Chapter 100

Chapter 100

From the mouth of that demonic cultivator, Wen Qiao roughly understood the situation of this place.

This was the heart of the forest, surrounded by a natural isolation array that cut it off from the outside world, allowing very few to enter.

If not for Wen Qiao relying on her senses and following the scent emitted when the Bloodthirsty Demon Lotus was about to mature, she would have likely been unable to safely pass through the isolation array, still wandering outside, unable to find her way in.

Deep within the woods lay a black swamp.

The black swamp emitted a stench akin to the rotting of corpses, forming a putrid miasma suitable for the growth of the Bloodthirsty Demon Lotus. This was why the Bloodthirsty Demon Lotus could leave a seed here.

Wen Qiao stealthily patrolled the surroundings, walking for a while before seeing the black swamp in the distance.

The black swamp covered a vast area, surrounded by towering trees growing around it. The veins of those plants were a deep green verging on black, having transformed into pure demonic plants.

According to the demonic cultivator, this place was once filled with elemental spiritual energy, yet no one had expected that such a land rich in spirit would nurture a seed of the Bloodthirsty Demon Lotus due to this black swamp.

That demonic cultivator at the Primordial Realm had stumbled upon this place by chance, discovering the seed of the Bloodthirsty Demon Lotus. He then decided to transform this location into a demonic miasma-filled area, cultivating that Bloodthirsty Demon Lotus.

A hundred years later, the land of primordial spirits had turned into a place shrouded in demonic aura. If not for the isolation array, the woods outside would have been affected by the demonic aura, gradually turning into a land dominated by demonic energy. Of course, if cultivators intervened promptly, it would be a different story.

That Bloodthirsty Demon Lotus grew deep within the black swamp, accessible only to the demonic cultivator at the Primordial Realm and two other demonic cultivators at the Spirit Realm. As such, the other demonic cultivators didn’t know what that Bloodthirsty Demon Lotus looked like now.

Wen Qiao hadn’t studied demonic plants and couldn't calculate the exact maturation time of the Bloodthirsty Demon Lotus, but she could tell from the scent lingering in the air that they didn’t have much time left.

Wen Qiao didn’t approach the black swamp, taking a distant glance before moving along the surrounding trees, hiding behind the dense demonic plants.

The strength of the captured demonic cultivator was inadequate, after all, and he didn’t know much about this place. He couldn’t provide information on where the group of cultivators was being held, so Wen Qiao had to search on her own.

After walking for a bit, Wen Tuantuan suddenly let out an urgent breath sound.

Without hesitation, Wen Qiao ducked between the surrounding trees, finding a tree gap, transforming into a small sprout and burying herself there, assimilating her aura with the surrounding demonic plants.

This was one of the skills of the demon body: Assimilation!

Seeing the appearance of the little sprout, Wen Tuantuan squeezed in, calmly guarding the little sprout, trying her best to appear as an inconspicuous low-level demon beast.

Not long after the rabbit and sprout hid, footsteps echoed.

Wen Qiao cautiously extended her divine sense, seeing several demonic cultivators approaching. Their expressions were grave, their steps hurried; clearly, their mood wasn’t good.

The demonic cultivators passed by Wen Qiao’s hiding spot without stopping.

Wen Qiao continued to calmly pretend to be a small sprout, not leaving.

A while later, more demonic cultivators appeared. These cultivators wielded weapons, clearly a group of subordinates responsible for patrol, all at the Primordial Pulse Realm, lacking the authority to enter the black swamp.

As they walked, they spoke in hushed tones, and Wen Qiao quickly perked up her ears to listen.

"…I heard that the righteous path's spirit cultivators have already discovered this place and will soon come looking. What should we do?"

"Fear nothing! With the isolation array, whether they can find the place is another matter."

"What if they manage to get in? Even if they don’t find us, they can surround us here, and we won’t fare well either."

"With Lord Qing Yun here, there’s absolutely nothing to worry about!"

