Chapter 252: Sacrifice, the Appearance of the Tree Ancestor, Long Tianxing’s Idea

“A mid-rank Demon General at its peak, a Tree Demon!”

Ye Feng gazed at the image of the towering tree, “Presuming to capture a disciple of this Sect Leader, it seems you no longer desire to live.”

Since this location was hundreds of miles from that valley, it was impossible for him to arrive immediately, so he could only first communicate with the Thousand Faces Demon Monarch through the Heaven-Asking Mirror.

“What is the situation?” Ye Feng inquired.

“That Tree Demon possesses an innate talent, ‘Soul-Suppressing Nail.’ Once it strikes the center of the forehead, any cultivator with a lower cultivation level cannot withstand it; their cultivation will be firmly sealed,” explained the Thousand Faces Demon Monarch.

He had overheard the conversation between Shi Lei and the elderly man, obtaining a wealth of information.

Whoosh!

At that moment, a gust of wind suddenly swept through the valley.

All the trees trembled, the leaves rustled, and countless leaves fell to the ground, forming a thick layer.

“What’s happening?”

The four disciples, including Shi Lei, were shocked.

The elderly man in the neighboring cage looked up at the sky and said, “It’s beginning again, the sacrifice that occurs every seven days… I wonder who will be the ‘fortunate one’ this time?”

“Hiss!”

Wang Ping’an shuddered, “Elder, do not worry, I sense you possess immense luck and will surely survive until the end.”

“If only!” the elderly man murmured.

After being trapped, as he watched his fellow cultivators being continuously sacrificed by the Tree Demon in exchange for Wood Spirit Power from the Tree Ancestor, he had become hopeless.

Crack!

The elderly man’s cage suddenly burst open.

A vine, tougher and sharper than a lower-grade Spiritual Artifact, impaled him and flung him high into the air, slamming into a pre-condensed Hexagram Formation.

Bang!

Even though he was a second-level cultivator in the Element Gathering Realm, he couldn’t resist the devouring power of the sacrificial formation with his cultivation sealed and instantly turned to mist.

“Damn it!”

The four disciples were stunned.

The elder with whom they had just been conversing was gone in the next moment; it was truly regrettable.

Then, Shi Lei, Huo Yunjie, and Long Tianxing all thought of something and turned to look at Wang Ping’an, saying in unison, “Junior brother, what did you just say?”

Wang Ping’an blinked, “Just now, I only said that the elder could survive until the end, but who knew he would be the first to die…”

Reverse jinxing?

This idea simultaneously entered the minds of the three disciples.

No one whom Wang Ping’an had respected as a master survived, and those he verbally assured would live until the end died immediately.

Therefore, the speculation of “reverse jinxing” could indeed be true!

With this thought, Shi Lei and the others grew excited.

They finally saw a glimmer of hope for escape!

Behind the scenes.

Ye Feng watched the entire scene through the Heaven-Asking Mirror and felt an intense oppressive force from within the Hexagram Formation.

Within it, a terrifying presence seemed to appear!

Rumble rumble…

Sudden bursts of thunder exploded above the valley where the Tree Demon resided, and the Hexagram Formation began to converge toward the center, with a faint shadow appearing below.

That was a gigantic human face!

It had a head full of green hair, resembling countless vines; its cold eyes looked down at all living beings below with indifference. Although its lips didn’t move, a voice was already heard.

“Delicious taste, I reward you with Wood Spirit Power.”

The humanoid face exhaled three strands of green spirit silk, the size of hairs, which slowly drifted down from the sky, merging into the hundred-meter-tall Tree Demon, causing its aura to surge dramatically, on the verge of breaking through to a high-rank Demon General.

“Thank you, Tree Ancestor!”

The tree demon’s trunk materialized into an aged human face, expressing gratitude to the green face in the sky.

The Tree Ancestor didn’t continue speaking.

His enormous face slowly dissipated, gradually turning into a pale blue light which then shifted to green before vanishing completely.

On the ground.

The tree demon looked toward the sky, feeling the strength within it steadily growing, and mused, “Very well, my energy has accumulated to its limit. After I overcome the Minor Thirty-Nine Heavens Tribulation, I will be able to ascend to a High-Rank Demon General.”

