Chapter 322: Root Demon Attack

Qin Mu paused, slightly surprised. "Many girls bathing? What's so interesting about that in the middle of nowhere... Wait a minute, I've actually encountered girls bathing in the wilderness before!"

He suddenly recalled something, which made him shiver. "It can't be that old monster, can it?" he mumbled. "No, impossible. It couldn't have survived in the Great Ruins for so long. I must be imagining things! Still, it's safer to take a detour."

Suddenly, a clear voice echoed from behind: "Fellow Daoist, we meet again sooner than expected!"

Qin Mu turned around to see Yu Bochuan leading numerous divine practitioners from the True Heaven Palace, advancing at a rapid pace.

As the True Heaven Palace practitioners sped forward, they simultaneously cast spells. Large trees tore themselves from the ground, transforming into towering tree giants that also began to charge.

Simultaneously, the earth rumbled and vibrated. Rocks and stones flew through the air, rapidly rolling forward to coalesce into stone giants.

Even the hills beneath Qin Mu and his companions began to tremble, shedding dirt and loose rocks. The stones within the hills gathered, growing taller and taller, as a hill giant slowly began to rise.

"It looks like we'll have to push through! I just hope it's not that old monster!"

Qin Mu gave the order, and the Dragon Qilin immediately bolted forward. The hill they stood upon had already risen, and with fire clouds swirling beneath its paws, the Dragon Qilin now raced across the arm of this newly formed hill giant.

The massive hill giant turned and swung its other arm to swat at them. The Dragon Qilin leaped into the air, and behind them, a thunderous crash erupted as the hill giant's two arms clapped together. Both limbs instantly shattered, sending countless stones scattering in all directions!

Qin Mu looked back to see that as soon as the stones hit the ground, they began to roll and tumble as if endowed with legs, constantly moving back towards the hill giant. Before long, its two arms had fully regenerated.

"Palace Master, the techniques of your True Heaven Palace are truly remarkable!" Qin Mu exclaimed, genuinely impressed.

Xiong Xiyu, mustering her remaining spiritual energy, made a grasping motion behind her, then lifted her hand. Immediately, agonizing screams emanated from within the hill giant. Streaks of green light shot out from the colossal form made of hills, vanishing into thin air.

The hill giant instantly collapsed as well, its massive stones tumbling down to reform a mere hill.

"That's an impressive spell!"

Qin Mu's eyes lit up. "Could you teach me that?" he asked.

Xiong Xiyu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "You are my daughter's and my benefactor," she said. "If you wish to learn, I will naturally teach you everything I know."

Qin Mu smiled. "I wouldn't take it for free," he said. "The True Heaven Palace is a Sacred Land of the Western Regions. I'll offer you a cultivation method of equivalent 'Sacred Land Guardian' rank in exchange. But let's get out of here first!"

The Dragon Qilin sped along, while two white bats circled them, occasionally emitting sound waves that knocked down the pursuing True Heaven Palace experts from the sky. "Fatty Dragon, faster, faster!" they urged.

"Stop nagging!"

The Dragon Qilin roared in frustration, "I'm already going as fast as I can!"

Suddenly, a fierce fire erupted within him, and his body rapidly expanded, transforming into a colossal beast over forty zhang long. Its gallop was truly lightning-fast, and in just a few breaths, it had crossed the peaks ahead, arriving at the lake where the white bats claimed many girls were bathing.

The lake was remarkably clear, like a transparent gem nestled among the mountains. From its surface, one could see the bottom, over ten zhang deep. There was no aquatic vegetation or fish in the lake; it was unimaginably pristine.

Around the lake, trees grew in neat rows, with pink and white clothing, along with skirts and trousers, draped over several branches. By the shore, embroidered shoes with pink soles and brightly colored, lifelike peonies stitched on the toes were neatly arranged.

From the lake came the playful laughter of women, the sound of splashing water, and soft, beautiful singing, creating an idyllic scene like a sacred haven on earth.

The Dragon Qilin, having stumbled into this place, was momentarily startled. Reluctant to disturb the tranquility, it bellowed, "Girls in the lake, come ashore quickly!"

"Ah!"

The girls in the lake gasped in surprise as they saw the colossal beast intrude. One girl, bolder than the others, raised a pale arm and giggled, "Big guy, come join us!"

Qin Mu, his face pale, stared at the women in the lake. "Fatty Dragon, it's that old demon from Barren Ridge!" he urged frantically. "Hurry, hurry! Go around!"

He wasn't afraid of Yu Bochuan and his group; his fear was reserved for the root demon from Barren Ridge—the old monster that the Heavenly Saint Cult had suppressed there.

"The old demon from Barren Ridge?"

The Dragon Qilin gasped in alarm, its dragon scales bristling and almost piercing Xiong Qi'er's feet. It immediately veered around the lake, galloping desperately, its speed increasing dramatically, far surpassing its previous pace!

Meanwhile, the mountain ridge behind them rumbled and vibrated, sending rocks and massive boulders tumbling down its slopes. Clearly, Yu Bochuan and the True Heaven Palace experts were channeling their divine abilities, attempting to transform the mountain into a giant to attack them!

This mountain was significantly larger than the other hills, with elegant peaks. If it were to become a mountain giant, a single stride could cover six or seven li, making it effortlessly easy to catch them.

Just then, the graceful mountain suddenly collapsed, its rocks fracturing. Countless pale, bleached bones—human and beast—tumbled out of its core, forming a grim, mountainous pile!

This mountain had concealed an astonishing number of corpses, practically hollowed out to store them, leaving Yu Bochuan and his followers dumbfounded.

"What could have devoured so many people and exotic beasts?"

