Chapter 322: Plant Life

Dongbo Xueying could not possibly refuse such an opportunity. A treasure guarded by more than two hundred Void Realm creatures— even if he couldn’t use it himself without his Divine Combat Qi, he could return it to the Xia Clan. It might even play a crucial role in the war that was about to erupt.

“Hu—”

Dongbo Xueying strode to a corner of the mountain cavern, inhaled deeply, and reached out toward a crystalline jade fragment. Cautiously, he did not touch it directly with his hands, but instead wrapped it in the power of heaven and earth. Suddenly, a streak of radiant light shot forth from within the jade, directly piercing into Dongbo Xueying’s forehead. Startled, he tried to dodge, but it was already too late.

Even the divine scroll-enhanced power and the protection of the Qingjia Guards failed to stop that streak of light.

“Bloodvine Bloom: a symbiotic plant of the Liantian Vine, a naturally occurring divine-level plant lifeform. Hidden within this jade is a single seed of the Bloodvine Bloom. Simply refining the jade and releasing the seed allows it to begin absorbing the power of heaven and earth to grow! At birth, it rivals a half-god-level warrior; in a hundred years, it reaches divine rank; in a thousand, divine middle-stage; ten thousand years, divine late-stage; and in one hundred thousand years, it reaches its peak divine form—the most perfect and matured state.”

“If fed with energy-rich materials such as source stones, divine crystals, or flesh and corpses, its growth can be accelerated.”

“Methods for cultivating it…”

“Techniques for control…”

“Combat specialties…”

A torrent of information flooded his mind.

Dongbo Xueying’s eyes gleamed with excitement. Countless thoughts surged through his mind. If cultivated properly, this ‘Bloodvine Bloom’ could provide the Xia Clan with an additional divine-level combatant just in time for the coming war! And as a divine-level plant lifeform, it would be far more troublesome than an ordinary god—it possessed far greater vitality.

“Refinement!” Dongbo Xueying immediately sent a thread of soul power into the jade. The jade’s surface shimmered with runes and gradually became transparent, revealing a black seed at its center. The seed began to awaken slowly. Green stems emerged from its surface, followed by green leaves. These tender leaves rapidly absorbed surrounding energy. With a hiss, the jade shrank rapidly, soon completely consumed by the small green vine sprouting from the black seed.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh~~~

The ambient power of the world surged around it. Leaves unfurled from the green vine, swaying gracefully as the vine itself grew larger. The once-black seed withered, eventually turning into dust.

In the blink of an eye, at the topmost leaf of the green vine, a beautiful red bud began to bloom.

“Good girl, come here,” Dongbo Xueying smiled, extending his right hand. The Bloodvine Bloom, floating midair, instantly flew into his palm and coiled obediently around his wrist, shrinking rapidly into what appeared to be a vine-like bracer. Even in this form, it continuously absorbed ambient power.

“This is the Bloodvine Bloom?” Chen Jiu approached, astonished. “No wonder it was left behind by a divine expert. What an extravagant treasure! This rare treasure is actually a divine-level plant lifeform. I’ve heard that plant lifeforms must usually be controlled from the seed stage, otherwise once matured, they are extremely difficult to command.”

“Yes,” Dongbo Xueying nodded with a smile. “I refined the jade and only then gained control over this Bloodvine Bloom.”

“A single Bloodvine Bloom could fetch the price of three or five divine-peak slaves,” Chen Jiu mused.

“That expensive?” Dongbo Xueying was taken aback. “Even at its most matured state, it only reaches divine peak.”

“But it’s different,” Chen Jiu explained. “Once refined, a plant lifeform is absolutely loyal and can transform into plant armor for protection. Its value naturally far exceeds that of divine-peak slaves. Those slaves, although outwardly obedient, may secretly harbor hatred. They might even one day choose to self-destruct to kill their masters—that’s always a possibility. But a plant lifeform is much more reliable.”

