Its core form of life changed as a result.

The tree vines began to swell and crack, revealing fresh, red bark underneath.

Near the Blast Flame Lizard, the Poisonous Mushrooms that had not yet been scorched began to shrivel and wither at a visible rate.

Zhou Lie observed the original Life Energy of the Poisonous Mushrooms flowing back into the tree vines.

Like a giant python shedding its skin, the dark red bark burst forth from the decaying original vines. It slithered through the flames and magma, showing no signs of being burned or charred.

The sneer on Zhou Lie’s lips froze as he re-evaluated the trees on this land.

’The new roots, reeking of sulfur, grew ferally. Could their Attribute be the rare combination of Fire and Grass?’

’No, this must be a Grass Element Tree Species specially adapted to defend against Fire Attribute Power!’

’In layman’s terms, its fire resistance is extremely high. It can withstand the scorching heat!’

The fiery red bark, reflecting the glow of the magma, now had a metallic sheen, unlike conventional brown bark.

Zhou Lie’s hand tightened slightly. This was the first time he had sensed such a massive shift in a life form during battle.

At the same time, he sensed something strange.

The power of the magma beneath the Blast Flame Lizard’s feet seemed to be getting absorbed by those new red roots.

"This is impossible!"

"How can the molten floor be absorbed in reverse? That’s hundreds of degrees hot."

Zhou Lie frowned, a vague sense of foreboding creeping over him.

The crimson roots didn’t stop. They raced across the magma floor, heading straight for the Blast Flame Lizard, and slammed against its Magma Shield with immense force.

At some point, without anyone noticing, Mouse Treasure had crept close again.

Seeing that the thick new red roots were unafraid of fire and had entangled the enemy, Mouse Treasure stomped the ground and leaped into the air again. It was clad in Rock Armor, gathering soil into its front paws as the Earth Dragon Illusion reappeared behind it.

Heaven-Piercing Earth-Splitting Palm!

But this heaven-piercing attack wasn’t aimed upward. Instead, the palm strike shot down toward the Blast Flame Lizard’s shield on the ground, helping Cyan Treasure break through and capture the opponent!

BOOM!

The ground shook once more. The shield—semi-corporeal and made of translucent, molten energy—shattered on impact.

Cyan Treasure felt a searing pain from its roots, but the agony only made its scales flare open—its Wood Escape Flood Dragon Power was frantically absorbing the essence of the terrestrial fire.

This was a Master Level application of the Mastery of Wood Escape.

Mastery of Wood Escape was the advanced utilization of Life Energy.

The opponent’s magma-like blood and the resulting terrestrial fire energy were all alternative forms of Life Energy.

The roots spread across the floor, continuously absorbing and growing stronger.

They weren’t drawing solely on Cyan Treasure’s own energy. They were also using the energy of the local soil and even seizing the Life Energy created by the enemy, converting it all into components for Evolution.

Bind!

The command flashed through Cyan Treasure’s mind. As Mouse Treasure’s Heaven-Piercing Earth-Splitting Palm shattered the shield, the roots slipped through the cracks. They wrapped around the opponent’s neck and continued to coil and bind along the curve of its body until it was completely restrained!

Cyan Treasure suddenly had a feeling.

’Maybe Master had calculated this all along. The high-temperature environment created by the Blast Flame Lizard was the perfect nourishment for the fire-resistant tree species.’

In reality, Gu Ming hadn’t thought that far ahead. He was still focused on the opponent’s every move.

Since he was a talented student specifically pointed out by Teacher Ling, he was bound to have a few tricks up his sleeve.

"Be careful! Mouse Treasure, fall back first!" Gu Ming said.

Mouse Treasure attacked with its physical body, unlike Cyan Treasure, which controlled the roots from a distance. The difference between them was a dozen meters.

That distance was enough for him and Cyan Treasure to execute a fighting retreat.

Mouse Treasure obediently and quickly fell back, running to Cyan Treasure’s side.

Meanwhile, the Dumb Flower had its roots buried in the ground, sensing the shifts in life forms within the magma-covered plot of land, and was secretly stunned.

Both it and Wang Teng were amazed by Cyan Treasure’s ability.

As a Grass Element Pet Beast, it was actually competing for Life Energy with a Fire Element Pet Beast that had a Sub-dragon Bloodline.

This completely shattered his worldview.

’How could that tree’s abilities and fire resistance be so high? Where did it even get the raw materials?’

"Blast it open for me!"

Zhou Lie’s face was ashen, and his roar was laced with a panicked tremor.

The Blast Flame Lizard’s pupils bulged and became bloodshot as its Pill Fire roared like a furnace in its belly.

The light of the fire it had been gathering in its mouth now gushed forth.

