Chapter 30

Time in the cave seemed to stand still, yet in reality, only a moment had passed. In that brief moment, more than half of Bai Shuo’s blood had flowed into Chong Zhao’s body.

As Chong Zhao gazed at Bai Shuo’s pale face, he raised his hand and gently touched her neck.

“Enough, Ah shuo… Thank you so much for your blood…”

Chong Zhao’s voice was strangely eerie and somber. Suddenly, he struck Bai Shuo on the shoulder, sending her flying like a kite with a broken string and crashing heavily to the ground.

“Ah Zhao…” Bai Shuo coughed up mouthfuls of blood, staring at Chong Zhao in shock.

“Junior Brother?!” Er Yun was also dumbfounded and at a loss.

Chong Zhao burst into maniacal laughter, grasping the vine spike embedded in his chest and effortlessly pulling it out, tossing it to the ground.

The bodhi branches entwined around him rapidly receded, and with a flash of light, Chong Zhao transformed into the evil bodhi tree, cloaked and masked. Evil energy surged around him, far stronger than during his earlier battle with Fan Yue in the forest.

“Evil bodhi tree?!” Er Yun exclaimed, stunned.

When had bodhi tree transformed into her junior brother without her noticing?

“Who would have thought that a mere lower realm could produce such pure spiritual blood? For years, I absorbed the spiritual energy of the East Sea and still couldn’t touch the boundary of godhood. But your blood has allowed my golden core to reach perfection.”

Bodhi reveled in the immense power within him, laughing wildly.

Bai Shuo’s face was deathly pale. With her remaining spiritual energy, Bodhi’s strike had nearly extinguished her life force.

She weakly gasped, “Ah… Ah Zhao… where is he? What did you do to him?”

“Even at death’s door, you still care about him? Well, without him, how could I have deceived you into willingly sacrificing your spiritual blood? In gratitude for your significant contribution to my godhood ascension, I’ll fulfill your wish and let you both die together.”

With a wave of his hand, the surrounding evil energy dispersed, revealing the true heart of the Bodhi tree several meters behind him. Chong Zhao was still tightly bound by vines, sharp spikes piercing his chest, his golden core dimly glowing, indicating his life was nearly spent.

Chong Zhao weakly lifted his head, reaching out to Bai Shuo on the ground, “Ah Shuo, run… run…”

“Bodhi tree, you’ve taken my blood. If you release Chong Zhao, I’ll offer you the rest of my blood,” Bai Shuo pleaded.

“I’ve already taken your blood, and I want his golden core as well,” Bodhi sneered.

“You, who are nothing but meat on my chopping block, have no right to negotiate with me.”

Bodhi tree raised his hand, and sharp vines in midair shot towards Bai Shuo—

“The Lord of Haoyue Palace is acquainted with me. If you kill me, aren’t you afraid of angering him?!” At the critical moment, Bai Shuo shouted with all her might.

The Lord of Haoyue Palace? A demigod of the demon realm?

Chong Zhao was stunned, and Er Yun was speechless. Had Bai Shuo gone mad, talking nonsense?

The attacking vines suddenly halted in midair. Seeing the Bodhi tree pause, Bai Shuo’s face lit up with hope, but then she heard a disdainful laugh from beneath the mask.

“Girl, the demon clan is heartless. Do you really think he would risk himself for a half-immortal like you?”

“Why wouldn’t he? If even you covet my blood, how many others in this world wouldn’t want it to ascend to godhood?”

Bodhi Tree’s voice rose.

“Did you make a deal with your blood?”

“Yes!” Bai Shuo shouted towards the light at the cave’s opening.

“Palace Lord!”

There was no response from the cave opening.

“Lord! Lord of Haoyue Palace!”

Bai Shuo’s voice grew louder and louder, with Chong Zhao and Er Yun looking up in hope, but no matter how much Bai Shuo called, there was no reply from the narrow beam of light.

Only Bodhi Tree’s triumphant, maniacal laughter echoed back, “Hahahahaha…”

Who knew what kind of face was hidden behind that mask. Raising his palm, numerous vines shot up, binding Bai Shuo and lifting her into the air.

As he slowly walked towards her, he spoke eerily.

“Girl, I’ve lived far longer than you in this world. Did you think your puppet could find my true form? And that I would truly believe Fan Yue would give up devouring me? Your little tricks can’t fool me. Since I let you in, naturally, no one else can come in. The entire Fire Ice Island is my true form. You’ve all been sealed within me. I am now at the peak of demigod. With no gods in the three realms, no one can break my barrier, not even your Lord of Haoyue Palace.”