Dongbo Xueying nodded.

“Pity though,” Chen Jiu continued. “If you hadn’t refined it, you could have sold the jade containing the seed. Perhaps even convinced some major power to send the Ghost Six Grievance antidote into the mortal world. But now that you’ve refined it, the Bloodvine Bloom has already begun growing—it will be very difficult for it to accept another master.”

“Ah,” Dongbo Xueying was momentarily stunned. “Exchange for an antidote?”

A single seed worth three or five divine-peak slaves?

Among all the divine ancestors of the Xia Clan, only three had reached divine peak! Even if they pooled all their treasures, they couldn’t afford such a seed. Hongshi Mountain—left behind by a divine expert—was like a single hair plucked from a giant, thicker than the thighs of those divine experts.

“Forget it,” Dongbo Xueying shook his head. “Now that I’ve refined it, it’s fine. Besides, it will be of great help in the war between the Wushen and the Great Demon God.”

Even if he ultimately perished from the Voodoo curse.

Before his death, he could still command the Bloodvine Bloom to protect the Xia Clan!

“You have a good perspective,” Chen Jiu said. “And Dongbo, your power keeps improving. Perhaps, among us all, you might be the one to successfully pass through the Five Vine Worlds of the Liantian Vine.”

“At least I’ll give it my all,” Dongbo Xueying replied.

But things were different now.

Before, Dongbo Xueying had been ready to die, willing to perish on the road if the poison couldn’t be neutralized.

Now, with the ‘Bloodvine Bloom,’ he felt that if things truly turned hopeless, if all hope was lost at the very last moment, he would shatter the talisman and leave. Because he had to bring the Bloodvine Bloom out!

…

Whoosh.

On the central vine.

Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu flew along the massive central vine, two streaks of light speeding forward.

“By the way, Dongbo, you’ve kept mentioning the war between the Wushen and the Great Demon God. Do you know when it will begin?” Chen Jiu asked.

“I don’t,” Dongbo Xueying shook his head. “But the Xia Clan once destroyed a Great Demon God’s clone, nearly perfect. I suspect they must be fully prepared by now, possibly launching the war at any moment.”

Chen Jiu smiled slightly. “I can tell you some information.”

“Hmm?” Dongbo Xueying turned to look at him.

“The war will likely break out in twenty years,” Chen Jiu said. “I can’t be certain of the exact time, but it should be around then.”

“Twenty years?” Dongbo Xueying was startled. “Why do you say that?”

Chen Jiu explained, “You should know that I was sent into your Xia Clan’s world by a great existence at the World God level. At that time, I made a pact with him, one of which required me to enter Hongshi Mountain within twenty years of arriving in the Xia Clan’s world. Also, that World God instructed me not to delay. Once the war breaks out, Hongshi Mountain will be completely surrounded and sealed off by the Wushen and the Great Demon God, leaving no chance to enter again.”

“If he insisted I must enter within twenty years, I estimate the war won’t erupt until at least twenty years from now.”

“And it’s not just me. Other teams have also arrived. I suspect their backing World Gods and Great Demon Gods must have uncovered some intelligence as well,” Chen Jiu added.

Dongbo Xueying nodded gravely.

The divine ancestors of the Xia Clan were ultimately only at the divine level. Their access to information was far inferior to those World Gods. After all, as Chen Jiu described it, the gap between a divine and a World God was like the difference between mortals and immortals.

“Twenty years,” Dongbo Xueying thought deeply.

Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu continued flying.

Soon, following the central vine, they reached the main trunk of the entire Liantian Vine and continued flying upward.

After eight full days of flight, they finally arrived at the second Vine Leaf World.

Throughout the journey, Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu had been rushing forward, hoping to catch up with Lord Youlan, but had yet to find any trace of him.

“That Lord Youlan sure can run,” Chen Jiu muttered coldly.

“Second Vine Leaf World. This time, I won’t let him escape,” Dongbo Xueying said.