154: Chapter 154 The Spirit of Plants

Murky water lapped against the muddy tidal flat.

As Gu Shen's calm question fell, the surroundings plunged into a suffocating silence.

Only the dark red, filthy blood remaining from the venomous crocodile corpse smashed by the Iron Corpse continued to spread into the depths of the puddle.

There was no fluctuation of magical power from the mangrove forest at the eleven o'clock position.

But the environment was changing.

A layer of visible, pale green mist seeped out from somewhere unknown, quietly replacing the originally pungent sulfur miasma.

The air gained a hint of refreshing fragrance.

"Click, click..."

Extremely faint sounds of wood fibers breaking and rearranging echoed.

Deep within the swamp beneath Gu Shen's feet, those dead tree roots buried for many years seemed to be injected with immense vitality at this very moment.

Like reviving pythons beneath the earth, they broke through the soil silently, climbing and wrapping around the metal ankles of the twelve Cyber Iron Guards.

There was no Killing Intent, no hostility.

There wasn't even a trace of demonic power.

This was merely pure, wood-attribute vitality that forcibly stimulated the growth of ordinary wood.

"My Lord, body joints are restricted. The vines have a toughness exceeding ordinary steel cables and secrete a type of dissolving enzyme, attempting to decompose the armor surface of the Iron Guards."

Crab's warning came through bone conduction.

Gu Shen lowered his eyelids, looking at the rapidly growing green vines beneath his feet.

These green vines not only entangled the Iron Corpse, but a portion had even spread to his lower legs, attempting to explore the "vitality" emanating from his body.

"Not showing yourself, only probing?"

Deep within Gu Shen's eyes, the faint blue light of the AI Crystal flashed.

Facing this level of vitality manipulation, he chose not to use the Longevity Art to resist. Being of the same wood element, using his Qi Refining 9th Layer foundation to forcefully contend with this unfathomable existence was equivalent to showing off one's axe before Lu Ban.

He gently rested his right hand on the hilt of the thunder pattern gold-slaying blade and flicked his thumb slightly.

Clang.

The blade unsheathed half an inch.

The Dark Gold Thunder Bone in his body emitted a dull vibration.

Geng Metal Sword Qi, mixed with the domineering Thunder-Magnetic Force, surged violently into the ground through Gu Shen's legs.

Sizzle!

The faint blue electric light exploded in the swamp into a dense lightning net.

Those green vines clinging to Gu Shen and the Iron Guards' legs withered and carbonized instantly upon touching this extremely rigid and Yang Thunder-Magnetic Force, turning into a pile of black ash.

"If Your Excellency is unwilling to appear, then Chen will not accompany you further."

Gu Shen's tone was cold and hard as he sheathed the gold-severing saber.

With a wave of his large sleeve, the twelve Cyber Iron Guards turned into streams of light and vanished into his Storage Ring.

Without any hesitation, the black light on his shadow shoes swirled, and his figure turned into a straight afterimage, diving directly into the deep, dark water marsh.

"Splash."

A slight splash occurred, and Gu Shen's aura instantly vanished from the tidal flat.

In the shadows of the mangrove forest, that massive vitality paused for a moment, seemingly surprised by Gu Shen's decisiveness to leave without a word.

A moment later, a few wisps of cyan light seeped out from the tree trunks, entered the water, and quietly pursued in the direction Gu Shen had dived.

Three hundred zhang underwater. Four hundred zhang.

Gu Shen's diving speed was extremely fast. The density of his Dark Gold Thunder Bone was adjusted to the state most suitable for deep diving. He did not activate the Water Avoidance Technique, relying purely on his Physical Body to withstand the pressure.

"My Lord, that high-energy life form has followed."

Crab reported the sonar readings, "Movement method is unknown; it is not generating physical noise from water displacement. It is more like it is using aquatic plants and plankton to perform relay tracking."

"It can't be shaken off. The Great Marsh is its home turf."

Gu Shen closed his eyes, relying on Crab's navigation to travel precisely through the underwater currents.

His breathing had long since switched to fetal respiration, and his heart rate had dropped to freezing point.

"Since it followed, let it follow. As long as I don't fall into its encirclement, once we reach my territory, even a Dragon must coil up."

Eight hundred zhang deep-water zone.

The dark place at the bottom of the basalt rift valley.

Gu Shen's figure slid into the bottom of the valley like a swimming fish. Holding the Formation Plate, he opened the gate of life of the Xuanming Heavy Water Array.

