The wood-demon plants had been suppressed under the pull of the magnetic force, unable so much as to raise their heads. But once the mist spread through the air, those same plants stubbornly lifted themselves upward once more, as though the smoke had restored their will to fight.
In that moment, the wood-demon plants seemed to come alive. Not only those nearby — from every direction, wood-demon plants converged toward the area as though answering a summons, surging in and lunging ceaselessly at Jiang Chen hovering in the sky.
Jiang Chen's gaze was cold and sharp. He knew this was nothing more than a death throe.
With a soft snort, he stamped a mana seal downward onto the surface of the Magnetic Origin Golden Mountain. Prodded by the seal, the mountain's form shifted dramatically once again.
The golden light radiating from its surface blazed even more brilliantly, even more vigorously, and the magnetic storm howled upward, instantly doubling in intensity.
Meanwhile, from within the Magnetic Origin Golden Mountain, countless golden-armored demons answered Jiang Chen's call and poured forth, brandishing gleaming golden weapons. They surged out in their own golden tide, sweeping toward the rampaging wood-demon plants with raised blades.
The five elements — each one nurturing the next, each one restraining the next.
And metal was precisely the element that subdued wood.
The golden-armored demons merged into a tide of gold and crashed against the wood-demon plants with devastating force.
Watching entire swathes of his plants topple one after another, the Ghost Branch Ancestor felt his heart bleed. His eyes went bloodshot as he glared toward Jiang Chen.
Then, in a sudden flash, a thought struck him.
He remembered.
"You… you couldn't possibly be… that boy Jiang Chen?" The Ghost Branch Ancestor's voice trembled faintly, and his heart plummeted without warning.
He had never imagined that he himself would end up as Jiang Chen's target.
Rumors about the various demon lineages that had circulated in recent days all flashed through the Ghost Branch Ancestor's consciousness at once, and a crack appeared in the confidence he had once held.
Jiang Chen offered a faint, indifferent smile, utterly unmoved by the Ghost Branch Ancestor's reaction.
At this moment, only a single thought occupied his mind — to end his opponent. And this was the perfect opportunity.
The golden-armored demons had already established overwhelming dominance over the wood-demon plants, while the magnetic storm was tearing apart the Ghost Branch Ancestor's defenses.
Most critically, the Great Glassy Light Lamp was now radiating with holy luminescence, locking the Ghost Branch Ancestor down completely.
The sacred ray of the Great Glassy Light lanced onto the Ghost Branch Ancestor's body. He shuddered from head to toe as though struck by lightning, falling into a brief moment of dazed blankness.
That fleeting lapse left his guard wide open.
The magnetic storm, like a savage and ravenous primordial beast, swept in with a deafening roar and swallowed the Ghost Branch Ancestor whole. He did not even have time to react before the storm consumed him entirely.
As the magnetic storm engulfed him, the terrifying golden sharpness within it instantly formed thousands upon thousands of grinding forces, shredding the Ghost Branch Ancestor's avatar into fine dust.
All of this unfolded in the space of a single heartbeat.
From the moment the Ghost Branch Ancestor realized what was happening to his death — the span of barely a single breath. Though his reflexes had been swift, he could not mount any meaningful resistance before quietly perishing.