400: Fighting in a cage

Just as Lin Tianwei thought he had made a huge profit from this clash, something incredible happened.

The arm had barely detached from Roberto's body when it began to wither rapidly, as if the life force within it had been extracted by some special energy.

By the time it completely fell to the ground, it had already turned into a piece of deadwood, devoid of all vitality.

Lin Tianwei's attack naturally couldn't possess such immense power. The only explanation was that Roberto had somehow retrieved the energy from this arm.

This must be a Talent similar to Simple Regeneration, combined with Roberto's special ability to control plants, to achieve such an astonishing effect.

In other words, what seemed like a severe arm-severing injury might not have consumed much energy for Roberto at all.

On the contrary, due to Lin Tianwei's delayed action, some of his own energy was devoured by the Parasitism seeds.

Without hesitation, the pitch-black Flames of Destruction ignited once more, instantly incinerating all the parasitic plants on his body.

Not only that, but Lin Tianwei's body directly transformed into an Energy Body, becoming a fiercely burning mass of pitch-black flames.

Roberto's abilities were bizarre, and he was extremely elusive. Transforming into an Energy Body was what Lin Tianwei believed to be the best method he could use at the moment.

However, how could Roberto, who was familiar with Lin Tianwei's intelligence, not know that Lin Tianwei possessed an Energy Body?

During the long wait for the match, he had been organizing all information about Lin Tianwei.

The moment he saw Lin Tianwei transform into an Energy Body, Roberto was overjoyed; the puzzle pieces leading to victory were finally all gathered.

Now was the time to reap the fruits of victory.

The instant Lin Tianwei completely transformed his body into an Energy Body, a dazzling green light instantly flared, illuminating the entire plant cage.

And Lin Tianwei, trapped within the plant cage.

Vast, ocean-like life energy poured into the plant cage as if it were free, beginning to corrode the Flames of Destruction that represented Lin Tianwei's body.

This life energy, which would be beneficial to other Cosmic Beasts, was Poison to Lin Tianwei, who had transformed into the Flames of Destruction, constantly eroding his body.

In fact, Roberto had already deduced the essence of the Flames of Destruction from their initial skirmish on the plant cage—their essence was that they could be extinguished by life energy.

Therefore, he was determined to succeed with this attack.

For this, he even mobilized the life energy of the entire forest, which could be considered an all-or-nothing gamble.

An intense burning sensation assaulted Lin Tianwei's entire body.

This was not ordinary Flames of Destruction, after all, but the Flames of Destruction that Lin Tianwei himself had become. Even with constant erosion by life energy, only about one-tenth of it was extinguished.

However, if left unchecked, Lin Tianwei would eventually be completely devoured by this terrifying life energy.

Talent Template: Energy Body (Extraordinary) Canceled!

Lin Tianwei's body once again transformed into a flesh-and-blood body. Only then did he feel the erosion of life energy on his body completely disappear, and the original burning sensation turned into a warm current, constantly nourishing his exhausted body.

However, how could Roberto do something that would aid the enemy?

With a thought, almost the instant Lin Tianwei canceled his Energy Body, these life energies also changed, transforming back into countless plant seeds.

Nourished by the terrifying life energy, these plant seeds almost instantly grew into vines.

Slender roots fiercely plunged into Lin Tianwei's body, beginning to frantically absorb the energy within Lin Tianwei's body.

Transforming into an Energy Body would invite attacks from life energy, while maintaining a flesh-and-blood body would invite attacks from parasitic seeds formed by life energy. Lin Tianwei seemed to be in a dilemma.

Talent Template: Energy Body (Extraordinary)!

Facing a stronger enemy, Lin Tianwei did not hesitate to display some of his Reinforcement, revealing a tip of the iceberg of his strength.

It was still an Energy Body, but this time Lin Tianwei transformed into a pure Fire Body.

Ordinary flames naturally have no restraining relationship with life energy, allowing Lin Tianwei to be immune to parasitic seeds while also not being attacked by life energy.

Sometimes, breaking a seemingly fatal situation is that simple.

Roberto never expected that his meticulously woven kill plan for Lin Tianwei would be so easily broken by Lin Tianwei.

While surprised, he also felt it was within reason.

If the points in the Law Arena were really that easy to earn, it wouldn't be so invaluable.

The matching mechanism of the Law Arena is not to be underestimated; it is incredibly difficult to defeat any opponent from whom one can earn points.

