After Qin Yu left, the atmosphere of the two teams changed.
The valley was in front of them. In addition, everyone had seen the fruit tree that looked as if it had been cast from gold.
Since no one was willing to give up, they could only enter. Everyone could sense the tense and wary atmosphere.
Whether it was intentional or not, they opened up a distance with Yao Ling and Zhang Ying.
“Big Brother Yun…” Yao Ling bitterly said.
Yun Che smiled. “It’s fine. Even if there is a minor understanding, it’s okay as long as it’s in the open.”
He pushed Yun Shi.
“Ah…that’s right, my brother is correct. We won’t mind, really. Big Sister Yao Ling, please don’t worry about it.”
She leaned forward by her head and spoke some words of relief into her ears.
When Yun Shi saw Yao Ling’s piteous appearance, she couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for her.
But in her mind, she kept thinking about Qin Yu’s attitude towards her and Zhang Ying.
Although Qin Yu hadn’t given any explanation for this matter, even before he left he made no excuses for Yao Ling and Zhang Ying, even directly reminding her to be careful. It was clear he still suspected them.
For some unknown reason, as Yun Shi held Yao Ling’s hand, a chill surged in her heart.
The golden fruit tree had a guardian monster. Just like Zhou Cheng and Zhang Ying said, when the two teams joined forces it wasn’t difficult to deal with it.
Even though they reserved some strength in order to deal with any possible problems from Qin Yu’s arrival, they still managed to clean things up with a bit more time.
The mountain valley fell silent.
Lian Feng opened his eyes. As his finger fell down, an array formation appeared around him, fusing into the void before vanishing.
“Alright, the array formation has been completed. Even if someone wants to break into the valley, this will be able to block them for some time.”
Everyone relaxed a little. Then, their eyes focused on the golden fruit tree. This thing appeared harmless, but no one dared to be careless around it.
After all, inside mystic realms, it wasn’t just guardian monsters that could kill. There were some plant life forms that were even more terrifying!
Yun Che said, “Everyone, be careful!”
The two teams had a total of ten people, each team comprising five people. This was also a reason why they were willing to join forces.
When both sides had similar levels of strength, it lessened suspicions and potential troubles.
As the leaders of their teams, Yun Che and Lian Feng were certainly the strongest…at least, this was what it looked like on the surface.
The two stood at the front. Behind them were Zhou Huan, Zhou Cheng, and the others. Yao Ling and Zhang Ying were almost amongst them. Yun Shi’s position was near the rear.
Because of Yun Che’s reasons coupled with remarks from Zhou Huan and Zhou Cheng, they placed Yun Shi in the relatively safe tail position.
Of course, Yun Shi was the weakest. If she was placed in any other position, it would potentially affect the safety of the entire group. This was also a very important reason.
The ten people cautiously approached the golden fruit tree. Lian Feng had a treasure in hand that looked like an ocarina. According to what he said, it could sense aura fields and give early warnings.
The group moved forward without problems.
The ocarina didn’t emit any sounds throughout. And now, the group of ten was close to the golden fruit tree. The sweet fragrance in the air deepened.
Subconsciously, everyone’s breathing deepened and their eyes lit up with urgency.
The treasure was close at hand and there didn’t seem to be any dangers. To have such an expression of emotion was normal in this sort of situation.
The cautious Yun Che still hadn’t noticed anything suspicious. After sensing his surroundings for a long time, he gently nodded at Lian Feng.
While Qin Yu had said that his train of thought and judgment ability had been muddled by his emotions, Yun Che still remained careful.
He wouldn’t completely believe Lian Feng nor the ocarina treasure in his hands. After determining that there was nothing wrong himself, he finally relaxed a bit.
Hualala –
A gust of wind blew over, rustling against the golden fruit tree’s leaves. The leaves rubbed against each other and emitted a metallic sound.
But now, no one was in the mood to pay attention to this. Because as the wind blew over, the sweet fragrance in the air became much richer.
A strong and urgent desire surged out from the depths of their hearts. Although they had no idea what effects these golden fruits had, no one doubted their value. Because with just a slight sniff, they could feel their strength increasing a little.
A cultivator from Lian Feng’s team gulped and said, “Everyone, what are we waiting for? The treasure is right before us. The more we delay the more the possibility of accidents happening!”
Yun Che took a deep breath and said, “Before we determine the effects, it’s best if we don’t rashly eat the fruit. How about we work together to pluck the fruits and then divide them afterwards?”
Lian Feng nodded, “Brother Yun is a veteran at this. I have no objection.”
Everyone nodded and came to an agreement. Without hesitation, they dispersed and flew up towards the fruit tree.
The fragrance became even thicker!
Gulp –
Yun Shi swallowed a mouthful of drool. She looked at the shining fruit in her hand and wondered what it would taste like. Would it be sweet? What kind of flavor was it?
The thought was suppressed as soon as it appeared. But she soon discovered that the more she tried to suppress it, the stronger the impulse became.
Her breathing quickened and she bit her lips. Her thoughts grew increasingly intense – eat it, it is already yours!
