Published: February 9, 2025
The green clouds flashed with lightning before the swirling layers suddenly came to a halt, and then it started to rain leaves.
Initially, Ye Zhongming thought it was just a rain of leaves.
However, upon closer inspection of the vibrant green leaves, he felt it resembled leaf snow.
Countless fresh green leaves descended from the sky, spiraling and drifting in a peculiar manner, going straight up and down, as if they were lined up in order, not permitting any chaos.
The rotation of the leaves themselves was not fast, but as altitude increased, so did their speed. By the time they reached the midpoint in the air, the rotation was sharp enough to cut through the air, producing a piercing sound.
Ye Zhongming planted the Staff of Nature in front of him and held the Shield of the Water Bottle overhead.
“Hey, I like that staff!”
The charming face of the Yama Tree lit up with surprise upon seeing the Staff of Nature.
But Ye Zhongming had no energy to respond to her; the Yama Tree's natural attacks were already coming.
The swirling leaves collided with the Shield of the Water Bottle, creating a harsh scratching sound.
Crack!
The first green leaf exploded, disintegrating into small green fragments that dissipated, causing the Shield of the Water Bottle to flicker slightly.
Then came the second and third...
Within just a few seconds, the Shield of the Water Bottle was struck by at least a hundred leaves, finally giving way and shattering with a loud bang.
Ye Zhongming could only insert another low-level water gem.
However, by this time, the green leaves had descended several dozen centimeters, and as soon as the Shield of the Water Bottle appeared, it had to directly collide with the leaves around it. This time, a low-level water gem held out for less than two seconds.
Ye Zhongming placed a third gem.
Yet the leaves continued to drift down from the green clouds.
Based on the rate at which the Shield of the Water Bottle dissipated, Ye Zhongming initially assessed the power of these leaves. After comparing it to his own defensive capabilities, he pessimistically discovered that he might sustain serious injuries within five seconds among these leaves, lose all ability to move within ten seconds, and die within fifteen seconds.
This mutated plant that controlled the entire city had already demonstrated its formidable strength right from the start.
But that didn’t mean Ye Zhongming had no way to deal with the Yama Tree; after all, he only needed one strike!
Ye Zhongming inserted a fourth gem while pulling out a spare rope from his space, a multifunctional tool from the roulette production kit.
He tied the rope to the Staff of Nature.
On the other side, the Yama Tree watched him with great interest.
Once secured, Ye Zhongming replaced it with another water gem, his fifth. In the next moment, he charged forward, pulling strongly from three meters away. The Staff of Nature was yanked to his side, and he inserted a sixth water gem.
The newly risen Shield of the Water Bottle smashed the leaves within its range, immediately shattering itself, and the seventh gem took its place.
The Yama Tree’s expression instantly darkened.
Although the skill, Natural Domain, seemed to unleash an endless array of sharp leaves, even the Shield of the Water Bottle augmented by Nature Essence couldn’t hold out for long. Yet, Ye Zhongming utilized his numerical advantage in water gems and a unique method to close in on the Yama Tree.
Even if this created brief gaps between the Shields of the Water Bottle, he could compensate with two gems in succession.
“Not bad, very clever,” the Yama Tree remarked, before spewing some green mist from its trunk, merging it with the green clouds. Immediately, the speed of the descending leaves increased sharply and changed from a direct downward fall to a wildly erratic drift.
The increase in falling speed, combined with the higher number and accelerated rotation, made the leaves far more powerful, putting immense pressure on Ye Zhongming.
“Second stage!”