Chapter 323 — The Root-Tendril Monster Attacks

More than ten cultivators of the lower Six Harmonies realm could not dodge in time, and were pierced through by the bone shards, falling into the water. Even those of somewhat greater cultivation could scarcely withstand the flying shards, and were shaken until they spat blood. And the cultivators who had fallen into the lake, just as they struggled to rise, found the water suddenly boiling like a wok, countless things dark as great pythons writhing and swimming over them, wrapping them round and dragging them down to the lakebed.

Yu Bochuan and the others were aghast. They hurriedly flew up into the air and fled beyond the lake. That once calm and peaceful lake had become clamorous and seething in the blink of an eye; tentacles kept flying out of the water bearing naked women, and the moment one caught hold of a person she dragged him down into the lake! The others hurriedly worked the arts of the True Heaven Palace, trying to control these strange roots.

The True Heaven Palace holds that all things have spirit and all things have gods, and its arts can control all things, the living and the lifeless alike, turning them into weapons.

Yet against these uncanny roots their arts were entirely useless.

In that brief moment more than ten more were caught by the women upon those tendrils and dragged into the lake, their fate unknown. "Heavenly Sage Cult Master, we have found you at last!

" Yu Bochuan and the others finally flew clear of the great lake. They had barely landed, barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief, when they saw the great trees along the shore all tear themselves up from the ground and bolt away at a gallop in the direction the dragon qilin had fled.

Yu Bochuan and his companions were stunned, and hurriedly ran as well.

Several Heaven-Man realm powerhouses of the True Heaven Palace at once stirred their primordial spirits and used their divine powers to block the attacks of these trees. Only after fleeing a hundred and more li did they finally escape the attack range of those strange trees and tendrils; everyone breathed a sigh of relief and slowed their steps.

Had they traveled at an unhurried flying pace, they could have run a thousand li and more without feeling weary, but fleeing for their lives at full strength left them gasping for breath even after a hundred li.

The dragon qilin slowed as well, panting heavily, not far from them.

"We ought to be out of it now," Shen Mu said in relief.

"The reach of this root demon's tendrils is only about a hundred li or so. .

. wait!

" His expression suddenly turned grave. He surveyed his surroundings: dense forest here, trees in deep shade, a very common sort of woodland, though here and there it held plants Shen Mu had never seen.

They were great flowers, taller than a man, their tender pink buds gathered together and standing long and upright, with two large leaves growing beside them.

Though Shen Mu had studied the principles of medicine under alchemists and could usually distinguish plants and spirit herbs, these strange flowers he had never seen before. Yu Bochuan and the others likewise broke into this flower grove; each frowned at the sight, yet did not halt their steps, pursuing Shen Mu's party.

Suddenly one great flower languidly drew out its stamens; the bud revolved, and the petals slowly opened, the tender pink deepening little by little, from tender pink to rosy pink, and then to vivid red. When the flower was fully in bloom, a young girl who had been kneeling within it slowly rose, lifted her head and looked toward Shen Mu, and gave a shrill cry: "Heavenly Sage Cult Master, your Heavenly Sage Cult has ruined me so —" In the flower grove, one great flower after another bloomed with a shh-shh-shh, and at the heart of each stood a girl as fair as the blossoms, all of them looking toward Shen Mu as one, shrieking: "So miserable —" Shen Mu's scalp went numb.

He urged the dragon qilin: "Long Pang, set fire to them! Bat brothers, use your sonic attacks!

" The dragon qilin spewed great flames, true fire blazing all around it as well; the two white bats flew into the air and spat out sonic waves; and Shen Mu stirred the Carefree Sword, the divine blade shuttling up and down like light, like lightning, severing the roots behind the rumps of every girl that came flinging herself at them.

At such a moment no other sword would have been of any use; only this divine sword could hold off the tendrils of the Withered Ridge root demon. But whether it could hold off the old demon's true body, Shen Mu could not be certain. "This old demon's cultivation seems to have grown stronger!

" he said anxiously.

Whoosh — countless girls soared into the air, bearing flowers and leaves, attacking everyone who had stepped into the flower grove.

One True Heaven Palace adept stirred a jade tree, its thousand branches striking at the girls, but the girls' petals and two leaves snapped shut and wrapped them round tight.

The adept's heart leaped with joy; the roots and branches of the jade tree bound her fast.

Yet the bud was sleek and slippery, impossible to grip; with a pop it slid free, and a single stamen pierced through the adept's brow. Yu Bochuan's expression changed drastically.

He said sternly, "Bring out the sacred treasure! " The strange beast upon his shoulder, a mere foot long, leaped down, beat its chest with both fists, and grew larger and larger; suddenly it opened its mouth and gave a great roar, and a treasure brimming with rich green life was spat forth from the mouth of that beast, shaped like a raging ape with horns upon its head.