Chapter 143: Ten-Mile Fragrance

Tang Mubai's pupils constricted and his heartbeat accelerated.

After tailing the elite experts among the half-orcs all the way to the canyon, he had not expected such a discovery.

This was truly an unexpected windfall!

The fiery tree, standing thirty to forty meters tall in the center of the canyon's floor, was no ordinary tree.

The rich fragrance drifting through the air attested to its extraordinary nature.

Indeed.

This was a spirit tree!

The dozen or so glowing red fruits hanging from its branches were exotic fruits!

Although he did not know the exact grade of these exotic fruits, he could judge that their grade was by no means low simply from the sheer number of non-human entities gathered on both the left and right sides of the fire tree—over a hundred of them, every single one exuding an exceptionally powerful aura, belonging either to the Commander rank or the Lord rank!

On one side were the half-orcs, and on the other were dinosaurs—specifically, sickle-clawed theropods, the therizinosaurs!

The tallest therizinosaurus possessed a physique even more massive than the fire tree itself, exceeding forty meters in height.

Standing on the ground with a body length approaching a hundred meters, its jaws opened and closed while its sickle-like twin claws rested horizontally across its chest.

Terrifying waves of aura, laced with a faint pressure, constantly battered the surrounding void, sending ripples spreading outward.

Lord rank!

Clearly, this largest therizinosaurus belonged to the Lord rank.

On the half-orc side, a half-orc who had completely undergone bestial transformation—sporting a bull's head, a body covered in bulging muscles, and a height approaching four meters—was also releasing a terrifyingly abnormal aura.

This proclaimed its status as a Lord-rank being.

The two factions stood roughly ten meters apart, exchanging low growls and roars as they locked into a stalemate.

Whether it was the half-orcs or the therizinosaurs, every single one was suffused with murderous intent. While glaring at their rivals with hostility, their gazes kept darting back to the fruits on the fire tree.

"So, these exotic fruits aren't fully mature yet?"

Tang Mubai stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down from above for a moment before the corners of his mouth turned up.

The reason the half-orcs and the therizinosaurs had not erupted into full-scale war was not because they feared each other, but because the exotic fruits had not yet fully ripened!

Once they were completely mature, the moment for them to fight over the spoils would arrive!

"It seems I've arrived right on time." Tang Mubai's eyes rolled as a plan hatched in his mind.

Fight, kill to your heart's content.

The more that died, the more advantageous it would be for him.

Tang Mubai did not have exorbitant demands; out of the dozen or so fruits, just three would be enough!

At the center of the canyon, the half-orcs and the therizinosaurs remained locked in a standoff, waiting for the exotic fruits to ripen.

Tang Mubai stayed motionless on the cliff, likewise waiting for the fruit to fully mature.

This wait lasted for several hours.

The sunlight spilling from the firmament shifted from the gentle warmth of early morning to the scorching heat of midday.

The temperature inside the canyon rose steadily.

Every single half-orc and therizinosaurus was drenched in sweat, yet not one retreated even half a step. Instead, as the temperature intensified, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

Finally, when the temperature in the canyon reached its midday peak—

Hum~

The void suddenly trembled.

The previously motionless fire tree seemed to catch fire, abruptly bursting into roaring flames.

Miraculously, the leaves, the trunk, and the fruits were entirely unblemished by the leaping tongues of flame.

Instead, bathed in the roaring fire, they emanated an increasingly powerful aura.

The exotic fragrance of the fruits reached its absolute peak at this moment, its rich scent drifting ten miles away.

"Roar!" "Aowu!" "Aungh~!"

The moment the fire tree ignited, the half-orcs and therizinosaurs roared and howled, charging toward one another.

Rumble!

The earth trembled, and dust billowed.

At this moment, the aura throughout the entire canyon became utterly chaotic, and loose stones tumbled ceaselessly down the cliffs on both sides.

The crimson pillars of energy unleashed by the half-orcs swept outward, blasting craters into the ground and the cliffs alike.

The razor-sharp claws of the therizinosaurs cleaved the air and tore apart the precipitous rock faces.

