Immortal Path Space

Chapter 81: Hostage

After a recent probe, Wang Hong speculated that this tree likely lived by trapping Demonic Beasts, and the cocoons hanging from its branches were probably the captured Demonic Beasts.

As for the bait attracting Demonic Beasts, it was highly likely the string of fruit pods hanging from the tree, each about the length of a forearm.

These fruit pods seemed to be highly beneficial to Demonic Beasts, keeping them stationed here and unwilling to leave.

Just then, a string of fruit pods on the tree burst open, releasing five golden seeds that shot off in different directions.

The Demonic Beasts surrounding them, seemingly unafraid of danger, leaped towards the seeds.

Using the Shifting Positions technique, Wang Hong swiftly appeared next to one of the seeds, sweeping it up with a single motion.

Due to his refined Spiritual Energy, he could now shift up to four yards in a single move using the Shifting Positions technique.

Other Demonic Beasts rushing in the same direction, realizing the seed had been snatched, turned around and fled without hesitation.

Meanwhile, the branches from above had rolled down, and experienced Demonic Beasts, regardless of success, sprinted back to safety. Over the years, those who didn't act this way had likely perished.

As Wang Hong used the Shifting Positions technique to retreat, two branches blocked his path, sweeping towards him.

Swiftly wielding his Flying Sword, Wang Hong attempted to cut through the branches, but they proved unexpectedly resilient and resisted being severed with a single strike.

At the same time, branches from other directions were also closing in. Without time to ponder, Wang Hong quickly supplemented two more sword strikes to sever one of the branches.

Grabbing the severed branch, he used the Shifting Positions technique to maneuver around the remaining branch from the side.

Evading the front branch, Wang Hong needed just one more Shifting Positions move to reach the outer perimeter.

Most Demonic Beasts were still engaged in skirmishes with the branches, and in the end, only one Demonic Beast got entangled, resulting in a new cocoon on the tree.

This explained why these Demonic Beasts knowingly faced danger, rushing under the tree to compete for the golden seeds.

Because each rush wasn't necessarily fatalonly a small number died the opportunity outweighed the risk, especially for this group of irrational Demonic Beasts.

If the tree killed every Demonic Beast that approached, it would likely starve eventually.

Thus, a symbiotic relationship formed between the tree and the Demonic Beasts: Demonic Beasts needed seeds to enhance themselves, and the tree consumed Demonic Beasts.

Once the Demonic Beasts escaped the danger zone, their amicable demeanor from earlier vanished.

Immediately, they turned on each other, mainly besieging the one who had obtained the golden seed.

Among them, three Demonic Beasts singled out Wang Hong as an easier target and encircled him.

At the forefront was a Tier-One top-grade pig-shaped Demonic Beast, standing over ten feet tall and with a body length of more than twenty feet. Weighing at least several thousand pounds, its fur shone, and two one-foot-long tusks protruded, giving it a fierce appearance.

Wang Hong stared at its plump figure, swallowing. He thought, "You'll be dinner tonight."

However, instead of fighting here, he turned and fled. He feared that the other dozen Demonic Beasts would settle their dispute and all come to attack him.

After running several miles, the speeds of the three Demonic Beasts varied. The pig-shaped one, the strongest, led the way, with the other two trailing far behind.

Wang Hong unsheathed his Long Spear, intentionally slowing down. The pig-shaped Demonic Beast, not highly intelligent, noticed Wang Hong's reduced speed. As they closed in, the four hooves simultaneously pushed off, accelerating fiercely and aiming its head at Wang Hong's lower back.

Wang Hong had been keeping an eye on the pursuing Demonic Beasts with his spiritual sense. Seeing the acceleration, he took a large step forward, leaning his body forward. Using his left foot as an axis, he rotated his body with his waist, holding the spear with both hands and aiming at the beast's neck, the typical spot for pig slaughtering in the mortal world.

This way, the Demonic Beast essentially rammed its vulnerable spot into the spearhead. However, with the close distance, sudden change, and high speed, it had no time to react.

The Long Spear had already pierced through its neck, rupturing blood vessels and entering the chest cavity, piercing the heart and lungs.

Wang Hong twisted the Long Spear, turned it around, and smoothly withdrew it. Blood sprayed out, reaching quite a distance.

The other two Demonic Beasts chasing from behind, witnessing their leader's quick demise, got scared and turned to flee.

Ignoring them, Wang Hong felt one beast was enough, so he collected the carcass and headed back to the temporary camp.

The pig's hide and tusks could be used for refining tools. Wang Hong extracted the tusks but left the hide, thinking that pork with the skin would taste better.

Using a high-grade Magical Weapon, the Flying Sword, he cleaned the pig hair. Employing the Fireball Technique, he controlled the flames to burn the pigskin to a golden brown. Then, using the Flying Sword again, he scraped it clean, eliminating the gamey odor.

