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Chapter 610: Demonic Tree's Advancement (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Chapter 610: Demonic Tree's Advancement (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Several years later.

Kungsang Market.

Zuo Xiaoxuan walked out of the 'Heavenly Immortal Wine House', a faint smile gracing her face beneath the mask.

Her prices were higher than the Treasure Cauldron Pavilion's, so many rogue cultivators naturally preferred to sell her the various spiritual materials extracted from the Profound Nether Abyss.

Today, her luck was quite good; she even acquired a five-hundred-year-old Horned Dragon.

Just then, at the end of the street ahead, a large, purple-robed man suddenly appeared.

He merely stood there, yet a profound and unshakeable presence, like an abyss deep and a mountain tall, emanated from him. His magical power was even more unfathomable.

The cultivators on either side glanced at him briefly, then lowered their gazes and respectfully detoured.

Meng Zhuzi spoke.

"Between us, all ties of kindness and righteousness have long been severed."

Zuo Xiaoxuan said coldly, "Senior, are you intending to break the rules and act within the market?"

"Of course not. . . I merely wish to advise you not to be used by others. Your current situation is already very dangerous; not only those few families, but even the Wang Family is very displeased with you. They might just 'kill the chicken to warn the monkey' with you. . ."

Meng Zhuzi took a step forward, lowering his voice: "This is for your own good."

"Senior Qing He Zi always makes things clear and chooses to entrust them to my hands. These are all things I willingly do. " Zuo Xiaoxuan said icily, "But you are different. . . You deceived us, causing our Second Brother's demise. . . This debt, I will settle with you sooner or later."

"Settle with me?"

Meng Zhuzi seemed to hear a joke. "With just you?"

A cold expression flashed across his face. He was prepared to secretly dispatch this woman, considering it a warning to the 'Qing He Zi' behind her, on behalf of the Wang Family.

The waters of the Profound Nether Abyss ran deep; it wasn't a place anyone could easily meddle with!

"With just me."

Zuo Xiaoxuan smiled faintly, a dark thunder-bead appearing in her hand.

The moment Meng Zhuzi saw the thunder-bead, his Nascent Soul opened its eyes, filled with vigilance and fear.

"This is. . . a fourth-stage thunder-bead? Are you insane?"

He roared in a low voice, ready to use a spirit treasure for defense and escape at any moment.

"Don't worry, my life is precious; I won't perish with you. . ."

Zuo Xiaoxuan chuckled, "But if you intend to use any means against me, then we shall both burn together, jade and common stone alike. . . I have already refined this thunder-bead with a secret art, linking it to my spiritual will. I can detonate it with a single thought, turning everything within a hundred miles to dust. If you're not afraid of death, feel free to try!"

"Madwoman!"

Meng Zhuzi's face flushed red then turned pale, genuinely not daring to act.

That 'Demonic Yin Thunder' felt far more dangerous to him than an ordinary fourth-stage thunder-bead.

Perhaps mighty cultivators at the late Nascent Soul stage wouldn't fear it much, but he was only at the early Nascent Soul stage. One wrong move and he really could be dragged along into the Yellow Springs!

He had only just condensed his Nascent Soul, becoming a high-rank cultivator with a long lifespan. How could he be willing to accompany a Core Formation cultivator to the underworld?

"Hehe, Fourth Sister, you jest. I merely offered a word of advice."

Meng Zhuzi gave an awkward laugh and stepped aside.

Zuo Xiaoxuan sneered, sweeping past him without a second glance.

The nearby cultivators, witnessing this scene, remained silent outwardly, but privately, they were surely discussing it animatedly.

Meng Zhuzi's expression changed several times as he watched Zuo Xiaoxuan depart. Ultimately, he didn't dare to pursue her and could only let the matter go.

In his heart, however, he gnashed his teeth, preparing to lodge a severe complaint with the Wang Family.

This time, that Qing He Zi had truly crossed the line!

...

Zuo Xiaoxuan clutched a jade talisman in her hand, feeling on edge the entire way, finally exhaling in relief only when she reached the vicinity of Sangqing Peak.

