Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Chang Li, who had tilted her head to the side to squeeze in an ear and listen to the phone call, giggled. Wen Leyang almost crushed the cellphone in his hand as he hastily shook his head to awaken himself slightly.
After Old Gu had received the report, he had rushed over with the Fei Fei siblings. Gu Xiaojun, who had just entered the mountain, was then sent to the hospital for appendicitis. Both Fei Fei and Xiao Sha were elite soldiers so even if Gu Xiaojun had backed out halfway, they could still continue to carry out the mission. Perhaps Old Gu’s absence made them both even more relaxed as they entered the depths of the huge mountain with the lieutenant named Qu Jia.
However, two days ago, they had lost contact with Fei Fei and the others. Old Gu had grown impatient in the hospital and as he gathered his other subordinates to rush over to Mount Hua, he then thought of asking for Wen Leyang’s help at the same time but Wen Leyang’s cellphone had been unreachable.
Old Gu had adopted technological means to find out that Wen Leyang’s final phone call had been made from Mount Hua to his surprise. After he had sent the text messages, he had kept track of Wen Leyang cellphone so when Wen Leyang reconnected to the network, he had contacted Wen Leyang immediately.
During the recent trip to the Snowy Peak, Wen Leyang had formed a close friendship with the siblings Fei Fei and Xiao Sha. Since they were well within his reach at this moment, Wen Leyang would definitely help them if they were in trouble. He consoled Gu Xiaojun for a while before he hung up. Wen Leyang’s intent was for the others to join Chang Li and leave the mountain to search for a substitute body while he looked for the siblings Fei Fei and Xiao Sha on his own.
However, Chang Li disagreed even though Wen Leyang’s current level of talent and treasured weapons was good enough such that, other than a limited number of top master cultivators, he had no other enemy in the world. Chang Li’s main worry was that since this was the wood spirit’s Mount Hua, the other party was using the Wood Elemental magic art. With the support of the magic art, the enemy was akin to an evil fish in the water and she was afraid that Wen Leyang, who was more like a little dragon which had never swum in the water before, would suffer a loss.
Guo Huan laughed flamboyantly, “It won’t hold us up even if we looked for those two kids first, we have plenty of time on our hands! However, if we are to save both of them this time, leave everything else but the ability of the girl in detecting someone’s lies and the ability of the boy in playing all sorts of tricks; they must teach us!”
Chang Li laughed, “That’s right! We must learn about these tricks!”
Wen Leyang was natural elated, with Chang Li and Xiaowu’s assistance, as long as Fei Fei and Xiao Sha were still alive, even if they had been captured by Transformers there was still a chance for them to be rescued. His only concern was that Chang Li, who was already capable of turning the world upside down, once she had learned Fei Fei’s psychoanalysis and Xiao Sha’s folk magic, what would the world be turned into after that…
The ‘Standing Softshell Turtle’ could not be found on the travel guidebook or a professional map and only the hill people who had lived in the huge mountain for generations knew about that. Wen Leyang carried the nose-less man on his back as he dashed as swiftly as the wind through the huge mountains with Chang Li and Xiaowu alongside him.
Even though Guo Huan’s Immortal’s Cave and the ‘Standing Softshell Turtle’ were in the depths of the huge mountain, there was quite a distance between these two locations. The bitter cold and desolated winter made Mount Hua even more treacherous and only Chang Li, who was rippling with demonic energy, added a burst of liveliness in the bleak landscape.
Just as the afternoon sunlight shone dazzlingly, the small group of people finally arrived at the ‘Standing Softshell Turtle’. Wen Leyang exclaimed in mild surprise and he could not help but say, “This really is the ‘Standing Softshell Turtle’!”
A hill-like gigantic rock formation had been stabbed in an askew manner between a few soaring mountains. When seen from afar, it appeared very much like an old softshell turtle which was standing upright. The formation looked as if the turtle would tumble with a loud crash at any moment yet it had been standing upright for millennia!