The crimson roots quickly coiled up, blocking the lizard’s mouth.

RUMBLE RUMBLE.

The ground trembled again. Everyone saw the blazing flames bake the roots, which emitted a crisp, shattering sound like breaking glass. The commotion was huge, but the roots didn’t break.

Gu Ming gently vibrated the Sword Body in his Sea of Consciousness, sending out Sword Qi to perceive the details of the battle a dozen meters away.

He clearly saw the fire-resistant roots resisting the opponent’s fiery blast. The Wood Escape Flood Dragon Power was rapidly repairing them from within while simultaneously absorbing the opponent’s energy.

This back-and-forth exchange nullified nearly forty percent of the firepower.

Even so, nearly sixty percent of the firepower was unstoppable, causing the bark’s surface to char rapidly.

When the Blast Flame Lizard saw that the roots hadn’t broken, it became enraged.

A stubborn fire danced in its vertical pupils. It slammed its front claws on the ground, triggering a dull resonance from the rock layer below.

It was gathering energy again, its internal Pill Fire flaring up as it prepared to charge a more powerful blast.

"CRACK!"

A bowl-sized hole was melted through the newest fire-resistant root by a super-powered flame cannon.

Zhou Lie was just about to breathe a sigh of relief.

’As long as the super flame cannon hits, everything will be fine. No Pet Beast can block this attack.’

But then he saw Cyan Treasure suddenly rear up, its tail whipping through the air before slapping the ground again.

It turned out Cyan Treasure hadn’t just been watching idly. It had also been secretly planting more Grass Seeds.

The Grass Seeds buried beneath the magma burst in response.

New crimson roots, like a pack of pythons that had smelled blood, surged upstream along the trajectory of the Blast Flame Lizard’s flames to plug the gap once more.

This time, the Dragon Pattern Tripod inside Cyan Treasure trembled, and an Ancient Dragon Illusion materialized behind it.

The sound of a dragon’s cry traveled into the earth and through the roots.

The Wood Escape Flood Dragon Power hidden within them, as if blessed and strengthened by an ancient Dragon Soul, erupted with even greater control, absorbing more energy into the roots.

"Is it using the fire to nurture its seedlings?"

The spectator, Lu You, suddenly understood.

The fire-resistant tree species were madly transforming within the flames; broken roots became new seedlings the moment they touched the ground.

Wang Teng, standing behind the Dumb Flower, was already soaked in sweat.

His Dumb Flower sensed the Life Energy from a vast network of roots all surging toward Cyan Treasure.

Cyan Treasure’s control had already been absurd, and now it had reached a whole new level.

This was perhaps because of the Ancient Dragon Illusion that had appeared behind Cyan Treasure.

He had seen it once or twice before but thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Now that he truly perceived it, he realized it looked just like a Daoist Skill illusion of the True Dragon Race.

’Could it be that Cyan Treasure, a mere Little Cyan Snake, has mastered a Dragon Clan Daoist Skill—and an orthodox one at that?’

Only now did he understand the profound meaning behind Gu Ming’s choice of a war of attrition—every time the Blast Flame Lizard breathed fire, it was just adding fuel to its enemy’s fire.

Zhou Lie ground his back teeth so hard they audibly clicked.

The golden glow in the Blast Flame Lizard’s pupils was fading, and its Pill Fire Core emitted an overburdened hum.

He could feel a searing pain through his contract link—a warning that his Pet Beast’s Mana was about to run out.

But the bastard opposite him was still standing ramrod straight, the crimson firelight reflected in his eyes. The faint, barely-there smile on his lips was more scorching than magma.

The draconic illusion behind the Little Cyan Snake also made his heart skip a beat. He sensed it too—it was an orthodox Dragon Clan Daoist Skill.

He couldn’t figure out how Gu Ming’s Little Cyan Snake had managed to master such draconic powers.

After all, his Blast Flame Lizard only possessed a Sub-dragon Bloodline.

It was understandable to be outmatched when facing a true Dragon Clan Daoist Skill, but he was still incredibly unwilling to accept it.

"Someone from Yangyang High School is here!" Wang Teng suddenly exclaimed.

His Dumb Flower’s roots were dug into the ground and had already sensed people three to four hundred meters away rushing in their direction.

"Don’t be afraid, I’m here to help you, Zhou Lie!"

After the voice faded, a young girl riding a flying butterfly wreathed in Ice Flower Snow arrived swiftly on the scene.

Streaks of Ice Flower Snow transformed into sword shadows and shot toward Cyan Treasure, instantly bisecting the battlefield.

Hearing his companion’s voice, Zhou Lie’s tense body finally relaxed slightly.