Leave? Or gamble?
Li Su's spiritual consciousness remained fixed on the Strange Crystals that had surged out with the evil energy.
Starlight flowed within them, the slight chill of Taiyin Essence intertwining with the vast Stellar Evil Energy and emitting an allure that made his soul tremble.
The system's prompts of "greatly increase Evolution Points" and "a chance to improve innate foundation" rang in his ears like demonic whispers, leaving him almost unable to think of anything else.
Innate foundation! It was the cornerstone that determined the upper limit of one's future achievements in the Primordial World!
He was currently only a Mid-Grade Acquired Spiritual Root. If he could use this chance to improve it, his path toward the Great Dao would become incomparably broader in the future!
Not to mention the abundant Evolution Points, enough for him to immediately complete his second evolution and greatly increase his strength!
But the danger was equally deadly! The terrifying shadow of an eye he had glimpsed in that deep cave entrance possessed unfathomable strength. It was absolutely something that could crush him with ease.
Trying to seize its "belongings" now was no different from plucking chestnuts from the fire or snatching food from a tiger's jaws!
Reason screamed at him to flee at once, yet deep in his heart, unwillingness and desire surged like a tide.
Surviving in the Primordial World was already an act of defying the heavens, with danger at every step. If he missed this opportunity, who knew how long he would have to wait before encountering another treasure that could improve his innate foundation?
Besides, strange changes had already arisen underground, turning this place into a perilous land. If he did not increase his strength quickly, even if he escaped now, how far could he go in a Primordial World filled with Fierce Beasts?
He would gamble!
Fortune was sought amid danger!
Li Su made his decision in an instant.
But he was not reckless.
His spiritual consciousness operated at full force, frantically calculating the trajectory and speed at which the Star Evil Crystals would be blasted out by the evil energy currents, as well as the fastest and safest route for his bamboo roots to seize them.
At the same time, he did something exceedingly bold—he carefully injected the relatively mild evil energy he had absorbed and refined, mixed with a faint imprint of his spiritual consciousness, into the roots of the restless Purple-Black Strange Plant beside him!
Already extremely agitated by the upheaval underground and the loss of Earth Essence Stone energy from its roots, the strange plant suddenly received this "foreign" supplement of evil energy, however weak it was, and sensed the faint, provocatively abnormal spiritual consciousness within it. It immediately took it to be the culprit behind everything!
Boom!
The Purple-Black Strange Plant flew into a complete rage!
All its leaves whipped about madly, while its thick roots burst from the earth like violent venomous pythons, lashing and piercing viciously toward Li Su's true body along the source of that spiritual imprint!
It wanted to tear apart this thief! This provocateur!
Now!
At the instant the strange plant went mad and attacked, creating a massive disturbance that drew all surrounding attention!
Li Su's toughest main root, which had long been ready, moved like a spirit serpent that had lain in ambush for ages. At top speed, it skimmed along the ground, avoided the center of the violent evil energy currents, and precisely curled toward the Star Evil Crystals that were about to fall back into the deep underground pit!
Faster! Faster! Faster!
Li Su's spiritual consciousness was stretched to its limit. He could almost hear the faint sounds of his bamboo roots tearing through the air and scraping across the ground.
He could clearly sense that within the deep pit, that cold gaze seemed to shift slightly, sweeping over the disturbance caused by the Purple-Black Strange Plant with a trace of displeasure at being disturbed.
The bamboo root finally touched the largest Star Evil Crystal! Icy to the bone yet warm and vast, its energy surged over him in an instant!
Wrap it! Pull it back!
Without the slightest hesitation, the bamboo root coiled around the three largest Star Evil Crystals, as well as two or three smaller ones nearby, then yanked them back with all its strength!
The very next second after the bamboo root left its original position, a silent arrow of condensed black evil energy shot out from the depths of the pit, striking precisely where his bamboo root had just been and instantly annihilating both the rocks and evil energy in that area!
Li Su was so frightened that his spiritual consciousness nearly collapsed as he desperately retracted the bamboo root!
The Purple-Black Strange Plant's violent assault had also descended, countless roots lashing fiercely against Li Su's bamboo body!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
His jade-black bamboo body swayed violently, its radiance flashing chaotically. Even his newly stabilized Earth Immortal realm was nearly shaken apart!
Fine cracks even appeared across the bamboo body!
But Li Su had no time to care about any of that!
Bearing those scalding hot prizes, the bamboo root finally retracted beneath his true body and, without hesitation, stabbed directly into the Star Evil Crystals and began absorbing them frantically!
[Absorbing Innate Star Evil Energy and Taiyin Essence. Evolution Points +15!] [Absorbing... Evolution Points +12!] [Absorbing... Evolution Points +8!] ...
His Evolution Points surged wildly at an unprecedented pace! 68... 80... 95... 110! They had even exceeded the 100 points required for evolution!
At the same time, an icy and boundless energy carrying the eternal essence of the stars poured into his bamboo body. It violently clashed with his original soul-devouring attribute, yet strangely fused with it, madly transforming the foundation of his bamboo body!
[Detected sufficient Evolution Points and high-grade energy. Evolution conditions satisfied. Beginning evolution!] [Warning! Energy conflict during evolution is intense. Risk of collapse detected!] [Absorbing trace amounts of Innate Star Evil Energy... Calculating probability of innate foundation improvement...]
The system notifications were drowned beneath the torrent of energy. Li Su's consciousness was instantly dragged into the earth-shaking transformation within his body!
His bamboo body split apart inch by inch, then reformed beneath the cleansing of Stellar Evil Energy and Taiyin Essence. Dots of starlight began to emerge across the jade-black bamboo, intertwining with its original mysterious black patterns and making it appear ever more unfathomable.
The bamboo nodes hummed, as if playing a symphony of stars and the underworld.
The pain surpassed anything he had endured before, yet the sense of power brought by evolution was equally clear!
Deep within the underground pit, that terrifying existence seemed not to launch a second strike, perhaps because its first had missed, or perhaps because it had been disturbed by the continued noise created by the Purple-Black Strange Plant. Yet its cold pressure still blanketed the surroundings, making it hard to breathe.
When the Purple-Black Strange Plant realized that its frenzied attacks had failed to immediately destroy this "hateful bamboo," and that some of its roots had instead been injured by the rebound from his bamboo body, it became even more enraged. Its attacks fell like a violent storm!
Inside, unrivaled energy crashed through him as he evolved. Outside, the strange plant attacked madly. Above, the pressure of a terrifying existence held him locked in place!
Li Su had fallen into an unprecedented crisis!
He could only desperately preserve a sliver of clarity, guiding the conflicting energies within him with all his strength to drive the evolution forward while enduring the strange plant's attacks, praying for the evolution to finish quickly!
Evolve! It had to finish quickly!
Once the evolution succeeded and his strength rose, perhaps he would have a slim chance of survival!
The Eight-Zhang Ink Bamboo swayed and shone amid the storm-like assault, its surface covered in cracks as starlight and ghostly radiance intertwined. It seemed as though it would shatter completely at any moment, yet also as though it was nurturing some world-shaking transformation...
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