157: Chapter 157 A Last Chance to Save Your Life! You Can't Afford to Mess With These "Insects"!

Held so dominantly in Su Yang's embrace, Saintess Lin Lang froze entirely.

Her whole body was tense, and a strong, aggressive masculine scent swirled around her nose, leaving her mind in a mess and filled with an indescribable sense of shame.

The surrounding Yaochi Disciples all stared wide-eyed, the longswords in their hands trembling slightly—they were that furious.

But looking at the Grand Elder beside them, whose face was swollen like a pig's head and wore a fawning smile, they could only suppress their anger.

"Let's go. Why are you standing there in a daze? Haven't you had enough of the hug yet?"

Su Yang looked down at Lin Lang in his arms and teased.

"Who... who's hugging you!"

Lin Lang gritted her teeth, broke free like a startled little rabbit, and quickly walked ahead to lead the way.

However, her frantic footsteps and flushing ears betrayed the turmoil in her heart.

The group passed through the dense mist and arrived at the Forbidden Ground located in the deepest part of Yaochi.

This was a floating island suspended in the Void Realm, with only thick roots, like coiled dragons, connecting it to the earth veins below.

In the center of the island stood a towering ancient tree, entirely dark purple and about a hundred zhang tall.

Its leaves were like purple jade, emitting a hazy Immortal Qi. However, upon closer inspection, one would find a deathly gray Death Qi permeating the purple light.

Three fist-sized, golden fruits with purple patterns hung sparsely from the canopy.

It was exactly those purple-veined golden cores that ripened once every nine thousand years!

"Boss, this tree is huge. It feels like it's almost as tall as that TV tower back in Jiangzhou."

Reba followed along at this moment, unable to help but exclaim in wonder as she looked at the magnificent ancient tree before her.

"It is big, but it's about to be hollowed out."

Su Yang walked to the base of the tree and reached out to touch the aged bark.

It felt cold to the touch and had a rotting smell.

"Consultant Su... no, Senior Su."

True Monarch Xuanji followed closely behind, his face carrying a humble, almost fawning expression.

"The 'Spirit-Devouring Nether Cicada' you mentioned just now—is it really under these tree roots? We searched thousands of times with our Divine Sense and even invited an expert with 'Golden Pupils of Truth-Breaking,' but we didn't find even a shadow of it."

"That's because your Divine Sense Rank is too low."

Su Yang didn't look back, casually resting his right hand on the trunk.

"That kind of Nether Cicada isn't a physical entity but a semi-illusory existence. It usually hides in Spiritual Qi nodes. When you check for it, it dives into the Spiritual Qi vortex. How could you find it?"

Su Yang sneered, his Golden Core inside his body vibrating slightly as an extremely overbearing Divine Sense suddenly erupted.

Boom!

At that moment, everyone present felt as if a clap of thunder had sounded in their minds.

Lin Lang and True Monarch Xuanji even felt an irresistible will, as if their very Souls were being seen through.

"Primordial... Primordial Spirit Sea of Consciousness?!"

True Monarch Xuanji's eyes nearly popped out of his head in terror.

"Even a Great Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Peak couldn't possibly possess this level of Divine Sense strength, right?"

"Just which old monster's Reincarnation is this person?"

"Found it."

A golden light flashed in Su Yang's eyes.

In his vision, about a hundred meters below the main root of the ancient tree, a palm-sized, transparent cicada was perched.

That thing looked extremely disgusting, its body covered in tiny mouthparts, continuously sucking away the last of the ancestral tree's vitality.

"It's quite plump. If it were deep-fried, it would definitely have a lot of protein."

Su Yang licked his lips, an action that looked absolutely terrifying to the others.

"Senior... how should we act now?"

Lin Lang didn't dare put on airs anymore and asked in a low voice, her tone carrying a hint of dependency she hadn't even noticed herself.

"Simple."

With a flick of his wrist, the rusty but terrifyingly lightning-emitting thunder-guiding divine needle appeared in his hand.

"Stand back a thousand meters."

"If you get covered in dust, don't blame me for not warning you."

The crowd didn't dare delay and quickly retreated.

Under the massive ancestral tree, only Su Yang remained.

