Eventually, the Natural Ancient Wood only nurtured twelve Woodman Fruits.
The twelve Woodman Fruits, emitting a faint green glow, shattered one by one, revealing twelve exquisitely carved little wooden figures before Xiao Mo's eyes.
The Natural Woodman had just advanced to Level Four, allowing it to contain more spiritual energy. However, the spiritual energy previously gathered had not dissipated, thus it could only nurture the same number of wooden figures as it did at Level Three.
Nonetheless, the little wooden figures nurtured this time were not particularly special.
After a brief glance, Xiao Mo instructed Mu Ke to take these little wooden figures to rendezvous with the Wood Spirit Priest and begin their monster-slaying and leveling journey.
"As you command, Lord!"
Priest Mu Ke bowed respectfully to Xiao Mo before leading a group of young wooden figures away from the city.
After Mu Ke's departure, Xiao Mo checked the reserves of Immortal-Demon Stones and Soul Crystals.
Immortal-Demon Stones: Nine thousand three hundred.
Soul Crystals: Three.
The number of Immortal-Demon Stones, while appearing substantial, was actually quite small.
It wasn't even enough to upgrade the [Natural Ancient Wood] to Level Five, let alone the [Immortal-Demon Reincarnation Pool] to Level Six.
Moreover, the number of Soul Crystals was pitifully scarce.
If it weren't for the excessively high requirement of upgrading the [Immortal-Demon Reincarnation Pool] to Level Six, which demanded a hundred thousand Immortal-Demon Stones and a thousand Soul Crystals, Xiao Mo would not have consumed his current stock of Immortal-Demon Stones and Soul Crystals on the Natural Ancient Wood.
After all, the value of the Natural Ancient Wood was far inferior to that of the [Immortal-Demon Reincarnation Pool].
Unfortunately, there was no other choice at the moment. With the [Immortal-Demon Reincarnation Pool] unable to be upgraded, he could only upgrade the [Natural Ancient Wood] to enhance the overall strength of his territory.
Wood Ya, the spirit of the Natural Ancient Wood, had already gone into seclusion for cultivation. Xiao Mo, on the other hand, returned to his bedroom.
He simultaneously checked the auction status of the [Corpse Water Refinement Technique + Spirit-Dissipating Bone Staff] and monitored messages in the [World Chat Channel].
Time quickly passed to noon.
The auction for the [Corpse Water Refinement Technique + Spirit-Dissipating Bone Staff] had concluded. The final transaction price was six thousand eight hundred and thirty Immortal-Demon Stones, along with twenty-seven Soul Crystals.
This sky-high price was nearly comparable to that of the [Skeleton Soldier Troop Building Blueprint] from back then.
However, the primary reason for this was the significant increase in the strength of the lords.
As the overall strength of lords grew, acquiring Immortal-Demon Stones and Soul Crystals became much easier, thus allowing them to appear so affluent.
After the transaction, Xiao Mo's reserves of Immortal-Demon Stones and Soul Crystals became sixteen thousand one hundred and thirty and thirty, respectively.
It could be said that this was another very considerable income.
Just as Xiao Mo closed the interface of the trading platform, he suddenly felt an incredibly pure and dense surge of water spiritual energy emanating from the plaza outside the palace.
The entire city was instantly enveloped as if immersed in a gentle ocean.
Above the territory, a dazzling light blue radiance emanated.
Sensing this anomaly, Xiao Mo abruptly stood up and walked out, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes.
He knew that this should be the sign of the little Black Dragon Emperor's successful hatching.
Upon reaching the plaza, he saw the Black Dragon Emperor Egg suspended in mid-air.
Seven Black Blood Dragon Pythons were tirelessly infusing the Black Dragon Emperor Egg with dense water spiritual energy.
In the next moment, the Black Dragon Emperor Egg began to vibrate violently, accompanied by the cracking sound of the eggshell breaking.
Seeing this, a look of excited joy appeared on Xiao Mo's face.
At this very moment, a dark red light flashed before Xiao Mo's eyes, and Mo Wu Xin's figure emerged from the void.
