Chapter 323: The Poison Master and the Miracle Doctor
The strange beast spat out a pearl, emitting a green light that illuminated the surroundings with an emerald glow. The light did not come from the pearl itself, but from something within it—a small azure dragon swimming inside the pearl, its radiance casting the green hue all around.
Xiong Xiyu's expression shifted as she saw the green light. She quickly turned her head: "That's our True Heaven Palace's Azure Dragon Pearl!"
Qin Mu looked back and saw that the pearl had grown to about ten feet in diameter. The azure dragon within had become even clearer, swimming joyfully inside the pearl. The flower maidens rushing toward Yu Bochuan and his group were struck by the green light and suddenly turned to wood, becoming wooden statues with stiff bodies frozen mid-motion.
A series of popping sounds came from their bodies. Soon, green sprouts emerged from these wooden women, followed by branches that adorned them with fresh greenery.
Behind them, the tentacles—root demon's root tendrils—also turned into hard wood, unable to move.
Yu Bochuan led his men forward as the horned ape-like beast held the pearl high above its head, following closely. Wherever the pearl's light shone, flower maidens were frozen in various poses, each one different from the others.
"Azure Dragon Pearl?" Qin Mu was slightly startled. Such a treasure could actually restrain monsters like the root demon—truly an extraordinary artifact!
"Our True Heaven Palace's sacred treasure has also been taken by them!" Xiong Xiyu snorted coldly. She reached out from afar, and the strange beast felt the Azure Dragon Pearl in its hands suddenly lift off. Alarmed, it leaped up and clung to the pearl, trying to press it down.
The several Heavenly Realm experts beside Yu Bochuan also erupted with their vital energy, channeling it into the Azure Dragon Pearl to contest Xiong Xiyu's control. The pearl floated in midair as both sides briefly deadlocked, each trying to seize control of this sacred treasure.
The two white bats immediately veered and flew over, spinning midair as countless fine hairs shot toward Yu Bochuan's group, hoping to help and seize the pearl.
In the blink of an eye, the two white bats had shed all their fur. Their hairs had been refined into treasures, needle-sharp. If struck, the hairs would become extremely soft, burrow into the body, and kill within moments!
At the same time, Dragon Qilin shook his body. His scales, each as sharp as a massive shield, spun whistling through the air toward Yu Bochuan's group!
Dragon Qilin was instantly left completely bare, with only a few hairs on the tip of his tail and his large head remaining.
Xiong Xiyu's face paled. "Don't act!" she called out hastily.
But before she finished speaking, the fine hairs shot by the two white bats were struck by the Azure Dragon Pearl's green light, instantly turning to wood and falling to the ground with a rustling sound.
The two white bats tried to recall their hairs but lost all connection. The brothers stared dumbfounded, arms crossed, unsure what to do.
Dragon Qilin's scales also turned to wood in an instant, falling to the ground as wooden shields with a clatter. The fat dragon was stunned. His large belly pressed against the ground—originally covered by scales to keep his belly from sagging too much, now without them, the belly fat hung down uncontrollably.
"Chief..." Dragon Qilin was completely at a loss and quickly turned to look at Qin Mu standing on his back.
Qin Mu had been about to activate his Eight Thousand Swords and charge in, but seeing this, he immediately held back.
The True Heaven Palace's Azure Dragon Pearl was truly bizarre and unpredictable. Although Dragon Qilin's cultivation hadn't reached the Heavenly Realm, his strength was comparable, and he was thick-skinned and tough.
During the battle at Tianbo City, when the Heavenly Capital Demon King's avatar descended and fought the Dragon King, the shockwave had grazed Dragon Qilin's rear, only breaking his scales without serious injury—proof of his scales' defensive power.
The two white bats were even stronger, definitely at the peak of the Heavenly Realm, and their body hairs were not lightly used.
Yet their treasures, upon encountering the Azure Dragon Pearl's green light, had all turned to wood and lost control!
If Qin Mu's Eight Thousand Swords had flown over, only the Carefree Sword would have remained unaffected; all other flying swords would have turned to wood.
Xiong Xiyu grunted, her magical power no match for Yu Bochuan and his group. As she lost control, the Azure Dragon Pearl flew toward them. Just then, the ground shook violently as countless root tendrils burst forth from below, dancing wildly in the air. They swiftly wove together into a massive black wooden cocoon, enveloping the Azure Dragon Pearl, then pulled it underground.
Xiong Xiyu and Yu Bochuan were caught off guard; neither side could retrieve the pearl in time. The root demon had already seized it!
Yu Bochuan shouted harshly, "The Azure Dragon Pearl is a treasure of our True Heaven Palace, containing the true soul of the Azure Dragon! This old demon can't digest it!"
Suddenly, the tremors underground grew more intense. Everyone staggered as the ground beneath their feet shook continuously and began to rise, as if a colossal creature was burrowing upward from below.
Boom!
Dirt and rocks flew in all directions as a surge of green burst from underground, lifting them higher and higher. Dragon Qilin quickly jumped aside as a massive tree crown, covering dozens of acres, erupted from the earth beside them, rising up.
The two white bats tried to fly, but realizing they were completely bare, they quickly covered their lower bodies with their hands—then promptly tumbled down, crashing into the dense foliage.
