The three who rushed out lacked even a fraction of Ling Xiao’s composure and caution. They were like ravenous wolves spotting a scantily clad beauty, recklessly charging forward.
“Ah—!”
Barely ten meters out, two of them screamed as grass blades shot up from the ground, piercing their hearts and killing them instantly.
“Remaining participants: twenty!”
As the cold voice echoed, the crowd realized the truth.
This trial offered great rewards, but every gain came with danger.
From fifty to twenty in less than a day—it was grim.
Thankfully, death here wasn’t permanent, or the Moonlight Sect would’ve suffered devastating losses.
The third person scrambled back toward safety.
A closer look revealed his pursuer—a blade of grass!
“That’s Mad Blood Grass! It’s a plant but has the traits of a ninth-stage late-phase beast. Its leaves are as sharp as swords, capable of destroying high-grade treasures, and they carry deadly poison. One touch, and you’re eliminated!” Ling Xiao’s voice rang out calmly. “If you’re reckless, go ahead and try. I’ve no objections.”
“Ah—!”
Finally, the fleeing disciple screamed and was eliminated. A mere scratch from the grass poisoned him, causing him to collapse and be removed.
In an instant, his body dissolved into a pool of viscous blood, grotesque to behold.
“What do we do, Senior Sister? There’s Mad Blood Grass by the Longevity Fruit Tree. You’re probably the only one here who can handle it, right?” Shen Tianlin asked Bai Feifei, desperation in his voice.
There were five Longevity Fruits, and he believed if Bai Feifei got them, she’d share one with him.
“What can I do? That Mad Blood Grass is poisonous! No matter how strong I am, I’d still die!” Even Bai Feifei, as foolish as she could be, hesitated at the sight of the grass.
“The Mad Blood Grass is coming!” Li Zonghao shouted, startling everyone.
Dantai Lingzi hesitated, then fled the seven-colored auspicious clouds.
Shen Tianlin, Bai Feifei, Wu Yang, and Qin Wu followed suit.
They didn’t even have time to gather herbs as the Mad Blood Grass attacked.
Only Li Zonghao, who spotted the grass first, stayed behind, crouching to grab some herbs before escaping.
Pfft!
In an instant, a green flash struck. Li Zonghao didn’t even have time to scream as his head slid off, lifeless.
“Remaining participants: nineteen!”
Ling Xiao didn’t flee. He stood still, blending in like a plant, not a person.
His Mountain River Martial Soul was exceptional, not only masking his aura but altering it entirely.
Ling Xiao knew Mad Blood Grass well—a terrifying poison among the world’s deadliest. Below the Heavenly Human Realm, no one could resist it without an antidote.
But it had a fatal flaw: lacking a beast’s senses, it detected enemies solely by their aura and heat.
Standing motionless, Ling Xiao’s aura merged with the surrounding flora, making him invisible to the grass.
“Mad Blood Grass is a ninth-stage late-phase beast. Normally, I’d be no match, and I can’t move. Once I do, even the template won’t help—it locks onto anything that moves, be it insect or beast, poisoning them all!”
“My strength is about equal to a Blood Dragon Snake. To get the Dragon Blood Grass, I need a strategy.”
Ling Xiao stood there, analyzing the situation to devise a plan.
Unlike Bai Feifei and the others who fled, or Li Zonghao who acted foolishly, he stayed calm, avoiding reckless mistakes.
Though his body could resist most poisons, Mad Blood Grass’s toxin was too potent for him to be certain.
And even without poison, its leaves, sharp as rare treasures, were deadly enough.
Mad Blood Grass lacked intelligence, operating on instinct, rendering schemes useless.
It was like playing music to a cow.
But Ling Xiao had an advantage—his Sword Soul Avatars!
Having condensed thirteen Sword Soul Avatars, they were indistinguishable from the real him to the grass.
He could use them and his peerless movement technique to seize the Longevity Fruits.
Five fruits: one for himself, one for his grandfather Hong Qi, and the remaining three to be stored in the Mountain River World, where they wouldn’t rot, to be given to whoever needed them most later.
His brother Ling Luo, friends Ling Yixue, Leng Mei, Dai Yuling, Lan Yuer, and Yang Danlin might need them, or might not, so no rush to decide.
The Moon Lady, having lived so long, likely had no use for them.
His master Yuan Zun, a mere soul, needed them even less.
No matter what, not one of the five fruits could be wasted!
If possible, he’d transplant the tree into his Mountain River World, leveraging its 100:1 time dilation to cultivate more fruits.
Resolved, Ling Xiao surged his true essence to its peak, his figure darting out like a phantom.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The moment he moved, the Mad Blood Grass detected him. Five or six snake-like leaves lunged at him, aiming to kill him like Li Zonghao.
Boom, boom, boom!
Dodging continuously, the grass’s leaves struck the ground and rocks.
Anything hit rotted and withered, even stone.
“What a waste,” Ling Xiao sighed, watching the herbs decay. But he was in peril, with no time to care, only speeding up.
As the grass failed to kill him, it sent more leaves.
“No dodging now!”
Sword Soul Avatar!
Suddenly, Ling Xiao split off two avatars. One blocked an attack, while his real body darted forward.
The other avatar drew the grass’s attention, giving Ling Xiao’s real body a split second to cover a hundred meters, reaching the Longevity Fruit Tree.
It sounded simple, but without precise control of soul force and true essence, it was impossible.
