Chapter 323: The Poison Master and the Miracle Doctor
The strange beast spat out a pearl from its mouth, emitting a green glow that bathed the surroundings in a verdant light. Yet the source of the light was not the pearl itself, but something within it—a creature resembling a green dragon swimming inside the pearl, and it was the dragon's radiance that illuminated everything around them.
Xiong Xiyu saw the green light and her expression shifted. She quickly turned her head: "That's my True Heaven Palace's Green Dragon Pearl!"
Qin Mu looked back and saw that the pearl had already grown to about ten feet in diameter. The green dragon within had become even clearer, swimming joyfully inside the pearl. The flower maidens who had been pouncing toward Yu Bochuan and his group were struck by the green light and suddenly turned to wood, becoming wooden statues, their bodies stiffening and freezing mid-air.
Pops and crackles sounded from their bodies. Soon, green sprouts emerged from these woodenized women, followed by branches shooting out, dressing them in verdant foliage.
The tentacles behind them—which were the root demon's tendrils—also turned into hardwood, unable to move.
Yu Bochuan led his group charging forward. The horned ape-like beast held the pearl high with both hands, following closely behind the group. Wherever the pearl's light shone, flower maidens were frozen in place, each in a different pose, no two alike.
"Green Dragon Pearl?"
Qin Mu was slightly startled. A pearl like this could actually restrain monsters like the root demon—truly a remarkable treasure!
"Our True Heaven Palace's sacred treasure was also seized by them!"
Xiong Xiyu snorted coldly and reached out from afar. The strange beast felt the Green Dragon Pearl in its hands suddenly lift off, and it panicked, leaping up to cling onto the pearl, trying to press it back down.
The several transcendent realm experts beside Yu Bochuan also erupted with their primordial energy, channeling it into the Green Dragon Pearl to contend with Xiong Xiyu. The pearl floated in mid-air, both sides locked in a brief stalemate, each trying to control this sacred treasure.
The two white bats immediately wheeled around and flew over, spinning in mid-air as countless fine hairs shot out toward Yu Bochuan and his group, trying to help seize the pearl.
In the blink of an eye, the two white bats had shed all their fur cleanly. Their fine hairs had been refined into treasures—hair-thin needles. If struck by them, the hairs would become extremely soft and burrow into the body, killing within moments!
At the same time, Long Qilin shook his body, and the dragon scales on his surface spun like razor-sharp great shields, whistling as they sliced toward Yu Bochuan's group!
Long Qilin was instantly left smooth and bare, stripped of his armor—only the tip of his tail and his big head still had some qilin fur.
Xiong Xiyu's face drained of color. She hastily said, "Don't act!"
Before she even finished speaking, the fine hairs shot by the two white bats were struck by the Green Dragon Pearl's light, immediately turning to wood and falling to the ground with rustling sounds.
The two white bats tried to recall their hairs but found they had lost all connection. The brothers stared blankly, hugging their arms, at a loss.
Long Qilin's dragon scales also turned to wood in an instant, becoming wooden shields that clattered to the ground. The fat dragon was dumbfounded, his big belly pressing against the ground. Originally, the dragon scales had covered his belly, preventing it from sagging too much. Now without the scales, the belly fat hung down uncontrollably.
"Chief..."
Long Qilin had completely lost his composure, quickly turning to look at Qin Mu standing on his back.
Qin Mu had been about to unleash his Eight Thousand Swords, but seeing this, he immediately held back.
The True Heaven Palace's Green Dragon Pearl was truly bizarre and unpredictable. Although Long Qilin's cultivation hadn't reached the transcendent realm, his strength was on par with it, with thick skin and tough flesh.
During the Battle of Tianbo City back then, the Heavenly Capital Demon King had descended in avatar form and fought fiercely with the Dragon King. The shockwave had grazed Long Qilin's rear, only breaking through his scales, and his injuries were light—a testament to the defensive power of that scale armor.