The two white bats were stunned. The tree was still growing wildly, its crown expanding, its trunk rising higher. Soon, they saw white clouds drifting past the crown.
The air grew colder, the sunlight harsher. The two white bats found it hard to breathe, so they quickly flew up and out of the crown.
Only then did they realize how far they had to go. The crown was enormous and thick. Despite their speed, it took them considerable time to emerge from it.
Once out, they saw a dizzying height below—a massive tree trunk towering far above the surrounding mountains!
The two white bats quickly flew downward, taking another moment before they finally saw the ground.
Meanwhile, the tree kept rumbling. At intervals, countless branches would suddenly burst forth, forming a second crown, a third, a fourth.
The two white bats dodged repeatedly. Suddenly, thunder and lightning crackled overhead, followed by a drizzling rain.
When they finally landed, they covered their lower bodies and looked around. They didn't see Qin Mu or the others—only the mountain-like tree trunk blocking their view.
The ground kept splitting open as thick, dragon-like root tendrils burst forth with cracking sounds, extending wildly into the distance. Even several distant mountain peaks were tightly wrapped in roots.
Above, the sunlight was completely blocked, leaving little light.
The bat brothers climbed onto the tree trunk, crawling rapidly along it, searching for Qin Mu and the others.
Suddenly, rustling sounds came from the lower crown. Root tendrils hung down from it, swaying, each carrying a large flower bud.
"This should be the root demon's true body, right?" Qin Mu's voice came.
Fu Yuqiu and Fu Yuchun quickly crawled over and saw Qin Mu, Dragon Qilin, and the others. Relieved, they leaped down from the tree, landing and covering themselves with their wings to avoid exposure.
Qin Mu looked up at the giant tree formed by the root demon, filled with shock. He stepped forward and peeled open a hanging flower bud.
Inside hung a motionless young woman, arms dangling.
She weakly opened her eyes, glanced at Qin Mu, and said faintly, "Heavenly Saint Chief..."
Qin Mu closed her eyes, but she opened them again and glared at him fiercely.
Qin Mu opened other buds, finding more girls hanging upside down inside—the strange products of the Withered Silence Ridge root demon. They weren't independent lives, just parts of the root demon's body.
"The root demon was just a mass of root tendrils that absorbed the blood of gods and demons to become a great demon. It had no tree body. Now, having absorbed the Azure Dragon Pearl's energy, it's grown one. It's likely even more terrifying now."
Qin Mu grew worried. "We need to leave this place quickly!"
The white bat brothers saw some of their hairs on the ground, no longer wooden. Delighted, they shook their bodies and recalled them.
Dragon Qilin also shook himself, gathering his restored scales.
Xiong Xiyu shook her head. "The Azure Dragon Pearl contains the true soul of the Azure Dragon. This great demon can't absorb it. It's likely been immobilized by the pearl's energy. If we can find the pearl it swallowed, we can turn the tables and kill these traitors like Yu Bochuan!"
Xiong Qier asked curiously, "Mother, if we take out the Azure Dragon Pearl, will this root demon come back to life?"
Xiong Xiyu shuddered. With the pearl suppressing the root demon now, removing it would restore the demon's mobility, putting them in danger again.
Suddenly, a voice came: "Young master, the Azure Dragon Pearl is here!"
Qin Mu's face changed. "Damn it! They can't dig out the pearl!"
They hurried toward the voice and saw Yu Bochuan and the True Heaven Palace experts staring at a section of the tree trunk. The trunk glowed with emerald light like jade, illuminating several acres around them.
Clearly, the Withered Silence Ridge root demon had swallowed the Azure Dragon Pearl, and the pearl's terrifying power had instantly turned it to wood, forcing it to grow this tree body and pinning it in place, its root tendrils stiff and immobile.
"Don't take out the Azure Dragon Pearl. If you do, this great demon will regain its freedom, and no one will survive!"
After saying this, Yu Bochuan looked toward Qin Mu and his group, frowning slightly. His men immediately formed a defensive formation around him.
Qin Mu smiled. "Greetings, fellow senior brothers. Can you still use your True Heaven Palace techniques here? If not, then we'll have to send you on your way."
Yu Bochuan suddenly flashed to the green light's location, reached into the tree trunk, and sneered, "Heavenly Saint Chief, if we die, we all die together... What's that smell?"
As he spoke, the world spun around him, and he collapsed with a thud.
"The smell of Lost Confusion Incense," Qin Mu said with a grin.
Thud, thud. The True Heaven Palace members fell one by one, leaving only the three Heavenly Realm experts still standing, their faces flushed. But with their cultivation suppressing the incense's effects, they had little magical power to spare.
Suddenly, a woman's voice rang out with a laugh: "Lost Confusion Incense? That's a kind of anesthetic, isn't it? Let me have a sniff!"
Xiong Xiyu's face turned ashen, while the three Heavenly Realm experts were overjoyed.
"Poison Master!"
"Mu Yingxue!"
Qin Mu looked over and saw a woman in black, adorned with gold and silver ornaments and a jade bead crown, walking past the hanging flower maidens. Wherever she passed, the flower women withered and turned to ash.
Qin Mu took out a jade bottle and tossed it over with a smile. "It's an anesthetic. Have a sniff."