Chapter 297: The Blood Peach
Guided by Mr. Hua, Xiao Nanfeng headed to Nalan Yunhai's camp. The camp was protected by a formation and was adjacent to the peach orchard wreathed in black fog.
"Young Master Xiao, please wait here patiently. The cultivators will come back shortly, and you'll be able to claim their Immortal relics then. I'll guard you well," Mr. Hua said.
Xiao Nanfeng glanced askance at Mr. Hua and ignored him. Instead, he began stripping away the camp's formation.
Xiao Nanfeng claimed the formation for himself quickly.
Mr. Hua's face stiffened. "Young Master Xiao, what are you doing? Without this formation, the cultivators will be on the alert as they return to camp. How will you claim their Immortal relics then?"
"Isn't this formation an Immortal relic on its own?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.
"But aren't you going to snatch the Immortal relics from the returning cultivators? You'll sacrifice a large number of Immortal relics for this one formation!" Mr. Hua exclaimed.
Xiao Nanfeng gave Mr. Hua a disdainful look. "Mr. Hua, you're trying to take advantage of those cultivators to kill me, aren't you?" This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com
"Ah? Of course not! I'm on your side," Mr. Hua pledged.
Xiao Nanfeng didn't believe him at all. If the Wingform-realm cultivators were to return, they would surely be wielding those Immortal relics themselves. Furthermore, since they were in a group, Xiao Nanfeng could find himself on the losing end with just the slightest bit of carelessness. Why bother taking such a risk?
"Good," Xiao Nanfeng replied, then continued to strip away the formation.
As Xiao Nanfeng removed the final piece of the formation's foundation, the formation collapsed.
Mr. Hua frowned. He understood now that Xiao Nanfeng had had no intention of attacking the returning cultivators at all. His rescue plan would be useless!
Just then, the black fog around the peach orchard expanded rapidly to cover Xiao Nanfeng and Mr. Hua.
"What's going on?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.
He dragged Mr. Hua toward the boundary of the black fog, but they seemed to be trapped within as though the black fog were a formation in and of itself.
"Mr. Hua, you dare scheme against me?!" Xiao Nanfeng thundered.
"I didn't! I don't know what's going on myself!" Mr. Hua gasped out as Xiao Nanfeng squeezed his neck.
"Weren't you the one who set up this formation? Are you still refusing to tell the truth?" Xiao Nanfeng demanded.
"Immortal Qiangwei was the one who set up this formation! She only had us come over when she had everything prepared, so we're unaware of the specifics of the formation ourselves. Please, Young Master Xiao, free me! Spare my life! My neck's going to break—!" Mr. Hua pleaded
Xiao Nanfeng stared at Mr. Hua for some time, ascertaining that he wasn't lying, before slowly letting go of him.
"Tell me more about that woman, Qiangwei," Xiao Nanfeng demanded.
"She's one of Her Majesty's servants. Allegedly, she consumed a peach from the peach orchard and became an Immortal. She's with us in order to help His Highness acquire such a peach for himself," Mr. Hua exclaimed, even as he clutched his injured neck.
"How did Qiangwei manage to get a peach herself?"
"I don't know. She refuses to tell us anything, and she hides a lot even from His Highness. However, Her Majesty sent her, and no one dares doubt her intentions."
"Why is the empress so certain that Qiangwei will be able to help Nalan Yunhai obtain a peach?"
"I don't know myself." Mr. Hua shook his head.
"Rein in your aura first," the Divine Emperor commanded.
Xiao Nanfeng did so. Clouds of black smoke emerged from the ring.
"I've covered you up in cursed spiritual power. Other shadows should no longer be able to sense you. Now, follow my directions."
"Got it!" Xiao Nanfeng replied.
Xiao Nanfeng continued walking in the pitch-black environment following the Divine Emperor's directions.
"This orchard seems far bigger on the inside than the outside," Xiao Nanfeng murmured.
"Of course. This place is like the divine domain of the undying realm. Reality and illusion have melded together. Although your body's not at Yin Body, you can use spiritual power like qi here. In other words, your strength has been magnified tremendously."
"Oh? That's wonderful news!" Xiao Nanfeng's eyes lit up.
Along the way, they could make out the contours of a few mountains and streams. There were a few boulders here and there, but no plants at all, let alone peach trees.
Occasionally, they would encounter a few shadows. The Divine Emperor caught them with a hand, interrogated them, and then swallowed them.
"Five kilometers of peach trees, all ruined? What have these spirits done to my peach trees while I was imprisoned?!" the Divine Emperor cried out.
"Senior, please remain calm. Mr. Hua mentioned that there were still peach trees around here. Let's look around carefully," Xiao Nanfeng persuaded.
The Divine Emperor was still somewhat upset, but she continued to guide the way. Not too long later, Xiao Nanfeng could hear screams coming from a valley in the distance.
Xiao Nanfeng's eyes widened as he climbed up toward a nearby mountain and looked toward that valley.
Within the valley was a pitch-black pond, with water like ink. By the pond was a peach tree about the size of a small mountain and lush with branches and leaves. Peach blossoms bloomed in a scene of remarkable beauty.
On the peach tree was a fist-sized peach right at its top. It was blood-red and glowed with faint crimson light, almost like a jewel.
"A peach!" Xiao Nanfeng's eyes lit up.
"No—that's a blood peach. Didn't I chop off this spirit tree that year? How could it still be around?" the Divine Emperor exclaimed.
Just then, a series of screams could be heard from underneath the blood peach tree.
"No, please let me go! Please, I beg of you!"
"Spare me, King Tanlang!"
"Help us, Immortal Qiangwei!"
Xiang Tanlang and Nalan Yunhai's subordinates had all been trapped under the peach tree, immobilized by shadows.
The blood roots of the peach tree burrowed out from underground in a sinister fashion, squirming as though they were alive. They wrapped around the cultivators. The tips of the roots thrust into the cultivators' prone bodies and absorbed their blood and flesh.
The cultivators shrieked in fear, but they were completely unable to resist. Their bodies dried up and shriveled as the roots drained them of nutrients, all of which gathered in the blood peach at the very top of the tree.
The blood peach grew larger and larger as it gave off a more alluring crimson glow.
"Using cultivators as fertilizer—this is a demonic tree, isn't it? That woman, Qiangwei—could she have consumed such a blood peach to become an Immortal herself? Isn't she repulsed?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.
