Chapter 171 - 147: Yao, Innate Magic

Chapter 171: Chapter 147: Yao, Innate Magic

"Steward Feng, this matter..."

But before he could finish, an immense pressure suddenly bore down on the two of them.

THUMP... Yan Shaoyuan couldn’t even resist as he fell to his knees, his face flushing red.

Bai Shui only swayed, his expression turning slightly grim.

"Do you take me for a fool?"

"If there is a next time... Hmph!"

Feng Bai Mei stood up, shot a cold glance at Bai Shui and Yan Shaoyuan, and slowly walked out of the hall.

After she left, the immense pressure that had filled the hall dissipated with her.

Yan Shaoyuan got to his feet, looking rather disheveled, and said angrily, "Damn it, how dare she treat me like that."

"Isn’t she afraid? Isn’t she afraid..."

His words trailed off, his expression freezing. He couldn’t seem to finish his thought.

Bai Shui sighed inwardly. After a moment of thought, he said softly, "In a bit, we should both go and apologize to Steward Li. Whatever he asks for, we should agree to it as much as possible."

"Apologize?"

Yan Shaoyuan snapped out of it, looking at him with a baffled expression. "Just for catching a few snake beasts? Steward Li wouldn’t be that petty, would he?"

Bai Shui sighed. "Of course, it wouldn’t be like this just for catching snake beasts. But interfering with that Spirit Tree’s advancement is a much bigger problem."

"Let’s just hope Lord Steward is magnanimous and won’t make things too difficult for us..."

’When Yan Shaoyuan came to me for help catching some snake beasts, why did I have to tell him about the place Li Changsheng set up?’

’And why did I actually listen to him and get involved...?’

’Now look at this mess. If that Spirit Tree fails its advancement and dies...’

’It won’t just be Yan Shaoyuan. I’ll probably get dragged down with him. The Cyan Yang Sect has no shortage of ordinary Vein Condensation Realm Cultivators like me.’

Bitterness welled in Bai Shui’s heart. ’I tried to do someone a favor and ended up offending someone else. This is just great...’

"The Spirit Tree’s advancement?"

Yan Shaoyuan was even more confused. He had only asked Bai Shui to help him catch some snake beasts to prepare a cultivation medium for his Water Spirit Flowers. What did that have to do with a Spirit Tree’s advancement?

Seeing his confusion, Bai Shui gave him a brief explanation.

After hearing the explanation...

Yan Shaoyuan froze for a moment. When he came to his senses, he couldn’t help but scratch his head and confirm with Bai Shui again, "So that Spirit Tree that’s advancing using ten thousand snakes really belongs to Steward Li?"

Bai Shui nodded slightly.

"I..."

Yan Shaoyuan’s expression was full of regret, but he had already made his move. It was too late for words now.

’He’s a Spirit Plant Master, and a Steward who oversees me on top of that. If I don’t handle this properly, I can only imagine what my future will be like.’

Yan Shaoyuan cupped his hands, a bitter look on his face. "Elder Bai, please, what should I do?"

Bai Shui shook his head and sighed. "I was originally going to ask Steward Feng to speak on our behalf, but..."

"Sigh... Let’s go back and see what the situation is first."

Yan Shaoyuan had no better ideas, so he nodded and followed Bai Shui out of the hall.

Just as the two of them stepped out of the hall, they ran into Ke Jing, who had just finished inspecting the Spirit Fields.

The three of them sized each other up.

Just as Yan Shaoyuan and Bai Shui were about to leave...

An idea sparked in Ke Jing’s mind, and he called out, "You two, please wait a moment..."

Yan Shaoyuan and Bai Shui turned around, looking at him with some confusion.

Ke Jing’s eyes glinted as he looked at Yan Shaoyuan. He chuckled and said, "Master Yan Lingzhi, you seem even more impressive than when we last met at the Spirit Field Hall." He then extended an invitation. "I wonder if you two have a moment? I’ve prepared a small banquet and would like to invite you both to strengthen our bonds as fellow sect members."

For the past few days, he had been wanting to go to Ten Thousand Serpent Lake Island to get in touch with Li Changsheng, but he had been too busy with matters in the Spirit Fields.

