Heroes Return

"Hahaha!!! How about this gift? Isn't it interesting? You know, this is much more environmentally friendly than those special weapons, hahaha!! This is a genuine ancient divine tree, hahaha!!!" Evan laughed wildly at Lin Jie as he stood on a tree trunk. As the tree grew, Evan gradually rose to a higher position.

However, Lin Jie completely ignored Ivan and the ever-expanding tree at this moment, and instead casually swung his sword to cut off the vines wrapped around Bai Hao and Long Shao.

However, the two of them stared at Lin Jie as if they had seen a ghost, and remained motionless. Not only these two, but everyone else on the rooftop had the same reaction, standing there as if they had lost their souls.

Lin Jie felt utterly helpless upon arriving here. At the same time, a large number of vines and roots continued to grow and swept towards the people on the rooftop.

Just as the vines and roots were about to make contact with these people, Lin Jie's figure instantly appeared on the rooftop. He swung his long sword, and the roots and vines were cut off under the swing of his sword.

At this moment, the two who reacted the most were Torus and Loki. They immediately shouted to the others on the rooftop, "Get out of here!!" Along with their shouts, S-rank Long Shao and Bai Hao also reacted.

Not only the two of them, but Thirteen and Xiao Zhan also realized what was happening. They immediately ran to the location of the hostages on the rooftop and began running desperately towards the outside.

In addition, Thirteen was carrying a man-eating flower on his back. But at this moment, Thirteen couldn't care less about that.

Everyone ran outside for their lives, and by then the chaotic battle in the square had ended. All the plants began to wither as the giant ancient tree grew; not only the plants, but even the entire power system of H City lost power as the plants grew.

"Get out of here!" Rocky and Torus shouted to the crowd standing in the square below, staring blankly at the huge ancient tree, as they ran as far away from the tree as possible.

"When exactly did that madman Ivan get his hands on such a dangerous plant?" Torus asked as he ran.

"Who knows?"

Can zero defeat it?

"I don't know! We definitely can't do it." Rocky said, looking at the giant tree that was still growing.

The two were running towards safety, followed by all the superheroes of H City. They ran for a considerable distance before stopping. By then, the entire building was covered by the giant tree's massive roots, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.

"Who was that person just now? Was he the real Zero? Why did I feel like my death was coming when I saw him? Uncle, do you know anything? What happened up there?" Eileen ran to Rocky's side and asked, looking at Rocky's somewhat distorted face.

“The real zero has appeared; he just went upstairs,” Rocky said.

Having obtained Rocky's Kendon, almost everyone present breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the source of that feeling was their hero. But for some reason, after experiencing that terrifying feeling, even knowing that the real Zero had appeared, none of them showed the excitement and cheers that should have been for the appearance of a superhero; instead, their faces were all rather pale.

No one wants to experience that feeling again, as if their heart is being held in someone else's hands.

"The World Government is actually thinking of killing such a being..." Torus swallowed hard as he recalled the terrifying feeling. He finally understood why most of the criminals who were defeated by Zero and imprisoned would cower and tremble at the mere mention of Zero's name. Anyone would tremble in that situation.

Is Zero fighting that thing?

Eileen looked at the enormous ancient tree, which was still growing rapidly, with its top piercing deep into the dark clouds and its roots firmly embedded in the earth. Every thick branch on the tree was swaying and dancing incessantly.

"This..." Torus frowned as he looked at the enormous ancient tree. In just a few minutes, the tree had grown to such an extent: "Can Zero defeat it?"

“I don’t know, but we can’t just watch it gradually devour the entire city. Who knows how big this tree can grow?” Rocky said, and at that moment, the golden light on his fist shone brightly, dazzlingly brilliant.

With a powerful punch, Rocky unleashed all his strength at the massive ancient tree before him. A massive beam of light, with a radius of over ten meters, slammed into the giant plant with unstoppable force, easily obliterating everything in its path.

The fist struck the giant tree hard, and waves of destructive energy began to spread toward death. The next second, something surprising happened.

It could easily destroy a city, with a power equivalent to a punch from a space satellite orbital cannon. When it touched the surface of the giant tree, it not only did not cause any damage to the tree, but the power that hit the trunk and continued to spread outwards began to flow into the trunk at that moment and then disappeared from everyone's sight.

"Damn it, this bastard can absorb my power!" Rocky shouted angrily.

“Since it has the ability to absorb energy, then I’ll try a physical attack.” Torus said, and the sword in his hand continued to grow, eventually reaching a length of nearly a thousand meters, its size exceeding that of any building in the entire H City.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!..." Accompanied by a tremendous roar, Torus swung his greatsword and glared fiercely at the tree. As the greatsword rubbed against the air, it was coated with a layer of extremely hot flames.

The giant sword, with its immense speed and power, slashed down at the enormous tree.

However, the greatsword merely struck the giant tree, unable to advance an inch. Moreover, the flames on the greatsword vanished instantly upon contact with the tree's bark.

