Listening to Zhou Ye's trembling account, Zhou Xuan found himself intrigued.
His Divine Soul was now powerful, and his senses keen. His understanding of this world had long surpassed that of an ordinary servant.
All things possessed a spirit; even plants and trees could become demons. In the Cultivation World, this was no shocking secret.
But plants artificially cultivated to become aggressive in such a short time—what that implied was rather interesting.
"What are you afraid of?"
Zhou Xuan looked at Zhou Ye's pale, frightened face and spoke calmly.
"I'm here. Lead the way."
His tone was even, yet carried an unquestionable force.
His confidence didn't come from nowhere. It came from his body at the Ninth Layer of Body Forging, as well as his powerful Divine Soul, which far surpassed his physical strength.
As Zhou Ye met Zhou Xuan's calm gaze, the fear buried deep in his bones somehow eased.
He gritted his teeth and nodded firmly. "All right! Brother Xuan, be careful!"
Led by Zhou Ye, the two headed deeper into the Miscellaneous Affairs Department, toward its more remote corners.
This place was called Trash Mountain, but it was really more like a vast stretch of rolling valleys. The sect had been dumping its refuse here for a million years, completely transforming the landscape.
The farther they went, the heavier the air grew with the stench of decay and chaos. The area around them became increasingly deserted.
After walking for about the time it took to burn one incense stick, Zhou Ye stopped and pointed to a huge pit ahead. His voice tightened as he said, "Brother Xuan, it's right there."
Zhou Xuan looked in the direction he pointed.
There was a deep pit half the size of a basketball court, with more than a dozen enormous burlap sacks piled haphazardly at the bottom.
Their mouths gaped open, revealing rice grains as crystalline as jade. It was the Spirit-Infused Mutant Rice.
And around the sacks was a bizarre sight.
A patch of land roughly a dozen zhang across was covered in all sorts of strange plants.
Some had flowers with gaping maws, opening and closing in a slow, pulsing motion.
Others resembled twisted ground spikes, black from tip to root.
And then there were the green vines Zhou Ye had mentioned, coiled on the ground like venomous snakes.
The Spiritual Energy in this area was far more chaotic than elsewhere, heavy with a violent, ominous aura.
With his keen senses, Zhou Xuan could even detect the primitive emotions radiating from the plants—a kind of hunger and rage.
"Brother Xuan, we can just look from here. Don't get too close."
Hiding behind Zhou Xuan, Zhou Ye poked out half his head and urged him nervously.
But Zhou Xuan seemed not to have heard. A playful smile tugged at his lips as he walked straight toward the patch of strange plants.
He wanted to see what made these failed experimental subjects tick.
Zhou Ye's heart leaped into his throat as he watched Zhou Xuan step across the edge of the area.
At that very instant, something changed!
Whoosh!
A green blur burst from the ground without warning, like a venomous snake lying in wait before striking with lethal force!
It was a vine as thick as an adult's arm. It moved astonishingly fast, tearing through the air with a shrill whistle as it lashed straight at Zhou Xuan's face!
"Brother Xuan, watch out!" Zhou Ye screamed, nearly scared out of his wits.
Yet faced with the lightning-fast ambush, Zhou Xuan showed not a trace of panic.
Only when the vine was about to hit him did he shift slightly to one side and dart out his right hand.
Moving later but striking first, he seized the viciously lashing green vine in a crushing grip!
Thud!
The tremendous force packed into the vine made Zhou Xuan's feet sink slightly.
What strength!
Zhou Xuan was slightly startled.
Its power was probably on par with that of an ordinary cultivator at the seventh or eighth layer of Body Forging.
Even more surprising, the moment he grasped the vine, a sharp sting shot through his palm.
He looked down. Its surface was covered with densely packed, dark green barbs as sharp as steel needles!
The barbs were razor-sharp, desperately trying to pierce his skin.
After all, he was at the Ninth Layer of Body Forging. His skin, flesh, sinews, and bones had been tempered until they were exceptionally tough; ordinary swords and blades couldn't so much as scratch him.
Yet the barbs on this vine caused him unmistakable pain. He could even feel them beginning to pierce his skin!
"Now that's interesting."
Far from letting go, Zhou Xuan's interest only grew.
Caught in his grip, the vine thrashed wildly as if it were sentient. Its other end dug stubbornly into the earth, trying to drag Zhou Xuan toward it.
"You want to test your strength against mine?"
Zhou Xuan sneered, and the muscles in his arm bulged.
Since his Divine Soul had grown stronger, he had gained an entirely new level of control over his own strength.
A force far greater than the vine's surged through his arm!
"Get out here!"
He gave a low shout and yanked his arm back.
"Boom!"
The earth shuddered, and dirt flew everywhere.
The vine itself, roots tangled and all, was ripped bodily from the ground by Zhou Xuan!
Only then did Zhou Xuan get a clear look at the whole thing.
This was no vine. It was a living monster!
Its main stalk was about three or four meters long, bright green and covered in barbs.
Its roots, torn from the earth, resembled countless twisted, tangled claws, still scrabbling uselessly in midair.
He could even see some white bones caught in its coils. Who knew what kind of animal they belonged to.
At the tip of the vine bloomed a palm-sized bud, much like a man-eating flower. It kept opening and closing toward Zhou Xuan, hissing out threats.
"Brother Xuan..."
Behind him, Zhou Ye's legs had gone so weak he could barely speak.
"What kind of monster is that?!"
Zhou Xuan ignored him and examined the struggling creature in his hand with interest, then focused his thoughts.
System, scan it.
[Beep! Detected spirit-infused mutant plant—Bloodthirsty Thorn (juvenile)!] [Item Description: Based on an ordinary thorn vine, it was mistakenly infused with chaotic Spiritual Energy, resulting in a malignant mutation. It has developed a trace of chaotic, bloodthirsty primitive intelligence and will attack any living thing that approaches.] [Traits: Rapid growth, highly aggressive, tenacious vitality.] [Flaws: Chaotic roots, low intelligence, short lifespan (estimated survival time: three months), no potential for growth, cannot improve through normal cultivation.]
Reading the system's description, Zhou Xuan understood.
There were similar accounts in the Cultivation World's ancient records.
In some Ancient Battlefields or Demonic Qi Forbidden Lands, where the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth remained chaotic and violent for long periods, such aggressive mutant plants would occasionally emerge.
Legend had it that in ancient times, there had even been a powerful branch of the Demon Race whose members were plants. The Green Lotus Emperor, who had once dominated an entire era, was one example. His true form had been a Chaos Green Lotus.
But the Bloodthirsty Thorn was fundamentally different from a true plant demon.
It was like a malformed creation. Though it possessed strength and a trace of primitive awareness, its roots were corrupted. It was doomed to die young, with no future ahead of it.
To the sect, this thing had no value beyond being dangerous. Its only fate was to be destroyed.
Zhou Xuan was about to crush it with a casual squeeze when his gaze happened to pass over the bottom of the system panel.
Then he froze.
Beneath the item description was another line of small text, glowing with a faint golden light.
[Special mutant detected. Meets the conditions for Enlightenment; a second targeted mutation can be performed!] [Would you like to spend 100 Gold Touch Value to perform Enlightenment on the Bloodthirsty Thorn?]
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