Xiangliu and Heavenly Jealousy

Mu Qian had once heard Snow Maiden mention that a ten-thousand-year Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum would be no larger than half the size of an adult, yet this particular specimen stood taller than two adults combined...

Looking at the Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum within arm's reach, Mu Qian couldn't help but swallow hard.

To say he wasn't tempted would be a lie; the Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum possessed no offensive capabilities, making it arguably the easiest Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast to harvest on the entire continent.

Furthermore, its rarity and the boost it provided to one's spiritual power after absorbing its soul ring were self-evident.

Mu Qian finally understood why two soul beasts, both of the spiritual attribute, had appeared together; to them, this was the ultimate tonic.

Yet, what Mu Qian couldn't fathom was how such an Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum had managed to exist for so long.

Had it not been discovered by humans or soul beasts before?

And after it had fully matured, how had it been discovered by these two soul beasts?

No soul beast could resist the allure of an Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum, not even a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Even century-old or decade-old soul beasts could not resist that pull from their very bloodlines, even if they couldn't absorb the immense soul power and would pay for it with their lives.

It was simply because it possessed a special function...

Watching the tragic scene not far away, Mu Qian made up his mind.

He had to get his hands on the Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum no matter what; as for whether he had the strength to absorb a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, that was a problem for later.

Since he had entered the treasure mountain, there was no reason to return empty-handed.

With this settled, Mu Qian began to focus his attention on the two spiritual-attribute soul beasts.

Earlier, Mu Qian had watched the outcome of their battle from afar.

At this moment, the forest ahead was a mess; most of the trees had vanished, and the ground was pitted and scarred, as if declaring the results of the recent struggle.

The avian soul beast had already breathed its last, and a pitch-black soul ring was gradually condensing.

Mu Qian didn't recognize the species at first; in his memory, even Snow Maiden had never mentioned such a flying beast with spiritual attributes.

But when he shifted his gaze to the other soul beast, he couldn't help but be shocked once more.

"Four heads, a human face and a snake's body... why does it look so much like the legendary Xiangliu?"

Of course, Mu Qian could be certain that it was different from the ancient malevolent god Xiangliu from Chinese mythology.

If he had to say, it at most shared a sliver of its bloodline.

The reason he immediately thought of Xiangliu was that the soul beast before him bore a striking resemblance to the records of the legend.

The only difference was that the true Xiangliu had nine heads.

"To think such a soul beast exists; it seems that even Snow Maiden cannot know every species of soul beast. I must never again be so arrogant as to think I know everything."

Mu Qian said, lost in thought.

These two soul beasts were the first he had encountered in such a long time that he didn't recognize, though he couldn't rule out the possibility that they had both mutated.

"Could you... please save me..."

A strange voice suddenly appeared in his mind, causing Mu Qian to snap back to reality and instinctively scan his surroundings.

It was a beautiful female voice, gentle yet tinged with sorrow and fear, while the faint hope within it felt like a drowning soul grasping at the only remaining lifeline.

Mu Qian quickly realized that the voice had appeared directly in his mind, and in this dense forest, besides Little Flower, the only one capable of calling out to him for help seemed to be...

Mu Qian shifted his gaze to the Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum, where the gorgeous stamen was trembling slightly, using its own spiritual power to struggle against the enemy before it.

Alas, how could she possibly succeed?

Although she possessed impressive spiritual power, she lacked the most crucial means of spiritual attack.

Facing an enemy whose cultivation was not weak, her efforts were destined to be in vain.

Regardless of its age, the reason the Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum could never possess offensive means throughout its life was due to two words: Heavenly Jealousy.

The Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum was a race envied by the heavens, possessing a spiritual talent that almost surpassed the limits of the natural order; even the weakest ten-year Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum was born with complete sentience.

If there were no restrictions, an Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum wouldn't even need to cultivate its physical form to reach the level of a god in spiritual power.

In terms of spiritual cultivation alone, the million-year-old Ice Silkworm would pale in comparison to a hundred-thousand-year Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum.

Unfortunately, whether it was fair or cruel, the Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum was born unable to use any form of attack.

Even with their vast spiritual power, they could at most use it to construct defensive illusions.

And because of certain regulations of the God Realm, even if their spiritual power reached the divine level, they could never overcome the shackles of their fate.

Yet, the current situation caused Mu Qian to harbor some doubts.

He had felt it was strange earlier, but his surprise at seeing a hundred-thousand-year Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum had prevented him from thinking it through.

Logically, the illusion constructed by a hundred-thousand-year Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum should not be something a thirty-thousand-year spiritual soul beast could break, not even if two of them worked together.

Let alone thirty thousand years, even a top-tier thirty-hundred-thousand-year spiritual beast couldn't do it.

But now...

"It seems there is more to this than meets the eye."

Mu Qian did not respond to the plea for help; he had Little Flower wait in place while he quietly moved toward the spiritual barrier constructed by the Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum.

The moment he crossed the barrier, his spiritual power was finally no longer restricted, and at the same time, he discovered the crux of the problem.

He could intuitively sense that the other party's life force was gradually withering away.

For some unknown reason, the process was not rapid, but the accumulation over time had almost pushed her life force to its absolute limit.

Even without these two soul beasts, perhaps in a few years, this Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum would have naturally perished anyway.

Having figured this out, Mu Qian abandoned his plan to use saving her as leverage to extort a bargain.

As long as he solved the trouble for her, if she chose not to follow him, her ultimate fate would still be death.

Therefore, the moment he ascertained the situation, Mu Qian began his move.

Two ink-colored soul rings, enough to shock the entire soul master world of the continent, quietly emerged, and accompanied by a low dragon roar from within his body, Mu Qian's first soul ring bloomed with intense light.

From the moment Mu Qian stepped into the spiritual barrier, Xiangliu had sensed his presence.

On its remaining three heads, a look of disdain appeared in a very human-like manner.

But soon, it felt a tremor that seemed to come from the depths of its soul and bloodline, and in its three pairs of small eyes, there was nothing left but terror.

"First Soul Skill: All Living Things."

Mu Qian raised his right arm, and a resounding dragon roar, accompanied by mysterious cyan-gold energy, suddenly whipped up a violent gale in the forest clearing.