Chapter 322: Root Demon Attacks (Third Update!)
Qin Mu was momentarily stunned. "Many girls bathing? In this desolate wilderness, what's the fun in that... Wait a moment, I have encountered girls bathing in the wilderness before!"
He suddenly recalled something, couldn't help but shiver, and muttered, "It couldn't be that old demon, could it? Impossible, it couldn't have survived this long in the Great Ruins. I must be overthinking it! But to be cautious, I'll take a detour."
Suddenly, a voice came from behind, ringing out clearly: "Fellow Daoist, fate brings us together wherever we go!"
Qin Mu looked back and saw Yu Bochuan leading numerous cultivators from the True Heaven Palace charging toward them at great speed.
Those cultivators from the True Heaven Palace were casting spells while running. Large trees were seen uprooting themselves, transforming into tree giants that also strode forward in great bounds.
At the same time, the earth rumbled and shook, rocks flew through the air, and stones rolled forward rapidly, gathering together to form stone giants.
Even the hills beneath Qin Mu and his companions began to tremble, with soil and dirt shaking loose. The rocks within the hills piled higher and higher as a hill giant slowly rose to its feet.
"It seems we have no choice but to charge through! Let's hope it's not that old demon!"
Qin Mu gave the order, and Dragon Qilin immediately sprinted forward. The hill beneath their feet had already stood up. Dragon Qilin, with fiery clouds churning beneath his feet, raced along the arm of this hill giant.
The massive hill giant turned and swung its other arm to smash them. Dragon Qilin leaped into the air, and behind them came a deafening, earth-shattering crash. The hill giant's two arms slammed together, shattering both limbs as countless stones flew in all directions!
Qin Mu looked back and saw that as soon as these stones hit the ground, they rolled and tumbled as if they had legs, continuously rolling back toward the hill giant. Before long, both arms had grown back.
"Palace Master, the techniques of your True Heaven Palace are truly extraordinary!" Qin Mu praised sincerely.
Xiong Xiyu mustered her remaining spiritual energy, pressed her palm behind her, and lifted it. Instantly, a piercing scream came from within the hill giant, and streaks of cyan light flew out from the giant formed of hills and mountains, dissipating into smoke.
The hill giant immediately collapsed, with massive stones rolling down and reverting into a hill.
"This spell is remarkable!"
Qin Mu's eyes lit up, and he said, "Could you teach me?"
Xiong Xiyu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "You are the benefactor of my daughter and me. If you wish to learn, I will naturally teach you everything I know."
Qin Mu smiled. "I won't take it for nothing. The True Heaven Palace is a sacred land of the Western Lands. I will also exchange a sect-guiding level technique from a sacred land with you. Let's leave this place first!"
Dragon Qilin sped forward, with the two white bats flying around them, occasionally emitting sound waves to knock down the True Heaven Palace experts chasing from behind. They urged, "Fat Dragon, faster, faster!"
"Stop yelling!"
Dragon Qilin roared in anger, "I'm already going as fast as I can!"
Suddenly, raging flames erupted from within him, and his body grew larger, transforming into a beast over forty zhang long. As he galloped, he moved like wind and lightning, crossing the mountain peak ahead in just a few breaths and arriving at the lake where the white bats had mentioned many girls were bathing.
This lake was extremely clear, like a transparent gem embedded among the mountains. From the surface, one could see the lakebed over ten zhang deep. There were no water plants in the lake, nor any fish—it was unimaginably clean.
Around the lake, trees stood neatly in a circle surrounding the water. On a few trees hung pink and white clothes, as well as skirts and trousers. By the lakeside were embroidered shoes with pink soles and peony flowers embroidered on the toes, looking fresh and vivid.
From the lake came the laughter of girls, the sound of splashing water, and a soft, beautiful song, as if this were a sacred paradise on earth.
Dragon Qilin, barging in so abruptly, was startled. Reluctant to disturb the peace here, he bellowed, "Girls in the lake, get to the shore quickly!"
"Ah!"
The girls in the lake screamed in fright at the sight of this massive creature barging in. One bold girl raised her fair arm and giggled, "Big guy, come down and play!"
Qin Mu looked at the girls in the lake, his face turning ashen. He quickly urged, "Fat Dragon, it's indeed that old demon from Withered Ridge! Hurry, hurry, go around!"
He wasn't afraid of Yu Bochuan and his group, but rather of the Root Demon from Withered Ridge—the old monster suppressed there by the Heavenly Saint Sect!
"The old demon from Withered Ridge?"
Dragon Qilin was terrified. All his dragon scales stood on end with a rustling sound, nearly piercing Xiong Qi'er's feet. He quickly circled the lake and fled, running for his life with all his might, his speed skyrocketing far beyond before!
Behind them, the mountain ridge rumbled and shook, with rocks flying and massive boulders tumbling down continuously. Clearly, Yu Bochuan and the True Heaven Palace experts were casting spells, trying to turn this great mountain into a mountain giant to attack them!
This mountain was far taller and more majestic than the other hills. If it transformed into a mountain giant, each step would cover six or seven li, making it easy to catch up to them!
Just then, the beautiful mountain suddenly collapsed. The rocks shattered, and countless bleached-white bones tumbled out from within the mountain—human and beast bones piled into a mountain!
This mountain had been filled with so many bones that it was almost hollowed out to store them, leaving Yu Bochuan and his group utterly stunned.
"What creature has eaten so many people and beasts?"
