Nian Hongzhi and the others had just been maliciously mocking Xu Ziqing and trying to exterminate him, yet in the end their attempt to harm another only brought ruin upon themselves. Their evil intent earned its retribution, leaving them without even intact corpses. Their prospects on the immortal path vanished along with them. It could truly be called being undone by one’s own cleverness.
From the moment the demon vine fought Ruan Yuanliang until all three men had been drained dry, only a few breaths had passed. Gui Yin and Gui Yang stared dumbfounded, unable even to react.
The three living men had become three skeletons still wrapped in bloody skin in the blink of an eye. They crashed to the ground and came apart in loose heaps of bone, horrifying to behold.
Both blood-red vines pulled free and floated there, swaying gently.
At that moment, the sisters suddenly felt their auras being locked onto. An intense sense of danger surged into their hearts.
Could the demon vine be about to feed on them?
Gui Yin and Gui Yang began regretting that they had stayed.
They had indeed wanted to lend Xu Ziqing a hand, but had never intended to sacrifice their own lives. The two immediately went on guard. The Yin and Yang Spiders on their faces stirred restlessly, looking as though they might burst through the skin at any moment.
Yet the two blood vines did not immediately attack. They seemed hesitant.
One poked forward as if it wanted to pounce, but stopped halfway, as though struggling with something. The other seemed to be exercising considerable restraint, stretching and shrinking back while making no move to act.
Gui Yin and Gui Yang exchanged a glance. They remained wary, but the strange feeling in their hearts grew even stronger.
What was going on with these two demon vines?
They looked again at the green-robed youth covered in blood and saw that he was still standing rigidly without moving. They could not help wondering whether he had suffered a backlash.
Since the blood vines had grown from Xu Ziqing’s palms, they were presumably one of his methods. But something this terrifying was clearly not easy to subdue.
What surprised the sisters even more was that such a gentle and courteous youth, a benevolent wood-attributed cultivator, would actually be accompanied by such a sinister plant.
If those sanctimonious types saw a technique that fed on human blood like this, they would not care what kind of person Xu Ziqing was. They would certainly classify him as a demonic cultivator.
While thinking this, the sisters prepared to use the Yang Spider to block the vines and escape as quickly as possible.
The next moment, the demon vines seemed unable to restrain themselves any longer and shot straight forward.
The Yang Spider immediately sprang from Gui Yang’s face and rushed toward the demon vines at great speed.
But the demon vines stopped. Reluctantly, and very slowly, they withdrew.
At that moment, a young man’s warm voice sounded.
“Many thanks to both Fellow Daoists for your help.”
The sisters hurriedly looked over and discovered that the green-robed youth had awakened. He was looking at them with his usual gentle expression.
“Xu Ziqing?” Gui Yang called.
The green-robed youth smiled faintly. “It is I.”
When Xu Ziqing had been in mortal danger and on the verge of death, instinct had awakened the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine.
But because his state of mind had already been shaken and his body was heavily injured, the demon vine’s bloodlust merged with Xu Ziqing’s own anger. For a time, his consciousness became infected by the vine’s awareness and was suppressed beneath it.
Neither demon beasts nor cultivators below Foundation Establishment could withstand the demon vine. No matter how formidable the Adamantine Giant Ape was, its cultivation was only comparable to a ninth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator. Naturally, the demon vine subdued it with ease.
The demon vine had feasted to its heart’s content in the Kingdom of Chenghuang, then had been forced to hold back for an entire year. Once released this time, it behaved like a horse freed from its reins and ran completely wild.
It had been happily drinking the essence blood of a third-rank demon beast when several people who did not know their place interrupted its meal. Worse, their killing intent was aimed directly at its mother. The Bloodthirsty Demon Vine naturally became even more displeased.
As the killing intent approached and the demon vine prepared to emerge, Xu Ziqing heard Chonghua’s cry of pain and briefly regained consciousness.
The demon vine sensed this and held still.
Then Xu Ziqing attacked in fury for Chonghua’s sake. The spiritual power he had only just gathered was exhausted, and his consciousness was once again suppressed by the demon vine.
