139: awakening plant

The straight stem was covered with sharp Thorns.

The leaves were plump.

Extremely green.

It showed that it was growing and developing very well.

A red flower bud was about to bloom.

Releasing a faint rose fragrance.

No matter how you looked at it, this seemed like the most ordinary rose.

However, it was far from ordinary.

This rose was first discovered in Delop's yard.

Delop's wife, Edna, loved flowers and plants very much.

The rose garden, blooming with various colors, was his greatest pride.

It was just one morning.

Edna was horrified to find that there was a problem with her rose garden.

The large area of beautiful rose bushes had directly withered and died.

All the roses had withered, looking as if someone had secretly put pesticides on them to kill them.

Edna screamed in horror, saying, "Who, who is it?"

"Who laid a hand on my rose garden?"

With his beloved wife enraged, Delop naturally wouldn't let the matter rest.

However, after investigation, no one was found to have had the opportunity to commit the act.

As her favorite rose garden, Edna had always personally taken care of it.

Not only that, but surveillance cameras were also installed.

According to the surveillance footage.

This rose garden had undergone an unknown change overnight.

All the roses died rapidly.

As if some terrifying entity had directly drained all their vitality.

During this time, apart from Edna herself, no one had approached the area.

Such a bizarre incident naturally spread throughout the circle like an anecdote.

In the end, after clearing the entire rose garden, only one survivor was found.

This was a newly transplanted rose.

It hadn't even had time to grow a few leaves.

Yet it survived the disaster that wiped out the rose garden.

This made the religious Edna feel that it might be some kind of divine instruction.

To take good care of this rose.

From then on, Edna gave up planting other roses.

Instead, she focused solely on caring for this single rose.

The most astonishing thing, however, was that this rose grew exceptionally slowly.

Half a month had passed, and it hadn't grown much.

It had only barely managed to grow a tiny flower bud.

Emitting a faint rose fragrance, it was exceptionally pleasant.

It was unknown how much longer it would take to fully bloom.

But from then on, Edna became obsessed, caring for this rose frantically.

Sometimes, she would do nothing all day long.

Just lingering in the rose garden, gazing at this rose with fascination.

His wife Edna's strange behavior also left Delop quite speechless.

In a sense, Delop didn't like this rose.

This was also why Pavel was able to acquire it so easily.

After all, this rose clearly wasn't simple.

Delop's family wasn't short on money, so there was no need to forcibly sell it for some expendable cash.

The most likely reason was probably to help Edna break free from the rose's influence.

Although no specific abnormalities could be seen, there was no doubt that this rose was clearly not an ordinary plant.

Especially when it was unearthed, it was even more terrifying.

No one would have thought.

Such a tiny plant actually possessed incredibly terrifying roots.

Dense and numerous, like the tentacles of a demon, they firmly adhered to the soil.

Seeing this, Delop, whose scalp was tingling, felt even more that there was something wrong with this rose.

It was seducing his wife!

He immediately disregarded everything else and directly ordered his Awakened subordinates to cut down this rose.

Of the terrifying root system, ultimately only a small portion near the stem was preserved.

It was finally placed in an exquisite small flowerpot and sent to Lin Tianwei.

Sniffing the faint floral scent in the air, Lin Tianwei carefully examined the seemingly ordinary rose in front of him, thinking that there was indeed something wrong.

Possessing the Poison Talent, he could easily discern the terrifying substance contained in the rose's fragrance.

It was a substance capable of affecting the brain and bewitching people's hearts.

Long-term exposure would cause terrifying effects on the human brain.

Perhaps they would become its puppets.

It was not an exaggeration to call it a deadly fragrance.

Of course, this level of toxin was no problem for Lin Tianwei.

His terrifying Poison Resistance and powerful Mental Power were enough to make him immune to the fragrance's effects.

The fragrance had Poison. Was it a simple Poison Plant, or an extraordinary Awakened Plant?

