C896 King of the Forest!

"Yu, Brother Yu?"

Clutching the Dragon Head Staff, Wen Xin recoiled as a foul stench assaulted her senses, making her blood feel like it was on the verge of freezing.

Her thoughts and consciousness were muddled within the Crucible of Evil, causing her speech to falter and stutter.

"Suppress the dragon's breath!"

Wen Xin's fingers quivered as she realized Wen Lu's speculation was spot on—the eighth-level green dragon from Dragon Lake was close by!

Sizzle sizzle!

In that moment, Wen Lu, graceful and slender, was astonished to see numerous fine, dark green crystals materialize out of nowhere within her heart.

The crystals glimmered, weaving together in a tapestry of light that bathed her in warmth.

Her lustrous black hair began to move as if alive, its hue mysteriously shifting.

From black to grass-green, her hair transformed.

The dragon's breath from the eighth-level green dragon had awakened the Shadowkin bloodline within Wen Lu!

Crushed by the overwhelming force, she came to the realization that the dark green crystals in her heart signified the innate talents of her Shadowkin heritage.

Hmm!

Inside the crucible, Wen Lu gazed upon the lush forest and felt an odd sense of dominion, as if she were the sovereign of the jungle.

"Bend! Constrict!"

Having recently advanced to the Veil Breaking realm, she directed her snow-white, supple hand toward the woods behind her.

A mysterious psionic power descended abruptly!

Several towering trees, each over ten meters tall, underwent a startling transformation at her simple command.

Dozens of trees bent like vines, their thick, agile forms lashing out like whips toward the ground.

"Spike!"

The half-meter-long grass on the ground tensed into blades, thrusting skyward.

A giant dragon, nearly a hundred meters in length, armored in dense scales with a menacing head and eyes flashing with savagery, found itself ensnared in a thicket of transformed trees, its underbelly pierced by the sharp grass through the gaps in its scales. It sustained injuries in the blink of an eye.

"Eh!"

Yu Yuan, gripping his sword sheath and simultaneously summoning Frost Queen while conversing with Yu Yiyi, was dumbfounded.

How had Wen Lu suddenly become so formidable?

Ah! Ahhh!

From the depths of the forest, the agonized screams of those facing their final moments echoed incessantly.

Yu Yuan scrutinized the scene before him and noticed many individuals with green dragon tattoos on their necks, faces, and other exposed skin, their bodies impaled by the trees.

Several ancient woods, spanning meters in length, had transformed into gleaming spears, slaying the Dragon Attendants.

Yu Yuan turned to Wen Lu with astonishment.

Wen Lu was deeply engrossed, her eyes a dazzling green, reminiscent of the finest emerald jewels.

Although the spiritual energy around her was subtle, her vitality surged at an alarming rate.

"Lu, Lu, Lu..."

The formidable old woman, leaning on the Dragon Head Staff, gazed at the gem of her family, feeling a profound sense of unfamiliarity. "Are you still Lu? What's happened? Why have you become so incredibly powerful all of a sudden?"

It was then that Yu Yiyi, through the cauldron spirit, sent a remnant soul message based on Wen Lu's current state.

Yu Yuan felt a jolt in his heart and turned to Wen Xin to explain, "Your family's young lady is extraordinary. What do you really know about her parents?"

"Her mother was from our Wen family, but her father... his identity is unknown. Her mother wouldn't disclose it, and she passed away giving birth," Wen Xin replied hesitantly.

"Her father must be a formidable Shadowkin," Yu Yuan stated plainly. "The Otherkin from the Star River beyond our world are different from us. The mightiest among them can bestow their potent bloodlines upon their offspring, who may seem unremarkable until their bloodlines awaken."

"But once that awakening occurs, there's a high probability they'll surpass their peers from the start!"

"Wen Lu is a prime example. Her Shadowkin bloodline is extraordinarily strong, so much so that she struggled to adapt, which is why she was comatose and disoriented for so long."

"Now, as she gradually adjusts, under the green dragon's pressure, her bloodline is beginning to unleash its true might!"

The emergence of Wen Lu's bloodline was a pleasant surprise for Yu Yuan, who had braced himself to confront the eighth level green dragon alone. Yet, before he had even taken action, the green dragon had already sustained injuries.

"You're saying her bloodline?" Wen Xin was still trying to grasp the concept.

