Chapter 44: The Hell Valley Operation Complete

The sinkhole came completely out of nowhere. Zhang Kai hadn’t anticipated it at all, nor did he have any precautions in place, and so he tumbled straight down.

Amidst a chaos of falling rocks, Zhang Kai did his best to steady himself, shielding his vital points. Fortunately, his Invincible Diamond Body lived up to its reputation—the rocks that battered his body did little real harm.

But once he landed, he was faced with an awkward scene: the Ghost Rider had been shattered to pieces, its skull crushed by falling stones, and several Uncle Yings were buried under rubble, clearly beyond saving at a glance. The rest of them weren’t much better—either gravely wounded or sprawled on the ground, unable to move.

Damn it, was my Uncle Ying squad really wiped out just like that?

But then again, it didn’t matter. Uncles, just wait until I get back and swap out my phone—you’ll all be back in no time.

Muttering to himself, Zhang Kai’s eyes didn’t drop their vigilance as he surveyed his surroundings.

He found himself in a vast, wondrous underground world, illuminated everywhere by a green phosphorescent glow that rendered the place strangely bright. Looking up, he guessed the chasm reached several hundred meters deep. Truly a marvel of nature—a spectacle crafted by gods and ghosts alike.

He was still marveling at the scene when suddenly his gaze locked onto something that made his eyes widen.

It was a tree.

A tree of such girth as to be utterly unreasonable.

Its roots alone formed a wall that would require ten-odd people to encircle it, with countless other roots as thick as four or five people’s arms plunging into the earth like writhing dragons. The spreading tendrils were merely smaller roots growing off these giants, a tangled mass that sent chills down the spine just to behold.

Good lord, could such a colossal tree truly exist in the world? Surely, it had become a spirit.

Yes—a spirit!

Zhang Kai’s heart tightened as he focused on the tree.

Its roots still writhed and grew, and then, in the center of its trunk, the bark twisted, and the face of a woman emerged, glaring furiously at Zhang Kai.

“You little human, what have I ever done to provoke you? You come here looking for trouble!” The voice that issued forth was neither truly male nor female, but unnervingly strange.

Zhang Kai’s heart skipped a beat.

A tree demon, as expected.

Even in an era when spiritual energy had all but vanished, this creature had managed to preserve its true form. A tough customer, indeed.

“Ha! You tree demon! How dare you harm my Second Grandfather, and still have the gall to blame me!” Zhang Kai retorted, not to be outdone.

The tree demon roared, “I’ve dwelled here a thousand years without ever setting foot in the world above. How old is your so-called Second Grandfather? In my eyes, he’s not even as significant as a sperm—how could I possibly harm him? Do you have any shame?”

“Pah! Maybe you didn’t do it yourself, but the evil ghosts and spirits outside enjoy your protection, don’t they? Especially those resentful weasel spirits—wasn’t it by their doing that my Second Grandfather suffered? Doesn’t that make it your fault?” Zhang Kai rebuffed her, righteous and unyielding.

The tree demon replied coldly, “So it was that lad. He came in here courting death—who’s to blame? All the evil spirits and ghosts in this place are the worst of the worst among humans, whom I hunted down with great effort ages ago. I’ve imprisoned them here for eternity, never to be reborn. By enacting heaven’s will, I’ve gained merit. Would you like me to show you so much merit it blinds your dog eyes? As for those weasels, they fell here of their own accord, degenerated into vengeful spirits, and willingly became my shield against disaster. Your Second Grandfather and they were mortal enemies, tearing each other apart—isn’t that just human nature? What’s it got to do with me?”

“Heh, typical of monsters—claim the credit for anything good, but when something bad happens, it’s suddenly none of your business. Have you no shame?” Zhang Kai shot back.

“I’m a tree. Bark is all I need—what would I do with a face?” the tree demon retorted.

Zhang Kai was momentarily speechless.

“Well, since you put it that way, let’s talk about this. Since when did human villains become your concern? Even if they’re beyond redemption, don’t you think humanity can punish its own? Who asked you to take matters into your own hands? You’re just hiding your true motives under the guise of righteousness,” Zhang Kai pressed her weak spot, attacking relentlessly.

