Chapter 440 - Innocent Soul Fruit Tree
Can even the gods' corpses be affected by the Six Paths Reincarnation?
Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er had finally lost god's corpse, and they relaxed their pace. Zhong Yue then noticed something, and he focused in on it with his senses. He found that there was an inexplicable energy in these Returning Ruins, a unique form of energy that existed in no place other than here. Perhaps, it was the residual energy of the Six Paths Reincarnation?
The Qi Practitioners also had six secret realms, are there any relations between them and the Six Paths Reincarnation?
Zhong Yue then surged out his six Yuan Shen secret realms and morphed them to resemble the Six Paths Reincarnation. Immediately, Zhong Yue could feel the inexplicable energy seeping into his body, faintly flowing into his Six Paths Reincarnation!
He quickly checked his Yuan Shen secret realms and found nothing odd. He then looked at his own cultivation base to see no changes there either.
But the inexplicable energy was still flowing into his body, even without him trying to actively absorb it. He couldn't even stop his body from absorbing it even if he wanted to!
What are the powers of the Six Paths Reincarnation? Where did they go, and what did they do?
Zhong Yue peered into his body and searched every corner of his six secret realms, but he still couldn't find a thing at all. Suddenly, a cold chill shivered his body, and he thought, Please tell me I'm not going to turn into that god's skeleton?
His hair bristled up and his scalp tingled. The god's skeleton was clearly affected by the Six Paths' energy, and that was how it turned into a moving skeleton, neither dead nor alive.
Furthermore, the god's skeleton now was definitely not the same as the live god he was before!
This meant that something evil had spawned within the god's skeletal frame and occupied it!
With the Six Paths energy also seeping into Zhong Yue's body, would the same thing happen to him?
Zhong Yue's brow raised in anxiety, but there was nothing he could do to stop the Six Paths energy from entering his body.
He calmed himself down and thought, My top priority now is still the divine herbs! If I can bring them back to the Swords Gate, we will have humanity some capital to stand on its own feet! As for the Six Paths energy, I can't do anything to it now.
The two humans rushed forward, Zhong Yue could see the godly rays from the divine herbs entering his visions. It was not far from them.
Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er raised their speed and rushed toward the godly rays. Meanwhile, he failed to realize that in his Dao Yi Secret Realm, the Pan Gu God suddenly moved. His hands were moving like two agile butterflies, making a hand seal and instantly, the Six Paths energy surged into Zhong Yue's body, seeped through his Dao Yi Secret Realm and entered the Pan Gu God's body!
This Pan Gu God was the product of reverse-opening the five secret realms; he was a manifestation of the legendary figure who broke through the void and chaos to create the universe. Ever since his emergence, Zhong Yue was never able to trigger him to move a single hair before. It only sat as still as a rock no matter what Zhong Yue did.
But now, the Pan Gu God moved. He even made a mysterious hand seal and attracted even more Six Paths energy to him!
However, Zhong Yue was oblivious to all of this. He had arrived at the divine herb's location. It was at the bottom of a valley where a god's skeletal frame has sitting.
They could clearly see the godly rays emanated by the divine herb. It grew in the skeleton's empty eye socket and was 30-feet tall, with many eye-like fruits dangling on the stems.
There was a total of hundreds of fruits, all glimmering with rays. The lights' brightness undulated like continuously blinking eyes!
Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin’er sucked in a deep breath of air as a thought flashed across their minds — this divine herb that grew in the god’s eye socket, was it nurtured by siphoning the nutrients in the god’s corpse?!
If the divine herb fully absorbed all the nutrients and energies in the god's corpse, just how strong would it be?
"No wonder there are so many matured fruits! A god's full power, of course it would bear a lot of fruits!"
Their hearts pounded heavily, and they couldn't hold back anymore as they took a step forward. Just as they were moving toward the divine herb, Xin Huo suddenly said in Zhong Yue's psyche ocean, "This is an Innocent Soul Fruit Tree, the fruits are called Innocent Soul Fruits. They are not fit for consumption."
