Devour - The Power of Plants

"Lin Chuan, what's wrong?" Seeing Lin Chuan's expression shift after plucking the Crimson Flame Lotus, Bu Lianshi asked with immediate anxiety.

"It's nothing, we need to leave here as soon as possible..." Before he could finish, Lin Chuan's face changed again. He could feel the suction force from the Fruit of the God Tree within his dantian intensifying once more.

Damn it! Devouring is usually a good thing, but under these circumstances... Lin Chuan gritted his teeth, but the power within his body left him no room to think. The Fruit of the God Tree even released a wisp of purple mist, surging along his meridians toward the Crimson Flame Lotus held in his right palm.

"Guard me!" Lin Chuan sat cross-legged on the ground, shoved the Crimson Flame Lotus into his mouth, and swallowed it whole.

This sight gave Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi quite a scare. "Lin Chuan, that's an herb used for alchemy at the Foundation Establishment Stage; you can't just eat it raw..."

But before they could finish, they saw Lin Chuan's throat move, clearly having already swallowed it.

"This is bad. While swallowing herbs isn't usually fatal, Lin Chuan consumed one that far exceeds his current cultivation level. Even if his body is unique and can digest a Spirit Core, the power of an herb is different from the spiritual energy within a core. What are we supposed to do?" Bu Lianshi said urgently, her face turning pale.

"The botanical energy in herbs must be refined by an alchemist before we cultivators can absorb it. If he consumes it like this, there's no guarantee the energy won't run rampant inside him. But the problem is he's already eaten it. We have no other choice—let's do as Lin Chuan asked and guard him well!"

Qin Lang said firmly after a moment of silence.

"Don't forget, Lin Chuan said that as long as he can face things calmly, he always has a backup plan. All we can do now is protect his safety!" Qin Lang's fists clenched tightly, his once lazy gaze turning sharp as he scanned the surroundings, assuming a defensive stance. "He has always been the one protecting us; now, it's our turn to protect him!"

Hearing Qin Lang's words, