64: When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman profits?
Liu Qingtian's maneuver of diverting the disaster was extremely vicious!
Those few infiltrators who had just been forced out of hiding by the Aboriginal High Priest had not yet had time to re-conceal themselves or mount an effective defense when countless willow branches, imbued with the Death Qi of Wither and Flourish, swept in like a violent storm!
These willow branches were not intended to kill them, but to force them to move and resist, thereby thoroughly exposing their positions and attracting the hatred and firepower of the natives!
"Despicable!"
"Damn it!"
Those few infiltrators were both shocked and furious, forced to use their methods to block or dodge.
One Void Cultists swung a grey-black energy blade to cut the willow branches, one third-party scout burst out with strange smoke in an attempt to escape, and another sacrificed a Magic Treasure to resist head-on.
Their reactions fell right into Liu Qingtian's calculations!
Sure enough, the native ambushers, who were on high alert, immediately regarded this group of suddenly "active" infiltrators as a greater threat; at least half of the firepower instantly shifted away from Liu Qingtian, pouring down upon those few people like a squall of wind and rain!
"Kill these insects first!" the Aboriginal High Priest roared, waving his bone staff, as a thick beam of light from a warding totem slammed fiercely toward the third-party scout who was attempting to escape.
The scout let out a miserable scream; his protective smoke was instantly dispersed, and his body was grazed by the beam of light, immediately turning charred and falling from mid-air.
The other two also fell into a bitter struggle, beaten into a desperate situation by the dense attacks, constantly facing mortal danger.
The pressure on Liu Qingtian's side decreased sharply, but his Wither and Flourish barrier still endured significant attacks; after all, his target was the largest and most conspicuous.
"Cannot stay long!" Liu Qingtian's tree soul was clear; he knew he had to finish the battle quickly.
Once the people outside broke through the entrance, or the natives adjusted their attack rhythm, the situation would become even more unfavorable.
His goal remained clear—the thing on the altar!
Taking advantage of the precious gap where the firepower was dispersed, Liu Qingtian's massive tree body surged forward!
His roots writhed on the ground like giant pythons, providing powerful thrust, while thousands of willow branches danced wildly, either blocking or whipping out, defeating the incoming arrows, throwing spears, and Spells one by one!
Charging through!
"Stop that demon tree!" The Aboriginal High Priest saw through Liu Qingtian's intention and screamed sharply, mobilizing more firepower to concentrate on him!
Several native powerhouses at Wutian Realm Perfection also leaped out from their ambush points, wielding powerful ancient talisman artifacts, and attacked head-on!
Liu Qingtian's tree eyes were cold; he would hold nothing back!
"Wither and Flourish Tribulation Finger!"
Several main willow branches instantly became crystal clear, the Qi of Life and Death compressed to the extreme, transforming into beams of destruction interwoven with grey and green, pointing toward those few rushing native powerhouses!
Puff, puff, puff!
The power of the Tribulation Finger was incomparably overbearing; the light of the talisman artifacts in the hands of those native powerhouses flickered violently and was actually shattered directly!
They themselves were hit as if by a heavy blow, vomiting blood as they were sent flying backward, their life force rapidly fading away, instantly suffering heavy injuries!
Liu Qingtian did not stop his offensive; braving the sky-filling attacks, he forcibly tore open a gap through the heavy interception of the natives and rushed to the vicinity of the altar!
The altar was built from a milky white jade, carved all over with ancient star patterns.
In the center of the altar, it was not the star key fragment he had imagined, but a floating drop of... a tear?
It was a drop of liquid about the size of a fist, presenting a dreamy azure blue color. It rotated slowly as if it had life, and inside it seemed to contain endless stars and a weeping Universe, emitting an incomparably pure Power of the Stars and that heartbreaking, desolate aura of sorrow.
A star tear? Star essence? The tear of some powerful existence?
Liu Qingtian could feel that the star key imprint was craving exactly this object!
Although it was not a fragment, it definitely had a great connection with the star key and the myriad phenomena star disc!
This was it!
Liu Qingtian was excited; a willow branch, like a spirit snake emerging from its hole, coiled with extreme speed toward that star tear!
However, just at the moment his willow branch was about to touch the star tear—
A sudden change occurred!
The shadows beside the altar rippled like water!
A completely transparent figure, possessing almost no aura, appeared out of thin air at a speed surpassing lightning!
