“Brother Huang, stop!” shouted Old Ling hysterically. He started to panic when he realized that there was only half a portion of the meat left.
“I thought you didn’t want any,” said Huang Deheng with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“I’m doing it for my granddaughter’s sake,” said Old Ling with a cold harrumph. “You’ve planned this all along when you brought the cured meat over. I’ve gotta hand it to you but the meat alone isn’t enough for me to hand over the Spiritual Root to you. In addition to that, you’ll need to give me something else, too.”
“For your granddaughter’s sake?” Huang Deheng smiled and tore another piece of the grilled meat and dangled it under Old Ling’s nose.
Immediately, Old Ling’s pupils dilated and burned bright green. “Haha, don’t think I’ll fall for this kind of temptation,” he said, ignoring the drool coming out of his mouth. He fixed his gaze on the grilled meat while his breathing became rapid and the muscle in his body tensed. He wished he could sink his teeth into the meat this very instant.
“Wow, I’m impressed by your endurance,” said Huang Deheng. “Here, try some.”
“You’re really giving it to me?” asked the stunned Old Ling.
“You’ll know what I’m talking about once you have a taste of it. Be prepared to have it rock your world!” said Huang Deheng mysteriously.
“What a drama king,” said Old Ling who then quickly gulped down the meat. That one bite caused every cell in his body to vibrate furiously as a low hum escaped from his throat. He had been resisting the temptation for too long and the satisfaction of finally eating it nearly drowned him.
The rich taste of the grilled meat coated his mouth and rushed down his throat. He felt as if he was about to lift off up into the sky. As he was chewing, the crispy and soft texture of the meat rubbed against his teeth, giving him an indescribable feeling as if there was an explosion of taste in his mouth. At that very moment, he was crying from the deliciousness of it all. He chewed the grilled meat a few more times before swallowing it and instantly, he felt well-nourished.
“So, how’s the meat, Brother Ling?” asked Huang Deheng.
“It’s indescribably delicious,” answered Old Ling with a nod, still replaying the taste in his mind. Suddenly, his pupils shrank and he could feel energy growing in his belly. The spiritual power was strong enough to cause a sensation in him that was also imbued with waves of the universe’s cadence, allowing him to benefit from it.
It was truly shocking to him for he was a fighter from the Heavenly Realm after all. Even consuming the Fruit of Intelligence would not cause a sensation like this, so how was it possible for a mere piece of meat to do so? It was beyond his wildest imagination.
He stared at the meat with wide-opened eyes. “How is this…possible?”
“Nothing’s impossible to the expert. What I’ve told you was all true!” replied Huang Deheng seriously.
Old Ling felt as if his skull was about to explode as his mind went completely blank. It was true—he did not take what Huang Deheng said to heart but now he had no choice but to conclude that Huang Deheng was not joking at all. Gradually, his entire body was covered in goosebumps. His world was truly rocked.
“Give me some, too! Give me some, too!” cried Xiao Yun after she saw Old Ling having some.
Huang Deheng laughed and said, “Don’t worry. We’ve saved some for you.” With that, he passed her a piece of the meat.
Xiao Yun might have been small in frame but it took her no time to finish off the meat. Soon, trails of tears began to fall from her eyes. “It’s so good!” She jumped up and started dancing on the spot while at the same time, powerful energy erupted from her body which drastically increased her aura. She had broken through to the Immortal Realm!
However, it did not stop there for her. She shot through the levels as if they were nothing but a flimsy piece of paper—Intermediate Immortal Realm, Advanced Immortal Realm… Real Immortal Realm! Her advancement shocked Old Ling again and again.
“The supernatural power of the Heavenly Dragon was not only perfectly preserved in this cured meat but was enhanced by a powerful universe cadence. It’s truly a thousand times, ten thousand times more powerful than this Spiritual Root. I still find it hard to believe one could turn food into an opportunity for leveling up. How’s it possible at all? Could it be that it was made by the Wisdom Realm Gourmet Elite?” asked the shocked Old Ling.