This time, with nothing restraining it, the demon vine immediately drained Ruan Yuanliang dry. Then it turned on the other two people carrying malice, Nian Hongzhi and Wang Jun. Without much effort, it sucked both of them into dried corpses as well.
Afterward, however, there were still two pieces of “food” left at the scene.
The demon vine found itself in a dilemma. These two females had vigorous blood qi. If it drained them, that would help satisfy its hunger. Yet they bore no malice toward its mother, and its mother was even grateful to them.
So should it eat them, or not?
With its mother asleep, the demon vine harbored a trace of hope. In the end, it could not suppress its greed and decided it might as well eat them before its mother woke. Once the deed was done, its mother would at most become angry once. It could simply behave obediently afterward.
It had not expected its mother to wake just as that thought arose.
Perhaps Xu Ziqing’s subconscious mind was able to communicate somewhat with the demon vine’s awareness. When the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine began devouring those three despicable men, Xu Ziqing had retained a hazy degree of awareness. Although still influenced by the bloodlust, he had merely been unable to move rather than entirely unaware.
Once all three men had been consumed, Xu Ziqing’s consciousness gradually cleared. When the demon vine tried to devour Gui Yin and Gui Yang next, something jolted in his mind. Somehow summoning a burst of strength, he forcibly suppressed the vine.
Thus, just as the demon vine was about to pierce Gui Yang, Xu Ziqing immediately ordered, “Come back!”
The demon vine still hesitated, wavering indecisively.
Xu Ziqing frowned slightly.
Sensing his displeasure, the demon vine finally withdrew in a wounded, deeply unwilling manner.
Xu Ziqing looked toward Gui Yin and Gui Yang. At a thought, two leaf-wrapped parcels appeared in his hands. He offered them to the sisters. “I have no way to repay the help the two of you gave me. I happened to obtain two spiritual herbs some time ago that may be useful to you. I would like to give them to you now as a small token of thanks.”
After speaking, he opened the leaf wrappings slightly. Dense spiritual energy immediately spread out, along with a distant sweet fragrance that slowly lingered in the air.
Before Gui Yin and Gui Yang could respond, they caught the scent of the two spiritual herbs and both exclaimed in surprise, “Thousand-year Greenfrost Grass!”
The sisters possessed both the Heavenly Yin Constitution and water spiritual roots, making them even better cultivation cauldrons than ordinary women with the Heavenly Yin Constitution. Although they had once had their essence harvested, their water spiritual roots still allowed them to continue cultivating.
Greenfrost Grass was an exceptionally rare and precious water-attributed spiritual herb. Whether refined into a spiritual pill or consumed directly, it could temper away impurities and make spiritual power purer.
Moreover, these two Greenfrost Grasses were not only of excellent quality but had also reached a full thousand years of age.
Gui Yin and Gui Yang could not hide their astonishment.
In truth, they had only helped almost in passing. Even if they had not intervened, Xu Ziqing possessed that strange demon vine and likely would not have died.
If they accepted spiritual herbs this valuable now, would they not be taking far too much advantage? For a moment, neither knew whether to accept them.
Xu Ziqing did not see it that way. Everything before had been exceedingly dangerous. At the time, his consciousness was suppressed by the demon vine, and the slightest mistake might have cost him his life.
The sisters had no relationship with him, yet had been willing to help at such a moment. That goodwill alone was rare.
After experiencing Nian Hongzhi and the others’ schemes, looking now at Gui Yin and Gui Yang, whose reputations were poor, gave Xu Ziqing an entirely different feeling. Greenfrost Grass was of no use to him, but for the sisters it was an opportunity that might come only once in a thousand years. Since that was so, why should he not give it to them as repayment?
Seeing the sisters hesitate, Xu Ziqing said, “There is no need to decline. If you refuse, wouldn’t that make my life seem far too cheap?” He smiled. “If the two of you simply think little of these herbs, then tell me what you would prefer. If it is within my power, I will do my best.”
