Collecting the Soul Infant Demonic Tree
Under the deep roar of Zi Yan's purple dragon, the violent and ferocious nature in the Zi Yan Heaven-Piercing Flood Dragon's massive body receded like a tide in its cold, amber-colored vertical pupils, replaced by a sense of fear and bewilderment from the depths of its soul, and... a trace of indescribable awe and obedience!
"Waaah..."
The Heaven-Piercing Flood Dragon let out a low whimper, tinged with grievance and fear. Its massive body ceased its attack posture and slowly, with a hint of caution, shrank back into the lake, leaving only its enormous head above the water.
Its enormous head, like that of a tamed pet, slowly and tentatively approached Zi Yan, who was standing on the water. The fierce glint in its eyes had vanished, replaced by gentleness and appeasement, even a hint of filial piety, as if it had seen its bloodline's ancestor and king.
Zi Yan stretched out her delicate white hand and gently patted the Heaven-Piercing Flood Dragon's icy nose, which was larger than her whole body, a satisfied smile appearing on her face.
Seeing this, Lin Ming and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Zi Yan patted the head of the Heaven-Piercing Flood Dragon and then pointed to the Soul Infant Demonic Tree in the center of the lake.
"Sweetie, go play somewhere else. We want that tree and its fruit."
Seeing Zi Yan point to the Soul Infant Demonic Tree on the Lake Heart Island, the Heaven-Piercing Flood Dragon, which had been docile, was stunned for a moment, and a rich array of human emotions emerged in its huge eyes.
A deep sense of reluctance and struggle!
It has guarded this place for countless years, absorbing the soul energy emanating from the Soul Infant Demonic Tree day and night, and has long regarded it as its hope and possession for its own transformation.
How could it willingly hand over this precious treasure, which was about to mature, to someone else? Its enormous body writhed restlessly beneath the water's surface, creating ripples.
However, the absolute pressure emanating from Zi Yan's body, originating from the source of her bloodline, was like an invisible shackle, firmly binding her thoughts of resistance.
It was a deep-seated awe that was impossible to resist.
For a moment, this ancient beast, whose strength was comparable to that of Dou Venerate, lowered its huge head like a wronged child, letting out a low whimper, looking quite pitiful and helpless.
"It seems... it really can't bear to part with that tree." Looking at Heaven-Piercing Flood Dragon's appearance, Zi Yan's innate kindness softened her heart.
Although Zi Yan is gluttonous and mischievous, she is kind at heart, especially towards Magical Beasts also possess Dragon Clan Bloodline, whom she always feels an inexplicable affinity for.
So she turned her head and looked at Lin Ming, who had just landed beside her, and said in a pleading tone, "Lin Ming, we took the treasure it guarded for so long, can we give it some compensation? It looks so pitiful."
Lin Ming lightly glided down, landing on the lake surface beside Zi Yan, calmly surveying the dejected and crestfallen Heaven-Piercing Flood Dragon.
Lin Ming could naturally see the extraordinary nature and potential of this beast. Peak Seventh Order and possessed the Ancient Dragon Bloodline, yet it had not yet taken human form, which showed how strong its foundation was and how difficult it was to take human form than ordinary Magical Beasts.
Since Zi Yan had spoken, Lin Ming naturally wouldn't refuse.
After a moment's thought, Lin Ming spoke to the Heaven-Piercing Flood Dragon: "Judging from your possession of Ancient Dragon Bloodline, you have cultivated to the Peak Seventh Order yet still haven't been able to transform into human form. This shows that your foundation is profound, and the Natural Chasm to transformation is far greater than your peers. In that case, I will grant you a great opportunity to help you overcome this obstacle."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Ming flipped his hand, and a warm, smooth Jade Bottle appeared in his palm. The bottle was slightly open, and a strange Medicinal Fragrance wafted out, making the surrounding Spirit Qi more active.
"This is a Shaping Pill. After taking it, it will help you shed your beast form, successfully transform into human form, and further enhance your cultivation potential."
Lin Ming looked at the enormous eyes of the Heaven-Piercing Flood Dragon that suddenly lit up, and continued, "However, having taken my pills, I will also take this lake that nurtured the Soul Infant Demonic Tree, as well as this Infant Demon Tree itself. Are you willing?"
"Roar!"
Upon hearing the words "Shaping Pill," the Heaven-Piercing Flood Dragon's previously dim eyes suddenly burst forth with an unprecedentedly brilliant light. Its enormous head bobbed frantically like a chicken pecking at rice, emitting urgent low growls. Where was the slightest reluctance?
Compared to the ability to transform and lay the foundation for its future supreme status, this lake and the Soul Infant Fruit, which were of little use to it, suddenly seemed less important. It had been stuck at the Peak Seventh Order for a long time, and transformation was the breakthrough opportunity it had been dreaming of!
Seeing this, Lin Ming said no more, and with a flick of his wrist, he threw the Jade Bottle in his hand toward the Heaven-Piercing Flood Dragon.
The giant mouth of the Heaven-Piercing Flood Dragon suddenly inhaled, and a suction force surged out, precisely swallowing the Jade Bottle into its belly.
As soon as the pill entered its stomach, it could immediately feel a gentle yet powerful strange energy spreading within its body, beginning to wash over its sturdy beastly body. The feeling that the gate to a new world was slowly opening made it so excited that its scales trembled slightly.
