Chapter 12: Proud Senior Brother Fang
"Haaa..." Chu Liang sighed softly and sheathed his sword.
In the latter part of the journey, the harvest was modest, with only two encounters of flower demons. While most might view a smooth journey favorably, for those with the goal of obliterating demons, it was somewhat disappointing.
Nonetheless, this slight disappointment was swiftly swept aside by the breathtaking scene ahead.
As each person emerged from the narrow forest path one by one, their initial reaction to the sight was pure astonishment.
Though still within the forest's confines, the towering tree canopies extended over ten meters high, resembling the lofty dome of an ancient palace, dispelling the previously oppressive feeling. Before them lay the entrance to a mountain valley, with rugged, overhanging cliffs and twisting vines where flora and vines sprawled across dark rocks. Exotic flowers were in full bloom, and faint bioluminescence danced up and down, creating an intermittently dazzling light.
It was an entirely primitive and mysterious otherworldly realm of demons.
"This..." Lin Bei stammered, appearing as though he wanted to say something.
However, the moment he said something, his voice echoed through the verdant valley, causing him to hold his words back. They almost felt as though they shouldn't speak loudly, for fear of disturbing the celestial beings in the heavens[1].
Fang Ting deepened his voice as he said, "According to the guide, the Human-Faced Jade Essence Flower is located in the valley areas right ahead. Although there will no longer be any flower demons here, this area is much more perilous... So be careful."
"Yes!" Everyone nodded in agreement.
It followed a straightforward principle. If a purified area suddenly appeared in a land infested with demonic entities, it would only indicate that this was the territory of some greater demonic entities.
As mortals ventured into the vast and desolate expanse, they couldn't help but feel small. Upon entering the rugged, blackish valley, they soon stumbled upon a colossal stem of flowers thriving in an open expanse at the valley's edge, not too far from their path.
A pair of colossal flowers, sharing a single stem, graced their path. Each bud, as enormous as a human head, adorned itself with tightly closed, pure white petals. Encircled by long, straight leaves, this stem of flowers exuded an air of purity that felt entirely out of place in the rugged valley.
"So this is the Human-Faced Jade Essence Flower... It looks exactly the same as the picture," commented Lin Bei.
Fang Ting lifted his gaze to the rugged overhang above them and instructed, "I am guessing that it just turned evening. When the gentle moonlight bathes this flower during the night, that will be the very moment it blooms. Until then, do not touch it."
Chu Liang had learned the process of harvesting a Human-Faced Jade Essence Flower while they were on the way here.
This item possessed a rather divine and peculiar quality; if it were harvested at any other time, it would lose its spiritual nature. It had to be carefully collected at the precise moment of maturity and blooming to absorb the essence of the moonlight. When plucked during this specific instant, its spiritual nature would be preserved.
Nonetheless, at that very moment, anyone who laid their eyes upon the flower would find themselves ensnared by a bewitching illusion. This illusion, it seemed, served a purpose, perhaps to safeguard the flower itself.
During the exact moment when the Human-Faced Jade Essence Flower reached its full bloom, a designated individual would hold a copper mirror in front of it, and the flower would be ensnared within its own illusion. While this was happening, another person would carefully pluck the flower from its rear. Only under these circumstances could the flower be successfully harvested.
In this scenario, the flower could be harvested with just two individuals. The reason for involving five people in this mission was to assign the additional three members to create the Trinity Sword Formation on the periphery. Their role was to fend off any other demonic beasts guarding the Human-Faced Jade Essence Flower nearby.
"Junior Sister Ziqing, you can take the human position. Junior Brother Chu, you can assume the earth position. I will be in charge of the heaven position. Lu Ren will carry the mirror, and Lin Bei will be responsible for plucking the flowers," Fang Ting issued clear and concise orders with determination.
The Trinity Sword Formation was not simply a one-to-one guard setup. The person at the human position would guard only one direction, while the person at the earth position would cover two directions. The heaven position primarily guarded one direction but also provided support for the other two cultivators as needed.
This distribution of responsibilities placed the greatest burden on the most powerful cultivator, helping to balance the uneven strength among the cultivators in the formation.
There were obviously no objections as everyone swiftly assumed their positions around the flower.
They didn't have to wait long. A beam of moonlight managed to pierce through the dense obstructions, casting its radiance onto the earth. In a desolate valley where daylight was a rarity, this moonlight was extremely precious.
The moonlight steadily crept closer to the center of the Human-Faced Jade Essence Flower.
"Concentrate your spirit!" Fang Ting suddenly shouted.