She also wanted to live to exact her revenge, not to perish alongside her enemy.

Gazing at the profoundly dark array, faintly imbued with the sound of flowing sand, Zuo Xiaoxuan's eyes held a hint of bewilderment.

Several years ago, for some unknown reason, Qing He Zi had changed the array, no longer allowing her access to Sangqing Peak itself.

Now, she could only send out a sound-transmitting talisman.

Not long after, Qing He Zi emerged from the array. Receiving Zuo Xiaoxuan's storage bag, a satisfied expression appeared on his face: "Well done. . ."

He raised his hand, and another storage bag landed in Zuo Xiaoxuan's grasp: "Inside are Purity Water Pills and a few bottles of pills greatly beneficial to Core Formation cultivators, as your rightful reward."

"Many thanks, Senior."

Zuo Xiaoxuan swept her divine consciousness over it, her face showing little joy as she recounted what had transpired in the market: "I estimate that it won't be long before the Wang Family moves against Senior. . ."

"No, the Wang Family won't."

Fang Xi stated with certainty.

"Why?"

Zuo Xiaoxuan's face showed a flicker of doubt, then she appeared to grasp something: "Senior's earlier command to act freely indeed had a basis. Little Xuan will not ask further. . ."

Watching the woman's retreating escape light (escape light) as she bade farewell, Fang Xi was quite pleased.

In the cultivation world, knowing when to advance and when to retreat was key to a long life.

"The Wang Family, desperate like a cornered dog?"

"They'll have to see if they dare. . ."

Zuo Xiaoxuan's vision was limited, but the Wang Family surely had array masters. Fang Xi had acted so high-profile, they would certainly come to investigate, and then they would be deterred by the five-stage Nine Serene Sand River Grand Array.

In this cruel cultivation world, everything else was illusory; only one's own strength was real.

The External Avatar stepped into the array, and a layer of black water flowed, instantly submerging the passage.

He arrived at Sangqing Peak and saw a Progenitor Demonic Tree, its canopy vast enough to blot out the sky.

Beneath the Demonic Tree, a young cultivator in green robes sat cross-legged.

"The Demonic Tree's breakthrough to fifth-stage is today!"

After several years of refinement in the Earthly Immortal World, the Progenitor Demonic Tree had finally grown once more.

Now, it was about to cross the threshold into Soul Transformation!

...

"Senior Qing He Zi, I wonder what trump card he hides. . ."

Zuo Xiaoxuan was still piloting her escape light, having not flown a thousand miles, when she suddenly felt a terrifying spiritual pressure surge from behind her.

Spiritual energy flashed across the sky, transforming into five-colored auroras, rushing towards Sangqing Peak!

In the Earthly Immortal World, inciting the spiritual energy of heaven and earth caused a Soul Transformation phenomenon even grander than in the Human World!

"This is. . . a Soul Transformation heavenly phenomenon? !"

Zuo Xiaoxuan found it hard to imagine, then suddenly realized: "No wonder Qing He Zi isn't afraid of the Wang Family; he's about to undergo Soul Transformation. . ."

From the direction of Kungsang Market.

"Such spiritual energy fluctuations. . ."

Wang Lingdao soared into the sky, gazing towards Sangqing Peak, his eyes filled with envy and jealousy.

Even though he was a mighty cultivator at the late Nascent Soul stage, he had not yet cultivated to the Nascent Soul Perfected stage, let alone the more advanced Soul Transformation realm, which was still impossibly distant.

"Pavilion Master. . ."

Meng Zhuzi also sensed it, his face showing dread: "Could it be. . . that person? !"

"Indeed. . . he has reached Soul Transformation!"

Wang Lingdao exhaled a long breath: "It seems this person had been hiding his cultivation all along. When he fought me, he was probably already at the Nascent Soul Perfected stage. . . You needn't concern yourself with this matter anymore."

With Qing He Zi's promotion to Soul Transformation, the subsequent decisions were beyond Wang Lingdao's authority.

It had to be decided personally by the Wang Family's Ancestor.

A leap across a major realm was often an impassable chasm!

