The dungeon trembled.
The moment Uncle Wood moved, it was as if the entire underground chamber had come alive. The very foundation of the Heavenly Radiance Sect seemed to awaken beneath their feet, responding to the old prisoner's will.
Han Long lunged forward with a swift strike, his blade aimed directly at Uncle Wood's chest. But before his steel could reach its target—
BAM!
A thick pillar of wood erupted from the stone floor, slamming into Han's stomach like a battering ram. He barely had time to react before—
CRACK!
Another sharp wooden spike shot from the side, forcing Han to twist his body mid-air to avoid being impaled.
Yin Shuang gasped.
"This isn't just some old prisoner… he's a monster."
She had never seen such raw control over wood-based Qi techniques. The dungeon itself had become Uncle Wood's weapon—a labyrinth of twisting roots and brutal wooden formations, all obeying his command with perfect precision.
Han hit the ground hard, rolling as another wooden column crashed down where he had just been standing. The shockwave sent dust and loose stone flying in all directions.
"Tch." He wiped a streak of blood from his lips. His body was already aching from the last hit, but there was no time to dwell on pain.
He dashed forward again, his palms reaching toward Uncle Wood's shoulder—
But wooden tendrils erupted from the walls, lashing out like whip-like vines, forcing him to parry wildly.
SNAP!
A thick root wrapped around his ankle, yanking him backward with brutal force.
CRASH!
Han's back slammed against the ceiling, the impact momentarily knocking the breath from his lungs before he came crashing down. He barely caught himself before his head hit the ground, rolling onto his feet once more.
"Damn… he's fast for someone who's been locked up for decades!"
Uncle Wood's Unmatched Control
Unlike Han, Uncle Wood barely moved.
He remained standing with his arms folded behind his back, his expression unreadable. He was not rushing forward, not dodging, not even raising a weapon—only commanding the battlefield itself with ruthless efficiency.
"The arrogance of youth," he muttered. "Rushing in without understanding your enemy."
He raised a single hand, and in an instant—
Thick wooden spikes exploded from the floor.
Like sharpened spears, they erupted from beneath Han's feet, forcing him to leap backward. But before he could land—
A thick wooden pillar shot out from behind, striking him mid-air.
BOOM!
Han was launched across the dungeon, his body slamming into a wall with a dull, sickening thud.
"No way…" Yin Shuang whispered, her heart pounding in disbelief.
She had never seen anyone control wood Qi techniques like this before.
Uncle Wood didn't just grow wood from the earth—he commanded it like an extension of his body. The very foundations of the dungeon were his limbs, his weapons, his armor.
This wasn't a battle between two warriors.
This was a fight between a man… and an unbreakable force of nature.
Han coughed, shaking his head as he tried to push himself up. Blood dripped from a cut on his forehead. His vision blurred for a moment, he was losing.
No—more than that. He had never been at such a disadvantage before.
Every time he attacked, the battlefield itself would fight against him.
Every time he tried to move, roots, vines, or wooden spears would block his path.
It was not just Uncle Wood's power that overwhelmed him—it was his absolute control over the terrain.
"This old man… He's turning the entire battlefield against me."
Uncle Wood sighed, shaking his head.
"You are reckless. You come here demanding my ring, yet you lack the power to claim it."
He stepped forward, and the ground beneath him rippled like the surface of a pond, more wooden roots rising in response to his movement.
"This is why I have stayed imprisoned. To keep this ring away from unworthy hands."
He lifted his arm, and suddenly—
The wooden floor rose up like a tidal wave, crashing toward Han Long with the force of a landslide.
"He's going to be crushed!"
Yin Shuang couldn't breathe.
She had seen powerful cultivators before. She had witnessed the grandmasters of the Heavenly Radiance Sect wield blazing light techniques, cutting down entire armies.
But this…
This wasn't just strength. This was absolute, terrifying mastery.
"Who… who is he really?"
She had spent years talking to him, thinking he was just a silent old man locked away in some forgotten cell.
And now, before her very eyes, that same silent man was turning the dungeon into a battleground of destruction.
Han Long's mind was racing.
"If I don't do something now… I'll be buried alive."
The massive wooden tidal wave loomed over him, ready to crash down and end the fight.
His normal techniques were useless. Every move was countered, every path blocked.
There was only one way left.