A fruit that smelled so good had to taste even better. It definitely had to help one’s cultivation. If she only ate one, surely no one would notice.
Moreover, her big brother was one of the team leaders, and both Zhou Huan and Zhou Cheng liked her. Even if she was seen it should be alright.
The fruit slowly approached her lips. The closer it went, the more enchanting and fragrant it became. Yun Shi licked her lips, drool appearing on the corners of them.
“Yun Shi, what are you doing!?” The fruit was pulled out from her hands. Yun Shi looked up, “Big brother…”
Yun Che had an ugly complexion. “I said before that the fruit cannot be eaten until we have determined its effects!” He turned his hand and put the fruit away. He glanced at Yun Shi and said, “You step back first. The fragrance is too thick when you are near the fruits. You won’t be able to endure it.”
Yun Shi wanted to argue, but Yao Ling walked over. “Listen to your big brother. I’ll go with you.”
As she spoke, she grabbed Yun Shi’s hand and walked away.
Lian Feng suddenly said, “There’s something strange about the fragrance of these fruits. I suggest that we stop picking them for now and first determine their effects.”
“Stop picking? Why wouldn’t we pick them? This is a treasure we discovered with great difficulty, so are we supposed to leave it to others?” Zhou Huan growled as he stared at a golden fruit.
Yun Che furrowed his eyebrows. But at this time his complexion changed, “Something’s wrong, we’re missing someone!”
Everyone was startled. They quickly looked around and noticed that they could only count nine people.
The one missing was someone from Lian Feng’s team. It was another woman who wasn’t Zhang Ying.
“She was just here, I remember it clearly!” The cultivator said with an ugly expression as he frantically looked around.
Lian Feng shushed him. “Be quiet. Do you hear that?”
Everyone fell silent. Then, they really did hear a light cracking sound.
At the moment everyone heard this sound, an image simultaneously popped into their minds of teeth biting into a crisp and juicy fruit before chewing it.
Kacha –
It was another sound.
This time, everyone locked onto the source of the sound. They all looked upwards.
It was there!
Zhou Huan clenched his jaws, “She’s secretly eating them!”
Lian Feng had a poor expression. After all, everyone had agreed beforehand that they would distribute the harvest afterwards, yet someone on his side had broken the rules.
“Everyone, please rest assured that no matter how many fruits were stolen, I guarantee you all that she will receive a double deduction. No one will receive a smaller amount than they deserve.”
As he spoke he stepped forward and howled into the branches. “I’ll catch her and bring her down!”
The way this matter was handled was satisfactory. If she ate one then she would be fined two. Everyone would obtain a minor benefit.
But at this time, there was a miserable scream. Lian Feng who had rushed into the branches before came tumbling back down.
He fell to the ground and frantically rolled around, screaming as he did. Faint traces of black gas emerged from his body. His flesh and blood had been corroded, producing a bloody and horrifying sight.
The sudden change caused everyone’s complexions to change. Before they could respond, a shadow rushed down.
“Fruit! Give me all your fruits!” The voice was sharp and grating.
Looking at their clothes, this shadow was the woman who ate the fruit. But now she was completely unrecognizable. Red fur pierced out from her skin and wrapped around her. Her face had become twisted and fierce, like some malicious ghost from hell.
What was especially terrifying was that even as she roared out loud, she was chewing on something. From the wet gushing blood, it was shockingly a piece of fresh meat.
And when they looked at Lian Feng who was rolling on the ground in pain, they didn’t need to ask to know where it came from.
Yun Che roared, “Be careful!”
Then he punched out a fist.
Bang –
The red-furred woman was forced back. But she only paused a bit before she sprang forward again, with no signs of injury at all.
“Leave, we’re retreating first!”
Two cultivators rushed forward to drag Lian Feng away. As the group rapidly retreated, the red-furred woman gave chase.
She was forced back again and again, but she remained alive and violent.
“Fruits, it’s because of the fruits!” Yun Che waved his arms and flung out all the golden fruits.
As they hoped, the red-furred woman stopped chasing them. She threw herself onto the fruits, eating them up one at a time.
As she ate the fruits, she roared with pain and joy. Her flesh and blood cracked as her figure grew again and again. Her body couldn’t withstand it and her skin cracked open to reveal the flesh below. Blood gushed out from the wounds.
But then, even more red fur drilled out from the open flesh, absorbing all the blood.
This woman’s changes really were because of the golden fruits.
When she saw this with her own eyes, Yun Shi paled. If it weren’t for Yun Che stopping her, she might have ended up with a similarly ghastly appearance.
She opened her mouth to say something, but she discovered that she couldn’t move at all. She couldn’t even utter a single word.
With eyes wide with horror, she turned to look at Yao Ling. Yao Ling returned her look with a charming smile, but there was no emotion in her eyes, as if she were nothing more than a cold and empty shell.
“Throw away the fruits, throw them all away!” Yun Shi could hear Yun Che’s roars. But no matter how much she struggled, it was completely useless.
