Master of Nine Stars

RUMBLE!!!

Rumble…

Massive meteors made of snow rained down from the sky, relentlessly bombarding the Tree Castle constructed by over a thousand Bailing Tree Maidens. The ceaseless rumbling was so loud it was painful, threatening to burst everyone’s eardrums.

The initial impact of the Celestial Burial Snow Meteor was certainly a heavy blow, but the Soul Skill’s truly terrifying effect was yet to come!

Upon impact, the massive, snow-white meteors would explode, unleashing shockwaves of astonishing power. The force was more than any ordinary person could withstand, and the destructive potential was immense!

Even when the Celestial Burial Snow Meteors didn’t strike them directly, the sound alone was enough to make everyone’s hearts pound with terror!

Consequently, the Snow Corpses and Snow Ghosts that were frantically swarming the Tree Castle—some even climbing its walls to desperately tear at the branches—were also caught in the devastation!

The Bailing Tree Maidens’ thorns and lashes had failed to make the surging Corpse Tide retreat; they couldn’t halt the advance of the rolling undead. But the Celestial Burial Snow Meteor, with its vast area of effect and astonishing destructive power, smashed the Snow Corpses and Ghosts to a pulp in a short amount of time, obliterating them body and soul!

For a moment, sounds of wailing and screaming rose from all sides, echoing through the night.

The Snow Monk didn’t seem to care whether the Corpse Tide was on its side. It paid no mind to whether the massive meteors were crashing down upon the Snow Corpses and Ghosts. Or perhaps…

To an Epic-grade Snow Monk, the Elite and Master-grade Snow Corpses and Ghosts were no different from ants. The Snow Monk simply couldn’t be bothered with whether they lived or died.

After all, the Snow Corpses, the Snow Ghosts, and even their leader, Snow General Candle, were all just a Suicide Squad, weren’t they?

“Whimper… sob…”

“Hiss… sob…” Under the relentless bombardment of the massive, snowy meteors, the once-fearless Snow Corpses and Ghosts finally learned what it was to be afraid. They completely forgot about avenging their leader.

The horde of snowy zombies turned and fled, scrambling and crawling over one another. They shrieked and wailed, wishing they could sprout two more legs to get away from the Tree Castle faster.

RUMBLE! Rumble…

The very earth trembled. This was a true Natural Disaster!

Meanwhile, the Bailing Tree Maidens, the true targets of the attack, couldn’t stop themselves from screaming in agony.

WHAP~!

A supple branch whipped toward him, and Rong Taotao quickly dodged to the side.

WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!

But to his surprise, more and more branches began to thrash about. Rong Taotao dodged repeatedly, quickly recalling Mengmeng Xiao and Rong Ling into his body.

“Taotao!” Seeing the danger, Gao Lingwei placed a hand on Rong Taotao’s chest and pushed him flat against the wall of wood.

She spun around instantly, her back pressing against Rong Taotao’s chest. Her Frost Snow Armor rapidly materialized, and she shielded him with her body, enduring the thrashing of the branches that swept in from all directions…

The Tree Castle, once a safe haven, had become a deathtrap. The towering cypresses that formed it seemed to have gone berserk, turning the once-stable interior into a hell of torturous, whipping branches!

Branches and trunks lashed out indiscriminately, and the scene was utter chaos.

On the cypresses, one after another, the exquisite silhouettes of women appeared. Their faces were twisted in agony. Clearly, the Celestial Burial Snow Meteor was causing them immense harm—so much pain that they could no longer control their own bodies.

“Huuuu…”

The next moment, an ethereal green light flared to life. Innumerable motes of green light completely illuminated the Tree Castle built from over a thousand cypresses.

For some reason, Rong Taotao felt a strange sensation. ‘Do these little motes of green light have the power to heal a living creature’s spirit?’

‘The Bailing Tree Maidens’ First Soul Skill is Bailing Barrier, a Mental Barrier, and their Second Soul Skill is Bailing Vine, which rescues targets trapped in the Spiritual World. So where did they get this ability to soothe the spirit?’

‘Is it a unique biological trait of the Bailing Tree Maiden race?’

Clearly, the Bailing Tree Maidens were communicating something among themselves. Soon, the densely packed, wildly thrashing branches and vines grew a little quieter.

“Are you all right?” Rong Taotao asked, one arm around Gao Lingwei’s waist as he hurried forward a couple of steps.

The frost covering Gao Lingwei shattered and fell away. She silently shook her head. “They couldn’t break my defense. I’m fine.”

On the wooden wall behind Rong Taotao, a massive female face materialized. Clan Leader Bai Muqing’s voice trembled, clearly from the effort of enduring immense pain. “I have my people intertwining their branches, raising them toward the sky to intercept the meteors raining down.

But… we can’t hold on for much longer. Child, leave this place. Head north through the Tree Castle.

We will open a gate for you in the northern wall of the Tree Castle. The Corpse Tide besieging us to the north has already been blown into disarray. You can escape toward the human wall.”

Rong Taotao: !!!

He stared blankly at the Bailing Tree Maiden. For a moment, he was utterly at a loss, not knowing how to respond to the Clan Leader’s words.

Overhead, the deafening roar of explosions continued unabated.

‘She wants me to leave? Can the Bailing Tree Maidens’ spirit of self-sacrifice really go this far?’

Everyone knew the nature of the Bailing Tree Maidens. Rong Taotao even recalled that during the last invasion of the Soul Beast Army, the Bailing Tree Maiden clan had chosen not to retreat behind the human wall in order to shelter the weaker creatures, staying behind to defend Bai Shu Village instead.

Of course, the price for such an act had been steep. She had lost countless members of her clan.

“Leave this place, child. You are still too weak. You shouldn’t be involved in a battle of this caliber. You must cherish the Lotus Petal; don’t let it be taken by others.”