"That’s right. Once Lord Qing Yun obtains the Bloodthirsty Demon Lotus, we’ll withdraw from here. Why should we fear those spirit cultivators surrounding us?"

"But Lord Qing Yun is furious this time! Especially during this critical period, accidentally revealing our whereabouts and attracting those righteous path spirit cultivators. When he lured that Purple Sun Sect’s sound cultivator last time, it already infuriated him, leading him to personally capture those Scarlet Sky Sect disciples. Who knew this situation would be even worse."

"Let’s hope everything goes smoothly. Don’t let those righteous path spirit cultivators ruin Lord’s plans."

"Lord has guarded here for over a hundred years. If it all falls apart, not only will Lord be angry, but we might not survive either."

"But even if Lord gets what he wants, if those spirit cultivators rush in, we probably won’t be able to escape. Whether we live or die is uncertain…"

…

By the end of their conversation, the group of demonic cultivators’ moods were somewhat sour.

They were just low-level demonic cultivators, existing in a state where they could be easily abandoned and sacrificed, but who wanted to die?

The patrolling demonic cultivators slowly moved away, their voices fading.

From their conversation, Wen Qiao learned the current situation.

The group of cultivators searching for Tang Yalin had found the vicinity, but they couldn’t enter due to the isolation array around them. Coupled with the Bloodthirsty Demon Lotus about to bloom, that Primordial Realm demonic cultivator named "Qing Yun" was currently squatting near the Bloodthirsty Demon Lotus in the depths of the black swamp, leaving them no time to bother with the righteous path cultivators who had come looking.

The situation was better than imagined.

In fact, Tang Yalin encountering demonic cultivators was also an accident.

Because the Bloodthirsty Demon Lotus blooming required a large amount of flesh and blood as nourishment, that demonic cultivator named "Qing Yun" worried that the number of righteous path spirit cultivators prepared wasn’t enough, so he sent demonic cultivators to secretly capture some righteous path cultivators nearby as fertilizer.

Who knew Tang Yalin would just happen to appear nearby and be taken by the demonic cultivators as a soft target.

However, the demonic cultivator didn’t expect that Tang Yalin had several older brothers who coincidentally came looking for him. Not wanting to face them, he failed to erase his tracks in time, thus exposing their existence, chased relentlessly by a group of Tang siblings.

News eventually reached Tai Zecheng, drawing even more cultivators over, thus exposing this place.

Because this incident directly exposed the secrets deep within the forest, that "Lord Qing Yun" was furious, but hindered by the imminent maturation of the Bloodthirsty Demon Lotus, he couldn’t deal with these demonic cultivators and had no time to handle the righteous path cultivators who had come looking.

Wen Qiao pondered for a moment, transforming back into human form and continuing her search for the location where the cultivators were detained with Wen Tuantuan.

She searched around extensively, occasionally evading the patrolling demonic cultivators, expending quite a bit of effort before finally finding the location where the cultivators were held.

From afar, Wen Qiao sensed the presence of the Spirit Realm demonic cultivator stationed nearby.

She didn't dare to approach, for fear of being discovered by the Spirit-Origin Realm devil cultivator.

Wen Qiao found a place with a wide field of view around her and transformed into a small seedling once again, hiding in a tree hollow with Wen Tutu. Only then did she begin observing the area where the cultivators were being held not far away.

It was a massive cage woven from devil plants, hanging in midair. The Spirit-Origin Realm devil cultivator stood guard below the cage, preventing anyone from coming close. Even patrolling devil cultivators avoided this side.

Then Wen Qiao saw over a hundred cultivators inside the cage, including Tang Shaolin and the disciples of Chi Xiao Sect. They were familiar to Wen Qiao, surprisingly including Feng Rusword and several sword cultivators.

The condition of the cultivators inside the cage wasn't good. They sat there weakly, their faces pale and their auras faint. Their cultivation had been artificially sealed, unable to utilize spirit energy. Being in a place filled with devilish aura made it clear how miserable they must feel.

