Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 818

As the giant tree’s identity became clear, with branches sprouting and green leaves emerging, the golden sword threads could not approach and ceased to form a sword formation.

With the Great Stellar Sword Formation broken so easily, Han Li’s face darkened. Before he could unleash another divine ability, the Silver Wood Spirit, who had identified himself as Mu Xu, sneered coldly.

“Your sword formation is indeed impressive. However, now that I have summoned my Natal Spirit Tree, once I achieve the Human-Tree Unity [a state of merging with one’s spirit tree], you are finished.”

Having spoken, Mu Xu formed a hand seal, and his body, brimming with green light, merged with the phantom of the ancient tree behind him.

Soon, an unbelievable event occurred.

A tremendous pressure of spiritual energy emanated from the giant tree, and as the spiritual energy flowed, the tree transformed into a ten-zhang [approximately 33 meters] tall green giant.

A wooden crown adorned the giant’s head, and lush greenery covered its tree-like limbs. Except for the face, which bore a striking resemblance to Mu Xu’s features, it looked like a colossal tree.

It was the Wood Spirit Body, the true form of the Wood Clan.

The silver thorns that had been protruding from the armor were now gone, and only the giant remained in the center of the sword formation.

Han Li’s eyes widened, but he quietly used a hand seal to move the remaining golden threads in the sword formation again.

The green giant stood there, mocking him.

*Kii-ki-ki-kik!*

Metallic friction sounds were heard, and the golden threads were repelled. However, the green giant was completely unharmed by the golden threads.

“Heh heh, for a mere Nascent Soul cultivator to try and harm my Natal Spirit Tree, you have quite the ambition. Using the Wood Spirit Body will put me into a deep sleep for a hundred years, but my physical strength will surpass even the human race’s Connate Spirit Treasures [natural treasures imbued with spiritual power]. So, obediently surrender your life!”

The giant lifted its massive leg, ignoring the golden threads, and in seven or eight steps, it reached within Han Li’s grasp.

Han Li’s lips twitched, but he used his consciousness to move the five-colored rings that were circling outside his body. Instantly, the giant rings vibrated and were positioned around the giant’s waist.

The movements of the green giant, which had been rushing in with a fierce momentum, slowed tenfold. Han Li, showing a hint of joy, quickly pointed at the ground where the giant was standing.

*Puhwak!*

A silver firebird rose from the ground, spewing a silver ball of light from its mouth. It flapped its wings, creating silver flames, and then charged forward.

*Kururung! Kwakwakwang!*

Thunderous sounds echoed continuously, and silver flames erupted from beneath the giant’s feet, exploding and engulfing the giant. It was a tremendous display of power.

Watching from afar, Han Li took off the gold and silver robe he was wearing and threw it above the giant’s head. The robe, responding to his hand seal, expanded several times and exploded.

*Kukwakwakwakwang!*

A deafening explosion resounded, and fist-sized lightning beads rained down like a torrential downpour. With attacks coming from above and below simultaneously, the area where the green giant stood was completely engulfed in waves of lightning, with continuous explosions and flashes of lightning.

Han Li did not stop there and completely released the Great Stellar Sword Formation. As he formed a hand seal and chanted an incantation, hundreds of sword lights resonated simultaneously and surged into the silver flames and lightning.

*Kkwagwang! Kukwakwakwang!*

Only after the explosions subsided did Han Li move his figure and retreat about a dozen zhang away to observe.

He was confident that even a late-stage Void Refinement cultivator would not be unscathed by the combined attack of the Lightning Robe, Lightning Pattern Beads, Spirit Devouring Heavenly Flame, and Azure Bamboo Cloud Swords.

After a while, the lightning clouds dissipated, and the green giant reappeared. It seemed to have not moved an inch from its spot.

Seeing this, Han Li’s heart grew heavy. The giant’s body gleamed like carved jade, and unbelievably, it was smooth and without a single scratch despite having endured all those attacks.

And the green giant’s large hand was now holding the giant ring around its waist.

