Chapter Eighty-One: Utter Chaos

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As the three scrambled in chaos, trying to escape the vengeful wrath of the monstrous tree, elsewhere, two figures were racing toward them from the other side of the botanical garden...

It was Liu Mengshu, the sorcerer of the evil path, and Tukacha, the Southeast Asian spellmaster!

"Heh heh, Liu Mengshu, the leader seems to hold you in special regard. Fetching the heart of the Corpse Fiend Tree is a simple task, yet he's willing to grant you a third of the spoils," Tukacha sneered menacingly.

Clad in a blue robe and a ghastly mask, Liu Mengshu replied coolly, "That’s because I’m useful to you. Once my brother becomes a soul demon and I can finally unleash my full strength, I’ll have to see how powerful your superior truly is."

"Don’t worry, you won’t be disappointed."

"It’s a pity. I’ve spent more than a decade in River City and never realized you’ve planted so many schemes here. Had I known..."

"Heh heh, this tree only recently matured, so its responses are slow. If we’d acted earlier, not only would the tree heart have been useless, but enraging it would have been troublesome."

Suddenly, Liu Mengshu paused, stunned.

"What is it, sorcerer?" Tukacha asked.

"The fiend tree has awakened! Someone beat us to it."

"Impossible!" Tukacha shrieked, sprinting toward the grove.

The Corpse Fiend Tree was acquired at great expense by their organization, secretly placed in the River City Botanical Garden to await maturity before harvesting its heart. If they failed to obtain it...

Even Tukacha, twisted and insane as he was, felt a chill at the thought of his leader’s methods.

Arriving at the tree’s location, they saw from afar a scene of utter devastation!

Centered on the monstrous tree, so large that not even several grown men could encircle its trunk, the earth for hundreds of meters around was torn and battered, riddled with cracks and pits, the air thick with flying, writhing roots—almost as if the entire area had become a prison.

"Damn it! If someone wants to steal the tree heart, fine—but why enrage the fiend tree?" Tukacha’s face twisted in fury, his eyes nearly spitting fire.

Even these cultivators, who had nurtured the Corpse Fiend Tree, would never want to provoke it.

It was like humans raising black bears for their bile. If you didn’t first sedate the bear or make preparations, and just tried to wrest its bile by brute force...

There was no word more fitting than “idiot.”

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So, from Tukacha’s perspective, these fellow seekers of the tree heart were truly the greatest fools in the world.

He had no idea that Fu Yang and his companions had intended to destroy the tree’s core, not realizing it was such a rare entity...

At this moment, Liu Mengshu was far calmer than Tukacha.

"Before the fiend tree loses control completely, seize the tree heart. We’ll worry about the rest later!"

With that, he pressed a talisman to his chest, and immediately his form shifted—like smoke, like mist, he floated lightly off the ground, heading straight for the tree trunk. Agile and deft, he even managed to slice through roots that attacked like venomous serpents.

Seeing Liu Mengshu take action, Tukacha gritted his teeth and rushed in as well.

His spells were mainly for harming others, lacking the mystical versatility of a Taoist. He could only dodge the fiend tree’s attacks like a normal person, following Liu Mengshu deeper inside...

It was deep night, and the tree’s frenzied thrashing sent dust and debris flying, shrouding the area in darkness.

Liu Mengshu and Tukacha failed to notice Fu Yang and his companions, who were struggling to escape in the chaos!

But, as newcomers, the two were immediately spotted by Fu Yang.

"Ah Huang, Shan Shan. Look, that’s Liu Mengshu, the evil sorcerer!"

The two glanced back warily and indeed saw two new arrivals, charging straight toward the heart of the fiend tree’s rampage—one was the familiar Liu Mengshu.

"What’s he doing here? And who’s that hideous monkey beside him?"

"The fiend tree’s core—its heart—is invaluable to practitioners of dark arts for their sinister rituals. Could it be that this tree is Liu Mengshu’s handiwork?"

This time, Ah Huang and Fu Yang misjudged Liu Mengshu; he was merely a pawn...

Despite his flashy spells, Liu Mengshu was soon struck down by the fiend tree.

Yet, his cultivation was deep, and he emerged unscathed.

"Tukacha, I’ll hold it off for you! Release your demon child!"

Liu Mengshu wielded a black sword, shattering roots as they lunged, drawing nearer to Tukacha.

The spellmaster hesitated.

Demon child spells were among the most difficult rituals in Southeast Asian magic.

He had brought only two to China—one had already been destroyed, and if the last was lost to the tree...

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"If you don’t hurry, I’ll leave right now!" Liu Mengshu’s voice was icy, already poised to withdraw.

Tukacha had no choice but to perform his spell under Liu Mengshu’s protection, releasing his demon child to retrieve the tree heart.

Neither of them noticed that three pairs of eyes watched from not far behind...

"Demon child magic! That guy..."

"Exactly. Not from China, but a Southeast Asian spellmaster. I bet the demon child we exorcised before was his doing."

"Who would’ve thought Liu Mengshu, a true disciple of the Maoshan sect, would join forces with these black-skinned monkeys from Southeast Asia?"

Fu Yang was furious.

To him, Liu Mengshu had always been a villain, but at least a Chinese villain. Colluding with foreign evil forces—now that smacked of treason!

"Whoa, Fu Yang, you’re really full of national pride! Positive energy, huh?"

"Cut the nonsense! Let’s get out of here—look, you’re about to collapse. If we don’t leave now, these roots will really tear us apart..."

What neither expected was that Zhao Shan Shan suddenly spoke with resolve.

"I brought a gun when I came out. Useless against the tree fiend, but very effective against people!"

She raised her right hand, revealing a gleaming black pistol.

Fu Yang and Ah Huang’s eyes lit up! They glanced at Liu Mengshu and Tukacha, backs turned, wholly focused on the fiend tree and controlling the demon child.

"Shan Shan, the sharpshooter, it’s up to you!"

Fu Yang dodged a root’s attack, cheekily urging Shan Shan.

Night, low visibility, constant movement to evade the fiend tree’s attacks—firing a gun under these conditions would truly test anyone’s skill!

But as the deputy captain of the criminal police squad, Zhao Shan Shan was more than qualified!

Otherwise, despite her impressive background, she could never have become deputy captain of River City’s criminal police at such a young age.