Yang Kai felt a little embarrassed under the Tree's glare. How could he not realize that his repeated cheating had already been detected by the Three Thousand World Tree? In this Land of No Old, most of the sacred medicines had already developed spiritual awareness—Pu Baixiong and Little Mushroom were both like that, let alone the Three Thousand World Tree.
It simply hadn't revealed itself before. But Yang Kai had exploited the Mysterious Boundary Bead to abuse its loopholes time and time again, slipping through the gaps to enter the World Fruits and harvesting more than a dozen fruits all by himself. Such insatiable greed—even a tree bearing three thousand fruits could not tolerate it. If Yang Kai kept this up, who knew how many fruits would be left on its branches?
So the moment it sensed Yang Kai's aura once more, it had immediately ejected him and his dozen or so subordinates from the World Fruit, denying them any chance to continue their trials, and even swept them off the mountain to cut off all hope.
The roots lashed out at Yang Kai again, swinging with tremendous force. It wasn't trying to kill him—only to knock him off the mountain.
Yang Kai activated the Laws of Space, dodging again and again.
He had gained quite a bit—more than a dozen World Fruits, including two mid-grade ones—but he hadn't spotted a single high-grade World Fruit. How could he possibly give up?
A high-grade World Fruit could propel a mid-grade Open Heaven cultivator straight to the first grade. If he ever achieved seventh-grade Open Heaven in the future, a high-grade World Fruit would allow him to ascend directly to the eighth grade!
How many eighth-grade Open Heaven cultivators existed across the Cave Heavens and Paradises? At that level, one was an absolute overlord. Not only could he establish himself firmly across the Three Thousand Worlds, but he could also accomplish something truly great.
Even as he dodged, Yang Kai shamelessly pleaded: "Calm down, Elder Tree, calm down! Just one more time—the very last time!"
The World Tree's expression grew even angrier. It would not listen. The roots thrashed with increasing frenzy, but with the Laws of Space guiding him, Yang Kai's form flickered unpredictably. How could they ever hit him?
In a fit of fury, another dozen roots burst from the ground below, forming an inescapable net that descended upon Yang Kai.
At the foot of the mountain, Lang Qingshan and the others looked up in stunned silence.
Scabby's mouth twitched. "This World Tree has probably been driven mad by our Commander."
Lang Qingshan let out a low shout: "Something's wrong—Commander's in danger!"
Even as the words left his mouth, he charged up the mountain. The dozen or so followers surged after him, braving the mist and lightning, struggling their way upward.
At the summit, Yang Kai dodged left and right, but the tree's dozen-odd roots moved like that many long whips, sealing off heaven and earth and drastically shrinking the space he had to maneuver.
A moment's lapse—a root caught him squarely. A tremendous force crashed into him, and his throat flooded with sweetness.
Yang Kai grabbed hold of the root, swallowed the churning blood, and grinned: "Not even once, Elder Tree? Just let me back into the fruit I was in a moment ago!"
He hadn't had time to examine the grade of that particular world, but he was certain it was at least mid-grade—and there was a slim chance it could be high-grade!
If he could negotiate with the Three Thousand World Tree, he could at least secure that World Fruit.
The Three Thousand World Tree seemed not to hear. It jerked its roots violently several times but could not shake Yang Kai free. In its rage, the dozen-plus roots lashed at him through the air, striking his body.
Yang Kai grunted repeatedly. After only three breaths, he felt he could barely endure it. The World Tree had no intention of killing him, but these root strikes were anything but pleasant.
With no other choice, he let out a low roar: "Dragon Transformation!"
His body swelled dramatically, transforming into a half-dragon form. Dragon horns sprouted from his head, his hands became claws, twin streams of dragon breath plumed from his nostrils, and scales covered every inch of his body. Each scale bore natural patterns, hard and thick. Dragon whiskers fluttered beneath his jaw. His massive frame stood atop the summit—though still not as towering as the World Tree, it was no longer far behind.
In the Grand Void Realm, he had consumed countless Dragon Blood Pills, pushing his dragon-transformed body ever closer to that of a true dragon. He was immeasurably stronger than before.
Crack, crack, crack, crack—the dozen-plus roots lashed his back in relentless succession, each blow landing with a heavy thud.
But this level of punishment was within what he could endure. The dragon form's defenses were vastly superior to his human body's.
Yang Kai chuckled and looked at the World Tree. "Elder Tree, just one last chance. I'll go in one more time, and I swear I won't cling to you!" He was utterly fixated on that particular World Fruit!
As he spoke, he wrapped the root he was gripping around his waist, coiling it several times, making his determination to never let go crystal clear.
The World Tree's attacks grew even more savage. Now even Yang Kai's dragon-transformed body was struggling to hold up—scales flew from his back, and blood streamed freely.
But Yang Kai's recovery ability was extraordinary. The power of the Wood Element surged through his Dao Seal, and his own dragon blood surged in response. Wounds healed continuously.
For a full incense stick's worth of time, the stalemate persisted—then suddenly the Three Thousand World Tree's assault withdrew. On the ancient trunk, the aged face let out a heavy sigh.
Yang Kai's eyes lit up with delight. "Elder Tree, does that mean you agree?"
The Three Thousand World Tree cast him a look of pure disgust, and then a single root whipped through the air toward him.