Thinking of this, Lin Tianwei unhesitatingly extended his Tiger's Claws towards the rose in front of him.

To touch those terrifying Thorns that gleamed with a cold light.

He felt nothing, or rather, no pain or itch.

The rose's Thorns simply could not break through Lin Tianwei's defense.

He could only sigh in admiration.

With Lin Tianwei's powerful Mental Power perception, he even noticed that while his hand was on it, this rose moved.

It seemed to actively shift its Thorns towards him.

As if launching an active attack on Lin Tianwei.

If it were an ordinary person, they might think it was just their imagination.

It was just a plant, after all.

How could it possess the ability to actively attack living beings?

But who was Lin Tianwei?

His terrifying strength allowed him to easily discover the rose's little trick.

Without a doubt, this was definitely an Awakened Plant.

And it was an Awakened Plant that was very deeply hidden.

It possessed its own simple consciousness.

After reaching this conclusion, Lin Tianwei had to consider how to treat this Awakened Rose.

After a moment of hesitation, he looked towards the truck containing a large number of Awakened Beasts.

He directly grabbed the Awakened Rose, uprooted it, and threw it towards the Awakened Goat closest to him.

The living Awakened creatures Pavel could provide were generally livestock-type Awakened creatures.

This time, he brought three Awakened Goats for Lin Tianwei.

With Lin Tianwei intentionally suppressing his Tigers Might, these three Awakened Goats were currently frantically crashing against the iron cage.

Trying to break free from the cage that bound them.

To go to the wider, freer land.

But they didn't know that they would never escape their fate of becoming food.

The appearance of the Awakened Rose, without a doubt, attracted the attention of these three Awakened Goats.

They looked at each other and unhesitatingly attacked their cage-mates.

Since there was only one food item, they had to fight for victory.

Perhaps there was a huge disparity in strength.

Or perhaps the allure of this Awakened Rose was not very strong.

This struggle ended faster than Lin Tianwei had imagined.

In just five minutes, a result was determined.

The most robust Awakened Goat drove away the other two Awakened Goats.

Without any disdain, it directly bit the Awakened Rose and vigorously shook it.

After shaking off most of the soil, it was satisfied and swallowed the Awakened Rose in a few bites.

Seeing things developing in the direction he hoped.

Lin Tianwei dragged out a dead Awakened Goat and began to feast.

While eating, he observed the changes in the Awakened Goat that had eaten the Awakened Rose.

If it was just a useless Awakened Rose, there was no need to cultivate it.

It had to prove its sufficient value to Lin Tianwei.

Only then would Lin Tianwei vigorously cultivate it.

Allowing it to cover most of this land.

In a sense, both plants and animals are the result of mutual domestication.

It seems like you have domesticated plants to your desired appearance.

But it is the result of plants actively evolving in the direction needed by animals.

Animals get the food they want.

Plants also gain the opportunity for widespread propagation.

Lin Tianwei's eating speed was very fast.

Before long, an Awakened Goat was eaten by him, leaving only some bones.

Even so, Lin Tianwei still felt it wasn't enough.

The flesh and blood of Awakened creatures, although providing Lin Tianwei with a large amount of energy.

But it still couldn't keep up with his rapidly growing body.

Thinking of this, Lin Tianwei looked to the side again.

This time, he set his sights on an Awakened Cow.

Beef would be chewier, which was very suitable for Lin Tianwei's teeth.

After all, his teeth were too sharp; ordinary meat posed no challenge to him at all.

Swallowing it felt like nothing.

A frantic feeding session occurred again.

This time, Lin Tianwei's eating speed was slightly slower.

But he still quickly swallowed all the flesh and blood of this Awakened Cow into his stomach.

His shriveled belly also began to become full due to the replenishment of a large amount of food.

However, when Lin Tianwei looked at the Awakened Goat again, he frowned.

The expected counter-kill did not happen.

Instead, the Awakened Goat, having eaten the Awakened Rose and gained an energy boost, became even more active.