The two white bats were even stronger, definitely reaching the peak of the transcendent realm, and their body hairs were not something they used lightly.
Unexpectedly, when their treasures encountered the green light of the Green Dragon Pearl, they all turned to wood and lost control!
If Qin Mu's Eight Thousand Swords had flown over, probably only the Carefree Sword would have escaped being woodenized—all the other flying swords would have become wood.
Xiong Xiyu grunted, her magical power unable to match Yu Bochuan and his group. She couldn't outwrestle them, and the Green Dragon Pearl flew toward Yu Bochuan's side. Just then, the ground suddenly shook violently. Countless root tendrils surged up from beneath the earth, dancing wildly in the air, weaving together with sharp sounds into a massive black wooden cocoon that enveloped the Green Dragon Pearl, then dragged it down into the ground.
Xiong Xiyu and Yu Bochuan's group were caught off guard—neither side had time to recall the pearl before the root demon had already snatched it away!
Yu Bochuan shouted harshly: "The Green Dragon Pearl is a treasure of my True Heaven Palace, with the true soul of the Green Dragon sealed inside! That old monster can't swallow it!"
Suddenly, the trembling beneath the earth grew even more violent. Everyone's footing became unsteady as the ground beneath them shook continuously, rising higher and higher, as if some colossal creature was burrowing upward from below.
RUMBLE—
Dirt and stones exploded in all directions. A surge of greenery erupted from beneath the earth, lifting them up, carrying them higher and higher. Long Qilin quickly leaped aside. The crown of a massive tree, covering dozens of acres, burst forth from the ground, rising up beside them.
The two white bats quickly flew up, but realizing they were completely bare, they hastily covered their lower bodies with their hands—then promptly tumbled down, plunging headfirst into the dense foliage.
The two white bats were stunned. The tree was still growing wildly, its crown expanding, its trunk rising higher and higher. Before long, they saw white clouds drifting past beside the crown.
The air grew colder, the sunlight harsher. The two white bats felt their breathing become difficult and quickly flew up, diving down through the crown.
Only when they flew did they realize how long the journey was. The crown was incredibly vast and thick. Despite their speed, it took them considerable time to fly out from within it.
When they emerged from the crown, below them was a dizzying height. The incredibly thick tree trunk towered far above the surrounding mountains!
The two white bats hurriedly flew downward, and only after another moment did they finally see the ground.
Meanwhile, the tree kept emitting rumbling vibrations. At intervals, countless branches would suddenly burst into frenzied growth, forming a second tier of crown, a third tier, a fourth tier.
The two white bats dodged repeatedly. Suddenly, thunder and lightning crackled across the sky, bolts striking back and forth, followed by a drizzling rain.
By the time they landed, the two white bats hastily covered their lower bodies, looked around, and saw neither Qin Mu nor the others—only the mountain-like tree trunk blocking their view.
The ground kept splitting apart, revealing thick dragon-like root tendrils that crackled and snapped as they extended wildly into the distance. Even several distant mountain peaks were wrapped so tightly in roots that not a breath of air could pass through.
Above, the sunlight had been completely blocked out, leaving little light.
The bat brothers climbed onto the tree trunk, crawling swiftly along it, searching for Qin Mu and the others.
Suddenly, rustling sounds came from the lower tier of the crown. Root tendrils hung down from the canopy, swaying back and forth, each carrying a large flower bud.
"This should be the root demon's true body, right?"
Qin Mu's voice came through. Fu Yuqiu and Fu Yuchun quickly scrambled over the tree, and only when they saw Qin Mu, Long Qilin, and the others did they breathe a sigh of relief. They leaped down from the tree, using their fleshy wings to cover their bodies on landing to avoid exposing themselves.
Qin Mu looked up at the colossal tree that the root demon had become, shock and awe filling his heart. He stepped forward and peeled open one of the hanging flower buds.