“Try again and aim higher this time,” said Huang Deheng with a wave of his hand. “The expert’s power is beyond anyone’s imagination. Take the rest of the meat with you and think long and hard about my offer. This kind of opportunity won’t come by very often. The only reason I’d share it with you is that the ownership of the Spiritual Root’s in your hands now.”
“Are you sure you want to give me the rest of the meat?” asked Old Ling, still shocked.
Huang Deheng pretended to not care and said, “Yes, this is nothing. I treat the Spiritual Root as your average fruit. This little meat means nothing to me when I know there’s more to come. I’ve already presented the opportunity to you and it’s up to you to make sure it doesn’t slip through your fingers. If it does, there’s no one to blame but yourself.” His words were meant to agitate Old Ling.
True to its effect, Old Ling suddenly became quiet. “You sure the expert wants this Spiritual Root? Won’t he find it inferior to everything he has now?”
“You’re obviously too narrow-minded. Collecting Spiritual Root is a hobby of his and he treats the fruits like your normal everyday meal,” explained Huang Deheng patiently. “This Spiritual Root is a mere plaything in his eyes. He’s even willing to share it with his friends. Take this bundle of cured meat for instance, do you know how many people received it in the Area of the Gods? More than we can count!”
Old Ling was stunned by what he had heard. His logical mind told him that it was not possible and yet, Huang Deheng did not seem to be lying. “Tell me what to do.”
“We’ll dig up the Spiritual Root and deliver it to him which will then create an opportunity to see him face-to-face. Then, we’ll surely be richly rewarded once he sees the Spiritual Root!” Huang Deheng paused for a second before continuing. “Let me tell you something else, we should go as soon as possible because there’s a lot of people who want to gain favors from the expert, and I bet that they’re wracking their heads to come up with a good idea. We should set the benchmark for them!”
Old Ling’s temple started to throb. “Okay!” he finally said between gritted teeth. According to his calculations, the value of the bundle of cured meat given by Huang Deheng had far surpassed the value of the 10 Fruits of Intelligence he would have gotten from the Spiritual Root in the thousand years. Should he find Huang Deheng to be lying to him, then he would be sure to drag him down with him as well.
Huang Deheng laughed heartily and said, “Let’s begin the digging then!”
At that moment, everyone was staring at them, alarmed by the fact the two had become bosom buddies in the blink of an eye. Half an hour later, the three of them—Huang Deheng, Old Ling, and the eldest princess—left the world carrying the Spiritual Root in their hands. They shot across the Chaos at lightning speed. Along the way, Old Ling could not help but wonder whether he had gone crazy for, after all, it was not every day one would find themselves carrying Spiritual Root across the Chaos.
“Don’t worry. You won’t regret it once we arrive in the Area of the Gods. In fact, you’ll be full of gratitude toward me,” said Huang Deheng excitedly. He could not wait to present the Spiritual Root to the expert. He was so focused that he did not notice a planet flaring up in the distance.
The planet was mustard yellow and though it was huge, it was also dead. It had been quietly floating in the Chaos without attracting much attention. However, the nearing of Huang Deheng and the other two awoke something in the planet and it slowly opened its eyes. A trace of weak power began to spill out from the interior, submerging the surface of the planet. It was very mysterious indeed. The three of them did not feel anything when they passed by the planet when suddenly, a magnetic power created a suction so strong that the Fruits of Intelligence flew out of its spot on the tree and straight toward the planet.
“What happened?” the three of them cried out. Their expressions had changed drastically as they stared at the planet with grave eyes. They had purposely left the fruit on the tree for the expert to show their sincerity. Huang Deheng and Old Ling exchanged glances. The former was the first to speak. “Prankster, show yourself.”
Nobody answered him. However, a vortex gradually appeared on the planet. It began as a black dot but in no time at all, it widened itself to the size of an ocean as it rushed toward the three of them.
