After a while, as Chen Hao and the Tree Demon absorbed more and more Yang Energy from the Millennium Xuan Turtle, the Nether King's Power and the Tree Demon's Power battling above their heads grew increasingly fierce.

Just as the comparison of the two powers was about to reach the decisive stage of determining the victor and the vanquished, suddenly!

A blinding burst of light!

"Crackling!" The Tree Demon's body suddenly split open, revealing countless unevenly sized holes, from which pillars of searing, golden-hued Yang Energy shot out.

"Ahhh!" The Tree Demon let out a piercing, agonizing scream. Unable to adapt to so much Yang Energy, it was injured by the Yang Energy and its body destroyed.

Once its body was split open, the Tree Demon's Power could no longer withstand the assault of the Nether King's Power.

In the end, the Nether King's Power completely devoured the Tree Demon's Power and, like a massive tidal wave, rushed towards the Tree Demon, utterly wrecking its already scar-ridden body.

Afterward, Chen Hao withdrew the Nether King's Power.

The moment he retracted the Nether King's Power, like what happened to the Tree Demon, Chen Hao's body, unable to adapt to such an influx of Spiritual Power, was pierced by the intense Spiritual Power, creating numerous small holes.

However, unlike the Tree Demon, it was not pillars of Yang Energy that flowed out from the holes in Chen Hao's body, but streams of black-purple Nether Power mixed with bright red blood.

Additionally, not long after, the Nether Power and blood that had spilled from Chen Hao's body flowed back in, and the wounds riddling his body healed as well.

Unlike Chen Hao, the Tree Demon had no ability to rise from the dead; the Yang Energy that flowed out from it was absorbed back by the Millennium Xuan Turtle.

At that moment, a purple vortex appeared in the air, and Yuqiao emerged from within it. She helped Chen Hao up from the ground, holding him tightly, feeling immense tenderness and sorrow in her heart.

Half a minute later, Chen Hao was resurrected and opened his eyes. After two weak coughs, he wrapped his left arm around Yuqiao's waist, and his right hand gently stroked her long hair draping over her back, whispering in her ear, "Girlfriend, I'm all right now, don't be sad!"

Yuqiao didn't respond but pressed her chest closer to Chen Hao's.

Chen Hao smiled faintly, feeling warmth in his heart, and tilted his head to leave a light kiss on Yuqiao's forehead.

"Every time in the Nether Acupoint, when I feel your heart stop suddenly, your breathing halt, and your blood turn cold, I become so afraid. The feeling of suddenly losing you is so real," said Yuqiao, looking up at Chen Hao with a face full of grievance and sadness. "So, even with an immortal body, for me, you can't die again, especially when I'm in the Nether Acupoint! Okay?"

"Hmm, I will do my best!"

"What do you mean 'try your best'?" Ye Yuqiao raised her hand and gave Chen Hao a playful punch on the chest, neither too hard nor too soft. "It's 'definitely', not 'try'—you have to do it!"

"Okay, okay! Definitely!" Chen Hao quickly promised, his eyes curving into two arching bridges, finding Ye Yuqiao in front of him adorably mischievous.

"Woo-woo, Mom, I'm sorry!" At that moment, the Tree Demon beside them let out a mournful wail.

After exchanging a glance, Chen Hao, hand in hand with Ye Yuqiao, walked over to the Tree Demon. By now, its body below the chest had already been ground into powder by the Nether King's Power, leaving only a tearful face and the broken upper half of its torso. Still, since the millennium-old Scholar Tree's spirit remained within its body, it was alive and had not died.

"You're still alive! You can still keep the promise you made to your mom!" Chen Hao said to the Tree Demon. "To tell the truth, I'm touched by your desire to protect this mountain forest and the animals around it, so I've decided not to kill you! Just continue to cultivate diligently, and I believe you'll become an Immortal in a few hundred years."

"I don't need your fake sympathy!" the Tree Demon screamed at Chen Hao, its voice tearing,"Just kill me! Quick!"

Chen Hao let out a helpless sigh, then squatted in front of the Tree Demon and said, "Why bother? Although you can't move around freely as before, you still possess the Tree Demon's power. With these powers, safeguarding this mountain forest and your companions should be no problem. If you die, they'd truly have no one to rely on!"

As he spoke, Chen Hao's expression darkened, and after a sigh, he continued, "I killed your mother and the other demons around because they took too many lives. If I'm not mistaken, you must have died already. Your Yang Spirit must have been pieced together by your mother using those innocent peoples' Yang Spirits, Primordial Spirits, and Primordial Souls bit by bit!"

After a long silence, the Tree Demon looked at Chen Hao and spoke with a hoarse voice, "You're right! I've been an orphan since I was a child. The elders in the village told me that if I had any troubles or wishes, I could talk to the old Scholar Tree behind the village, my mother. So every time I faced difficulties or felt unhappy, I would run to my mother and confide in her!"

A wave of bitterness surged through the Tree Demon as it recalled the past, causing it to choke up. After a few sobs, it continued, "Last year, those people wanted to dig out my mother, and the villagers agreed for the sake of money—all but me! So I stood in front of my mother to stop them from taking her away. Eventually, I got into a violent conflict with those people, and during the scuffle, they pushed me down the mountain, and I died from the fall."

Suddenly, the Tree Demon's face was filled with rage, and its tearful eyes also filled with murderous intent.

"Because a life was lost, the buyer felt it was a bad omen and decided not to dig up my mother. After I died, the villagers buried me nearby. When I next awoke, I was already inside this body, and by then, my mother had already transferred her thousand-year-old spirit into me, declaring she would do everything possible to allow me to cultivate into a demon, and that I must, as a demon, protect this mountain forest like a guardian, and the companions who strive to cultivate into immortals around us!"

"So, that's how it went!" Chen Hao smiled with narrowed eyes. Then, he stretched his right hand over the Tree Demon's head and transferred his Yang Energy into the Tree Demon's body.

Before long, a new upper body and arms grew back on the Tree Demon.

"Your Demon Soul has been dispersed by me," Chen Hao said. "However, this just allows you to start over. Next time, aim to cultivate into an Immortal Soul, even though it will take a long time! Remember not to harm people again; it doesn't conflict with your duty to protect the forests. I believe your mother didn't kill all those people out of pure malice; it was to save her child—you and your companions. It doesn't sound utterly unforgivable!"

"Why are you helping me?" the Tree Demon asked.

Chen Hao smiled, stood up, and returned to Ye Yuqiao's side, holding her hand as he said, "Because I'm just like you, with mysterious power inside my body. With this power, we should become better, right? What I've been doing, what you've been doing—we're both protecting our homes and companions and living for the people we love!"

Chen Hao looked towards Ye Yuqiao, and the two exchanged smiles.

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