https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-878-Breaking-Free-from-the-Shackles-of-Form/13041322/
Chapter 877: The Gathering Desire and the Startling Demon
Chapter 877: The Gathering Desire and the Startling Demon
Several tall buildings stood around the square, each equipped with numerous firepower points from the town. This was a necessary passage for any external teams entering the town.
At this point, the town did not require outsiders to disarm, which often led to conflicts. The personnel above occasionally scanned the area below, ready to fire at any sign of trouble.
As Chen Chuan walked towards the center of the square, he immediately drew attention. People noticed that he seemed out of place, standing in stark contrast to the pedestrians around him.
He was alone, carrying only a suitcase, and showed no signs of weapons. Moreover, he stood in an open area, so the guards were not overly alert at first, merely giving him a couple of glances.
However, when he raised his fist, a bright light blossomed from it. Someone quickly realized something was wrong and was about to shout a warning. Suddenly, a white haze filled the air, causing everyone to squint.
A loud, muffled boom reverberated in their ears, making their heads and internal organs feel like they were shaking. At the same time, the ground undulated like waves, causing them to stumble and grab nearby objects to steady themselves.
Once the commotion subsided, they shook their heads and looked outside, their eyes fixated.
The glass on both sides of the building was shattered, and the few pedestrians in the square had fallen to the ground. A massive cloud of dust and smoke rolled upwards, spreading and dispersing in the air.
In the center, the man in the robe stood beside a deep pit that had appeared. Silky strands of light emanated from within.
Chen Chuan stood at the edge of the pit, gazing downward. A layer of milky-white mist hovered below, and beneath it, twisted branches contorted, with a faint glow curling in one spot.
His eyes deepened as he sensed the second self on his body exhibiting signs of dissipation. This dissipation came in waves, stronger than what he had experienced in the simulated transformation.
The people around him stared in horror. After a while, one person finally reacted, screaming in an extremely fearful voice, "Shoot!"
Another person, seemingly more knowledgeable, hastily said, "Don't..."
But his voice was quickly drowned out by a barrage of gunfire. Countless bullets rained towards Chen Chuan's location. However, the next moment, the scene before them stunned everyone. As the bullets approached within a few dozen meters of his body, they suddenly slowed down.
The bullets seemed to encounter immense resistance, moving sluggishly forward and leaving trails in the air. The ones at the front slowed, while those at the back continued to join. After a full half-minute of continuous fire, everyone stood in shock, staring at the scene.
Countless bullets hovered in the air, some mixed with fragments of stone and dirt, surrounding the figure in the center.
Chen Chuan ignored the attack, focusing on what was below.
On the True Form Tree, one could see numerous brains attached to the branches. In theory, these brains were still alive, though they were no longer complete humans. They retained a minimal level of consciousness.
Before coming here, Chen Chuan had considered that if he found this tree, he would temporarily control it and then seek a way to dispose of it. After all, erasing these consciousnesses would be akin to killing these people completely.
However, he now realized the situation was more complex. As he had just punched through the ground and before he could release his bio field, he felt a surge of malevolence emanating from the tree. It seemed to crave his brain intensely.
He immediately asked, "Red Veil, can you discern the specific condition of those brain tissues?"
The red scarf around his neck fluttered, and Red Veil's voice sounded in his ear, "The consciousnesses in the bio brain are actively moving according to predetermined guiding frequencies. Preliminary analysis indicates that they are repeatedly reliving their entire life process."
Chen Chuan paused before speaking, "In other words, they are re-experiencing everything they went through in their lives?"
"It can be said so. This stimulation provides a special spiritual nourishment to the tree, promoting its growth. The more emotionally charged and naturally gifted they are, the more nourishment they can provide.
"Additionally, the number of bio brains on its branches has increased by a third compared to the simulated transformation."
Chen Chuan stared at the brains hanging above. Most of them were individuals with fanatical thoughts who had gone there voluntarily, while others were deceived or forced.
Among them were the brains of Ling Zhuli and others, fighters purchased by Ling Assistant, students initially recruited by Wu Laoshi, street fighters like Xia Man Gege, and talented children sold into the trade.
(End of Chapter 877)
They lived out their lives in that place, and the agony of their deaths played out repeatedly.
He asked, "Red Veil, could Ling Jianxing's initial words possibly come true?"
"There's a slight chance of success if an active consciousness entity's psychic power is used for correction, but it's limited to the current level of life," she replied.
Chen Chuan's expression turned cold. "I understand."
He looked up at the tree's canopy, where an intense bio field emanated a strong consciousness. He sensed a faint mental wave converging from the surrounding heads towards the tree, seemingly the tree's true essence.
Without a doubt, the tree had developed a new self with its own will and human-like desires. It was no longer a purely symbiotic being but a demon tree.
This process likely began less than half a year ago, probably after Ling Jianxing's elimination.
Ling Jianxing's original plan might not have been this, or perhaps there was a way to suppress it, but none of that mattered now. He couldn't allow this entity to continue.
Explosions reverberated, followed by the sound of whizzing projectiles as the town's artillery fired upon them.
But this had no effect on him either. As the shells entered the bio field, they slowed, like entering water. Even when they exploded, the fragments expanded momentarily before slowly dispersing, with only flickers of fire visible within.
The artillery soon fell silent, and gunshots echoed from a distance, indicating the mercenaries' sabotage, likely led by Bao Mi.
Ignoring this, Chen Chuan set down his suitcase, tore off his cloak, and lifted the Snow Lady Sword.
The demon tree seemed to sense danger, trembling as a vast mental force enveloped them. It was like using a thin mist to shake a solid jade, almost ineffective due to fundamental differences.
Seeing this, the tree branches shook, followed by rustling sounds. Numerous beetles, large and small, crawled out from beneath the branches and leaves, fluttering upwards.
Chen Chuan stood still, his eyes glinting briefly. In an instant, an invisible force expanded, like a gust of wind, causing everyone within a certain radius to fall to the ground.
The flying insects suddenly lost their strength and dropped from the sky. Those that hadn't taken flight yet flipped over where they stood, their limbs twitching.
Chen Chuan drew the Snow Lady Sword and flicked his wrist, sending the scabbard flying into the ground below. He took a step forward and leaped from above, landing on a thick branch below. His neck scarf was dragged, leaving a red line in its wake.
After steadying himself, he looked towards the most intense mental wave, walking step by step towards it. The branches and twigs writhed as if trying to stop him.
Under the suppression of his field power, they lowered as he approached, as if an invisible hand parted them, allowing the entangled branches to separate naturally.
Soon, he reached the spiritual core, revealing its true form—a blood-red, branch-entwined head-like structure, glowing with a pale red light.
This was the tree's consciousness and essence, the true 'demon tree'. Even if the outer body was destroyed, as long as this core survived and escaped, it could regrow in a place with human presence, using it as a foundation.
It would constantly pursue the minds of humans nearby, seeking nourishment for its growth and evolution.
Chen Chuan, having reached this core, made a swift move. He brushed the Snow Lady Sword's gleaming blade, causing the floating light to shimmer. With a grip on the hilt, he stepped forward and thrust the sword into the core!
...
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Chapter end
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