Green Fruit

Lu Xiaotian shivered on the rock, feeling time drag on. A wolf howl still occasionally echoed from the cliff above. Lu Xiaotian wasn't sure if it was the same pack from earlier, and now it was night. The mountain wind was too strong; if he tried to climb, he might be blown off the cliff. If that happened, there would be no chance of survival.

In winter, people's appetites increase significantly to ward off the cold. Not long after midnight, Lu Xiaotian's stomach rumbled again.

Suffering from both hunger and cold, with nowhere else to find food, he found it unbearable. He got up and intended to pull down a few more dead vines, even if just to roast them for warmth.

Fortunately, the Green Vines on the rock face had never been harvested, so there were still plenty. Enough to last for a while.

He lit a small bonfire and felt the heat from the flames, which dispelled much of the chill. However, fanned by the wind, sparks swirled in the air and occasionally flew out. The vines also burned quickly.

Lu Xiaotian had to gather more. After cutting another vine with his sword, he pulled hard and found it wouldn't budge.

He leaned closer curiously and discovered that beneath this vine, quite a few rootlets had grown, burrowing into the rock face. The hard rock wall itself seemed to bulge slightly, covered in fine cracks. Through one of these cracks, Lu Xiaotian saw, by the scattered firelight, something resembling a wild yam growing inside. Since it was embedded within, he couldn't tell its size.

This unexpected discovery, however, filled him with delight. He quickly used his short sword to carefully pry away the surrounding rock. The surface stones seemed to have been loosened by the fruit inside. Lu Xiaotian didn't need much force to dislodge the cracked stones, revealing a pale green, incredibly smooth fruit about the size of a duck egg.

Much smaller than a wild yam, Lu Xiaotian felt a pang of disappointment. If it were as big as a wild yam, it would have been enough to fill his stomach, and he would have felt confident he could outlast the wolves on the cliff. But this duck-egg-sized fruit probably wouldn't last long. It was better than nothing. This small fruit, not feeling hard to the touch, had managed to push open the solid rock. After his initial disappointment, Lu Xiaotian couldn't help but marvel.

With his previous experience, Lu Xiaotian searched among the vines again but found nothing else. So, he retreated. He used his short sword to make a small cut on the Green Fruit. In the flickering firelight, a few drops of green juice seeped from the cut. Just smelling it brought a refreshing coolness.

The Green Fruit had a pleasant aroma. Lu Xiaotian quickly put down his short sword and licked the juice from the cut without wasting a drop. A sweet taste spread from his tongue. It was the most delicious fruit he had ever tasted. Driven by hunger and cold, he quickly swallowed the fruit, skin and all.

It was good, but it didn't fill him up. Lu Xiaotian licked his lips, still craving more. But as he savored the taste of the Green Fruit, he noticed that the flesh and juice he had swallowed melted into a ball of green light, gathering together. The green light flickered, appearing grand, mysterious, and ethereal.

The green light spun rapidly. With flashes of green light, it quickly expanded into a vast, ancient, and bizarre space. Yet, this strange, incredibly vast space was hidden within Lu Xiaotian's abdomen.

Suddenly, with a thunderous boom, it was as if a lightning strike sounded in his mind, making his Spiritual Sense waver for a moment.

Lu Xiaotian felt as if millions of giant waves were crashing within his body. Boundless, majestic Spiritual Power seemed on the verge of bursting his body at any moment. In his daze, he could even see a faint green halo flashing on his skin. His skin even began to develop fine, spiderweb-like cracks, like a ceramic piece that hadn't completely shattered.

The cracks spread out like a spiderweb. Blood seeped from these fissures, and in moments, Lu Xiaotian became a bloodied mess.

What was happening? Could this Green Fruit be poisonous? Lu Xiaotian felt a surge of panic. This poison was too potent!

The clashing currents within his body showed no signs of stopping.

Was he going to die?

As Lu Xiaotian endured the excruciating pain, the immense flow within his body surged towards his Sea of Consciousness.

With a hum, Lu Xiaotian's vision went black. He lost consciousness and fainted completely.

But none of this stopped. Blood continued to seep from Lu Xiaotian's body. However, this blood was not absorbed by the rocks but instead diffused into a thin mist that enveloped Lu Xiaotian. Under the glow of the green halo, it looked incredibly eerie. Suddenly, lightning flashed and thunder roared, forming a massive vortex centered on Lu Xiaotian's body. The white mist around them surged frantically towards the center of the vortex.

"Why am I here again?" The Blood Dwarf, dressed in black, looked extremely displeased upon seeing the small thatched hut before him.

With a flash of movement, three other figures arrived: the Black Robe Old Man, the Bearded Man, and the Green Skirt Young Woman. The Green Skirt Young Woman spoke anxiously, "We've circled this area seven or eight times and still haven't found an exit. This illusionary formation is truly formidable. If this continues, we might truly be trapped here to die. Geng Laoguai, quickly think of a solution!"

"This illusionary formation is so powerful, what solution can I possibly have? Right now, we can only take it one step at a time."

The Black Robe Old Man's expression was as dark as water. Being trapped in this place for nearly two months would make anyone unhappy. If not for the fact that they could occasionally find some food within this Great Formation, they would have starved to death. After all, only Golden Core cultivators could abstain from food and no longer needed to consume grains.

Hmph hmph.

A series of grunts sounded.

"Not good, it's Yao Wild Boars! There are so many of them!" The Bearded Man cried out in alarm as he saw heads of Yao Wild Boars emerging from the bushes in the mist. Although these Yao Wild Boars were only first-tier Yao Beasts, equivalent to Qi Refining Third Layer strength, they had tough hides and were more resilient than some second-tier Yao Beasts. First-tier Yao Beasts had strength equivalent to Qi Refining levels one to three. Second-tier was Mid Qi Refining Stage, equivalent to Qi Refining levels four to six. The charging power of the Yao Wild Boars was quite troublesome.

"What are you waiting for? Kill them." The Blood Dwarf was already impatient. He reached into his Storage Bag and took out two silver discs. With a forceful throw, the silver discs emitted a low hum and spun towards the charging Yao Wild Boars.

Piercing screams rang out. Chii--

The Yao Wild Boars were directly cut in half by the blades on the silver discs.

The Green Skirt Young Woman extended her hands forward. Two long purple silks flew out from her sleeves, extending several dozen feet. They simultaneously wrapped around two Yao Wild Boars, binding them tightly. With a flick of her wrist, the Green Skirt Young Woman slammed the Yao Wild Boars, bound by the purple silks around their waists, onto the ground. With a bang, two large pits were created. When the purple silks were retracted, the Yao Wild Boars lay on the ground, blood streaming from their noses, mouths, and eyes. After a few twitches, they stopped moving.

Hmph hmph.

A beast nearly ten feet long, with bloodstains on its two tusks protruding from its mouth and fierce light in its eyes, burst out of the mist. Following the appearance of this giant Yao Wild Boar, dozens of Yao Wild Boars of various sizes, black in color with bristling fur like needles, appeared around them.