Other than Wen Shulin’s hasty complements, everyone else was silent. Even Xiaowu raised her little fists as her charming little face was filled with vigilance.
They were surrounded by bleak mountains in the middle of winter yet the ‘Standing Softshell Turtle’ was luxuriant and green. Countless long vines were entwined around the trees densely and plants were growing in a hideous mess. The only peculiar thing was that not even a single blade of grass had grown outside of the boundary which was covered by the ‘Standing Softshell Turtle’.
Their journey was filled with desolation and only the area beneath the old softshell turtle’s stomach was lush and green! For a moment, Wen Leyang’s eyes even saw those vines as something which was pulling on the slanted rock such that the ‘Standing Softshell Turtle’ did not turn into the ‘Crawling Softshell Turtle’.
This was different from the luxuriant winter pine trees which grow on the far mountains. The stretch of green before their eyes was dazzling and bright until it made one unconsciously inhale a deep breath after looking at it as if one could inhale all this liveliness into their limbs and bones!
Chang Li suddenly turned around and made a mischievous funny face at Wen Leyang, “Open your eyes wide and take a look, I shall perform a magic trick for you!” Upon saying that, she pulled Wen Leyang along and walked in great strides towards the bottom of the ‘Standing Softshell Turtle’. Soon, they were about to dive headfirst into the densely packed and entwined vines and trees.
The vegetation beneath the ‘Standing Softshell Turtle’ had grown in a chaotic mess, there were almost no gaps between the densely arranged plants until even a rabbit would have difficulty squeezing itself between the plants, let alone a human. Wen Leyang was still puzzled when the plants before his eyes started shaking even though there was no wing. Soon after that, with a messy rustling sound which resembled a falling tide, the plants suddenly dispersed in all directions in a great panic.
They watched their surroundings as all sorts of plants hastily scattered and vanished as if the plants were fleeing. Wen Leyang was a little dumbstruck but Guo Huan chuckled as he spoke, “This is the wood spirit’s Mount Hua! Heh, it has plenty of vital energy!”
Wen Leyang inquired closely on Guo Huan’s statement, “Vitality energy? What vitality energy?”
“Vitality energy? More like demonic energy!” Chang Li abruptly sneered with murderous intent. The sound of rolling branches and leaves could be heard as all sorts of plants retreated desperately. Wen Leyang could not help but think of a phrase – ‘Rolling and crawling’!
It took less than a minute for the vines and the flourishing trees to retract back into the soil and the initially lively ‘Standing Softshell Turtle’ had turned bleak once again in the blink of an eye. What remained was a stretch of empty ground where not even a weed could be seen. In the area where the slanting slab of gigantic rock connects to the ground, a shabby and ragged campsite had appeared before Wen Leyang’s eyes.
Wen Leyang walked forward in quick strides. The campsite had been completely mashed by the dense blanket of plant earlier so he was not able to find any clues and nor could he discover any traces of Fei Fei and Xiao Sha. He was searching without a purpose when he asked the jade knife, “So, was Gu Xiaojun’s guess correct? It is truly a magic art?”
Guo Huan answered at a leisurely speed, “The plants earlier had been muddled with demonic primordial energy. These plants had not grown by themselves nor was it a cultivator’s magic art. In fact, they had been dispersed by a demon’s magic. Heh, the wood spirit’s vine spirits and tree monsters had not been considered rare in the past.” He then paused for a moment before he continued, “The wood spirit’s demon magic pays particular attention to set down roots in the earth to ensure a continuous liveliness!”
Chang Li looked in all directions as if she was looking for something. She then continued Guo Huan’s topic of conversation absentmindedly, “The saying of setting down roots in the earth means that when a magic spell is cast, the supernatural power would not be dispersed. Someone had cast a wood spirit’s demon magic in the past which was why these plants had been left behind.”