In the Earthly Immortal World, however, this was a very common occurrence!

...

"Now the Demonic Tree has reached Soul Transformation. . . the heavenly phenomenon is genuine."

"From now on, Qing He Zi will be a demonic Soul Transformation cultivator!"

"No one will be able to link me to that Soul Transformation Demon Venerable from before!"

Fang Xi gazed at the sky, watching as streaks of green lightning flickered, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The Progenitor Demonic Tree's lightning tribulation caused no strange occurrences; it was just a normal Soul Transformation heavenly tribulation.

Fang Xi had been somewhat worried that if it encountered the terrifying lightning tribulation he faced during his own Soul Transformation, it would be a bit troublesome.

Crack!

Streaks of lightning struck down, being blocked layer by layer, eventually landing on the Progenitor Demonic Tree.

The Demonic Tree's main body, bathed in the thunder light, actually appeared to flourish even more vigorously.

Not only that!

On its verdant leaves, gold and silver patterns continued to spread and expand. . .

Boom!

Finally, the clouds thundered for a thousand miles, and the ninth bolt of lightning crashed down!

The next instant, countless leaves flew off the Progenitor Demonic Tree's crown, turning to ash in mid-air. . . This was the Progenitor Demonic Tree's secret tribulation technique, bearing the calamity by sacrificing these leaves.

Indeed. . .

A layer of gold and silver light appeared, engulfing the lightning descending from the sky.

Immediately after, the ninth fierce heavenly lightning bolt significantly shrank and struck the crown of the Progenitor Demonic Tree.

Bang!

Within a flash of thunder and fire, several massive branches suddenly snapped, with lightning-strike patterns visible at the breaks.

Although the Demonic Tree seemed to suffer heavy damage, it had, after all, passed the tribulation and successfully advanced to the fifth-stage!

At this moment, Fang Xi seemed to hear a strange sound echo within his own body!

This ethereal sensation let him know that not only had his 'Eternal Evergreen Body' finally made a breakthrough, but his lifespan had also begun to greatly increase once again!

"I feel like one day, I'll be able to outlive Mahayana Loose Immortals!"

Fang Xi muttered wryly, coming to the base of the Demonic Tree.

At this time, he saw rich blood flowing from the lightning-struck wounds.

With the replenishment from the previously stored pure blood essence of the demon and monster races, those wounds were rapidly recovering, and new branches and leaves were even growing out.

As long as there was enough blood and flesh, the Progenitor Demonic Tree's recovery speed was astonishing!

Fang Xi carefully examined it, a look of delight appearing on his face.

Immediately, he went to the tree hollow where the 'Profound Turtle Egg' was sealed.

He had hesitated previously about whether to take out this turtle egg, but in the end, he decided to let it endure the heavenly tribulation's baptism alongside the Demonic Tree.

Now, within the Profound Turtle Egg, the pulsation of life force grew even stronger.

"Having undergone the heavenly tribulation's baptism, it has truly integrated into the Earthly Immortal World. . ."

"The day the little fellow hatches is not far off. . ."

Fang Xi could easily make this judgment.

This Profound Turtle Egg, once nurtured, would be a good helper in the future.

"Now that I've advanced to Soul Transformation, I can bargain with the Wang Family. . . to gain a larger share, which means more 'True Blood Pills'!"

"With the help of these spiritual pills, my progress in cultivating the 'Celestial Demon Extermination Manual' will surely advance by leaps and bounds!"

Fang Xi had already planned every step, and now he merely had to follow the established sequence.

"I wonder which family will come knocking first?"

He looked outside the array, a hint of anticipation appearing on his face. . .

(Note: "Heavenly Immortal Wine House" was translated as "Heavenly Immortal Wine House" as it's a direct translation and fits the context of a market establishment, distinguishing it from the glossy's "Celestial Immortal Pavilion" which refers to a specific meeting place for retired cultivators. "Demon Yin Thunder" was kept as "Demonic Yin Thunder" as it sounds like a specific name for a type of thunder-beard. "Progenitor Demonic Tree" was consistently translated as "Progenitor Demonic Tree" as per the gloss. )