Chapter 2436: Wood Elf's Mutation

Wang Changsheng nodded. Such a precious spirit beast egg indeed couldn't be casually hatched by just any family member.

After arriving in the Xuanyang Realm, Wang Changsheng had encountered many exotic birds and beasts, but none had truly impressed him, not even the Seven-colored Sparrow. The Seven-colored Sparrow was a descendant of the Five-colored Peacock. The Wang family raised two such sparrows: one was nurtured as a guardian spirit bird for the family and had already reached the fifth rank, while the other was given to Sun Yuejiao to raise and was currently a high-grade fourth-rank. The Seven-colored Sparrow only inherited some of the Five-colored Peacock's divine abilities. If it had inherited all of them, Wang Changsheng would naturally be willing to raise one.

A rumbling sound of thunder came from high above, resounding through the heavens and earth. The Dual-eyed Rat squeaked, seemingly cheering on the Wood Demon.

"By the way, Father," Sun Yuejiao said, "my cousin and his wife have both advanced to the Void Refinement stage. They'd like to invite you to their celebration. Would it be convenient for you?"

Sun Yuejiao looked full of anticipation. The Wang family currently had five Void Refinement cultivators, and Wang Changsheng held the most prestige.

"Yes, it's convenient," Wang Changsheng replied. "If your mother is free, we can go together. When is the celebration?"

Wang Changsheng agreed. It was reasonable for the Sun family to have Void Refinement cultivators emerge; after the Wang family's rise, they had frequently assisted the Sun family, with both families supporting each other. If he remembered correctly, Sun Yuejiao's cousin's wife was a disciple of Yang Qinglong and also an alchemist. With Sun Yuejiao's cousin and his wife advancing to the Void Refinement stage, they would be able to provide more assistance to the Wang family in the future. Wang Ruyan was in seclusion, and it was uncertain when she would emerge.

Sun Yuejiao said with delight, "It's five years from now, on Cloud-drifting Island."

"Understood," Wang Changsheng instructed. "Prepare a generous gift, and come back with us then to celebrate properly." Wang Changsheng gave the order. The Sun family was Sun Yuejiao's maiden family, and the more valuable the gift from the Wang family, the more honor it would bring to Sun Yuejiao.

Sun Yuejiao agreed and turned to leave.

At this moment, the thundercloud was still several tens of feet in size. The thundercloud violently churned like boiling water, and suddenly, golden electrical arcs emerged. Before long, the thundercloud turned completely golden, with countless golden lightning serpents writhing within it.

"Geng Metal Divine Thunder!"

Wang Changsheng frowned deeply. Even a single bolt would possess considerable power. After violently churning, the golden thundercloud transformed into a golden lightning python over a hundred feet long, which plunged from high above.

In a giant pit emitting black smoke, a green thorn bush suddenly burst forth with dazzling blood-red light. Scattered on the ground were numerous charred thorns. The golden lightning python descended from high above, opened its gaping maw, and swallowed the green thorn bush. Soon after, countless green thorn bushes burrowed out from the golden lightning python's belly. The golden lightning python's body was torn into pieces, transforming into a dazzling golden lightning glow that engulfed an area of over ten li.

A moment later, the lightning glow dissipated, and the dust cleared. On the ground was a giant pit over a hundred thousand feet in diameter, from which black smoke rose.

Wang Changsheng flew over from a distance and hovered above the giant pit. His divine sense swept across the entire pit. Frowning, he reached out his single hand towards a certain point in the void, and a charred thorn flew out from the pit, landing in his hand. The thorn was about a foot long and completely charred. If Wang Changsheng hadn't placed a restriction on the Wood Demon that allowed him to communicate with it, he wouldn't have realized this was the Wood Demon.

The Dual-eyed Rat, having attempted to reach the sixth rank, was severely injured by the lightning tribulation. However, being a spirit beast, it recovered quickly after consuming a large amount of thousand-year spirit medicine and devouring many fifth-rank demonic beasts. The Wood Demon had indeed advanced to the sixth rank, but its injuries were too severe. Without effective treatment, it would certainly die from its wounds. Many high-level cultivators who survived major heavenly tribulations but suffered severe injuries ultimately perished without proper care.

