Blazing Green Lotus

As the two spoke, the old dog Wulong had already struck like lightning, appearing beside Yan Nu.

As for Huang Banyun, he didn't even bother to pay attention.

However, while Huang Banyun posed no threat, he had discovered crucial intelligence: Wulong's black Protective Qi was surprisingly ineffective against attacks from above.

With a whoosh, several streams of water floated into the sky and streaked across, bypassing the Protective Qi and striking directly at Wulong.

"You think I'm a vegetarian!" Shen Leling controlled the water streams, bombarding him.

Without the Protective Qi to block them, the water streams finally managed to injure Wulong this time. The streams contained potent Magic Power fluctuations, stunning Wulong and causing him to see double.

However, the second stream of water was ineffective. Wulong tilted his body slightly, and his Protective Qi easily batted away all the water streams.

His weak spot was only a very small area on top of his head.

Nevertheless, Yan Nu and Huang Banyun had used the opportunity to escape. Yan Nu threw the Mysterious Iron Spear to Huang Banyun, "Use this spear, quickly get me the grass ring!"

"Huh? The Dragon Fodder Grass isn't with me!" Huang Banyun had only seen Yan Nu eat grass once. Like Wulong, he had been fooled by the mention of Dragon Fodder Grass and didn't understand why Yan Nu was asking him for a grass ring, thinking he meant the Dragon Fodder Grass itself.

"Grass ring? What grass ring? Is Dragon Fodder Grass shaped like a ring?" Wulong pressed, unleashing attacks with both palms.

The speed was too great. Huang Banyun desperately blocked in front of Yan Nu, thrusting his spear forward.

"Hmm? Good spear technique, looks a little familiar..." Wulong paused for a moment before swatting the Mysterious Iron Spear away with a single palm.

Thus, Huang Banyun barely managed to exchange half a move with Wulong before losing all ability to fight back.

At this critical juncture, Shen Leling produced the bait she had designed and shouted, "Old dog!"

She then opened her left hand, revealing an ordinary-looking weed lying in her palm. "Heh, since you won't let me leave, you can't have this either."

With that, she ate the grass.

Instantly, a surge of immense Vital Energy erupted from her body, so potent that Shen Leling felt as if she were immersed in a field of glowing light.

"Dragon Fodder Grass!" Wulong stared, stunned. What incredibly rich Vital Energy!

Unbeknownst to him, Shen Leling was actively releasing a large amount of stored Vital Energy from within her.

She had absorbed a wave of Vital Energy comparable to twenty thousand segments from the Water Talisman, which she couldn't fully digest in such a short time. It was better to release some of it, like throwing a bone to a dog.

Mr. Feng also understood Shen Leling's intention and said gravely, "Don't waste time on mortals! This demoness is the key!"

As soon as he spoke, Wulong decisively abandoned Yan Nu, whom he had been trying to deal with for so long without success against the Water Talisman.

With a howl, he lunged at Shen Leling like a ravenous dog.

However, he missed.

Shen Leling suddenly dissolved into a mass of water and quickly reappeared beside Yan Nu.

The earlier Hanging River Downpour hadn't been in vain; it had spread the water domain throughout the entire area.

With a simple trick this time, their positions were instantly swapped due to the pretense of eating Dragon Fodder Grass.

The only pity was that the Vital Energy hadn't completely dissipated. Wulong, with his mouth agape, sniffed the air and greedily inhaled a large amount of Vital Energy from Shen Leling's original position.

"Truly an immortal herb! Even a small wisp of Vital Energy is worth five hundred segments!"

Having benefited, Wulong's eyes became even more greedy. His dog-like mouth opened wide, and his tongue lolled out, dripping with saliva.

Meanwhile, Shen Leling took out another stalk of grass and put it into Yan Nu's mouth.

"Hmph, I'm already tired of eating Dragon Fodder Grass; its effects are useless on me. It's better to give it to this young man, as he did help me," Shen Leling said leisurely.

Wulong's dog eyes bulged. Although it looked like ordinary Sheep Grass, Wulong dared not underestimate it. He regretted his lack of education and his poor judgment!

He had lived on Flag Mountain for so many years and never knew of such an immortal herb, yet these newcomers found it immediately.

It was probably because... this treasure looked so much like ordinary Sheep Grass!

"Stop!" Wulong lunged forward like a madman, filled with anguish!

But Shen Leling had already put the grass into Yan Nu's mouth, and there was a hidden trick.

Mysterious Water surged from her palm, carrying a clump of grass seeds!

These were the last grass seeds Shen Leling had stored.

Although the seeds were few, catalyzed by the Mysterious Water, they grew rapidly, filling Yan Nu's mouth.

