The Five Elements Tree struggled violently as Mo Qi pinned it down and furiously went to work.

The Giant Tree Illusion swayed violently, its branches like phantom whips lashing down on Mo Qi. CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Space itself was churned and shattered, breaking apart. Violent spatial turbulence spilled from the rifts, wreaking havoc with crushing force. The terrifying shockwaves blasted Li Yuanhao and the Pig Emperor back more than a thousand meters.

However, for all their power, the whip-like branches couldn’t even harm a single hair on Mo Qi.

Every time an attack landed, the Mysterious Power within Mo Qi’s body would automatically manifest to protect him, deflecting the Five Elements Tree’s branches.

"You’re just a damn tree! Even if you turned into a spirit, you’re still a tree!"

Mo Qi straddled the Five Elements Tree, locking his legs around it tightly. He bit down hard and refused to let go, forcing the words out from between his clenched teeth.

"To me, you’re just an ingredient! A dish to be served!"

"A mere dish dares to act so brazenly before me, the future Kitchen God? And you have the gall to hit me?!"

"It would be a crime against heaven itself if I don’t eat you today!"

In response, the Five Elements Tree began to drain Mo Qi’s Life Force and whip him with its branches even more ferociously.

And so, the man and the tree became locked in a stubborn struggle.

The Five Elements Tree constantly absorbed Mo Qi’s Life Force to heal its body, while Mo Qi made up for the deficit by ripping into and devouring the tree’s substance. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

For a moment, the situation was a stalemate.

Neither Mo Qi nor the Five Elements Tree could get the better of the other.

"Eat! Bite! Swallow!"

Mo Qi’s movements were wild and frantic, completely shedding his usual simple, good-natured demeanor.

Crimson sap trickled from the corners of his mouth, staining his entire body. A uniquely clear fragrance spread through the air, carrying with it a dense Life Aura.

The Pig Emperor took a single whiff and was utterly entranced, drool practically flowing like a river.

"That smell! It smells so damn good!"

It strained its eyes, staring intently at Mo Qi’s bobbing throat. It felt as if its own hunger was about to crawl right out of its stomach.

But even if it were a hundred times braver, it still wouldn’t dare to go any closer.

Mo Qi had the Mysterious Power protecting him, making him fearless against the lashing branches of the Giant Tree Illusion. The Pig Emperor, however, did not.

If it rushed over rashly, a single lash would probably be enough to finish it off.

"Queen, what do we do now?" Deep underground, the white-robed youth was still awaiting Yan’s command.

Yan snapped out of her shock. She gazed with a peculiar expression at Mo Qi, who had transformed into a savage "glutton," and sent back a mental reply, "For now, that won’t be necessary."

At that moment, the devouring contest between the glutton and the tree spirit reached a fever pitch.

The tide of battle, which had been perfectly even, slowly began to shift in Mo Qi’s favor.

One was directly plundering, while the other was Gorging and Drinking; it was essentially an equal exchange of Life Force between him and the Five Elements Tree.

But Mo Qi had one advantage over the Five Elements Tree.

His body was able to extract that Mysterious Power from the Five Elements Tree’s substance and assimilate it.

Furthermore, this power could not be plundered back by the Five Elements Tree.

In other words, while it looked like a tie on the surface, Mo Qi was actually coming out slightly ahead in the exchange.

As this imbalance continued, Mo Qi began to gain the upper hand.

WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!

The lashing of the branches suddenly sped up, becoming wild and erratic.

Not only that, but the rate at which the Five Elements Tree sapling healed its wounds could no longer keep up with the rate Mo Qi was devouring it.

HUMMM!

CLANG! BANG!

The Five Elements Tree trembled, releasing the Obsidian Kitchen Knife and erupting with immense force in an attempt to throw Mo Qi off.

However, Mo Qi’s hands and feet were stuck fast to it, and with the protection of the Mysterious Power, he couldn’t be thrown off no matter how much force the Five Elements Tree exerted.

’It’s actually scared!’ Yan’s face was a mask of disbelief as she watched.

She had assumed that merely resisting the Five Elements Tree’s Life Force drain was Mo Qi’s limit. She never imagined his ferocity would so far exceed her expectations—he had actually bitten the Five Elements Tree into submission!

’Can anyone help this Queen pick her shattered worldview up off the floor?’

Yan was at a loss for words to describe Mo Qi.

She had lived for countless millennia and experienced world-shaking divine wars. In terms of seniority, the number of beings on the entire continent who could claim to be older than her could be counted on one hand.

Yet at this moment, she had to admit she couldn’t figure Mo Qi out.

In the short span of less than half a month together, Mo Qi had already given her far, far too many shocks and surprises.

’Is that foolish boy really human?’

Yan couldn’t help but wonder.

Just then, the confrontation between Mo Qi and the Five Elements Tree took another turn.

The Five Elements Tree suddenly stopped draining Mo Qi. The Giant Tree Illusion sent out a vague thought, indicating it wanted to call a truce.

Would Mo Qi agree to that?

Of course not!

"What? You think you can start draining me whenever you want and stop whenever you want? What do you take me for? A juice box?"

Not only did Mo Qi not stop, he actually began to chew with even greater relish.

"Human, you forced my hand! Die!"

Suddenly, a clear Divine Thought entered Mo Qi’s mind, its voice seething with furious resolve.

The Giant Tree Illusion behind the Five Elements Tree rapidly contracted, transforming into a streak of green light that shot into the center of Mo Qi’s forehead.

The green light bypassed all his defenses and appeared instantly within Mo Qi’s Sea of Consciousness. It homed in on the origin of his soul and plunged straight in.

’Such pure Power of the Soul! Possessing him and taking a human body would be an excellent experience. Perhaps I can even use this opportunity to condense the Dao, shatter my fetters, and achieve rebirth!’

A joyous thought emanated from the green light.

"Aren’t you celebrating a little too early?" Mo Qi’s mocking voice rang out. "Do you always just barge into someone’s Sea of Consciousness without even taking a look around first?"

"Hmph, a mere mortal, not even an Immortal. Do you think you’re worthy of my concern? I..." the green light transmitted disdainfully.

But it still sent out a sliver of its consciousness to sweep across Mo Qi’s Sea of Consciousness.

When it saw the Chaos Scripture and the Nether Soul Flame, its words caught in its throat.

If it had a face, it would be one of pure, utter shock, as if it had just seen a ghost.

Although it didn’t recognize the Chaos Scripture or the Nether Soul Flame, its powerful instincts told it that it could not afford to provoke either of them.

This was especially true of the Chaos Scripture. Its aura was so unfathomably vast and majestic that not even the World Tree matriarch from its inherited memories could compare.

To be more precise, the two weren’t on the same level at all.

’How could an object like this possibly appear in a place like this?!’

’And how could it be inside a mortal’s Sea of Consciousness?!’

"You... Who in the world are you?" The green light began to panic.

"You’ve dug your own grave," Mo Qi said, not to the light, but to the Chaos Scripture. He chuckled. "I’ll leave this thing to you."

BOOM!

The moment his words fell, a tremendous power extended from the Chaos Scripture, forming a great net that enveloped the green light, dragging it into the depths of the Sea of Consciousness until it vanished completely.

Outside, the light covering the Five Elements Tree’s body vanished, and it reverted to its previous half-dead state.

Only then did Mo Qi finally open his mouth, tossing the Five Elements Tree lightly into the air.

The Obsidian Kitchen Knife flew back into his hand.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

With a few flashes of the blade, the Five Elements Tree’s roots, leaves, branches, and trunk were all neatly separated. It was now completely powerless to resist.