Chapter 535: Strange Affairs of the Apricot Grove

Chapter 535: Chapter 498: Strange Affairs of the Apricot Grove

The driver of the speeding Puppet Carriage immediately called out for a Five-star Medical Cultivator.

Yu Wenxu remained silent, but his Deputy General, Cai An, hurried forward and asked, “What is it? Has something else happened?”

The driver of the Puppet Carriage replied anxiously, “Another large batch of wounded has fallen back from the front lines. Most of them are at the Divinity Transformation Stage or Innate Third Transformation, but even the Four-star Level Medical Cultivators can’t heal their injuries. We heard they discovered another Nine Transformation Lotus Pool on the Wind Mist Plain, and the Demon Race is going crazy for it!”

Nine Transformation Lotus Pool!

Aboard his Red Blood Horse, Yu Wenxu’s hands tightened on the reins. He seemed to freeze for a moment, muttering to himself, “The Nine Transformation Lotus Pool… First, it was the massive Elemental Stone Ore, then the Ice Crystal Forest, and now a Nine Transformation Lotus Pool… Just what is the Wind Mist Plain becoming?”

His whisper was so faint it was barely a sound. Normally, no one would have been able to hear it without deliberately using their Spiritual Sense.

But Song Ciwan didn’t just practice Cultivating Immortality; she also trained in Body Refining. With a Body Technique at the Opening the Universe stage, she didn’t need to try, yet she still caught Yu Wenxu’s words.

The first thing that caught Song Ciwan’s attention was his mention of the Ice Crystal Forest.

She had already heard about the massive Elemental Stone Ore during her travels across the Nine Provinces.

At that time, she had just killed the Demon Race’s Twelve Great Demons as Song Zhao, causing a huge uproar in both the Human and Demon Realms.

Because Song Ciwan’s slaying of the Twelve Great Demons was connected to a Demon Venerable’s ambush of a Human Race Celestial Pride, the Human Race Immortal Venerable, Mo Yinghuai, immediately went to Tang Valley and executed the Demon Race’s Saint Heir, Lu Wen!

The situation between the Human and Demon Races had already grown tense to the breaking point, and it seemed a great war could erupt at any moment.

And yet, shortly before this, a massive Elemental Stone Ore had materialized out of thin air on the Wind Mist Plain.

Afterward, perhaps because everyone was busy fighting over the massive Elemental Stone Ore, or perhaps because the higher-ups of the Human and Demon Races had secretly reached some kind of accord, the Demon Race stopped clamoring for Mo Yinghuai to come out and atone—

Of course, it might have also been because no one could find Mo Yinghuai.

‘What else could they do if they couldn’t even find the man?’

Continuing to make a fuss would only be a pointless loss of face, so it was better to quiet down and let the matter pass.

But while the Mo Yinghuai affair seemed to have blown over, the situation between the Human and Demon Races only grew more tense. An undercurrent of conflict surged, fraught with hidden dangers.

But unlike the news of the massive Elemental Stone Ore, which had spread far and wide, today was the first time Song Ciwan had ever heard about the Ice Crystal Forest.

She didn’t know what the Ice Crystal Forest was, nor did she know what the Nine Transformation Lotus Pool signified. She just had a vague premonition: if the situation kept developing like this, a war between the two races would be nearly impossible to avoid.

The Great Zhou dynasty had been established for over seven hundred years, and the Demon Race had been in retreat in the Nine Celestial Demon Countries for just as long. Now, the Spiritual Energy Tide that arrived once every eight thousand years was upon them. When seven hundred years of accumulated grudges finally erupted, she couldn’t imagine how terrifying it would be.

‘I just wonder, is the invasion of the Ancient Divine Insect Race related to the ebb and flow of the Spiritual Energy Tide?’

‘And is it possible that the war between the Human and Demon Races can be avoided?’

‘After all, while the war between Humans and Demons is a war between races, its significance seems entirely different when compared to a war against the Ancient Divine Insect Race.’

