Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

The two figures weaved rapidly through the dense forest, with a massive tree demon moving its roots and dragging its body to furiously pursue them.

The tremendous noise and violent tremors caused by the whipping roots followed them like a shadow, preventing them from daring to reduce their speed even slightly.

"Why did we have to get so close just now?" Lin Ning finally regained her composure from the shock and asked puzzledly, "The Metal-Element Impact Curse takes time to charge... Can't it be launched from a distance as well?"

"Because it would be blocked," Yan Yu answered calmly, "The tree demon is massive and bulky, so it prioritizes defense with its roots, rather than offense."

"If you shoot the Impact Curse from afar, there's a high probability that it will raise its roots to block it. But if you get close to the demon's body first, prompting it to use its roots to intercept you, then break through the encirclement and leave those roots behind, the Impact Curse won't be intercepted."

"I see," Lin Ning acknowledged, realizing the strategic consideration she had overlooked, "Then since we were already so close, why couldn't you take the chance to kill it? Like using the Flame Curse to burn it or something..."

"Because it wouldn't just sit and wait to die," Yan Yu explained patiently, "Those roots would come back to help quickly."

"But," Lin Ning was still a bit puzzled, "even if the roots come back to help, can't you just dodge them all with that... super-fast movement technique, zipping right past them?"

"But that would be very tiring," Yan Yu said with a smile, "and the True Yuan consumption would also be great."

"So you're not unable to fight it one-on-one, you just don't want to," Lin Ning sharply realized the key point.

"Little Lin Ning, this is where teamwork comes in," Yan Yu said meaningfully, "Not everything needs to be done personally."

"Stop calling me Little Lin Ning," Lin Ning protested in a low voice, glancing back at their pursuer.

The tree demon's fury seemed endless, and even though they had reached the edge of the dense forest, it showed no signs of stopping.

Lin Ning looked straight ahead and suddenly sensed something was amiss.

She remembered that when she and Yan Yu had entered the forest, there was a half-broken tree on their left. If they were truly retracing their steps, the broken tree should now be on their right.

However, it appeared not far ahead on their left...

"We're off course," Lin Ning warned quickly, "The spot where we set up the flame matrix isn't straight ahead, but to the front left."

"Got it," Yan Yu wasn't surprised. After all, navigating a complex environment like a dense forest, who could travel back and forth in a perfectly straight line without deviating at all?

Sister Lin is quite attentive; you've earned your stripes this time.

"You exit the forest first to confirm the direction; I'll hold it off," Yan Yu commanded.

"Hold it off, how?" Lin Ning was immediately taken aback, but Yan Yu didn't answer and just turned around and charged towards the tree demon.

He started to use that whooshing movement technique again...

Thinking this, Lin Ning quickly dashed out of the forest with the Shifting Technique and found the spot where they had set up the flame matrix indeed to the front left, about 50 meters askew.

Following the edge, she made her way back to the original path and once again dashed towards where the tree demon and Yan Yu were.

This time identifying the direction was effortless, because the commotion over there was just too loud, like two giants battling furiously, with swathes of trees being hit in the process, falling like bombed buildings, with dust and dirt billowing into the sky.

Lin Ning didn't dare venture further, but from a distance, she started shouting towards the front:

"Yan Yu!"

After around twenty seconds, Yan Yu's figure finally emerged from the trees in the distance—he had heard her call.

Lin Ning didn't turn to flee, but continued to watch him tensely.

The captain was sprinting in her direction, and behind him was a violent cloud of dust and earth that crushed and leveled any tree in its path, like an otherworldly bulldozer forging a path straight through the forest.

"Let's go! What are you waiting for?" Yan Yu reached her side and, without missing a beat, slapped her forehead.

Smack!

The force wasn't painful, but Lin Ning also reacted, quickly deploying the Shifting Technique to follow closely, her thoughts slightly turning.

I think I kind of understand now.

The captain's "swallow-like high-speed movement", able to dodge 3-4 direction changes within 1 second, is how he managed to evade the tree demon's multi-strike assault.

Each time the urgent change of direction was executed, it involved a "disruption of the Shifting Technique, initiation of the Cloud Ascension Technique, disruption of the Cloud Ascension Technique, and reinitiation of the Shifting Technique" sequence of four, which meant one had to perform 12-16 changes of energy routes within a second.

