Chapter 5: Withered Wood (Part 1)

Withered Wood said calmly, “No problem. I’ll kill them for you to see! But… after I’m done, I’ll put forward a condition. You can’t refuse it. Otherwise… it’ll be the same as those two mutated talisman beasts.” Before Guo Shier could respond, he soared into the air and rushed at the two mutated talisman beasts.

Luo Jie’s face turned ashen. Staring at Tan Laoxi, he said, “Tan Laoxi! If anything goes wrong this time, I’ll definitely kill you!”

Tan Laoxi was stunned. He complained, “Lao Luo, I didn’t do anything. Why are you angry at me?”

Guo Shier shouted, “Master, look quickly!”

Withered Wood flew straight in front of the mutated mammoth, descending rapidly like an eagle in flight, aiming at its head. The mutated mammoth roared in fury, its long trunk like a thick steel pillar, swinging wildly at him. If a master were hit by it, he would surely die.

Withered Wood snorted coldly. Without dodging, he flicked his fingers, and seven or eight distinct purplish-red talisman patterns appeared out of thin air, striking repeatedly. With loud thuds, the thick trunk was forced aside. At the same time, he landed on the mutated mammoth’s head.

The mutated mammoth shook its head violently, using its long trunk to try and entangle Withered Wood.

Withered Wood reached out and conjured a two-meter-long golden spear, its tip glowing brightly. With a loud shout, he swung the spear downward. It pierced the mutated mammoth’s head as easily as if it were tofu.

The mutated mammoth let out a frantic roar. Withered Wood soared into the air, avoiding the beast’s final desperate attack. Without hesitation, he turned and rushed at the giant mutated talisman snake.

Boom!

The mutated mammoth collapsed to the ground, its limbs twitching uncontrollably. Its long trunk stood upright for a moment before drooping uselessly. The mutated mammoth, which the Luo Jie team had struggled so hard to defeat, was now dead.

Even the battle-hardened Luo Jie was so terrified that he froze, his heart pounding like a drum. Guo Shier muttered to himself, “Damn… is this even human?”

Kumu rubbed his hands together, and a series of sparks flew out. Then his hands moved rapidly, casting hundreds of spells in an instant—so fast that it was impossible to see clearly; only a blur of shapes could be made out, like blooming flowers, both beautiful and terrifying. The sparks, driven by the spells, transformed into a giant firebird that swiftly rushed at the towering mutated talisman snake. The mutated talisman snake let out a sharp hissing sound, suddenly opening its massive mouth, and with a hiss, a stream of venom shot like a water dragon at the firebird.

Kumu seemed to have been waiting for this opportunity. He drew a sword shadow in the air with his fingers. With a loud shout, “Go!” the sword shadow flew out straight at the open mouth of the mutated talisman snake. It was impossible to see clearly due to its speed, and it vanished into the snake’s mouth in an instant. Immediately afterward, Kumu shouted, “Split!” The sword shadow instantly divided into countless tiny swords, which penetrated the mutated talisman snake’s throat. The snake writhed on the ground as if it had swallowed an iron hedgehog.

Without waiting to see the result, Kumu turned and flew above Luo Jie’s team before descending rapidly. He glanced at Tan Laoxi.

Tan Laoxi was so terrified that his heart almost stopped beating. He forced a flattering smile and said, “Senior Kumu… really… ah… you…” Kumu waved his hand and snapped his fingers, and Tan Laoxi was inexplicably slapped. Kumu was three meters away, and no one could see how the slap was delivered.

Kumu said in a deep voice, “Shut up! Speak again and I’ll kill you!”

Tan Laoxi didn’t dare say a word and stood there obediently, covering his face with one hand. His head was bowed, his heart burning with anger so intense that his eyes turned red.

Guo Shier calculated that Kumu had killed two powerful mutated talisman beasts in just over a minute—almost instantly. Such strength far exceeded his imagination. This meant that if Kumu wanted to kill them, it would be much easier than killing those beasts, and they would have no chance to resist.

Kumu said, “As I said earlier, after killing these two mutated talisman beasts, I have a condition. Do you have any objections?”

Luo Jie couldn’t object and nodded, “Please give your orders, senior.”

Kumu fixed his gaze on Guo Shier and asked, “How old are you?”

Guo Shier replied, “Ten years old.”

A hint of satisfaction appeared in Kumu’s eyes. He asked again, “How long have you been learning talismans?”

Guo Shier said, “Less than two years. I started learning talismans at the age of eight.”

Kumu scanned the crowd with his gaze and asked Luo Jie, “Did you teach him?” He hadn’t chosen the wrong person. “You taught him well. It’s a shame, though—your level is too low; you’ve almost ruined such a talented kid. Your skills as a master are also terrible.”

Luo Jie felt frustrated. He was after all a great spellcaster who had even advanced again, yet Kumu spoke of him in such a derogatory manner. Still, he didn’t dare argue—Kumu was extremely powerful and fully justified in saying so.

