142: Liu Ruyan's unwillingness

Smoke of Willow slumped on the cold rock, blood continuously gushing from the corners of her mouth.

She stared at the flowing light gradually dissipating above the floating island, her eyes filled with resentment and hatred.

"I, Smoke of Willow, have served the Hehuan Sect for thirty years..." Her voice grew hoarse, each word stained with blood foam, "Every dangerous mission was led by me; those dirty and tiring tasks... which one wasn't done by me?"

She suddenly lifted her body excitedly, pointing to the south: "But that bitch Flower Without Shadow! Just because she knows how to please the Grand Elder, she gets all the benefits! The best Cultivation resources of the Sect, the most precious Magic Treasure... even the position of Saintess was secretly promised to her!"

Su Sizhu and Luo Linger flew down from the sky, standing silently on the side, watching this woman, once peerless in beauty, reveal her heart in her final moments.

"The last exploration of the Nether Immortal Cave..." Smoke of Willow laughed bitterly, "The Blood Jade Bodhi Fruit I risked damage to my Cultivation to snatch was immediately rewarded to Flower Without Shadow by the Grand Elder! Saying she had better talent... but I had clearly already cultivated the 'Seven Emotions Technique' to the seventh level!"

Lin Feng stood quietly in the wind. Hearing Smoke of Willow's accusation, a trace of complexity flashed in his eyes.

How could he not understand the cruelty of the Cultivation world? When he was struggling to survive as a Utility Disciple in the Sect, weren't those Disciples with mediocre Aptitude but deep backgrounds obtaining resources just like this?

Su Sizhu and Luo Linger sighed softly. Because of their Family backgrounds, they had enjoyed the highest quality Cultivation resources since childhood and truly found it difficult to fully understand this struggle.

Smoke of Willow gasped for air, calming down for a moment. "Three years ago at the Sect Grand Competition, I clearly defeated Flower Without Shadow in the match..." Tears mixed with blood flowed from her eyes, "But they said my 'Foundation was unstable' and insisted on giving that condensation pill to her!"

Su Sizhu's expression changed upon hearing this: "condensation pill? Is that the top-grade Spirit Pill that can greatly increase the success rate of Core Formation, make the Golden Core more rounded and stable, and even nurture Divine Ability?"

"Exactly!" Smoke of Willow coughed violently, blood staining her collar, "With that condensation pill, I could have easily achieved Core Formation... but they gave it to Flower Without Shadow! Just because she knows how to please the Grand Elder!"

She raised her bloodied, mangled hands tremblingly: "So I had no choice but to volunteer to take on this most dangerous spirit bewitching pill mission. Although the refining process damages the Meridians, the Hehuan Old Demon promised... as long as I complete this task well, he will grant me a condensation pill..."

Luo Linger shook her head gently: "Is it worth paying such a price for a single Medicinal Pill?"

"How would you Disciples of noble families understand!" Smoke of Willow suddenly became agitated, "You have had the best resources since childhood, but for us ordinary Disciples... besides risking our lives to fight, what else can we do?"

Su Sizhu and Luo Linger exchanged glances. Although they sympathized with Smoke of Willow's plight, they indeed found it hard to fully empathize.

Su Sizhu said softly: "The allocation of Sect resources has always had its rules..."

She pointed to her own riddled Meridians: "What do you know! Every time I test a medicine, it's like ten thousand ants biting my heart... but I must hold on! Because this is my only chance for Core Formation..." She paused, "The Hehuan Old Demon will not let you off..."

Lin Feng listened in silence, thinking of his own life-and-death experiences over the years. He said softly: "The path of Cultivate has always been this cruel."

Smoke of Willow looked into the distance with a bitter smile: "If I could have obtained that condensation pill back then... I wouldn't have ended up like this..."

She suddenly looked at Lin Feng, a touch of tenderness flashing in her eyes, "If you had agreed to Dual Cultivation with me back in the Hundred Flowers Valley... with your Aptitude, perhaps I would have already successfully achieved Core Formation..."