As these thoughts crossed her mind, Song Ciwan felt keenly that her own Cultivation was still insufficient.

Though she was much, much stronger than before, she still wasn’t powerful enough to influence the fate of the world.

‘Without true transcendence, no matter how strong I become, I am nothing but a handful of ash in the face of disaster!’

While Song Ciwan was pondering the significance of the various geographical changes in the Wind Mist Plain, the Puppet Carriage ahead drifted to a stop before General Yu’s mounted troop.

Yu Wenxu looked at the assembled Medical Cultivators and ordered, “On the carriage!”

Then, his gaze fell on Song Ciwan alone. “Xing Lan, you ride with me.”

A Dragon-scaled Red Blood Horse was at least five times faster than a Puppet Carriage; Yu Wenxu was inviting Song Ciwan to ride with him on his mount.

But Song Ciwan replied, “Please, General Yu, go on ahead. I can keep up.”

Yu Wenxu’s eyebrow shot up. He looked both surprised and disbelieving. “Don’t make empty boasts, young lady!”

Despite his words, Yu Wenxu let out a hearty laugh and slapped the flank of his Red Blood Horse.

The horse reared its forelegs, letting out a long neigh like the cry of a dragon. In an instant, wind seemed to erupt from its four hooves as its body transformed into a crimson shadow and shot away.

It moved so fast that the crimson shadow was just a blur. At a glance, it wasn’t a horse at all, but a gust of wind, whistling past the wide avenues and austere architecture, blowing toward the heart-pounding distance.

Demon Suppression City was vast, but it wasn’t as bustling as Song Ciwan had imagined. There were also far fewer cultivators walking the streets than she had expected.

Song Ciwan immediately used the Shrinking Inches technique to keep up with the Red Blood Horse. As scenery flashed by like fleeting shadows, she had no time to examine the city in detail. Her impression from those rough glances was of a place both grand and desolate.

In less time than it takes to drink half a cup of tea, they had crossed countless avenues.

Ahead, a seven-story tower suddenly rose up. The ground before it was densely planted with apricot trees, forming an entire grove within the city.

The presence of a forest inside the city walls just went to show how truly vast Demon Suppression City was.

Yu Wenxu’s Red Blood Horse came to a halt before the apricot grove. He turned his head and saw the white-robed young woman behind him, her sleeves fluttering. She drew near as if on a leisurely stroll, having followed him with ease.

‘She really did keep up!’

Amazed and delighted, Yu Wenxu exclaimed, “Excellent!”

From within the grove, an aged voice called out, “Is that you, General Yu?”

Yu Wenxu dismounted. “The very same! Hall Master Sun, I’ve brought the newly recruited Medical Cultivators. Are the wounded inside the grove?”

The aged voice from the grove replied, “Yes! Please, come in quickly, General Yu.”

After that single sentence, the aged voice fell silent.

Yu Wenxu immediately beckoned to Song Ciwan, then strode into the apricot grove.

Upon entering the apricot grove, Yu Wenxu walked ahead, leading the way for Song Ciwan.

In truth, there wasn’t much need for a guide; a wide path led directly from the entrance to the tall tower at the grove’s center.

Both Yu Wenxu and Song Ciwan were incredibly fast. They followed the main path for only a few dozen breaths before arriving before the tall tower in the grove.

A sizable plaza had been built in front of the tower. At this moment, numerous cultivators were sitting or lying across it, all clearly wounded. A handful of Medical Cultivators moved among them, administering treatment.

But that wasn’t the most important detail. The most important detail was the injured cultivators themselves—their wounds were all bizarre.

For example, one cultivator sat on the ground with his leg extended from beneath his robes. Countless strange, limb-like appendages had sprouted distinctly from both sides of his calf.

At first glance, Song Ciwan couldn’t help but think that if one were to ignore his upper body and look only at his two legs, how could they even be called legs?

They looked exactly like two giant centipedes!