In the center of the peach forest, beneath an ancient tree, Fan Yue’s red robe fluttered. The water cave was within reach, yet he halted.

“Why did you stop? She’s just below! Go in,” the golden pig shouted from midair.

“We can’t get in,” Fan Yue replied, raising his hand. A flash of red demonic energy revealed a black barrier, tightly sealing the area around the water cave. Fan Yue closed his eyes, gathering more powerful demonic energy in his hand and striking the barrier, but it didn’t budge.

“No wonder his power far surpasses Long Er’s. He has devoured all the life on this island. Now, this island is him,” Fan Yue said, his eyes darkening. The Long Yi pig’s jaws dropped, its fluttering wing frozen in midair.

Inside the water cave, Bodhi Tree’s withered hand gripped Bai Shuo’s neck, his dark, sinister eyes behind the mask sighing contentedly.

“Still, I must thank you for your blood. The path to immortality is fraught with hardships. To die by my hand is not a wasted life.”

Evil energy surged from the Bodhi tree’s palm—

“Ah Shuo…” Trapped under the bodhi tree, Chong Zhao watched as Bai Shuo teetered on the edge of life and death. Summoning all his strength, he tried to pull out the vine spike from his chest, but despite the blood pouring out, the spike wouldn’t budge. Seeing Bodhi Tree’s hand tighten around Bai Shuo’s slender neck, Chong Zhao’s eyes filled with despair.

“Ah Shuo!”

“I didn’t come to this world just to die at the hands of an old monster like you.” Suspended in mid-air, Bai Shuo, who had been looking down, suddenly raised her head, her gaze clear. “I, Bai Shuo, may be nothing but an ant, but my fate is not to die by your hand… Fan Yue!”

At the moment when the evil energy was about to strike Bai Shuo’s forehead, a dark red moon mark appeared between her eyebrows. A powerful demonic energy shot out from the moon, gathering into a red figure amidst the surrounding red spiritual energy like starlight. The figure struck Bodhi Tree with a force that drew out countless red demonic energies from Bodhi Tree’s body. With a boom, Bodhi Tree exploded internally, a flash of white light filling the cave. The Bodhi Tree, now like a puppet with cut strings, was blasted to the ground.

Amid the boundless spiritual energy, Fan Yue descended like a deity, holding the weakened Bai Shuo. With a wave of his hand, he severed the bodhi vines binding Chong Zhao and Er Yun.

Chong Zhao collapsed weakly, “Junior Brother!” Er Yun hurried over to support him, holding him back from rushing toward Bai Shuo and instead warily watching Fan Yue. Though she didn’t recognize the Lord of Haoyue Palace, she could sense the terrifying demonic energy emanating from him.

“Why are you staring at me? You have big eyes, huh? Do you think I’d fall for it a second time?”

Despite the sudden turn of events, Bai Shuo didn’t forget the previous lessons. She quickly scrambled down from Fan Yue, casually wiped the blood from her mouth, and grinned at the stunned, evil Bodhi tree on the ground.

“You… why do you have Fan Yue’s demonic energy inside you? How?” Bodhi tree, surrounded by pure red demonic energy, felt a red flame ignite in the heart of the Bodhi tree not far away. He spat blood, feeling the flame devour his essence—Fan Yue was merging with him!

(T/N: demon = spiritual energy ->> demonic energy)

“Because you’re stupid,” Fan Yue said indifferently, his gaze falling on the smug Bai Shuo was standing nearby, eyebrows raised.

“Or rather, you’re unlucky. You encountered a waste who has lived shorter but is smarter than you.”

An hour earlier, on the shore of Fire Ice Island, Fan Yue didn’t even bother to turn his head, speaking coolly.

“If you want to seek death, go ahead. I won’t accompany you. If your immortal realm fights with him, I’ll enjoy the show.”

“If you don’t help me, I’ll run back right now and give him my blood, letting him succeed in becoming a god. Then who knows who will devour whom between you two monsters!” Bai Shuo shouted, seeing Fan Yue turn to look at her.

She quickly jumped back two steps, raising her head.

“Anyway, the barefoot are not afraid of the ones wearing shoes! I have a rotten life, so if I die, I die! You are the dignified Lord of the Haoyue Palace of the demon clan, and your life is much more valuable than mine!”