The moment they collided, the over a hundred half-orcs and therizinosaurs plunged into a white-hot melee.

Cries of rage, ferocious roars, and miserable shrieks echoed through the canyon.

With tacit understanding, neither faction approached the fire tree, instead slaughtering each other on the left and right flanks.

Beyond a distance of three hundred meters, even if half-orcs or therizinosaurs died, Tang Mubai would be unable to harvest their flowing life force.

However, Tang Mubai was in no rush; he was waiting for an opportunity.

The moment for him to act would come when the half-orcs and therizinosaurs had mutually decimated each other's numbers!

"Boom~ Boom~ Boom~"

Deafening impacts, muffled concussions, and explosions resounded incessantly in the heart of the canyon.

The shockwaves generated by the group combat between the half-orcs and the therizinosaurs gouged crater after crater into the cliffs on either side, covering them in web-like fissures.

Billows of dust, mixed with sprayed blood, swept through midair.

Tang Mubai's gaze was like a torch as he mentally tallied the remaining numbers of half-orcs and therizinosaurs.

In particular, the leader of the half-orcs and the leader of the therizinosaurs had both sustained wounds during the carnage, leaving them drenched in blood as their furious roars shook the earth and sky.

Finally, the vast majority of the half-orcs and therizinosaurs had fallen. The small fraction that remained were all bearing injuries.

Judging by the battle situation, the therizinosaurs had the upper hand, and the half-orcs had lost.

The half-orc leader bore three horrific, bone-deep gashes across its chest.

The body of the therizinosaurus chieftain also sported two bloody, gaping holes.

However, because these were not vital areas, the injuries were not severe; compared to the half-orc leader, it still retained the majority of its combat strength.

"Aungh-aowu~"

As the therizinosaurus chieftain roared, the remaining therizinosaurs suddenly intensified their attacks, slaughtering the remaining half-orcs one by one on the canyon floor.

The therizinosaurus chieftain personally joined the fray as well, pursuing the half-orc leader with frantic assaults.

At the summit of the cliff, Tang Mubai chanted silently in his heart, circulating the Tai Chi Heart Classic to harness the scorching midday yang energy swirling above the canyon, wrapping it tightly around himself.

Indeed, drawn by the scorching heat within the canyon and baked by the blazing midday sun, a massive amount of yang energy, mingled with thermal currents, surged outward.

Tang Mubai used his technique to gather and corral the yang energy, enveloping his entire body in it to transform himself into a "miniature sun"—and then, he plunged from the sky!

"Whoosh~!"

Like a falling meteor or a descending fireball, Tang Mubai leaped from the cliff, seizing the final moment of the chaotic slaughter between the half-orcs and therizinosaurs to reach the bottom of the canyon and land directly upon the fire tree.

The massive shroud of yang energy wrapped around his body obscured his features from the half-orcs and therizinosaurs below.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Tang Mubai stretched out a hand like lightning and plucked three glowing red fruits from the branches.

The instant they touched his palm, it felt as though he were gripping three balls of raging fire.

In a flash of insight, Tang Mubai executed the Temperature Control divine ability, instantly lowering the temperature of his palms.

Then, cradling the three fruits, he shot straight up into the firmament.

"Aungh-aowu~!!!"

The furious roar of the therizinosaurus shook the heavens and earth.

Though it lacked wings, the colossal therizinosaurus chieftain emitted a deafening "boom" as it shattered the air, its entire body launching into the air to give chase right behind Tang Mubai.

Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~!

Gale-force winds whipped past, stirring his hair.

Relying on the Sky-Flying Dancing Void Technique, Tang Mubai soared all the way upward, shooting straight toward the dome of heaven.

Less than a hundred meters below him, the therizinosaurus chieftain was wreathed in a sphere of crimson light, clinging to the pursuit in hot haste.

The oppressive might of the Lord rank swept outward in a mighty, overwhelming torrent.

As if imbued with a will of its own, the pressure suddenly condensed into a single force, surging upward from below across a distance of a hundred meters to lock onto Tang Mubai!