C21 In the Bronze

Miao Yihong's eyes were glued to the scene, wondering if she would have transformed similarly had she touched it with her hands.

"Acting like a child at your age, always reaching out impulsively. Remember this lesson for the future!"

Lin Yuan pulled out some tissues from his pack and meticulously cleaned the Jungle Blade. Following the trail of the dandelions, he noticed they were emanating from a house with a blue, high-pitched roof.

Discarding the tissues, Lin Yuan made his way toward the blue house.

A wooden sign hung beside the entrance, inscribed with "Giraffe Pavilion." Pushing open the door, Lin Yuan was greeted by a stifling heat and a subtle, sweet scent.

He parted the thick aerial roots dangling from the ceiling and cautiously stepped inside. He had a hunch that the Gold tree monster might be lurking here.

Swinging his blade, he severed some desiccated, thick roots, revealing the vast interior. The giraffes that once inhabited the space were gone, leaving only scattered grey leg bones as relics.

In the northwest corner stood a robust golden tree stump, no more than two meters tall but at least three meters in diameter.

Two hefty branches protruded from the stump's side, each stretching over ten meters long and twisting up toward the roof.

Several enormous golden buds dangled from the branches, releasing a constant stream of dandelions that floated out through the high ventilation openings.

"Boss, is this the Golden Tree? Doesn't seem all that special to me," remarked Wu Yue, who had slipped in unnoticed, with a dismissive sneer.

"A biting dog doesn't bark, you know? The most unassuming things are often the most extraordinary," countered Miao Yihong.

Lin Yuan remained silent, approaching the tree monster with his sword at the ready. He observed the faintly quivering stump, sensing its vitality waning.

"I'd caution against touching her. Dijiang is dispersing seeds, and right now, she's like a powder keg—just one wrong move could set her off."

The sudden voice made Lin Yuan whip around to see a middle-aged man with a straw hat, leisurely entering through the back door, a bucket in hand.

"Mo Sanqiu?"

The man chuckled and gave a nod of acknowledgment.

"Where are you from? I haven't seen you around the camp before."

"I'm not a local from Redhedge; I've just arrived from elsewhere."

Lin Yuan shook his head, maintaining a calm exterior as he faced the man, though inside, his emotions churned like a tempestuous sea.

Is this the man who was a legendary Gold-ranked Superpowered in my past life?

He seems so unremarkable, nothing like the rumors suggested!

"It's no small feat to travel between cities in these times. You're quite remarkable."

Mo Sanqiu approached the Gold Tree Monster, tipping his bucket and drenching the trunk with a dark liquid that the golden bark swiftly absorbed.

"Is that blood?"

Lin Yuan's brow creased at the liquid's acrid, putrid smell.

Without a word, Mo Sanqiu set the empty bucket aside and gestured towards the door.

"Let's step outside. Dijiang is in poor condition; we can talk more freely out there."

With that, Mo Sanqiu exited first.

Lin Yuan cast a glance at the Gold Tree Monster and followed suit.

As Lin Yuan was about to descend the steps, Mo Sanqiu launched a punch at him.

But Lin Yuan was prepared, swiftly rotating his left hand to position the Jungle Blade as a shield. Mo Sanqiu's fist thudded against the broad blade with a resounding crash.

Lin Yuan wasted no time; he drew his Black Star pistol and fired three shots at Mo Sanqiu's legs.

"Pop, pop, pop!"

With a roar, Mo Sanqiu tumbled away from Lin Yuan, glaring at the trio of bullet wounds on his leg and bellowing in frustration:

"Damn it! You play dirtier than I do! I was just trying a sneaky little ambush, and you respond with gunfire!"

"Why did you ambush me?"

Lin Yuan's frown deepened. He had sensed a subtle murderous intent from Mo Sanqiu while inside, and as expected, the man had struck the moment they stepped out.

"Why?"

"Just one sniff of your scent, and I knew you were the one who severed Dijiang's four life sources."

"With her life sources gone, Dijiang, who could have survived with her Blood Essence, is now doomed. Tell me, shouldn't I seek vengeance for her?"

Lin Yuan gave the incensed Mo Sanqiu a once-over, his curiosity now fully engaged.

"There's something off about this. You seem pretty chummy with that Gold Tree Monster. What is this, some kind of interspecies romance?"

"Romance your mother!"

Mo Sanqiu bellowed, his body morphing rapidly. In an instant, he shot up from his original 1.7 meters to over two, with long bone spurs jutting out from his shoulders and back, making him appear even more monstrous than the monsters themselves!

"I'm going to slaughter you, you son of a gun, and use you for fertilizer!"

With a forceful stomp, Mo Sanqiu sprang forward like a coiled spring, his elbow's lengthy bone spurs aiming viciously for Lin Yuan's skull.

A transformation ability? Lin Yuan's gaze shifted as he lunged into a crouch, blade at the ready to parry the onslaught.

Metal clashed against bone with a resounding "clang." Not waiting for Mo Sanqiu to touch down, Lin Yuan launched a powerful kick.

"Thud!" Mo Sanqiu was sent flying backward. Lin Yuan, staying low, charged forward, swinging the Jungle Blade fiercely at the airborne Mo Sanqiu.

Just as the blade neared his midsection, Mo Sanqiu's arms burst open, revealing a pair of golden bone blades bristling with spikes that clamped down hard on the Jungle Blade.

Lin Yuan gripped the handle and yanked twice, but the Jungle Blade wouldn't budge. He inhaled sharply at the immense strength.

Mo Sanqiu's twisted smirk was the last thing Lin Yuan saw before hearing a "ting" as the Jungle Blade was snapped in half by the razor-sharp bone blade.

"Die!"

The bone blade, gleaming with a blinding gold light, descended ferociously towards Lin Yuan's head.

Lin Yuan rolled to the side, narrowly escaping the deadly strike. Mo Sanqiu was relentless, his twin bone blades plunging towards Lin Yuan's chest.

Unfazed by the peril, Lin Yuan arched his back in a swift dodge, his right foot shooting up in a brutal counter, striking Mo Sanqiu squarely in the groin.

A sharp "crack" echoed as Mo Sanqiu's face contorted, and he stumbled backward, legs clamped together.

"Hiss~~ That's agonizing... Boss, that was brutal. My balls are smashed!"

Wu Yue squeezed his thighs together, wincing at the sharp crack that echoed with a little too much familiarity.

"It's just a kick in the groin. You're making it sound way more dramatic than it is."

Miao Yihong shot Wu Yue a look, and he responded with a grimace and a shake of his head:

"You don't have the equipment; you wouldn't understand."

Lin Yuan set his backpack down and drew his golden totem staff. With a surge forward, the staff whistled through the air, aiming straight for Mo Sanqiu's throat.

The sound alone signaled the immense force behind the blow. Mo Sanqiu's face twisted as he scrambled to evade, but Lin Yuan swiftly transitioned from a thrust to a sweep, the staff's end brutally striking Mo Sanqiu's head.

With a heavy "thud," Mo Sanqiu collapsed, drained of strength, as pale green blood gushed from his orifices, carrying the pungent scent of fresh grass.

"Are you a human or a monster?"

"What do you think—am I human or monster?"

Mo Sanqiu, with his skull indented, lay still on the ground, the hint of a smile playing on his lips as he posed the question.

Lin Yuan's brow furrowed deeply. He wished he possessed the Eye of Wisdom at that moment to discern exactly what Mo Sanqiu truly was.