"Her bloodline is far superior to her current level in the Veil Breaking Realm," Yu Yuan clarified. "Take, for example, a tenth level Dark Deity. If it could have offspring, the child might be born at the sixth or seventh level. She is of mixed human and Shadowkin heritage, which means her bloodline's awakening was postponed until she reached the Veil Breaking Realm."

"But now, it has truly detonated."

Wen Lu stood within the cauldron, actively harnessing the bloodline talent she had just mastered. She gestured eastward and then westward.

The flora of the entire Serpent Spine Mountains appeared to transform into her arsenal. Guided by her will and bloodline, she launched an assault on the eighth-level green dragon and the hidden Dragon Attendant.

A thin, mist-like dragon's breath enveloped the woods, shrouding them in secrecy.

This dragon's breath had concealed the green dragon and its guards, preventing Yu Yuan from becoming alert beforehand.

It was Wen Lu's keen perception of the green dragon's malice that prompted her to warn Yu Yuan.

The flowers and trees served as her eyes, heeding her commands and coordination. Upon her arrival in the Serpent Spine Mountains and the awakening of her bloodline, she became akin to the sovereign of the jungle.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The green dragon, ensnared by the thorny underbrush, thrashed wildly. Its scales radiated a stunning luminescence, and with each lash of its tail, it snapped the bent trunks of trees.

The splintered trunks, like swords or spears, pierced the gaps in its scales.

The green dragon let out anguished roars as green blood seeped from beneath its scales.

"What an extraordinary sensation..."

Enshrouded in a soft green glow, Wen Lu resembled a forest sprite, exerting her dominion and power with abandon in her realm.

To her amazement, she discovered that her body had always harbored an immense reservoir of vitality.

This vital energy resided in her heart and within her sealed acupoints.

Previously obscured, she had been unable to detect or access it.

But just moments before, as the green dragon's breath veiled the forest ahead and Yu Yuan's heart pounded fiercely, she envisioned a massive, crimson crystal altar gently rotating...

As it turned, it seemed to wipe away the veil over her latent vital energy.

Subsequently, her own heartbeat quickened, syncing with Yu Yuan's rhythm.

Then came the shimmering of the bloodline chain and the revelation of her bloodline talents.

"It was Yu, with his unique ability, who helped me break free from the bloodline's seal!"

With clarity in her heart and a slight smile playing on her lips, Wen Lu gracefully ascended from the cauldron.

"Lulu!"

Wen Xin's face turned pale as she called out in alarm.

She feared that once Wen Lu left the Crucible of Evil, she would be vulnerable to an assault by the green dragon using the Dragon Soul, potentially leading to a mental collapse and soul disarray.

After all, Wen Lu hadn't even reached the Subtlety Realm. Without any defense, her three souls—of heaven, earth, and man—would be exposed to the soul's attack.

"Don't worry," Yu Yuan said calmly, gesturing towards the glowing aura. "See that? The green spiritual energy is incredibly dense; not even my remnant soul and consciousness can get through it."

Whoosh!

A streak of icy lightning raced from the direction of the Crimson Sun Empire, carrying a chill that Yu Yuan could sense from miles away.

He instantly realized that the Frost Queen had received the message and hastened back.

"The Shadowkin, Wen Lu, is this powerful just from being a hybrid?"

Yu Yuan stroked his chin, observing Wen Lu's every action, and fell into deep contemplation.

Wen Lu now seemed to him like a cultivator at the Unbound Stage, one who had merged with the Serpent Spine Mountains and could wield the power of the entire forest.

He noticed that the green light enveloping Wen Lu was the essence of spiritual energy from the Serpent Spine Mountains, a tribute from the ancient woods.

The essence from all the trees and plants spontaneously converged towards Wen Lu.

With her bloodline awakened, Wen Lu was like the sovereign of the Serpent Spine Mountains, commanding all the available forces.

"What if every Shadowkin were like Wen Lu? Imagine the terror if a multitude of Shadowkin descended upon the forests of the Everlands," Yu Yuan mused.

"Impossible!"

The cauldron spirit quickly interrupted his wild speculations.

"Shadowkin capable of commanding plants are exceedingly rare, even in the Extraterrestrial Star River. And someone like her, who has just awakened to her bloodline and already wields such extraordinary powers, is nothing short of a miracle!" Yu Yiyi interjected.

Yu Yuan paused, then realized, "So, her enigmatic Shadowkin father must be a remarkable individual!"

"Definitely."

​