Chapter 111: Bloomroot Warden I

Chapter 111:Bloomroot Warden

He had expected the Palace to produce something stronger. He just hadn’t expected this strong.

The Warden suddenly disappeared.

Lothe’s pupils contracted.

SHING!

A wooden fist passed inches from his face. He ducked.

BOOM!

The fist smashed into the wall behind him, and the stone exploded into a shower of debris.

Lothe immediately threw three talismans.

Binding Talisman!

Compression Talisman!

Purification Talisman!

Three different formations activated simultaneously. Golden chains wrapped around the Warden, a heavy compression field descended upon its body, and purifying light spread through its wooden frame.

For a moment—

The Warden stopped.

Lothe’s eyes flashed. Now.

He snapped his fingers.

BOOM!

The three formations compressed simultaneously. The Warden’s massive body was forced down onto one knee.

Lothe moved forward to press the advantage.

Then—

The flowers covering the Warden’s body suddenly opened wide.

WHOOSH!

A violent wave of golden pollen exploded outward.

Lothe’s expression changed. He immediately covered his nose and mouth, but it was too late. A fraction of the dense pollen entered his lungs.

His Qi circulation instantly slowed. His vision blurred at the edges.

"Damn."

The Warden rose. The golden chains around its body snapped apart with a sharp CRACK!

Before Lothe could clear his airways, dozens of roots erupted from the ground beneath him.

SHRRRRK!

He jumped. The roots followed him like grasping fingers. Lothe twisted through the air, but one root grazed his leg while another wrapped tightly around his waist.

His expression hardened. Spatial—

He stopped himself. His Void Qi technique couldn’t be used yet. Not here. Not before the Palace identified him.

Instead, he pulled a talisman from his sleeve.

Flame Burst Talisman!

BOOM!

Flames erupted around his waist. The burning heat forced the root to recoil, and Lothe escaped its grip, landing heavily on the stone.

But the Warden had already closed the distance.

BANG!

Its massive fist struck his chest.

Lothe’s body flew backward like a broken puppet. He crashed into the ground, sliding ten meters before stopping.

BOOM!

Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.

The Warden didn’t give him a single second to recover.

Its massive hand slammed down from above.

Lothe rolled aside.

BOOM!

The stone beneath him shattered into powder. Too fast. Lothe sprang backward. And its strength was ridiculous.

He threw another talisman. Then another. Then another.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions engulfed the Warden, sending smoke and splinters flying. Lothe watched carefully through the haze.

The smoke cleared. The Warden stood completely unharmed. The deep wounds across its body were already closing, knitting themselves together with fresh green shoots.

Then the glowing flowers on its chest pulsed. The remaining energy from Lothe’s talismans was sucked directly into them.

Lothe’s eyes narrowed. It converted the energy—its body suddenly became larger.

The Warden roared.

ROOOOOAR!

Roots erupted throughout the chamber. Not dozens—hundreds. The entire room became a forest of attacking roots.

Lothe ran.

BOOM!

A root smashed down where he had been standing. He jumped over another. Three more attacked from his blind spot. He blocked one with a talisman.

CRACK!

The talisman shattered.

The second root struck his shoulder.

BANG!

Lothe spun through the air. The third caught his ankle; he was slammed against the floor.

BOOM!

Pain shot through his body.

Before he could stand—

The Warden appeared above him. Lothe’s eyes widened. He raised both arms.

BANG!

The fist smashed him into the stone. A crack spread beneath his body. Blood sprayed from his mouth.

The Warden grabbed him by the robe and threw him.

BOOOOOOM!

Lothe smashed through a stone pillar, coughing up another mouthful of blood.

This thing... he slowly stood. ...isn’t fighting like a normal Level 6.

The Warden’s regeneration wasn’t simply defensive. Every attack against it gave it more energy. And the more energy it absorbed—the stronger it became.

Lothe wiped the blood from his lips.

"So that’s your trick."

The Warden charged.

Lothe threw five talismans in a fluid motion.

Binding! Compression! Repulsion! Purification! Flame Burst!

The formations activated together, engulfing the Warden in a maelstrom of light, pressure, and fire.