"Our Dao is different, we cannot conspire together." Lin Feng said resolutely, "But I understand your plight."

In her final moments, looking at the opponent who had once rejected her and whom she had once looked down upon, Smoke of Willow finally revealed a look of relief.

Before she dissipated, she looked at Su Sizhu and Luo Linger, her eyes filled with an unspeakable complexity, containing both envy and resentment.

She wanted to say something more, but her voice grew faint, finally turning into a long sigh.

A moment later, only the sound of the wind wailing remained on the floating island. However, at this moment, the illusion heart vine beneath her suddenly surged, and vines stained with blood violently wrapped around her gradually cooling body.

"Not good!" Luo Linger exclaimed, "These vines are absorbing her essence and blood!"

The body of Smoke of Willow withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, while the illusion heart vine bloomed with an eerie purple light.

Just as the three hesitated, the entire cluster of illusion heart vine shook violently. The body of Smoke of Willow gradually turned into flowing light, merging with the vines.

Her voice echoed in the wind for the last time: "So be it... let me return to silence with these evil vines..."

Lin Feng's right hand condensed firelight, about to strike. Luo Linger suddenly stopped Lin Feng, who was about to cast a spell: "Do not use fire! These vines have merged with her essence and blood; a fire attack will only cause the resentment to spread."

She folded her hands in front of her chest, her ten fingers interlaced to form a seal. Her index and middle fingers pressed against each other, her little fingers slightly raised, and the cyan jade-colored light flowing from her fingertips traced profound trajectories in the air.

The moment her thumb pressed the base of her ring finger, the ground shook, and emerald-green spirit plants roots broke through the soil.

These roots were covered with dense spirit patterns, as if they had consciousness, precisely wrapping around the illusion heart vine.

"This is..." Su Sizhu floated in mid-air, staring blankly at those roots, "Linger... we have known each other for over ten years; you usually drive spirit plants by borrowing the power of seed growth, but this kind of... this kind of control technique, as if using your own arm..."

She carefully looked at the spirit patterns flowing on the roots; each pattern secretly matched the rhythm of heaven and earth. This clearly had already touched the Realm of "Vegetation Spiritual Connection"!

Wherever the emerald roots passed, the blood color of the illusion heart vine gradually faded. The illusion heart vine touched by the emerald roots withered and decayed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and even the roots buried deep underground turned into fly ash.

More miraculously, the roots were actually able to guide the essence, blood, and resentment within the vines to convert into pure Wood-attribute Qi, feeding it back to this land.

Luo Linger said softly as she withdrew her hand seal: "This Cultivation Technique is called 'Cyan Spirit Guide'." She didn't say much, but everyone could see that this was definitely not an ordinary Cultivation Technique.

The moment the illusion heart vine dissipated, Lin Feng quickly picked up the Storage Pouch left behind by Smoke of Willow.

The eyes of Su Sizhu and Luo Linger lingered on the Storage Pouch for a moment, but neither said anything in the end.

After a brief silence, Lin Feng spoke first: "Although the source of the spirit bewitching pill has been destroyed, Revered Master mentioned to me before that the Seven Demonic Sects have been moving frequently in recent years, and I fear their plans are not small."

Su Sizhu frowned and pondered: "According to Sect news, various Sects of the Demonic Path are frantically collecting rare Materials."

She looked towards the southeast, "Even the Jueqing Valley, which has been silent for many years, has recently started purchasing large quantities of soul condensing jade."

Luo Linger took out a withered yellow leaf from her sleeve: "The Wind-Listening Grass I cultivated sent a message last night, saying that the miasma near the Ten Thousand Demon Abyss has suddenly become ten times thicker." Between the leaf veins, dark red patterns vaguely appeared, and those patterns intertwined into strange ring-shaped patterns.

"These patterns..." Lin Feng leaned over to look closely, his fingertips condensing lightning to copy the pattern in the air, "I have studied Formation for many years and have never seen such a structure." He frowned, "It looks like an ancient blood sacrifice Formation, but it doesn't seem to be..."