Chu Liang, Xu Ziqing, and Fang Ting promptly took their places within the established formation. With swords in hand and their backs erect, they faced away from the flower, no longer fixating their gaze in its direction.
Because...
As the Human-Faced Jade Essence Flower matured, the valley came to life with rustling and stirring. Some of the creatures that had been coveting this flower for a long time could no longer restrain themselves.
"Roar!" The first creature to leap out of the bushes was a Fierce Black-Spotted Tiger, its thunderous roar causing the forest to tremble. It bore menacing patterns all over its body, and to everyone's astonishment, it possessed flesh wings under its ribs. Indeed, it had clearly undergone years of diligent cultivation.
This forest-dwelling creature was notorious for its cunning nature, and the moment it appeared, it charged in Xu Ziqing's direction.
The young girl clenched her teeth tightly, and it was apparent to all that she was truly scared. However, she remained resolute, ready to draw her sword and confront the enemy.
In that critical moment, a lightning sword qi surged from a diagonal angle, streaking through the air like a golden dragon gliding through the ocean.
Boom!
As the torrential sword qi surged through, the demon tiger's form dissolved into nothingness, leaving behind only drifting traces of ash.
Naturally, it was Fang Ting who had taken swift action.
Chu Liang witnessed the scene and marveled at the formidable power of the Golden Core Realm. Simultaneously, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
What a wasted opportunity...
If only Fang Ting had allowed him to attack once...
Fang Ting, who was keenly observing his surroundings, also noticed Chu Liang's sigh and remarked, "Junior Brother Chu, there's no need to sigh. With dedicated cultivation and time, you can reach the same level of mastery as me."
Eh... Did he think that I felt inferior after seeing his level of cultivation?
Chu Liang froze for a moment and then nodded in response to Fang Ting.
Sure. Yes. Indeed.
There was no time for further conversation as the appearance of the tiger demon seemed to signal the arrival of more threats. It was followed by a thick python, a radiant golden falcon, a three-eyed jackal...
And monstrous beasts that emerged from all directions!
Chu Liang's eyes immediately lit up.
However, he then heard Fang Ting shout, "Lightning Gale!"
With his left hand forming a seal and his right hand raising the Thunderstrike Sword, he shouted loudly. A burst of thunder rumbled, and the sword's light flashed as it circled around aggressively. In an instant, sand and stones were sent flying, thunderclouds swirled around him, and a powerful wave of qi swept out for an attack.
Rumble~
With a single sword strike, several approaching demons were completely obliterated by gale and thunder, reduced to mere dust.
Annihilated.
"Hmph!" Fang Ting sheathed his sword and snorted coldly, casting a disdainful gaze over the surroundings. He exuded a formidable aura and then glanced at Xu Ziqing and Chu Liang, holding his head high. Although he wore an expression of indifference, his eyes seemed to sparkle with anticipation.
He was like a golden retriever that had caught a mouse and was waiting for praise but still had to maintain an air of aloofness.
In stark contrast, the gleam that had just appeared in Chu Liang's eyes quickly dimmed.
His eyes no longer sparkled...
The more ferociously Fang Ting slew, the more pain he felt...
Xu Ziqing either had grown accustomed to her elder brother's abilities, making her unimpressed, or she was too nervous to focus on anything else. She didn't praise Fang Ting for his heroic performance.
As a result, Fang Ting maintained his pose for an extended period but didn't receive the response he desired. He blinked and eventually muttered to himself, "Junior Sister Ziqing, Junior Brother Chu, with diligent practice, one day you may also perform a sword technique like this."
"Hehe," Chu Liang smiled.
As the battle on the periphery progressed smoothly, the moonlight was gradually encroaching upon the center of one flower, an eagerly anticipated moment for the two tasked with plucking the flowers.
"The flower is about to bloom!" Lin Bei immediately shouted.
Lu Ren hastily lifted up the huge copper mirror.
As the moonlight scattered, the large Human-Faced Jade Essence Flower unfolded its petals as if an awakening beauty, revealing a purely white face!
Indeed, when the Human-Faced Jade Essence Flower bloomed, the face it revealed genuinely resembled a human's face! The face had skin as white as snow, and its beauty was of an androgynous nature.
The face of the flower, newly revealed, held an otherworldly and watchful gaze. However, the moment it noticed the large copper mirror placed directly before it and beheld its own reflection within...
Its eyes rapidly transformed, showing an enraptured expression.
1. The author is referencing a poem by Li Bai called 夜宿山寺, which means A Night Lodging in a Mountain Temple. ☜
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