Chapter 471: The Saint Lords Strike

The group carefully traversed the forest. Above them, dense white spore threads wove through the canopy, while many more clung to the surrounding bushes and trunks.

They thought they could pass through the forest without incident. No one noticed Su Mu, walking at the very front of the formation, quietly adjust his Tinted Glasses.

The lenses concealed the flash of crystalline blue in his eyes.

Seemingly possessed, the team member he had helped earlier shifted a half-step to the left. A single white spore thread lay hidden in the brush right where his foot landed.

He stepped on the thread without a sound, and it stuck to his sole. As he took his next step, it stretched out like melted cheese caught between his boot and the earth, pulling into a long white string.

Pull one thread, and the whole web moves. The moment the spore thread was tugged, it triggered the white network connecting the entire forest. Suddenly, the dense web of threads throughout the woods shifted.

A loud rustling echoed through the air.

The canopy leaves shook violently, and everyone's expressions drastically changed. Looking up, they saw the white spore threads strung between the branches coming alive. Like tiny white snakes, they rapidly multiplied and spread through the air.

The Lord of Primal Desolation flew into a rage, his fierce gaze sweeping over the group. "Who did that?!"

The overwhelming aura erupting from him left the crowd trembling. Everyone shook their heads, except for the team member with the thread stuck to his foot. The man's face was deathly pale as he frantically tore at the spore thread in a panic.

The Lord of Primal Desolation's eyes widened in fury. "Trash!"

The man was one of his own subordinates. He thought he had brought handpicked elites, yet one of them had made such an amateur mistake.

Boiling with rage, the Lord of Primal Desolation moved to execute the man on the spot. Right then, Su Mu stepped forward and said sternly, "Now is not the time to settle scores. We must leave this place at once! These spore threads belong to the divine abomination, the Compassionate Tear Spore Mother, and it has already been alerted!"

"Step aside! It is not your place to interrupt when this Saint Lord is disciplining his own subordinate!" The Lord of Primal Desolation had never placed any importance on this Saint Grade God Hunter. Being contradicted now only made him lose face.

Just as he was about to strike, a figure in a moon-white robe stepped in front of him. It was the Lord of Dawn.

"Captain Zhou is right. We should leave first."

"Hmph!" The Lord of Primal Desolation scoffed, yielding out of respect for the Lord of Dawn.

The Lord of Dawn looked at Su Mu and nodded with a smile.

The previous few warnings had already made him realize the value of Zhou Qiong as a guide. Since they were still inside the Divine Ruins, he naturally had to protect him.

The team member Su Mu had just saved thanked him with overwhelming gratitude.

Su Mu smiled faintly and gently patted the man's shoulder, signaling him not to mention it. As he did, wisps of crystalline blue threads silently invaded through the man's shoulder.

Suddenly, Yan Ming, who had been following at the Lord of Dawn's side, shouted, "Prepare for battle!"

The overwhelming mass of white spore threads had already surged right up to the group. They abruptly snapped and exploded into the air like dandelions scattered by the wind, transforming into hundreds of millions of white needles that shot violently toward them.

Everyone drew their weapons and relentlessly slashed at the incoming white needles. For a time, an endless cacophony of clashing metal rang out through the forest.

While the attacks of the white needles lacked sheer power, their nearly infinite quantity made up for it, bombarding the group from every conceivable angle. Fortunately, there were no weaklings present, and they managed to fend them off.

But soon, a terrifying roar echoed from the depths of the forest. The ground began to shake violently. Countless fissures spread wildly across the earth, extending right beneath everyone's feet.

From those bottomless crevices, thick green plant roots covered in fleshy tumors burst forth. Every single root carried a dense, deathly divine aura.

"Ah!" a person in the formation screamed in agony as several thick roots bound him in a death grip.

"Save... save me..." His eyes were filled with the sheer terror of death. Even though he was a Gold King, in the face of roots wielding the power of a God, he was still as fragile as an infant.

The rest of the group also fell under attack. Tens of thousands of roots tore out of the ground, leaving them no time to worry about anything else, much less save someone.

Meanwhile, the Lord of Dawn and the Lord of Primal Desolation, the only ones capable of saving him, did not make a move. They stared solemnly into the depths of the forest. The earth there had completely caved in, and a rotting lotus pedestal supporting a giant fleshy tumor slowly rose from the chasm.

Beneath the rotting lotus pedestal were countless tangled, gnarled roots. They were planted deeply into the earth, stretching for a thousand li.

It was the very tips of these roots that were attacking the group.

The giant tumor throbbed continuously, as if it were breathing. It was covered in a web of white spore threads that connected to the entire forest. At the very top of the tumor lay three open slits. Inside each slit was the weeping face of a woman. Crystal-clear tears rolled down their cheeks, shattering in the air into countless microscopic spores.

The divine abomination, the Compassionate Tear Spore Mother!

The Lord of Dawn and the Lord of Primal Desolation exchanged a glance. The two of them immediately charged at the Compassionate Tear Spore Mother from the left and right.

This was the first time Su Mu had seen Saint Lords take action. Distinctly different divine auras surged from both of their bodies.

The Lord of Dawn slowly raised his hands. His long, pale fingers gently pressed together as he clasped his hands before his chest. The surrounding void seemed to be churned by an invisible force, forming a massive spatial vortex.

Within that vortex, a magnificent, vibrantly colored sea of flowers gradually took shape. A fragrance so rich it was nauseating filled the air as countless exotic flowers and strange grasses vied for beauty.

Black daturas exuding the aura of death, spider lilies shimmering with faint blue light, clovers with leaves like razor blades... and many other bizarre, unearthly flowers of varying shapes spread out madly in every direction, with the Lord of Dawn at the center.

In an instant, the Compassionate Tear Spore Mother was engulfed by the sea of flowers. The blooms seemed to come alive, viciously tangling and attacking the monstrosity.

Compared to the Lord of Dawn's flashy display, the Lord of Primal Desolation was much more direct. He violently tore off his upper garments to expose a lean, bronze torso. His bulging muscles were exaggerated far beyond the limits of a normal human, every inch looking as if it had been cast from solid metal.

The most striking feature was his chest. It was completely hollow! Inside, there was no heart or internal organs, only countless intricate bronze gears. The joints of the gears were covered in flesh and blood. Machinery and organic tissue blended perfectly together, exuding a strange, twisted aesthetic.

He let out a thunderous roar. The gears inside his chest spun continuously, grinding out a teeth-aching shriek of metal. Following that, two massive bulges swelled on his back. With the sickening crack of breaking shells, two thick, powerful arms sprouted outward.

They, too, were a flawless fusion of flesh and machinery, with bronze gears embedded directly into the flesh.

Wielding four arms, the Lord of Primal Desolation stomped upon the void. Endless white steam billowed from his body like an over-pressured engine. A sudden sonic boom cracked through the air. In a blink, he charged right up to the Compassionate Tear Spore Mother. His fists swung out, manifesting a sky full of afterimages.

Countless green roots were pulverized beneath his fists, spilling thick, putrid green liquid all over the ground.