Guo Huan’s effort in searching for his split body had been futile so he was trying to distract himself by explaining the situation. However, he had not expected Chang Li to step in and say a large chunk of his explanation as he was taking a breather. He then hastily continued, “The saying of ensuring continuous liveliness means that the demon magic will expand by itself slowly over time. After the disappearance of the first group of people, even though the campsite had been overgrown by vines and trees, it had still remained visible to outsiders. However, after the second group of people had disappeared, the plants and trees had grown wildly and completely covered this place here…”
Wen Leyang pondered attentively on Guo Huan’s explanation. After a while, he was suddenly enlightened and he asked in astonishment, “Are you saying… These plants kill people to serve as their fertilizer?”
Guo Huan sneered coldly as a confirmation to Wen Leyang’s question.
Wen Leyang became impatient, “Can we find any clues which have been left behind by the demon?” As he was saying that, he gritted his teeth and spread his telegnosis ability as far as he was able to. However, all he could sense was the desolated mountains and hills with no trace of Fei Fei or Xiao Sha!
Wen Shulin was feeling self-conscious. He had crawled down from Wen Leyang’s back and procured his pen and paper as he hastily started to calculate in an attempt to locate the demon’s whereabouts.
It was apparent that Guo Huan wanted to speak yet he intentionally feigned an impatient tone as if his willingness to speak was already the greatest honor to Wen Leyang, “I had just said that the wood spirit’s demon magic pays particular attention to set down its roots in the earth to ensure continuous liveliness! Amongst the vine spirits and the tree demons, those with shallow skills will never leave their nest while the majority of those with profound skill clings to their own roots. They would only leave as a last resort!” Guo Huan then paused for a moment before he sneered, “It’s not considered a serious matter for these demons to kill a few humans so, of course, they would not have left yet. By the time we arrive, it would have lost the opportunity to leave!”
Wen Shulin suddenly squalled and he did not even care about his ballpoint pen as he hastily jumped in front of Wen Leyang. Wen Leyang was startled and grabbed on to the old man, “What did you manage to calculate?”
Wen Shulin shook his head strenuously, “I did not manage to calculate any result, he… He said that the demon was nearby so I dared not calculate anymore…” His gaze traveled about as he was speaking and he looked vigilantly at some withered trees at a distance.
Guo Huan ignored them and asked Chang Li instead, “So, have you found it?”
Chang Li turned around and nodded towards them, “I’ve found it! The thing is… It’s a little strange!” She then stretched out her hand and pointed at a plain-looking rock which was about the size of a lighter beneath her feet, “This is it!”
Chang Li waved her hand once and condensed a sparkling flame out of thin air between her fingers. She flicked the flame towards the rock gently which caused it to squawk abruptly. The solid rock immediately turned softer than seaweed as it shivered in agony. It only stopped struggling after the flame was extinguished and turned back into the appearance of a rock once again.
Xiaowu exclaimed in astonishment and jumped over. She then stretched out her small hand and tried to pick up the rock. Unexpectedly, the rock remained unmoved in her grasp and seems like it was firmly connected to the ground.
Wen Leyang was afraid that something bad would happen to Xiaowu due to her rash actions and was about to take out a chewing gum to bribe her when Chang Li shook her head at him, “I’m here, it’s fine!”
Xiaowu did not manage to pick up the rock and her little face was contorted stubbornly as she exerted more strength into her hand and pulled strenuously at the rock. Wen Leyang felt the ground shake once yet the rock still remained as unmoved as before! It was until this moment that Wen Leyang truly felt rather amazed, Xiaowu’s strength was not inferior to his and she could even uproot a huge tree easily. However, this piece of rock which was capable of squawking and softening was entirely unmovable as if its roots were connected to the entire mountain.
Xiaowu then exerted the entire force of her demonic power until her little face flushed red but the unremarkable-looking rock still lay in the soil coldly. Chang Li, on the other hand, stuck her tongue out and laughed, “Hanba’s maiden daughter is truly extraordinary, if it had been somebody else, I’m afraid that person would have died ten times over!” She then wrapped her arms around the furious and exhausted Xiaowu and cradled her in her embrace. Soon after that, her hands moved and danced like a swift wind as they tapped with a gentle sound all the way from the top of Xiaowu’s head to her feet.