It was now furiously ramming the iron cage with its sharp Goat horns.

Failed?

Mental Power mixed with Sonic Wave gave Lin Tianwei terrifying detection abilities.

He could easily penetrate flesh and perceive the situation inside the Awakened Goat's body.

With just one look, he witnessed an incredibly miraculous scene.

The Awakened Rose, which he had initially thought dead, was not dead at all.

It had now taken root within the Awakened Goat's body and was growing rapidly.

Its terrifying roots, nourished by the Awakened Goat's flesh and blood, grew increasingly robust.

And it wasn't just growing robust; it was also growing rapidly.

New roots continuously sprouted, spreading throughout the Awakened Goat's body, constantly devouring its flesh and blood.

In just ten minutes of feeding, the Awakened Rose's roots had already spread through thirty percent of the Awakened Goat's body.

Most critically, the thickest root had, from the inside out, invaded the Awakened Goat's brain.

It grew dense, intricate roots, coiling around the Awakened Goat's brain.

Lin Tianwei believed that it wouldn't be long before the Awakened Rose's roots would permeate the Awakened Goat's entire body.

Ultimately, it would completely devour the Awakened Goat, transforming it entirely into its own energy.

Or there was another possibility.

The Awakened Goat at this moment was no longer itself, but had become a puppet controlled by the Awakened Rose.

It was not its own master.

It continuously carried out the Awakened Rose's commands.

In this way, it compensated for the Awakened Rose's fatal flaw as a Plant, its complete inability to move.

Lin Tianwei could even vaguely see the shadows of the Awakened Rose's roots through the eyes of this Awakened Goat.

It had perhaps long since lost its self.

According to this trend of development.

As long as the Awakened Rose was given some time to develop, its future would be boundless, terrifying to the extreme.

It would continuously grow.

Until it encountered an incredibly terrifying opponent it could not shake, only then would it reluctantly halt its expansion.

Compared to the straightforward Awakened Beast, this Awakened Rose appeared even more terrifying.

Especially since roses are Plants that can reproduce through their stems.

After acquiring sufficient energy and growing to a certain extent.

It could even rapidly reproduce through this method.

Constantly devouring ignorant prey that entered its territory.

This was the terrifying aspect of Awakened Plants.

They possessed certain special abilities that Awakened Beasts could not have.

Their potential was far beyond human imagination.

Unfortunately, before this Awakened Rose had a chance to grow, it met its lifelong enemy... Lin Tianwei.

From the moment they met, it was destined that it would never escape Lin Tianwei's control.

Thinking of this, Lin Tianwei's powerful Mental Power transformed into a sharp spike.

It bypassed the Awakened Goat's body and attacked the Awakened Rose directly.

As long as he could mentally connect to the location of the Awakened Rose's consciousness, they could achieve barrier-free communication.

Sometimes, intelligent beings are easier to communicate with than non-intelligent beings.

And easier to tame.

As for if the Awakened Rose couldn't communicate?

Then, Lin Tianwei was sorry, he would not allow a Plant that was worthless to him to grow in his territory.

Let it grow?

Although it posed no threat to Lin Tianwei, it would waste resources in his territory.

However, the feeling of being swept by Lin Tianwei's Mental Power was not pleasant.

Each contact was like a steel needle, fiercely piercing the Awakened Rose.

No other reason.

Lin Tianwei's Mental Power was a bit too terrifying.

It was simply not something this fragile Plant consciousness could contend with.

And Lin Tianwei had no intention of sparing it in the slightest.

He violently and continuously pierced through the Awakened Rose's body with his Mental Power.

The intense pain even made the Awakened Rose struggle in agony.

Unfortunately, as it was still just a seedling, it was utterly incapable of resisting Lin Tianwei's Mental Power.

It could only passively endure the terrifying attack from Lin Tianwei.

Finally, Lin Tianwei found his target in the location of the rosebud.