The creature staggered. Its regeneration visibly slowed. Purification interfered with the Wood Qi conversion—so he could suppress it.

He immediately began drawing another talisman in the air with his brush.

But the Warden suddenly slammed both of its massive hands into the stone floor.

BOOOOOOM!!

The entire chamber changed.

Golden roots spread across the floor like wildfire. Flowers opened everywhere, lining the walls and ceiling. The chamber itself transformed into the creature’s domain.

Lothe froze.

[Bloomroot Domain Activated.]

His expression darkened. The Warden had turned the entire battlefield into its personal territory. Every flower was connected to it, every root carried its Qi, and every particle of ambient energy inside the chamber was being siphoned directly toward the creature.

The Warden’s open wounds instantly closed, leaving not even a scar.

Lothe stared, a rare flicker of disbelief crossing his usually impassible face. "...You’re kidding."

The Warden vanished.

Lothe barely had time to react.

BANG!

A fist struck his abdomen, doubling him over.

BOOM!

Another strike hit his back.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Lothe was repeatedly bounced off the stone walls and floor. His ribs screamed with agonizing pain. Blood sprayed from his mouth continuously. He couldn’t even find an opening to counterattack—it was too fast.

Finally, the Warden grabbed him by the throat, lifting his feet completely off the ground. Its crimson eyes stared directly into his.

Then—

GULP.

Lothe felt a terrifying suction force pulling his internal Qi directly out of his body. His expression changed drastically.

It’s absorbing my Qi.

His internal energy pool dropped rapidly.

[Qi: 287/400]

[Qi: 251/400]

[Qi: 219/400]

Lothe’s eyes became chillingly cold. He struggled, but the Warden’s grip was like hydraulic steel.

CRACK.

His neck protested. His vision began darkening at the edges. I can’t use Void Step. I can’t use Rift Thrust. If I reveal my Void Qi now, the Palace will log my true signature.

His remaining talismans floated weakly from his sleeve. He activated them all at once.

BOOM!

The Warden absorbed the resulting energy explosion. Its body swelled further, and its aura became even more violent and unstable.

Lothe stared at the monster, gasping for breath. "...You’re addicted to energy, aren’t you?"

The Warden roared, its flowers glowing with a blinding crimson-gold light.

[Bloomroot Frenzy Activated.]

Its muscles expanded beyond structural limits. Its roots became as thick as tree trunks. Its energy output exploded into a chaotic hurricane.

The creature slammed Lothe into the ground with catastrophic force.

BOOOOOOM!!

Lothe’s body bounced across the stone. Blood poured freely from a laceration on his forehead. He tried to rise, but his arms trembled uncontrollably.

The Warden approached slowly, its heavy footsteps echoing like a death knell.

For the first time since entering the Ancient Palace—

Lothe’s expression became grim. I’m running out of options.

The Warden raised its massive fist for the final blow.

Lothe’s vision blurred into gray static. If that hits me...

He looked up, his gaze sweeping across the glowing roots surrounding the chamber, then the flowers, then the surging energy within the Warden itself.

His mind connected everything.

Energy. The Palace is supplying it. The Warden converts it. But conversion has a limit.

Lothe’s eyes sharpened. He smiled, cold and reckless. "So that’s your trick."

The Warden’s fist descended.

Lothe rolled away at the absolute last microsecond.

BOOM!

He slammed his palm flat against the stone floor. A talisman appeared. Then another. Then another.

They weren’t attack formations. They were Redirection Formations.

The Warden charged, stepping directly into the array. Lothe triggered it.

BOOOOOOM!

The massive torrent of energy flowing through the roots suddenly reversed direction, flooding backward into the Warden’s core!

The Warden staggered, its glowing flowers flickering wildly.

Lothe’s eyes widened. It worked.

The Warden roared in fury. But instead of weakening—it became even more violent. It couldn’t stop absorbing the redirected energy. Its body swelled past capacity. The wooden armor across its chest began cracking open.

Lothe’s smile disappeared. "...Too much."

The Warden had absorbed more energy than its physical form could properly convert.​