371: Chapter 371 Southern Ming Fire

Xuanyuan Qingyao stood before a tree that looked bumpy and scabby. At first glance, it was hideous, and upon further inspection, it evoked a strange sense of irritation, making one want to avoid it entirely.

But Xuanyuan Qingyao stared at it without blinking, sensing nothing wrong with the tree.

"I ran all this way, and it turns out to be a bodhi tree?"

"Had I known, I would have swapped with Bai Ling. Now I have to wait for them to arrive."

"Old Demon Yao, you won't be waiting for anyone. We're eliminating you right now."

Xuanyuan Qingyao lazily lifted her head, looking at the several Nascent Soul Stage Yao Race members led by Great Dragon and Second Dragon behind her.

They were all rubbing their hands together, looking at the bodhi tree with a mix of disgust and greed, while simultaneously glaring fiercely at Xuanyuan Qingyao.

Xuanyuan Qingyao rubbed her neck and looked at them with a face full of disdain.

"While it's no longer boring, this is going to be quite exhausting."

"Hmph, so young, yet such a big mouth."

Great Dragon looked at Xuanyuan Qingyao's appearance with a look of contempt. According to the intelligence they had gathered, she was one of the top three most troublesome opponents.

Eliminating her now and kicking her out would naturally benefit the Crown Prince. Moreover, they had the numbers; no matter how strong Xuanyuan Qingyao was, could she really deal with all of them?

Unlike Zhou Yan and the others who chose targets at random, Great Dragon and his group seemed to have known the location of the bodhi tree beforehand. After assembling a small force, they had rushed over.

As for Dragon Three, he was responsible for guarding the entrance and recruiting any Yao Race members who arrived later, buying time for Ao Ye, Great Dragon, and the others.

The current plan was seamless.

Great Dragon and the others only needed to seize this bodhi tree and wait for Ao Ye's arrival. On Dragon Three's side, he just had to stall as much as possible.

As long as it didn't take too long, the Human Race shouldn't become desperate enough to take drastic measures so quickly.

At the moment, they couldn't see any way they could lose.

"I'll just treat this as a warm-up. I hope you don't disappoint me."

Xuanyuan Qingyao's previously dull eyes suddenly filled with a cold light, causing Great Dragon to subconsciously take half a step back.

Then, Great Dragon raised his arm and gave a wave.

"Don't let her intimidate you! Charge together! Don't let her pick us off one by one!"

Although they outnumbered her, even a lion uses its full strength when hunting a rabbit. They wouldn't give Xuanyuan Qingyao any time to catch her breath.

The group of Yao Race members took to the air.

Great Dragon and Second Dragon were the first to strike, rushing toward Xuanyuan Qingyao. Closely following them were a Rhino Demon and a Buffalo Demon, both brandishing their sharp horns, intending to gore Xuanyuan Qingyao through and through.

In the rear, the other Yao Race members had already begun casting Spells, preparing for a coordinated strike.

Facing this, Xuanyuan Qingyao did not panic.

She simply raised one hand slowly, pressed her wrist down, and pointed a single finger at them.

"A mantis trying to stop a carriage. The gap between us is beyond your imagination."

A point of light emerged at Xuanyuan Qingyao's fingertip, causing Great Dragon and the others to subconsciously pause mid-air. Although the light didn't seem threatening, the lack of perceived threat was the greatest threat of all.

In an instant, all the Yao Race members who had intended to engage in close combat shifted their directions, moving to the side to avoid taking the move head-on.

Seeing this, the corners of Xuanyuan Qingyao's lips curled slightly. Then, a brilliant light erupted, accompanied by a sudden ringing in the ears of all the Yao.

They were forced to cover their eyes and expel the power causing the tinnitus from their bodies while simultaneously trying to sense their surroundings to prevent a sneak attack from Xuanyuan Qingyao—which only led to further interference.

"Dammit! Everyone, stay close to each other! Don't give that girl an opening!"

Great Dragon cursed Xuanyuan Qingyao's craftiness in his heart for using such an underhanded Spell, but he still made a quick deployment, finding a nearby Buffalo Demon to stand back-to-back with to defend against the enemy.

The influence of the light soon vanished, and the demons' senses began to recover.

But when they looked around, there was no sign of Xuanyuan Qingyao anywhere.

By this time, Xuanyuan Qingyao was already halfway to Zhou Yan's position.

She glanced back once more.

"Tch, I'm not stupid. Why would I let you lot bully me when I have teammates? Once they get here, I'm definitely coming back for revenge."

