Chapter 173 - 120: Occupying the Glacier World
"AWOOO—"
The lesser dragon howled in agony, struggling to attack the tree root that had pierced its body.
However, no matter what attack it used—claws, tail swipes, or its breath weapon—it couldn’t damage the seemingly ordinary root. Instead, its own energy was continuously absorbed by it.
As the root absorbed its power, the creature’s struggles grew weaker and weaker. In just a few moments, the lesser dragon was drained until only a sack of skin remained.
The vast power within its body, its own Energy Core, and the Energy Core of the Insect Mother it had consumed were all absorbed by the roots of the Ice Crystal Tree.
Seeing the powerful lesser dragon defeated so easily, the surrounding dragonized creatures and Corpse Insects were struck with fear. They surged deeper into the tunnel, desperate to escape.
However, they didn’t get far before more ice-blue roots sprouted within the tunnel, sealing it off.
In a rare display of unity, the dragonized creatures and Corpse Insects joined forces to survive, launching a collective assault on the roots.
The seemingly massive offensive didn’t even make a ripple. The roots simply ignored the attacks, piercing through the bodies of all the dragonized creatures and Corpse Insects, draining them of their energy and flesh.
Once all the dragonized creatures and Corpse Insects in the cave had vanished, the dense Ice Energy and deathly aura were also rapidly absorbed. The cavern’s atmosphere returned to normal, becoming nothing more than an ordinary cave.
Then, a new Ice Crystal Tree sprouted from the cavern floor. It radiated a dazzling light as it grew rapidly, shooting up through the tunnel in the ceiling and reaching for the heavens.
A faint spatial barrier expanded in sync with its rising trunk, enveloping the entire Ice and Snow Jungle.
At the same time, a weakened version of "Nature’s Dominion" forcibly aligned all non-dragonized life with the World Tree. "Giant Plants" and "Towering Trees" caused them to grow faster and stronger.
Within the Ice and Snow Jungle, the mushrooms of the Mushroom Forest were overjoyed to find themselves enveloped by a vast will of nature. They had even gained many new abilities. Realizing that the beings who had communicated with them before had not lied, they all bobbed their heads in delight, spraying mists of ice toward the sky to celebrate being welcomed into a world far more friendly to plants.
In a temporary camp not far from the Mushroom Forest, Aburara was overjoyed to see the Ice Crystal Tree rising from the deep pit at the center.
He immediately gathered all the Haiqiu People to explain the situation.
"Do you see that Ice Crystal Tree? Do you see the spatial barrier around us? That is the hope I told you about!!"
"If you silently call out to the Ice Crystal Tree in your hearts, the devout will receive a response."
"Then, apply to join the ’Divine Wood Territory.’ Once your application is approved, you’ll be able to move freely within the spatial barrier without having to worry about being attacked by beasts that might suddenly appear!!"
"If you don’t apply, the Ice Crystal Divine Tree won’t be angry. You’ll simply be repelled and transported outside the spatial barrier after one day."
"Also, has everyone felt the temperature rising?"
"Inside the spatial barrier, the ambient temperature will rise to a comfortable level."
"This way, we can build new cities on the surface! We can continue to develop our civilization! Our civilization can survive!"
...
Following Aburara’s speech, the rescued Haiqiu commoners applied to join the Divine Wood Territory without hesitation. The soldiers and the Floating City’s administrative staff didn’t hesitate for long either, and all of them applied to join as well.
After this large group of Haiqiu People joined the Divine Wood Territory, the Ice Crystal Tree’s spatial barrier expanded significantly. (Intelligent life receives more of the world’s favor, thus a larger share of the world.)
At the same time, its root system grew ferociously underground, piercing through the Earth Core and replacing the entire core of the planet.
Simultaneously, all living beings enveloped by the spatial barrier received a message.
[Do you wish to join the Divine Wood Territory?]
[Join the Divine Wood Territory, and you will receive the new "Yao" trait...]
[Join the Divine Wood Territory, and you will receive a Cultivation Technique...]
[Join the Divine Wood Territory, pass the assessment, and you can gain the right to travel freely between the Divine Wood Territory and the Glacier World.]
[There are even more benefits waiting for you to discover within the Divine Wood Territory.]
[If you do not consent, you will be expelled from this place in one day.]
This voice was a form of mental resonance, understandable to all living beings.
As for the dragonized creatures, unable to receive the message and rejected by the Glacier World, roots burst from the ground and pierced their bodies, siphoning their energy and flesh until they were as thin as paper.
Across the Glacier World, countless beings still struggling to survive learned of the message from the Ice Crystal Tree. Seeing the gruesome fate of the dragonized creatures, most wisely chose to join the Divine Wood Territory.
Only a small fraction of the Haiqiu People believed it to be a trap set by an Evil God, or were mentally unstable and worshiped the dragonized creatures. After one day, they were teleported outside the spatial barrier.
In the icy wasteland beyond the barrier, they either froze to death or were killed by the dragonized creatures.
After the Ice Crystal Tree killed more dragonized creatures and assimilated many surviving Haiqiu People, its authority strengthened again. The spatial barrier expanded once more, and it issued its proclamation to the living beings in the newly acquired territory.
This cycle repeated continuously. In less than ten days, the entire Glacier World was fully incorporated into the World Tree Territory by the Ice Crystal Tree.
The draconic ice-elemental energy that permeated the world, along with the deathly aura from countless creatures the world had not yet been able to process, were all absorbed by the Ice Crystal Tree and converted into nutrients.