A fragile and nascent consciousness.

Because it had just been born, it only had some instincts.

He gave a harmless smile.

He revealed his characteristic harmless smile.

Lin Tianwei's Mental Power directly pierced into the chaotic consciousness.

This newly born consciousness.

Before it could experience the beauty of this world.

It immediately experienced the terror of this world.

Lin Tianwei was like a terrifying demon god, capable of annihilating its consciousness.

The instinct for survival made the Awakened Rose's consciousness begin to beg Lin Tianwei for mercy.

It pleaded with Lin Tianwei to spare its life.

Feeling the constant fear, terror, and submission conveyed by the Awakened Rose.

Lin Tianwei ultimately withdrew his consciousness.

He believed.

After this deterrence, the Awakened Rose would absolutely not dare to defy his consciousness in the short term.

As for later?

That would depend on Lin Tianwei's methods of training.

A newborn calf fears no Tiger!

These nascent lives are the boldest.

They are very prone to doing things whose consequences they cannot bear.

"From now on, you shall be called Thorn!"

These were the words Lin Tianwei left behind as he departed from Thorn's consciousness.

It was also an official recruitment of Thorn as his subordinate.

Withdrawing his thoughts.

Lin Tianwei found that the Awakened Goat, which had been incredibly arrogant, was now curled up in a corner of the iron cage.

Trembling.

Its gaze towards Lin Tianwei was filled with even more fear.

It seemed that, just as Lin Tianwei had guessed, this Awakened Goat had become Thorn's puppet.

When Tigers Might emerges, all Beasts submit!

The powerful pressure immediately silenced all the Awakened Goats in the iron cage.

They lay in the cage, trembling.

Especially Thorn.

It was now prostrate on the ground, head bowed, not daring to look at Lin Tianwei at all.

As if one more glance would result in its instant death by Lin Tianwei.

Lin Tianwei was very satisfied with Thorn's performance.

He swung his Tiger Claws, and like cutting tofu, instantly sliced open the iron cage that bound Thorn.

The three Awakened Goats had rammed the iron cage with all their might for a long time without moving it an inch.

Yet, under Lin Tianwei's Tiger Claws, it was easily cut open.

The disparity in combat power was simply too great.

"Follow me."

Lin Tianwei issued the command expressionlessly.

Then he walked off towards the distance on his own.

Receiving Lin Tianwei's command, Thorn looked fearfully at Lin Tianwei's retracted Claws.

Without hesitation, it immediately followed.

Its biological instinct told it that it absolutely must not defy this terrifying existence before it.

Otherwise, death would be its only outcome.

Following Lin Tianwei's guidance, before long, they arrived at a plot of land.

For some reason, this plot of land seemed colder than other places.

It was also filled with compacted traces, clearly indicating that people had often moved things here.

"You will temporarily grow here."

"All the matter beneath this land is your growth nutrient."

"But beyond this land, without my permission, you cannot step a single inch."

After much thought, Lin Tianwei still decided to make this plot of land Thorn's initial development site.

Coupled with Kelo and Steven, who possessed the ability to rapidly grow Plants, he believed Thorn would quickly mature.

By then, perhaps he would be able to obtain a sufficient amount of crops with powerful energy, produced from Awakened Plants.

Anyway, the nutrients Thorn would absorb were all unusable waste.

This way, it could be considered maximizing the utilization of this land.

Sniffing the air, Thorn was overjoyed.

It could sense the powerful energy contained within this land.

Without hesitation, under Lin Tianwei's command, it immediately began to act.

Controlling the Awakened Goat, it involuntarily walked to the very center of this plot of land.

Pawwing at the ground with its hooves, Thorn quickly dug a pit barely large enough to fit itself.

Looking at the not yet fully decomposed flesh and blood around it, Thorn unhesitatingly lay down.

It would take root and sprout here, nourished by this flesh and blood, and then grow into an existence capable of destroying the world!