Yu Bochuan didn't have time to think further and shouted, "The bones have spirit! Activate the secret technique and kill Nai Kui!"
The group cast spells, and countless bones rapidly crawled together, forming a towering bone giant that stepped into the lake.
Yu Bochuan and the others leaped into the air, landing on this bone giant. The girls in the lake couldn't dodge in time, and several were crushed underfoot.
Yu Bochuan and his group rode the bone giant, walking across the lake as they chased after Dragon Qilin, who was racing along the shore. Just then, the lake water churned violently, and hundreds of girls flew up from the water, soaring into the air. Behind each of them was a pitch-black tentacle, and they all shouted in unison, "Heavenly Saint Sect Leader!"
Boom, boom, boom!
Loud crashes rang out continuously. The bone giant beneath Yu Bochuan and his group shattered, wrapped tightly by countless black tentacles that squeezed with force. The bone giant collapsed, and fragments of bone shot in all directions. Over a dozen cultivators at the Six Harmonies realm, with weaker cultivation, were pierced by the bone shards and fell into the water. Even those with slightly stronger cultivation couldn't withstand the flying bone fragments and were knocked back, spitting blood.
As for the cultivators who fell into the lake, they struggled to get up, but the lake water boiled like a cauldron. Countless black, python-like things wriggled and slithered, wrapping around them and dragging them to the bottom of the lake.
Yu Bochuan and the others were horrified. They quickly flew into the air, trying to escape the lake. The once peaceful and serene lake had suddenly become a scene of chaos. Tentacles emerged from the lake, each carrying a naked girl, who grabbed someone and dragged them into the water!
The others hurriedly activated the True Heaven Palace's techniques, trying to control these strange roots. The True Heaven Palace believed that all things have spirits and gods, and their techniques could control everything—living or non-living—turning them into attack methods. But against these bizarre roots, their techniques were completely useless.
In an instant, over a dozen more people were caught by the girls on the tentacles and dragged into the lake, their fate unknown.
"Heavenly Saint Sect Leader, I've finally found you!"
Yu Bochuan and his group finally flew out of the lake. As soon as they landed, before they could catch their breath, they saw trees by the shore uproot themselves and sprint wildly, chasing in the direction Dragon Qilin had fled.
Yu Bochuan and the others were stunned. They immediately sprinted after them. Several Heavenly Man realm experts from the True Heaven Palace activated their primordial spirits and cast spells to fend off the attacks of these strange trees.
After fleeing over a hundred li, they finally escaped the attack range of these bizarre trees and tentacles. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and slowed down.
If they were flying leisurely, they could travel over a thousand li without feeling tired, but fleeing for their lives, even a hundred li left them gasping for breath.
Dragon Qilin also slowed down, panting heavily, not too far ahead of them.
"We should have escaped."
Qin Mu sighed in relief and said, "This Root Demon's tentacles only cover about a hundred li... Wait a moment!"
His expression suddenly turned serious as he surveyed the surroundings. Here, the forest was dense and shady, a common sight. But occasionally, there were plants Qin Mu had never seen before.
These were large flowers, over one zhang tall, with tender pink buds gathered together, standing upright, flanked by two large leaves.
Although Qin Mu had studied pharmacology under Medicine Master and could identify various plants and spiritual herbs, he had never seen such strange flowers.
Yu Bochuan and his group also entered this flower forest. They frowned but didn't stop, continuing to chase after Qin Mu and his companions.
Suddenly, a large flower slowly drew out its stamen, its bud spinning as the petals gradually unfurled. The tender pink petals deepened in color, turning from pink to rose, then to bright red.
When the flower fully bloomed, a girl who had been kneeling and crouching inside slowly stood up, raised her head to look at Qin Mu, and let out a piercing cry: "Heavenly Saint Sect Leader, your Heavenly Saint Sect has ruined me—"
In the flower forest, one large flower after another bloomed with a whoosh. In the center of each flower stood a beautiful girl, all of them staring at Qin Mu and shrieking, "Ruined me—"
Qin Mu's scalp tingled. He urged Dragon Qilin, "Fat Dragon, set them on fire! Bat brothers, use sound wave attacks!"
Dragon Qilin spewed great flames, and his body also blazed with true fire. The two white bats flew into the air, emitting sound waves. Qin Mu activated his Carefree Sword, which darted back and forth like light and lightning, severing the tentacles behind the girls' rears as they lunged at him.
At this moment, no other sword would be of any use. Only this divine sword could withstand the tentacles of the Root Demon from Withered Ridge.
But if the old demon's true body appeared, Qin Mu couldn't be sure if the Carefree Sword could hold up.
"This old demon's cultivation seems even stronger!" he worried.
Whoosh! Countless girls soared into the air, carrying flowers and leaves as they attacked everyone who had entered the flower forest.
A cultivator from the True Heaven Palace activated a jade tree with a thousand branches, attacking the girls. But the girls' petals and two leaves suddenly closed, wrapping them tightly.
The cultivator was overjoyed as the jade tree's roots and branches entangled her, but the flower bud was slippery and hard to grip. It slipped out with a pop, and a stamen pierced through the cultivator's forehead.
Yu Bochuan's face changed drastically. He shouted, "Summon the Sacred Treasure!"
The strange beast on his shoulder, only a foot long, leaped down, beat its chest with its fists, and grew larger. It opened its mouth wide and roared, spitting out a verdant treasure.
—Third update! Zhai Zhu still owes you all a chapter. I'll repay it another day!