"This is impossible! With my SS-level strength, I couldn't even make a scratch on that tree! What kind of tree is this?" Torus stared at the giant tree in shock.

First came the appearance of zero, followed by the growth of this giant tree.

In less than a few tens of minutes, Torus gained a new understanding of the strongest power in the world.

“Look, this is destined to be a battle we can’t participate in.” Rocky sighed and sat down on the ground.

“That’s right. Although it’s very frustrating, we can only watch Zero fight the enemy from afar, just like before. Damn it!” Torus said, punching the ground, which cracked easily. “After so much time, I thought we had reached Zero’s level, but now it seems that we still can’t do anything with our strength. We can only watch Zero fight from afar, just like before.”

“You’re right. I always thought I was strong enough to talk to Zero face to face, but when I actually saw him, I didn’t even have the courage to go up and say hello,” Rocky said with a sigh.

"Now it seems that the person who chose to impersonate Zero is just a clown," Torus remarked.

"In fact, it's impossible to imitate. That feeling that seems to penetrate to the very soul, no one else in the world can possess it."

"Um, are you sure that person is the real Zero?" Dong Xiaoye asked, with the bespectacled man beside him. The bespectacled man's glasses had cracked the moment Lin Jie appeared, but he couldn't care less now, as he was deeply shaken by the terrifying feeling. Unlike the cool and stylish vibe of the fake Zero, the real Zero only exuded terror, a terror deeply ingrained in one's bones.

There were no enthusiastic cheers, no shouts of worship, no applause. The mere presence of the true Zero made everyone feel as if their hearts were being clenched, unable even to breathe. How could they possibly utter a sound?

With this heavy feeling in their hearts, everyone looked at the figure fighting against the giant tree in the sky, where red sword energy would flash from time to time, cutting off the thick tree trunk.

……

At this moment, countless huge tree branches attacked Lin Jie's position, like a train crashing into him. Not only that, but each thick branch also had countless twigs and vines growing on it, constantly extending and attacking Lin Jie as if they had their own consciousness.

As Lin Jie's sword flashed, the extending vines were severed by his sword and fell to the ground.

However, as soon as the branches fell to the ground, new roots sprouted from them, and they continued to grow wildly.

……

Chapter 26

Countless enormous vines and branches swept wildly towards Lin Jie.

Lin Jie swung his longsword repeatedly, and the giant tree, which even an SS-level hero couldn't damage with a full-force attack, had many of its massive trunks, wider than a subway train, cut down to the ground.

However, the giant plants that were cut down and fell to the ground sprouted new roots as soon as they hit the ground, deeply rooted themselves in the earth, and once again grew towards Lin Jie.

"Hahaha! Let me see just how powerful the legendary ancient divine tree is! Hahaha!!! I hope you like this gift!!!" Ivan stood on the branches of the giant tree, watching the huge branches that were growing wildly, and muttered to himself.

At this moment, all Ivan could see were countless enormous plants growing wildly. Lin Jie's figure was now completely enveloped by countless huge tree trunks and strange leaves.

"At this rate, we'll never finish cutting them all!" Lin Jie said, hacking away at the countless thick plants attacking him, his black longsword emitting a large amount of red light.

"Zero-Type - Trial"

As the longsword swung down, time seemed to slow down, countless giant plants appeared tiny, the light in the world vanished at that moment, and the vibrant appearance of the giant trees seemed exceptionally small.

The world turned completely black, all light disappeared, and in the pitch black, only a red line remained between heaven and earth.

A huge red light flashed between heaven and earth, and then pierced through the giant tree.

In an instant, the giant tree stopped growing and stopped moving altogether.

"Hahaha!! Every time I see this move, I'm so amazed, hahaha!!" Ivan laughed incessantly on a tree trunk, his heart filled not only with fear but also with excitement. It was the kind of excitement one feels when a mortal challenges a god.

The numerous heroes in the distance also clearly witnessed this scene, and each of them could hardly believe their eyes. In their eyes, the heavens and earth had just merged into one, becoming uniformly dark. Only a huge red light flashed across this world.

When they came to their senses, everything had returned to normal. If there was any difference, it was that the giant tree, which had been growing continuously, had stopped growing, and its huge branches, which had been waving erratically, had also stopped waving after that red light.

"This...this...is this the real trial? Uncle! Are you sure that's the great hero Zero and not the great demon king?" Eileen asked Rocky, her voice trembling.

Before, she was focused on finding Zero, trying to get close to him and get his autograph. But after today, Eileen was certain that even hearing Zero's name would make her tremble for a long time.

The power that Zero has demonstrated has far exceeded the comprehension of each of them.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the entire giant tree suddenly began to tilt to one side from the middle, as if it had been cut in half.

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief that the giant tree had been cut in half by Lin Jie, something shocking happened again. Countless vines sprouted from the severed part of the tree, reconnecting its broken body, and in just a few seconds, the world was completely restored to normal.

