darknovel Chapter 167 Heading to the Path of Ice and Fire
Chapter 167 Heading to the Path of Ice and Fire
Several hours later, a beam of azure light landed at the entrance of the valley. When the light dissipated, it revealed the figures of Qingfeng and his companions.
"Why is the smell of blood so strong here?"
Qingfeng frowned and extended his divine sense to probe into the valley entrance.
The stench of blood that permeated the valley entrance was so intense it was almost tangible.
At the valley entrance, a blood-soaked demonic corpse stood amidst the rocks, its eye sockets glowing red.
Around it, the severed limbs of more than a dozen Core Formation cultivators were scattered on the ground, clearly indicating that they had just died a few hours earlier.
"Old Demon Lan's methods, Blood Demon Corpse."
The bearded man's gaze turned cold, and he spoke in a low, booming voice.
"This Blood Demon Corpse was crafted from the body of a mountain goblin, making it far more powerful than a Core Formation cultivator."
Qingyi stroked his beard and stepped forward.
"Then I'll have to trouble you two elders."
Qingfeng took a few steps back.
"Um."
Without wasting words, the bearded man charged toward the Blood Demon Corpse in a flash.
The blood demon corpse sensed a living person approaching and let out a roar.
However, the bearded man was a peak mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, far superior to those Core Formation cultivators.
He then unleashed the "Heavenly Demon Art" and punched the Blood Demon Corpse in the chest.
"boom--"
The Blood Demon Corpse flew backward, crashing into and shattering a boulder.
But it was an inanimate object, unaware of pain, and it rolled over and lunged again.
"let me."
Qingyi summoned a blue needle from his hand.
The minute hand transformed, falling like thousands of silver threads in the rain, piercing the Blood Demon Corpse like a sieve.
The bearded man strode forward and smashed half of its body with a single blow.
The Blood Demon Corpse crashed to the ground and remained motionless.
Seeing that the two had finished dealing with the Blood Demon Corpse, Qingfeng was about to step into the valley when he suddenly stopped and extended his divine sense again.
This time, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
"What's wrong?"
The bearded man turned around and asked.
"There are three acquaintances."
Qingfeng smiled slightly.
A moment later, three streaks of light flew in from a distance and landed at the mouth of the valley.
The light dissipated, revealing Jin Qing, Lao Hu, and Lao Ge.
"Old Ge, what kind of route did you take? We made a wasted trip."
Old Hu complained.
After the three of them entered the area, they wanted to pick the Longevity Fruit, but Old Ge led them astray.
It was precisely because they took the wrong path that they escaped disaster.
"Hey! Brother Qingfeng!"
When Jin Qing saw Qing Feng, he was initially delighted, but his gaze immediately fell on the pile of corpses at the entrance of the valley, and his face turned deathly pale.
"This...this is..."
Old Hu shuddered and instinctively took a step back.
Although he was a rogue cultivator and had witnessed many battles, this was the first time he had ever seen such a tragic scene.
Old Ge was so frightened that he couldn't speak, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
"Brother Jin, please don't misunderstand. We just arrived here ourselves. These cultivators all died at the hands of the Lan Clan's Twin Demons."
Qingfeng explained with a smile.
Seeing that the visitors were several Core Formation juniors familiar to Qingfeng, Manhuzi and Qingyi went into the valley first.
"If we hadn't taken the wrong path, we would probably be one of these corpses too."
Jin Qing looked at Lao Ge; they had actually turned misfortune into blessing.
"Looking at it this way, Lao Ge... you're still a lucky charm."
Old Hu patted Old Ge on the shoulder.
Old Ge scratched his head and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.
From the moment he entered the Spirit Abyss, he had been winning effortlessly.
This time, he led them astray, which saved them from disaster.
"Let's go, the Longevity Fruit should be inside."
Qingfeng smiled and turned to walk into the valley.
Old Hu and his companions followed closely behind. As they passed through the blood-soaked area at the valley entrance, the sight of the corpses scattered on the ground made them pale, and they quickened their pace involuntarily.