The faint blue rippling light shield opened a gap wide enough for a person to pass through. Gu Shen flashed inside, the light shield closed instantly, merging back into the pitch-black darkness of the deep water.

Once inside the Immortal Cave, the water pressure, miasma, and the massive vitality that had been tracking him from outside were instantly isolated outside the cave.

Inside the Immortal Cave, it was dry and deathly silent.

A few night-luminescent pearls embedded in the ceiling emitted a cold light.

Gu Shen sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, took out a drop of the freshly refined essence white dew (Medium), and swallowed it.

The warm, moist Spiritual Qi dissolved and nourished his Meridians, which had become slightly stiff from the deep-water dive.

"Analyze the pursuer's composition." Gu Shen ordered.

The mechanical spider crawled onto the stone table, and a holographic screen unfolded in mid-air.

"My Lord, according to the optical data and material residue collected during the contact at the tidal flat, the target life form does not have a solid Physical Body structure. Its life form is a high-concentration polymer of plant fibers and Spiritual Qi."

Crab's database matched quickly, "Combined with the 'Great Marsh Vegetation Oddities' purchased from the Merchant Alliance, the target's characteristics highly match a high-rank vegetation Essence Spirit called 'Empty Green Lotus'."

Gu Shen looked at the information appearing on the screen.

Deep in the Great Marsh, vegetation can become spiritual, absorbing the essence of the sun, moon, and Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi over time to transform into Essence Spirits. Such creatures have extremely long Lifespans, do not cultivate Magical Artifacts, and only cultivate their Origin.

"Vegetation Essence Spirit. No wonder it is so sensitive to vitality."

Gu Shen tapped his fingers on his knees, the threads of the AI Crystal deducing rapidly.

"Of all things in Heaven and Earth, demons cultivate their Physical Body, and humans borrow strange items. But Essence Spirits cultivate the Origin of vegetation. What they fear most is the Heavenly Dao Lightning Tribulation."

Gu Shen recalled the classics he had consulted before. For vegetation to become a spirit is inherently Heaven-Defying. Once they reach the stage of transformation, the Heavenly Dao will surely bring down destructive thunder.

And the more Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi they absorb daily, the heavier the Heavenly Dao Karma they are stained with, and the more firmly the Lightning Tribulation locks onto them.

"The essence white dew I refined is an absolutely pure substance stripped of all Impurities and Heavenly Dao Karma by the rules-fire of the [Heaven and Earth Furnace]."

A flash of realization crossed Gu Shen's eyes.

"It doesn't want to kill me; it has set its sights on my 'vitality'."

Hum.

At this moment, the Xuanming Heavy Water Array Formation Plate outside the Immortal Cave emitted an extremely low hum.

The surface light of the thirty-six Low-Grade Spirit Stones embedded in the Formation Plate dimmed slightly.

"My Lord." On Crab's sonar radar screen, a large, glaring green signal appeared, "The target has reached the perimeter of the Immortal Cave. It is attempting physical infiltration of your defensive facilities."

Gu Shen did not stand up.

He sat on the prayer mat, closing his eyes to connect to the perception of the Formation Plate.

Outside the Immortal Cave, at the bottom of the eight-hundred-zhang deep water.

Countless cyan roots, as thin as hair, were spreading along the crevices of the basalt, attempting to find weak points in the Formation.

They easily penetrated ordinary rock layers, but were blocked alive when they touched the "physical black box" layer composed of titanium-carbon alloy and Wasteland energy-absorbing gel.

The Divine Sense of the Cultivation World cannot penetrate the Wasteland's alloy, and the roots of the vegetation cannot pierce the energy-absorbing gel.

The outer layer was physically insulated, and the inner layer was isolated by the heavy water array.

That massive vitality lingered outside the Immortal Cave for a long time, like a hunter facing a hedgehog with no way to bite.

Gu Shen coldly felt the movement outside.

"If you want to enter my door, you have to follow my rules."

He ignored the Essence Spirit outside, letting it continue to probe in the high pressure of the deep water.

He waved his sleeve.

The twelve Demon Bone Iron Guards lined up in order.

"Crab, perform maintenance on the bodies."

Gu Shen closed his eyes, the magical power in his Dantian running steadily, and the Dark Gold Thunder Bone continued to consolidate in silence.

Since the other party has a request, then this potential transaction depends on who loses patience first.