Chapter 234: You're Still Just a Child
Chapter 234: You're Still Just a Child
While the young Demon Ghost Vine seedling was immersed in the enchanting aura of the Illusion Mist Formation, Lu Xuan's spiritual awareness sensed that something was amiss.
He leaped a few times and arrived in the area where the Illusion Mist Formation was planted.
In the faint pink mist, on the pale gray vines of the Demon Ghost Vine, thin tendrils resembling tentacles had grown at some point, restlessly moving within the mist.
Lu Xuan focused his mind on the tendrils of the Demon Ghost Vine and immediately understood that it had fallen into the allure trap of the Illusion Mist Formation.
Although it was two ranks higher in quality than a third-grade Illusion Mist Formation, it had recently sprouted and had limited resistance. The natural temptation of the third-grade Firefly Grass to it caused it to fall unintentionally.
"You're still just a child! How could you be covered in tentacles?" Lu Xuan said with a regretful expression, then cast a purification mantra on the ashy Demon Ghost Vine.
A faint and pure light swept over every part of the vines, and then, numerous tentacle-like tendrils shivered and retracted back into the main body of the Demon Ghost Vine.
Sensing Lu Xuan's presence, the young Demon Ghost Vine climbed into his sleeve in a dazed manner.
"To lift the influence of one spiritual plant, I had to use a purification mantra on another..." Lu Xuan shook his head, carrying the young Demon Ghost Vine back to the courtyard.
He pulled out the Demon Ghost Vine tightly entwined around his arm, wearing a serious expression.The Demon Ghost Vine had a hobby of devouring spiritual plants and seeds. With so many spiritual plants cultivated in the mountain peak, he needed to cultivate it from a young age to prevent it from eating indiscriminately.
"If it devours a rare spiritual plant seedling, a high-grade spiritual seed, I would regret it deeply."
"Stay here; I have something to tell you."
Seeing the Demon Ghost Vine showing signs of burrowing into his sleeve again, Lu Xuan sternly said, "All the spiritual plants on this mountain peak are planted and nurtured by me. It took a lot of time and effort. Before they mature, you must not eat them indiscriminately."
"If I catch you once, I'll cut off all your tendrils!"
Lu Xuan pointed at the ashy tendrils of the Demon Ghost Vine and said menacingly.
The tendrils at the end of the young Demon Ghost Vine lifted, nodding gently.
"However, as long as you behave, there won't be a shortage of food for you. When they mature, branches, leaves, and spiritual fruits – I guarantee you'll have your fill."
He reached out and tapped the top of the Demon Ghost Vine's ashy tendrils, and the gray tendrils ascended along his finger and entered Lu Xuan's sleeve.
After soothing the young Demon Ghost Vine, Lu Xuan took out the Life-Sustaining Bag, and his spiritual power swept over it.
Two young double-headed armadillos appeared dumbfounded on the ground.
They were less than a foot long, and their scales were still small and soft.
The moment they saw Lu Xuan, the two creatures seemed to recognize him as the one who had snatched them from their nest. All four long heads roared at him simultaneously, sounding immature and fierce.
"When your entire clan mobilized, only you two hungry cubs were left in the nest, and I happened to come across you."
"Seeing your pitiful state with no one to take care of you, I rescued you. Is this how you repay your lifesaver?"
Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow.
The two young creatures still had a ferocious appearance.
"Whichever head stops roaring first, I'll feed that one this spiritual ore."
He tossed a piece of pure white spiritual ore in his hand and said to the two Chimeric Armadillos.
When one of the heads stopped roaring, he extended the spiritual ore to that head.
Cracking sounds continuously echoed as the hard spiritual ore was instantly bitten into pieces, giving the other head a sense of being in the thick of it.
It stared at its other half with a complex expression.
With the lead of the first head, the remaining three heads quickly quieted down. For a moment, the cracking sounds were incessant.
Lu Xuan, seeing the two double-headed armadillos becoming obedient, placed them in a niche on the mountain peak.
The earth-yellow spiritual light emerged from the bodies of the double-headed armadillos. Using their two pairs of sharp claws, they quickly dug into the rock wall, creating a crude nest.
"It's no wonder they are skilled in earth-escape techniques, even as young creatures. Their innate talents are quite evident."
Lu Xuan's spiritual awareness penetrated deep into the rock wall of the Chimeric Armadillo nest, sensing that the two young creatures had already constructed a rudimentary den. He felt relieved.
He found an open space on the mountain peak and used the Greater Earth Art, to rapidly change the underground structure. Two spiritual fields were soon cultivated.
A large amount of fifth-grade earth spiritual soil was brought out from the storage bag and covered the surface of the spiritual fields, forming a thick layer.
In the spiritual fields, a faint earth-yellow spiritual light flashed across the surface of the earth spiritual soil, indicating the rich life force contained within.
In the blessed land, he turned the Chimeric Armadillo's nest upside down, obtaining a lot of earth spiritual soil, enough to cultivate many spiritual plants.
Most of the earth spiritual soil was used to pave the two spiritual fields, and the remaining small portion was evenly scattered around the mountain peak, enhancing the overall fertility of the peak.
He intended to use the two spiritual fields only to plant higher-grade spiritual plants. There was no need to transplant the ones planted before, and he happened to have four fourth-grade Phoenix Wood seeds.
He took out four spiritual seeds from the storage bag, and a thin, black sword aura shot out from his dantian. Carefully, he peeled away the amber that wrapped around the spiritual plants.
In a short time, the protected slender spiritual seeds revealed their true appearance.
After planting them in the earth spiritual soil, an information prompt flashed through his mind.
【Phoenix Wood, fourth-grade spiritual plant. During its growth, communication and nurturing with spiritual awareness are required. After maturity, it can enhance the spiritual awareness of cultivators.】
【The spiritual seeds are in a dormant state and need some time of spiritual awareness nurturing to return to their original state.】
"Success in cultivation is good. As for the need for spiritual awareness nurturing for a period, although it's a bit troublesome, compared to the value of this fourth-grade Phoenix Wood, it's not much of a bother."
Lu Xuan sighed and, one by one, planted the other three Phoenix Wood seeds into the earth spiritual soil. Strands of spiritual awareness slowly infiltrated the spiritual seeds, gently nurturing them.
Unconsciously, a faint vitality appeared inside the Phoenix Wood spiritual seeds. Though weak, it was exceptionally tenacious, exuding an indomitable will.
"After the Crimson Cloud Pine in the Linyang Fang Market, this Phoenix Wood is the second coniferous spiritual plant I've cultivated. However, the Crimson Cloud Pine is only first-grade, far less valuable than the
fourth-grade Phoenix Wood."
"Of course, there is a vast difference in cultivation difficulty and the effects of the spiritual fruits."
"A spiritual plant that can enhance the cultivator's spiritual awareness – as far as I know, there's no such plant available for exchange in the sects. Its preciousness is evident."
While contemplating, Lu Xuan descended from a large crack in the ground.
A scorching aura rushed toward him, and underground, a magma river surged and roared. Occasionally, scorching magma splashed onto the surrounding rock walls, creating bursts of green smoke.
Lu Xuan stood on a raised boulder, holding a charred piece of wood with dark golden cracks.