Fortunately, those devil cultivators merely sealed their cultivation instead of destroying it outright. Perhaps they feared that destroying their cultivation would lead to them being unable to bear the humiliation and committing suicide, rendering them unsuitable as fertilizer for the Blood-Sucking Devil Lotus.

The Blood-Sucking Devil Lotus was an exceptionally picky devil plant. It only devoured living, fresh flesh. If the victims were dead, it wouldn't touch them. Thankfully, this allowed the group to retain their cultivation. Otherwise, according to the usual methods of devil cultivators, they would have been directly crippled upon capture.

Wen Qiao's gaze shifted over Feng Rusword and the sword cultivators before landing on a young woman wearing a Cloud Silk skirt near them. From Wen Tutu, she learned that this woman was Shuilv Ode.

Shuilv Ode had a beautiful appearance and an ethereal demeanor. Her pale complexion added a delicate beauty to her, making her particularly eye-catching.

The surroundings were silent. Due to the presence of the Spirit-Origin Realm devil cultivator, no other devil cultivators were around, indicating a high level of trust in him.

Wen Qiao released her senses, connecting her consciousness with the surrounding devil plants.

In that instant, it felt as if the entire world was within her perception. Even the tiny insects hidden in the soil were clearly visible, leaving nowhere to hide.

This was another skill of Wen Qiao's demon body: Perception.

When cultivating in Ningyu Zhou's space, she often transformed into her demon body. This not only facilitated her absorption of essence from the surrounding plants and growth of spirit herbs but also allowed her to connect her senses with the surrounding spirit herbs, sharing their vision.

However, this skill had its limits. With her current cultivation, she could only establish a connection with lower-level spirit plants.

A plant's perception was equivalent to a human's "eyes."

Although this skill seemed somewhat superfluous at times, it proved very useful in situations like these, not drawing the attention of cultivators—after all, who would pay attention to the surrounding plants?

Everywhere the plants were located became her "eyes."

Her perception extended, and Wen Qiao saw the devil cultivators patrolling near the black swamp as well as Duan Haoyan lurking nearby.

Due to the lack of plants in the black swamp, she couldn't gather information about it.

Wen Qiao wanted to connect her consciousness with the Blood-Sucking Devil Lotus, but it was an Eighth-Order devil plant. Its level was too high, and with her current cultivation, she couldn't establish a connection with it. She had to give up on the idea.

Wen Qiao continued releasing her perception and discovered several Tang Dumplings who had infiltrated.

The Tang Dumplings carefully avoided the patrolling devil cultivators without taking rash actions. Their behavior contrasted sharply with their usual selves, appearing surprisingly reliable.

Wen Qiao paused her perception on them before continuing outward until reaching the limit near the barrier array, unable to extend further.

Despite this, Wen Qiao was still quite satisfied.

Then her gaze returned to those Tang Dumplings.

Wen Qiao wasn't surprised that the Tang Dumplings could come in. The Tang family was one of the five major families in the Central Continent, possessing deep reserves. Disciples of such major families usually had trump cards and life-saving items, naturally allowing them to find their way in faster than other cultivators.

Following that, the Tang Dumplings did the same thing Wen Qiao and the others had done earlier, capturing a lone devil cultivator and dragging him away for interrogation.

After the Tang Dumplings clarified the situation, their expressions turned grim. Nevertheless, they gathered their spirits, planning to rescue people first.

Wen Qiao kept "watching" them, seeing them decisively head toward the location where the cultivators were imprisoned. Soon, she had an idea.

***

The Tang Dumplings also couldn't ask where the cultivators were being held. The patrolling devil cultivators were unaware of that information.

However, the Tang Dumplings didn't mind. They didn't need a devil cultivator to guide them. They could use a bloodline sensing technique to find people. This was a special bloodline connection deliberately established between direct descendants of many major families. Normally, it didn't matter much, but if any relative went missing, they could use this technique to locate them, making it the best choice for finding someone.

This was why the Tang Dumplings could find their way here so quickly.

