Chapter 16
Five days after the hidden agent was destroyed, an unusual wind suddenly blew across the plains.
The wind carries fine debris, like invisible blades, leaving rows of cuts as it sweeps across the grass.
Ya Ling nervously looked around:
"Something's not right... This isn't natural wind; it's some kind of deliberate cutting!"
Sprout 12 looked solemn. He had heard about this during his travels:
"This is a signal from the cutter."
They were not ordinary warriors, but rather specially trained severing organisms by the Dark Root—capable of cutting roots, leaves, and light streams as if they were fabric.
As night fell, three blurry figures appeared at the edge of the plain.
They don't resemble plants; they're more like "stitched bodies" pieced together from roots, leaf remnants, and black veins.
Each cutter holds a "cutting blade" made from hardened bone.
They did not march, but moved like a storm—any branches or leaves that blocked their path were cut into neat sections.
Ya Ling whispered in terror:
"They can cut the ecosystem itself into isolated fragments..."
The first cutter stepped into the boundary of the light domain.
With a low "click," he gently sliced the cutting blade through the air.
In an instant, a channel of light flow in the light domain was "cut off," as if that part had never existed.
Large leaves wither and fall to the ground instantly, losing their energy supply, leaving behind a glaring dark mark.
Seed 237 immediately releases light field expansion, using the light film to repair the broken edge.
However, the light membrane was cleaved by an invisible force the moment it touched the cut, like silk being cut by a sharp blade.
In a critical moment, seed 237 once again triggered the potential of the mother tree.
This time, his root network was no longer just a defensive phantom, but revealed its initiative in growth.
He suddenly took root in the ground, mobilizing the roots of all the surrounding small plants and gathering them into a root barrier.
As the cutter slashed, the blade collided with the root vein, producing a deep, resounding boom.
At this moment, the mother tree's potential revealed its true deterrent power—
Any ecosystem protected by the root network cannot be easily isolated and severed.
But the cutter is no ordinary enemy.
The three of them took turns attacking: the first cut off the light stream, the second severed the root system, and the third focused on the energy convergence point.
Seed 237 was held up by one person. Although it barely managed to hold on, its breathing was disordered and the tips of its leaves were scorched black.
Ya Ling cried in distress, but Ya Dou 12 pulled her back:
"Don't rush in! The pruner's blade is specifically designed to cut off potential mother trees; you'll be wiped out instantly!"
But—they hadn't anticipated that the mother tree's potential could be reversed.
Sprout 12's eyes lit up, and it called out to Seed 237:
"Don't guard them! Use the mother tree's method—grow and cover them!"
Seed 237 gripped its heart and pulse, suddenly unleashing its potential.
The earth trembled violently, and countless tiny light roots burst forth from the soil.
That wasn't an attack, but rather a frenzied proliferation.
The roots spread towards the cutters like a tide, quickly wrapping around their bones and blades.
The cutter tried to sever them, but the roots grew back more and more with each cut, like an endless web, forcibly suppressing them in place.
This is the true characteristic of the mother tree's potential—growing to the point that its opponents cannot withstand it.
The three cutters were eventually trapped by the light root and unable to move forward.
Their bodies emitted discordant cracking sounds, like bones and wood being broken.
At the last moment, one of them coldly uttered the following words:
"The mother tree... is destined to be harvested."
Having said that, the three figures turned into withered fragments and vanished in the wind.
The light domain is temporarily safe, but the battlefield is left with several unhealable dark rifts—
This serves as a reminder to everyone that this is only the first test.
Although Seed 237 was successfully suppressed, its internal roots suffered a violent backlash due to excessive growth, causing its body to sway and become unstable.
Ya Ling supported him with heartache, while Ya Dou 12 looked into the distance:
“Dark Root will not let this go... The Cutters are just the pioneers; what follows may be a harvest order for the entire Dark Domain.”
The wind on the plains rose again, carrying faint whispers from afar:
A much larger storm regarding the inheritance of the mother tree is brewing in the shadows.
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