“Look out!” Old Ling did not waste any time creating a shield with his mana to block the attack.
“There seems to be something on the planet. What could it be?”
“I’m afraid whatever it is, it’s not good news for us.”
The three of them squinted their eyes and fixed their gazes on the planet. Suddenly, the expressions on their faces transformed into pure shock. In addition to the vortex, there was also a layer of beautiful runes all over the planet, wrapping it like shackles as if wanting to keep something from escaping. The splendid rune light was sacred and vast and its brilliance was a hundred times richer than the sun’s light. It shot straight across the Chaos and instantly became the brightest planet they had ever seen. Even Old Ling and Huang Deheng felt an oppressive force weighing upon their body and did not dare to look straight at the planet.
“It looks like a seal.” Old Ling then took a deep breath before crying out, “And a Wisdom level seal at that!”
Huang Deheng nodded. “Truly terrifying. I shudder to think what kind of existence requires a seal of this level.”
“We shouldn’t stay here for too long. Let’s continue on our way now,” said the eldest princess.
“You’re right.”
The three of them were feeling slightly anxious and were just about to leave when a terrible sound wave rang from the middle of the vortex. It sounded like a raging wild beast who was hellbent on tearing everything apart in its path. In the next instant, the magnetic force increased drastically and created a tempest storm in the Chaos. Countless planets began to gather there as they were sucked into the vortex.
Old Ling’s shield began to tremble. “Let’s go now!”
The three of them activated their mana for their retreat. However, the magnetic force kept getting stronger at an alarming speed. Soon, they felt as if they were in a futile battle against the pushing wind.
“Ah!” cried the eldest princess when she lost her footing. She was about to be sucked into the vortex when Huang Deheng rescued her. The Spiritual Root fared worst as all its leaves were sucked into the vortex right in front of their eyes, rendering it bald.
“That thing on the planet’s targeting the Spiritual Root!” said Huang Deheng without a doubt.
Old Ling’s expression became twisted. “Brother Huang, you’re to blame if I die here! I shouldn’t have listened to you. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for your so-called great idea!”
“Shut up! Use whatever energy you have left to fight this thing off!” Huang Deheng fixed his gaze on the giant vortex and gathered his power in his hand. Once his hand was covered in the golden light, he slammed down hard against the direction of the planet. “Divine Palm Print!”
The golden palm print was huge and seemed as if it could fill up the vortex. However, under their hopeful eyes, the palm print fell into the vortex as if it was nothing at all before completely disappearing in a blink of an eye. Instantly, the murderous aura from the vortex increased again as if it wanted to swallow the whole of Chaos. What was more horrifying was the giant black hand extending out from the vortex which was aimed straight at the three of them.
“Curse you, Huang Deheng!” shouted Old Ling angrily. He was about to blow his top.
“Now’s not the time for us to fight amongst ourselves. Let’s work together to send my daughter out of danger’s way. Hurry!” said Huang Deheng in a high-pitched panicked voice.
“It’s all your fault,” said Old Ling with sadness and anger in his eyes. Then, he pointed at the eldest princess, and instantly she was pushed out of harm’s way. Huang Deheng raised his hand and created a barrier around her to prevent the magnetic force from sucking her in.
“Father, what are the two of you going to do?” asked the eldest princess worriedly.
“Go find the expert and ask him to come rescue us!” answered Huang Deheng in a panicked tone.
With the combined forces of Huang Deheng and Old Ling, who were both of the Heavenly Realm level, the eldest princess managed to break away from the vortex’s magnetic force. She then shot out to get help while turning back to look at the two old men with the tree that was slowly being pulled in by the black hand.
‘The expert will know what to do! I must find him. He’ll surely help us once he knows about the fruit!’ thought the eldest princess with red eyes. She bit down on her lip and flew toward the Area of the Gods at the speed of light.
