Making such a decision, Shi Hao took the lead, cautioning the others to stay close and remain vigilant.
“After all, I am the supreme ruler of a province,” Luo Dao murmured with unshakable confidence. The sight of so many divine fruits had unsettled him—this was an unparalleled opportunity, a stroke of destiny.
For the moment, they couldn’t identify the fruits, but they surmised they must be semi-divine medicines!
True divine medicines were rare treasures, scarcely found even across the three thousand provinces of the Upper Realm. Though they existed in the Immortal Ancient, encountering them was no easy feat.
Shi Hao’s acquisition of the Void Heaven Divine Vine had been a stroke of fortune unlikely to be repeated.
The trees here could be called divine, but that was more a compliment—strictly speaking, they were semi-divine trees. True divine medicines were too rare to grow in clusters.
As far as they knew, most divine medicines thrived in the ancient tribes of the primal beings within the Immortal Ancient. Even sect masters wouldn’t dare trespass lightly, lest they be slain.
Yet, even so, this grove of semi-divine trees was astonishing. If they could harvest all the semi-divine fruits here, the sheer quantity would surpass even a true divine medicine!
“Let’s go all out! Today, I’ll unleash my might, carving a path through this grove and gathering every semi-divine fruit!” Before the divine trees, even Louis’s eyes gleamed with greed, his courage surging.
Fear was inevitable, but few could resist such temptation. Even knowing the dangers ahead, they were willing to risk everything.
*Hum!*
Shi Hao stepped forward, passing through the radiant curtain formed by the divine trees and entering the sacred ancient land. The other three followed closely, gripping their most powerful artifacts with tense excitement.
In an instant, their feet nearly left the ground, buoyed by the sacred radiance.
This was miraculous. The divine aura gathered in this blessed land like cascading rivers of stars, washing over them as if refining their very essence.
“I want to meditate here, to comprehend the Great Dao!” Luo Dao exclaimed, intoxicated by the sensation.
The fragrance was overwhelming, transforming into luminous mist—indescribable!
“Stay alert!” Shi Hao’s expression turned grave. The moment they entered, he sensed the hidden killing intent beneath the sacred aura, targeting their very souls.
Most wouldn’t notice, as the ominous signs were drowned in auspicious energy. But Luo Dao and Lan Yichen remained wary, knowing the dangers they’d faced along the way.
Shi Hao reached out to pluck a translucent, human-shaped fruit.
Then, without warning, a wisp of black mist emerged behind them, clashing with the serene purity of the land. It swiftly took form.
A chill ran down their spines as they spun around, facing the sudden threat with calm precision.
The black mist coalesced into a humanoid figure, pitch-black as if carved from ink, save for its icy gray eyes.
*Ssssh!*
Louis lashed out with a golden chain forged from divine metal, piercing the shadow.
“Is that all?” He smirked, relieved at the apparent ease of the battle.
But his smile froze. The shadow reassembled instantly, unharmed, and retaliated with a devastating punch—a black sun erupting with terrifying force, threatening to shatter the void.
Louis yelped, binding the shadow with his chains, but it tore free effortlessly, lunging forward.
It was immune to physical attacks, reforming no matter the damage. Worse, its strength matched the peak of the Divine Flame Realm.
“I can’t hold it!” Louis cried, retreating.
*Ssssh!*
Lan Yichen brandished a sapphire sword, its blade radiant as a rainbow. He cleaved the shadow in two—only for it to merge again, unfazed.
*Bam!*
Forced to counter with his fist, Lan Yichen gasped as the shadow’s corrosive mist clung to his arm.
“What kind of monstrosity is this?!”
He ignited divine flames, repelling the shadow—but his arm was severely corroded. Had he been flesh and blood, the limb would’ve been lost.
“Fire works! Use divine flames!” Luo Dao urged.
They ignited their flames, driving the shadow back—but then, dozens more emerged, surrounding them. Some even radiated the aura of True Gods.
“How do we fight this?!”
*Crack!*
Shi Hao struck with lightning from his brow, forcing a shadow to wail and fade.
“They fear yang energy!”
Yet their yang-based techniques proved feeble compared to divine flames. But sustaining the flames drained them rapidly.
Even Shi Hao was stunned. His Thunder Emperor Technique required multiple strikes to destroy a single shadow. No wonder the land outside was littered with divine corpses—these things were nearly indestructible.
“These are Ghostfiends—condensed yin energy, enlightened by sacred objects,” Luo Dao recalled from ancient texts.
The divine fruit grove had birthed them over eons. Normally, such beings required artificial intervention.
“Damn it!” Louis howled as his hand was nearly dissolved by the black mist.
*Boom!*
Shi Hao fought desperately, slaying six or seven Ghostfiends—a feat that would shock the world if known.
But a True God-level Ghostfiend clashed with his lightning palm, collapsing the void between them.
*Roar!*
Dozens of Ghostfiends charged, including eight or nine True Gods. The situation was dire.
“Die!”
Shi Hao roared, unleashing a storm of lightning. The battlefield became a sea of arcs clashing with yin energy.
“We should retreat! We can’t win against so many!” Louis pleaded.
Ignoring him, Shi Hao summoned distant thunderclouds, invoking forbidden arts.
*Boom!*
A bolt struck down a True God.
