Chapter 228: Stepping Out of this World
Chapter 228: Stepping Out of this World
Within Lu Chen's dantian, the Xundlei Sword Pill spun rapidly, emitting countless fine sword auras.
As the Xundlei Sword Pill showed signs of shrinking, the greenish-black vines continued their relentless assault.
Lu Chen channeled his spiritual power, causing over twenty strands of Primeval Wood Source Qi to emerge from his dantian and wrap around more than twenty of the Yeguiten vines that were closest to him.
A piercing shrill filled the air as these Yeguiten vines, now controlled by the Primeval Wood Source Qi, turned against their companions, frenziedly attacking them.
The pressure on Lu Chen lessened significantly, and without hesitation, he unleashed another ten strands of pale green spiritual energy, ensnaring the Yeguiten vines that dared to approach him.
Just moments ago, these vines had been his allies, but now they turned their attacks on each other. The Yeguiten vines, possessing a simple form of sentience, were caught off guard by this sudden betrayal, and Lu Chen seized the opportunity to dispatch quite a few of them within a few breaths.
The strategy proved effective, but the consumption of Primeval Wood Source Qi was equally rapid. In such a short time, nearly half of it had been depleted.
"Wu...wu..."
Suddenly, a faint whimper reached Lu Chen's ears, carrying with it an intense sense of pain.
In an instant, as if receiving a command, all the greenish-black vines retracted underground. The mountain-like Yeguiten vines regrouped in front of the enormous vine, their companion, emitting mournful wails directed at Lu Chen.
Lu Chen, however, did not pursue them further. Black sword auras surrounded his body, rotating slowly in the gentle breeze, no longer exuding the previous violent aura.
After a short while, although the hundreds of Yeguiten vines had suffered heavy casualties, Lu Chen's own consumption was significant as well. Both the Xundlei Sword Pill and the Primeval Wood Source Qi in his dantian had sustained considerable depletion.
Standing silently for a long time, Lu Chen noticed no movement from the gigantic Yeguiten vine. The bud at its apex contracted and expanded even more violently, as if something was about to emerge.
A strand of pale green spiritual energy slowly approached the massive Yeguiten vine.
Perhaps sensing that the Primeval Wood Source Qi meant it no harm, or perhaps unable to react to Lu Chen's actions, the pale green spiritual energy smoothly penetrated the giant vine's body.
With Lu Chen's mental focus, a thought emerged in his mind, and fragments of images flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.
Yeguiten, a fourth-grade mutated spirit herb.
Weakened state, attempting to nurture a higher-grade mutated Yeguiten vine using its own essence blood, spirituality, and the flesh and blood of numerous demons.
As the images flashed by, Lu Chen glimpsed the ancient history of the Yeguiten vines.
In the earliest days, they had coexisted with other spirit herbs in an ancient cultivator's herb garden, left untended for a long time. To ensure their survival, the Yeguiten vines, which inherently possessed a certain degree of aggressiveness, entered a mutated state in small numbers. Their spiritual intelligence increased significantly, transforming them into demon-like herb mutants capable of actively attacking and devouring other spirit herbs and even demons.
Over time, the number of Yeguiten vines that evolved into mutated herb plants increased, gradually consuming the other spirit herbs in the herb garden to ensure the continuation of their own species.
Mutated spirit herbs were unable to reproduce normally, so the ordinary Yeguiten vines grew, matured, and condensed their seeds under the protection of the mutated vines, repeating this cycle endlessly.
Centuries passed, and a delicate balance was eventually achieved between the two types of vines.
Suddenly, a powerful cultivator entered the herb garden and encountered the mutated Yeguiten vines, destroying them instantly. The ordinary Yeguiten vines were cut and harvested, but the cultivator eventually left.
Although the Yeguiten vines suffered a significant blow, they were still able to live peacefully in the herb garden, with hopes of continuing their lineage.
However, this peaceful period did not last long. Over a decade later, more cultivators entered the herb garden, possessing immense strength. Even when ambushed by the mutated Yeguiten vines, which had disguised themselves as normal vines, these cultivators easily eradicated them, repeating the cycle of cutting and harvesting.
Gradually, the Demon Mutated Ghost Vines, endowed with a certain level of spiritual intelligence, began to harbor vague thoughts of escaping this place and regaining their freedom. They relentlessly attacked the beasts that entered the garden, actively seeking to enhance their strength, and eventually stumbled upon a way to ensure the survival and propagation of their kind.
By consuming the essence blood of countless beasts as nourishment and using their own essence blood and spirituality as a catalyst, they were able to condense and birth a new Yao Mutated Yeguiten Vine seedling.
In this way, with the collective efforts of the entire Yeguiten vine clan, deep within the herb garden, there existed a vine that possessed an innate and powerful instinct for survival and perpetuation.
Due to its inherent ability to camouflage, it could hide from cultivators unless it chose to ambush them.
Moreover, as fewer and fewer Tianjian Zong cultivators ventured into the center of the garden, and those that did were quickly alerted by the other mutated vines, the giant vine could retreat deep underground and remain undetected.
Lu Chen's arrival coincided with a critical phase in the giant vine's gestation.
"So that's how it came to be," Lu Chen murmured as he processed the fragmented images in his mind and took a deep breath.
Perhaps due to the unique reproductive method of these Yao Mutated Yeguiten Vines, coupled with the strong instincts etched into their bloodline, Lu Chen was not only able to gain a simple understanding of their nature but also receive glimpses of their history through the fragments of images, tracing back to ancient times.
"In simpler terms, the Yeguiten vines in the herb garden are desperately trying to ensure their survival by eliminating other spiritual herbs that compete for spiritual energy," Lu Chen explained to himself.
"Then, when the elders of the sect discovered this blessed land, these mutated vines became nothing more than crops to be harvested. In their desire to break free from this fate, they secretly continued their propagation and evolution."
Lu Chen made sense of the scenes playing out in his mind.
"A fourth-grade Yao Mutated Yeguiten Vine... If it can truly take that next step, there might be a slim chance."
"Of course, the possibility is extremely minuscule. Even if it becomes a fifth-grade Yao plant, it still won't be able to break free from the constraints of this blessed land. To a Nascent Soul stage alchemist who controls this place, it might not even be worth as much as an ordinary fifth-grade demon beast."
Lu Chen muttered to himself, his tone carrying a mix of admiration and realism.
While he admired the tenacity and ingenuity of these mutated vines, he held no optimistic illusions about their chances. If breaking through the boundaries of their class was that easy, then what meaning would the concept of 'class' even hold?
The giant Yeguiten vine seemed to understand Lu Chen's words, and its thick vines trembled as if it were a drowning person who, after struggling for so long, had finally lost hope of survival and was now helplessly relaxing, sinking deeper into the abyss.
The bud at its apex showed signs of cracking.
Lu Chen sighed softly, and a strand of pale green spiritual energy emanated from his fingertips, vibrant with life force, as if capable of nurturing all creation, including hope itself.
He gently touched the thick vine with his finger, and the green light seeped into the vine, flowing into the sickly green bud. From within, a faint yet unmistakably joyful sound could be heard.
"Believe me," Lu Chen said with a gentle smile, "Give me the Yeguiten vine seedling growing within this bud, and I will take it out of this place and give it a chance at a new life."
(End of Chapter)
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