Ascension of the Sylvan Cosmos.

Chapter 345. Frontal Battle! Liu Shu’s Unwillingness!

When they encountered the fog, the debuff caused many army members to change their expressions. <Blood Sacrifice Curse> was an annoying curse that would slowly stack up and become a big hurdle when sieging a location. Flor’s face, however, was terrifyingly cold and didn’t falter. The scream of agony from Liu Shu had made her heart hurt so much that it was unbearable. “Charge forward and slaughter them!”

Four people appeared by her side, a terrifying hurricane of ternary essences flowing around them. Even without looking, Flor knew who these four were. The killing intent radiating from them felt as if it came from a demon. 

From the space ahead, the army suddenly saw several creatures appearing from nowhere, moving at a very high speed and looking quite grotesque. Their size was around two meters tall, and their bodies were bulky. Wooden armor seemed to entrap a mass of corruption while the disorderly limbs pushed these beings toward them. 

Ignatia had been charging by Flor’s side, so she spoke aloud at this moment toward the four Sylvans. “Don’t lose yourselves.”

The four murderous Sylvans regained some clarity in their eyes. After hearing Liu Shu’s scream, they felt their hearts hurting for their lovable World Tree. Having the culprits of such pain in front of them, they wanted nothing more than to rip them apart and make them disappear from the World. The four of them spoke at the same time. 

“<Pyroaether Sylvan Body Liberation>!”

“<Vinebloom Sylvan Body Liberation>!”

“<Cyclamen Sylvan Body Liberation>!”

“<Belladonna Sylvan Body Liberation>!”

The four Sylvans jumped from their mounts and their bodies transformed as they fell. The four of them reached three meters in height, their bodies transforming into a humanoid plant lifeform representing their elements. 

Harmonixia’s body was tall and slender, with several vines around her body that appeared like instrument cords. The color of her bark was a pleasant liliac while the vines and body under the bark was a neon blue that didn’t hurt the eyes. 

The four of them charged into the mass of Level 40 <Corrupted Spawns> like four cannon balls. 

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Tens of creatures were blown apart by their bodily strength before they all started activating their skills. Tempestria rushed forward and slashed with her blade, surrounded by Wind Aether Mana. “Die for me. <Blooming Wind Sweep>!”

[-245,500]! [-440,840]! [337,850]!...

A massive wind wave sliced through several beasts, terrifying damage numbers popping one after another. 

Cinderielle raised her staff and murderously spat. “Burn to ashes. <Combustion Flame Fissure>.”

[-154,840]! [-164,500]! [-158,800]!

A red spiderweb surrounded a large group of corrupted beasts and then towering flames shot upward, shrill painful sounds echoing as damage numbers popped every single second to all the beasts standing on the area. 

Verdantia spun her own staff and slammed it to the ground, her glowing green eyes releasing a murderous chill. “A mere Blood Sacrifice Curse wants to injure us? Unworthy! <Vinebloom Spirit Rain>.”

A massive aura spread from Verdantia as a system message popped in the heads of everyone around her. 

[You’ve been affected by <Vinebloom Spirit Rain>. You’ll be healing 5,000 Phoer Body Shards per second for 5 minutes! Debuffs will be 20% less effective.]

Harmonixia stretched her long fingers and passed them through the taut vines connecting her arms and slender torso. Gorgeous notes spread around in an instant. “To dare make my Lian’er scream in pain. A hundred deaths is not enough! <Song Of A Hundred Flowers>.”

[You’ve been affected by <Song Of A Hundred Flowers>! Reaction speed increased by 10%. You are immune to negative status effects of D+ Tier and below. The effectiveness of status effects below C+ Rank is reduced by 40%. Movement speed increased by 30%. Duration: 5 minutes.]

Lyara’s face, looking at the collision of both armies, changed from a gleeful one to a confused one. “Who are those four Sylvans? Why is their strength so high?”

A person by Lyara’s side spoke up. “According to our information, they are the Golden Sap City’s army commanders. From the information we’ve gathered, there are rumors that they have all become <Third Energy Cycle> powerhouses.”

Lyara squinted her eyes and shook her head. “No. They are not yet there. However, they should be Level 49 and with ridiculous buffs on their bodies… But they look quite young. Sylvans usually take much longer to develop compared to humans. How old are they? Fifty? Sixty?” 

“This…” Looking at the information, the person was stunned. Lyara urged him. “Don’t stall. Tell me straight.”

The person reacted and cleared his throat. “According to our information, they all have the same age. Thirty-five years of age.”

Lyara’s face gained a trace of shock for the first time. “Less than forty? A Sylvan is about to become a Third Energy Cycle powerhouse before forty?” 

This kind of leveling speed was ridiculous; averaging more than two levels per year was an absurd concept. After all, Sylvans had hundreds of years of lifespan on average! Lyara crossed her arms with worry and commented. “Perhaps, these Sylvans much more of a threat compared to the World Tree. Can we kill them?”

“Lady Lyara, our cursemancers are focused on dealing with the World Tree and can’t move away. Our personal troops are just too lacking to give a decisive blow, much more now that they are in their transformed state.”

