Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

There were no pavilions or towers there, only huge, twisted, swollen plant remains flowing with viscous, purplish-black liquid. They intertwined and merged to form writhing, pulsating living structures.

The ground was no longer humus, but covered with a thick, dark red fungal carpet that resembled rotting flesh. Countless thick, tubercles and suckers covered the carpet like giant pythons, or hung down from the gaps in the "structure".

The air was no longer filled with simple poison gas, but with abyssal energy so dense that it formed a solid black column of smoke, and a desperate wail that penetrated to the bone marrow, as if countless living beings were being slowly dissolved and devoured within those living structures.

Deep within the royal court, a twisted "altar" composed of countless enormous, pale skeletons and living roots flowing with foul blood looms in the distance—that is the entrance to the Purification Temple!

But at this moment, the altar was shrouded in an impenetrable darkness.

Even more suffocating was the sight of an unimaginably enormous shadow crawling before the altar!

Corrupted Ancient Tree Lord!

It has already deviated from the category of "tree".

The trunk resembles a rotting dragon coiled on the earth, covered with keratinized bark oozing pus, and countless biological eyeballs gleaming with pain embedded in the crevices of the bark.

Hundreds of enormous roots, like living pythons, burrow deep into the dark red fungal carpet. Each root is covered with sharp barbs and suckers, and some roots even have mouthpart-like structures at their ends.

Its "canopy" is made up of countless purplish-black, living vines that flow with corrosive slime. These vines sway slowly in the air like giant pythons, with petal-shaped, serrated predatory mouthparts opening and closing at their tips!

A terrifying pressure, heavy as a mountain and evil as an abyss, enveloped the entire withered royal court as if it were a tangible force!

Just looking at it from afar makes one feel as if their soul is frozen and their life force is slowly slipping away.

"That is... the Corrupted Ancient Tree Lord..."

Rhodes' voice was slightly hoarse; even a battle maniac like him felt unprecedented pressure in the face of such a scene.

"Abyssal energy concentration...exceeds the limit! The temple entrance has been contaminated and sealed off!"

The nebula crystal in Chloe's hand trembled violently, and starlight flashed in her silver eyes as she tried to pierce through the darkness that shrouded the altar.

"It's asleep...or rather, digesting..." Alphonse's voice was grave.

"I can feel it absorbing the life force and the wailing souls of the entire royal court... That layer of darkness is its domain."

"Shadow of Thorns, extreme distance scan!" Kate immediately gave the order.

Several outermost thorny shadows silently crept along the edge of the basin, heading deeper into the royal court, transmitting back the energy fluctuations they sensed, the patterns of the vines' activity, and the energy veins pulsating like blood vessels on the dark red fungal carpet.

The Seed of Origin operates frantically, coldly analyzing all information:

[Target: Corrupted Ancient Tree Lord (Formal Wizard Level)]

[Status: Deep hibernation/digestion (energy continuously increasing), extremely high Abyss fusion level]

Threat Characteristics:

Abyss Domain (Passive): A powerful abyss force field forms in the core area of ​​the Royal Court, suppressing non-abyss energy and continuously eroding life and spirit.

Root Tentacles: Hundreds of activated roots with high physical defense and a wide attack range (covering the entire royal court), inflicting abyssal corrosion and life-steal effects.

Some of the roots have the ability to spray venom/corrosive slime.

Vine Python: It has dozens of active vine tentacles that are fast and highly flexible. The mouthparts at the top can spray strong acidic mucus or bite and swallow prey.

Corruption Spit (Core): A massive rift at the top of the main trunk that spews out a devastating torrent of abyssal corruption (expected long cooldown).

Mental Pollution (Core): Countless biological eyeballs can unleash superimposed mental shocks and despairing illusions. Regeneration: Supported by abyssal energy, its regenerative abilities are terrifying.

Symbiotic Demonic Plants: Allows control over all corrupted demonic plants within the royal court to launch coordinated attacks.

[Core Weakness Deduction (High Priority): The huge rift at the top of the main trunk (corrupted spewing organ): There is a brief period of weakness after spewing, the internal defense is relatively weak, and it leads directly to the core energy source.]

Abyssal crystals embedded in specific locations on the main trunk: highly condensed abyssal energy cores; destruction of these crystals can trigger an energy collapse.

The location is hidden and requires in-depth scanning for confirmation.

Spatial nodes connecting the Abyss plane: These may exist beneath the altar or deep within the Lord's roots; destroying them will sever their energy supply.

The risks are extremely high, and the detection is extremely difficult.

[Strategic recommendation: We must break its dormancy, force it to expend energy, and expose its weaknesses.]

Focus your attacks on its spitting organs or exposed abyssal crystals.

Powerful purification measures are needed to continuously suppress the abyss realm and mental pollution.

Efficient methods are needed to remove or restrict its roots and vines to protect the task force.

Beware of the symbiotic magical plants it controls launching a surprise attack.

Kate quickly shared the succinct analysis results with the three team leaders.

Evan, Chloe, and Alphonse looked at the message that came in, their expressions extremely solemn.

A formal wizard-level being, and one that exists within its home territory, the Abyss Realm, is far more terrifying than anticipated.

"A forced attack would be suicide," Evan said in a deep voice. "We must lure it out, or create an opportunity that forces it to leave the 'altar' domain."

"My starlight may briefly interfere with or even 'ignite' some of its abyssal energy, enraging it."

A resolute glint flashed in Chloe's eyes.

"But it will take time to prepare, and it will attract all kinds of attacks."

"The Tide Temple's 'Song of Purification' can attempt to purify some of the energy nodes connected to its roots, weakening its resilience and potentially triggering its instinctive backlash."

Alphonse proposed it.

"Thorn Storm Formation, target its spitting organs!"

Evan looked at Sophia and Kate.

"This is our strongest spear! But it must be activated the instant it is provoked, its spitting organs exposed, or after it has been used!"

"The Shadow of Thorns can carry high concentrations of paralyzing toxins or purifying substrates, and can be injected into relatively weak vine or root nodes to create chaos."

Kate added.

"Kyle, Serena, Dark Star, Dark Current, your tasks are the most important."

Evan looked at the four top assassins.

"While the lord is enraged and its attention is diverted, focus all your efforts on finding and attacking any abyssal crystals that may be present on its main trunk! That's our best chance to cripple it!"

The three team leaders quickly refined this extremely dangerous and low-tolerance-for-error operational plan.

Every step is crucial; failure in any one step could have disastrous consequences.

"There is no turning back. The Temple of Purification is right before us." Evan's voice was like the clash of steel.

"For our respective goals, this battle... must be won!"

"Victory is certain!" The elite apprentices of the three teams all had a do-or-die spirit burning in their eyes.

The joint team began its final, tense preparations in the last relatively secluded petrified forest on the edge of the Wangting Basin.

Dispensing potions, pre-casting spells, adjusting energy, poisoning weapons… the air was as heavy as solidified lead.

Kate activated the remaining Thorn Shadows, injecting them with the highest concentration of neurotoxin and the remaining Purifying Bombs.

He stroked the Shadowthorn Ring, feeling its cool touch.

Within the Seed of Origin, the energy devoured from the Queen Bee and the evil thoughts along the way surged and roared, while the Blood-Devouring Vine, under suppression, emitted a silent groan of yearning for battle and devouring.

He gazed at the writhing royal court shrouded in the abyss, at the rotting giant shadow that loomed before the altar of bones.

The massive body of the Corrupted Ancient Tree Lord undulated slowly, like a dormant volcano, beneath which lay destructive energy capable of incinerating everything.