https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-559-Supreme-Grade-Spirit-Herb-Dragonblood-Vermilion-Fruit-Xiao-Li-Female-Takes-Charge/13487525/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-561-Grudges-Encounters-and-Souldevouring-Hellfire/13487527/
Chapter 560: Who Is the Hunter, Who Is the Prey? Dark Shadows Stir
Chapter 560: Who Is the Hunter, Who Is the Prey? Dark Shadows Stir
The battle in the valley was swift and decisive.
A lightning-fast figure darted through the valley, moving at breakneck speed.
Everywhere it went, a spirit beast or demon beast was sliced into pieces, falling to its end.
Before long, the spirit and demon beasts drawn by the medicinal aroma of the Dragonblood Vermillion Fruit were almost entirely slaughtered by Xiao Li.
She didn’t even need Wu Xing’s help.
The entire valley was littered with severed limbs and a river of blood, the ground strewn with the corpses of spirit and demon beasts.
Meanwhile, Lu Qing had already reached the Dragonblood Vermillion Tree.
Using his magic, he plucked the fully matured Dragonblood Vermillion Fruit and placed it in a jade casket, which he then stored in his Qian Kun Yi Qi Bag.
Lu Qing was not surprised by Xiao Li’s one-sided massacre.
The spirit and demon beasts attracted by the Dragonblood Vermillion Fruit were numerous, including several at the Core Formation stage.
However, the strongest among them was only at the mid-stage of the Third Rank of Core Formation.
In contrast, Xiao Li had already advanced to the Second Ascension of the Golden Core stage.
Her core was a flawless, high-grade golden core.
Coupled with her innate talents, numerous powerful abilities, and years of combat experience, her strength far surpassed any of the spirit or demon beasts, which, at their strongest, had only mid-grade demon cores.
Lu Qing had instructed Wu Xing to remain vigilant and support Xiao Li, merely as a precaution.
He never expected Xiao Li to lose.
Indeed, in the face of Xiao Li’s explosive power, even the seven or eight Core Formation stage spirit and demon beasts were practically helpless.
They couldn’t match Xiao Li’s incredible speed or her razor-sharp claws, which could cut through anything.
"Ah Qing, come and look!"
After Lu Qing stored the Dragonblood Vermillion Fruit, he heard Xiao Li’s call.
"What is it?" Lu Qing descended to the bottom of the valley.
"Look, the valley is absorbing their blood!" Xiao Li pointed to the ground.
Lu Qing looked down and his eyes narrowed.
The blood of the spirit and demon beasts that Xiao Li had killed didn’t pool on the ground.
Instead, it slowly seeped into the earth, disappearing without a trace.
If it were just soil, that would be understandable, but even the blood that fell on rocks vanished.
This clearly abnormal scene immediately caught Lu Qing’s attention.
He released his mind and began to sense carefully.
Soon, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
"Is this blood being absorbed by the Dragonblood Vermillion Tree?"
After a thorough sensing, Lu Qing discovered that despite its small appearance, the Dragonblood Vermillion Tree’s roots had already spread throughout the valley’s underground.
The blood of the spirit and demon beasts, once it seeped into the ground, was quickly absorbed by the tree’s vast root system and gathered in the trunk.
Looking at the Dragonblood Vermillion Tree on the cliff, which seemed to have become more vibrant, Lu Qing’s mind stirred.
His previous confusion was instantly resolved.
"Of course, the medicinal aroma we sensed earlier was likely emitted by the Dragonblood Vermillion Tree on purpose.
Its purpose was to draw nearby spirit and demon beasts to the valley, causing them to fight each other.
Then, it would absorb their vital blood essence to promote its own growth.
That medicinal aroma probably also has the effect of clouding the minds of weaker-willed spirit and demon beasts."
When he saw those spirit and demon beasts, despite being far weaker than Xiao Li, still charging at her without fear, Lu Qing had felt something was off.
Now, combining this with the tree absorbing the blood of the spirit and demon beasts, Lu Qing understood what was happening.
"Indeed, there are few things in this world that come without effort.
These spirit and demon beasts, lured by the medicinal aroma of the Dragonblood Vermillion Fruit, thought they had found a great opportunity.
In reality, they were merely prey for the Dragonblood Vermillion Tree.
The tree uses its fruit as bait to incite them to fight each other.
Its ultimate goal is to use their blood and flesh as nourishment."
Understanding this, Lu Qing couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe.
The world is vast and full of wonders.