Using high-grade tools and techniques meant for cultivation, like a Flying Sword and Fireball Technique, to prepare a meal was likely uncommon in the entire Cultivation World.

He plucked some green onions, ginger, garlic, and chili from his Spatial Storage for cookingitems he had cultivated there.

Heart, liver, and pig kidneys stir-fried, spare ribs braised in soy sauceon the third day inside the secret realm, he spent his time drinking wine and eating meat.

Little did he know that at that moment, Wang Yi was still wandering around, hoping to encounter Wang Hong soon.

In the following days, Wang Hong discovered several more trees capable of hunting Demonic Beasts. However, he chose not to seize the seeds again.

Firstly, waiting for the seeds to burst would waste too much time. Secondly, he had already planted the branches obtained last time in his Spatial Storage, believing he would soon harvest many more seeds.

On the sixth day inside the secret realm, Wang Hong decided to continue moving forward and leave the current area, which he had already thoroughly plundered.

As a result, he harvested two more main herbs for Foundation Building Pills, ten auxiliary herbs, and numerous other Spiritual Medicines and Objects.

For the Foundation Building Pills, requiring thirty-six main herbs and seventy-two auxiliary herbs, he had already found eight main herbs and more than twenty plants in total.

Following the previous direction, Wang Hong reached a new area, resettled, and resumed searching for Spiritual Objects.

With a mix of walking and stopping, he finally walked out of the forest with a smile on the fifteenth day.

During these days, his harvest was immense. He had found eight of the main herbs needed for Foundation Building Pills, totaling more than twenty plants. Additionally, he discovered over ten varieties of second-tier Spiritual Medicines.

He took out the map provided by the sect, compared it with a small mountain in front of him, confirmed his location, and headed towards the nearest gathering point.

Arriving at the agreed-upon Mountain Valley, Wang Hong couldn't spot any fellow disciples. He left a discreet mark, indicating that the previous gathering had dispersed.

The central area of the secret realm contained a massive Spirit Vein with its branches spread throughout the entire region. This made the central area the most abundant in Spiritual Medicines but also the most dangerous.

Generally, those confident in their strength or those feeling lucky and less likely to die easily would venture towards the central region after entering the secret realm.

Conversely, others would choose to stay as far away from the central area as possible.

Wang Hong speculated that since his younger brother, Wang Yi, chose to enter this secret realm, he wouldn't hide in the peripheral areas. Therefore, he headed towards the central region.

However, Wang Hong overlooked some factors this time.

Wang Yi initially planned to enter the central area as well, but he wanted to find Wang Hong first.

In Wang Yi's impression, his brother was an extremely cautious person.

He remembered from their childhood that when children from poor families encountered snakes, they would catch them directly with their hands. Catching a snake wasn't difficult; it just required overcoming fear, mastering some techniques, and making gentle movements from behind to avoid provoking the snake. Usually, snakes wouldn't bite if handled this way.

In contrast, his brother always used a stone or stick to kill the snake before picking up the corpse to eat.

In his brother's words, even if they were poor, their lives were more valuable than a snake's. Why risk a fight with a small snake? What if they lost?

Therefore, during their childhood, Wang Yi often mocked Wang Hong as a coward, but his brother remained unmoved, sticking to his cautious nature.

Knowing his brother well, Wang Yi felt that after entering the secret realm, Wang Hong would likely say, "There are numerous Spiritual Medicines in the world; why risk one's life in a fight?"

Therefore, he decided to search for Wang Hong in the peripheral areas first. If unsuccessful, he would then proceed to the central region.

The two brothers went in opposite directions to find each other.

Once out of the forest, Wang Hong retracted the Poisonous Bees. With a broader field of view outside, hiding the bees would give him an advantage in case of a sudden conflict.

While walking through a canyon, he unexpectedly encountered five cultivators. Judging by their attire, they weren't disciples of the major sects. Wang Hong vaguely recalled them being dressed like members of a mid-tier sect.

Planning to detour, Wang Hong found himself surrounded. It was evident they intended to kill him and seize his treasures.

Quickly summoning a high-grade Flying Sword, Wang Hong prepared to find an opportunity to escape, as he couldn't defeat all five of them working together.

The leader, an old man at Qi Cultivation grand completion, and the other four were all in the later stages of Qi Cultivation, comparable to himself.

The old man spoke, "Fellow Daoist, no need to panic. We are looking for a Spiritual Object guarded by a powerful Demonic Beast. We only need Fellow Daoist to help distract it. After obtaining the treasure, you are free to leave. How about it?"

Seeing this, Wang Hong realized they wanted to use him as cannon fodder. He doubted they would let him go after succeeding.

However, with no better escape plan for the moment, he had to compromise. He would take the chance to eliminate two of them when the opportunity arose, and then he wouldn't be afraid.

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