They cautiously avoided the patrolling devil cultivators, not wanting to attract the attention of the devil cultivators here before finding their target.

Suddenly, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on Tang Shaolin's face. "I sense Little Tang Dumpling's aura."

"Where?" the other Tang Dumplings asked happily.

Tang Shaolin pointed in a direction. "Head this way. Little Tang Dumpling should be around here... Hmm, it's not far. We should be careful."

After confirming the correct direction, Tang Shaolin led his brothers forward cautiously.

Upon seeing the massive plant cage hanging in midair, the Tang Dumplings hurriedly stopped, carefully inspecting the cage. Seeing their younger brother safe and sound inside, the group of Tang Dumplings finally heaved a sigh of relief.

Then, they noticed the Spirit-Origin Realm devil cultivator guarding below the cage.

The Tang Dumplings' faces turned grim. "What do we do now?"

Tang Shaolin's expression also soured. After some thought, he said, "If my calculations are correct, there are only two hours left before the Blood-Sucking Devil Lotus matures. We must rescue them before then."

Tang Shaolin was concerned that the Spirit-Realm devil cultivator would soon order the cultivators to be brought to the black swamp as fertilizer. At that time, with the Spirit-Realm devil cultivator present, they wouldn't be able to make a move unless City Lord Xu came to restrain him.

However, when City Lord Xu would arrive was uncertain. If they acted now and alerted the Spirit-Realm devil cultivator, they wouldn't fare well. Tang Shaolin had the highest cultivation, but even he was only at the early stage of the Spirit-Origin Realm, which wasn't enough.

Moreover, he also worried about the Spirit-Realm devil cultivator who hadn't shown his face yet, fearing that he was nearby.

Just as the Tang Dumplings hesitated about whether to take action, a rabbit descended from the sky.

The Tang Dumplings mistook it for an enemy and almost attacked.

"Ah, it's Miss Min's Wen Tutu," the Tang Dumplings exclaimed in surprise.

Wen Tutu calmly squatted there, watching them, licking an exquisite spirit pill in its arms. That composed demeanor made the Tang group enviously wistful.

How nice it would be to turn into a rabbit and lick exquisite spirit pills every day.

"Tang Shaolin asked, "Wen Tutu, what are you doing here? Where's Miss Min?"

Naturally, Wen Tutu wouldn't answer. It opened its three-parted mouth, swallowing the exquisite spirit pill in a few gulps, then shook its rabbit ears and headed toward the cage where the cultivators were imprisoned.

The Tang group was stunned, unsure of what Wen Tutu intended to do, following silently behind it with their eyes fixed on the rabbit.

Soon enough, the Tang group knew what Wen Tutu had in mind.

Wen Tutu directly ambushed the demon cultivator guarding the cage at the Spirit Origin Realm, and valiantly eliminated the Spirit Origin Realm cultivator.

The Tang group's jaws nearly dropped.

They all knew that Wen Tutu was a mutated beast, but its exact rank was unclear. After all, Wen Tutu usually behaved like a low-level beast, rarely revealing its aura when not in combat, which was quite deceptive.

It turned out that it was actually an eighth-stage late mutated beast, equivalent to the late Spirit Origin Realm. No wonder it could silently dispatch that Spirit Origin Realm cultivator.

Tang Shaolin reacted swiftly, "Quickly, let's rescue them."

With Wen Tutu having already taken care of their strongest enemy, they couldn't lag behind. They rushed over promptly.

By this time, Wen Tutu had sliced through the demonic plant like cutting hair. The Tang group leaped into the cage, first unsealing the cultivation of those who had been sealed, allowing them to have the strength to escape.

However, upon trying, they encountered resistance.

"It's useless," said Feng Rujian with a pale face, his voice surprisingly calm, "Our cultivation was sealed by a Demon Cultivator at the Sect Founder Realm. With your level of cultivation, you can't undo it."

The Tang group grimaced, decisively saying, "Then we should leave this place first."