As a tree demon of a lowly bloodline, it had only reached its current cultivation level through years of accumulation and the wood spirit power attained from sacrificing countless cultivators to reform itself. It was now finally on the verge of a breakthrough, and it was very pleased.

Inside the vine prison.

Shi Lei, Long Tianxing, and Huo Yunjie exchanged glances when they heard the term “Minor Thirty-Nine Heavens Tribulation,” making a decision.

Long Tianxing leaned close to Wang Ping’an and whispered, “Ping An, can you lavish praise on this tree demon? Praise it to the skies, and also, haven’t you been wanting to take a master? Hurry and acknowledge it as your master. That’s the only way it will let the four of us leave.”

“Huh?” Wang Ping’an was surprised.

But the simple-minded Wang Ping’an was unaware of Long Tianxing’s true intentions and thought genuinely flattering the tree demon would appease it.

So, trembling, Wang Ping’an spoke, “Tree… esteemed tree demon elder, you are so magnanimous. Could you let us few leave?”

The tree demon let out a light gasp, extended the vines holding the cage, and brought it close to its enormous face, examining closely.

Upon realizing that Shi Lei and his companions were young but had reasonably good cultivation levels, a sinister smile crossed its lips, “You must be sect disciples. Letting you go would only invite a powerful enemy against me, wouldn’t it?”

Wang Ping’an hastily waved his hands, “You are overthinking it, esteemed tree demon elder. We just think you are peerlessly brave, and you can even communicate with the esteemed Tree Ancestor. Your future achievements are undoubtedly boundless; to become a king or even an ancestor is as good as settled.”

Hearing this, Shi Lei, Huo Yunjie, and Long Tianxing nodded repeatedly, as if everything Wang Ping’an said would surely become true.

But in their hearts, they were all shouting, “Yes, that’s it, butter it up, flatter it to the extreme!”

Listening to Wang Ping’an’s unctuous flattery, the tree demon felt somewhat pleased, emitting a cruel laugh, “Letting you go is impossible, but seeing as you, boy, are quite the talker, I shall allow you to live a while longer.”

“Keep praising!” Long Tianxing nudged Wang Ping’an with his elbow.

Upon hearing that he could live a bit longer and reminded by Long Tianxing, Wang Ping’an immediately knelt and continuously kowtowed, “Esteemed tree demon elder, I am so thankful to you. In order to express my gratitude, please accept me as your disciple!”

“I can concoct elixirs, and I’m also adept at identifying various medicinal herbs. After you transform, I can concoct all kinds of marvelous elixirs for you.”

“Also, let me congratulate you in advance, esteemed tree demon elder, for overcoming the upcoming Minor Thirty-Nine Heavens Tribulation and smoothly ascending as a mighty High-Rank Demon General.”

Wang Ping’an showered him with endless praise.

The tree demon, basking in the flattery, said, “You’re not bad, kid, quite the silver tongue. Plus, you’re an alchemist. So be it, after I survive the tribulation, I will take you as my servant.”

With that said, the tree demon turned its gaze to the gradually darkening sky.

The Minor Thirty-Nine Heavens Tribulation was approaching.

As a tree demon of an inferior bloodline, it needed to overcome tribulations to continue breaking through. Typically, these tribulations were merely ordinary lightning, posing little danger.

It had survived safely through the two previous ones.

And this time was bound to be no exception.

Glancing back at Wang Ping’an, the tree demon thought, “A little fellow who praises me and wishes to acknowledge me as master can’t have any bad intentions, can he? In that case, once I ascend as a High-Rank Demon General, I will devour him. Who knows, maybe I’ll gain the talent to be as eloquent as him. Splendid!”

Boom rumble…

Thunder rumbled across the sky.

The third Minor Thirty-Nine Heavens Tribulation was about to begin!

“Mere Heavenly Tribulation, thinking it could stop me from ascending as a High-Rank Demon General with just three ordinary bolts of lightning, what a joke!”

The tree demon scorned, gathering its energy in preparation for the tribulation.

Behind the scenes.

Ye Feng watched the entire process of Wang Ping’an praising the tree demon through the Heaven-Asking Mirror and blinked, instantly understanding Long Tianxing’s malicious intent.

“Taking a master… toxic flattery? Splendid!”

Ye Feng uttered his praise, his smile turning wicked.