Nie Tian laughed broadly. “That’s quite an answer.”
Then, he asked Xie Wanting more about the b.l.o.o.d.y Grave Mountain Range.
From her, he learned that it snowed year-round in the b.l.o.o.d.y Grave Mountain Range. Frosty mists pervaded the depths of the mountain range, where numerous powerful experts were buried in utter desolation.
Due to the special environment in the b.l.o.o.d.y Grave Mountain Range, living beings’ souls wouldn’t vanish into heaven and earth after their deaths.
Instead, the discarnate souls of the dead would more often than not turn into evil spirits that roamed the mountain range and preyed on creatures with flesh and blood, strengthening themselves with their souls.
Meanwhile, the fleshly bodies of the dead wouldn’t rot away either, but rather had a good chance of turning into ghouls.
The ghouls also roamed the mountain range and preyed on living beings, but they also fed on dead creatures if they couldn’t find fresh ones to kill.
No one knew what had been causing such strange phenomena in the b.l.o.o.d.y Grave Mountain Range. However, the evil spirits and the ghouls seemed to agree with the hostile environment there, as the mixed energies of heaven and earth wouldn’t hurt them at all.
Ten days pa.s.sed...
Yin Yanan came back, full of vigor and high in spirits.
Nie Tian only took a quick glance at her, and realized that she had fully refined the frost power essence she had gained from the Fortune Well, as well as the three soul crystals he had given her, and had successfully broken through into the middle Profound realm.
However, her hearty smile froze on her face as soon as she noticed Xie Wanting. Frowning, she asked, “Why is she here, Nie Tian?”
Nie Tian then explained the situation, and told her that Xie Wanting would take them to the b.l.o.o.d.y Grave Mountain Range.
After learning about the special environment in the b.l.o.o.d.y Grave Mountain Range, Yin Yanan seemed very much intrigued, and instantly agreed to go explore it.
Frigid winds blew in the b.l.o.o.d.y Grave Mountain Range. She suspected there would be frost-attributed Earth Cultivated grade spiritual materials there, which she would be able to use to forge her domain when she attempted to make her breakthrough into the Void domain.
Gloating, Yin Yanan said, completely ignoring the fact that Xie Wanting was with them, “As you can see, I’ve already advanced to the middle Profound realm, but you’re still at the Worldly realm. The gap between our cultivation bases is becoming larger and larger. You might as well drop that little idea you have of me now.”
Not so long ago, she had made a deal with Nie Tian that if his cultivation base actually rose above hers one day, she would allow Nie Tian to get intimate with her.
Nie Tian laughed and said with a confident expression, “The path of cultivation is a long one. We still have a long way ahead of us. Who can tell what will happen in the future? Don’t get too c.o.c.ky. Who is to say that you won’t get stuck at a minor level for a long time some day? Then, my cultivation base might rise beyond yours, and then... I’ll get to strip you of all your clothes!”
Yin Yanan laughed in an unconstrained manner. “Wishful thinking! You know very well what the best path of cultivation for you is, yet you still choose to practice three different types of power at the same time. Don’t you understand that if you spread yourself too thin, you won’t get any of the things you want? Since you practice three different types of power simultaneously, it takes you three times as long to make breakthroughs in cultivation as normal cultivators who practice just one type of power.
“If you don’t change that, your cultivation base won’t have any chance at going beyond mine in your whole life.”
The two of them ridiculed each other before Xie Wanting without the slightest scruple, as if neither of them attached any importance to her.
Surprised, Xie Wanting fixed Nie Tian with impressed looks from time to time, as she hadn’t realized that he actually practiced three different kinds of incantations.
She had only witnessed him using flame incantations and summoning the Flame Dragon Armor.
Therefore, she had a.s.sumed that he was merely a flame power cultivator who had paid special attention to body refinement.
Deeply amazed, she wondered, “Practicing three different kinds of incantations... refining his fleshly body to such a high level... and he’s still managed to reach the late Worldly realm at such an early age… He’s a freak indeed!”
A few more days pa.s.sed.
Yin Yanan was still trying to stabilize her new cultivation base, while Mu Biqiong was still nowhere to be seen.
Nie Tian finally couldn’t help but ask, “How come Mu Biqiong’s still not finished?”
According to Mu Biqiong, she should have been able to achieve her breakthrough right after refining those three soul crystals into her true soul.
However, Yin Yanan had long since made her breakthrough into the middle Profound realm. It shouldn’t have taken her so long to advance to the early Profound realm.
Yin Yanan opened her eyes in the middle of her cultivation. “Oh, that woman? She seems to be in a bit of trouble. I suppose she’s been possessed by those flowers inside of her again.”
Pointing casually in a direction, she added, “The trees over there have withered away one after another since she went to practice cultivation there. When I was practicing cultivation, loud sounds kept coming from there, and that plant of hers could be seen flying over the forest from time to time.”