Even without consciousness, the Dragonblood Vermillion Tree, acting purely on instinct, had managed to manipulate numerous powerful spirit and demon beasts.
Even Xiao Li, who had been so vicious in her killing, was likely influenced by the medicinal aroma.
Only his firm resolve and deep cultivation allowed him to resist the effects of the Dragonblood Vermillion Fruit’s aroma.
Otherwise, he might have lost his mind as well.
"If an ordinary Core Formation stage cultivator encountered this Dragonblood Vermillion Fruit, they might easily fall under its influence.
Without sufficient strength, what seems like an opportunity can quickly turn into a disaster."
Lu Qing gained a new understanding.
He then shared his discovery with Xiao Li and Wu Xing, who were both surprised.
Wu Xing, being Lu Qing’s soul-bound spirit beast, was unaffected by the medicinal aroma.
But Xiao Li was a bit upset, feeling that she had been tricked by a mere spirit plant.
"Ah Qing, this Dragonblood Vermillion Tree is so devious. Why don’t we destroy it?" Xiao Li said angrily.
The Dragonblood Vermillion Tree, as if understanding Xiao Li’s words, trembled slightly.
"That’s not necessary", Lu Qing said with a smile. "It’s just acting on instinct.
Besides, we’ve benefited from this Dragonblood Vermillion Fruit.
It will be useful for both you and Wu Xing.
Since we’ve gained something, why should we do something so ungrateful?"
Xiao Li thought about it and found it reasonable.
She nodded. "Fine, I’ll let it off this time."
After all, they hadn’t lost anything and had gained a spirit fruit, so they were the ones who profited.
"However, while I can spare it this time, the corpses of these beasts are my spoils of war. I won’t leave them for it!"
With that, Xiao Li transformed into a streak of light, darting around the valley.
Soon, all the corpses of the spirit and demon beasts, except those of lower ranks, were stored in the storage ring Lu Qing had given her.
"Since that stinky snake likes to refine blood, I’ll feed it to him, not this rotten tree!" Xiao Li said angrily.
"You..."
Lu Qing smiled and shook his head.
But he didn’t say anything more.
These corpses were indeed Xiao Li’s spoils of war, and she had the right to deal with them as she pleased.
Moreover, the bodies of these Core Formation Realm spirit beasts and demon beasts had their own uses.
"Alright, we’ve got the spirit fruit. Let’s go."
Lu Qing retrieved the jade talisman he had set up in the valley and then led Xiao Li and Wu Xing away.
"Ah Qing, since this mountain range can produce such high-grade spirit fruits, why don’t we explore a bit more and see if we can find any other treasures?"
As they left the valley, Xiao Li’s eyes twinkled as she suggested to Lu Qing.
Lu Qing thought for a moment and then nodded. "Sure, we’re not in a rush anyway."
"If we can find a few more high-grade spirit fruits, we’ll be in for a big win!
Stinky snake, stay away from me. If you want fresh blood, it depends on how well you’ve been behaving lately..."
As their voices faded into the distance, the valley once again fell silent.
Only scattered corpses of spirit beasts and demon beasts remained, and the Dragonblood Vermillion Tree swayed gently in the mountain breeze.
...
Boom!
Deep within a cavern, a loud noise suddenly echoed, followed by several figures fleeing in panic.
Then, a black sword qi shot out from the depths of the cave.
It grazed their bodies and struck the cavern wall ahead, collapsing it.
Rocks fell in large quantities, completely sealing off the cave passage.
"I’ll take care of it!"
The fleeing figures’ faces changed. One of them, a violet-clothed youth, gritted his teeth and drew a talisman from his storage bag, casting it out.
A thick bolt of lightning shot out, shattering the rocks in front of them.
"Quick, run!"
The violet-clothed youth fished out a handful of talismans from his storage bag, not caring whether they were high-grade or low-grade, and flung them behind him.
Then he led the others in a frantic escape.
They hadn’t run more than a few dozen yards when a series of explosions echoed from behind them.
The talismans the violet-clothed youth had thrown out all detonated under his mental control.
The powerful talisman energy wreaked havoc, causing the entire cave passage behind them to collapse.
Even the passage ahead of them began to shake.
"Run faster!"
The group pushed themselves to their limits, finally managing to escape the cave before it collapsed.
Just as they emerged from the cave entrance, another loud boom resounded, and the entire cavern collapsed.
The violet-clothed youth’s gaze hardened.
He immediately drew more talismans from his storage bag.
With a surge of mana, the talismans flew out and merged with the rocks around the cave entrance, sealing it off.