*Jjaeng!*

As the giant exerted force with its ten fingers, the five-colored ring shattered. Free from its restraints, the giant burst into laughter and then kicked off the ground again.

Then, a wave of green spiritual energy engulfed the silver flames. When the green light flashed and the silver firebird reappeared, it was trapped in a strange light.

The Spirit Devouring Heavenly Flame, which could devour all kinds of spiritual power, was helplessly captured by the green light. The 72 golden Azure Bamboo Cloud Swords, which were already severely damaged, had no power to withstand the green giant. The flying swords were repelled as soon as they touched the giant’s body.

Among them, a dozen or so had their spiritual light greatly diminished and cried out mournfully. These were the flying swords that had lost much of their spirituality after being caught in the Blood Essence Demonic Sword’s self-destruction.

The fact that the Azure Bamboo Cloud Swords were not intact was also one of the reasons why Mu Xu had easily broken the Great Stellar Sword Formation.

*Woong!*

With a stern expression, Han Li gestured, and the flying swords resonated simultaneously and entered his sleeves.

“I already possess an indestructible body. Even beings with higher cultivation than me cannot harm me in my current state. If you have any other tricks, bring them all out! If you can leave even a small scratch on this venerable one, I will let you go.”

The giant crossed its arms and laughed arrogantly. Han Li was also a bit surprised that all his attacks had been ineffective, and now he seemed to understand the vast difference between a Silver Wood Spirit and a human Void Refinement cultivator.

His strength, having mastered the Universal True Devil Art and the Hundred Meridian Refinement Technique, was beyond being judged solely by the level of cultivation. Nascent Soul cultivators were no match for him, and he had not had the opportunity to fight Void Refinement cultivators, but after fighting in this mission, he realized that Ye Chu and the other cultivators were by no means superior to him.

If he were to face a Void Refinement cultivator who had mastered a cultivation technique that was the opposite of his own, there was a possibility that he would be overwhelmingly defeated.

If he had known this beforehand, he would have engaged in a full-frontal battle with his powerful physique instead of using the Gold Devouring Beetles when he encountered the Shadow Clan’s Red Shadow.

However, the abilities of the severely injured Silver Wood Spirit far exceeded his expectations. Its powerful divine abilities, speed, and strength were beyond imagination.

‘This is too much!’

Now, there was only one method left. If even this failed, he would have to use the Blood Shadow Escape Technique to flee, even if it meant overexerting himself. After all, he couldn’t just let himself be killed like this!

Having quickly formulated a plan, Han Li’s face turned frighteningly cold.

*Pachit!*

Immediately, the Wind Lightning Wings behind him fluttered, and blue-white lightning appeared on the wings, densely transforming into fist-sized blue-white lightning beads.

As he formed a hand seal with both hands, blue light flashed on both sides of Han Li, and four identical blue shadows appeared. All of them had wings and were forming hand seals with both hands.

“How amusing!”

The green giant laughed nonchalantly at the sight. The five blue shadows all hardened their expressions and moved their figures, turning into white threads and disappearing. The giant, transformed by Mu Xu, burst into laughter and then struck down on both sides with its massive hands.

Then, the space distorted as if exploding, creating a dozen or so thin white cracks, and the blue shadows flashed and appeared within them. Each time the giant’s massive hands moved, the blue shadows disappeared one by one due to an invisible force.

They were all illusions created by Han Li.

At the same time, a black light flashed above the giant’s head, and another blue shadow jumped down. However, the giant, as if expecting it, raised its head and fired a jade-colored beam of light from its mouth.

The thick beam of light was so fast that the blue shadow had no time to dodge and collided with it, screaming as it was sent flying.

However, a purple light flashed behind the giant, and a blue shadow reappeared, fluttering its sleeves. This time, hundreds of golden lights poured out from its sleeves.

It was another Han Li. The distance was so close that the giant could not stop it even though it knew of the blue shadow’s existence.