After saying that, Xuanyuan Qingyao picked up her pace even more.

Although she could likely handle them with her own strength and the items Zhou Yan had given her, she wanted to avoid any unnecessary risks. She only had an eighty percent chance of victory against those several Nascent Souls.

That meant there was a twenty percent chance of her meeting her end right then and there. Those weren't low odds; it was better to be cautious.

As for whether they would approach the bodhi tree and claim the fruits of victory early?

Setting aside whether the tree itself had defensive measures, how could an Opportunity be so easily obtained?

Just the measures Xuanyuan Qingyao had left behind while she was idle were enough to give those fellows a run for their money.

"Dammit, we were played by that brat!"

Once the Buffalo Demon realized she had escaped, he became infuriated and threw a punch at the bodhi tree, wanting to take out his frustration on the ugly tree.

The Rhino Demon beside him was also somewhat angry, but seeing the fellow about to attack a spiritual plant, he put his anger aside and hurriedly grabbed the buffalo's waist to stop him.

Second Dragon was also fuming. After all that buildup, he had been blinded and wasted his energy being nervous for nothing while the opponent escaped. It was incredibly frustrating.

So, when he saw the buffalo about to strike the tree, he didn't stop him.

He knew there were bound to be defensive measures around such a thing, and this fellow wouldn't be able to bypass them. That punch would only result in him suffering the consequences.

Since he was angry, he was naturally happy to see this happen.

But just as he thought that, a great fire suddenly erupted on the buffalo's body, and the flames even spread to the rhino who was holding onto him.

Scorched by the flames, the buffalo instantly stopped moving. Only a bovine shadow could be seen standing silently within the fire; he had likely been gone for a while.

The rhino immediately let go and screamed incessantly.

"Ooh! Aah! I'm turning into a barbecue!"

He tried to pat out the flames spreading to his arm, but the more he patted, the more the fire grew, soon spreading across his entire body.

Unable to shake off the flames and feeling the pain intensify, he could only cry out to Great Dragon and the others for help.

"Quick, save me! Save me! I'm going to die!"

"Gai—ya!!!"

Reacting quickly, Great Dragon immediately gathered water in his hands, forming a water pillar that blasted the rhino away, continuously washing over him on the ground.

This way, he could try to extinguish the fire while also keeping the rhino away from the rest of them to prevent the fire from spreading further.

Unfortunately, while the distance was indeed maintained, Great Dragon's water was completely useless. The flames continued to spread over the rhino's entire body, and before long, he stopped moving.

This scene left the nearby Rat Demon stunned.

He had come together with the rhino and the buffalo and knew full well how strong their physical bodies were. Yet, in less than a moment, the two had turned into charred corpses and then vanished into green light. It was truly inconceivable.

"W-what on earth is this? How can it be so terrifying!"

His whole body trembled as he backed away repeatedly, trying to distance himself from that disgusting tree.

Seeing this, fear also rose within the other Yao Race members. They could accept losing members in battle, but losing two of their own so mysteriously and in such a painful manner was unacceptable.

Especially since this could happen to any of them. They were only here to explore the Secret Realm, not to endure such suffering.

They had known before coming that no one would actually die here, which was why they were so reckless. But being tortured was a different story altogether.

For a moment, the demons were in a state of panic, and the atmosphere grew somber.

But just then, a demon with two horns on his head, whose appearance and characteristics were already indistinguishable from a human's, stepped forward.

His face was still a bit pale, and he looked at the bodhi tree with some wariness, but unlike the other demons, he remained fairly calm, his eyes flashing with the light of wisdom.

"Everyone, don't panic. This isn't the tree's defense mechanism, nor does it have anything to do with the Secret Realm. It's entirely a trap left behind by that woman just now."

"I recognize this fire. It is the Nanming Li Fire of the Liyan Holy Land, one of the Three Sects. It is extremely effective against our Yao Race. Once it touches you, it's difficult to extinguish. It burns the target's Life Qi, continuing to scorch them until they are completely dead."

Great Dragon looked on in shock, but hearing this explanation, a glimmer of hope also rose within him.

He took two steps in one and grabbed the other's wrist.

"You recognize this fire? Then do you know how to deal with it?"

The demon was startled by his actions but still nodded his head.

Meanwhile, in Zhou Yan's direction, Shi Suiyan and Zhou Yan were surrounding a stone lion that had collapsed on the ground, overgrown with vines and moss, and covered in flowers, plants, and trees.

A Talisman had even fallen out of the stone lion's mouth.