Such an exaggerated high-frequency maneuver is something the subjective reaction of humans absolutely cannot keep up with.

Only passive body reflexes, or muscle memory, might make it possible.

When he was dodging the tree demon's attacks just now, he could still hear my shouting from afar, proving that he was actually paying attention to his surroundings the whole time, and maintaining this high-speed movement without it taking up too much of his focus.

The reason, just as he mentioned before, must be that he had "thoroughly integrated it into his memory, making it part of his fighting instincts".

From this, Lin Ning quickly concluded, but she didn't realize how strategically important this conclusion was behind the scenes.

In the timeline of her previous life, the seamless switching between the Shifting Technique and the Cloud Ascension Technique was first conceived by the Valkyrie, Li Minghu, thinking it could greatly enhance the mobility of Cultivators.

But at that time, the Shifting Technique had been completely replaced by the Sword Control Technique, so this idea naturally didn't receive much attention—until Li Minghu died from illness, then it was even less inquired about.

It wasn't until the maturation of external True Yuan storage devices, which allowed ordinary people to use spells in a limited way, that the impactful performances of an unnamed person with the surname Yan brought a little "ordinary shock" to those conservative Cultivators...

And only then was the entire Cultivation World of Lu Country forced to shift from "pursuing higher-tier techniques and treasures" to "pursuing the training of personal skill levels".

The two hastily returned to the site of the pre-set flame formation, and the massive tree demon also rushed out of the dense forest, instantly startling everyone waiting outside in tight formation.

Whether it was Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin, or the three military Cultivators, this was the first time they had seen a real, living monster.

Trees ten meters tall aren't frightening, but if the other party not only moves at a speed of over ten meters per second but can also swing countless thick roots, smashing everything around into shattered pieces, that is mildly horrific and terrifying.

Luckily, Yan Yu had drawn up a simple and clear-cut battle plan in advance, so even though everyone was shocked, they didn't panic to the point of helplessness.

As soon as the tree demon entered the ambush zone, four Flame Curses erupted like columns of fire from four directions, perfectly trapping the giant tree demon within.

Those wildly flailing roots contracted as if scorched the moment they touched the Flame Curses, then curled up covering the trunk in layers, instinctively taking a defensive position.

"Get into position quickly!" Yan Yu ordered.

Apart from the four Cultivators casting Flame Curses and sealing off the exit, Yan Yu, Lin Ning, Zhao Yuanzhen, and Jiang Weiming quickly took their places, directly opposite the gaps between the four Flame Curses, and raised their right arms, charging the Impact Curse.

One, two, three, four! Four charged Impact Curses were almost released simultaneously, the Metal-Element's sharp energy comparable to swords, immediately chopping the tree demon's roots layer by layer, cutting deep wounds into the trunk.

Even though the tree demon's consciousness was undeveloped, the intense pain made it aware of the imminent threat of death. The countless roots wrapping the trunk suddenly extended, frantically slapping the surrounding flames, as the body charged directionlessly towards a certain direction.

As it happened, it was in the direction of Su Yunjin.
Your journey continues at empire

Su Yunjin stood frozen in place, watching as the tree demon topped with flames forcefully broke through her Flame Curse. For a moment, she couldn't think of how to react, her mind going blank.

Should she switch to the Shifting Technique to escape? Switch to the Wood Bending Charm to face the enemy? Or increase the Flame Curse's output?

The next second, Yan Yu had already launched himself sideways, intercepting the tree demon, swiftly shifting to the Wood Bending Charm, his right arm muscles already bulging.

Impact punch!

This punch, enhanced by the charge speed and supported by the power of the Wood Bending Charm, directly hit the base of the trunk, causing the tree demon to sway for a moment, its charging momentum finally forcefully halted.

Three more Fire Blazing Charms arose from the left, right, and back of the tree demon; it was Chen Lingyun and the two military Cultivators acting swiftly in coordination, readjusting the position of the flame formation.

Yan Yu, using the recoil of the punch to retreat, quickly pulled away with the Shifting Technique and then launched another Flame Curse, once again imprisoning the tree demon in a cage of flames.

"Combine attack once more!" he shouted loudly, "The tree demon can't hold on anymore!"