He thought of something, took out a light green gourd, poured out some emerald green liquid, and dripped it onto the charred thorn. The emerald green liquid emitted a pure wood spiritual energy. This was Thousand Spirit Jade Liquid, formed by the Thousand Spirit Bottle absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, and it had miraculous effects in cultivating spirit herbs. The charred thorn absorbed the Thousand Spirit Jade Liquid but still showed no reaction. No matter how Wang Changsheng tried to communicate, the Wood Demon remained unresponsive.

One drop, two drops, three drops... Wang Changsheng dripped all the Thousand Spirit Jade Liquid from the gourd onto the Wood Demon. The Wood Demon absorbed it completely but still gave no response.

Wang Changsheng frowned deeply. After a moment of thought, he returned to Azure Lotus Peak, went to the entrance of a secret chamber, and sent a sound transmission talisman. Soon, the door to the secret chamber opened, and a fair-faced girl in a golden robe emerged. It was Wang Shen, who had already reached the late stage of Nascent Soul.

"Master, what are your orders?" Wang Shen asked respectfully.

"The Wood Demon is severely injured. Cast a spell to heal it and see what happens." Wang Changsheng handed the Wood Demon to Wang Shen.

Seeing the charred thorn, Wang Shen was momentarily startled, then quickly understood. She took the Wood Demon with both hands, and a soft green light illuminated her body, enveloping the Wood Demon. Wang Shen opened her mouth and exhaled a stream of green energy, which struck the Wood Demon. The Wood Demon absorbed it entirely, shedding all its dead skin and transforming back into a segment of blood-red thorn bush, its surface covered with sharp barbs.

"Why has it turned blood-red?" Wang Changsheng was slightly stunned. In his impression, the Wood Demon had always been green. Connecting this to its lineage as a descendant of the Bloodthirsty Vine, Wang Changsheng surmised that the Wood Demon was experiencing an atavistic phenomenon, which was a good sign. However, the Wood Demon was still very weak and remained unresponsive.

Wang Shen's face was pale, looking severely depleted of vital energy. Being only at the Nascent Soul stage, it was already impressive that she could achieve this much.

"Alright, you can go back to cultivate!" Wang Changsheng retrieved the Wood Demon, turned, and walked out.

He took out his communication disk and contacted Sun Yuejiao, asking her to send a fifth-rank demonic beast. Soon after, Sun Yuejiao arrived at Azure Lotus Peak, took out an exquisite green jade bottle, handed it to Wang Changsheng, and then withdrew. Wang Changsheng tossed the green jade bottle forward, imbued it with a spell, and its size rapidly expanded. It suddenly emitted a burst of green glow, and a giant, entirely red elephant appeared on the ground. A shimmering green talisman was affixed to its body, and its expression was listless. This was a fifth-rank Fire Cloud Elephant. The Wang family frequently dispatched people to capture high-rank demonic beasts, mostly to feed the Qilin Tortoises, which preferred live prey over dead ones.

Wang Changsheng flicked his sleeve, and countless blue water mists surged out, instantly transforming into a vast, hazy blue blade that slashed the Fire Cloud Elephant. A long, thin bloody gash immediately appeared on the elephant's body. He pressed the Wood Demon's sharp barbs against the Fire Cloud Elephant's wound, and an astonishing sight unfolded: the Fire Cloud Elephant suddenly let out a pained roar, its body thrashing continuously. Wang Changsheng's five fingers gently grasped towards the void, and an invisible giant hand materialized out of thin air, firmly gripping the Fire Cloud Elephant's body. The Fire Cloud Elephant's body slowly shriveled, as if all its essence blood had been drained.

The Soul-devouring Golden Cicada flew out from Wang Changsheng's sleeve, emitting a golden glow that enveloped the Fire Cloud Elephant. A miniature elephant-like creature flew out of the elephant's body and vanished into the cicada's mouth. Wang Changsheng was surprised to find that the Wood Demon's condition had improved. It seemed that to hasten its recovery, it needed to absorb enough essence blood.