Chapter 365: The Wonderful Use of the Talent Tree

Under the scorching sun, in the several-thousand-mile-wide Fiery Land, Lu Ye took off his shirt, baring his upper body, and advanced step by step, carrying his Pan Mountain Blade.

He didn't activate his spiritual energy for protection, allowing the surrounding heat to pervade him. He used this to strengthen his physical body's resistance to the harsh environment and to more directly gauge his limits.

When he was a mining slave in Evil Moon Valley, Lu Ye's physique had been somewhat thin due to the intense labor and lack of food and clothing.

However, after embarking on the path of cultivation, his physique gradually strengthened, especially after he obtained the scales in Dragon Spring; the improvement was visibly noticeable.

Now, his bare upper body was covered in lean, strong muscles, crisscrossed with scars left by sharp weapons.

These scars were the marks of his bloody battles with enemies.

In fact, when he returned to the Crimson Blood Sect from the inner circle and stayed for a month last time, his second senior sister had already used her medical cultivation methods to remove the lingering scars on his body.

However, cultivators inevitably engage in combat; old scars fade, only to be replaced by new ones—a perfectly normal occurrence.

Sweat streamed down his spine and chest, evaporating quickly. Even a Heaven Seven-level cultivator like Lu Ye needed to take out his waterskin periodically to replenish his lost fluids.

He wasn't walking quickly. This allowed the surrounding environment to constantly temper his body, continuously strengthening its resistance to the intense heat. So, although his pace was not swift, he never stopped moving forward.

Occasionally, he would stop and engage in fierce battles with the demonic beasts he encountered along the way.

The demonic beasts living here were all fire-elemental creatures, attracted by the unique environment. Their growth rate here far exceeded that in other places.

The deeper he went, the stronger the demonic beasts he encountered became. Fortunately, he hadn't yet met any beings too difficult for him to handle.

The slain demonic beasts were not wasted. Their blood was collected, certain special parts of their bodies served as materials for artifact refining, and their hides could even be sold. Even their flesh and blood were highly nourishing for cultivators.

Amber liked to eat these the most.

He contacted Yiyi and learned that Ju Jia had taken her and Amber away from Mist-Hidden Mountain and was hiding in a secluded spot. Lu Ye instructed them to remain hidden and promised to meet them once he finished his business here.

Night fell, and the full moon ascended, but the Fiery Land didn't change much with the arrival of darkness; it remained unbearably hot.

He continued to press forward.

On the morning of the third day since escaping the swarm, Lu Ye had delved deep into the Fiery Land. According to his detailed map, he was now less than two hundred li from its very core.

Having advanced to such a location, even Lu Ye's physique was beginning to struggle.

There was a limit to how much his body could resist the heat by enduring the erosion of this place. Since last night, Lu Ye had activated his spiritual energy for protection, which barely allowed him to reach this point.

At this position, even with spiritual energy protection, it was difficult to proceed further.

In this area, not a single demonic beast survived anymore; even the fire-elemental beasts couldn't withstand the extreme environment here.

Its name as a dangerous land, a forbidden zone for cultivators, was no exaggeration.

This left Lu Ye feeling somewhat unwilling to give up.

If the Fiery Land truly held any fire-elemental treasures, they would undoubtedly be at its very center. If he were genuinely too far away, he wouldn't push himself, but now he was less than two hundred li from the center...

Giving up here would render all his previous perseverance pointless.

However, he had indeed reached his limit. Pushing further would only bring unnecessary suffering.

He examined himself, wondering if there was anything or any method he could utilize. After careful consideration, it seemed only the Talent Tree could be of use.

The Talent Tree could absorb fire-elemental energy. If he could harness its power, resisting the intense heat here shouldn't be a problem.

But the key was that this thing was rooted in his Origin Spirit Aperture, neither truly illusory nor truly substantial, and never manifested externally. How could he borrow its power?

After pondering for a while, Lu Ye realized something. Since the environment here was so extreme, it meant it was rich in fire-elemental spiritual energy, even if it wasn't visible to the naked eye. This clearly fell within the Talent Tree's scope of absorption...

Why did he need the Talent Tree to manifest externally to protect him? Couldn't he just activate it and have it absorb the surrounding scorching energy?

As this thought occurred to him, Lu Ye suddenly realized he had always been mistaken in his understanding of the Talent Tree. If this were true, the advantage he would have against enemies cultivating fire-elemental techniques in the future would be immense.

With a slight shift of thought, he activated the power of the Talent Tree. The next instant, the roots of the Talent Tree in his Origin Spirit Aperture suddenly proliferated significantly, then collectively vanished from sight, as if reaching into an unknown space.

Lu Ye vaguely sensed something and immediately activated his Insight Spiritual Mark, enhancing his eyes.

He looked down at his hands, and the sight within his vision slightly startled him.

Vision enhanced by the Insight Spiritual Mark was different from normal sight, as the Insight Spiritual Mark could perceive things invisible to the naked eye, such as the flow of spiritual energy.