The tree demon snorted, “Boy, don’t prattle nonsense with me. When I was roaming the mortal world, your ancestors hadn’t even been born yet, and you think you’re in any position to lecture me? All sentient beings are children of heaven and earth—are humans so special as to be set apart? You humans sure have a high opinion of yourselves. The heavens never punished me for what I did—so what are you complaining about? And even if I did have private motives while carrying out heaven’s will, it benefited your kind, didn’t it? I wiped out evil men and saved countless innocents. Didn’t the Buddhists say that saving one life is better than building a seven-storied pagoda? Why won’t you acknowledge that? To put it bluntly, if I hadn’t done what I did and imprisoned ten thousand evil souls, who’s to say your ancestors wouldn’t have been killed by one of their descendants? Then would you even be here spouting nonsense at me?”

Zhang Kai was left speechless.

Damn, is this really a tree demon?

Her tongue is as sharp as a blade—I can’t even find a comeback!

“Go ahead, keep arguing if you can! I’m just reasoning with you. Let’s see if you humans, who always parade about under the banner of justice, have any sense of reason at all.” The tree demon, justified and relentless, pressed her advantage.

Zhang Kai had wanted to argue further, but suddenly a thought struck him. Grinning, he bared his teeth and said, “So, are you being suppressed by the heavens, unable to use your power, and now you’re too exhausted, so all you can do is bicker with me?”

The tree demon was silent.

“Heh, would you rather reason with your fists instead? Go ahead, if you back down even a little, you’re no longer worthy of being called Lady Willow!” The tree demon glared at Zhang Kai, utterly unafraid.

Zhang Kai stretched out his hand, and the Sevenfold Slash appeared—a wheel of violet light spinning endlessly, trailing sharp arcs of brilliance.

“Wait.” The tree demon hastily interjected, her tone indignant. “You’d actually raise your hand against a woman? Are you even a man?”

Zhang Kai: What the...?

That’s a pretty unique excuse for fear.

“So what if I do? My Second Grandfather always said, ‘If you cut the grass but leave the roots, the harm will never end.’ We’re mortal enemies now. If I don’t finish you today, and spiritual energy returns, you’ll recover and come after me—do you expect me to spare you? Save your talk of good and evil; it’s meaningless. Survival is what matters,” Zhang Kai declared, glaring shamelessly at the tree demon.

The tree demon was incensed.

This little bastard—so young, yet so rotten to the core.

“You think I’m actually afraid of you? I’m one with this mountain—if I perish, the whole mountainside will collapse. I’ll bury a hundred miles around with me. Do you dare risk it?” she shouted.

Zhang Kai paused, then sneered, “Do you think I believe that?”

The tree demon replied, “Try me if you don’t! I’ve never been afraid of anyone. Worst case, we die together.”

“Heh, not afraid? Then hand over the weasel spirits and swear an oath never to harm humans—or may heaven and earth—”

“Deal.”

Before Zhang Kai could finish, the tree demon cut him off.

Zhang Kai: Huh?

“All the weasels are here—seven of them. There used to be more than twenty, but the rest were too weak to become vengeful spirits and have long since dissipated. The ones that remain are all here. As for the oath, let’s make it mutual: as long as humans don’t harm me, I won’t harm humans. Fair’s fair—I can’t just let people attack me without fighting back, can I?” The tree demon’s tone shifted in an instant, suddenly all amiable and easygoing.

She tossed out several weasel spirits, which landed on the ground, each bound by flickering green light—so cooperative it left Zhang Kai at a loss for words.

Zhang Kai eyed her strangely. “Aren’t you changing your tune a bit fast?”

“Is it? I don’t think so. These days, staying alive is hard enough—why fight? Let’s sit down, have some tea, talk about dreams, maybe even flirt a little. Isn’t that better? Besides, I’m not young anymore. I just want to live out my days here in peace—is that so much to ask?” The tree demon looked at Zhang Kai with an expression that seemed to say, “Look at me now—how could you bear to finish me off?”

Zhang Kai was left speechless once again.