, piercing its heart with no resistance.]
[You have defeated the Corrupted Forest Treant. Experience points slightly increased.]
After taking out the tattling treant, Lin Xun resumed his escape.
Not long after, the game text showed that the Ancient Primordial Tree had once again arrived at his last visible location, raging furiously in vain.
To evade the giant tree’s relentless pursuit, Lin Xun had no choice but to keep running while repeatedly using his invisibility skill.
Before long, a message appeared: [You feel a bit fatigued.]
Lin Xun looked at the three remaining Crimson Red Sorrels in his inventory.
He silently prayed that he could escape the Shadowy Forest before his items ran out.