Furthermore, because Shen Leling had cupped Yan Nu's mouth while the grass grew, it went directly down his esophagus and into his stomach, digesting instantly.

Yan Nu was instantly filled, his True Qi overflowing, reaching three thousand eight hundred years of Cultivation!

"Yan Nu, this is my last bit of grass. I need you to buy me some time," Shen Leling said in a low, serious voice, simultaneously covering Yan Nu with a layer of Vine Armor.

"No more grass?" Yan Nu looked towards the hillside above. "Isn't there still some on the mountain?"

Shen Leling was speechless. If Wulong knew the truth, he would destroy all the grass.

Hearing Shen Leling's words, Wulong sneered, "The last stalk of grass? Impossible, weren't there four stalks!"

"You ate one, he ate two... is the last one hidden in the mountains?"

Wulong recalled Yan Nu's words and also looked towards the hillside.

There was a large patch of grass there, and the Dragon Fodder Grass looked very similar to ordinary Sheep Grass, making it impossible for ordinary people to distinguish... This demoness had probably mixed it in with the grass to conceal it, intending to harvest it later when it was safe!

"Haha... there's so much grass on this mountain, go find it yourself," Shen Leling couldn't help but laugh.

"Hmph, if I don't kill you... I'll just eat all the grass on this mountain!" Wulong sneered.

Shen Leling was speechless, finding it both funny and exasperating.

"Then I'll beat you to death first!" Yan Nu's body instantly flashed with firelight, burning intensely.

The Vine Armor was very resistant to burning, and the flames were extremely hot. Beneath Yan Nu's feet was a half-foot-deep marsh.

As a result, Yan Nu's upper body blazed with fire, while his scorching feet boiled up countless wisps of steam.

"Ssss..."

Yan Nu's rising aura hissed, and he crouched down, picking up the Mysterious Iron Spear, then suddenly charged!

The spear pointed forward like a bird's beak, flames trailing behind like a phoenix's tail. He blasted forward fiercely, the surrounding water vapor parting like waves.

The whistling sound was like an avalanche!

Wulong was not to be outdone. He had just absorbed a surge of Vital Energy, and his Magic Power was slowly recovering, so he wasn't afraid of Yan Nu at all.

This old dog lunged forward, filled with killing intent.

Just as the two were about to collide, Yan Nu suddenly vanished from sight, passing him by.

"What do you mean?" Wulong turned his head, and a burst of firelight rushed towards his face.

Immediately after, he felt a sharp pain in his chest as the Mysterious Iron Spear was driven into the wound.

He roared in anger and swiped with his claws to retaliate, but missed.

"So fast!" Wulong's dog eyes widened.

He saw Yan Nu constantly ricocheting in the air, sometimes even deliberately crashing into stone walls to slow down before stomping off them to accelerate.

His True Qi was almost entirely used for acceleration, and only sixty years of Cultivation was hitting Wulong.

It was just enough force to barely break through the Protective Qi and wound Wulong.

"Chichichi!"

However, because Yan Nu's heat was so astonishing, his body was more terrifying than a branding iron, so even a light touch felt like the torture of being branded!

"Bang bang bang!"

Yan Nu darted back and forth between two stone walls, wielding the Mysterious Iron Spear in one hand and throwing punches with the other.

Mr. Feng, seeing this, pointed his long sword, raising several rock walls around Wulong, almost completely encircling him, providing surfaces for Yan Nu to stomp on.

As he commanded the stones, he also anxiously said, "Wulong, I can't hit him!"

"You damn ghost! Stop it, you bastard!" Wulong was overwhelmed and, seeing that Yan Nu was unharmed by crashing into the stone walls and was even using them to ricochet, finally cursed the old ghost.

Wasn't this just making things worse? With the old ghost's stone walls, Yan Nu's maneuverability had increased.

Yan Nu blasted forward fiercely, hitting Wulong with dull thuds, and also leaving cracks and craters all over the surrounding stone walls, with debris flying and dust swirling.

Because each blow was too powerful, it would also send him flying back.

So Yan Nu was essentially treating himself like a pinball, throwing a punch, flying backward, then blasting forward again, ricocheting at an angle to strike again!

This high-speed combat, combining lunges, wall-bouncing, and repeated punches, made Wulong dizzy.

Yan Nu was like a meteor, bombarding from all directions, relentlessly suppressing Wulong. The wound on his chest gradually grew larger.

"Damn it, he's targeting my wound again..."

Yan Nu's most frequent attacks were aimed at Wulong's chest wound. If he missed the target due to his speed, he would at least set Wulong on fire.

Wulong would occasionally be burned with scars shaped like fist prints, which were not very damaging but extremely humiliating.