Although he failed to deliver a fatal blow to Lin Tianwei, at least Roberto had already sealed off Lin Tianwei's flesh-and-blood body.

In this situation, he still held a terrifying advantage.

With this thought, Roberto's Claws once again extended from the plant cage, quickly launching an attack on Lin Tianwei.

Even though Lin Tianwei had now transformed into a Fire Body, he still dared not underestimate these deadly Claws from Roberto.

The flames flickered rapidly, attempting to dodge Roberto's fatal attack.

However, Lin Tianwei was no longer in a flesh-and-blood body at this point. While gaining the characteristics of an Energy Body, it also meant losing the bonuses of most Talent Templates.

His Speed was not fast, or rather, not fast enough. He was immediately hit by Roberto's Claws, which instantly tore several large gashes in his Fire Body.

Ordinary physical attacks naturally could not harm Lin Tianwei in his Energy Body state, but Claws enchanted with life energy could.

Just one blow left Lin Tianwei severely wounded.

Not only that, but Roberto had no intention of retracting his Claws. The second, third, ..., and Nth blows were all on their way.

He attempted to completely extinguish the flames before him with a flurry of Claws.

However, how could Lin Tianwei let Roberto succeed?

The series of seemingly passive maneuvers earlier were merely Lin Tianwei's means of confusing the enemy and luring him in deeper.

Otherwise, if Roberto kept hiding and not coming out, always staying in the forest, Lin Tianwei would truly have no way to deal with him.

Virtual-Real Conversion!

Lin Tianwei's body instantly reverted to a flesh-and-blood body. Under the bonus of the Talent Template Speed Burst, Lin Tianwei was terrifyingly fast.

He directly locked down Roberto's massive body with a difficult move, and now was the time for the true reveal of his intentions.

Roberto never expected Lin Tianwei to dare use a flesh-and-blood body in the plant cage. He once again activated life energy, and Lin Tianwei's body reverted to a state controlled by countless parasitic seeds.

A large amount of life force was extracted from Lin Tianwei's weak body, constantly transforming into plant energy, and also into Roberto's energy.

With this ebb and flow, Lin Tianwei simply had no capital to contend with Roberto.

However, facing the attacks of countless parasitic seeds, Lin Tianwei completely ignored them, and his sharp Claws mercilessly struck Roberto.

Like a blade cutting through tofu, each blow left a terrible wound on Roberto's body.

Although these wounds would instantly heal under the blessing of a large amount of natural energy, Lin Tianwei was not working in vain; it was just that the damage was not very obvious.

The parasitic seeds covering Lin Tianwei's entire body, however, became the best armor protecting Lin Tianwei at this moment.

Unless he completely gave up the good opportunity to absorb Lin Tianwei's physical strength, Roberto's fists and feet could only watch Lin Tianwei anxiously.

As for Wood Release?

Roberto, controlled by Lin Tianwei's body, could not touch plants at all, and thus could not use Wood Release. He could only watch helplessly as Lin Tianwei's Claws kept striking him.

Although his body was injured, under the supply of life energy from the entire forest, Roberto didn't care at all. All wounds would instantly recover under the effect of the vast life energy.

As long as the forest remained, Roberto was completely immortal.

He even deliberately stayed put to engage in close combat with Lin Tianwei, all to quickly drain Lin Tianwei into a dried beast using the parasitic seeds.

Otherwise, at a certain cost, he could still use Wood Release to retreat into the forest again.

Ten minutes.

Half an hour... three hours!

However, when this close combat battle reached its third hour, Roberto finally realized something was wrong.

He had been absorbing Lin Tianwei with his parasitic seeds for three hours, so why hadn't Lin Tianwei been drained dry, not yet turned into a dried beast?

Not only that, but Lin Tianwei was still exceptionally lively, his attacks showing no signs of weakening.

It was as if his opponent, like himself, also had a forest as a backing, possessing an endless source of energy.

This discovery immediately made Roberto realize something was amiss, and he began to observe patiently, examining all the energy around Lin Tianwei.

This observation was not trivial; it immediately led Roberto to discover something that shocked him immensely.

Betrayal. He had actually been betrayed by the forest.

A small portion of the life energy that should have completely belonged to him was secretly being transported to Lin Tianwei, nourishing the opponent who was his enemy.