Its appearance was without any warning; even Liu Qingtian's Domain perception and the star key's warning had failed to detect it in advance!
That transparent figure's goal was incomparably clear—the star tear!
A palm, also nearly transparent, arrived first despite starting later, snatching it a step ahead and gently grasping that azure star tear!
The instant it succeeded, the transparent figure did not stop at all, not even glancing at Liu Qingtian, its form becoming blurry again, about to merge into the shadows and escape through the Void Realm!
The entire movement was so fast that one's mind could not keep up, so fluid that it seemed to have been rehearsed countless times!
A camper! The ultimate camper!
To think there was someone who could endure even better than him, hiding deeper than him, lurking beside the altar the whole time, waiting for this final moment!
"You are courting death!!!"
Liu Qingtian was instantly enraged! The cooked duck had actually flown away right before his eyes?
He had exhausted his efforts and forcibly broken through heavy encirclement, only to end up making a wedding dress for someone else?
Boundless rage, mixed with the humiliation of being played, instantly overwhelmed his rationality!
"Return to Void!!!"
In his fury, he disregarded everything and directly used his strongest killing move at the moment!
A willow branch instantly became extremely greyish-white, imbued with the true intent of Return to Void that annihilated everything; it was no longer a point, but like a blade splitting the sky, slashing fiercely toward the transparent figure that was about to vanish!
This strike was launched in anger, its power far exceeding usual levels, even causing the surrounding space to collapse!
The transparent figure evidently had not expected Liu Qingtian to be so decisive and violent; feeling the terrifying Power of Annihilation behind him that was sufficient to threaten his life, he had to interrupt his escape technique, his form twisting violently, narrowly avoiding the vital spot!
Swoosh!
The Power of Return to Void grazed past his shoulder!
His perfect state of concealment was instantly broken; he let out a muffled groan, his figure stumbling out from the Void Realm, revealing his true appearance—a middle-aged man with a thin build, wearing tight-fitting night clothes, with an ordinary face but a trace of shock.
On his shoulder, it was a void! It was not an injury, but the flesh, clothing, and even the Concept of space there had been completely erased by the Power of Return to Void!
The wound was incomparably smooth, with no blood flowing out, only the purest "nothingness"!
And the hand that held the star tear also loosened slightly because of this interference and the pain!
Now!
Liu Qingtian's other willow branch had long been ready, springing out like a poisonous snake; it was not attacking that person, but accurately coiling toward the star tear that was slipping from between his fingers!
At the same time, his massive tree body slammed forward, the Wither and Flourish Domain erupted with full force, and the force field of the cycle of life and death squeezed fiercely toward the thin man, preventing him from snatching it again!
The thin man was shocked and furious, seemingly wanting to snatch it again regardless of everything, but feeling Liu Qingtian's violent killing intent and the again-condensing Power of Return to Void, and seeing the surrounding natives' even more violent attacks covering the area, a trace of extremely unwilling resentment flashed in his eyes, and he stomped his foot violently!
"Escape!"
His body became blurry again, like a drop of ink merging into water, instantly disappearing, even the spatial fluctuations were so faint they were almost undetectable!
Liu Qingtian's willow branch successfully coiled around that star tear and retracted it violently!
It felt cold to the touch, containing a sea-like vastness of star essence and an indescribable Concept of sorrow.
Finally got it!
But there was not a trace of joy in Liu Qingtian's heart, only monstrous rage and frustration!
Almost! Just a little bit! It was almost stolen by that damn camper!
And at this moment, the natives, having lost their target, had all their rage and attacks like a tsunami, completely engulfing him!
"Desecrate the Sacred Object! Die!"
The Aboriginal High Priest's eyes were blood-red, his bone staff pointing at Liu Qingtian, and all the native warriors who could still move let out crazy roars, attacks smashing down as if they didn't cost a thing!
Liu Qingtian fell into an unprecedented siege!
While guarding the star tear he had just obtained with his life, he frantically waved his willow branches, urging his Domain to resist, his heart practically bleeding.
Why are there so many campers?! Can there be any integrity left?!
He was so angry he could almost vomit blood, but he had to face this predicament where he was riding a tiger and could not get off.
And that camper, who had failed to steal the chicken and instead lost the rice, and had been wounded and fled by him, was long gone, leaving only him here to bear all the pressure.
For the first time, Liu Qingtian felt such deep resentment toward the saying, "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."