Conversely, Wulong rarely hit Yan Nu. If he retaliated with dark energy, it would be blocked by the Water Talisman.

"Damn it, is that the only place you can hit?"

"Because it hurts you the most there," Yan Nu answered honestly amidst the fierce battle.

"Damn you!" Wulong was enraged.

He charged in one direction, trying to break out of the stone formation. Once in an open area, Yan Nu's maneuverability would be greatly reduced.

Without the stone walls to slow him down, Yan Nu would have to waste more True Qi.

However, wherever Wulong ran, Rock Thrust followed...

"Old ghost!" Wulong glared hatefully at Mr. Feng, "You're asking for death!"

Mr. Feng sensed the vast network of vines Shen Leling had deployed underground and thought the situation was under control. He couldn't help but smile and say, "I'm sorry, I have to reveal my hand! I..."

"The last Dragon Fodder Grass, you want to keep it all for yourself!" Wulong said angrily.

"... " Mr. Feng was speechless.

Wulong thought to himself that when only the last stalk of Dragon Fodder Grass remained, he wouldn't be able to share it with the old ghost. No, he hadn't intended to share it with the old ghost from the beginning; he had only planned to keep it all for himself in the end.

The old ghost must have had the same intention now, so he wanted to balance the situation and reap the benefits.

"Uh... yes, yes..." Mr. Feng replied perfunctorily.

At this moment, Shen Leling also made her move, waving her hand and controlling vines to snake out!

One wrapped around Yan Nu, forming new armor, adding fuel to the flames already on him.

The rest of the vines all entangled the Black Dragon.

"Damn it!" the old dog, Black Dragon, roared in fury, spewing out more black energy to shred the bindings on its body.

However, an endless stream of vines broke through the soil and wrapped around him. These vines even secreted a liquid that stuck to him like a poultice.

Even when torn apart, they clung to him in scattered pieces.

The more he struggled, the thicker the wrapping became, making him increasingly bloated.

"You call me soft and weak? Let me show you my power!"

Shen Leling spread her arms, and the ground beneath her feet instantly trembled and churned, with thick, gnarled vines erupting from it.

These vines continued to grow, each as thick as a fist, spreading outwards from Shen Leling.

Where they passed, the ground was covered layer upon layer, rising higher and higher.

Finally, they all converged on the Black Dragon, burying it completely, as if it had fallen into an ocean of twisted jungle.

The scene was incredibly spectacular.

"Impressive!" Mr. Feng couldn't help but exclaim. The churning plants, layered one upon another, made one's scalp tingle.

"Of course! With thousands of gnarled vines wielding immense power to constrict, even if they don't crush the Black Dragon into powder, it definitely won't escape."

As soon as Shen Leling finished speaking, a collar appeared on the Black Dragon's neck, glowing with a brilliance like starlight, enveloping and protecting it.

A golden plaque was also inscribed on it, bearing the words 'Black Dragon Colt'.

This collar shot up, forcefully grinding away the vines, blasting open a passage, and lifting the Black Dragon by its neck into the air.

"What!" Shen Leling realized that the Black Dragon possessed a high-quality Magic Artifact!

But this artifact... was a dog collar? That's right, the Black Dragon was a mount for some cultivator!

The Black Dragon, freed, realized its master was rescuing it from afar and was overjoyed.

"Hahahaha! You dare to kill me? My master will surely avenge me!"

Hearing this, Shen Leling became even more determined to kill it. "Rise!"

Instantly, the giant twisted jungle surged up from all directions, forming a converging net in the center.

It was like a massive flower, slowly closing into a bud...

But the closing was too slow. The Black Dragon, airborne, was about to be pulled out of the area.

Shen Leling shouted, "Yan Nu, finish him quickly!"

Yan Nu yelled, "I've run out of True Qi."

"Ah?" Shen Leling's Magic Power was already depleted, and her face turned grim. Was she really going to let this dog escape?

"Banyun, Banyun, didn't you say you'd repay kindness like a sheep returning a favor? Where's the grass ring?" Yan Nu fumbled on Huang Banyun.

"Brother Jiang, 'repaying kindness like a sheep returning a favor' doesn't mean that!" Huang Banyun said with a mournful face.

Although this ocean of plants was terrifying, it was all under Shen Leling's control. Apart from incidentally draining Zhang Quan dry, everyone else was like a boat sailing at sea, completely safe from being crushed by the rolling vines.

Huang Banyun, seeing the Black Dragon about to be vanquished, was on the verge of tears of joy. But then things took a turn, causing him immense pain.

"No, I can't let it escape! Absorb me!" Huang Banyun's eyes were bloodshot, wishing he could transform into someone else's Magic Power.

However, Shen Leling didn't lack Vital Energy or Essence Souls; she simply didn't have time to recover.