Xiaowu’s face suddenly turned ashen and her fair and clean little hands covered her chest as she looked nauseated. After a long while, she finally bawled and vomited a clear watery liquid along with a dozen bean sprout-like, green-colored seeds which had germinated!
The moment these seeds fell onto the ground, they immediately melted into the soil like a ginseng fruit and swiftly vanished without a sound.
Guo Huan gasped softly in astonishment and explained without waiting for Wen Leyang’s question, “Such an incisive demon!” Soon after that, he continued in a low, muffled voice, “When Xiaowu had touched the rock, she had been cast with the other party’s demon magic without her notice. If the seeds had not been removed in time, it would not take long before she would have turned into a giant bonsai plant!”
Xiaowu was a demon with great power as well. Based on her demonic power alone, she was almost equal to the giant pangolin Po Tu. If she was placed in the cultivation world, she could still sweep away most of the cultivators. Otherwise, Hanba would not have trusted her to come out alone.
A cultivator or a spirit monster would possess a type of self-defense life vitality. Since Xiaowu had been planted with the seeds without her notice, the enemy’s actual power was beyond a doubt at the level of a demon immortal as remarkable as Chang Li and Zhui Zi!
Wen Leyang pointed at the rock and looked at Xiaowu. He then looked at Chang Li with a bellyful of questions yet he did not know where he should start his questions from.
Chang Li’s expression was not too solemn as she explained to rest of them softly, “This rock is alive! It’s this rock here that has been creating trouble. Judging by the power of its demonic primordial energy, it is still a little weaker than me but it is absolutely not something any of you can handle. The rock is very close to the campsite, I think… Supposedly, someone from the scientific exploration team had discovered it unintentionally. It was not afraid of fire but it hated fire and that person had accidentally dropped a kindling next to it so of course, it would have made a fuss…”
If Xiaowu had been unable to handle it, what more to say about the scientific exploration team? Wen Leyang narrowed his eyes, “How about Xiao Sha and Fei Fei?”
Chang Li made the ‘keep calm and do not worry’ gesture. She did not answer Wen Leyang’s question immediately but she continued to speak, “Guo Huan, this object is alive, but… I cannot see its demon’s heart!”
In Wen Leyang’s perception, the demon’s heart and demonic primordial energy were all mysterious things. He looked at Wen Shulin in slight puzzlement and Wen Shulin held his notepad eagerly and seemed to be very confident at helping Wen Leyang to calculate what exactly was the demon’s heart.
“Oh!” Guo Huan, who would not have been bothered even when the mountains fell and the earth split, suddenly squalled and spoke in astonishment, “It… Is the demon fetus? The demon fetus that possesses a demonic power which is only slightly weaker than our level of power? If it grows into a spirit monster, it would be even more incisive than ever!”
The condensation and refinement of the demon’s heart was an important process in the cultivation to become a demon. The spirit monster would absorb and refine the spiritual vitality of the heavens and earth. It would gradually refine those into demonic primordial energy before it could finally use the demonic primordial energy to wash its marrow and refine its heart. Only then could it open the path of its spiritual intelligence and turn from an animal or plant into an evil spirit monster. It could be said that the process of refining a demon’s heart was the most basic hallmark. The monster would only turn into a spirit once its demon’s heart has taken form. Without the demon’s heart, no matter how incisive the object was, it would never possess spiritual intelligence and would remain just like a plant or an animal, only acting according to its instincts.
Chang Li’s smile was rippling with a sense of curiosity as she said, “We thought that the Ending Cave on Mount Hua had been abandoned for millennia. I had not expected that the wood spirit had been planted so deeply until it had even bred such a monster here!”
Wen Leyang looked at the small rock, “This… Is really a demon?”
It took Chang Li a while before she understood Wen Leyang’s question. She then laughed as she corrected him, “It’s a demon fetus! For it to become a demon which is capable of running and jumping, it’s unknown how many more years it would still need to wait to reach that stage!”
