Immortality Cultivation

Chapter 225: Obtaining the Crimson Essence Fruit

Fang Hao crouched low, using the cover of thick tree trunks and dense vines to creep toward the source of the fighting sounds like a ghostly shadow.

He operated his Shadowless Evasion Technique and Ethereal Art to their limits, suppressing his aura until he was no different from a piece of rotten wood.

The closer he got, the clearer the sounds of fighting and shouting became.

"Zhao Wuji! Your Zhao Family is being too overbearing! This ’crimson essence fruit’ was clearly discovered by us brothers first!"

"Hmph! Heaven And Earth Treasure belongs to those capable of holding it! You two Loose Cultivators are worthy of coveting such a spiritual object? Scram if you know what’s good for you, or don’t blame me for being merciless with my sword!"

"Why waste words with him! Big Brother, let’s fight to the death!"

Fang Hao crept to the edge of a forest clearing, hiding behind a cluster of huge, purple flowers that emitted a strange fragrance, and peeked out.

He saw three people locked in an intense battle in the clearing.

One side consisted of two people, dressed as Loose Cultivators—one wielding a blade, the other a whip. Both were at the Early Golden Core Stage, and while their coordination was tacit, they were clearly at a disadvantage.

The other side had only one person, none other than the Zhao Family Prodigy, Zhao Wuji, whom he had seen before at the Azure Dragon Society and who ranked fifth on the dragon ranking!

He maintained his cold and arrogant demeanor, holding a blue longsword that exuded a chilling aura. His swordsmanship was sharp, his movement technique elusive, and his cultivation was clearly at the Peak of the Middle Golden Core Stage, as he steadily suppressed the two Loose Cultivators while fighting one against two.

In the center of the clearing, on a small, coral-like tree that was completely crimson, hung three fruits the size of dragon eyes. They were blood-red and emitted a scorching, pure fire Spiritual Qi—these were the "crimson essence fruit"!

This was a Grade 4 spirit fruit, containing pure fire-attribute Spiritual Qi. It was a rare primary ingredient for refining various fire-attribute Spirit Pills and was highly beneficial to Cultivators who Cultivated fire-attribute Cultivation Techniques. Although the attributes didn’t quite match Fang Hao’s, it was highly valuable and could be traded for many good things.

"So, they’re fighting over loot." Fang Hao understood internally.

It seemed that in this Secret Realm, besides the dangerous Demon Beasts, people were even more dangerous. Killing for treasure was a common occurrence for the sake of Heaven And Earth Treasure. As a descendant of the Eight Great Families, Zhao Wuji certainly acted in an overbearing manner.

He scanned the battlefield. Zhao Wuji’s swordsmanship was indeed formidable; the defeat of the two Loose Cultivators was only a matter of time.

He had no good feelings toward Zhao Wuji, nor did he feel anything for the two Loose Cultivators.

Adhering to the philosophy of "the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman profits," he prepared to wait until they were both injured, or until Zhao Wuji had killed them and let his guard down while picking the spirit fruit, before suddenly striking to snatch the crimson essence fruit and run!

He was now at the Late Golden Core Stage and possessed the Shadowless Evasion Technique; with a planned strike against the unprepared, his chances of success were high.

Just as he made up his mind and waited patiently, an unexpected change occurred!

The blade-wielding Loose Cultivator seemed driven to desperation; he suddenly spat a mouthful of essence blood onto his blade. The longsword instantly flared with a brilliant blood-red light, forcing back Zhao Wuji’s sword momentum with a single strike, and he roared to his companion, "Second Brother, use that thing!"

The whip-wielding Loose Cultivator heard this, a trace of heartache flashing across his Face, but he didn’t hesitate to pull a crumpled, unremarkable earthy-yellow Talisman from his bosom and throw it fiercely toward Zhao Wuji, while the two of them retreated rapidly!

Zhao Wuji frowned, instinctively sensing something was wrong, and slashed his sword at the Talisman, intending to detonate it prematurely.

However, the Talisman made a "poof" sound in mid-air, ignited on its own, turned into an inconspicuous ball of yellow light, and expanded violently!

Hum—!

A strange gravitational force instantly enveloped a radius of ten zhang! Including Zhao Wuji, the two retreating Loose Cultivators, and even Fang Hao hiding in the shadows, everyone felt their bodies suddenly sink! It was as if a small mountain had suddenly been pressed onto them, their movements instantly becoming incredibly slow! Even the circulation of Spiritual Qi within their bodies became sluggish!

"A Gravity Talisman? And a Tier 3 one at that?!" Fang Hao was startled. These two Loose Cultivators actually possessed such an obscure but practical Talisman! This thing was an absolute Divine Artifact for ambushing people in specific situations! It seemed they intended to use this Talisman to trap Zhao Wuji and then take the opportunity to pick the crimson essence fruit or escape.

Zhao Wuji clearly hadn’t expected the opponent to have this trick up their sleeve. Caught off guard, his figure stalled, and his sword moves slowed by half a beat. However, his cultivation was profound, and his reaction was extremely fast; he let out a low shout, blue light surged from his body, and he forcibly resisted the gravity, his longsword still thrusting toward the whip-wielding Loose Cultivator!

The whip-wielding Loose Cultivator didn’t expect Zhao Wuji to be able to attack under the suppression of gravity. He was terrified to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, desperately waving his whip to block, but was sent flying backward, vomiting blood from the force of the sword strike.

"Big Brother, the fruit!" The blade-wielding Loose Cultivator saw the Gravity Talisman take effect and, disregarding his companion, gritted his teeth and rushed toward the crimson essence fruit tree while bearing the immense gravity!