With such a generous compensation that far exceeded his expectations, Heaven-Piercing Flood Dragon finally felt satisfied, and even his gaze towards Lin Ming and Zi Yan carried a hint of gratitude.
Its massive body swung nimbly in the water, creating a splash, and after bowing its head to Lin Ming and Zi Yan again, it turned without hesitation and dived into the deep water. With a few swaying motions, it disappeared into the dark lake bottom, clearly eager to find a place to digest the medicinal effects and prepare for the tribulation of transformation.
Lin Ming breathed a sigh of relief after so gently dismissing the troublesome guardian beast. He shrugged at Zi Yan, who was beaming with joy, and then, with a flick of his wrist, he lightly skimmed across the lake and appeared on the floating Lake Heart Island.
With his feet firmly planted on the soft, Spirit Qi rich soil, standing beside the Soul Infant Demonic Tree, Lin Ming was able to more clearly sense its extraordinary nature.
Upon closer inspection, two fist-sized fruits were indeed hanging in the center of the tightly intertwined, silvery-gray branches, resembling the belly of a pregnant woman.
The fruits are pure gold in color, with a flowing luster. What is even more amazing is that they look like two curled-up babies. Their eyebrows, eyes, mouth, nose, and even their peaceful sleeping expressions are all lifelike, just like real babies, exuding a strange fluctuation of life and soul.
A faint, ethereal fragrance, seemingly capable of directly permeating the soul, emanated from the two "golden infants."
Lin Ming only inhaled a small amount, yet he felt the Soul Ocean between his brows tremble slightly, emanating an incomparably comfortable and yearning sensation. Truly a wondrous fruit of heaven and earth capable of replenishing the Soul Origin!
"Brother Lin Ming, hurry up and grab your things and let's go!"
Just then, Qing Lin on the shore made a urging sound. She listened intently to the depths of the forest, a hint of solemnity on her pretty face.
"The roars of beasts in the forest are much more frequent than before, and the energy fluctuations are also more chaotic. It seems that quite a few people from other forces have broken in and are currently clashing with the guardian Magical Beasts here."
Upon hearing this, Lin Ming slightly expanded his Soul Power and indeed sensed several intense energy collisions and furious roars of Magical Beasts in the distance. Time was of the essence; there was no time to waste.
Lin Ming nodded immediately. But his next move made Xiong Zhan, Di Kong and the others on the shore widen their eyes in surprise.
Lin Ming did not directly pick the two Soul Infant Fruits, but instead hovered in mid-air, and with a thought...
Within the vast world within him, a region of land began to rapidly cave in and Form Shaping according to his will, instantly forming a massive crater identical in shape and size to the lake below!
Then, a shocking scene unfolded—
The lake below seemed to have suddenly developed an invisible, enormous hole at its bottom. The crystal-clear lake water, brimming with rich energy, began to form a huge whirlpool. Then, like Hundred Rivers Return to Sea, it transformed into a thick waterspout, roaring and continuously surging into Lin Ming's body in mid-air before mysteriously disappearing!
It wasn't just the lake water! The floating Lake Heart Island, along with the Soul Infant Demonic Tree rooted on it, trembled slightly under the influence of an invisible, immense power. Then, the entire island was lifted up from the ground and sucked into Lin Ming's body along with the lake water, as if swallowed by an invisible giant maw!
In just a dozen breaths, the original location of the lake was reduced to a huge, smooth, bottomless circular pit, as if the lake and island had never existed there at all. All the lake water, spiritual soil, demonic trees, and Soul Infant Fruit... were completely transported by Lin Ming into his Inner World!
"This... Sect Master's methods are simply unfathomable..."
Elder Di Kong opened his mouth, but could only utter a weak exclamation. The others shared the same feeling; this method of "moving" was simply too unbelievable.
"The Soul Infant Fruit is finally in my hands, and along with the demon tree and its growing environment, it can be continuously cultivated..."
After packing the entire Soul Infant Demonic Tree, along with the precious land that nurtured it, into his Inner World, Lin Ming nodded in satisfaction. He felt a sense of ease as he gazed at the newly appeared, Spirit Qi vibrant lake and island within his Inner World, as well as the two golden fruits hanging peacefully on the demon tree.
A moment later, Lin Ming flashed back to the stunned crowd and said, "We've got the stuff. We shouldn't stay here any longer, we..."
But Lin Ming's words came to an abrupt halt. He noticed that Zi Yan beside him seemed a little off.
At this moment, Zi Yan was neither happy to receive compensation nor concerned about Lin Ming's astonishing methods of taking possession of the lake.
Her gaze, vacant and somewhat lost, drifted deeper into the forest, a direction that seemed more secluded than any place they had explored before.
Her small hands unconsciously covered her chest, as if her heart was beating uncontrollably.
"Lin Ming..." Zi Yan's voice trembled slightly, a tremor she herself was unaware of, as she murmured, "That direction... it seems... something is calling to me..."
Her gaze was filled with a sense of bewilderment and a deep-seated tremor.
That feeling was neither sound nor image, but a resonance and attraction imprinted in one's blood and soul, as if in the deepest part of the forest, something of the same origin as her, yet more ancient and more supreme, was awakening and waiting for her arrival.
Seeing this, Lin Ming, who knew what was attracting Zi Yan, was not at all surprised by Zi Yan's state.