111: Chapter 111 Dense Black Flowers

The back courtyard of the county yamen.

Clerk Liu squatted at the base of the wall in the county yamen's back courtyard, chewing on bloody rat meat in his mouth.

Then, he saw the trunk of the Evil Tree, which shaded the entire Guanhai County City, slashed open by a golden figure in the sky.

Immediately following that, he also heard the wailing of the Evil Tree.

Clerk Liu's mouth stopped moving, and the rat meat hanging from the corner of his mouth fell off.

He just stood there with his mouth agape, staring blankly at this incredible scene.

Not only him, but the remaining commoners barely surviving in Guanhai County City were all looking in the direction of the Evil Tree, staring at the golden figure that looked like a descending deity.

In their hearts, a sliver of hope emerged.

And this sliver of hope was something they previously wouldn't have dared to dream of.

Just as all the surviving commoners of Guanhai County City were excited by the Evil Tree's wailing, Qin Ling's avatar inside the golden light shadow frowned.

Because he could feel that his strike had indeed dealt damage to the Evil Tree.

But he also realized that the Evil Tree's health pool completely exceeded his expectations; it was simply too thick.

Even though it landed, it couldn't truly inflict a heavy blow on the Evil Tree.

Although this avatar of his possessed only eighty percent of his main body's power, it still solidly held Fourth-Turn combat capability.

And if it could render such a Fourth-Turn power helpless, then this Evil Tree must be at the Fifth-Turn realm!

A Fifth-Turn evil anomaly!

Qin Ling's brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

This Evil Tree was even more troublesome than he had expected!

The effect of the Exorcism divine technique was dissipating, and the wound on the Evil Tree's trunk was closing up.

Right at this moment, prompt notifications suddenly popped up rapidly in Qin Ling's mind.

[Host detected purifying evil anomaly Black Flower, rewarded 30 incense points.]

[Host detected purifying evil anomaly Black Flower, rewarded 30 incense points.]

...

Messages popped up continuously, a total of fifteen notifications.

Each Black Flower destroyed rewarded 30 incense points, giving a total reward of 450 incense points.

In other words, not only was the 200 incense points he just spent using Divine Technique: Exorcism refunded, but he also gained an extra 250 incense points.

It was actually a profitable deal?

Qin Ling's eyes lit up, and he fixed his gaze upon the Evil Tree.

Looking closely, he realized that the Black Flowers on the Evil Tree were densely packed, one after another.

Embedded in every crack of the bark, embedded in the forks of the branches.

Some were in bud, some half-bloomed, and some fully blossomed.

He shifted his gaze away from the tree and swept it across the surroundings.

Black Flowers grew beneath the walls and between the roof tiles all across Guanhai County City.

Under the eaves of residential houses, on the stone pillars of the pier, beside the roof ornaments of temples—Black Flowers were everywhere.

The corners of Qin Ling's mouth slowly curled up.

This was practically free incense points handed to him!

One Black Flower was worth 30 incense points, and the Black Flowers in this county town were ridiculously numerous!

Having obtained a temporary perpetual motion machine, Qin Ling did not hesitate and surged his divine power once more.

Raising his right hand, he cupped his fingers to perform the divine technique Seven-Kill Demon-Slaying Sword.

Raising his left palm, he used Divine Technique: Exorcism, investing another 200 incense points into it.

That's right, he was preparing to combine divine techniques once again.

Naturally, the Evil Tree that had already suffered a sword strike could not remain indifferent; its body shook violently.

Then, countless fissures cracked open on the ground, and roots as thick as houses erupted from the earth, like countless long-lurking snakes pouncing on their prey simultaneously.

The tips of those roots were razor-sharp, spewing black evil energy as they thrust toward Qin Ling from all directions.

The canopy shook at the same time, its branches whipping down like flails, each strike carrying an air-piercing screech.

The entire Evil Tree was like a thoroughly enraged behemoth awakening from slumber, using every inch of its body to strangle the intruder in its territory.

Seeing this, Qin Ling showed not a trace of panic, channeling his remaining divine power.

Divine technique, Divine Travel Across the World!

His body transformed into a golden streak of light, catapulting out from the encirclement of roots.

Behind him, those roots crisscrossed, thrust, and intertwined, crashing into one another with a dull thunder, sending shattered stones and dirt flying into the sky.

After using the divine technique Divine Travel Across the World, his speed was frighteningly fast.

Just as those roots lifted, he had already zipped through the gaps between them.

Thus, he dodged while condensing the combined divine technique in his hands.

Realizing his intention, the Evil Tree's root attacks grew even more frantic.

They no longer came one by one, but upheaved in vast swathes.

Like churning black ocean waves, they pressed toward him from all directions, trying to seal off all his space to dodge.

Qin Ling made a nearly right-angled turn in mid-air, skimming past the spike of a root.

Holding the sword across his chest, he pressed his left hand against the blade, golden light spilling through his fingers.

The combined technique of the Seven-Kill Demon-Slaying Sword and Exorcism was now complete.

Seizing the opportunity, Qin Ling threw the Seven-Kill Demon-Slaying Sword toward a spot on the Evil Tree's trunk where Black Flowers were densely gathered.

The Seven-Kill Demon-Slaying Sword, fused with Exorcism, slashed into the Evil Tree's trunk once again. The trunk was split open, and black juice gushed from the wound.

Meanwhile, those Black Flowers were directly incinerated into ash.

The system notification sound exploded again—not intermittent chimes, but a continuous roar, like a thousand-pack firecracker set off all at once during a festival.

Taking another sword strike, the Evil Tree went completely insane.

More and more roots surged from the ground like countless out-of-control whips, interweaving in the air to form an airtight net.

Every strike plowed a deep trench into the ground, scattering gravel and soil everywhere.

The canopy erupted at the same time; arm-thick branches slammed down like massive sledgehammers, collapsing section after section of courtyard walls.

The center of the entire county town seemed to have been thrown into a blender; bricks and tiles flew everywhere as dust filled the sky.

Qin Ling's avatar navigated through this chaos using the divine technique Divine Travel Across the World.

The Evil Tree's attacks grew denser and more frantic, yet Qin Ling's figure became increasingly calm and composed.

Guanhai County City, East Street, Blacksmith Shop.

Tie Lanshi, walking out of the blacksmith shop, almost forgot to breathe as he stared at the terrifying scene before him.

Facing them, the Evil Tree didn't need to, and had never shown, such a destructive stance that seemed ready to annihilate everything.

Back then, killing his elder brother Tie Lanshan was nothing more than an effort-free gesture for the Evil Tree.

Yet this golden light shadow was actually able to force the Evil Tree into such a state.

Is this really something a human, or even a martial artist, can accomplish?

What on earth is this golden light shadow?

"Heavens, just what grand sacred being is this golden light shadow?"

The middle-aged man wearing a short grey coat looked up in disbelief at the terrifying sight before him.

"No matter what grand sacred being he is, at least from what we've seen so far, he seems to be on our side."

The young man in black martial arts attire said excitedly, clenching his fists as he watched the golden light shadow weaving through the roots.