*Buzz!*
Then, wings hummed. From the trees, countless black specks surged—some attacking the clouds, others diving at Shi Hao.
The swarm was overwhelming. One group scattered the thunderclouds, while the other engulfed Shi Hao’s team, their shrieks driving the Ghostfiends into a frenzy.
“These Ghostfiends were raised by bugs?!” Lan Yichen gaped.
The insects were the same as those they’d seen earlier—black, with transparent wings, each no larger than a fingernail, yet terrifyingly powerful. The weakest were at the Noble Realm, many at Divine Flame.
“These are Black God Insects, and these trees must be Semi-Ginseng Trees!” Luo Dao realized.
According to ancient records, these insects were small but monstrously strong, dwelling in colonies. Their kind could birth Heavenly Gods—or even stronger beings.
Such races often guarded divine medicines. The Semi-Ginseng Trees, as semi-divine medicines, were a prime target.
Every century, the insects underwent evolution, requiring the fruits to advance.
Legend tied the Semi-Ginseng Fruits to the mythical Longevity Ginseng Tree.
*Boom!*
Shi Hao erupted with power, slaying three True God Ghostfiends in succession.
But the insects were upon them, their shrieks maddening, driving the Ghostfiends to attack.
*Thud!*
Louis screamed as black threads pierced his arm.
“Get behind me!” Shi Hao roared, shielding him.
*Clang!*
Lan Yichen was sent flying as hundreds of insects slammed into him. Had he not been metallic, he’d have been perforated.
The swarm was horrifying—most at Divine Flame, the rest at Noble Realm.
“Ahh!” Luo Dao’s hair lashed out, killing some insects, but he too was overwhelmed. His divine artifact—a pagoda—was shattered.
Dozens of Black God Insects impaled him, leaving him grievously wounded.
No wonder the path was littered with corpses—this was the work of countless insects and Ghostfiends. Few could survive.
Shi Hao fared no better. All Ghostfiends targeted him, and some True God insects joined the fray.
Tiny as they were, their power was terrifying. The largest, no longer than a thumb, were True Gods, unstoppable in flight.
Shi Hao unleashed his full arsenal—Samsara Technique, Thunder Technique, Heaven’s Calamity Light—slaying many insects but suffering wounds himself.
“To me!”
He expanded his sole Heavenly Passage, shielding Luo Dao, Lan Yichen, and Louis within its radiant barrier.
Inside, they were safe—for now. The insects battered the barrier, unable to breach it. Even the Ghostfiends were stalled.
“This is madness!” Louis trembled.
Outside, the swarm was relentless, a black tide crashing against the barrier.
“There’s too many! Who could withstand this?” Lan Yichen panicked as the barrier wavered.
Shi Hao coughed blood, his face pale. The pressure was immense.
“Go!”
He summoned a pill furnace, unleashing a river of thunderous, cursed water from the Demon Island’s forbidden river.
The insects and Ghostfiends recoiled.
“This is horrifying. No wonder everyone who comes here dies,” Lan Yichen muttered.
*Pah!*
Louis spat blood, expelling two insects that had burrowed into him.
*Pah!*
Luo Dao forced out a dozen more, sealing his wounds just in time.
*Clang!*
The insects, undeterred, resumed their assault, crashing against the lightning and furnace. Many died, but the swarm pressed on.
“They’re insane! They won’t stop until we’re dead.”
“These bugs are sinister. They cultivate Ghostfiends, using corpses—and us—as fodder.”
They had to leave.
“But I won’t leave without some fruits!” Shi Hao growled.
He’d already used his trump card—the furnace. And he was bleeding from a True God insect’s strike.
*Boom!*
With the furnace overhead and his Heavenly Passage shielding them, Shi Hao harvested the luminous, human-shaped fruits.
In moments, he’d plucked over twenty from eight trees, filling his basket with radiant fragrance.
*Thud!*
Even cursed and charred, the insects broke through, slamming into his barrier.
The sheer numbers—Divine Flame and True God insects—were overwhelming.
Shi Hao coughed blood but pressed on.
“Let’s go! We’ll be devoured!” Louis shrieked.
Luo Dao and Lan Yichen agreed—this was suicide.
*Ssssh!*
Shi Hao leaped to the treetops—and froze.
There, foot-long insects and solidified Ghostfiends lay dormant, exuding terrifying auras.
“Heavenly God insects?! Even sect master-level ones?!”
They were doomed.
Yet, the dormant beings didn’t stir. The swarm below dared not approach, circling anxiously.
Seizing the chance, Shi Hao harvested more fruits.
*Buzz!*
Then, some insects lifted two dormant Heavenly God insects and hurled them at Shi Hao.
*Roar!*
The two awakened, their shrieks shaking the world. The lifting insects shattered instantly.
Shi Hao bolted, fleeing with his team.
Strangely, the awakened insects attacked indiscriminately, slaughtering their own kind in confusion.
“They’re not native to Immortal Ancient. Like the descendants of past geniuses, they go mad or die when they grow too strong,” Luo Dao realized.
“Some on the treetops are corpses. The living ones are insane,” Shi Hao agreed.
He grabbed what fruits he could and fled, the two Heavenly Gods and the swarm in pursuit.
*Roar!*
The chase was on.
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