A cold light flashed in Zhao Wuji’s eyes; he wanted to stop him, but under the influence of gravity, his speed was a fraction slower.

The blade-wielding Loose Cultivator’s hand was just about to touch the crimson essence fruit!

Just then, an inconspicuous, nearly transparent Sword Qi, like a long-lurking viper, shot out suddenly from the shadows on the side! Its speed was astonishingly fast, seemingly unaffected by the gravitational field, and it thrust with extreme precision toward the wrist of the blade-wielding Loose Cultivator!

"Who?!" The blade-wielding Loose Cultivator was shocked, but it was too late to pull back his hand!

Puchi!

The Sword Qi slashed past, and blood splattered! The blade-wielding Loose Cultivator let out a miserable scream as his right hand was severed at the wrist! The crimson essence fruit was within reach, but he could no longer touch it!

A green shadow swept out from the shadows like a ghost. With a few light flickers in the gravitational field (a micro-manipulation combining Divine Spirit Steps and Shrinking the Ground to an Inch), it appeared instantly before the crimson essence fruit tree, reached out, and snatched all three crimson essence fruits. Without even looking at the people in the clearing, its figure flickered, and it was about to vanish back into the forest!

It was Fang Hao! He had originally intended to wait for them to both be injured, but the appearance of the Gravity Talisman disrupted his plan. He saw that this Gravity Talisman did not distinguish between friend and foe—the two Loose Cultivators themselves were affected and were preparing to run away. Once they picked the fruit and scattered to escape, or if Zhao Wuji broke free, it would be difficult to snatch it. Thus, he acted decisively! He used his phantom shadow sword to launch a sneak attack, crippling the blade-wielding Loose Cultivator’s hand, and then, relying on his formidable Physical Body (the Hundred Refinements Golden Body Art had strong resistance to gravity) and exquisite movement technique, he forcibly accelerated within the gravitational field and succeeded in one fell swoop!

"Fang Hao?! It’s you!" Zhao Wuji finally saw the intruder clearly, shocked and furious! He had never expected that while the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole is behind; this Loose Cultivator, who had been such a show-off at the Azure Dragon Society, had been hiding on the side the whole time and had snatched his spoils!

"You’re courting death!" Zhao Wuji was extremely enraged and could no longer care about the two Loose Cultivators. He forcibly urged his Spiritual Qi, resisted the gravity, and slashed his sword toward Fang Hao’s back! The Sword Qi was fierce, carrying a bone-chilling cold!

Fang Hao didn’t even look back, as if he had eyes on his back, and the black tortoise spirit shield instantly manifested behind him!

Clang—!

The Sword Qi struck the shield shadow, emitting a loud noise! Fang Hao used the force to rush forward, while simultaneously flicking a fireball formed from an explosive flame talisman backward with his other hand!

Boom!

The fireball exploded, blocking Zhao Wuji’s line of sight for a moment. Fang Hao took the opportunity to activate Shrinking the Ground to an Inch, his figure flickering a few times, and completely vanished into the dense forest, leaving only a faint voice echoing in the gravitational field:

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, I accept your concession. This crimson essence fruit is fated with me."

"Bastard!! Fang Hao! I, Zhao Wuji, will not rest until you are dead!" Zhao Wuji was so angry his Face turned livid, his roar echoing through the forest. He had finally defeated the two Loose Cultivators and was about to get the spirit fruit, only to have Fang Hao appear halfway and easily snatch it away—this was even more unbearable than killing him! Moreover, Fang Hao’s swift movement technique in the gravitational field and his precise sneak attack made him even more wary. This Loose Cultivator was even more troublesome than he had appeared at the Azure Dragon Society!

The two Loose Cultivators with severed hands were already scared pale. Taking advantage of Zhao Wuji’s rage and the fact that the Gravity Talisman’s effect was beginning to weaken, they scrambled up, not bothering with revenge, and supporting each other, quickly fled into the dense forest in another direction.

Zhao Wuji stood in place, his chest heaving violently, his eyes filled with killing intent. He looked at the direction where Fang Hao had disappeared, then at the direction where the two Loose Cultivators had fled, and ultimately chose to follow Fang Hao! The loss of the crimson essence fruit was small, but Face was big! Moreover, Fang Hao might have other treasures on him! He put away the Gravity Talisman (the Talisman’s effect had passed, and it had turned to ash) and, biting his teeth, chased after the faint trace of aura Fang Hao had left behind. If he didn’t kill Fang Hao and retrieve the crimson essence fruit, he, Zhao Wuji, would probably become a laughingstock in the Heavenly Capital from now on!

Meanwhile, Fang Hao was already several miles away. As he wove through the forest, he carefully put away the three crimson essence fruits, a faint smile on his lips.

"A good start, not bad." He was in a very good mood. Not only did he get the spirit fruit, but he also managed to trick Zhao Wuji. As for Zhao Wuji’s pursuit? He didn’t care. The Secret Realm was so big that it wouldn’t be easy to find him. And even if he were found, with his current strength, he might not necessarily fear Zhao Wuji.

However, he didn’t let his guard down. Although his strike just now was clean and swift, the commotion was not small and might attract other trouble. He used his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes to observe his surroundings constantly, and occasionally took out the star evolution plate to confirm his direction, advancing cautiously but quickly toward the deeper parts of the Secret Realm, which were also areas with richer Spiritual Qi. This Savage Secret Realm seemed to have only just begun to reveal a corner of its mysterious veil to him.