This discovery made Roberto furious, and he roared repeatedly, as if venting the anger in his heart.

He was the Son of the Forest, the absolute king of the forest. The behavior between the forest and Lin Tianwei was like being NTR'd to his face.

This humiliation of being cuckolded filled Roberto with rage. He immediately unleashed all his potential, and after paying the price of severe injuries, he forcibly broke free from Lin Tianwei's restraints and once again retreated into the plant cage.

Seeing Roberto finally discover the truth, Lin Tianwei stopped pretending. With a slight exertion of force, he broke free from the so-called parasitic seeds.

This skill, which was quite unsolvable for other Cosmic Beasts, had no effect on Lin Tianwei, who possessed the Talent Template Spirit of Nature.

Although he could not gain control over this entire forest, gaining control within a small range was as easy as turning his hand.

Even during these few hours of stalemate, Lin Tianwei was not idle. He was constantly communicating with the surrounding plants, brazenly planting his spies in Roberto's main camp.

This led to the Wood Release, which was originally incredibly safe for Roberto, now having a flaw. The flaw was those plants that Lin Tianwei had turned against him.

Not much was needed, just enough at the right moment, to completely expose Roberto's whereabouts to Lin Tianwei's eyes.

Got you!

Talent Template: Avatar of Myriad Forms (Extraordinary)!

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Tianwei's eyes, and a terrifying Speed Burst instantly erupted. He easily passed through this plant cage using Avatar of Myriad Forms.

No cage with gaps could trap Lin Tianwei.

A moment later, Lin Tianwei arrived in front of a towering tree.

According to intelligence from the enemy's undercover agents, Roberto was hiding within this towering tree, attempting to regain his absolute control over this forest.

However, before he could fully consolidate his control, Lin Tianwei's attack had already arrived silently.

Bang!

The towering tree, thicker than Lin Tianwei's body, could not withstand Lin Tianwei's attack and was directly cut in half at the waist.

This also revealed Roberto, who was hidden within it.

Panic finally appeared in the eyes of this massive forest giant. Once he lost the protection of the terrain, all his abilities would be greatly reduced.

He was simply not enough to contend with the ferocious Lin Tianwei.

After all, despite his fierce appearance, he was actually a mage, a mage who used plants and life energy to attack enemies.

How could a mage defeat Lin Tianwei, the king of the land, in close combat?

So Roberto's only option was to flee, to hide in another plant.

However, his actions were futile.

With enough undercover agents, Lin Tianwei could clearly see Roberto's movements and it was impossible for him to escape his grasp.

Wood Release was not Instantaneous Movement after all. Although it had similar effects, it required plants as a medium, and its speed was not as unsolvable as Instantaneous Movement.

This serious Arena match ultimately devolved into a game of cat and mouse, a game where Roberto had nowhere to run.

Every time Lin Tianwei destroyed Roberto's body, his body would be healed back to normal by the swarming natural energy.

However, this was not in vain. This healing could only cure Roberto's external injuries and could not heal the core essence that Lin Tianwei had damaged.

Finally, after two and a half days of pursuit, Roberto, who was once again smashed into pieces by Lin Tianwei, failed to recover. Instead, he lay on the ground, panting, clearly having reached his limit.

For an exhausted enemy, this was definitely not the time to deliver any villainous speeches. Sending him to his demise at light speed was the best option.

Without hesitation, the Flames of Destruction rose again, completely incinerating Roberto's massive body, also announcing Lin Tianwei's undeniable victory... "Ding, congratulations on successfully killing your opponent and winning this match."

"This match's offensive rating is: B. You certainly play with flair."

"This match's defensive rating is: B. I'm not hurt, really!"

"Ding, because the opponent's strength exceeds yours by two major stages, this match's overall rating will increase by two levels."

"Ding, your final overall match rating is: S. Enjoy a 500% point bonus."

"Ding, after calculation, you have won a total of 2.5 million points in this match (base points 5000 * S-rank rating bonus 500% * Purgatory difficulty bonus 5000% * self-excellent rating bonus * 200%)."

... "Ding, your rating and ranking have been updated. You can view them through the panel."

... "Name: Lin.

Age: 27 years old.

Strength: Cosmic Level Seventh Order.

Ranking: 2067+.

Points: 43 million+.

Rating: Top Tier (Challenge Points +100%).

Remarks: Survival of the fittest, who is the true King of the Forest?" (End of chapter)