He took a deep breath, and the spiritual power in his body surged toward his right arm like a river flowing into the sea.

"Nine Heavens Profound Slaying, transform into Divine Thunder!"

Su Yang let out a sudden roar, and the divine needle in his hand erupted with ten thousand rays of golden light, directly piercing through the dense fog above Yaochi.

Crack!

The originally clear sky was instantly covered with dark clouds, and a bucket-thick gold-red lightning bolt fell vertically, accurately striking the divine needle.

"Holy crap! Summoning heavenly lightning?!"

True Monarch Xuanji trembled in the distance. "Is he going to strike the ancestral tree along with it?!"

"Stop!"

Lin Lang was burning with anxiety and was about to rush forward.

But then she saw Su Yang move.

He didn't wave the divine needle; instead, he used it as a conduit. With his left hand in a sword finger gesture, he slashed fiercely at the ground.

"Earth Vein Thunder Spear, shake!"

Rumble—!

In that massive vibration, the ground didn't crack but rippled like water.

Golden lightning seeped into the ground along his fingertips. Under Su Yang's extremely precise Divine Sense control, it bypassed all the main roots and formed a massive lightning cage, trapping the Spirit-Devouring Nether Cicada tightly inside.

"Screeech—!!!"

A sharp scream, loud enough to pierce eardrums, came from deep underground.

That sound was filled with terror and despair.

Following that, the originally withered trunk of the ancestral tree shook violently, and large clouds of Death Qi were shaken loose.

A cold light flashed in Su Yang's eyes, and he slammed the divine needle into the ground!

"Die!"

Bang!

A massive ripple of energy spread out, and the soil on the ground instantly became as soft as quicksand.

Under everyone's gaze, a strange insect, as crystal clear as glass but constantly leaking black Qi, was forced out of the ground by the lightning!

"That's it!"

True Monarch Xuanji exclaimed, "It really is the Spirit-Devouring Nether Cicada!"

The Nether Cicada was now glowing red from the lightning and desperately tried to flap its wings to escape.

However, Su Yang wouldn't give it the chance.

"Collect!"

With a casual wave of Su Yang's hand, a specially made glass jar covered in Spirit-Suppressing Talismans appeared in his hand.

That was the [Myriad Demon Jar] he had just temporarily exchanged for 500 points in the System Mall.

Whoosh!

That once-unbeatable Nether Cicada, which had drained three hundred years of Yaochi's foundation, was pulled directly into the jar by a force of suction.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for capturing the [Spirit-Devouring Nether Cicada], gaining 5,000 points!"

"Ding! Obtain system evaluation：This thing is a primary ingredient for refining 'Primordial Spirit Pills,' you've struck it rich!"

Su Yang patted the jar, looking at the insect still bumping against the walls inside, and nodded with satisfaction.

And as the Nether Cicada was taken away...

The sight before them made all the Yaochi Disciples unable to help but kneel, weeping with joy.

In that instant, the originally lifeless Peach Ancestral Tree radiated an unprecedentedly dense vitality.

The dark purple bark began to turn translucent, the withered leaves quickly fell off, and they were replaced by layers of tender, emerald-green buds.

The three previously withered purple-veined golden cores also seemed to have been injected with hormones, instantly growing a size larger and emitting a refreshing fragrance.

"It's alive... the ancestral tree is alive!"

Saintess Lin Lang watched this scene, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

She turned her head to look at the man holding the jar, who had a calm expression.

At this moment, Su Yang's slightly unruly figure actually radiated a kind of sacred and inviolable light in her eyes.

"Um... Senior Su..."

Lin Lang stepped forward, bit her lip, and said in a low voice:

"Thank you..."

"Why are you thanking me?"

Su Yang put the jar away, turned around with a wicked smile on his face, and casually hooked Lin Lang's slender waist back toward him.

"Don't forget our agreement."

"Now, take those three peaches and follow me back to my room."

"I have important matters to discuss properly with you, my 'intern maid.'"

Lin Lang's delicate body trembled. Feeling the strange looks from her fellow Disciples, she was so ashamed she wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

Discuss in the room?

And even bring those peaches that can 'increase cultivation and strengthen the Physique'?

"Just what does this bastard want to do!"