"Senior Brother Mu, is that evil demon trapped inside?"
A maiden, still shaken by the events, asked, her face pale.
"It’s hard to say. That demon cultivator is highly skilled. Even with my array, this cave might not hold him for long."
The violet-clothed youth shook his head.
"Who would have thought that Li Motian, who seemed so righteous, was actually a demon race collaborator!
We were blind to have called him a brother for so long!"
Another young man cursed angrily.
"Indeed. He suggested this exploration of the ancient cavern. He must have planned it all along, intending to kill us once the cavern was opened. Fortunately, Senior Sister Ye fought to the death to buy us time, or we wouldn’t have made it out."
"I wonder how Senior Sister Ye is doing."
At this, everyone fell silent.
When Senior Sister Ye had held them off, she had used a secret technique to burn her golden core.
Despite this, the evil demon had still managed to catch up to them in a very short time.
The outcome was clear: Senior Sister Ye was likely dead.
"Regardless, we must report this to the sect immediately.
Li Motian is a true inner disciple of the sect, yet he secretly allied with the demon race.
This is a matter of great importance, and we must ensure the sect is prepared!"
The violet-clothed youth said gravely.
But at that moment, a cold voice cut through the air. "Think you can escape? You think a mere woman can stop me?"
The voice was so close, it seemed to be right behind them.
Then they saw the cave entrance, which had been sealed by rocks, slowly melt away, revealing a figure shrouded in black flames.
In his hand, he held a disheveled woman.
"Senior Sister Ye!"
The group cried out in shock.
The woman’s limbs were twisted, and she was unresponsive.
The violet-clothed youth’s face was one of disbelief. "Impossible, how could you have escaped so quickly?"
He had thrown a multitude of talismans into the cave, including sealing talismans, and had set up an array at the entrance. Even a late-stage Golden Core cultivator shouldn’t have been able to break through so quickly.
Li Motian had only been a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, and even if he had hidden his true strength, he shouldn’t have had this kind of power.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to escape in the first place.
Unless...
The violet-clothed youth’s face darkened. "You obtained the treasure inside the cavern?"
"Indeed." The figure shrouded in black flames spoke calmly.
"Actually, I should thank you. Without your help, I wouldn’t have been able to break the seal and retrieve the treasure so easily."
"Li Motian, as an inner disciple of the Qian Kun Sect, you were nurtured by the sect. Yet you secretly allied with the demon race. Don’t you feel any shame? You are a disgrace to your lineage!"
The violet-clothed youth shouted angrily.
"Nurtured by the Qian Kun Sect?"
But Li Motian laughed, a manic laugh that made the violet-clothed youth and the others pale.
"What are you laughing at!"
"What am I laughing at?" Li Motian’s laughter subsided, and he spoke coldly. "Zi Xiao, do you know how I joined the Qian Kun Sect?"
"It was Elder Wang who brought you into the sect."
"True, it was Elder Wang who brought me in, but do you know what my background was before I joined the Qian Kun Sect?"
The violet-clothed youth was speechless, unable to answer.
The others’ faces also changed.
They realized that despite knowing Li Motian for years, they knew nothing about his past before joining the sect.
Li Motian had never spoken about his background.
"You don’t know, do you? Let me tell you. My family was destroyed by the so-called righteous cultivators’ conflicts.
Not only did my family die, but the entire village was razed to the ground.
If I hadn’t been playing outside the village that day, I would have died too.
In the end, the two men who destroyed my home went unpunished and continued to live freely.
I, on the other hand, became an orphan, homeless and reduced to begging.
I nearly starved to death in the wilderness more than once!"
Seeing the hatred in Li Motian’s eyes, the violet-clothed youth and the others were stunned.
They had never known that this cheerful fellow disciple had such a tragic past.
However, the violet-clothed youth quickly recovered.
"Given your past, you should have been even more loyal to the sect.
Don’t forget that it was the sect that nurtured you to your current level!"
"Haha, nurtured by the sect." Li Motian laughed again, but this time it was a cold, mocking laugh. "Do you know who the two men who killed my family and destroyed my home were?"
"Who?"
The violet-clothed youth suddenly had a bad feeling.
Then he saw the intense hatred on Li Motian’s face.
"Your senior brother, the one revered by all the disciples, the head inner disciple, and the beloved son of the sect leader—Qian Lingxiao!"
"Impossible!"
The violet-clothed youth exclaimed, unable to believe what he had just heard.
(End of Chapter)
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