A sweet and refreshing taste filled Damien's mouth as soon as he bit into the fruit, but he didn't have any time to focus on it.
Along with that taste, a torrent of mana mixed with another mysterious essence entered his body and flooded his Mana Circuit. He closed his eyes and instinctually entered a meditative position to begin digesting the energy.
When Damien sat down, the still Primordial Undying Realm seemed to gain movement again. Dozens of covetous eyes landed on his unprotected body.
But even before their thoughts finished formulating, the stray branches of the Primordial Undying Tree moved with one mind. They formed a barrier around Damien's body and pulled him down into the base of the tree.
It was as if he merged with the tree itself.
Now, if one looked carefully enough, one could see a faint shadow of Damien's body engraved in the tree's trunk.
Bang!
A brave soul launched an attack at the trunk. The greed in his eyes was overwhelming. But before the attack could even land, the Primordial Undying Tree's branches moved into action. The attack was swiftly blocked, and at the same time, a group of branches rapidly moved out and pierced that man's body.
It was a clear warning. If they wanted to reach Damien and try to steal the essence currently circulating through his body, they'd need to get through the tree itself first.
Seeing this, Ruyue breathed out a sigh of relief. Finally, things were coming to an end.
'It doesn't seem like there's anything else I need to do for now. Until he exits seclusion and the secret realm allows our exit, I guess I can just relax here.'
Ruyue looked around one more time. Feng Qing'er and Lunaria were still on the east and south direction of the tree, and the geniuses below them had resumed the fight for the red fruits.
'Hmm? But where's that Qing Tan person?' Ruyue wondered inwardly, but she soon let go of that thought. Other people's business had nothing to do with her.
For now, she would just enjoy these moments of peace before things picked up again when they left the realm.
***
Although hundreds of kilometers of the jungle around the Primordial Undying Tree had been razed, there was still a great deal of flora left untouched outside that range.
Inside the wild area that was there, a shadow emerged from the darkness.
Thump!
A dead body emerged from that shadow, followed by the person who carried it here.
"Goddamnit. What the hell did I do to get stuck with such an idiot brother?"
The woman who came out of the shadow complained while rubbing her forehead. The ring on her hand flashed and a small pill appeared in her hand.
Walking up to the dead body, she shoved the pill in his mouth. "I know you're still awake, bastard. Eat this and recuperate already. We still have work to do."
"Ugh…" A groan left the man on the floor's mouth. Apparently, he wasn't dead at all. But considering the condition of his body, he might as well have been.
"Fuck. Fine, I'll help you circulate it. But I swear to god the next time I see you pull some bullshit like that I'll kill you with my own hands. How dare you try to summon Ira?!"
"Mmgh…no…choice…" Hun Fang squeezed out. His voice was still hoarse, but as the pill's healing properties circulated through his body, he was slowly gaining the ability to speak.
"What do you mean, no choice?! You had the choice to just leave things be! Even if you're competitive, this is too much!" The woman yelled furiously.
"Not…competitive…need…mission…" Hun Fang replied shakily.
"Ugh…mission this, mission that! I know it's important, but not as important as your life! Did you ever think of the consequences of what you were doing?! What would happen to me if you died?!"
Hun Fang's body jolted when he heard her cries. He could feel her warm tears dripping onto his skin.
"I'm…sorry…"
He couldn't think of anything better to say. Because everything she had said was right. It was just, things were too complicated for him to think like she did.
If he failed here, even if he lived, he was destined to die. And if he died, she'd die as well. But if he died in battle while attempting to clear the mission, she might have a chance to live.
When Behemoth's physical strength couldn't crush Damien, he already knew he would lose the battle. Behemoth was already one of his most powerful summons, one that could kill most people at his level in a few punches.
But he kept fighting. Not for the purple fruit, but for her sake. Because he couldn't even imagine the consequences if he returned back empty-handed.
'But I can't tell her that. I'm sure she already understands it all, but saying it out loud is just forcing us to accept reality.'
They were tools. That was their whole role in the grand scheme of things. They were tools that would be thrown away if they couldn't fulfill their purpose.
As he thought about it, he lamented the fact that someone as strong as Damien appeared. When they left this realm, both he and his sister were fated for death.
Hot tears began to stream down the side of his face. He gritted his teeth in unwillingness.
"Idiot brother…" Her words came with a green lump that appeared in his vision. "I got a green fruit, and I stole a few red fruits on my way over here. Even if it isn't as effective as the purple one, it should be enough right?"
Hun Fang looked at Qing Tan, who was looking at him with a sad smile on her face. In the end, he also found himself smiling.
"Enough. It's enough." The words came out much more fluidly. The hideous burn wounds on his body had already healed a great deal. All that was left was to take care of the internal injuries.
'I was able to regain some mana in the healing process….it should be enough.'
"Heed my call. Come forth, Alice."
It wasn't a domineering name like the other summons he had called forth recently. From the space in front of him, a small fairy surrounded by a green halo appeared.
Kyu!
When she saw his body condition, she let out a squeal of fright and immediately entered his body. A green aura soon enveloped him and began mending all his hidden injuries.
Within minutes, Hun Fang was able to sit upright again without pain.
"Haha, no matter how many times I see it, I can't get used to Alice's insane healing capabilities." He chuckled.
"Yeah, it's a shame it can't be used in battle though." Qing Tan quipped in response, thinking of a certain monster.
She sighed to herself. Things were going to get complicated soon. So complicated that she didn't know what their next meeting would look like.
She looked into the sky with melancholy plastered on her face.
'I'm glad I was able to meet someone like you in this life. You, even if you don't realize it, are an ideal for what I want to live my life like. If one day we are able to meet again after we leave this place, I hope we do so as friends instead of enemies.'
Sighing to herself, she handed the fruits over to Hun Fang. There was still plenty of work for them to do.