Now, running into Yan Shaoyuan, his mind immediately started racing with possibilities.

’Li Changsheng has Tan Hu, Ma Rong, and the others. Even if I were to eagerly cozy up to him, I probably wouldn’t gain much from it.’

’But this Spirit Plant Master on loan from the main sect has a shallow foundation here. I haven’t seen any of them try to connect with him. And look at that worried expression on his face—isn’t this the perfect opportunity?’

Yan Shaoyuan and Bai Shui had urgent matters to attend to and had no desire to deal with him. Just as they were about to refuse...

Ke Jing clasped his hands behind his back and smiled. "I see you both seem troubled. Would you mind telling me about it? We’re all from the same sect. If there’s any way I can help, I certainly won’t refuse."

Seeing their hesitation, an idea struck him, and he added, "I have cultivated on the Miscellaneous Peaks for decades. I’d like to think I’ve built up a few connections."

"To give you a recent example, that very Steward Li from Ten Thousand Serpent Lake was once under my jurisdiction..."

Hearing this, the eyes of Yan Shaoyuan and Bai Shui lit up slightly.

’Isn’t this the perfect solution dropping right into our laps?’

An enthusiastic smile spread across Yan Shaoyuan’s face. "Senior, may I ask your name?"

Ke Jing waved his hand magnanimously. "None of that ’Senior’ business. Just call me Ke Jing."

"Greetings, Senior Brother Ke." Yan Shaoyuan knew how to play along, cupping his hands in respect.

Ke Jing quickly stepped forward to help him up, chuckling. "Junior Brother Yan, there’s no need for such formalities."

With both men wanting something from the other, they exchanged a few pleasantries before accepting Ke Jing’s invitation and heading toward his residence.

Bai Shui followed behind them without a word.

’It would be best if Ke Jing can actually help,’ he thought. ’If not, well, it’s just a waste of a little time.’

While the three of them were enjoying the banquet...

「On one side of Ten Thousand Serpent Lake Island.」

A large, completely black, and barren tree stood in a patch of sand. At its base was a dense pile of shriveled snake skins.

As time slowly passed...

The great tree trembled for a moment. An invisible suction force spread out in all directions, and under its pull, the Spiritual Qi floating in the air surged into the tree’s body.

A moment later.

A faint glow emanated from the tree’s surface. The trunk, which had been as thick as a thigh, slowly began to collapse inward. The gnarled bark on its surface became even rougher and more wrinkled, looking like a stack of dried snake skins.

BOOM...

Just then, several mounds suddenly bulged high up from the sand.

The next instant.

BANG...

The mounds suddenly burst one after another, kicking up a high cloud of dust that instantly engulfed the surroundings.

Following that, a faint pressure began to spread out, growing in intensity at an extremely rapid pace.

Li Changsheng, who had been watching it intently from the side, slowly let out a breath, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"It’s finally broken through completely..."

However, before he could inspect the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree’s information, a pressure like a small mountain crashed down upon his mind.

Ugh...

Li Changsheng grunted. A sensation like drowning washed over him, leaving him breathless.

A few moments later.

"HUFF... HUFF..."

Li Changsheng gasped for air, looking disheveled. At some point, his pupils had become filled with a dense web of fine, blood-red veins.

After recovering for a while...

Li Changsheng stood up and assessed his condition.

Whether it was circulating his Spiritual Power, his thoughts, his reflexes... everything was a bit slower than before.

His mind didn’t feel like it was at its breaking point. Although it wasn’t as effortless as before, it was still bearable.

’As long as my cultivation level increases and my soul grows stronger in the future, this pressure will eventually disappear.’

Li Changsheng let out a breath of relief, raised his head, and looked toward the sandy ground.

By now, the dust floating in the air had settled.

A rather bizarre-looking small tree came into view.

Its upper half was a bare trunk, no thicker than an adult’s thigh and about two meters tall. The dark branches were covered in dark red burls.

Its lower half consisted of exposed roots—or rather, they weren’t so much roots as they were pythons!

The dozens of roots it once had were now reduced to just three. Each was as thick as a bucket and covered in smooth snake scales. Upon closer inspection, one could see concentric wooden rings on the scales.

