Chapter 350: Sea Pear Fruit |
The mountain cave that Yang Long spoke of was located on the mountainside of the island's only peak.
The area was overgrown with weeds, and the cave entrance was not large, requiring one to stoop to enter.
Mogu's massive build made it difficult for him to get inside.
Qin Ziwen crouched down, examining the entrance that required bending over to enter. Inside was pitch black, with no way to know what the environment was like.
So he didn't rashly go in.
"Master, I'll go in first to take a look," Du Yu said in a low voice.
Qin Ziwen shook his head slightly, then turned to look at Yang Long.
Yang Long understood the implication and hesitated for a moment. "I'll lead the way."
"Be careful."
After about ten minutes, a buzzing sound came from deep within the cave, like the call of some beast.
A little while later, the four men hurriedly returned the way they came.
"Master, after going in, we were on a high platform. There's a water pool at the bottom, about three to four meters below the platform. On the wall behind the pool, there is indeed a tree growing. Its roots are extensive, covering the wall entirely, with some even extending into the water. There's a beast at the bottom of the pool. The environment was too dark to see its appearance clearly. It wasn't moving fast, just coiled up in the pool." Du Yu reported what he had seen and heard.
It seemed Yang Long hadn't lied.
However, this cave was too small. Mogu couldn't get in, and neither could the Crowned Eagle or Chitu.
There was likely only one way to get through.
That was for him to go in first, then open a node within the Home, and enter through the node.
But to open a new node, he'd have to close some redundant ones first.
Every node was precious. Some locations were quite special, and after opening, the node would enter a one-week cooldown period. So he needed to see if the plant inside was worth opening a node for.
He whistled sharply, and the Crowned Eagle descended from the sky. Qin Ziwen instructed the Crowned Eagle to take Mogu back to the Home first.
After waiting a while until the Crowned Eagle returned, he finally bent down and walked in.
At first, it was extremely narrow. After advancing several dozen steps, it suddenly opened up.
The space inside was wide, a hidden world within a world.
They were on a protrusion jutting out from the inner wall.
Qin Ziwen took out the Solar Flashlight and turned it to maximum lumens.
Instantly, the area was brightly illuminated.
The first thing that caught his eye was a giant tree ahead.
This tree, growing within the mountain wall cavity, seemed particularly cramped, like a tall person living in a tiny house, stooped over, bent at the waist, growing and spreading out close to the dome ceiling. The branches were laden with yellow, pear-shaped fruits.
They looked like gourds.
Below was a wide, expansive water pool. Ripples spread across the water's surface. Under the flashlight's beam, the deep pool bottom was unclear, a deep blue expanse. And in the center of that deep blue, a mass of black shadow was swirling.
"Interesting."
Qin Ziwen surveyed the surroundings, finally settling his gaze on the tree.
Insight.
【Superhuman · Sea Pear Fruit Tree】
【Sea Pear Fruit (Superhuman): ① After consumption, removes toxins from the body ② Long-term consumption increases resistance to toxins】
Detoxification, plus increased poison resistance.
Useful.
Then his gaze fell upon the dense, seemingly prolific clusters of Sea Pear Fruits on this tree. At a glance, there were no fewer than a thousand of them.
He felt quite tempted.
So many superhuman fruits. If they were all sacrificed, how much Law Essence Liquid could that yield?
On one of the branches, a fruit swayed and suddenly fell.
"Plop~"
The moment it hit the water, the black shadow at the bottom of the pool leaped up, opening its maw wide and swallowing the falling Sea Pear Fruit in one gulp, as if it had been waiting for this moment.
Under the flashlight's illumination, the shadow revealed its true form—it was actually a snow-white, large snake.
The snake's body had some black speckles, giving it a somewhat mottled appearance.
【Superhuman · Short-snouted Black Scale Fierce Snake: ☆☆★★★】 Level 1 Blood Severe Poison, Level 2 Detoxifying Blood
After reading its panel, Qin Ziwen frowned.
Its star rating isn't low, and its name sounds quite fierce, but it turns out to be such a Little Shrimp?
Only Level 1 Venom.
And it even has a Level 2 Detoxifying Blood, meaning its ability to detoxify is even more potent than its ability to poison.
Isn't that a bit of putting the cart before the horse?
His gaze shifted to the Sea Pear Fruits, and his expression changed slightly. Could it be because of the Sea Pear Fruits?
Its name includes 'Black Scale,' but it looks like a white snake.
Sea Pear Fruits can detoxify upon consumption, and long-term consumption increases poison resistance. Who knows how long this Short-snouted Black Scale Fierce Snake has lived at the bottom of this pool? Over the years and months, eating detoxifying Sea Pear Fruits every day, did it just... mutate?
After swallowing the Sea Pear Fruit that fell into the pool, the Short-snouted Black Scale Fierce Snake raised its head. Its head, floating on the water's surface, glared with fierce eyes, fixed intently on the four people on the platform.
This snake was quite large. Just the part floating above the water exceeded two meters. From its position, it already posed a sufficient threat.
Qin Ziwen opened a node.
The moment the node appeared, the Short-snouted Black Scale Fierce Snake seemed to be provoked, leaping up like a spring.
While still in mid-air, before it could land, a large hand shot out later but arrived first, accurately grabbing the Short-snouted Black Scale Fierce Snake by the neck.
The fierce snake opened its maw wide, still intending to bite the owner of the hand.
The large hand gave a sharp shake. The Short-snouted Black Scale Fierce Snake's entire skeleton seemed to be rattled loose. Instantly, its eyes cleared, becoming lucid.
Its tail hung down limply.
"Hmph, bold beast, daring to attack the master." Mogu bent down, stepping out from the portal with his other foot.
Standing close beside Mogu, Yang Long felt as if he were standing next to a primordial fierce beast. His blood ran cold, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably.
He had watched from afar when Mogu struck and killed the Mosasaur. Back then, he thought this giant was like a God of War.
Now, standing personally by his side, he only felt his hairs stand on end, as if beholding a Demon God.
"Don't kill it. Spare its life. Take it back and pen it up for now." Qin Ziwen stopped Mogu. This Short-snouted Black Scale Fierce Snake's blood could detoxify, and after years of consuming Sea Pear Fruits, it seemed to have undergone some change. He felt its value alive was higher than dead.
Mogu lowered his gaze to look at the white snake. "The master, in his great kindness, spares your life. I hope you will behave."
After speaking, Mogu swung his arm. The white snake's head knocked against the wall, and it instantly lost consciousness.
Then Mogu's gaze fell upon the Sea Pear Fruit Tree before him, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "A Sea Pear Fruit Tree?"
"You've seen one before?"
"A relatively common type of superhuman fruit tree. Likes to live in environments with ample moisture by the sea. Of course, riversides and lakesides work too. But one this big... it's the first time I've seen one." Mogu added, "Generally, when cultivating superhuman plants, you don't let them grow particularly large. A huge fruit tree might have a high total yield, but most of its nutrients go into maintaining its branches and leaves. The proportion dedicated to fruiting actually decreases."
Qin Ziwen pondered this thoughtfully. He had heard Wei Zhaohua mention a similar concept.
Mogu continued, "However, Master, right now we don't have many superhuman plants in our Home. The Rare Treasures Garden has plenty of empty space. Having a new plant that's a bit larger is fine too."