“Hmm, although my original self's order was to eliminate this demon, my mind is her mind. The order didn't say I had to kill him immediately. As long as I crush him at the critical moment, it won't count as violating the order!”
“What's more~”
She puffed out her virtually non-existent chest.
“As an entity condensed from life force and mana, I'm not restricted by the Root Domain. As long as I don't exceed the connection limit with my original self, I am free!”
“It's decided! I'll do some reconnaissance behind enemy lines! Eradicating the root of the problem is a must for an elegant villain... Ah, no, a qualified lord!”
Having made up her mind, the Emerald Sacred Spirit trailed behind the Giant Horn Demon like a light green butterfly, leaving the boundary of the Root Domain.
Meanwhile, Qimeng, who had just stepped out of the valley, glanced toward the forest as if sensing something.
“That little rascal actually slipped outside the domain.”
Qimeng had no intention of blaming the Emerald Sacred Spirit, though.
After all, just as the little one thought, they shared the same mind. If Qimeng herself had encountered an opportunity to root out the enemy's stronghold, she would have also chosen to play the long game to catch the big fish.
“Whatever, it's fine if she goes to investigate.”
When Qimeng's figure appeared behind the Wood Elves' front lines, she was greeted by a whole row of Wood Elves staring back at her with wide eyes.
The reason was simple: the person appearing before them was not the tall, cold, and unapproachable Spirit Lord they usually saw.
It was a petite loli.
Her emerald eyes were breathtakingly deep, and her beautiful face was so lovely it seemed unreal, like a gorgeous illusion.
“Um... excuse me, are you a lost non-combatant? It's very dangerous here...”
A Wood Elf warrior spoke, slightly dazed.
“Strange, when did our clan get such a cute Wood Elf? How come we've never seen her before...”
“Huh? You can't even recognize me?”
Thump!
That cold, slightly exasperated voice echoed both in the air and deep within their minds!
“T-This voice... is Lord Qimeng?!”
Yinzhi's vision went dark, and she almost fainted on the spot from this massive dose of gap moe.
In the next second, the Wood Elves straightened their backs, but the gazes they cast had already melted from their original awe into almost tangible adoration!
“Welcome, Lord Spirit Lord!!”
“...?”
Qimeng sized them up suspiciously.
She couldn't help but feel that... in the way these guys were staring at her, pink background bubbles were about to overflow.
“I say, you guys... why do you keep looking at me and giggling? Is your facial nerve paralyzed?”
“No! Not at all! Absolutely not!”
Yinzhi shook her head like a rattle, cupping her hands over her heart, her eyes sparkling.
Behind her, the Wood Elves had already completed a silent exchange of looks.
“Oh my god! What Lady Yinzhi said just now was actually true!”
“Right?! Lord Qimeng really does prefer a petite form! She even actively turned herself into a Wood Elf loli! This is divine, absolute proof!”
“Oh gosh... a tsundere loli Spirit Lord, I am willing to spend my entire life protecting her...”
At this moment, the rumor was completely confirmed, spiraling down a path of no return.
“How bizarre.”
Qimeng waved her hand speechlessly.
“Alright, wipe those silly grins off your faces. The influence of the Crimson Moon is still spreading, and the magical beasts on the outskirts could launch a general offensive at any moment. Reorganize immediately and report the casualties!”
At the mention of serious business, the dreamy expression on Yinzhi's face vanished instantly.
“Yes! Most of our compatriots on the outer main battlefield only sustained light injuries. However... the Chief's squad, who stayed behind to defend the valley, suffered a devastating blow while intercepting the demons. Please, Lord Qimeng... save them!”
“Lead the way.”
On the way to the casualty camp, Qimeng's feet weren't the only things busy.
The roots hidden beneath the soil acted like invisible straws, devouring all the piled-up corpses of the demonized lizardmen along the way.
An overflowing life force, mixed with violent yet incredibly abundant mana, flowed backward up the roots.
“Hmm... is this the so-called Advanced Rank barrier?”
Peering inward at that invisible barrier, Qimeng knit her brows.
Even after mobilizing the life force of thousands of Low-tier and Intermediate Rank magical beasts to impact it, the barrier only loosened slightly.
“It seems the quantity of lower-tier life force cannot bridge the gap of qualitative change. If I really want to rely on numbers to force my way through, heaven knows how many times I would have to slaughter the forest's magical beasts... Wouldn't that turn me into some kind of unspeakable evil god?”
Qimeng shuddered with disgust, decisively snuffing out the thought of sacrificing lives.
“However, it's quite suitable for doing other things. For example... extending my own lifespan.”
Guided by the world rule fragments from the Wood Spirit, which had transformed into the 【Wood Core】, the pure life force gently nourished her entire body.
That wondrous feedback of merging with the forest gave her a faint intuition.
Her maximum lifespan had skyrocketed out of thin air by at least a hundred years!
“Hmph, now I can be considered a long-lived race in my own right.”
Afterward, she poured all the remaining nutrients into the main tree.
Hum!!
Accompanied by a low rumble from the earth, the Demon Tree in the Tree Court shot up once more. Its branches and leaves covered the sky like a green canopy, crossing the barrier in one fell swoop to promote to Mid-tier Advanced!
Although it was temporarily stuck at Mid-tier Advanced, the expanded mana capacity within was about to turn into a bottomless reservoir.
Coupled with the rapid mana regeneration she had just acquired, she would sooner or later turn this Genesis Forest into a super magic-defensive zone that ordinary formidable enemies could not easily breach!
Not only that, after the main tree promoted to the Advanced Rank, it rewarded Qimeng with a brand-new territory defense spell.
【Special Main Tree Spell: Black Thorn Legion】
Consumes stored life force to catalyze active black thorn tree soldiers with powerful physical resistance and regeneration. These tree soldiers can plunder enemy life force through attacks to prolong their survival, and after killing a target, they can parasitize and hatch new tree soldiers from their corpses.
“Oh my, this is truly a wonderful thing delivered right to my doorstep.”
Sensing the newly comprehended spell in her mind, the corners of Qimeng's pink lips curled upward.
Although the spell was restricted to taking effect within her territory, didn't the size of her territory depend entirely on the steps of her expansion?
“The wolf pack attacking tonight... I'll use you to inaugurate this new legion.”
Without further words, the group quickly arrived at the Wood Elves' temporary camp.
As the severely injured Wood Elf warriors were carried forward one after another, Qimeng calmly stretched out her hand under the tense gazes of Yinzhi and the others.
The main tree in the Tree Court consumed its stored life force, and in the blink of an eye, several emerald fruits radiating rich vitality grew upon it.
This was precisely a new variety comprehended after the main tree promoted to the Advanced Rank.
【Life Fruit】
Activating the portable space ability of the Space Fruit, she directly teleported the fruits from the distant Tree Court into her hands.
“Eat them.”
After consuming the fruits, the weak breathing of the Wood Elf lolis became strong and vigorous once more. Even a few who had been on the verge of death opened their eyes in disbelief.
“A miracle! This is absolutely a miracle!”
The Wood Elves knelt on the ground in excitement.
However, looking at the Chief and several Elders who were barely hanging onto life, and thinking about how they had recklessly prolonged their battle in the valley.
Qimeng's cute, pink face darkened.
“Only this once. If you ever dare to act without orders and move on your own again... Hehe, how about I personally turn you into nutrients for the main tree first?”
Rate on N.U.