Frowning, Nie Tian said, “I’ll go check on her.”
A meaningful, cold smile appeared at the corner of Yin Yanan’s mouth as she said, “Check on her? Given her condition... You’re hoping to collect what she might offer, aren’t you? You know perfectly well that those flowers want you badly, and now you’re going to deliver yourself to their doorstep?”
“Like I said, I’m just going to check on her.” Nie Tian ignored her teasing and flew away.
Staring in the direction he disappeared in, Yin Yanan gave a cold harrumph and cursed, “Lecher!”
Xie Wanting, however, didn’t understand what the two of them had been talking about. Out of fear for Yin Yanan, she moved away from her in a slow, stealthy manner after Nie Tian left.
Yin Yanan turned to fix her with a cold look and said, “You’d better take good care of yourself in the b.l.o.o.d.y Grave Mountain Range. I won’t give a d.a.m.n about your life.”
Xie Wanting smiled bitterly. “I’ll try to be careful.”
“Good luck.” With these words, Yin Yanan closed her eyes.
SHEW!
Nie Tian flashed through the gaps among the trees before finally coming to a place where holes could be seen on the trunks of ancient trees that were bereft of any wood power.
From of the look of it, many trees had been penetrated by something that was sharp and enormous.
As Nie Tian continued to travel forward, he saw more than a hundred trees in a similar condition, as if they had been drained of their wood power.
“This must be those demonic flowers’ doing,” he said to himself.
He knew that even if Mu Biqiong needed to absorb wood power from her surroundings to practice cultivation, she wouldn’t have made such a mess.
Only the coexisting flowers inside of her could have unleashed such devastating power, pierced through these ancient trees, and drained them of their wood power.
After traveling for a bit longer, he finally saw Mu Biqiong.
She was standing in an ancient tree with her back facing him. The roots of the black flower and the multicolored flower had shot out of her palms and pierced through two rows of trees like demonic snakes that were dozens of meters long.
BLUB! BLUB!
Emerald green liquid could be seen flowing out of the tree trunks back to Mu Biqiong through the thick roots.
That emerald green liquid seemed to be the trees’ wood power, which was being forcibly taken by the coexisting flowers to use as nourishment.
Mu Biqiong seemed to sense his aura, and thus suddenly turned around.
Images of the coexisting flowers could be clearly seen in the depths of her pupils.
One of them was pitch-black and frigid cold, while the other was devilishly beautiful and inviting, which made her very mysterious and charming.
“She’s been possessed by the coexisting flowers again.” Nie Tian instantly realized what had happened. However, he wasn’t afraid at all as he stayed in place and watched her from afar.
“Early Profound realm...? She’s made her breakthrough already!” After examining her for a few seconds, Nie Tian’s expression suddenly flickered as he sensed from Mu Biqiong’s spiritual power fluctuations that she had already entered the Profound realm. “If that’s the case, then why is she still possessed by the coexisting flowers?”
BLUB! BLUB!
The coexisting flowers’ roots were still madly draining the trees in her surroundings of their wood power, resulting in their rapid withering and dying.
Mu Biqiong had a devilish look in her eyes as she stared back at him, but didn’t say a word.
Nie Tian let out a cold snort. “What game do you want to play this time?”
BOOM!
The black flower’s root suddenly pulled itself out of the row of tree trunks, its violent motion blowing the trees to pieces.
Then, like a pitch-black demonic snake, the root shot directly towards Nie Tian, giving off an obsidian-like l.u.s.ter.
Nie Tian’s expression flickered upon seeing this.
He had witnessed the might of the black flower’s root before. Even the Profound realm disciples of the Earth Spirit Sect had been easily snapped in two.
Sensing its ill intent, Nie Tian activated his newly-awakened bloodline talent without any hesitation. “Life Strengthening!”
Intense flesh power rapidly exuded through his pores.
In the blink of an eye, a scaly layer that looked like a suit of full-body armor made of gold and silver scales formed over him.
As his muscles continued to expand and his flesh power continued to surge inside of him, he seemed to have instantly turned into a bloodthirsty beast.
With a bellow, he shot out like a bolt of lightning, and brought his large hand down towards the black demonic flower’s root like a sharp blade.
Raging flesh power erupted from within him, vesting his strike with devastating force.
BOOOM!
His forearm slashed into the thick root, which to his surprise felt as soft as cotton, dissolving all of his force.
His expression instantly flickered.
Before, he had been able to shatter ancient trees and rocks that were as hard as iron without effort after activating Life Strengthening.
However, this root of the black demonic flower was actually completely unharmed. Instead, it swiftly wrapped around his waist like the tentacle of an octopus.
In the next moment, an incredible force jerked him towards Mu Biqiong.