20: Chapter 20 The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Those two mature ones were at least a hundred years old.

"This Vulture Demon certainly knows how to hide things."

Wu Li murmured, extending his right claw to pluck the two mature spirit fruits from the branch first.

He then looked at the five remaining green fruits on the branch. Although they were unripe and lacked sufficient medicinal potency, picking them would be a waste.

But leaving them? If the Vulture Demon returned, he wouldn't get a share of these. Furthermore, these green fruits gave Wu Li the feeling that they were no less potent than the Old Fox Demon's Vermilion Fruit.

"Regardless of whether they are mature or not, I'll take them first."

Wu Li extended both claws, plucking the five green fruits one by one from the branch and carefully placing them on the ground. The green fruits were a size smaller than the mature ones, cyan-green in color, hard to the touch, and the Spiritual Qi they emitted was much fainter.

Seven spirit fruits in total—two mature and five unripe—were all tucked away. Wu Li circled the cave again, scratching at the rubble and dried grass in the corners with his claws. After confirming there was nothing else, he nodded with satisfaction.

The Vulture Demon's net worth was far superior to the Old Fox Demon's; these seven spirit fruits alone made the trip worthwhile.

"Time to go."

Wu Li took the spirit fruits and returned the way he came.

When Wu Li returned to Desolate Ridge, the sun was already slanting to the west.

A flock of crows perched on the withered branches; seeing Wu Li return, they lowered their heads one after another, emitting low "caw-caw" sounds, as if welcoming their king.

Wu Li ignored them and flew straight to his nest, carefully placing the seven spirit fruits on the dried grass. Two were crimson as blood, and five were cyan-green as jade; they lay side by side in the nest, flickering with spiritual light, quite a beautiful sight.

Wu Li squatted at the edge of his nest, tilting his head as he watched for a long time, his gaze landing on the five unripe spirit fruits. He planned to use the two mature ones later, but these five green fruits... their medicinal potency was insufficient, and swallowing them directly would be a waste. It would be better to offer them as a sacrifice to his talent and get a glimpse of the future.

"Come on."

Wu Li extended his right claw, pushed the five green fruits together, and closed his eyes. Demon Power surged into the green fruits, and all five simultaneously emitted a faint red glow, then were consumed by the red light, turning into a puff of cyan-gray ash that drifted down from between his claws.

At the same time, two extremely vague pieces of information flooded into Wu Li's mind.

[ The first, Great Omen of Misfortune. ]

[ Deep within the Wanhui Mountain Range, the Earth Lizard Ancestor is about to perish, and the Three Great Demon Generals each harbor their own ulterior motives, but the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind... ]

[ The second, Neutral, if you remain still for half a month, nothing will happen. ]

Wu Li's brows furrowed.

Five unripe spirit fruits could only provide such vague information?

However, although this information was vague, it had one very critical point... That "the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole follows behind"... Who was the mantis? Who was the oriole? And who was... the cicada?

Various thoughts flashed through Wu Li's mind. A Great Omen of Misfortune was indeed dangerous, but at the same time, it was accompanied by a great Opportunity... It was just that if one wasn't careful when this Opportunity arrived, it could be fatal. Wu Li pondered for a long time, but because he had too little grasp of the known information, he really couldn't analyze anything. Finally, he could only shake his head and suppress these distracting thoughts.

After all, no matter how dangerous this matter was, didn't Wu Li still have the second hint? If he remained still for half a month, nothing would happen. Wu Li knew the general meaning of the divination; as long as he didn't get involved, there would be no danger. As for who that oriole was, what did it have to do with him?

Wu Li squatted at the edge of the nest, his gaze falling on the remaining two mature spirit fruits.

"Come here, baby."

Wu Li extended his right claw and pushed one of the mature spirit fruits over from the dried grass. The spirit fruit was lush green, crystalline and translucent, emitting a faint spiritual halo in the afterglow of the sunset.

He lowered his head, opened his beak, and gave it a gentle peck. The fruit skin ruptured. This time, the Spiritual Qi was not burning hot like the Vermilion Fruit, nor was it mild like the fleeceflower root; instead, it was a cool sensation, like mountain spring water, flowing down his throat and refreshing his heart and lungs.

"Hum~~" "Boom, whoosh~"

That cool power did not rush towards his Dantian, nor did it surge into his Meridians; instead, it dispersed into his limbs and bones, seeping into Wu Li's entire body. Wu Li's body trembled slightly, and he, who had just intended to refine it using the Blood Eye Pagoda Sutra, stopped abruptly.

"Hmm?" "This power..."

Wu Li could clearly feel that this power was cleansing his body. It didn't need guidance; it flowed on its own, and wherever it passed, his Demon Body became more robust.

"This is not a spirit fruit that increases cultivation... it's for cleansing the Physical Body."

Wu Li murmured, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes. Afterward, Wu Li stopped circulating the Blood Eye Pagoda Sutra and allowed the cool power to roam within his body, cleansing every inch of this Demon Body.

An incense stick's time later. The power gradually dissipated.

Wu Li opened his eyes and looked down at himself. His feathers were oilier and brighter, his claw tips sharper, and his body felt much lighter, as if an invisible shackle had been lifted. He tried to circulate his Demon Power; it flowed through his Meridians much more smoothly than before.

"Good stuff." "I really don't understand, why keep such good things without eating them?"

Wu Li's gaze fell on the remaining mature spirit fruit, a trace of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

Wu Li extended his right claw and ate the last mature spirit fruit. The skin ruptured, and the juice flowed out. That cool power surged into his body again, flowing like mountain spring water, refreshing his heart and lungs. Wu Li closed his eyes, waiting for that power to cleanse his Physical Body again.

One breath... two breaths... three breaths... That cool power roamed through his body for one cycle, flowing through his limbs and bones, seeping into every inch of muscle, every feather, every bone. Then... it dissipated. There was no change. It was like a gust of wind blowing across the surface of a lake, causing a ripple, then returning to calm; nothing had changed.

Wu Li opened his eyes, tilted his head, and a trace of doubt flashed in his bean-sized black pupils. "Is that it?"

He looked down at himself and circulated his Demon Power to feel it again; indeed, there was no improvement whatsoever. Soon, he seemed to understand why the Vulture Demon hadn't eaten more. This kind of spirit fruit that cleansed the Physical Body was only effective for the first one.

"What a pity."

Wu Li murmured, his hoarse voice carrying a trace of regret. If he had known this earlier, he should have saved this spirit fruit, or used it to trade for something else. But it didn't matter; anyway, it was pilfered from the Vulture Demon, so he didn't feel bad.

Meanwhile. Wanhui Mountain Range, eastern edge. The sky was darkening, the twilight like blood. Deep in the dense jungle, a group of figures moved silently through the bushes. They wore Dharma robes, blending in with the surrounding vegetation; their steps were light, their auras restrained. If one were not intentionally looking, one would never discover that there were Cultivators here.

A group of dozens of people. Leading them was a middle-aged man with a square face, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, with three strands of long beard under his jaw; his gaze was steady and sharp. He wore a deep cyan Dharma robe, with the pattern of a mountain peak embroidered on the hem—the symbol of the Yunshan Sect—and a jade plaque hanging at his waist, inscribed with the character "Chen".