The corpse of the ancient desolate beast, the Qi Gang Flying Pig, lay right before their eyes...
Hei Lou Lan and Fang Yuan were both tempted, but neither made a move.
They simultaneously looked upward.
High above, the Eighth Star Palace was trembling violently. Booming explosions and the roars of beasts echoed from within.
With a thunderous crash, the palace shuddered hard. A brilliant pillar of flame erupted from the roof, blasting a gaping hole through it.
The Star Palace was not a physical structure—it was a manifestation of the Cave Heaven's phenomena. At the point of damage, motes of starlight began leaking outward, the breach spreading ever wider.
A column of smoke shot straight up toward the sky.
"That's quite the fierce battle," Hei Lou Lan remarked.
"Fight on, fight on. The more intense, the better," Fang Yuan murmured.
Inside the Eighth Star Palace, the scene was utter chaos. Both sides were locked in a desperate struggle.
A battered and scarred Flame Tiger, a desolate beast, let out a roar and opened its mouth, spitting out an enormous fireball.
The fireball shot straight at the great tree. Even while it was still airborne, the Flame Tiger was already charging after it, its tiger claws pounding forward as it charged fiercely toward the tree.
The great tree lashed out with its soft, massive branches.
Its branches were peculiar—each one resembled a thick, flexible octopus tentacle.
*Crack!* One tentacle-like branch whipped the fireball into oblivion.
*Crack!* Another branch lashed out viciously, striking the Flame Tiger behind the fireball and sending it flying.
The Flame Tiger howled in pain, hurtling back over a hundred steps before crashing to the ground. Light flashed brilliantly, and it transformed into a human figure—none other than the Immortal Monkey King, Shi Lei.
Shi Lei spat out three teeth, his expression wild and exhilarated. "What a Walking Flesh Tree! Truly worthy of being a legendary creature—ancient desolate vegetation is simply extraordinary."
Beside him, the All-Encompassing Star Lord had been continuously launching starlight attacks from a distance. Hearing Shi Lei's shout, he sent a telepathic message filled with helplessness: "Immortal Monkey King, our opponent is powerful. Please stop playing around and use your Earth Path combat strength."
Shi Lei was not the type to ignore practical matters. Without hesitation, he replied, "Very well. I've already used my Transformation Path strength to fight a Qi Gang Flying Pig to the death—that's satisfying enough. Next, I'll use my true Earth Path cultivation to chop down this lively little Walking Flesh Tree."
The All-Encompassing Star Lord was overjoyed upon hearing this. The Immortal Monkey King, Shi Lei, was finally going to use his real abilities.
But then, in the next moment, Shi Lei simply sat cross-legged on the palace floor tiles and began treating his injuries. "All-Encompassing Star Lord, hold the line for now. Once I've cleared the Flame Path marks from my body, I'll use my Earth Path methods."
The All-Encompassing Star Lord nearly burst out cursing.
But in the end, he said nothing. Shi Lei's request was perfectly reasonable—Flame Path marks on his body would greatly interfere with and weaken the power of his Earth Path Gu Insects.
The All-Encompassing Star Lord had no choice but to swallow his fury, agree, and fly forward to face the Walking Flesh Tree head-on.
Though the All-Encompassing Star Lord had been wounded to his foundation by Song Zixing, his abilities were still formidable.
Pillars of starlight, majestic and imposing, rained down upon the Walking Flesh Tree.
The Walking Flesh Tree retaliated with three lashing branches.
The All-Encompassing Star Lord suddenly swayed, splitting into five starlight clones. Clones and original spread out, occupying six positions, each unleashing different Star Path killing moves to besiege the Walking Flesh Tree.
The Walking Flesh Tree took several hits and grew furious. It whipped more than ten branches in retaliation.
*Crack! Crack! Crack!*
The All-Encompassing Star Lord's starlight clones were shattered one by one. Within the storm of tentacle-like shadows, he dodged left and right but quickly fell to a disadvantage.
Facing the Walking Flesh Tree in direct combat, only then did he truly feel the crushing pressure.
*Crack!*
A sharp, crisp blow—the All-Encompassing Star Lord, pushed beyond his defenses, was sent hurtling backward. Along the way, he smashed through a massive stone pillar, but his momentum didn't cease. He was blasted straight out of the Star Palace.
With the All-Encompassing Star Lord gone, the Walking Flesh Tree immediately raised a storm of whipping shadows and lunged toward Shi Lei, who sat cross-legged on the ground.
"Useless!" Shi Lei's eyes snapped open, golden pupils blazing with battle fury. He roared angrily, sprang to his feet, and charged straight at the Walking Flesh Tree.
The All-Encompassing Star Lord traced a long arc through the air before finally managing to halt himself.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and gazed back at the Eighth Star Palace, a cold, satisfied smirk playing on his lips.
He had deliberately allowed himself to be knocked away—this way, Shi Lei would be forced to do the work.
"I went to the trouble of exposing the Myriad Star Cave Heaven to you, and you still refuse to do your part? Fine by me." Suddenly, the All-Encompassing Star Lord coughed up a mouthful of blood.
A wave of searing pain crashed through his chest.
He drew a sharp breath, a flash of horror passing through his eyes. "The Walking Flesh Tree's strikes directly inscribe Strength Path marks into my body, making my internal organs bear the full force of the blows!"
Upon realizing this, the All-Encompassing Star Lord had even less desire to foolishly charge back in and face the Walking Flesh Tree.
"Let Shi Lei handle it. He's a battle maniac anyway—under the Walking Flesh Tree's pressure, he'll be forced to give it his all. I've already paid enough of a price. I should heal my injuries first."
Without hesitation, the All-Encompassing Star Lord summoned his Gu Insects, transforming them into a starry nebula bed. He sat cross-legged upon it, floating in midair, and began tending to his wounds.