Mo Wu Xin, with a cold expression, walked up to Xiao Mo and first knelt on one knee in a respectful salute.
After rising, he said, "Master, a large number of flying troops and human lords have appeared at the edge of the Vast Forest. Their target should be our Immortal-Demon Tribe!"
...
At the same time, approximately forty kilometers south of the Immortal-Demon Tribe, in a clearing.
Dense flying troops were gathered together.
These included Fire God Crows, Bloodthirsty Demon Bats, Golden-Winged Vultures, Flame Illusory Birds, and more...
There were many varieties, but without exception, all were flying demonic beasts.
There were intermediate and advanced troops, with the total number reaching at least several thousand.
And in the distant sky, other flying troops were continuously arriving, with a human lord at the forefront of each flying troop formation.
"Haha... we're finally here!"
"Is this the Vast Forest? It doesn't seem particularly special!"
"So many fellow travelers have already arrived! There are quite a lot of people!"
"This is not even many. We are only the first batch to arrive! Wait a bit longer. Many more are coming, and they should arrive soon too!"
"Yes! Our alliance has gathered over a thousand lords in total. Once all the flying troops arrive, there will be at least fifty thousand, and the scene will be truly overwhelming!"
"In at most one more day, all members of our alliance will be gathered!"
"Hahaha... when we all suddenly appear outside Qian Mo's territory, do you think he'll be scared witless?"
"Tch! What else is there to say! He'll be lucky if he doesn't wet his pants!"
"But, do you think Qian Mo already knows about us and has prepared long ago?"
"What does it matter? Whether he knows or not, the outcome is the same!"
"Perhaps Qian Mo is self-aware and has already fled with his Territory Heart!"
"Then we can just occupy this land as our base for the Immortal-Slaying Demon-Extinguishing Alliance! Furthermore, wherever he flees, we will pursue him!"
"Precisely! If he hasn't fled, then we'll attack directly! I don't believe that even with his territory's immense strength, a thousand intermediate, advanced, and top-tier lords with flying troops combined cannot defeat a single Qian Mo!"
"That's a given! The ultimate winner of this war will undoubtedly be us!"
"No doubt about it! Brothers, ultimate victory belongs to the Immortal-Slaying Demon-Extinguishing Alliance!"
With that said, over a hundred lords gathered together and cheered joyfully.
Simultaneously.
More and more flying troops arrived from the rear, converging from all directions.
The scale of lords and flying troops gathered at the edge of the Vast Forest continued to increase.
Seeing this, their confidence swelled even further.
"Brothers, has anyone found the specific location of the Immortal-Demon Tribe?"
"Rest assured! That has already been arranged! The Immortal-Demon Tribe is forty kilometers north of here!"
"Only forty kilometers? Such a distance can be flown in at most ten to twenty minutes!"
At this point, voices of caution began to emerge from the crowd.
"Brothers. Are we being too confident? Why do I have a creepy feeling? It seems like something bad is about to happen!"
"Get lost! You little nobody! If you can't speak properly, shut your trap! Do you think Qian Mo would actively attack us?"
"Who the hell are you calling names? Did you eat shit this morning?"
"I'm calling you names! What? You gonna do something about it!"
"Damn! If you want to fight, I'm game!"
"Alright!! All of you shut up! Are you already looking to start infighting the moment you arrive? Everyone calm down!"
"Exactly! Not only are we allies in the same alliance, but we are also comrades with a common goal! We must unite!"
"Precisely, why are you arguing over such a trivial matter! What if Qian Mo's Immortal-Demon troops are attracted? Will our current numbers and troops engage in battle or retreat?"
...
In short, the edge of the Vast Forest was now like a bustling marketplace, chaotic.
As more and more lords and their flying troops converged, the members of the Immortal-Slaying Demon-Extinguishing Alliance felt increasingly secure, and their confidence rapidly soared.
Many were even impatient, flexing their muscles and eager to act, as if they could already see the Angel Castle being toppled and angels and elves being captured.
Only they were unaware that these scenes were all being observed by two Immortal-Demon troops...