Gao Wu: I became the minor villain that the protagonist was about to destroy.

"This is the innate skill of the Tree Demon race, 'Rooting'."

[Rooting: A unique skill of the Tree Demon race, allowing them to firmly plant their roots in the ground, receiving feedback from the earth and nature. This doubles their size, increases their defense tenfold, boosts their spiritual energy tenfold, and doubles their strength, while reducing their movement speed to zero.]

Therefore, the tree demons are almost impossible to kill, but if you want to escape, they can't catch you.

Facing the violent pressure, Baki showed no fear whatsoever; instead, the blood flowing through his body began to circulate rapidly.

His muscles began to bulge, tearing his upper body clothes apart and revealing his back, which looked like that of a demon.

Upon seeing this, Leng Ruoxue was immediately shocked. It was a type of muscle fiber she had never seen before. How could human back muscles possibly coalesce into a face that looked like a demon?

Hongye explained, "This is a unique symbol of the Hanma clan, the Oni-back, but Baki's Oni-back is a little less impressive than his father's."

固有特性

[Strongest Imp on Earth: Increases physique by 20 times upon activation, ignores 20% of the defense of land creatures.] (Can be inherited as the strongest creature on earth by defeating Yujiro Hanma)

[Hanma Seijin (Baki version): Ignores any negative status effects, possesses superhuman physical abilities, is enhanced 20 times in physique, and has an extremely flexible body with 8 times greater agility.]

Acquired characteristics

[Oni Back (Baki Version: Increases Agility by 10x when activated), Strength by 5x, Constitution by 20x, 50% chance to intimidate enemies (depending on the opponent's mindset), reducing their abilities by 20%, and causing those with weak will to lose their will to fight.]

[Ghost Brain: When activated, it greatly enhances combat thinking, allowing you to quickly see through enemy weaknesses and simulate them in your mind. In a near-death state, endorphins are rapidly secreted, temporarily restoring bodily functions to their peak state for 10 minutes.]

[Martial Artist (Fist) (Gold): Proficient in most martial arts, possesses a strong understanding of the martial way, and increases the power of fist-type martial arts by 10 times]

Leng Ruoxue stared at Baki's retreating figure, so shocked she was almost speechless. The murderous aura emanating from that man was as viscous and scorching as solid blood, far wilder and more primal than any demon.

At that moment, she couldn't tell who the real "hunter" in this forest was.

The Ice Tree Demon's eerie blue tree eyes flickered violently, and a fear born of its life instinct pierced its core like ice spikes. The aura of a superior predator emanating from the Blade Fang actually instilled a sense of dread in it, and its immense power was instantly weakened by twenty percent!

"Whoosh!"

Baki's figure suddenly blurred and vanished from the Ice Tree Demon's perception. It could only sense a violent energy, centered on its massive body, transforming into a deadly crimson lightning bolt that rapidly circled around it!

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the ice bark on one side of the tree demon's trunk, which had been enhanced with 10 times the defense, was now flying everywhere, scattering wood chips and ice crystals! A piercing pain, far more intense than any physical impact, instantly spread to every branch of its body.

Its proud defense proved utterly vulnerable before that human's fist.

"roar!"

The enraged Ice Tree Demon swung its icy branches, as massive as pillars, and slammed them down in the direction of the attack, only to tear through the air and the earth. Baki's true form had already appeared like a ghost on the other side.

"Bang!"

Another dull, heavy blow, from the same spot, but with even greater force! A destructive energy, like a venomous snake, pierced through the solid ice, heading straight for the tree demon's life core.

"Waaah—"

The Ice Tree Demon let out a painful wail. The light in its eerie blue eyes dimmed and spread rapidly, eventually turning into a deathly pale silence that represented loss of control and madness!

"boom--!!!"

The enraged behemoth activated the ice crystal within its body! A frigid wave, far exceeding the previous absolute zero, erupted outwards from it like a white halo of death! The ground was instantly frozen and shattered, and the air emitted a piercing, cracking shriek.

The moment the tree demon's eyes changed color, Baki sensed something was wrong. He stomped his foot and shot backward like a cannonball.

The bone-chilling cold almost grazed his back. He had no doubt that if he were touched by this power even slightly, even he would instantly turn into an ice sculpture!

After the cold wave, the thirty-meter-tall ice tree demon in the center of the battlefield was now emanating waves of cold air. Originally only at the second level of the County Realm, it had now broken through four levels to reach the sixth level of the County Realm.

Leng Ruoxue immediately sensed something was wrong: "Oh no! It's triggered that ice crystal, and its strength has increased dramatically. Mr. Hongye, aren't you going to help Baki?!"

Hongye remained indifferent, observing everything.

"Help? That's Baki's prey. I won't get involved, or I'll be in danger."

"But!"

"No buts. For a fighter, dying is simply because they weren't strong enough. Didn't you see that Baki is enjoying himself right now?"

Leng Ruoxue looked in Baki's direction and saw that although Baki's face was expressionless, his eyes revealed that he was very happy, with the joy of killing his prey.

"Who...who are you people...?"

After the tree demon created some distance, it hurriedly channeled its spiritual energy, extending dozens of branches around its body, almost covering its entire body. It also released a large amount of cold air, which froze the water molecules in the air into ice shards upon contact with the air.

At this moment, Baki's eyes were constantly scanning all over the Ice Tree Demons, and various scenes of fighting with them were already appearing in his mind.

Immediately following his thought, his figure shot out suddenly. The Ice Tree Demon swung its branches, creating an impenetrable wall in an attempt to defend against Baki's troublesome speed.

Baki's figure flashed around him repeatedly; he had rehearsed this scene dozens of times in his mind.

Faced with this impenetrable barrage of blows, Baki's figure vanished in an instant, passing directly through the wall, his right fist condensing its power as he swung a fierce punch forward.

"Armed - Iron Body Technique!"

At one moment, Leng Ruoxue looked at Baki's body and saw a metallic sheen appear on his skin.

A loud noise was heard

"boom--!!"

Baki's fist landed solidly on the Ice Tree Demon's body. The massive body shuddered violently, and the powerful impact directly shattered the tree demon's astonishing defense, piercing through it.

Baki aimed directly at the core of the tree demon, and the icy blue core shattered instantly. The tree demon's waving branches lost power and stopped.

The vibrant life was fleeting.

Seeing that the battle was over, Hongye slowly walked towards the tree demon, with Leng Ruoxue following closely behind.