Chapter 329: Chapter 195: New Exotic Insect! New Demon Techniques

"Something’s not right? What’s not right?"

Zhong Qishan was dismissive. She turned to glance at Gu Zheng, who had spoken, and scoffed as she looked around. "There’s nothing wrong. Second-tier and third-tier Domains have appeared before, to say nothing of first-tier ones."

"Grand General Gu, are you saying this Domain is higher than third-tier?" Cao Qingsong asked, his expression grave.

"Higher than third-tier? Don’t tell me it’s fourth-tier?" Zhong Qishan was aghast.

Gunshan King and Zhong Zhengao also frowned. "Grand General Gu, are you sure? I didn’t notice anything."

’...That’s because your understanding of the world isn’t deep enough!’

Gu Zheng thought to himself, but he let none of it show on his face. "It’s fourth-tier," he said calmly. "I haven’t entered many third-tier Domains, but I’ve been in and out of third-tier channels frequently of late. I have a fairly deep understanding of their aura."

At the mention of this, Zhong Zhengao was speechless, and Zhong Qishan fell silent as well.

Cao Qingsong suppressed a laugh and gave a thumbs-up. "If Grand General Gu says so, then it’s most likely fourth-tier."

"Everyone, attention!"

Cao Qingsong raised his voice, his Divine Wondrous power surging to carry his words into everyone’s ears.

"There’s an extremely high probability this new Domain is fourth-tier! Everyone, close ranks immediately! Gather together, form a circle with the princess at the center, and create a battle formation!"

"Yes, sir~!"

The others, who had been panicking slightly, now had a sense of direction. They responded in unison and moved quickly.

Over three hundred people, from the head and tail of their column, converged toward the middle, forming a circle at the foot of the mountain.

At the center was Zhong Qishan.

When it came to understanding third-tier channels, no one present could compare to Gu Zheng.

After all, not long ago, Gu Zheng had fought his way through all the third-tier channels in the Seven States.

He was going in and out of them every day.

Now that Gu Zheng had confirmed the Domain was fourth-tier, it was almost a certainty.

A fourth-tier Domain meant the fused region of the Demon Realm very likely contained a fourth-tier Demon Fiend!

Or that a fourth-tier Demon Fiend had entered the Domain.

If their luck was really bad, it might have even pulled in a fifth-tier Demon Fiend to guard the Rule Array Hub.

In that case, destroying the Rule Array Hub would be out of the question.

The key would be whether they could leave safely.

And there was usually a transitional period from a Domain’s birth to its full activation.

This was the period the team had to endure.

While waiting, they had to guard against approaching Demon Fiends.

Especially third-tier Demon Fiends!

Gu Zheng, Cao Qingsong, and Zhong Zhengao were all at the third stage of the Heroic Body, that was true.

However, if a third-tier Demon Fiend were to attack, one of them would have to be dispatched to hold it back.

One or two would be manageable. If three came, the others would have to fend for themselves.

Even Zhong Qishan might fall here if things went wrong.

That was not something Zhong Zhengao wanted to see.

He ordered the team to gather and form a circle.

Everyone faced outward in unison, silent. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

With the Domain most likely being fourth-tier, even Zhong Qishan didn’t dare to complain anymore.

BOOM~

BOOM!

In the sky above, the partial fusion of the two worlds was rapidly progressing.

In less than an hour, the area to their left, which had been open space next to the mountain on their right, was suddenly filled with small, newly appeared hills.

They were all about a hundred meters tall and covered in bizarre trees over ten meters high. The trees had no leaves, only sharp, vicious branches that resembled swords and daggers. Their trunks were dark purple, and their bark shimmered with a metallic luster.

WHOOSH~ WHOOSH~

A dry mountain wind blew past.

RUSTLE~!

The vision of a nearby guard blurred for a second. He felt as if one of the strange trees’ trunks had moved. It had shifted from five meters away to just three meters away from him.

’A moving tree?’

The moment that thought surfaced...

PTHUNK~!

A sharp branch pierced through the guard’s chest and burst out from his back.

Blood Pearls dripped down in a string from the tip of the branch.

"...Demon Fiends! These trees are Demon Fiends!"

"They’re Tree Demons! Fall back~!"

The guards next to him, jolted to their senses in horror, screamed and retreated.

SWISH SWISH SWISH~!

The instant the screams rang out, all the strange, ten-meter-plus trees on the hundred-meter-tall hills began to move in unison.

Their powerful roots burrowed through the soil, propelling their trunks forward. They brandished their sharp, sword-like branches as they charged rapidly toward the team’s position.

BOOM!

Divine Wondrous power surged as a Fist Seal tore through the air.

Zhong Zhengao leaped into the air. He threw a punch from a distance, obliterating the five Tree Demons at the very front, and shouted, "Everyone, retreat up the mountain! Protect the princess!"

"Yes, sir! Yes!"

"Hurry, get up the mountain!"

"..."

Hearing the command, the more than three hundred people scrambled back, rushing up the mountain peak to their right.

Zhong Qishan, protected by several handmaidens, charged at the very front.

Cao Qingsong, Zhong Zhengao, and Gu Zheng brought up the rear, attacking the Tree Demons. The three of them each defended one side, striking from a distance to kill any Tree Demon that got close.

These strange Tree Demons had no eyes, noses, or mouths, and their trunks and branches were extremely hard.

Fortunately, Gu Zheng, Cao Qingsong, and Zhong Zhengao were all at the third stage of the Heroic Body. Their Divine Wondrous power and strength far surpassed everyone else’s.

Their Fist Seals, Sword Qi, and Sword Gang were so powerful that a single attack could obliterate several trees.

But the strange Tree Demons were densely packed and numerous.

On the few nearby hills alone, there were no fewer than a thousand of them.

It was as if all those strange Tree Demons had smelled fresh meat. They all came to life, moving their roots to quickly surround and swarm the mountain where the team was located.

With so many of them, the energy consumption was naturally high.

Gu Zheng decisively sheathed his Red Abyss Blade, then unleashed three hundred and sixty smaller blades, sending them shooting out.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~!

The blades dancing in the air first vanished, and when they reappeared, they were already inside the trunks of the strange Tree Demons, right at their cores.