328: Chapter 328 The Nine Netherworld Spirit-Devouring Demon Tree!

The five Ice Field Bear geniuses, who had been aggressive just moments ago, completely froze in their tracks.

The fierce light in their eyes quickly dimmed, replaced by boundless fear and despair.

Their massive bodies began to disintegrate and weather away inch by inch!

Flesh, bone, fur... every substance that made up their existence turned into black dust under the devouring of the demon qi, fluttering down.

The entire process was silent and eerie.

Only a few point tokens remained on the spot, which Qin Yan casually collected.

"Phew..."

Qin Yan let out a soft sigh.

He could feel that the vast majority of the energy he had just absorbed was taken in by the Blood Demon Nest.

Only a small portion of the energy was intercepted and stored in his body, reserved for future breakthroughs and battles.

"It seems it won't be long before Xiao Hei can truly be born."

Qin Yan looked at the increasingly active black seed within the Blood Demon Nest, filled with anticipation. "At that time, it will also be the moment my 'Indestructible Blood Demon Body' initially takes shape!"

He had already understood through the legacy of his cultivation technique and his own senses that the core foundation of his "Indestructible Blood Demon Body" was this Blood Demon Nest.

And "Xiao Hei" was like the spiritual core of the Blood Demon Nest.

The two shared the same origin and complemented each other.

The improvement of his own strength would nourish the Blood Demon Nest and promote Xiao Hei's growth;

And Xiao Hei's gestation and strengthening would, in turn, feed back into his body, deepening the characteristics of the "Indestructible Blood Demon Body" and unlocking more physical power.

This was a virtuous cycle.

With a flicker of his figure, Qin Yan turned into a blurry black shadow, merging into the shadows of the wind, snow, and ruins, continuing his journey of hunting and "nutrient" collection.

Only the howling cold wind remained on the spot, as if no one had ever been there, and those five Ice Field Bears had never existed.

...

Time flew by quietly amidst endless cultivation, hunting, and lurking.

Qin Yan maintained an extremely regular rhythm: every day without fail, he spent twelve hours focusing on tempering his Spear Technique.

With the enhancement of one-ten-thousandth of the Spear Dao Profundity, his comprehension of the Spear Dao progressed at a tremendous pace.

The progress of [Spear Technique: fifth stage] on the panel increased steadily at a rate of 1%-2% per day.

At the same time, the Skill Points brought by continuous training were also accumulating—he didn't use these Skill Points recklessly, saving them all for critical moments.

After all, adding points to either his cultivation technique or Spear Technique now could not bring him an immediate increase in combat power!

For the rest of the time, he transformed into the "Black-Robed Death God."

He roamed between the ice fields, ruins, and ancient forests of the Northern World, hunting those geniuses who had participated in besieging him or had shown clear malice toward him.

He wouldn't let go of those "fat sheep" with abundant points worth targeting either, though Qin Yan didn't take the lives of these geniuses.

Every successful hunt not only brought him considerable points but also continuously channeled the plundered life essence into the Blood Demon Nest, nourishing the "Xiao Hei" that was about to break out of its shell.

Cultivation, killing, nourishing, growing... formed an efficient cycle.

Finally, the wheel of time turned to July 5th.

At the edge of the Northern World, inside a hidden mountain cave.

Qin Yan, sitting cross-legged, had his mind completely immersed in the Blood Demon Nest.

At this moment, the scene inside the Blood Demon Nest was completely different from before!

Xiao Hei, who had been gestating for a long time, was now wrapped in pitch-black demon qi, like a demon egg in the process of hatching, pulsing, expanding, and contracting violently!

"Crack... crack..."

Faint but clear sounds, like an eggshell cracking, continuously came from inside the seed.

On the surface of the seed, that layer of black outer shell was cracking and peeling off inch by inch at a speed visible to the naked eye!

As the shell fell off, several slender yet resilient, pitch-black-as-ink strange black branches slowly and tentatively extended from the cracks in the broken seed shell!

These branches swayed gently, greedily absorbing the dense demon qi around them.

With every bit absorbed, the branches became more solid and their color deeper.

The entire process lasted for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

When the last wisp of the surrounding demon qi was completely absorbed by the new branches and the seed shell had entirely peeled away and dissipated, the gestated object finally revealed its full appearance!

As Qin Yan expected, Xiao Hei's true form was indeed a plant-based life form!

It was a miniature ancient tree, entirely pitch-black, yet exuding an ancient and noble aura!

The main trunk was only about a foot tall, but it contained an unspeakable sense of toughness and power; the bark was pitch-black as ink, smooth and textured.

Near the base of the trunk, some complex dark-gold natural patterns could be faintly seen, like Dao runes.

Occasionally flickering, they emitted a heart-palpitating demonic pressure, but quickly faded back into obscurity.

The entire small tree floated quietly in the dark space of the Blood Demon Nest.

Though small, it had an embryonic momentum of standing tall between heaven and earth and devouring the eight directions!

"Xiao Hei..." Qin Yan's consciousness called out softly.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."

The branches of that pitch-black small tree immediately swayed joyfully, as if hearing the most familiar call.

It transmitted a clear sense of joy, attachment, and newborn curiosity.

Suddenly, a black light flashed across Xiao Hei's entire body!

Whoosh!

It separated directly from the Blood Demon Nest, turning into a condensed black light, and appeared in the cave!

The moment it landed—

"Buzz!"

An invisible ripple spread out, and Xiao Hei's body expanded rapidly with the wind!

The main trunk instantly shot up from over a foot to a full ten feet!

The trunk also became about a foot thick!

Countless thicker and more flourishing black branches spread out, occupying almost half the space of the cave, like open black demon claws; as they swayed gently, they moved the air, making a low whistling sound.

The most flexible black branch on the trunk "drifted" gently toward Qin Yan's cheek, its movements cautious.

Qin Yan did not dodge, a gentle smile appearing on his face.

He could clearly feel the closeness and dependence transmitted by Xiao Hei.

The cool, strangely textured tip of the branch gently touched Qin Yan's cheek, like a child's caress.

At the moment of contact—

Buzz!

A massive flow of information, in the form of mental inheritance and bloodline resonance, surged into his mind through the contact between the branch and Qin Yan's body!

That was inheritance information regarding Xiao Hei's true identity and origin!

The first thing that entered the depths of Qin Yan's consciousness was a title—

Nine Nether Spirit-Devouring Demon Tree!

Following that was a brief but incredibly shocking introduction: Spirit-Devouring Demon Tree—one of the oldest and most powerful races in the Demon Clan, living by devouring the life force of all things and plundering the energy of heaven and earth, with almost unlimited growth potential, it is a terrifying existence that even the myriad races of the heavens dread.

And the Nine Nether Spirit-Devouring Demon Tree is the imperial family with the purest bloodline and the highest status within the Spirit-Devouring Demon Tree race!