The battlefield was eerily silent, with only various energies and lights flickering faintly.
Yet everyone knew that if either side made any further aggressive moves, an all-out battle would inevitably erupt.
Why was Ye Zhongming acting so domineering? It didnât align with his usual style.
Because deep down, he was wary of these two level-nine lifeforms.
They werenât enemiesâin fact, before Death King Tree and Talking Lady evolved to level nine, they had even been friends. To some extent, they had served as Cloud Peakâs enforcers and test subjects.
But everything changed once they reached level nine. Whether it was Talking Lady or Death King Tree, though they hadnât turned against Cloud Peak, they had begun displaying a certain arroganceâa dignity and temperament befitting apex lifeforms.
This wasnât inherently wrong. Any lifeform that reached the pinnacle of their planet would naturally exude such an instinctive aura.
But!
They had failed to consider one thingâ
Reaching the top of the planet only meant status, not invincibility.
These beings, neither friends nor enemies, yet neither obedient nor predictable, were far too dangerous to have lingering near Cloud Peak.
Ye Zhongming hated this feeling.
But would he distance himself from themâor even kill them? Unless absolutely necessary, that was something he would never do.
Deep down, Ye Zhongming still wanted them to belong to Cloud Peak. If not that, then at least maintain a good relationship so they could lend aid in critical moments.
To achieve this, the most crucial thing was to make them fear him. At the very least, make them wary.
And that was exactly what Ye Zhongming was doing now.
Of course, this wasnât just an empty bluff. To make others fear you, you had to possess the power to back it up. Did Ye Zhongming have it? Did Cloud Peak?
Others might not be sure, but every member of Cloud Peakâincluding Ye Zhongmingâfirmly believed they did.
Even if Death King Tree and Talking Lady had just evolved to level nine (with Demon King Treeâs unique physiology making her especially formidable), even if the Saint Father were to rise from the dead, Cloud Peak was confident they could kill him.
It would just come at a cost.
So when Ye Zhongming roared those words, his primary intent was intimidation. But if a fight did break out? He wouldnât mind.
Cloud Peak had slain more than one or two level-nine lifeforms. He had the confidence.
Even if he was facing both Death King Tree and Talking Lady (plus her black cat), the same principle applied.
If he couldnât gain two allies, then level nine magic crystals would suffice.
"Heh, Yeâ" Demon King Tree chuckled dismissively, about to say somethingâ
But in response, Ye Zhongming suddenly lunged forward. From a distance, he lightly leapt into the air and threw out a seemingly effortless punch.
The abruptness of Cloud Peakâs King taking action caught both Death King Tree and Talking Lady off guard.
Though they were evolved lifeforms at their core, their intelligence was extremely high. They understood their own value.
Cloud Peak might be the strongest faction in the region, but they werenât without enemiesâquite the opposite, in fact. Their enemies were formidable. Moreover, Ye Zhongming was in the process of advancing toward becoming a nine-star evolved. To do that, he needed to kill other level nine lifeformsâand they were the ones who could help him most.
So when Ye Zhongming issued his threat, they took it seriouslyâbut they werenât afraid.
Thus, Death King Tree acted flippant, while Talking Lady furrowed her brows, her black cat baring its teeth.
But Cloud Peakâs King attacked too suddenlyâno hesitation, no negotiation. Just action.
Death King Tree was caught off guard.
People often casually threw around the term "level-nine lifeform," but when actually facing one? That was when you realized how terrifying they were.
Being suddenly attacked was unexpected for Death King Tree. She didnât think Ye Zhongming had any reason to strike.
But now that he had, she immediately counterattacked.
She didnât dodgeâinstead, she charged straight at him.
Death King Treeâs body was no different from that of a normal human woman, appearing tiny compared to the close-combat robot. The fist of Ye Zhongmingâs machine was nearly half her size, and with the added momentum of descending from above, it seemed visually impossible for her to block.
Yet the newly ascended level-nine lifeform showed no fear. She didnât even use a skillâjust swung her own hand, meeting Ye Zhongmingâs punch head-on.
Normally, this wouldnât be an issue. Despite her small stature, Death King Treeâs body was incredibly tough, far sturdier than a mental-type lifeform like Talking Lady. Even after reaching level nine, the latterâs body was "hardy," but she still wasnât a physically oriented fighter.
Just as Death King Tree was about to teach this strange machine a lessonâ
The fist that seemed about to strike suddenly split open, releasing a barrage of circular shuriken that filled the space in front of her.
Each was razor-thin, with lethally sharp edges, yet large, about 70 centimeters in diameter.
Ten blades, leaving the Death King Tree no room to dodge.
Le DĂ yuan, protected by the Shengyuan Team, had also arrived on the battlefield. Seeing this, he nodded approvingly.
As expected of someone with near-perfect synchronization. Even in his first battle, he controls the machine as if heâs practiced dozens of times.
Death King Tree truly couldnât evade. But she didnât panic.
Her outstretched fist exploded without resistance, releasing over a dozen supple vines that lashed out, striking the incoming shuriken and scattering them away.
But before she could reactâ
A shadow shot up from beneath her.
Death King Treeâs instincts flared. The same ultra-fine tendrils that had once breached Cloud Peakâs defenses shot out, weaving into a seemingly fragile net.
The shadowâa kick from the robotâs footâslammed into it the next second.
It didnât break through, but the force sent the Death King Tree slightly upward.
Somehow, while the fist had just split open to fire the shuriken, the robotâs body had already twisted mid-air, using its sheer size to deliver a "rising kick" from below.
In the opening exchange, Death King Tree was at a disadvantage.
Anger flared in her. She wanted to counterattackâ
But then she sensed danger below again. Instinctively, she ascended higher.
As a level nine being, she could now defy many natural laws.
A cold glint shot up through the gaps in the net, narrowly missing her foot.
The follow-up to the "rising kick" missed.
But Ye Zhongming, still controlling the robot, used the metal spike extending from the machineâs toe to hook onto Death King Treeâs root-web. With a powerful twist of its torso, the robot flipped uprightâ
And from the edges of its chest, four beams of light fired instantly, striking the Death King Treeâs upper body!