Chapter 142 - 135: Symbiosis

Chapter 142: Chapter 135: Symbiosis

SNORT SNORT...

As if sensing a mortal crisis, Xiaohua whimpered and took several steps back. Its bristles collapsed, instantly transforming into a suit of black scales.

Just then, the portly cultivator and the burly man behind Li Changsheng closed in on him as well.

"Tsk..."

Seeing Xiaohua’s transformation, the burly man clicked his tongue in amazement. "A Tusked Pig that has awakened its innate magic. That’s a rare sight."

"It’s a shame it can’t help you. Once we’ve captured you, we’ll have it for a nice meal."

The portly cultivator patted his belly and chuckled. "Hurry up and seal your Spiritual Power. Otherwise, when we make our move, we won’t care that you’re a Spirit Plant Master."

Just as Li Changsheng’s attention turned to the men behind him, the skinny cultivator’s eyes lit up. He shot to Li Changsheng’s side, his palm wreathed in a bloody aura, and thrust it toward his chest.

A fierce gust of wind rushed toward him.

Li Changsheng’s face showed no fear. Instead, he looked past the attacker at something behind him.

’What’s he looking at?’

A flicker of doubt crossed the skinny cultivator’s eyes, but his palm didn’t stop. In fact, it moved a fraction faster.

Just as the blow was about to land on Li Changsheng, an excited expression appeared on the skinny cultivator’s face.

’As long as I capture Li Changsheng, not only will I be rewarded with ten Spirit Crystals, but I’ll also be able to take shelter under Congli’s protection from now on.’

’The rewards are simply too generous.’

WHOOSH...

Just then, a piercing shriek suddenly echoed through the mountain ravine.

Every hair on the skinny cultivator’s body stood on end as an intense sense of crisis welled up within him.

This feeling of crisis made him instinctively twist his body and reach back with his palm to block.

In the corner of his eye, he caught a five-colored flash.

PFFT...

The five-colored streak of light pierced his palm, shot through his head, and burst out in a spray of blood mist.

The portly cultivator and the burly man stared blankly as their leader collapsed limply to the ground. Then, the five-colored streak of light appeared before their eyes.

BANG...

The two couldn’t even put up a fight before their heads were pierced, and they fell to the ground.

A smile touched Li Changsheng’s lips. He looted the three bodies, but all he found were a few pieces of lustrous white beast bone.

"As expected, truly poor..."

Li Changsheng collected the beast bones. After destroying the three bodies to eliminate all traces, he thought for a moment, recalled Xiaohua into his Spirit Beast Bag, and turned to head back the way he came.

’With all three of them dead, the place I was before should be temporarily safe.’

Under the cover of darkness, Li Changsheng wove through the mountain forest, examining Xiaohai as he went.

Xiaohai was now nearly a meter long and about as thick as a thumb. Its body was covered in a dense layer of plant-like rootlets.

Beneath the rootlets was a layer of cyan scales, and five thin lines—white, yellow, red, blue, and purple—ran along its back.

The rootlets sprouted from the gaps between its scales.

’What is this?’

Li Changsheng was puzzled. ’No matter how much Xiaohai mutates, it shouldn’t be growing plant roots.’

’Could it be that thing?’

He suddenly remembered that when Xiaohai had its breakthrough, it was enveloped in dense tentacles. He had assumed Xiaohai had simply eaten that thing after its advancement, but now it seemed there had been other changes as well.

At this thought, Li Changsheng fixed his gaze on Xiaohai.

[Target: Xiaohai/Senluo Flower]

[Race: Mutated Black Blood Moth/Senluo Flower Demon]

[Early-Demon Realm: 89%]

[Innate Magic: Food Spirit/Senluo]

[Status: Healthy, Symbiotic]

"Hm!"

Seeing the overlapping status panels, Li Changsheng was so startled that he stopped in his tracks and flung Xiaohai to the ground.

’Good heavens, there’s another demon hiding inside Xiaohai!’

’If that thing launched a surprise attack, I’d be a goner before I knew what hit me.’

Unaware of his thoughts, Xiaohai slowly crawled toward him.

He watched the rootlets writhing on its body.

Li Changsheng quickly stopped Xiaohai from approaching.

Xiaohai remained languid. Told not to approach, it simply stayed put, while the rootlets on its body spread out and burrowed into the soil.

