Chapter 157 - 143: Unranked

Chapter 157: Chapter 143: Unranked

Barely half a month had passed, yet the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree’s cultivation progress had surged. It was on the verge of advancing to the Demon Realm and becoming a Tree Demon.

The reason its cultivation was advancing so rapidly was not just because Li Changsheng had been continuously watering it with a slurry of minced flesh. It had also been using its innate talent to lure snake beasts to be devoured, all while constantly absorbing the poisonous water from the deep pool.

’Its cultivation will probably reach its peak tomorrow, but I wonder if it will hit a bottleneck...’

Li Changsheng thought to himself, stroking its rough bark.

Xiaohai was a prime example. If not for its symbiosis with the Senluo Flower Demon, it was uncertain whether it could have advanced to become a demon insect. The more likely outcome would have been its body exploding, killing it.

Thinking of this, Li Changsheng turned and walked to the edge of the Spirit Field, his gaze sweeping over it.

In the Spirit Field, which was covered by a thick layer of Spiritual Mist, the Cold Flame Flower and Narcissus Spring had clearly grown a size larger. A vortex formed from the Spiritual Mist swirled above them, continuously pulling in and channeling Spiritual Qi.

Li Changsheng’s gaze swept past them and landed on the center of the Spirit Field.

A plant—no, an insect—emitting faint specks of light hung rigidly in mid-air. Countless dense tendrils extended from the gaps in its scaled armor, rooting themselves into the Spirit Field and holding the creature aloft.

This was Xiaohai, in its symbiotic state with the Senluo Flower Demon.

Allowing it to root itself in the Spirit Field had been a move of last resort.

Over the past few days, Li Changsheng had discovered that Xiaohai and the Senluo Flower Demon seemed to have reached some sort of agreement.

Whenever Xiaohai was dormant, the Senluo Flower Demon would emerge. When Xiaohai needed to feed or when he gave an order, the Senluo Flower Demon would enter a semi-dormant state. Not only would it not interfere with Xiaohai’s actions, but it would also help conceal its aura, and its delicate root-like tendrils could even enhance its defense and agility.

To be safe, Li Changsheng had tried to form a spirit contract with the Senluo Flower Demon, but the gray solid that had worked unfailingly on other Spirit Beasts was ineffective on it. Not only did the demon refuse to consume it, but it also seemed to become agitated by its presence.

If Li Changsheng hadn’t woken Xiaohai in time, his wooden cabin might have been demolished by the enraged Senluo Flower Demon.

Although its tendrils looked incredibly delicate, their toughness nearly matched his Talismanic Hoe. In front of them, the ironwood cabin was like paper; a single light swipe could tear a gash in it.

With no other choice, he had to send Xiaohai out of the small courtyard.

He had originally intended for it to guard the house from outside the yard, but after one night, Xiaohai appeared in the Spirit Field, held aloft by a dense mass of tendrils.

At first, he tried to make Xiaohai go back, but after a few attempts, he gave up. Xiaohai would listen to him, but the Senluo Flower Demon would not.

Li Changsheng walked to within two meters of it and stopped.

At that moment, the Senluo Flower Demon seemed to sense him. Its slender tendrils began to sway like seaweed in the wind, making a SWISH SWISH sound.

After more than ten days of dealing with it, Li Changsheng understood this was the Senluo Flower Demon’s way of warning him not to get any closer.

’This blockhead...’

Li Changsheng cursed inwardly, his gaze fixed on it.

[Target: Senluo Flower/Xiaohai]

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

[Early-Demon Realm: 95%]

[Innate Magic: Senluo/Food Spirit]

[Status: Healthy, Symbiotic]

According to the information, the Senluo Flower Demon was currently in control of this body.

Its cultivation progress was only slightly behind that of the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree.

But one mustn’t forget, this was a demon...

Although Li Changsheng wasn’t a Nascent Soul Cultivator, he could still guess that cultivating beyond the Vein Condensation Realm was surely more difficult than Qi Cultivation.

Li Changsheng frowned and pondered for a moment, then shook his head. He walked over to the Spiritual Vortex and placed his hand on the ground above it.

The Three-leaf Mark on his brow glowed faintly.

A stream of jade-like light flowed from his palm, slowly pouring into the Spiritual Vortex.

As the Spiritual Vortex distributed this life-force among the various Spirit Plants, the Senluo Flower Demon sensed it and trembled slightly. Its tendrils, rooted deep within the Spirit Field’s network, immediately forsook the Spiritual Qi and began to ravenously devour the life-force instead.

Li Changsheng glanced at it, then increased the infusion of life-force.

He didn’t stop until he had consumed a full seventy percent of the life-force from the spiritual network in his brow to nourish the Spirit Medicines, the Cold Flame Flower and the Narcissus Spring.

Of the life-force consumed, at least twenty percent had been devoured by the Senluo Flower Demon.

With a mere thought, Li Changsheng broke the connection.

He looked at the motionless Senluo Flower Demon, hesitated for a moment, and then walked toward it.

However, when he was still two meters away, the previously stagnant tendrils of the Senluo Flower Demon began to dance again, making a loud SWISHING sound.

’An ungrateful beast you can’t tame...’

Seeing this, Li Changsheng shook his head. With a slight thought, he woke Xiaohai.

A few breaths later, Xiaohai slowly stirred awake. The dense mass of tendrils gradually pulled out of the Spirit Field and retracted back into its scaled armor.

Li Changsheng collected Xiaohai and turned to leave the Spirit Field. He glanced at the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree, which was using its roots to coil around a snake beast and water itself, then vaulted onto Xiaohua’s back and headed toward the busy Xu Li and the others.

Soon, the man and the pig arrived near the three of them.

"Greetings, Lord Steward."

Hearing the commotion, the three of them quickly stopped their work, stood up, and bowed in greeting.

"There’s no need for such formalities."

Li Changsheng waved his hand casually and hopped down, saying with a smile, "Go on with your work. I’m just taking a look."

"Yes, sir."

Yan Shaoyuan cupped his hands in a brief salute, then squatted back down and continued to channel life-force to stimulate the spirit seeds.

Hao Yuegui watched as Xu Li approached Li Changsheng, then glanced at the large, empty patches in the Spirit Field. She sighed inwardly before squatting down to continue planting Spirit Medicine.

Li Changsheng led Xu Li a short distance away and asked with a smile, "After observing them for the past few days, what do you think of those two?" He paused, then added, "Hmm... are they any trouble?"

Xu Li knew what he meant. After a moment of thought, he shook his head and said, "Yan Shaoyuan is a bit arrogant, but he’s completely dedicated to cultivating Spirit Medicine. Hao Yuegui is quiet on most days, but I haven’t noticed anything amiss about her."