487: Chapter 487 A Third Time Turning Stern

The buds of the Erosion Source Blood Tree all bloomed, and thick, scarlet erosion qi gushed out from the pistils, converging into a pillar of light that shot into the sky, dyeing half the heavens blood-red.

A wild laugh came from underground, sharp and ear-piercing.

A figure burst forth from the soil. His hair was gray and disheveled, his face twisted, and his tattered Daoist robe fluttered violently in the erosion qi. His eyes burned with a brilliant blood-red light.

His fingernails glowed with an unnatural dark red, his ten fingers were like hooks, and he was wrapped in a dense, scarlet mist that was almost tangible.

Li Hai hovered in mid-air, his gaze sweeping greedily over everyone present, the corners of his mouth stretching into an almost eerie angle:

"So many at the Body Integration Stage and Soul Transformation Stage... Heaven has treated me well! Swallowing you all will be enough for me to make further progress after my Void Tempering Breakthrough—"

"Hmm?!"

His gaze paused on Ling Hao and his companions. Seeing Ling Hao's youthful appearance, Yu Lingshuang's cold and refined demeanor, and Yue Xinlan's petite stature, he laughed even more hideously:

"Oh? A family of three? Not bad, not bad. A family should stay together, so you can all head on your way together."

He opened his arms and laughed wildly at the sky:

"Become my nutrients! It is your honor to contribute to Li Hai's path to Void Tempering!"

The erosion qi surged from the roots of the blood tree like a tide, spreading in all directions. The dead wood swept by the roots instantly rotted and turned to ash.

The earth cracked, and the Spiritual Qi beneath the ground was frantically extracted, surging into Li Hai's body.

His aura began to climb—Body Integration Late Stage Peak, just a hair's breadth away from Void Tempering.

The suddenly rising concentration of scarlet erosion qi was a deadly nightmare for low-level Cultivators.

"Ah—!"

A few Qingmu Cliff Disciples with only Nascent Soul cultivation suddenly screamed. Their eyes turned dark red, and scarlet patterns could be vaguely seen spreading like snakes beneath their skin. Their Divine Sense began to fall into chaos, and they actually turned their swords against their own fellow Disciples.

"Not good! They have been eroded by the erosion qi and are about to turn into Erosion Demons!"

Fang Qianyi's expression changed drastically. Her figure flashed, and she pressed her withered palm against a Disciple's back, forcibly driving out wisps of scarlet mist.

Chen Shucui and Song Chengshan also acted simultaneously. The three Body Integration Stage Elders each suppressed the low-level Disciples around them, their Spiritual Qi surging like a tide into the young Cultivators' bodies, forcing the erosion qi out inch by inch.

"Retreat quickly! Get as far out of the Erosion Source Blood Tree's erosion qi range as possible!"

Senior Sister Bai Zijin shouted sharply, shielding An Ruosu as she retreated.

Senior Brother Han Wuji's face turned pale, and the veins on his forehead bulged:

"This... how is this possible? How can the erosion qi of a Rank 6 blood tree spread so quickly? This is clearly—"

He suddenly looked up at the towering giant tree. After all the dark red buds on the trunk bloomed, older patterns vaguely emerged among the branches—a characteristic only found in Rank 7 blood trees.

"Rank 7!" Senior Brother Han Wuji's voice changed pitch. "This is a Rank 7 Erosion Source Blood Tree!"

Junior Sister Tang Yuanxiang's pupils constricted, and she finally realized. She gritted her teeth and glared hatefully at Li Hai.

This person must have been suppressing the blood tree's "breathing" earlier, causing everyone to misjudge its rank. Now that the blood tree was fully mature, it was too late.

An Ruosu was shielded as she retreated, her heart pounding like a drum, but she forced herself to calm down. She took a deep breath and her gaze fell upon Ling Hao and his companions—the man in the green shirt had not moved a muscle, the woman had not even raised an eyebrow, and that little girl Senior—her face had turned even darker?

"Senior Sister, do not be afraid."

An Ruosu lowered her voice, "The Seniors are still there."

Li Hai hovered in mid-air, opening his arms, intoxicated as he enjoyed everyone's terrified expressions. Scarlet erosion qi churned around him like greedy tentacles.

He was so excited he was practically trembling, his voice sharp and frenzied:

"Afraid? Yes, you should be afraid! Only fear produces nutrients! Your fear and Spiritual Qi will all become my stepping stones to progress further after my Void Tempering Breakthrough!"