Guo Huan’s voice sounded much calmer now but it was still as suspicious as before, “The Ending Cave’s excessive Wood Element has bred a demon. While that is not utterly impossible, it still does not explain how this demon fetus could grow so strong… I’m afraid that this object here…”
Chang Li narrowed her eyes and her sharp demonic charm was distracting, “What is the purpose of making wild guesses! We shall dig down along the edge of this rock. Sooner or later, we will see the demon fetus and by then, we shall know the outcome. Hehe, I’ve had plenty of experience with this in the past but I’ve never seen one as incisive as this!” Following that, Chang Li spoke to Wen Leyang, “When I had used my demonic primordial energy to probe this monster earlier, I sensed the lingering breath of living people underneath the soil. There should be some people who are still alive but as to whether these people are Fei Fei and Xiao Sha, I do not know!”
She then paused for a moment before she immediately complemented, “Don’t ask me how they are still alive, I don’t know that either!”
Wen Leyang, who had been in a surprised trance, understood this much, “So, this little rock isn’t the demon fetus?”
Chang Li was too lazy to explain so she stretched out her hand and pointed at the rock, “You will naturally understand more when you dig to the bottom of this. Wen Shulin, come over here and start digging, be careful not to touch the thing that is connected to the bottom of the rock or your old life would be unsalvageable!”
Wen Shulin was so terrified that he was shaking. He was no better than a regular human now but even if he had not dispersed his life vitality, he was still weaker than Xiaowu. Since this was something that even she could not handle, how would he dare to touch it? He hastily bowed and gave a forced laugh, “Dear Grandaunt, you have unsurpassed supernatural power, you should be able to uproot this rock easily with a slight exertion of your strength. Please don’t make things difficult for this old man…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Chang Li widened her eyes, “I may not necessarily be able to pull it out! Even if I could, I cannot guarantee that this demon fetus will not hurt the people beneath it!”
Wen Shulin was still thinking of negotiating when Wen Leyang and Xiaowu ran to the rock. They then began to cautiously dig away the soil surrounding it. Chang Li was still worried as they did not appear anxious so she chuckled from the side as she reminded them, “The first scientific exploration team had unintentionally discovered this object here which was why they had started digging. As a result, they had been planted with seeds by the demon fetus and turned into big and small trees without their notice. Naturally, they had died soundlessly…” She was halfway through her speech when her graceful body suddenly swayed once and floated next to Wen Leyang. Her slender hands had reached out as fast as lightning as she pinched out a seed which was so tiny that it was almost undetectable from the back of Wen Leyang’s hand. She then squeezed her fingers gently and, with the sound of a squawk, the seed was crushed.
Wen Leyang’s body was covered with cold sweat from the fright. Chang Li, however, was still as indifferent as before, “It’ll be fine, I will protect all of you!” Following that, she continued the topic of conversation from before, “The search and rescue team had come after the scientific exploration team had the accident. They were also planted with seeds as they examined the campsite. Heh! The final team leader who had brought his team to rescue the people was slightly more experienced. If not, all of them would have been turned to plants over here!”
“Make sure that your movements are gentle, try not to startle it…” As Chang Li was saying that, her hands moved as fast as lightning and caught several escaped seeds continuously, protecting both Wen Leyang and Xiaowu.
Underneath the small rock was a thin horizontal piece of stone with a slightly larger surface area than the ‘lighter’. Below that was another slightly bigger stone chip and so forth. Wen Leyang and Xiaowu dug all the way from noon to dusk and created a pit which was a dozen meters deep. All they have excavated was more stone chips which increased in size until the bottom piece was as large as a basketball court.
Each stone chip was around two inches thick regardless of their size. There was a trace of unappealing green color within the chips which had looked like moss at first glance. However, upon closer examination, one would realize that the green color was actually a pattern embedded in the stone chips.
The large pit was now a dozen meters deep and hundreds of stone chips were revealed to be stacked in a seemingly messy arrangement. The stone chips were tightly connected and resembled a simple and unsophisticated stone tower which exudes a slightly ghastly feeling when seen from afar.