“It can’t be consumed?”
Zhong Yue was startled as he carefully gazed at the fruit tree. It emanated an alluring radiance and effused a pleasant fragrance, evoking a comfortable and warm sensation within him. It didn't look malicious at all like how Xin Huo had just described it.
"The Innocent Soul Fruit harbors enmity toward anyone who wrongfully eats it. That's how it got the Innocent in its name. It can only be nurtured by providing it with a corpse."
Xin Huo looked around through Zhong Yue's eyes, and he said, "This is an Innocent Soul Fruit nurtured by a god's corpse, there is no doubt that it can even kill a god. With your strength as it is now, you won't be able to stand a chance!"
Zhong Yue grabbed Qiu Jin'er's arm and was just as he was going to stop her from stepping forward, a sense of danger engulfed his heart. With all his might, he forcefully pulled her backward. Just as they were leaping back, the earth quaked, and dozens of stone shards shot up from their previous location on the ground.
If they were just a split second slower, they would have been impaled to death by the stone shards!
Then, a voice could be heard shouting, “Force of the heaven and earth, Avatar!”
Krong——
Immediately, the heaven and earth’s power surged out and formed the faint figure of a celestial being, slamming its hand down at Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin’er!
In the Returning Ruins, all of the skills and arcane energies were heavily repressed, even Zhong Yue could only cast out a 16 feet tall Yuan Shen, and that was already his limit in the Heavenly Dharma level.
Yet, the attacker could utilize the power of the heaven and earth to summon a 1000-foot tall Avatar. It was truly amazing!
Force of the heaven and earth? Using the powers of heaven and earth to cast the Avatar, how is something like that done?
A thought flashed across Zhong Yue's mind. He had been in the Heavenly Dharma level for a few months’ time, but his attainments pertaining to it were still shallow.
There were indeed many Heavenly Dharma Qi Practitioners he had met in Ancestral Star, but none could utilize the power of the heaven and earth!
While even on the Nacre Lake Cloud Stage, there were also none that could do it!
This attacker, he must be the disciple of a Kun Lun god, one of those that they call young gods! Rays flashed across Zhong Yue's onyx pupils, and he thought, The Kun Lun cultivation heritage is really beyond that of the Ancestral Star!
The 1000-feet high Avatar's strike was imbued with endless power. It felt as if the grand firmament was sent crashing down to the ground. Zhong Yue raised his hand and struck a punch right at the center of the incoming palm.
Krong——
A loud, blunt noise crashed into the ears, and the whole Avatar was shattered into shattered patches of clouds!
Zhong Yue could also feel his hand trembling slightly, his eyes brightened up, and he thought, Finally, some Heavenly Dharma Qi Practitioners who can survive my first strike!
He raised his head up and saw a few figures flitting down toward the bottom of the valley, rushing toward the Innocent Soul Fruit Tree!
Qiu Jin'er visualized the【Nuwa Art】and she said with killing intent, "Senior martial brother!"
“Stay back!”
Zhong Yue raised his hand and held her back. He said solemnly, "Give it to them."
A puzzled expression spread across her face as she looked at Zhong Yue.
“Hahaha, you are smart to move out of my way!”
The new incomers reached the side of the Innocent Soul Fruit Tree, and one of the youth held a divine fruit in his hand with joy. He then turned his sights at Zhong Yue and said smilingly, "You are indeed what they say of you, Zhong Shan boy? It was only just a few puny disciples you defeated, and yet, you are so conceited. I wanted to deal with you back then, but I had to follow my teacher's instruction to lay low, otherwise, you wouldn't be standing here at all. Haha, but it is really a surprise that you actually know your place in front of me."
Zhong Yue smiled, and he said, "The divine herb I will give you, I just want to know how did you call upon the powers of the heaven and earth? Can you tell me?"
The young man unrooted the Innocent Soul Fruit Tree, and he sneered frigidly, "You want to know of the god's heritage? Hmph, you lack the qualifications."
