Chapter 4671: Demon Hearing this, the masked man who had been about to step forward stopped in his tracks. He fixed his gaze on the small girl, who resembled a cornered animal with her slightly reddened eyes filled with a mixture of anger and apprehension. A soft sigh escaped his lips, and a fleeting hint of helplessness flickered across his eyes. He then turned to Feng Jiu and said, “Aren’t you going to search for them? Go ahead! We will wait for you here.” Observing this exchange, Feng Jiu glanced at the masked man, then patted the heads of the three children beside her. “You stay here and wait for me. Mother is going to look for Du Fan and Leng Hua.” 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮 “Mother, please come back safely. We’ll wait here for you!” Yue’er’s soft, childish voice was filled with worry as she gently pulled on her mother’s hand. “My brothers and I will wait here for Mother to return. We won’t go anywhere until you come back.” Warmth spread through Feng Jiu’s heart. She affectionately rubbed Yue’er’s small head and said, “Alright, be good. Mother will be back soon.” She then looked at the masked man and offered a brief, “Thank you for your help.” As soon as the words left her lips, she gathered her spiritual energy and swiftly departed from the airship, heading in the direction Du Fan and Leng Hua had gone. Shuttling through the darkness of the night, she felt the demonic energy in the air growing increasingly dense. Apart from the sound of the wind whistling past her ears, an unnerving silence permeated the surroundings. Suddenly, she came to an abrupt stop and looked back. The airship was no longer visible, as if shrouded by a thin, ethereal fog. Her thoughts turned to the three children within, and then to the reassuring presence of the Fire Phoenix and the masked man who were there to protect them. Reassured, she didn’t linger and continued on her way. “Leng Hua?” Feng Jiu called out in surprise. She spotted a figure sitting in the tall grass ahead – it was indeed Leng Hua, who had left with Du Fan just moments ago. However, he was now sitting there completely still, his face blank and devoid of any expression. A sense of urgency propelled her forward. “What happened? Did you encounter…” She reached out to touch his shoulder, but the moment her fingers brushed against him, her voice caught in her throat, and she recoiled swiftly. Whoosh! Two thick vines shot out from the ground with startling speed, as if they were sentient beings. Had she not reacted instantly, she would have been ensnared. Looking back at the spot where Leng Hua had been sitting motionless, she saw a horrifying transformation. He had morphed into the shape of a large, grotesque tree. The tree trunk was as thick as two people could embrace, and though it possessed few branches and leaves, they swayed ominously. Strangely, Leng Hua’s face was now visible on the rough bark of the trunk, contorted in what appeared to be a silent struggle within the wood. “What a demon tree!” A cold fury hardened Feng Jiu’s gaze as she took in the horrifying scene. She extended her hand, and the Blue Edge sword, radiating a vibrant green light, materialized in her grasp. With a surge of spiritual energy from her palm, flames erupted around the blade, and a fiery red figure – the manifestation of her intent – soared upwards, raising the glowing sword high above its head, poised to strike down at the monstrous demon tree below. “Master, don’t!” Suddenly, the human face embedded in the demon tree let out a piercing, shrill scream. The sound resonated with a chilling familiarity, causing Feng Jiu’s hand to tremble involuntarily, making the descending sword veer slightly to the side. Whoosh! Bang! A violent gust of wind roared downwards, and the green sword qi, now carrying streaks of fiery energy, slashed down towards the ground, carving a deep, jagged furrow in the earth. Dirt and debris erupted outwards, and flames ignited along the dry grass and fallen branches, spreading rapidly. In an instant, the leaping flames illuminated the dark night sky, burning away the oppressive demonic energy in the air. A faint, unsettling sizzling sound could be heard amidst the crackling fire.