They were all cultivators of the same level as them, yet they all died tragically here.
After the group entered the valley, the place where the Longevity Fruit Spirit Tree should have grown was now a mess.
More than a dozen spirit trees were leaning precariously, their trunks broken and branches and leaves scattered all over the ground.
The thickest ones were uprooted, with their roots exposed.
Around those broken spirit trees, there were four or five small green fruits scattered around, the largest of which was no bigger than a baby's fist. They were obviously low-quality longevity fruits.
"Old Demon Lan, that bastard! Stealing the fruit is one thing, but he even dared to destroy the tree!"
The bearded man's eyes widened, and he roared in anger.
"They picked the fruit themselves and then destroyed the sacred tree, leaving nothing for those who came after them. Going to extremes like that is really their style."
Qingyi's expression also turned somewhat unpleasant.
Jin Qing and the others looked at each other, feeling both disappointed and fearful.
Disappointingly, we didn't get a single fruit after arriving here.
What's frightening is that if they hadn't taken the wrong path, they probably would have ended up like those corpses outside.
"Although this Longevity Fruit is not very good, if it is refined into a Longevity Pill, one pill can increase one's lifespan by about six or seven years."
These fruits still have some value, whether for consumption or trade. Take these fruits and leave quickly. The Ice and Fire Path ahead is likely to be even more dangerous.
Qingfeng picked up the defective Longevity Fruit from the ground and threw it to Lao Ge and the others.
"We're already lucky to have gotten in alive, how can we possibly reap the rewards?"
Old Hu waved his hand repeatedly.
"Here you go, take it."
Qingfeng simply stuffed the fruit into their hands.
The three of them couldn't refuse, so they had to accept it.
Old Ge held the small green fruit, a simple and honest smile on his face.
Old Ge held the small green fruit, a simple and honest smile on his face.
"Thank you, Brother Qingfeng. We'll head back now. Please be careful from now on."
Jin Qing cupped his hands in thanks.
He knew there would definitely be a major battle ahead, but it was not something they could get involved in.
After the three left, Qingfeng walked towards the destroyed spirit trees. He squatted down and began to dig the soil from the ground.
"Young Master, what's wrong with you...?"
Qingfeng walked over, puzzled, and asked.
The longevity fruit is gone, and the tree is destroyed. Should we dig it up and transplant it?
"The roots of the spirit tree are still alive."
Qingfeng dug into the soil and quickly unearthed the tree roots buried in the ground.
Although the tree trunks above these roots were destroyed, the root systems remained intact. There were also faint fluctuations of spiritual energy.
He took out a jade box from his pocket and put the dug-up tree roots into the box.
"Qingfeng, these trees have all been destroyed, why are you digging up these tree roots?"
"If even living trees can't be transplanted from outside, what hope is there for these destroyed tree roots?"
The bearded man frowned, puzzled by Qingfeng's futile attempt.
"Hehe, this tree is the most essential part of the spirit tree. As long as the roots are still there, it may one day sprout again."
Qingfeng raised his head, smiled faintly, and put the jade box into his pocket.
Then, they began digging up the roots of the next tree.
Others may not know, but he knows it in his heart.
He has a system with the function of "rapidly ripening spiritual herbs and plants". As long as these tree roots still have a glimmer of hope, he can use spirit stones to make them regrow and bear new longevity fruits.
Of course, he wouldn't say these things aloud.
Seeing that Qingfeng was about to dig, Manhuzi and Qingyi, as bodyguards, had no choice but to help.
Soon, all the spirit trees were dug up.
"Let's go, it's time for us to head to the entrance of the Ice and Fire Path."
Qingfeng's face was filled with the joy of a successful harvest.
There are many more good things waiting for him on the Ice and Fire Road - Lava Road ahead.
Manhuzi and Qingyi exchanged a glance, neither of them able to understand Qingfeng's thoughts.
It's just digging up a bunch of tree roots, how can it be more joyful than obtaining the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng?