A black shadow streaked across the void with a shrill and ear-piercing squeal!

　　It was a black arrow which had been shot at a terrific speed. It appeared behind the middle-aged man in the round hat almost instantly.

　　The middle-aged man was absorbed in stimulating the purple jade-sceptre in order to break the Protection Barrier at this moment. And, his attention was fixated on the fruit tree in front of him. Therefore, he wasn’t paying attention to his defense. Moreover, his subordinates were keeping a sharp watch on the surroundings from the mouth of the valley to the vicinity of the encirclement. So, who would’ve thought that someone was about to launch a sneak attack?

　　He was profoundly shocked when he noticed the sneak attack. He wanted to move out of the way, but he was already too late to do so. However, he still managed to slightly shift his body at the last moment. Simultaneously, he actuated his Real Qi to protect the vital parts of his body.

　　A loud “Ping” sound echoed!

　　The black arrow struck the middle-aged man’s shoulder. And, a wisp of an indescribably majestic force gushed onto his body through the arrowhead. His Real Qi shattered into pieces and dispersed in the process of protecting his body. But, the arrow thrust into his right shoulder, and ruthlessly penetrated itself into his body. Fresh blood splattered everywhere as a result.

　　“Wa!”

　　The middle-aged man opened his mouth, and spurted out a mouthful of blood. Simultaneously, his body flew forward, and crashed to the ground with an enormous force.

　　“Altar Lord Qin!”

　　The surrounding disciples of the Dark Moon Cult exclaimed in alarm.

　　Suddenly, a fuzzy silhouette of a person burst forth from the mouth of the valley. It dashed straight toward the purple peach fruit on the old tree with an incomparably quick speed.

　　“Hurry; stop him!”

　　Altar Lord Qin was unable to get up since his body had been nailed to the ground by the black arrow. So, he shouted aloud.

　　A few people of the Dark Moon Cult were near the fruit tree. They forthwith responded as they heard his words. The weapons in their hands fluttered, and then galloped toward the fuzzy person’s silhouette.

　　“Humph!”

　　The person let out a cold snort in midair, and flicked his arm as he saw this situation.

　　A dozen or more multi-colored magic charms burst out of his hand, and broke into pieces in quick succession.

　　A number of lightning bolts, fiery dragons, wind columns, and ice cones emerged in the air the next moment. Then, they separately swept toward the nearby disciples of the Dark Moon Cult who wanted to rush over and prevent this person from attacking.

　　Then, a string of spine-chilling screams erupted from all directions!

　　The greater part of these magic charms contained middle-ranked magic formulas. But, there were a couple of magic charms among them that carried high-ranked magic spells. So, their might could not be underestimated. Several disciples of the Dark Moon Cult were targeted by these magic charms. Some of these disciples were merely either Hou Tian warriors or spirit-ranked magicians. Those disciples were immediately overwhelmed by the dazzling light of these magic charms. But, the relatively stronger disciples among them didn’t dare to take them lightly, and tried to guard against them.

　　The person’s silhouette flashed again. It was Shi Mu. He had seized this opportunity to cross over these people. He swooped straight toward the fruit tree, and threw one of his hands toward the peach king fruit in order to grab it.

　　But then, a strange thing occurred at this very moment!

　　The ground beside the fruit tree burst open, and a muffled shriek spread from under the ground.

　　Then, a deep-red withered rattan drilled out of the ground like a nimble and venomous snake. It rushed directly toward Shi Mu who was in midair at the moment.

　　The withered red rattan was extremely fast. Moreover, it had rushed towards Shi Mu from a tricky angle. Shi Mu realized that he would get stabbed by this rattan before he touched the peach king if he didn’t try to avoid it.

　　Shi Mu’s complexion turned cold. But then, he whirled in the air. Simultaneously, a black light flickered on the surface of his body. The fact was that he didn’t have the slightest intention of dodging the attack.

　　“Clang” a loud metal-clanging sound rang out!

　　His body was struck, and sent flying a few feet away from his original place.

　　He somersaulted in the air, and stood up straight. However, his complexion had turned pale, and he had rested one of his hands on his waist. Fortunately, he had gotten hold of a purple peach fruit; it was in his other hand at the moment.

　　The clothes around his waist had been torn to shreds, and his skin had been exposed. A black scale could be seen on his exposed skin. The black scale looked slightly broken at the moment. Fresh blood was gurgling out of it.

　　However, the condition of his injuries made it clear that he had received only a few external injuries. None of them had reached his vital organs.

　　A tall and blood-red silhouette slowly drilled out of the ground near the fruit tree at this moment. It was over twenty feet in height. Its appearance bore a great similarity to that of the Radish Shuttle Tree Demon that Shi Mu had previously killed. However, the Demon-Qi it was emanating revealed that it had attained Earth-ranked strength. In fact, it seemed far more formidable compared to the Chief of the Giant Tree Tribe, as well as Altar Lord Qin.

　　Meanwhile, the ground of the open space revealed a burst of tremor. Then, two lofty trees came into appearance with two back-to-back flashes of green light. They stood behind the blood-red tree man… as if they were its bodyguards. The spiritual aura that these two were sending forth was the formidable aura of a Xian Tian-ranked warrior.

　　“They are Radish Shuttle Tree Demons!”

　　The facial expression of the Dark Moon Cult’s people drastically changed. It was obvious that they hadn’t expected that these tree-demons would appear. So, they hurriedly gathered beside the middle-aged man in the round hat.

　　“He is Lord Xue Kui; he’s the General of the Raddish Shuttle Demon!”

　　Altar Lord Qin had pulled the black arrow out of his body by this time. He stood up, and his gaze drew toward the blood-red tree demon.

　　The strength of this arrow was extremely vigorous. On top of that, it had penetrated through his Real Qi, and had injured the bones and muscles of his shoulder. Therefore, his left arm was unable to move at present.

　　“He he, Altar Lord Qin is indeed blessed with good memory since he hasn’t forgotten this Lord. It seems that Your Excellency is also interested in Yang-attribute peach king!” Lord Xue Kue spoke-up in a human voice. But, his voice sounded hoarse and unpleasant.

　　Altar Lord Qin took out a pill from his clothes, and swallowed it. Then, he looked at Shi Mu. He was about to say something when two shrill screams spread from outside the valley. Then, a burst of ear-piercing whistling sound came from afar. After that, over twenty rays of green light approached them at a very high speed, and landed in the vicinity.

　　The green lights flickered, and twenty figures came into appearance in quick succession. These people were the members of the Giant Tree Tribe.

　　The Chief of the Giant Tree Tribe and Lu Tang were also part of this group. A few people among them were deeply shocked when they saw the present situation in the valley.

　　“Altar Lord Qin, our Giant Tree Tribe and your Dark Moon Cult have always walked their own paths. They have never interfered with each other. But, you affronted our tribe’s restricted area yesterday. And, you again offended my tribe today. In addition, you have joined forces with the Radish Shuttle Demon Race with an intention to get a share of the fire-attribute peach king. Don’t you think that you have gone too far?” the Chief of Giant Tree Tribe looked at the blood-red tree demon. Then, his gaze shifted to Altar Lord Qin of the Dark Moon Cult as he said in a low voice.

　　“He he, Tribe Chief… you should try to understand the situation before pulling such an act. Let me tell you the truth… the matter of this peach king is going to be settled today! In addition, I and Lord Xue Kui just happened to bump into each other here. I hadn’t sketched out any plans to join hands with his race. However, you have drawn my attention to this idea. This is indeed a good idea! I wonder what Lord Xue Kui thinks about it,” Altar Lord Qin’s eyes whirled around once. Then, he turned his head, and said while looking at Xue Kui.

　　“Ga Ga, this idea is pretty good. We should join hands against our common enemy!” Xui Kui burst into a strange laughter as he replied.

　　The complexion of the Giant Tree Tribe’s Chief sank. He hadn’t yet opened his mouth to speak when Lu Tang’s elegant eyes turned to look at Shi Mu who stood on the other side of the fire-attribute tree king; Lu Tang stood beside her father. Then, her eyes got pulled toward the purple peach king in his right hand. And, she called out in alarm, “Mr Mu, how could you possibly be here? This peach king…”

　　The people of the Dark Moon Cult and the Radish Shuttle Tree Demons had flooded the valley at the moment. This had triggered the anger of the Giant Tree Tribe’s people, and their gazes were stuck to these invaders. Therefore, they hadn’t noticed Shi Mu until now. But, they cast sidelong glances at Shi Mu in quick succession when they heard these words.

　　“This fire-attribute peach king is so popular that even I couldn’t stop myself from craving for it. Therefore, I picked one without your due permission. I truly feel apologetic for this,” Shi Mu was about to open his mouth when his eyebrows plunged into a frown, and a hint of exhilaration flashed across his eyes. He then opened his mouth, and said a few words of apology. At the same time, he received the peach king in his Vast Earth Ring.

　　Shi Mu had said these words casually… as if he didn’t even mean them. But, they turned out to be extraordinarily significant for the people of the Giant Tree Tribe.

　　The present situation was ample enough to conclude that Shi Mu hadn’t joined forces with the Dark Moon Cult.

　　They could clearly see the present situation. The Dark Moon Cult’s people had used a trick to break through the defensive barrier in an attempt to seize hold of the peach king fruits. The Dark Moon Cult had the support of an Earth-ranked powerhouse — Altar Lord Qin. In addition, the strength of the ten or more disciples of the Dark Moon Cult wasn’t inferior to that of any Xian Tian-ranked or Star-ranked expert. Furthermore, Xue Kui also seemed to be a part of this mission. He commanded the strength of a middle-stage Earth-ranked powerhouse. But, Shi Mu had been able to grab the peach king from the hands of these formidable people. It was like snatching food from a tiger’s mouth. This had left the people of the Giant Tree Tribe with a sense of deep amazement.