Everything happened so fast. Just as they watched the Black Dragon fly out of the twisted jungle's embrace.

"Squeak squeak squeak!" Suddenly, a grass ring descended from the sky and landed precisely on Yan Nu's neck!

"Huh?" Everyone looked and saw it was the little monkey with intelligence.

"Thanks!"

Yan Nu opened his mouth and ate it all.

It turned out that when Yan Nu first asked Huang Banyun for a grass ring, Huang Banyun hadn't understood, but his monkey had...

As a spirit monkey, Wanzi could understand human speech and had a simple mind. If Yan Nu wanted a grass ring, she'd give him one.

Moreover, it knew what kind of grass ring Yan Nu wanted.

Because from the moment Yan Nu flew in to join the battle, he had a ring woven from grass hanging around his neck, though it had burned off later.

Huang Banyun hadn't paid much attention to this, but the monkey remembered.

Huang Banyun had joined the battle with a resolve to die, and worried about the monkey, he hadn't let it fight alongside him.

This meant the monkey had stayed on the mountain. When it heard Yan Nu ask for a grass ring, it was very practical and immediately found an identical grass ring to weave...

Until this moment, it was finally delivered into Yan Nu's hands.

"Boom!" Yan Nu's True Qi surged, instantly granting him a Cultivation of four thousand two hundred and sixty-one years!

"What!" The Black Dragon, high in the sky, watched closely. What Yan Nu had eaten was just ordinary grass, and a large handful at that!

"Come back here!"

Yan Nu shot up into the sky, his entire body blazing like a crimson lightning bolt as he chased after the Black Dragon.

He grabbed the Black Dragon and, without sparing any True Qi, frantically descended.

He plummeted into the giant, closing flower bud like a fiery meteor!

"You're not getting away!" Shen Leling clapped her hands and laughed.

The Black Dragon fell rapidly, screaming in horror, "It's the last Dragon Fodder Grass! I thought it was hidden in the mountain grass, but you gave it to a monkey and wove it into a ring with other weeds..."

"This..." Shen Leling and Mr. Feng were starting to lose their composure.

They suddenly felt that tricking this dog was rather meaningless. They hadn't even tried to maintain the lie anymore, yet the dog still couldn't see through it, its mind solely focused on Dragon Fodder Grass.

It was then that the Black Dragon noticed Mr. Feng at the edge, its eyes bursting with hope. "Old man, I'm dying! Aren't you going to help? If they kill me, they're killing you!"

As he spoke, Yan Nu, holding him, slammed hard into the center of the vines, sinking deeper.

Mr. Feng's mouth twitched. He raised his sword and formed a hand seal. "Rise!"

Seeing this, the Black Dragon's hope surged. It struggled with all its might, trying to climb out using the power of the collar, even though its neck was about to snap.

But in the next second, huge stones rose from the bottom, like a giant hand, gripping the Black Dragon and yanking it down fiercely.

"Old man! Old man!" The Black Dragon was furious, and was finally completely buried within the vines.

This wasn't the most terrifying part. The most terrifying thing was that Yan Nu was also entangled within.

His body, blazing like a hot iron, ignited all the surrounding vines!

Shen Leling's heart stirred, and she immediately formed a hand seal. "Everyone out!"

Instantly, the vines began secreting oil, burning more fiercely. Soon, the entire jungle turned into a sea of fire!

"Ahhhhhhh!" The Black Dragon, trapped in the sea of fire, screamed in terror as the flames raged.

"Yan Nu, are you alright?" Shen Leling asked Yan Nu, who was also in the sea of fire.

"I'm fine, just a little choked... cough cough..." Around Yan Nu, there was nothing but raging flames, steam, or rolling smoke.

Shen Leling was prepared. Knowing he wasn't afraid of the flames or steam, she quickly tested the poisonous smoke before shooting a special vine she had prepared at Yan Nu's face, covering his mouth and nose.

Yan Nu immediately breathed fresh air and, holding the Black Dragon, endured the refining process in the great fire.

The radiance of the Magic Artifact collar was still protecting the Black Dragon, but it could no longer save him.

The Black Dragon was immersed in suffocation and extreme heat, suffering immensely, yet unable to die.

The giant lotus-shaped vines closed completely.

Fiery red on the inside, and emerald green on the outside, it resembled a giant fire lotus standing on the mountainside. When its flames reached their peak, the firelight soared into the sky, higher than the mountain peak.

Shen Leling and the others watched from outside, gazing up at the terrifying fire lotus. They thought that the power of this spell had increased by several levels.

After about two quarters of an hour of refining, Yan Nu walked out of the flames on his own.

He was completely naked, with only flames and ashes remaining.

"He's left with nothing but bones."