(T/N: It is a proverb that refers to the poor people fighting against the rich and powerful, not afraid of losing anything, and having no worries.)

Seeing Bai Shuo’s despicable face, which was not afraid of boiling water, Fan Yue couldn’t help but laugh.

(T/N:It means that one is mentally prepared enough to face difficulties or that one is indifferent to seemingly difficult things. It is usually used to mock oneself or ridicule others. It means that one has no scruples and can do anything.)

“You think you know his weakness? Do you think he’s really some evil spirit? He’s an ancient divine tree, the bodhi, with nine apertures. He devoured this island a long time ago. What we encountered was just a clone of his divine tree. Even I can’t find his true body. How can a mere half-immortal like you do anything to him?”

“He wants to eat me, and that’s his weakness.”

Bai Shuo laughed, blinking.

“Palace Lord, let’s make a deal.”

Back in the water cave, Bai Shuo had been all smug, but when she heard Fan Yue call her a “waste,” her face fell.

“Hey, hey, hey, monster, can’t you compliment people…?”

Meeting Fan Yue’s cold gaze, Bai Shuo shuddered and quickly fell silent, turning to look at Bodhi Tree.

“Damn old man, this person… No, this immortal… Bah, bah, bah, this evil spirit—it’s not that the longer you live, the smarter you are. I guessed it a long time ago; as long as I come back to save Ah Zhao, you will definitely deceive me again. But my blood is only useful if I am willing to sacrifice it. If I were you, how can you make me sacrifice it willingly?”

Bai Shuo’s smile faded as she spoke, “Ah Zhao’s life. But if you use his life to threaten me, either way, sacrificing or not sacrificing means death for me. You know I’m smart, so that method won’t work on me. Only if I find Ah Zhao myself and see his life hanging by a thread will I go all out to save him.”

Bai Shuo paced back and forth, then looked down at Bodhi Tree’s masked face.

“Even the Lord of Haoyue Palace couldn’t find your hideout, but my little paper puppet, which could be blown away by a gust of wind, could? From the moment I stepped into this water cave, I knew the one trapped under the Bodhi tree wasn’t really Ah Zhao. But it didn’t matter. He wasn’t Ah Zhao, but he was your true body. Aren’t you curious why you have the Lord of Haoyue Palace’s demonic energy inside you? Because I introduced his demonic energy into my inner core. As you absorbed my blood, you also absorbed your own death talisman.”

As Bai Shuo slowly explained, the heart of the bodhi tree in the distance was reduced to mere embers by the burning. Surrounded by Fan Yue’s demonic energy, Evil Bodhi’s body gradually turned transparent. He looked at Bai Shuo with eyes full of venom and said, “Such a viciscious girl, with such deep scheming. All my life, I’ve hunted eagles, yet today, I’ve been pecked in the eye by one. I underestimated you.”

“You’re too kind,” Bai Shuo clapped her hands and walked towards Chong Zhao. She waved her hand towards Fan Yue and said, “Palace Lord, this piece of rotten wood is all yours. Our deal is done. Let’s go, Ah Zhao, let’s go home!”

With a cheerful smile, Bai Shuo walked towards Chong Zhao.

“Ah Shuo! Get out of the way!”

Chong Zhao was just a step away, but from his eyes, Bai Shuo saw inexplicable fear. Before she could react, a beam of white light shot towards her from behind. The terrifying immortal energy made her scalp tingle, and she couldn’t move.

Chong Zhao broke free from Er Yun and ran towards Bai Shuo. At the same moment, Fan Yue’s silver chain shot out of his hand. The silver chain and Chong Zhao reached Bai Shuo simultaneously.

Chong Zhao grabbed Bai Shuo and leaped to avoid the white light. The beam missed its target but didn’t stop. It swept up Er Yun, who hadn’t yet reacted, and carried her to the heart of the Bodhi tree, now reduced to a flicker by the fire. Under the beam’s cover, the heart of the bodhi tree reignited, and a faint black light emerged.

The silver chain missed its target and reluctantly returned to Fan Yue’s hand. Fan Yue glanced indifferently at the useless silver chain, which trembled and pretended to be dead, lying limp.

Bai Shuo and Chong Zhao looked towards the heart of the bodhi tree. As the white light faded, they saw that the previously weakened Evil Bodhi now held Er Yun by the neck with one hand. On the other hand, he grasped a jade slip that emitted terrible immortal energy, which had just come from the jade slip.