Chapter 1386: Already a Hundred Zhang of Ice on the Cliff (Part Two)
A faint, spicy scent reached Chongyangzi’s nose. Previously, this smell had been masked by the orchid-and-musk-like fragrance, so Chongyangzi hadn’t noticed it.
Moreover, this spicy scent shouldn’t have been there before. It had only appeared after he had waved his hand to clear the air. This greatly alarmed Chongyangzi. He had clearly closed the door and activated the restrictions.
Chongyangzi’s magical power immediately began to circulate, but he already had a bad feeling. The flow of magical power in his body had become sluggish.
What horrified him even more was that on the floor where the woman surnamed Yuan had been standing, which had been perfectly fine before, there was a sudden writhing movement.
Then, a pitch-black mass spread out rapidly as it writhed…
In almost an instant, a behemoth that occupied more than half the room appeared in front of Chongyangzi, blocking the door behind it.
It was a huge mass of gray vines, covered in writhing tendrils of all sizes. Five of these tendrils were exceptionally thick, each as thick as two adult waists, like the tentacles of five giant octopuses.
Smaller tendrils were rapidly sprouting from all over the floor of the room. In just a moment, the entire room had become like a “dense forest.”
“Netherworld Demon Vine!” Chongyangzi couldn’t help but exclaim, a mixture of shock and anger in his voice.
The Heavenly Mountain Garden was most skilled at cultivating various spirit demon plants. These plants could form armor for defense or be a kind of companion spirit demon plant.
They also possessed spiritual intelligence. These spirit demon plants were even stronger in combat than many demonic beasts, which made the combat strength of every disciple of the Heavenly Mountain Garden quite terrifying.
These spirit demon plants did not require bloodline inheritance. Even low-level spirit demon plants could be grafted and fused to create higher-level existences through different cultivation methods.
The Netherworld Demon Vine, for example, carried the power of death from the Netherworld. It was particularly adept at trapping and strangling enemies, making it a sharp blade for besieging and killing cultivators.
Once pierced by the fine thorns on its vines, strands of death qi would be born in the body. This death qi would seize the host’s life force, and their spirit power and essence blood would also be rapidly consumed.
This made it very difficult for the host to even burn their essence blood to unleash a stronger counterattack.
And Chongyangzi knew that there was a fifth-rank Netherworld Demon Vine in the Heavenly Mountain Garden. It was once a foundational protector of their sect, no less than their Supreme Grand Elder.
Because spirit demon plants had longer lifespans, and after generations of fighting with people, both its experience and strength were already infinitely close to the Void Refining Realm. Most late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivators were no match for it.
But even as a spirit demon plant with a longer lifespan, it was said to be on the verge of withering and had not appeared for nearly ten thousand years.
But this fifth-rank Netherworld Demon Vine that had suddenly appeared before him immediately made Chongyangzi think of the one from the Heavenly Mountain Garden. In an instant, a realization dawned on him.
“It was them! They colluded with the Heart-Refining Valley and betrayed the Pure Yang Hall!”
Only a Void Refining cultivator from a second-rate sect could possibly revive a fifth-rank spirit demon plant that was on the verge of death.
Looking at the “dense forest” that had instantly filled the room, blocking him in, and with only a window behind him leading out into the desert—a place he dared not go.
Chongyangzi instantly transformed into a streak of yellow light and shot out like an arrow. But this was a sneak attack from a fifth-rank spirit demon plant. The death qi injected into his body was exceptionally pure.
The fine thorns that had just shot out from the floor had already pierced his leg a few times. Chongyangzi could already feel his magical power being obstructed and his essence blood draining away.
And the biggest problem at the moment was that the roots of those fine thorns were wrapped around his leg like chains.
Chongyangzi charged forward recklessly. As long as he could get out of this room, he would be saved. He didn’t believe the other three sects were also in on it.
As soon as Chongyangzi charged out, a sharp sword appeared in his hand. He first swung it to cut the tendrils on his leg. The originally sturdy formation restrictions in this room had now become a cage.
When the long sword made contact with the tendrils, coupled with the yellow light he had transformed into, he instantly broke through the roots that stretched out again to block him. A series of booming sounds instantly erupted within the room.
“Trying to escape? In your dreams!”