Kumu said, “My conditions are simple… I want to take him away.” He pointed at Guo Shier.

Luo Jie was stunned and remained silent for a long time, his expression darkening.

Guo Shier wasn’t a child in the true sense—he had an adult’s soul. He immediately understood that this was something they couldn’t resist.

Kumu asked, “What? You disagree?”

Guo Shier quickly said, “Elder, can we discuss this? Rest assured, we won’t run away…”

Kumu laughed. “Won’t run away? Heh, fine. Discuss it. I’ll go over there… I hope you can give me a satisfactory answer.” Implied was that if not, the consequences would be dire. He vanished a hundred meters away, unafraid that they would escape, as they simply couldn’t.

Luo Jie said, “Shier, don’t be afraid. Your master would risk his life to stop him from taking you away!”

Guo Shier shook his head slightly and said, “Master, we can’t defeat him. He’s too strong. No scheme will work. We don’t have the strength to fight him; we can only negotiate and meet his demands. Otherwise…”

Luo Jie’s face turned grim. He fell silent for a moment before asking, “Shier, do you really want to go with him?”

Guo Shier replied, “If I don’t go with him, he might take his anger out on everyone…” He saw a fierce glint in Kumu’s eyes and realized that as long as his master tried to stop him, Kumu would kill him instantly. He would never allow such a thing to happen.

Luo Jie understood Guo Shier’s thoughts. His heart ached slightly—having to rely on a child to save everyone felt truly frustrating.

Qin Nanshan glared angrily at Kumu in the distance. Guo Shier hurriedly urged, “Grandpa Nanshan, please don’t act impulsively. That won’t solve anything.”

Ying Mo and the others guarded Guo Shier, their faces pale. Although Ying Mo had only known Guo Shier for a short time, he deeply admired and liked this clever boy.

Seeing everyone ready to fight to the death, Guo Shier was extremely anxious. He understood that if he refused Kuumu’s demands, none of them would survive, and he would eventually be captured by Kuumu anyway. He said, “Master, you… will always be Shier’s master…”

Luo Jie remained silent, gently stroking Guo Shier’s head with a look of helplessness and bitterness on his face. He asked, “Shier, have you made up your mind?”

Guo Shier was decisive. He nodded and said, “Master, do you still remember that altar?”

Luo Jie replied, “Of course.”

Guo Shier continued, “If I get the chance… I’ll go there…” His voice suddenly grew faint. He leaned in close to Luo Jie’s ear and said, “This Kuumu probably isn’t from around here; he’s a skilled fighter from another continent. If I can obtain more advanced progression talismans, it wouldn’t be bad for me to go there, Master.”

Luo Jie was stunned, not expecting Guo Shier to have such plans. He said gravely, “Shier, Master doesn’t want you to take risks. Don’t force yourself. Do… do you really have to go?”

Guo Shier nodded. “Master, don’t worry. I’ll take care of myself. Hmph! I, Guo Shier, don’t make empty promises—no one can hurt me easily!”

Luo Jie truly believed this. He said, “Shier, you… Sigh. After Master progresses this time, he might live a while longer. I’ll wait for you to return… waiting for you at the altar.”

Guo Shier replied, “There’s no need to wait at the altar all the time. You can leave a box with a message and agree on a time for the next meeting. I’ll do the same.”

Qi Nanshan nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

Guo Shier added, “Master, please take care of Baozi and the others. Don’t let them stop training. Also, take good care of Aunt Lan and Aunt Xin. Don’t let them go just because I’m leaving.”

Luo Jie nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep Xijianju until the day you return.” He understood that Guo Shier had already decided to go, to learn more powerful talismans, and also to protect them.

Qi Nanshan also said, “Don’t worry, Shier. In the old man’s estate, no one dares to bully them.”

Guo Shier stepped forward to Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan and said, “Uncle Eagle Demon, Uncle Luo, I’m sorry…”

Eagle Demon shook his head. “Shier, there’s nothing to be sorry for. I’ll go with you!”

Before Luo Zhan could speak, they heard Kuumu’s voice in the distance, “You can take one person with you, but not the others. I can’t take more.”

Guo Shier was slightly shocked. It was actually terrifying that the withered tree could hear their conversations. He said, “Uncle Luo, in that case, stay behind and take care of your family.”
Luo Zhan nodded helplessly. He had originally planned to go with Guo Shier, but since the withered tree said it couldn’t take him, he had no choice but to say, “Shier, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of them.”
Luo Jie’s eyes grew moist as he sighed deeply, “Shier, it’s the master who’s sorry to you… unable to protect you…”
“I’ll protect them, so you don’t need to worry…” the withered tree added. This guy stood in the distance, occasionally dropping a sentence or two, leaving everyone speechless. His strength made everyone wary of him.