Lyara frowned. “They are cleaving through the army, though. At this rate, they will arrive here. Even if we have a defensive formation, we can’t last forever if we are surrounded and bombarded. How much time has passed since we hit the World Tree?”

The man quickly answered. “Around 12 minutes.”

Lyara bit her lip and muttered. “We need to last for another 48 minutes before we kill it…”

A woman by her side asked, her tone unsure. “Lady Lyara, are you sure that the World Tree won’t have more than 40 Phoer Body Cores?”

Lyara snorted. “A World Tree with 40 Phoer Body cores before Level 50? Are you mistaking this little World Tree with the <Celestial Lotus> or the <Azure Rose>? It is a wild World Tree that has grown without the aid of any superpower. The World Tree having more than 20 Phoer Body Cores is already pretty good!”

Flor and the others cleaved through the constantly replenishing <Corrupted Spawns> and arrived in front of the hidden town. Cinderielle and Ignatia attacked simultaneously, sending two massive fireballs that collided with the air and blew the illusion surrounding the town.

BOOM!

However, once the attack landed, they noticed the barrier surrounding the town, making them feel solemn. Lyara could be seen from their position, looking at them with a smile. “Well, I should say congratulations on reaching the barrier. As you can see, the <Corrupt Spawns> are being generated from here and won’t stop anytime soon. Unless we drain the World Tree from their Aether Mana or Anima Energy, of course.”

Seeing the murderous looks shooting toward her, Lyara chuckled and shook her head. “Oh, don’t look at me that way. As a World Tree standing in future Nexus domain, we’ve given yours the tremendous honor of becoming a Corrupted World Tree! She won’t really die and live happily with us, don’t worry. Also, I wonder~. Will you get tired before we achieve our objective, or will you die before we achieve our objective? Hahaha.”

Verdantia summoned a giant vine monster, and it started attacking the barrier with tremendous strength and speed. Her voice was terrifyingly cold. “I’ve remembered your face. So, even if you ever manage to escape, I will hunt you down for the rest of my life! Even if you become a plague that wants to erase everything! Even if you turn a new leaf in the future and become a savior! I won’t rest until you are DEAD!”

While the two sides fell into a stalemate, Liu Shu’s mind was foggy and clear, flickering like a light about to be snuffed out. With her more than 80 Phoer Body Cores, the first hit managed to shake her strongly. Of course, it was far from enough to cause her current condition. Of the three curses, the third one was the most harmful one. Cutting her control over her own energy, Liu Shu was barely maintaining the only skill she had used, the <World Tree Calling>. 

The reason for the ten serpents not having participated in combat was because their bodies were about to be forcefully returned. The ten Arboreal Winged Serpents were holding with their wills from being forcefully transported back and succeeding thanks to Liu Shu’s stubbornness not to lose control of this one connection.

“I refuse to surrender!” 

Liu Shu was using her entire being to resist the powerful curse. This curse was clearly a <Third Energy Cycle> curse enhanced by a powerful item and caster. Honestly speaking, any other World Tree at the <Second Energy Cycle> would’ve long succumbed to the effects. The only reason Liu Shu was able to resist was one of her skills: <Cerulean Bloodsap (B- Rank Level 3)>

<Cerulean Bloodsap>: Your sap has now become a panacea. It can cure most poisons and ailments that don’t outrank you while also serving as a naturally purifying and healing substance. The world around you will now be deeply influenced by your essence, and all flora will receive several growth boosts.

Lyara had not noticed, but usually, the expansion of the <Blood Sacrifice Curse> should’ve been much faster. Not to mention, the effects of the Three Splitting Curse Orb summoning was slowing down at a constant rate.

Liu Shu’s willpower pushed through as her body started regaining control over herself. “You dare… Do this… To me…!?”

In the middle of the Golden Sap City, the World Tree that had started to have a few wisps of black smoke began leaking her pure and gentle aura.

“L-Look! Lady Liu Shu’s aura is changing once more!”

Mariane had been flying around Liu Shu and drawing runes hurriedly. But at this moment, she realized that her worries had been unfounded. Looking up at the gorgeous figure of the World Tree, she chuckled. “Uh oh~, someone has angered our big and gentle lady~.”

BOOM!

A terrifying storm of Ternary Essences exploded around Liu Shu’s main body, and the closed eyes of the World Tree slowly opened, revealing a pair of terrifyingly cold and wrathful eyes. “Those who try to corrupt me will meet death! <Cerulean Bloodsap>! <Living Roots>!”

[-5,000,000]!

A massive damage number appeared in Liu Shu’s eyes, but the World tree ignored it. This was something she had done on purpose.

Below the town where Lyara stood, all the roots that they had taken control of suddenly split open, spewing large amounts of blue sap into the ground.

Lyara was looking on relatively calmly until a notification appeared in her eyes.

[<Three Splitting Curse Orb> has been damaged!]

Her eyes widened on the spot, and a sound full of incredulity escaped her throat. “Huh?”