Instantly, Xiaohai’s consciousness fell silent as it entered a state of hibernation.

Li Changsheng stared at it, stunned. After a moment, he sent a mental command and woke Xiaohai.

The countless rootlets pulled out of the soil and hung from Xiaohai’s body like swaying seaweed.

「A moment later.」

Li Changsheng once again set off toward the cave from before.

Not far behind him, Xiaohai leaped between the massive trees. Concealed by the dense rootlets, it moved without a sound, its aura completely retracted.

If Li Changsheng couldn’t perceive it with his spiritual sense, he would never have discovered the demonic creature following him.

「A Cup of Tea’s Time later.」

Li Changsheng arrived back at the first cave. He released his insect swarm to scout the surroundings, concealed the entrance, and stepped inside.

Li Changsheng had Xiaohai guard the entrance and went deeper into the cave, his mind still in a whirl.

’A Senluo Flower Demon.’

’If I remove the word "Demon," I’m very familiar with that name.’

’Isn’t that what Tong Zuo and Luo Fang were fighting over?’

’A Tier Three Spirit Plant...’

He thought of the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree he was growing.

He was almost certain the Senluo Flower Demon in symbiosis with Xiaohai was that same Senluo Flower.

’Also, Xiaohai came from that deep pool on the mountaintop, and when I was establishing the High-grade Spirit Field, I thought I saw a huge Spiritual Vortex in that same pool...’

’Back then, I thought I was mistaken, but now that I think about it, that Spiritual Vortex must be real.’

’That Senluo Flower Demon was most likely rooted in that Spiritual Vortex. I just don’t know why it ended up in a symbiotic relationship with Xiaohai.’

The thought flashed through Li Changsheng’s mind.

’Based on what I saw, if that huge Spiritual Vortex were developed, it would undoubtedly become a Tier Three Spirit Field. That’s a resource for Dao Foundation Realm experts; even the Cyan Yang Sect only has a few of those.’

Li Changsheng, however, didn’t get too excited.

’Even if a Tier Three Spirit Field exists, I don’t have the ability to develop it right now.’

Besides, there was another important point.

’Lan Cai Shen went down to investigate back then. Did he really not find it?’

’It would be one thing if he didn’t find it, but what if he found it and deliberately concealed the fact?’

After a moment of thought, Li Changsheng shook his head, dispelling the chaotic thoughts from his mind.

’A Tier Three Spirit Field is important, but it’s not a problem for me to worry about right now. The most crucial thing is to ensure my own safety and wait for reinforcements to arrive.’

Li Changsheng took a deep breath and closed his eyes to focus, his spiritual sense constantly monitoring the insects he had scattered in the surroundings.

「Ten Thousand Snake Lake Heart Island.」

Congli watched with a deadpan expression as Zuo Ling inspected a piece of shriveled human skin in the Spirit Field.

「A moment later.」

Zuo Ling stood up and said in a grave voice, "A demonic creature killed Junior Brother Gong. It devoured all his flesh and blood."

"Collect it,"

Congli said flatly after a few moments of silence.

Zuo Ling rolled up the human skin and placed it in a jade box. He paused, then hesitated, "Junior Brother Gong’s flesh and blood..."

Congli shot him a glance and turned to leave.

"Deduct it from the Spiritual Land’s harvest..."

"Junior Brother Zuo, hurry and collect the Spirit Crystals. I’m going to arrange the transport for the Spirit Farmers."

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Zuo Ling replied with a cupped-fist salute.

After Congli departed, Zuo Ling surveyed his surroundings, an inexplicable chill rising in his heart.

With a flicker of intent, a great tide of crimson blood surged from Zuo Ling’s robes, coalescing into small birds that scattered in all directions.

He scanned the area once more, then circulated his Spiritual Power to search for the Spiritual Vortex.

「At the center of the battlefield.」

Congli took out a palm-sized, withered-yellow wooden boat. He channeled his blood-red energy into it, causing runes to flicker across its surface as the boat grew with the wind.

In just a moment, it had transformed into a vessel dozens of feet long.

Cultivators from the Power Demon Sect began herding the Spirit Farmers onto the vessel.

At that moment, the Spirit Farmers finally panicked. Cries, shouts, and screams erupted one after another.