At this moment, a muffled, thunderous, and aged voice echoed through the “dense forest,” its source unknown.
At the same time, streaks of ghostly green “long whips” rained down like dense rain, layer upon layer, wrapping around the yellow light. The booming sounds continued to roar, but outside the room, not a single sound could be heard…
A few dozen breaths later, Chen Xingshan, who was meditating in his room, suddenly opened his eyes.
The restriction outside his room had suddenly sounded an alarm. At the same time, the voice of the old woman surnamed He from the Spirit Subduing Manor rang out.
“Fellow Daoist Chen, Fellow Daoist Chongyangzi has asked us to go over to his place to discuss some matters. Hurry up!”
Although her voice was slow, it carried a sense of urgency.
Chen Xingshan looked at the door in confusion. He had been conserving his energy and had activated his formations, so he was unaware of what was happening outside. Chongyangzi was summoning them to discuss something, but why hadn’t he received a voice transmission?
However, he was only slightly puzzled and did not suspect anything.
This was Chongyangzi’s room, not some other place. It was possible that Chongyangzi had asked the old woman to notify the others.
Afterward, Chen Xingshan stood up.
After opening the door, he saw that the old woman surnamed He, after notifying him, had already started walking towards Chongyangzi’s room on her own. The door there was already wide open.
A dozen breaths later, the moment Chen Xingshan stepped into Chongyangzi’s room, his voice, filled with terror and anger, suddenly came from within.
“What are you all doing…”
Immediately after, a series of explosive booms came from the wide-open door. But due to the formations on all sides of the giant skiff, these sounds only echoed on the second level and could not travel any further.
The explosions were brief, lasting only five breaths, and then everything returned to a dead silence.
Inside Chongyangzi’s room, the “dense forest” that had disappeared when Chen Xingshan entered had once again filled the entire room. Chen Xingshan was being held by two giant tendrils.
His eyes were wide open, and there was a large hole in his Dantian. On the floor beneath him, a river of dazzling blood was spreading, slowly staining the ground…
The thick smell of blood filled the entire room. Chen Xingshan, who had been full of life just a moment ago, was now dead.
On the ground in front of him, the head of the burly man from the Seven Tigers Alliance lay, his face contorted in a ferocious expression, his eyes filled with unwillingness and resentment.
Not far away was a headless corpse, holding a giant saber, its body pierced by several huge vines, its clothes long soaked through with fresh blood.
Not far from Chen Xingshan’s side stood the murderous-looking old woman surnamed He from the Spirit Subduing Manor. As she stopped her hand seals, the violent magical power had just dissipated.
The female cultivator surnamed Yuan from the Heavenly Mountain Garden was leaning against a vine of the Netherworld Demon Vine, looking at the dead Chen Xingshan and the ferocious head, a sweet smile on her face.
Chongyangzi’s room had been opened by the Netherworld Demon Vine using his token. The burly man from the Seven Tigers Alliance was the second one to be lured in.
Two Spirit Transformation cultivators, plus a fifth-rank Netherworld Demon Vine, ambushing one person. The female cultivator surnamed Yuan’s cultivation level alone surpassed that of any of the Spirit Transformation cultivators here, let alone a group ambush.
When the burly man from the Seven Tigers Alliance entered, he was caught off guard and beheaded. His body was instantly imprisoned by the female cultivator surnamed Yuan. With the heavy formations here, his Nascent Soul could not escape or teleport and was shredded into a rain of blood.
And the third one to enter the room, Chen Xingshan, the female cultivator surnamed Yuan didn’t even bother to close the door. Chen Xingshan was also killed almost instantly.
But he was a Spirit Transformation cultivator after all. In his desperation, he still forced the other party to go all out. Under their full attack, they could only annihilate his Nascent Soul along with him.
“Fellow Daoist Yuan, what about Chongyangzi?”
The old woman surnamed He looked at the female cultivator surnamed Yuan. In the future, when they defected to the Heart-Refining Valley, their sects would be of the same rank, so she was not too afraid of the other party.
However, this operation was still led by the female cultivator surnamed Yuan. This was an order from the Heart-Refining Valley. Who let her have a fifth-rank Netherworld Demon Vine? It was the best weapon for ambushing Chongyangzi.
