Mystery of the Sophora Tree, Types of Bizarre Entities

In the dim room, the Old Daoist Priest couldn't even shriek anymore, completely bewildered by Shen Bai's words.

"You cut off my hands and legs, and you say they're 'just' two legs?"

He felt that no normal person could utter such chilling words.

Even if they were enemies, such humiliation was beyond the pale.

As the saying goes, a warrior can be killed but not disgraced.

"If you have the guts, just kill me with one stroke!" the Old Daoist Priest gnashed his teeth.

Shen Bai's gaze was indifferent. He lifted his right foot and pressed it onto the Old Daoist Priest's face, grinding down with force.

The Old Daoist Priest's teeth were crushed to pieces by the foot, and his speech became garbled and unintelligible.

Shen Bai lifted his foot, his gaze calm. "You are the fish, I am the butcher. You want to speak? Did I give you permission?"

The Old Daoist Priest opened his wind-whistling mouth. "Can you control me? I'll speak anyway! I'll shout at the top of my lungs, I'll alert all the constables! Even if I die, I'll drag you down with me!"

Shen Bai said nothing, his longsword swirling in his hand.

A cold gleam flashed.

The next moment, the Old Daoist Priest only felt a rush of air across both sides of his face.

By the time he came to his senses, intense pain surged through him. He discovered his ears had detached from his cheeks and lay on the ground, blood gushing out.

"In this day and age, it's easy to live. Dying, however, is a luxury."

Shen Bai's voice came like a demon's, sending shivers down the Old Daoist Priest's spine, as if he had been suddenly thrown into ice and snow in the middle of summer.

"If you cooperate, you'll die quickly. If you don't, after enduring endless torture, I'll find a place to bury you, pour honey over you, and let snakes, insects, rats, and ants lick you clean. You can dwell on that sensation."

"I'll give you three breaths."

The Old Daoist Priest felt his hair stand on end, and all the pores on his body constricted.

"One."

Shen Bai's voice drifted over, calm as water.

"Two."

At this moment, the Old Daoist Priest felt Shen Bai's gaze, and the fear in his heart grew incessantly.

Before Shen Bai could utter the third word, the Old Daoist Priest's last line of defense crumbled completely.

"I was wrong, sir! Please, just give me a quick end later. I'll cooperate with whatever you want!"

Shen Bai's lips curved slightly. He grabbed the Old Daoist Priest by the collar and, in a few steps, had vanished from the Qian Family's courtyard.

By now, the sky had grown dark.

Shen Bai didn't want to know what happened to the Sun family afterwards, nor could he do anything about it.

Because Shen Bai now had a new objective.

The Old Daoist Priest was just a torso and a head. When Shen Bai dragged him by the collar, he was like a slightly larger bundle.

Throughout the night, the Old Daoist Priest dared not utter a single word, keeping his mouth tightly shut.

This was because Shen Bai had warned him earlier that if he dared to speak a single unnecessary word, terrifying torture awaited him.

Excruciating pain radiated from his wounds, yet the Old Daoist Priest gritted his teeth and endured.

Shen Bai continued dragging him along until they reached a relatively secluded street.

He dragged the Old Daoist Priest's mutilated body into an alleyway, found a quiet, dark corner, and finally released his grip.

Under the force of inertia, the Old Daoist Priest rolled a few times on the ground, landing face down and unable to move.

"Alright, you can talk now. What exactly does Sophora Tree Longevity Borrowing mean?"

Shen Bai's voice came from behind the Old Daoist Priest.

The Old Daoist Priest had just opened his mouth when he felt a handful of dirt pour into it.

He struggled to turn over but was completely powerless.

Next, the Old Daoist Priest felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen.

Shen Bai had kicked him over, and he looked up at Shen Bai with a pitiful gaze.

Given the Old Daoist Priest's age, combined with his pathetic state, he truly looked like a frail, pitiable old man.

But then Shen Bai recalled how the Old Daoist Priest had just earlier untied his Daoist robe, intending to desecrate the Sun family's young lady who lay in the coffin, and a wave of nausea washed over him.

"If you won't speak, then I'll cut off another nose."

Shen Bai approached, his longsword gleaming with cold light.

The Old Daoist Priest shivered and quickly spoke.

"Sir, it's a Bizarre Entity, a Bizarre Entity! The Sophora Tree is a Bizarre Entity! It's a towering Sophora Tree that has become a Bizarre Entity, but its situation is special; it can't move. My greed got the better of me, and I took some of its branches."

"While the Bizarre Entity's branches were weak, I used them to harm others and gain longevity."

"Bizarre Entities can't move?"

Shen Bai stroked his chin, curious. "Why can't Bizarre Entities move?"

The Old Daoist Priest found it a little strange.

He didn't know why a master of the Three Treasures Realm like Shen Bai would be unaware of such simple knowledge, but with his life on the line, he quickly answered.

"A Bizarre Entity is not a single person; anything in the world can transform into one. However, some special Bizarre Entities, such as mountains, rivers, lakes, trees, and so on, once transformed, will only affect a specific area."

"For example, a Sophora Tree only affects its immediate surroundings. But if you cut off a branch, you can take it far away."

"Sophora Trees are yin-aligned. They can use yin energy and illusions to kill people. I merely used the Sophora Tree's yin attribute to obtain the blood and qi of mortals for cultivation."

"The world is unstable these days; everyone wants a better life. I had no other choice."

Shen Bai scoffed, "I told you not to play the victim with me."

The long sword flashed, and the Old Daoist Priest felt a sharp pain in his nose.

Blood splattered as his nose was sliced off by the long sword, turning into a bloody mess.

"Ah!"

The Old Daoist Priest couldn't take it anymore and struggled, screaming.

But his screams abruptly stopped.

Shen Bai lifted his foot and stomped down repeatedly on the Old Daoist Priest's face.

The sound of bones cracking grew more frequent. The Old Daoist Priest's entire face was fractured and shattered by Shen Bai's stomping.

"Master, I won't scream anymore, I won't scream anymore," the Old Daoist Priest quickly begged for mercy.

"Where is that Sophora Tree now?" Shen Bai continued to ask.

After hearing the Old Daoist Priest's explanation, Shen Bai suddenly had a very good idea. As for whether it was feasible, he planned to try it later.

After enduring the pain just now, the Old Daoist Priest no longer dared to hesitate for a moment.

He even answered quickly before Shen Bai's gaze could sweep over him.

"It's by Liuyun Lake, west of Ascending Cloud County. There's an island in the middle of the lake, and the Sophora Tree stands there."

Shen Bai nodded, quite satisfied. "Good. I like people who answer straightforwardly. You're very good."

Upon hearing this, the Old Daoist Priest put on a fawning smile and nodded repeatedly.

At this moment, combined with his pathetic state, he looked utterly horrifying.

Especially with no nose, just two gaping holes, he appeared even more terrifying.

Shen Bai stroked his chin. "One last question for you."

The Old Daoist Priest anxiously asked, "Master, what other questions do you have? I'll absolutely tell you everything I know, holding nothing back."

Shen Bai smiled and said, "If the Sophora Tree is left intact, and branches are taken from it daily, will it continuously produce Bizarre Entities?"