The bud was opened, revealing a maiden hanging upside down, motionless, her arms dangling at her sides.
The maiden weakly opened her eyes, glanced at Qin Mu, and said in a faint breath: "Heavenly Saint Church Chief..."
Qin Mu closed the maiden's eyes. The maiden opened them again, glaring at him fiercely.
Qin Mu opened other buds, and inside each was another hanging girl—the strange things the root demon of the Withered Silence Ridge had produced. They weren't independent lives; these girls were merely part of the root demon's body.
"The root demon is just a mass of root tendrils that absorbed the blood of gods and demons to become a great demon. It had no tree body. Now that it's absorbed the energy of the Green Dragon Pearl and grown a tree body, it's probably even more terrifying."
Qin Mu spoke with concern. "Let's leave this place as quickly as possible!"
The white bat brothers saw some of their fur on the ground, no longer in its wooden state, and were overjoyed. They shook their bodies and gathered up the fur.
Long Qilin beside them also shook himself, retracting his dragon scales which had returned to normal.
Xiong Xiyu shook her head: "The Green Dragon Pearl contains the true soul of the Green Dragon. This great demon can't absorb it—it's most likely being controlled by the energy within the pearl, unable to move. As long as we find the pearl it swallowed, we can turn the tables and kill these traitors like Yu Bochuan!"
Xiong Qi'er asked curiously: "Mother, after we take out the Green Dragon Pearl, will this root demon come back to life?"
Xiong Xiyu shuddered. Right now the Green Dragon Pearl was suppressing the root demon. If they took it out, the root demon would regain its mobility, and they would be in danger again.
Suddenly, a voice called out: "Young Master, the Green Dragon Pearl is here!"
Qin Mu's expression changed drastically: "Damn it! We can't let them dig out the Green Dragon Pearl!"
They quickly followed the sound and saw Yu Bochuan and the True Heaven Palace experts staring at a section of the tree trunk. The trunk glowed with a green light, like jade, illuminating an area of several acres.
Clearly, the root demon of the Withered Silence Ridge had swallowed the Green Dragon Pearl, and the terrifying power within the pearl had instantly woodenized it. As a result, the root tendrils had grown a tree body, pinning it in place, its roots stiffened and immobile.
"Don't take out the Green Dragon Pearl! If you take it out, this great demon will regain its freedom, and no one will survive!"
After Yu Bochuan said this, he looked toward Qin Mu and his group, frowning slightly. The people around him immediately assumed defensive positions, guarding him.
Qin Mu smiled: "Greetings, fellow senior brothers. Can you still use your True Heaven Palace divine abilities here? If not, then we'll have to send you all on your way."
Yu Bochuan's figure suddenly flickered, appearing at the location of the green light. He reached his hand into the tree trunk and sneered: "Heavenly Saint Church Chief, if we die, we all die together... What a fragrance. What's that smell?"
He had just said this when the world spun around him, and he collapsed with a thud.
"The scent of Lost Soul Incense." Qin Mu said with a beaming smile.
Thud, thud, thud. The True Heaven Palace members collapsed one after another, leaving only the three transcendent realm experts still standing, their faces flushed red. But their cultivation was being consumed to suppress the Lost Soul Incense, leaving them with little magical power to spare.
Suddenly, a woman's voice came through, laughing: "Lost Soul Incense—it's a kind of anesthetic, isn't it? Let me have a sniff!"
Xiong Xiyu's expression changed drastically, while the three transcendent realm experts were overjoyed.
"The Poison Master!"
"Mu Yingxue!"
Qin Mu followed the sound and saw a woman in black robes adorned with gold and silver ornaments and a jade bead crown walking toward them from among the hanging maidens on the root tendrils. Wherever she passed, the flower maidens withered and turned to ash, falling to the ground.
Qin Mu took out a jade bottle, tossed it over, and said with a smile: "It's an anesthetic. Go ahead, have a sniff."