Earlier, when she received the voice transmission from the female cultivator surnamed Yuan saying that they could make a move on the burly man from the Seven Tigers Alliance, the old woman had guessed that Chongyangzi had been captured.
Because they were afraid of complications from delays, their actions were continuous. Only after taking down everyone would it be considered half a success.
“He’s unconscious. At least he’s not dead. But I haven’t had time to get the magical treasure and technique for controlling this giant skiff yet.”
The female cultivator surnamed Yuan glanced at her.
Then she raised her hand and pointed. Suddenly, from the dense vines and leaves above her head, a figure completely entangled in vines descended and landed in front of the female cultivator surnamed Yuan.
The old woman saw at a glance that it was Chongyangzi, completely bound and with his eyes tightly shut.
The next moment, the female cultivator surnamed Yuan no longer held back. She raised her snow-white jade hand and placed it directly on top of his head.
Immediately, Chongyangzi’s eyes snapped open, his face contorted in a ferocious expression. His mouth suddenly opened wide, but because he was sealed, no sound of pain came out.
The female cultivator surnamed Yuan was actually using the crudest method of soul-searching, causing him extreme pain. But in her beautiful eyes, there was a trace of excitement. She was actually enjoying his suffering.
Half a tea’s time later, blood was flowing from all seven of Chongyangzi’s orifices. He looked extremely miserable. Only then did the female cultivator surnamed Yuan withdraw her snow-white palm. She wouldn’t kill him now.
Immediately, she flicked her finger. A light flashed on Chongyangzi’s finger, and a ring appeared in her jade palm. At first glance, this ring looked almost identical to a storage ring.
And inside, it could indeed store items, but it was actually a magical treasure that controlled this giant skiff. It was worn by Chongyangzi on his hand. If an uninformed person saw it, they would at most mistake it for a storage magical treasure.
At this time, the female cultivator surnamed Yuan had obtained the information from the soul search and naturally took it without hesitation.
What they were most afraid of in this operation was the worst-case scenario where Chongyangzi died during the ambush. In that case, his soul lamp would be extinguished, and they would not have much time left.
It didn’t matter if Chen Xingshan and the burly man from the Seven Tigers Alliance died. Even if someone found out ahead of time, it would be assumed that they were killed in a fight while competing for the “Great Nothingness Fruit.”
Therefore, the time the two of them chose to strike was the eighth day. Because reaching the “Great Nothingness Tree” area a little ahead of schedule had happened in the past.
Therefore, the deaths of Chen Xingshan and the others, when the Blood Lantern Sect saw that their soul lamps or natal tablets in the sect had problems, they would only think that Chen Xingshan had died unexpectedly not long after the battle began and would not think there were any other problems before sending a transmission to the “Pure Yang Hall” to inquire.
“Then next, let’s kill all those little ants below!” the old woman surnamed He from the Spirit Subduing Manor said flatly.
Their goal on this trip was to take away the “Great Nothingness Tree.” All the outsiders here naturally had to be killed, but this did not include the uninformed Nascent Soul cultivators from their two sects.
On the first level of the giant skiff, the cultivators who were meditating in their various rooms, as well as some of the cultivators on the deck, suddenly heard a cold and clear voice in their ears.
“All cultivators, gather on the deck!”
This voice was from the female cultivator surnamed Yuan. After taking control of the giant skiff, she used the formation to spread her voice to all parts of the first level.
They didn’t want to go and break down doors one by one to kill people. Wouldn’t that be asking for trouble?
Just a group of little Nascent Soul cultivators. So it was better to call them all to the deck and slaughter them in one go.
She was already cautious enough, but now that Chongyangzi was captured and the other two Spirit Transformation cultivators were dead, with no strong enemies left, even if the Nascent Soul cultivators knew everything now, apart from fleeing all over the flying skiff, they had no way to escape.
And all of this was an ambush and assassination completed under her careful planning!
The next step, as long as they successfully obtained the “Great Nothingness Tree,” would be a complete success. At that time, she could demand more benefits from the “Heart-Refining Valley.”
As for the old woman surnamed He from the Spirit Subduing Manor, she didn’t even spare her a glance. In her eyes, the other party was only fit to be her subordinate.