Chapter Thirty-One: It Can Even Pick Its Nose

Lin Lei’s sweeping kick was far more powerful than anyone could have imagined—not only did it snap the treefolk in half, but it also sent the skeleton flying, bones scattering across the ground. Yet in the very next moment, the skeleton’s hand began to move, picking up the white bones and quickly assembling itself anew.

“You’re not an elf—what are you?” it demanded.

In less than a minute, the skeleton was whole again, the flames in its eyes burning even brighter.

“I really am an elf,” Lin Lei replied, though his true energy was surging within him, churning like a storm and leaving him deeply uncomfortable.

The skeleton clearly didn’t believe him. An elf’s body could never be so strong, nor could it revive itself. Clearly, this was the incarnation of some higher race, scheming to control him.

“Necromancer, you’ll never command me!” the skeleton declared, refusing to take orders from anyone. It began chanting, and in the blink of an eye, two more great trees rose from the ground, transforming into treefolk that stood between him and Lin Lei.

“It really is him!” Wang Daxiang glared at Lin Lei. He’d overheard their exchange and realized that it was the little prince who had resurrected the skeleton—despicable, the true culprit was indeed him!

This prince was terrifying. He was clearly a strange green creature, yet just days ago, he’d put on a cute act and sung songs, leaving Wang’s sister utterly distracted. Now, he’d changed again, this time becoming a flying necromancer—more and more frightening!

“Kill him! Quick, kill him!” Unable to intervene in the battle himself, Wang Daxiang cheered the skeleton on from the depths of his heart. Kill the little prince—rid the world of this menace!

But at that moment, Lin Lei was unexpectedly delighted. “Two more trees!”

He had clearly gone too far; the energy within him was on the verge of exploding, and the two treefolk were just the targets he needed to vent it on. Lin Lei crouched in their direction, and with a sharp crack, his figure vanished.

“Wind God’s Kick!”

Lin Lei closed in on one of the treefolk, executing the same move as before. But this time, before his leg could strike, the shadow of the other treefolk swept in from the side, and with a thunderous crash, Lin Lei was slammed through the wall of a nearby shop, leaving behind a human-shaped dent.

He coughed, blood spurting from his mouth, pain ripping through his body. Looking at the second treefolk standing by the first, he muttered, “How did they get so fast?”

“I am the greatest botanist, and death has only made me stronger!” the skeleton crowed, leaping about. In life, he’d been slow to react, but freed from the constraints of flesh, his perception was now unmatched—he could track Lin Lei’s every movement.

“Lin Lei, stop! Something’s wrong with your body,” the earring’s voice warned. The collision hadn’t caused much exterior injury, yet Lin Lei was vomiting blood—his internal injuries were far more severe.

“That’s it—you’ve overdone the strengthening… disperse your true energy, now!” The earring suddenly realized the problem. The real cause of Lin Lei’s harm wasn’t the treefolk but his own energy. The earring had assumed Lin Lei’s body was strong, but in truth, he was still a fragile elf. His usual state was already enhanced, and he couldn’t withstand any more spiritual invasion.

In cultivation novels, they spoke of body refinement as a foundation. Lin Lei’s body had never truly been tempered. If this continued, the rampaging energy would cause him permanent damage.

“I’d like to disperse it too!” Lin Lei said gloomily. “But I can’t!”

His energy was now completely out of control; he could only vent it through battle.

He looked at the two treefolk. “Let’s see if I can burn it off with them!”

A faint crackling of electricity sounded from his skin. As if sensing his overwhelming fighting spirit, the true energy particles began to seep from his pores, forming a black layer that enveloped him. An overwhelming aura radiated from his being, but Lin Lei felt he was on the brink of exploding.

“Here I go!”

Once more, Lin Lei vanished from sight. By the time the skeleton tracked him, he was already standing between the two treefolk.

The treefolk swung their fists toward the center, but their movements were no match for Lin Lei’s punch.

“Here!”

Lin Lei drove his fist into the ground, which shuddered with a thunderous boom before splitting open into a massive chasm, swallowing both treefolk and the skeleton.

“Cough, cough… that’s much better now!” Lin Lei spat out two mouthfuls of blood, flipping back onto the rooftop.

He’d managed to vent much of his energy with that last attack, easing the pressure within.

“Damn necromancer!” The skeleton struggled out of the pit, its flames fixed on Lin Lei as it began to chant a forbidden spell—ordinary treefolk were useless, so it would now unleash its ultimate move.

The plants along the nearby streets gathered around the skeleton, vines and branches entwining around it. With the skeleton as their core, they began to merge into a colossal treefolk that blotted out the moon and sky.

“No one can stop me from finding that woman!” roared the giant treefolk as it strode forward, shaking the entire city with its steps.