*Peopeopeopeopeong!*

The golden sword lights rained down like hail, relentlessly striking the giant’s back. Enraged, the giant twisted its green giant hand strangely and struck down at Han Li’s head. However, Han Li did not panic and flapped his wings, disappearing into the blue-white lightning.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

The giant sneered and flicked two fingers, and two fingernails extended and disappeared. The next moment, two green lights attacked Han Li’s wings with strange speed, and the thunder that was about to resound was cut off abruptly.

Alarmed, Han Li tried to escape using another method, but it was already too late. The giant’s massive hand grabbed Han Li’s waist and squeezed with tremendous force. Surprisingly, the green giant’s monstrous strength seemed to be no less than his own.

Just as the five fingers were about to crush him, Han Li urgently chanted an incantation and released a burst of spiritual light. Then, as thin as paper, he scattered into spiritual light and disappeared.

The spiritual light condensed nearby, turning into a blue talisman, and flew away somewhere. The giant looked surprised at this.

Several dozen zhang away in the void, a spatial fluctuation occurred, and Han Li appeared with a pale face, retrieving the blue talisman. In the nick of time, he had activated the divine ability of the Spirit Transformation Talisman to teleport his real body away.

Just then, a figure who had been hit by the beam of light that the giant had fired from high above jumped and approached Han Li. His clothes were tattered, and his face was pale, but he was giving a strange smile towards the green giant.

Han Li emitted a black light, and his body shrank, transforming into a small black-furred ape. It was none other than the Soul Devourer.

Han Li had cleverly mixed the Soul Devourer, transformed into his own appearance, into the illusions he had created to attack.

While the Soul Devourer was drawing the Silver Wood Spirit’s attention, his main body used the Grand One Transformation Talisman to quietly target the giant’s back. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to ambush the giant, who possessed a powerful consciousness.

The green giant sensed that something was amiss and recalled the golden light that Han Li had emitted from his back. After achieving Human-Tree Unity, the giant’s body had become stronger, but its senses had become duller than its original body.

Then, it grabbed something from its back. When it opened its palm, there were several one-cun [approximately 3.3 cm] sized golden beetles inside.

“What is this?”

The green giant clenched and unclenched its fist tightly, but the golden beetles were not crushed and remained unharmed. The giant’s expression darkened.

Watching this from afar, Han Li finally sent something out with his consciousness. Then, a golden light spread greatly from the giant’s back, and giant beetles appeared strangely, madly gnawing at the giant’s body.

Han Li watched with a blank expression, but he also felt a little uneasy.

Although there was nothing that the Gold Devouring Beetles could not gnaw through, according to the scriptures of the human realm, they could not do anything to materials like Wood Jade. Since the Silver Wood Spirit had used the divine ability of Human-Tree Unity, he had a nagging feeling.

However, the giant let out a painful groan and frantically struck its back with its massive palm. The golden beetles were so fiercely tearing at the giant that its body, which had been sparkling like crystal, was being torn off as easily as a piece of wood.

With hundreds of them biting at the same time, even a giant with dulled senses could not help but suffer extreme pain. Han Li rejoiced and shook his sleeves to retrieve the Soul Devourer, then transformed into a blue streak of light and soared into the sky.

It was a precaution, as he feared that the giant would launch a fatal attack on him, the owner of the spirit insects, while the Gold Devouring Beetles were gnawing at it.

“Gold Devouring Beetles! You possessed the mature form of the Gold Devouring Beetles!”

The giant’s enraged roar was heard from afar. It was a voice filled with fear, as if it were suffering from a nightmare.

*Kwang! Kwakwang!*

Green lights burst out one after another, but Han Li did not look back and fled, already flying towards the horizon.

After a while, a large ball of light rose from the place where they had fought fiercely and began to flee frantically. Inside the ball of light, the faint shape of the giant could be seen.

However, a swarm of golden beetles chased after it like a cloud. It was in the opposite direction from where Han Li had flown.

*Weng! Wengweng! Weng!*

Not long after, the golden Gold Devouring Beetles circled in the void and returned. The beetles had already shrunk to about one cun in size, and their flying patterns were extremely erratic. Nevertheless, their speed was fast, and they cut through the sky like a gale.