Yu Bochuan had no time for further thought. "These bones have spirits!" he commanded sharply. "Activate the secret technique and kill the Milk Kui!"

The group began to cast spells, and countless bones swiftly crawled together, forming a towering, mountain-sized skeletal giant that strode into the lake.

Yu Bochuan and his group promptly soared into the air, landing on the skeletal giant. The women in the lake, unable to escape in time, were crushed by its steps.

Yu Bochuan and his companions steered the skeletal giant, crossing the lake in pursuit of the Dragon Qilin, which was racing along the shore. Just then, the lake water suddenly churned, and hundreds of women shot out of the water, soaring into the air. Each had a dark tentacle extending from their back, and in unison, they shrieked, "Heavenly Saint Cult Master!"

*Snap! Crackle! Pop!*

A series of loud snapping sounds followed. The skeletal giant beneath Yu Bochuan and his group broke apart, ensnared by numerous dark tentacles that squeezed it tightly. The bone giant shattered, sending countless fragments flying in all directions. Over a dozen divine practitioners with lower cultivation levels couldn't dodge in time; they were pierced by the bone shards and plunged into the water. Even those with slightly stronger cultivation found it difficult to withstand the barrage of fragments, and many coughed up blood from the impact.

As the divine practitioners who had fallen into the lake struggled to rise, the water suddenly churned as if boiling. Countless dark, python-like forms writhed and swam, coiling around them and dragging them to the bottom.

Yu Bochuan and his companions were horrified. They immediately leaped into the air and fled from the lake. The once quiet and serene lake instantly became a scene of chaos. Tentacles continuously shot out of the water, each carrying a bare woman, who would seize a person and drag them back into the depths!

The others quickly activated their True Heaven Palace divine abilities, attempting to control these strange root-like tendrils. The True Heaven Palace believed that all things, living or inanimate, possessed spirits and could be controlled and weaponized by their divine abilities. Yet, against these bizarre tendrils, their powers proved utterly ineffective.

In moments, more than ten more individuals were seized by the women attached to the tendrils and dragged into the lake, their fates unknown.

"Heavenly Saint Cult Master, we've finally found you!"

Yu Bochuan and his group finally escaped the great lake. No sooner had they landed and started to catch their breath than they witnessed massive trees on the shore simultaneously tearing themselves from the ground and sprinting wildly in the direction the Dragon Qilin had fled.

Stunned, Yu Bochuan and his companions quickly resumed their frantic run. Several Heaven-Human realm experts from the True Heaven Palace immediately activated their primordial spirits and unleashed divine abilities to fend off the attacking trees.

After fleeing for over a hundred li, they finally escaped the attack range of the bizarre trees and tendrils. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and slowed their pace.

Normally, a leisurely flight for a thousand li wouldn't tire them, but a hundred li of desperate flight left them breathless.

The Dragon Qilin also slowed its pace, panting heavily, still not far from them.

"We should be clear now," Qin Mu said, breathing a sigh of relief. "The root demon's tendrils usually only reach about a hundred li... Wait a minute!"

His expression suddenly grew serious. He surveyed their surroundings: dense jungle, shaded by common trees. However, interspersed among them were plants Qin Mu had never encountered before.

These were large flowers, taller than a person, with delicate pink flower buds clustered together, extending long when upright, flanked by two large leaves.

Despite having studied pharmacology with the Apothecary and being adept at identifying various plants and spiritual herbs, Qin Mu had never seen these peculiar flowers.

Yu Bochuan and his group also entered this flower forest. They frowned at the sight but continued their pursuit of Qin Mu and his companions without pause.

Suddenly, a large flower slowly retracted its pistil, its bud rotating as its petals gradually unfolded. The delicate pink of the petals deepened, first to a soft pink, then to a vivid crimson.

When the flower was fully open, a young girl, who had been kneeling prostrate within it, slowly rose. She looked up at Qin Mu and let out a piercing shriek: "Heavenly Saint Cult Master, your Heavenly Saint Cult has caused me such suffering—"

Throughout the flower forest, large blossoms burst open one after another. In the center of each, a beautiful maiden stood, all of them turning to face Qin Mu, their voices piercing as they cried, "So miserable—"

Qin Mu's scalp crawled. "Fatty Dragon, set them on fire!" he urged the Dragon Qilin. "Bat brothers, use sound wave attacks!"

The Dragon Qilin spewed a torrent of fire from its mouth, its entire body ablaze with true flames. The two white bats soared into the sky, emitting sound waves. Meanwhile, Qin Mu activated the Carefree Sword, which darted like lightning, severing the roots connected to the backsides of the pouncing maidens.

At that moment, no other treasured sword proved effective; only the Carefree Sword could withstand the tendrils of the Barren Ridge root demon.

However, Qin Mu wasn't certain if the Carefree Sword could hold up against the old demon's true form.

"This old demon's cultivation seems to have grown even stronger!" he worried.

Whoosh! Countless maidens leaped into the air, assailing the intruders with their flowers and leaves.

A divine practitioner from the True Heaven Palace activated a jade tree, whose thousands of jade branches lunged at the maidens. However, each maiden's petals and two large leaves abruptly retracted, tightly enveloping her.

The practitioner rejoiced, as the jade tree's roots and branches coiled around her. But the flower bud was slick and elusive, slipping out with a pop. Then, a stamen shot out, piercing the divine practitioner's forehead.

Yu Bochuan's face turned grim. "Summon the Sacred Treasure!" he commanded sharply.

The foot-long exotic beast perched on his shoulder leaped down, pounding its chest with both fists. Its body rapidly expanded, and with a sudden roar, it expelled a vibrant green treasure from its mouth—a creature resembling a hulking, horned ape.