His wild laughter echoed across the wasteland, but was suddenly cut short by something.

Because he discovered—

Someone was not afraid at all.

That man in the green shirt had a calm expression, and he even looked like he wanted to laugh? The woman in the moon-white dress beside him was expressionless, but the slightly upturned corners of her lips clearly carried a bit of amusement from watching the show.

And that little girl with the silver ornaments—

Her little face had turned pitch black with fury.

"A... fam... ily... of... three... is that right?"

Yue Xinlan's voice was very soft, so soft it was almost drowned out by the whistling of the erosion qi, yet everyone heard it clearly.

She raised her hand.

The movement was very light.

Li Hai's pupils constricted. His intuition was screaming warnings, but his body couldn't react in time. He didn't even see how that little hand fell—

"Slap."

The sound was not loud, but crisp, like a slap across someone's face.

Li Hai's expression froze on his face.

His eyes were filled with incredulous confusion. Then, as if crushed by an invisible, immense force, he crumbled inch by inch from head to toe, like a sand sculpture blown apart by the wind, turning into a sky full of dark red powder.

He couldn't understand; he had been so careful and cautious, and wasn't he just trying to show off a little?

Why?! Why?!

The main trunk of the Erosion Source Blood Tree exploded at the same moment. The trunk, branches, roots, and buds all turned to dust under that light palm strike.

The scarlet dust scattered like a blizzard, then quickly lost its luster in the air, turning into gray-white debris that fell in a rustling cascade.

The tribulation cloud brewing in the sky lost its target, churned for a few breaths, and slowly dissipated.

The sky full of dark red erosion qi lost its source and began to disperse in all directions like a receding tide.

The air became clear, and sunlight fell once again upon the wasteland, shining on that patch of gray-white debris, looking as if a strange snow had fallen.

A deathly silence.

Dong Duoduo was embedded in the tree trunk, his head tilted, his whole body having already begun to turn into an Erosion Demon.

And those Qingmu Cliff Disciples who had been mocking them just a moment ago now all had their mouths wide open, unable to say a single word.

With this kind of strength, they could travel the world without fear of anything!

Senior Brother Han Wuji opened his mouth, a "clucking" sound coming from his throat. It took him a long time to squeeze out a few words: "...One palm... Rank 7 blood tree... same strength as a Rank 7... shouldn't there be a standoff first..."

His legs were trembling.

He had previously mocked them and even asked Elder Song to teach them a lesson.

Now, regardless of what Sect they belonged to, just looking at this display of combat power, if he used the life-saving trump card his Revered Master had given him, could he block it?

Junior Sister Tang Yuanxiang took a step back. The hem of her crimson palace dress was stained with the gray-white debris on the ground, but she was completely unaware.

"This power... is extremely formidable even among Void-Piercing True Emperors. Apart from the Old Ancestor, I fear..."

Her own reprimand from just moments ago seemed particularly laughable.

Chen Shucui and Song Chengshan looked at each other, "Void Tempering... no, more than Void Tempering... this kind of power... Tribulation Transcendence Heavenly Venerable?!"

Song Chengshan felt as if he had just walked through the gates of hell.

If Fang Qianyi hadn't stopped him just now, and they had really fought, it wasn't certain who would have been teaching whom a lesson.

Thinking of this, he looked at Fang Qianyi with gratitude.

Fang Qianyi's eyes widened, her ebony cane nearly slipping from her hand, and she muttered: "My heavens..."

She had thought they were just ordinary Void-Piercing True Emperors; now it seemed she had underestimated them!

An Ruosu stared blankly at that petite figure, then looked toward the man in the green shirt.

Rather than being curious about this little girl, she now wanted very much to know who that Senior who had warned her was? And what Realm were they in?

Yue Xinlan withdrew her hand, dark clouds gathering on her little face. She looked around: "Who—dares—to—say—again—that—I—am—his—daughter—"

The surroundings were deathly silent.

Counting the time in Qixia City, in just two or three days, Yue Xinlan had turned dark-faced three times, and had been mistaken for Ling Hao's daughter three times.

Yue Xinlan took a deep breath and withdrew her gaze. She looked down at her fair, tender palms and wailed in her heart.

When would this ever end!

She glanced at Ling Hao. That guy was pretending nothing had happened, yet the corners of his mouth were curled into an arc.

This person was truly hateful!

She shouldn't have come with him and these two!