In the hours it took Damien to climb to the point he reached, the battles around the Primordial Undying Tree never stopped.
Corpses of geniuses that were once hailed as the supremes in the younger generation littered the ground around the tree, while those who survived stood within its crown.
The final victors had already been decided.
When Ruyue killed the 4th-ranked genius, none dared to oppose her anymore, and she was able to quickly get her hands on a green fruit.
The problem stemmed from when she attempted to take a second one for herself. She naturally met fierce resistance for attempting to hoard the treasures, but none of those who tried to stop her had the ability to do so.
After all, Lunaria had acquired the fruit she came for easily, and Feng Qing'er had done the same after stepping over the corpse of the 6th-rank genius, Peng Xiaoyan.
At some point without anyone's recognition, the 5th green fruit had been stolen by Qing Tan.
Looking at the results, Ruyue figured it was expected. Since these people were all close to, or at least on friendly terms with, Damien, she knew that they wouldn't oppose her.
'But that Qing Tan…she's far more dangerous than I originally gave her credit for.'
Granted, in this chaotic environment, it was easy to lose sight of someone. But for Qing Tan to have reached the green fruit without a single person's detection was still an amazing feat.
She had even avoided Ruyue's eyes, which had been activated and scanning the area the entire time.
Now, four geniuses stood in four cardinal directions on the middle area of the Primordial Undying Tree's crown, each having claimed their place.
The rest of the geniuses looked at them in both awe and greed, but there was nothing they could do. Instead of focusing on the fruits that had already been taken, it was best to try and get their hands on a red fruit that those peak geniuses didn't even give a second look to.
Unlike some, most of them knew their limits. Aside from Ruyue, who was a wild card, the ones in the middle area of the tree were already ranked in the top 5 before they even entered the secret realm.
With the kind of opportunities they must've received within, the strong had only gotten stronger.
So the fight for red fruits became far fiercer than the previous fights. Even if there were 10 fruits, there were still almost 100 geniuses.
And of those 10 fruits, 4 of them had disappeared at some point, claimed while others had been fighting for the green ones.
Ruyue soon ignored the commotion below and directed her gaze to the purple layer of the tree's crown with furrowed brows.
'After so long, there hasn't been any movement at all. It's strange.'
The fighting here had almost come to a close, yet there was nothing at all from the peak where the two most talented geniuses were supposed to be fighting.
In fact, everyone was directing a portion of their attention to the peak in hopes of witnessing that fight, but they were only left with disappointment.
Suddenly…
BOOM!
A massive explosion rang out. Shrapnel from combusted tree branches rained down onto the ground, and flaming purple leaves drifted through the air.
There was only a single branch left from the purple layer of the Primordial Undying Tree. That single branch that housed the purple fruit that all geniuses dreamed about.
In the sky, two figures suddenly emerged.
One was the familiar figure of Damien, and as for the other, it was a grey-haired, red-eyed man with an eerie aura.
'It's finally begun.'
Feng Qing'er and Lunaria watched on in interest, eager to see the result of the fight. Qing Tan stared at the two figures in the sky with a complicated gaze.
Ruyue tightly clutched the necklace that hung around her neck. This fight would be the most important one since the start of the secret realm.
***
When Damien re-emerged after using the spatial transference formation etched on the snake's dang, he found himself in a wide-open area.
The ground beneath him was made of countless branches that intertwined to create a sturdy floor, and the walls were filled with purple leaves.
In the center of the room, a double-stranded branch snakes up from the rest, and in that branch's grasp was a beautiful purple fruit.
Rather than being completely purple, the fruit was crystalline like jade, but emitted a purple luster.
It looked more like an ore than a fruit, but still provoked one's desire to feast on it. It was an odd feeling.
As Damien observed the fruit, he suddenly felt another presence appear in the room.
The man across from him was no longer wearing a hood. Judging from how his clothes were tattered in some places, he must've lost it in a fight similar to the one Damien had just had.
"Is it just coincidence that we arrived at the same time, or was it premeditated to be like this?" He asked casually.
Hun Fang looked at him without a change in expression. "Regardless of which one it was, we were bound to fight. I highly doubt you would let me peacefully leave with the fruit even if I acquired it first."
"It's the same for you."
"…"
"So? The mysterious Spirit King of the 3000 Beast Mountain Range, you're different from what I expected. To be honest, I don't like you at all."
"Am I supposed to care about that?"
"I suppose not…the scent of your mana, it's disgusting."
As soon as Damien said those words, Hun Fang's gaze sharpened. "The scent?"
"Ah, don't worry about it. I was just talking to myself. In any case, only one of us will be leaving this place alive, and I have no intention of dying."
"You and I have no enmity or grudge between us. Is there a reason for you to take things so far?" Hun Fang asked inquisitively.
Damien smirked in response. "Didn't I already tell you? The scent of your mana, it's disgusting."
Without warning, Damien vanished, reappearing behind Hun Fang. His fist shot out with the speed of a bullet, throwing a punch that was set in motion before he had even finished teleporting.
Voom!
Hun Fang's grey mana emanated from his body and formed a shield. When Damien's fist impacted, it felt like he was punching cotton.
A sense of danger enveloped his body. He teleported away the second he felt it. But as he did so, space around him shattered, thrusting him back into the Real Plane.
A bolt of grey mana followed his movements through the spatial layers as if it was alive. As it approached him, Damien charged his Void Flames and shot a bolt to meet it.
Bzzt!
The two bolts of mana collided in the air and destroyed each other.
"Teleportation. It's a good skill, but it will not work against me." Hun Fang commented indifferently.
"Whether or not it'll work, that's not up to you to decide." Damien quipped back.
He merged with space, achieving a far deeper level of synchronization than when he normally teleported.
In this state, it was impossible to track his movements even if one could peer into the spatial layers.
Another bold of grey mana shot into the void, this one containing far more power than the last.
Boom!
Space shattered once more, and without suspense, Damien's figure was revealed.
A frown decorated his face. 'This fight…is going to be much harder than I thought it was.'