“Holy crap, the King of Tree Hollows!” Lin Lei stared up at the sky. This was going to be a real fight—he was like an ant before this thing.

The tremors woke every sleeping resident. They rushed out of their homes in terror, screaming at the spectacle in the sky.

“What is that thing?!”

“A monster! Such a huge monster!”

“Lin Lei, come over here!” Suddenly, a voice called from afar. Lin Lei looked up. “Mother?”

“That voice…” The treefolk had heard it too. “That woman—it’s her, it’s her voice! I must find her!”

It stopped and began to search the surroundings.

Lin Lei was startled. Was his mother really the one the skeleton was after? Could she have been the one who killed it? But Winnie had never mentioned anything like that!

Then again, he thought, if anyone would commit murder with a shoe, it would be someone like Winnie.

“Master, she’s by the lakeshore.” The leopard nimbly leapt onto the rooftop and whispered in Lin Lei’s ear. Its keen ears had located Winnie’s voice.

Lin Lei nodded slightly, then flashed away, speeding toward the lake. The treefolk, after scanning for a moment, also spotted Winnie by the lakeside and began to lumber in her direction.

Lin Lei arrived at the lakeshore first, where chaos reigned. Nuns and priest trainees were being ushered out of their tents by their teachers, fleeing toward safety.

Winnie’s expression was grave. “My son, that treefolk is too powerful. If this goes on, it will destroy everything in Snow City. I must now entrust you with the city’s secret.”

Lin Lei blinked in surprise. “What secret?”

“There’s no time to explain. The secret is at the bottom of the lake—you must go!” Winnie shoved a key into his hand and, without warning, hurled him into the heart of the lake. Lin Lei’s last glimpse was of her resolute face. “Don’t worry, Lin Lei! No matter how dangerous the enemy, until you return, I will protect every child here!”

From within the panicked crowd, Winnie began to radiate a dazzling light.

“Damn it, another illumination spell!” Lin Lei shouted, and with a splash, he plunged into the lake.

Half a minute later, the giant treefolk strode out of the city and glared down at Winnie, its eye-flames blazing.

“It’s you! That’s right, it’s you—you wretched woman!”

The leopard, arriving just behind, stared at Winnie. Could it really be her the skeleton was after?

“So you were the one who killed him?” The leopard was shocked. If you killed him, so be it—but why bring him back to life?

“No, no, my feet aren’t nearly that big.” Winnie waved her hands defensively and glared at the treefolk. “Don’t make things up—I didn’t kill you.”

“I’ve been searching for you—you’re the evil woman! You said I—” The treefolk’s words trailed off, distracted by a mysterious music.

“Kimi no sugata wa boku ni niteiru…” The strange song, in an unknown tongue, rang out across the night, drawing the attention of everyone in Snow City.

“Shizuka ni naiteru yo ni mune ni hibiku…”

As the song played, a massive shadow slowly rose from the lake, water cascading from its surface until its outline became clear.

It was a body of steel, with an oval head and a pair of ruby eyes; on its forehead gleamed a silver-white armored plate, emblazoned with the insignia “AS.”

The giant mecha stood like a mountain, exuding the beauty of an unknown civilization.

“Futari nara owaraseru koto ga dekiru…”

“Doushitemo raku… ah, wait, it’s a Japanese song—I forgot the lyrics!” The singing stopped abruptly. The sudden outburst sent the citizens of Snow City sprawling to the ground.

“Damn, that voice…”

“It’s the little prince! That’s the little prince who’s become famous across the land!”

“It can’t be! How could the little prince appear in Snow City?!”

“No mistake about it—only he could sing that song!”

At the forefront, Winnie raised her hands and laughed heartily.

“Behold! This is the ultimate weapon of our Snow City—the Arcane Mecha!” She pointed to the insignia on the mecha. On closer inspection, a line of fine print could be seen beneath: ‘Made by Winnie.’

“Mother, why are there only three buttons—Start, Hug, and Self-Destruct? Where’s the control stick?” But inside the cockpit, Lin Lei had no intention of playing along, and his voice over the loudspeaker shattered the atmosphere Winnie had worked so hard to create.

“It really is His Highness the Prince.”

By the silver lake, a girl pressed her hands to her chest.

That spirited voice, those unrestrained words—it could only be the beloved she knew so well.

“Just go along with the mood, will you!” Winnie turned and shouted at the mecha. “Who says there isn’t one? Isn’t there a ‘Taunt’ button?”

The mecha hesitated for a moment, then raised a massive hand. “Everyone, look—”

The giant mecha picked its nose.

“It can pick its nose too!”

The treefolk roared and charged at the mecha.

“Are you mocking my intelligence?!”