Wen Leyang sucked in a breath between his teeth and stopped digging temporarily, “Is this… A wood spirit’s demon or an Earth Element’s spirit monster? These are all stones…”
Guo Huan exclaimed before he said, “This demon fetus is not a common creature so continue your digging! When you finally reach its roots, you would then know what kind of creature it is!”
Wen Leyang gave a forced laugh as he continued to dig, “How long do I have to keep digging before I arrive at the roots?” The stone chips were growing bigger and their digging speed has slowed down considerably. Nevertheless, Chang Li was not impatient at all as she answered smilingly, “Since it’s a wood spirit, you ought to just calculate it based on its growth rings! A stone chip would equate to roughly a year. In order for this demon fetus to take form, it would have required at least a few thousand years’ worth of time!”
Xiaowu raised her head and looked at Wen Leyang and her huge eyes were filled with tears…
When the sky darkened, Chang Li finally pouted her lips before she reluctantly joined the excavation team.
It was only until the moon has risen to the middle of the sky that they finally unearthed a stone chip which was the size of a football field. No one knows how many more stone chips were below that slab but Chang Li could still confirm with confidence that there was a living person’s breath at the depth of the earth’s core.
This demon fetus was only slightly weaker than Chang Li even before its pathway of heaven’s spirit has been opened. Its layered, stone-like demon’s body was like a Tibetan tower which was so deep that it was utterly bottomless!
On the second morning, Wen Leyang was close to collapsing when he asked Chang Li, “We ought to just choose one direction and dig downwards in a diagonal manner. There isn’t a need for us to unearth every layer of stone chips, right?”
Chang Li was examining her nails bitterly. She disregarded Wen Leyang and the jade knife Guo Huan hastily spoke and continued the topic of conversation, “This spirit monster is a wood spirit so it mutually complements the Earth Element. Even though it is still a demon fetus now, it is difficult to ensure that it would not suddenly cast some demon magic to protect itself. If we were to allow it to hide its demon body in the soil, there would be countless troubles by then so it’s still more reliable for you to dig out everything entirely.”
Chang Li nodded strenuously from the side, “He has a point there! If the mountain ghost had not spoken I truly would not have thought of that!”
Wen Leyang coughed, such a virtuous and sincere young lad too could roar so ferociously, “Wen Shulin, you have rested for one night. Wake up and start working!”
Wen Shulin bowed strenuously with a terrified expression. He had just opened his mouth and was about to speak when the entire stone tower abruptly started to shake vigorously. Wen Leyang was filled with awe in his heart and he picked Xiaowu up as he fell back as swiftly as a ghost. The moment his back slammed into the soil, the Poison of Life and Death abruptly circulated under the Faulty Punch’s drive and he carried Xiaowu as he retreated into the depths of the thick soil in the blink of an eye.
Chang Li clasped her hands behind her back and arched her back. She then raised her head and sneered, “Are you seeking for your death?!” Soon after, a vast and exuberant pressure suddenly burst out from her delicate body and spread into the deep pit in a flash!
The stone tower was about to launch some form of magic to protect itself but it was pinned down by Chang Li’s burst of demonic power until it could not even budge. It trembled for a while before it suddenly howled bitterly like an infant!
Wen Leyang felt as if he was being stabbed in the ears. The Poison of Life and Death which had been surging and roaring in his body became muddled and with a muffled bang, his Ning Jiao’s armor appeared and wrapped itself tightly around him. Xiaowu too used her little hands to cover his ears with an agonized expression! Fortunately, the sharp howl only lasted for a few seconds before it was forcefully stopped by the demonic power released by Chang Li’s stern shouts.
Wen Leyang was ashen as he carried Xiaowu and returned to Chang Li’s side. He asked with lingering fear, “Is the demon… Demon fetus furious?”
Chang Li answered through her angrily clenched teeth, “Why should it be furious! I have yet to get angry despite digging for one whole night…”