　　“You…”

　　The Giant Tree Tribe’s Chief scowled in anger. He was about to say something when he was interrupted by Shi Mu’s words.

　　“This Mu isn’t an unscrupulous person who doesn’t pay for things. I owe you a favor since I have taken a thing that belongs to your tribe. Your tribe won’t be able to confront the enemy alone in the given situation. I’ll assist you in driving away these people who have come here with an intention of capturing the peach king. You can consider this as a return of favor. What do you say?”

　　The Giant Tree Tribe’s people were dumbfounded when they heard his words. In fact, they even stared at Shi Mu with an inconceivable look on their faces. They obviously couldn’t believe in the boastful words of a mere Xian Tian warrior.

　　Lu Tang’s eyes brightened up when she saw the black-feathered arrow on the ground behind Altar Lord Qin. It was stained with blood. She then saw the wound on Qin Tan’s left shoulder, and couldn’t help but think of something. She moved close to their tribe’s chief, and whispered a few words in his ear. And, her words immediately changed his facial expression.

　　“Extremely arrogant! The Lord wants this thing. How can he let this boy here be boisterous?”

　　Altar Lord Qin hadn’t spoken anything yet. But, Xue Kui issued a cold snort, and a rattan rolled upward towards a peach fruit on top of the fruit tree.

　　A white light flashed in Shi Mu’s hand, and a long bone-white bow appeared in his hand. The bowstring quivered, and a black arrow shot out like an electric current. It dashed straight toward the overhanging creeper vine.

　　Xue Kui hastily moved aside to dodge the arrow. It seemed that he was rather afraid of this black arrow.

　　A person’s silhouette flashed at this moment. It was Shi Mu. He had rushed over in front of Xue Kui, and had hacked a black blade-shadow toward his head.

　　Xue Kui was alarmed since he hadn’t expected that Shi Mu’s movement would be so fast. A spurt of blood light gushed on the surface of his body, and his bulky arms changed into a blood-red jade stone to receive the attack.

　　The two ordinary tree demons beside him were about to pounce on Shi Mu when a golden sword-light darted out of Shi Mu’s body. It turned into a massive sword-shadow which blotted out the entire sky as it hacked toward these two tree demons below.

　　The tree demons were shocked by this. They stopped their movement, and stood firm to resist the approaching sword-shadow.

　　“Leave these Radish Shuttle Tree Demons to me. You try to hold up the Dark Moon Cult’s people!” Shi Mu said to Lu Tang and her tribesmen in a loud voice.

　　“Go!”

　　The Chief of the Giant Tree Tribe shouted to command everyone. Then, he galloped toward the Dark Moon Cult’s people along with his tribesmen.

　　Lu Tang’s face got smeared with a slightly complicated look as she cast a glance at Shi Mu. She then clenched her teeth, and rushed toward a Star-ranked magician of the Dark Moon Cult who was in the midst of casting a spell.

　　The Dark Moon Cult’s people were comparatively larger in number. But, their Earth-ranked warrior was currently in an injured state owing to Shi Mu’s arrow. This had awfully affected their strength. Therefore, the two sides seemed to be evenly matched for the time being.

　　The small valley turned into a battlefield for a while. Magic spells, sword-lights, and so on were swirling in the air.

　　A black light flickered on Shi Mu’s body, and his black blade-light experienced a fit of fluctuation. Then, it started to flutter up and down in the air as he started to launch attacks on Xue Kui.

　　His current cultivation and the power of his spirit sense would enable him to maintain his transformed Beast-mode state for more than a quarter of an hour. And, he also possessed enormous physical strength which could be considered close to 20,000 pounds in terms of brute force. These factors had helped him in coping up with Xue Kui in a smooth and unrestrained manner.

　　Xue Kui became increasingly astounded by Shi Mu’s strength as the fight continued. After all, the man before his eyes was a barbarian who had barely reached the peak of the Xian Tian-rank after he had resorted to the totem body transformation. But, whether it was this barbarian man’s strength, his movement or the reaction speed… nothing was inferior to him in any aspect.

　　Moreover, the black scales on Shi Mu’s body were extremely tenacious… so much so that they could receive the direct attacks of Xue Kui as if they were nothing.

　　The long black blade in Shi Mu’s hand was also rather special. It didn’t appear very large, but it possessed astonishing weight. The degree of its sharpness was also astounding.

　　Xue Kui had deployed a secret technique that had further strengthened his rattan arms. Their present degree of hardness could be placed on par with any spirit tool. However, they still failed to leave a trace on the black blade.

　　The other two tree demons had been restricted by the golden sword. They had found themselves incapable of transgressing the terrifying boundary of the sword.

　　“He he, the Earth-ranked warriors of the Demon Race are very mediocre!” Shi Mu’s face revealed an expression of sarcasm as he said.

　　“You are asking for death!”

　　Xue Kui issued a thunderous bellow, and his entire body emitted an even brighter blood-red radiance. After that, the magic image of a blood-red gigantic tree emerged behind him; it was twenty-or-thirty feet in size.