Chapter 390: The Lightning Tree
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The large tree was significantly taller than most of the mountains in the vicinity. If its height was measured vertically, not even ten ordinary trees in China stacked on top of each other could be taller than this. It was so tall that one could easily mistake it for being very near when it was actually still hundreds of kilometers away. With the speed that Luo Yuan traveled at when he flew through space-time, it only took him a minute to get right in front of it. Luo Yuan could instantly tell that this place was very near to the sea as there was a salty smell that permeated the air. He estimated that if he traveled 200 to 300 kilometers ahead of him, he could see the ocean.
As Luo Yuan approached the tree, he balanced himself against the vibrating waves in the air with his Will and gradually decreased his speed. He then put on the plasma band across his forehead and landed. If Luo Yuan were to tell this story to other people, he could not think of anyone who could imagine how big the tree stump was! The large tree's roots were black in color and grew straight down into the soil. They were intertwined and looked just like angry dragons tangled together.
Given the remarkable nature of this tree, Luo Yuan used his Will to elevate himself into the sky again and could see that the ends of its roots extended to over hundreds of kilometers away. The tangled roots were covering up to ten thousand square kilometers of ground with its height being over 400 meters which formed big hills around the area. Luo Yuan suddenly contemplated the miracles of life looking at this indescribably immense power arising from the Earth and spreading up through the atmosphere.
He then noticed that smoke was puffing out from its roots as if there was a fire there. The atmosphere was already filled with heated-air which had a strong choking effect and caused blurred vision. There was only this giant tree standing in the area with bare trunks and there were no other plants or mutated creatures in sight. Living organisms in this area must be able to withstand extreme temperatures in order to survive.
The temperature close to the ground was already about 100 degrees Celsius but as soon as Luo Yuan landed, the temperature had exceeded 200 degrees Celsius. Despite all his abilities, even Luo Yuan did not have the ability to withstand such extreme temperatures. He was still a human being regardless of how strong he had become. Once the surrounding temperature exceeds 100 degrees Celsius, he would not survive long. However, the sudden rise in temperature stimulated his pores to shrink in order to prevent heat from entering. Obviously, this approach could not effectively stop his skin from absorbing the heat but at least it helped give him more protection. In less than 10 seconds of landing, he started to feel a burning sensation on his skin.
A faint glow appeared in his hands which Luo Yuan thought was due to the fact that his skin was irritated. Upon analysis, Luo Yuan was surprised by this phenomena because even before he actively used his Will, his body had already responded to protect him as a response to danger. Luo Yuan looked at his hands and skin with care. Without a doubt, it was also his Will that contributed to the layer of faint glow but it was a lot dimmer than he would normally expect. Compared to the glow initiated by him from focusing his Will, the one on his hands looked very weak and dim as if it were going to vanish shortly. Yet, somehow the weak glow resisted the surrounding temperature and regulated his body temperature.
All of a sudden, he understood what was happening. It must be an automatic response from his body when the Will in his cells are stimulated. His cells would have been aware that his skin was exposed to extreme heat and this triggered his Will to react. The magical thing about his cells was that they were an extension of his Will as well as their ability to respond to stimulus. Therefore, his cells would automatically be activated to protect itself under extreme circumstances. He did not have to focus or concentrate his Will for this to happen. The glow generated by the Will of a single cell might be weak, but when the Will of countless cells gathered together, they would most likely be able to guard Luo Yuan against most dangers.
While looking at the layer of glow, he could not help but imagine that perhaps one day he would just stand still and not defend himself and yet he would still be invulnerable to attacks. Given how rapidly he had been evolving, it probably would not take a long time for this to happen. His Will had already been deeply immersed into every layer of his cells. Every time he checked his body, the Will absorbed by his cells would increase. At the same time, the cells would be able to control his body’s activities more efficiently. When all of the cells in his body are eventually immersed with his Will, his capabilities might go through significant changes again.
…
Being deep in thought, Luo Yuan did not realize that the sky had suddenly filled with clouds and was starting to get dark. As he raised his head, he realized that the branches above him had disappeared as they were engulfed by the dark clouds that covered the sky. Fortunately, some of the branches were still visible as they penetrated through the heavy opaque clouds. This assured him that they did not just disappear.
"Oh my god! It's going to rain!" Luo Yuan said in shock.
There were white clouds drifting across the sky not long ago so it was strange that the weather had changed so drastically in just 10 minutes. Luo Yuan frowned though he was not too worried about it. Even though he was in the forest and it seemed like he was standing in an open space, the tree seemed quite resistant to the forces of nature. Even if lightning struck it, the electricity conducted would be absorbed by the tree as there was a great distance between them. At this thought, he no longer cared about the dark clouds above him and looked instead at the tree’s roots beneath his feet. Most of the roots were at least 10 meters wide and were incredibly large. Their surface was uneven with cracks and splits all over. Inside these cracks, it was faintly visible that the pith was red, seemingly dense and hot within.
There was a clump of mutated creatures that looked like ants moving in between the cracks. It was one of the few creatures that could survive under such high temperatures which did not seem to threaten them at all. Perhaps, due to the high temperature of the surroundings, it was less likely that they would have natural enemies here. The ants appeared fatter than normal and were moving slowly. Luo Yuan decided to catch one of them to see if there was anything special about them. Suddenly, he heard a thunderous sound coming from within the cracks and immediately withdrew his hand. Fortunately, he was not hurt at all as he was covered by the glow of his Will. The ants seemed agitated by the sparkling discharge all over their bodies which produced a sizzling noise. Its appearance alone was enough to strike fear into the heart of anyone.
Luo Yuan's expression changed as he suddenly thought of something. Hastily, he used his identification technique on the roots of the tree.
"Species: Woody Plant"
"Name: Lightning Tree"
"Remarks: A rare, half-energized giant tree with that is of a light purple or higher rank. It is generally large and its height is usually a few thousand meters or taller. Its leaves can form clouds through condensation of the air and it has the ability to absorb lightning. It has a sort of spirituality to it as well."
Just as he finished reading, Luo Yuan's body floated in the air as he was shocked by lightning! One of the flashes turned the entire sky bright and the sound of the loud thunder that followed was frightening! Luo Yuan looked somber. The sky was filled with electrostatic charges right after each lightning strike. He immediately shifted his gaze toward the roots of the tree as he was scared looking at beams of blue rays penetrating through the cracks and shining its rays in all directions. The big tree shined with a dazzling light!
All of a sudden, the sky looked like there would be torrential rainfall approaching.