Moreover, everyone could clearly see a bright red light appear at the cut, which seeped into the trunk, and then the tree's growth rate accelerated considerably.

Not only others, but Lin Jie also noticed this. I didn't expect that this tree could even absorb and transform its own Judgment Sword Qi into the energy it needed for growth.

"As expected, Ivan always brings some rather troublesome trouble every time he appears!" Lin Jie couldn't help but sigh. He had fought with Ivan many times, and almost every time Ivan brought him something that even Lin Jie himself could feel troubled about.

At least this time, the Judgment Sword Qi was useless against this tree.

"This is getting more and more troublesome." Lin Jie couldn't help but sigh. Then he swung his sword at the giant tree in the air. This sword had no power and no energy at all. It was as if he had just casually waved his hand.

But with just this simple sword strike, everything in Lin Jie's sight was severed.

"Hahaha!! That bizarre sword technique again!! Hahaha!!! What incredible power! With just a flick of the wrist, it can cut through anything, without any apparent force reacting! Hahaha!! No matter how many times I see it, I can't explain it!" Evan looked at the numerous divine trees severed by Lin Jie and exclaimed excitedly, "But since I've prepared for five years! How could I not have prepared! Hahaha!! Indeed, only dueling with you is the most fun game in the world! Zero! My life is truly inseparable from you! Hahaha!!"

Accompanied by Ivan's maniacal laughter, countless vines instantly sprouted from the parts Lin Jie had cut, reconnecting the wounds. Furthermore, a small forest had formed beneath Lin Jie's feet. The trees grew rapidly, spreading towards Lin Jie, and no matter how many Lin Jie severed, they would regrow.

"This is the duel between Ivan and Zero!!" Everyone in the safe zone stared in disbelief at the battle unfolding before them.

Even SS-rank Loki and Torus watched the battle with grim expressions. They both knew that without Zero, no one could possibly stop Ivan, this dangerous madman.

"What a troublesome fellow!" Lin Jie thought to himself, and then the red light on the longsword in his hand lit up again: "Speaking of which, everyone thought this sword was called the Sword of Judgment, so I started calling it that too... But it's been a long time since I used your real name. In this battle, I will allow you to be clear-headed and slay the enemy."

"Yes, Master." A clear and ethereal female voice rang in Lin Jie's ears.

"Three Styles - Immortal Slayer"

As Lin Jie swung his longsword, a strong red light began to spread from Lin Jie's center. With the red light in Lin Jie's hand, specks of soul radiance began to gather towards the longsword in Lin Jie's hand.

The ancient black longsword in Lin Jie's hand began to grow increasingly dazzling. With a sweep of red light, the forest beneath Lin Jie's feet instantly lost its vitality, and countless specks of soul light were forcibly ripped from the tree trunks. Annihilated by the sword light, they were transformed into pure energy and converged towards the longsword in Lin Jie's hand.

Two ancient, blood-red characters appeared on the blade of the longsword.

If someone who is proficient in the ancient script of Area C were to appear at this time, they would be able to recognize these two characters.

"Slaying Immortals"

As the red light spread, all the trees around Lin Jie began to wither the moment they came into contact with it. Streams of soul light were forcibly extracted from the tree trunks by the red light, and then annihilated into pure power that converged towards the black longsword.

"I really dislike unsealing this sword. Countless living beings have lives, and every time this sword is unsealed, it causes a lot of killing. But the only thing to be thankful for is that at least there are hardly any people left in this area!" Lin Jie muttered to himself, "Can't you control your killing intent?"

"You know that's impossible, Master." That ethereal female voice echoed in Lin Jie's mind again: "My birth was for the purpose of reaping the lives of the world."

As he spoke, Lin Jie had already reached the ancient tree's side, as if sensing that his life was about to end. The enormous ancient tree was also trembling incessantly.

At this moment, Ivan was also watching the black figure emitting red light, his expression blank and wooden, just quietly watching Lin Jie approach the giant tree little by little.

Lin Jie raised his longsword high and brought it down on the giant tree.

At that moment, a red beam of light shot into the sky, centered on the giant tree.

The sunlight pierced through the clouds above the giant tree, shining down and illuminating it.

When the red light faded and everything returned to calm, it was clear that everything had returned to calm after Lin Jie's sword strike. However, those who had watched the battle from afar felt no peace at all. In fact, a dark cloud hung over everyone's hearts, a feeling even more unbearable than if Ivan had won.

Even though Zero defeated the crazed criminal, for some reason no one was happy. Even the usually goofy Xiao Zhan had a gloomy expression on his face.

Although the sunlight shone on the area where the battle was taking place, it made the place seem eerily quiet.

In fact, if someone were to explore that area at this time, they would be horrified to discover that all life in the entire area was dead! Every single life!

Whether it was the flowers, grass, and trees on the ground, the tiny insects among them, the stray animals on the street, or even the enormous ancient tree and the forest below, there was no sign of life. Even the smallest single-celled organism had lost its life at this moment.