And at the very end of each root was an eyeless snake head with menacing fangs. The "tongue" flicking from between the fangs was actually a cluster of dozens of slender root filaments.

The three bucket-thick pythons were positioned around the small tree in the center, guarding it.

"This is the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree?"

When he got a clear look, even Li Changsheng, who had prepared himself mentally, couldn’t help but feel his face twitch.

’What kind of normal tree has branches covered in burls and roots that are three bucket-thick pythons?’

Just as he was thinking this...

The burls on the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree’s branches suddenly bloomed with specks of dark red spiritual light. The next moment, its previously bare branches abruptly sprouted dark red, snake-scale-shaped leaves, each the size of a baby’s palm.

When the leaves swayed and collided, they produced a crisp sound, like metal striking metal.

Once the transformation was complete...

Li Changsheng focused his gaze.

[Target: Snake Saliva Demon Tree]

[Race: Spirit Tree]

[Early-Demon Realm: 1%]

[Innate Magic: Blood Coagulation, Serpent Form.]

[Status: Healthy.]

"Its Innate Magic has completely changed..."

Li Changsheng’s eyelid twitched as he stared at the Innate Magic section.

[Blood Coagulation: Devour flesh and blood to refine blood qi. Use blood qi to coat the body, enhancing its strength and toughness.]

[Serpent Form: Allows the roots to transform into serpentine bodies.]

"Did it switch from a ranged type to a melee type?"

Li Changsheng recalled the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree’s previous talents and was left a little speechless.

’This is a completely different tree now.’

"Yan Shaoyuan, Bai Shui..."

Li Changsheng muttered their names to himself, then focused his gaze back on the Innate Magic.

Looking at the Innate Magic, "Blood Coagulation" showed no change, but a stream of information flowed from "Serpent Form".

[Magic Enhancement: Grind the flesh and blood of a Spirit Beast into a paste. Supplement with Bone Refining Flower, Muscle Forging Grass, spiritual ore, and Spirit Stone powder. Harmonize with life’s spiritual essence, then allow the tree to soak and absorb it to molt and evolve.]

After understanding the details...

Li Changsheng glanced at the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree’s three enormous serpentine bodies and rubbed his nose.

The Spiritual Objects used for the enhancement were all high-grade Tier 1, so they weren’t hard to find. The only issue was that the required quantity seemed to be rather large.

Moreover, the Bone Refining Flower and Muscle Forging Grass still needed another three months to mature, so he couldn’t perform the enhancement right away.

Li Changsheng pondered for a moment, then swung himself onto Xiaohua’s back and patted his mane.

Ever since the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree had advanced, Xiaohua had been quietly staying by Li Changsheng’s side, not making a peep.

When Li Changsheng got on his back, Xiaohua glanced at the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree, let out two loud snorts, and began trotting toward the mountaintop.

Just then, the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree on the sand moved as well.

With a clang of metal on metal, the three bucket-thick python roots moved at a speed that defied their size, crushing large patches of weeds and shrubs as they quickly gave chase.

In just a few breaths, they had caught up to Li Changsheng.

One of the python roots rose high, shielding the space above Li Changsheng’s head, while the other two moved through the bushes to his left and right.

HMPH, HMPH...

Xiaohua snorted twice, its muscles tensing as it picked up its pace again.

But it was no use; the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree remained protectively around them.

Li Changsheng smiled and mentally soothed Xiaohua.

The Snake Saliva Spirit Tree was, of course, moving under his control. Otherwise, with an intelligence less than that of a three-year-old child, how could it be so obedient?

「Back at the mountaintop.」

Li Changsheng looked at the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree protecting him and nodded in satisfaction.

Although he didn’t know the strength of its python roots, its massive form alone provided a great sense of security.

It was a bit weaker than Xiaohai, who was at the Mid-Demon Realm.

But the Senluo Flower Demon that was symbiotic with Xiaohai was somewhat unstable. Keeping it around always felt like it might get itself killed and be reborn as a hero eighteen years later.

Now that the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree had advanced to the Demon Realm, his confidence had grown considerably.