With Insight activated, the world Lu Ye saw was vibrant and colorful, displaying the brilliant hues of spiritual energy of various attributes.

However, the current scene in his vision was entirely fiery red, devoid of any other colors.

This was due to the extremely concentrated fire-elemental spiritual energy in this place.

The spiritual energy flowing on his hands was also fiery red, mixed with a faint trace of gold, as Lu Ye's own spiritual energy primarily comprised fire with a secondary gold attribute.

However, on top of the spiritual energy flowing over his hands, countless root-like structures now appeared, constantly swaying with the flow of energy.

Those roots were clearly the roots of the Talent Tree.

They were not only on his hands but also visible everywhere on his body within his enhanced vision.

At first glance, Lu Ye looked like a fuzzy, humanoid monster.

Previously, when he activated the Talent Tree to absorb the Earth's Core Fire, Lu Ye had never used his Insight Spiritual Mark to observe. Only now did he understand how the Talent Tree absorbed it.

It clearly used his body as a conduit, with its roots acting as bridges.

No wonder he never felt the intense heat of the Earth's Core Fire whenever the Talent Tree absorbed it, even when holding the fire in his hand. It was because his hands were covered in the invisible roots of the Talent Tree.

As the Talent Tree's absorption proved effective, the surrounding extreme heat quickly receded. The sudden change in environment gave Lu Ye an almost surreal sensation of coolness.

With his idea confirmed, Lu Ye strode forward.

Activating the Talent Tree this way didn't consume much of his spiritual energy, but it heavily taxed his mental faculties. Lu Ye could already clearly feel this, so he needed to pick up his pace; prolonging the duration would not be beneficial.

After walking for a while and confirming there were no issues, Lu Ye simply summoned his spirit boat and flew forward.

Flying on an artifact was much faster than walking, and dozens of li were quickly covered.

Lu Ye, suspended in the air, suddenly paused, standing on his spirit boat and looking down.

On the dark red ground below, a figure lay prone, diagonally. Her exquisite and graceful curves were striking, and her snow-white skin contrasted sharply with the dark red earth, a visually impactful sight. She wore only a beast-hide bustier on her upper body and a short beast-hide skirt on her lower body. Her slender form was not only beautiful but also exuded a sense of explosive power.

Someone was here? Lu Ye was greatly surprised.

Since yesterday, he hadn't seen a single demonic beast, yet here he encountered a person.

She should still be alive, as Lu Ye could sense her life force.

This person was likely also here to search for treasures in the Fiery Land. To have endured such a harsh environment and reached this point, her strength must be considerable.

However, judging by her current posture, she had clearly reached her limits; otherwise, she wouldn't be lying motionless like this.

Just as Lu Ye was about to activate his Insight Spiritual Mark to get a better look at her cultivation level, the woman suddenly straightened up, her pair of crimson eyes coldly locking onto Lu Ye's.

Lu Ye immediately felt a bad premonition. Without hesitation, his spirit boat rapidly ascended. A phantom blur flashed below, landing not far away. The spirit boat vibrated slightly, nearly throwing Lu Ye off.

Lu Ye turned his head to look. The woman who had just been lying prone on the ground was now on all fours, her body enveloped in flame-like spiritual energy, her fiery red hair flowing. She bared her fangs in Lu Ye's direction, looking like a cheetah poised to pounce.

The ferocity of her spiritual energy and the dazzling brilliance of her spiritual light startled Lu Ye.

Even on Feng Yuechan and Li Baxian, he had never seen such resplendent spiritual light.

And her spiritual energy... no, that wasn't spiritual energy, that was seething demonic power!

This woman was a demon, and a hegemon-level great demon at that!

An immense sense of danger surged in his heart. Lu Ye's heart constricted sharply, and a stabbing pain emanated from his chest. His powerful mental energy allowed him to perceive the precise location of her impending attack.

Almost the instant he sensed the danger, Lu Ye instinctively constructed a Defense Spiritual Mark across his chest.

His vision blurred. The demoness, who had just been on the ground, had already lunged close, one hand forming a claw, striking towards his chest.

A cracking sound echoed as the sturdy Defense Spiritual Mark was pierced by sharp nails, forming cracks. Lu Ye could even feel the pain of her sharp claws piercing his chest.

Without the Defense Mark's obstruction, that attack would have surely ripped out his heart.

A clang resounded simultaneously as nine streaks of light shot out from the weapon box at Lu Ye's waist, darting towards the demoness before him.

The demoness withdrew her hand, her body rotating with remarkable agility. Without any visible effort, she dodged all the attacks while her long leg, like a whip, lashed down from the air.

Lu Ye's Pan Mountain Blade leaped from its sheath. Empowered by two Sharpness Spiritual Marks, he swung the blade fiercely towards the leg whip striking him.

The blade met only air. The opponent's change of move was incredibly swift; she must have sensed the blade's sharpness and instantly switched from lashing to kicking, a speed that was overwhelming.