Gui Yin and Gui Yang exchanged another glance, thoughts turning in both their minds. Xu Ziqing truly was pure-hearted. Anyone who treated him with kindness would certainly receive kindness in return. He was nothing like those petty, greedy, vicious people.
They no longer stood on ceremony. With matters already put this way, refusing again might make them seem insatiably greedy instead. They accepted the herbs. “Then, thank you.”
Gui Yin said, “Fellow Daoist Xu is badly injured. If you do not mind, why not leave the ridge together with us sisters?”
Elio’s Notes: The JJWXC capture displays the speaker tag as “鬼□□” here. Context identifies the speaker as Gui Yin because the immediately following line explicitly belongs to Gui Yang.
Gui Yang smiled as well. “We hope Fellow Daoist Xu will not refuse.”
Xu Ziqing sighed, then lifted his head toward the distance and said quickly, “It isn’t that I wish to reject your goodwill. The problem is that those men used some unknown method to make the ape clan regard me as a mortal enemy. The Adamantine Giant Ape died miserably, so I fear that now…”
Perhaps because the demon vine’s awareness had just been dominant, Xu Ziqing could sense that the matter was not yet over.
Sure enough, before he had even finished speaking, an extremely fierce roar suddenly erupted from the distant forest.
It was the cry of an ape.
Gui Yin and Gui Yang had accepted Xu Ziqing’s Greenfrost Grass and were unwilling to leave just like this. Gui Yang said, “My little spider may be able to help somewhat. Fellow Daoist Xu, you…”
Xu Ziqing immediately cut her off. “It is better if we split up and flee. I will remember the kindness of both Fellow Daoists.”
This time, without waiting for the sisters to reply, his figure flickered and merged into the surrounding forest.
Once Gui Yin and Gui Yang reacted, they tried to track him, but how could they possibly catch his trail? Even after searching carefully, they could not detect the slightest trace.
At that very moment, a violent wind carrying demonic qi surged toward them. It was a demon ape in a towering rage. Its overwhelming momentum bent the surrounding trees, while weaker demon beasts all flattened themselves against the ground, not daring to challenge its edge.
Gui Yin and Gui Yang could not even remain standing. Both were badly startled. They abandoned any thought of finding Xu Ziqing and immediately used their escape art. In the blink of an eye, they too vanished.
Less than a breath after the sisters left, an enormous demon ape fully five zhang tall appeared.
A single black horn rose from its head. Its entire body was golden without a single stray-colored hair. Yet the hair was extremely short and lay tightly against its hide, making the beast look as though it had been cast from a single piece of pure gold, seamless and indestructible.
A fourth-rank demon beast, the Profound-Astral Giant Ape.
Its eyes were scarlet, and the pressure radiating from its body was so powerful it seemed almost solid.
Its first glance fell on the Adamantine Giant Ape, which had been reduced to little more than bloody skin and bones. It strode over, gathered the skeleton into both arms, and cried in anguish, “My grandson!”
To the Profound-Astral Giant Ape, this third-rank Adamantine Giant Ape was the most outstanding descendant capable of advancing to the fourth rank after it. It was also the clan leader the beast had chosen for the Shanyan Ridge ape clan. It mattered far more than the young Ape Nineteen, whose future remained uncertain.
Thus, when the cub met with disaster, the Profound-Astral Giant Ape had sensed it but paid little attention, allowing the Adamantine Giant Ape to lead the clan out for revenge. But when the Adamantine Giant Ape died, it was overcome with grief. Demonic essence ran wildly through its body under the force of its emotions, nearly causing it to suffer qi deviation.
Killing intent erupted toward the heavens. The Profound-Astral Giant Ape opened its mouth and swallowed the Adamantine Giant Ape’s remains into its belly.
Then it said hatefully, “Good grandson, Grandpa will make that immortal cultivator pay for you with his life!”
The Profound-Astral Giant Ape narrowed its eyes and sniffed carefully. After distinguishing the lingering scent, it charged in one direction.
That direction was precisely where Xu Ziqing had fled.