There were still a few young men standing beside him staring at the Innocent Soul Fruits hanging on the tree. The sound of them gulping their saliva could be heard, and one of them stammered as he asked cautiously, "Lei Sheng… the divine fruits… can we… can we also…"
“One each and the rest are mine.” The first young man then interrupted and said placidly.
The few Qi Practitioners were overjoyed, and they each quickly plucked an Innocent Soul Fruit and consumed it right away. The young man Lei Sheng also took one and ate it.
Zhong Yue shook his head and sighed at them. He then said to Qiu Jin'er, "Let's go."
“Not so fast!”
Lei Sheng smiled, he said, "Weren't you asking how to use the powers of the heaven and earth? As long as you can take three strikes from me, I can teach you!"
"No need."
Zhong Yue shook his head, and he answered placidly, "You are already a dead man, why do I even need to ask you?"
“Dead man?”
Lei Sheng smiled, he said, “I’m not like you, a puny hu-…”
Before he could even finish his words, a loud burst came blasting beside him as one of his followers exploded away, turning into a bloody mist.
Lei Sheng was stunned, and a couple more sounds of bursting sounded out beside his ears again as the other two Qi Practitioners exploded as well.
Lei Sheng's face changed drastically, and he suddenly curled his hands around his neck while his body inflated like a balloon. He soon turned into a 100-foot meatball and was still expanding!
Bang——
Despite the youth struggling as hard as he could, he could not escape his fate and died the same way as his followers.
All four Qi Practitioners died on the spot, and the blood mist congealed together, condensing into a huge eyeball that glared at Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er.
The huge eyeball plunged down and filled the empty gap of the godly skeleton's other eye socket. The skeletal frame then moved and stood up agilely while twisting its head. It looked at Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er while its other eye socket was empty.
“Hehe, do you also want to eat my fruits?" The skeleton picked up the Innocent Soul Fruit Tree and plucked down two of the godly looking fruits, laughing as it said.
“Run!”
Zhong Yue shouted out and brought Qiu Jin'er along with him as he took off like a flash of lightning.
Krong, krong, krong…
The godly skeleton was chasing behind them while its grating voice entered their ears, "Come, come. Have a bite of my fruits. I planted them with my own eyes…"
After some time, Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er had finally lost the skeleton. They both heaved a breath of relief before continuing their journey. Along the way, they have had a clear look at the dangers present in the Returning Ruins. They have traipsed past a river where a divine herb was planted by the riverbank. It filled the surroundings with a light and pleasant fragrance while many specters floated around it. A heavenly palace was formed above the water surface, dragons frolicked in the waters, and phoenixes chirped with a soothing symphony.
But as Zhong Yue looked at it with his divine third eye, there were more corpses than he could count that were buried below the divine herb, even more than the number he had seen beneath the Innocent Soul Fruit Tree!
Just as Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er was leaving the place, they saw a couple of demon experts walking over, rushing for the divine herb. Unsurprisingly to Zhong Yue, the corpses beneath the divine herb extruded their bony hands and clenched on the experts' ankles, pulling them into the water to presumably devour them. Another two corpses were quickly added to the pile beneath the divine herb.
They had also walked past a high mountain. There was a divine herb shrouded in godly rays and emanating a surge godly aura that could be sensed even when it was deep inside of a mountain cave.
With the past experiences he had in the Returning Ruins, Zhong Yue acted cautiously and looked at it with his divine third eye. Immediately, the mountain body appeared to be sealing a god's corpse in it, with the mountain cave making a direct entrance to its mouth!
“Senior martial brother, look, another divine herb!”
Qiu Jin'er pointed at a direction far away from them, and she said, "This divine herb, are there also any dangers around it?"
Zhong Yue quickly looked over and saw a tall carrot planted in the middle of a muddy ground far away from then. Surrounding the carrot were godly totem patterns that appeared in the form of chains. He looked around and found nothing odd.
Zhong Yue then said laughingly, "Let's go, that carrot we shall pluck!"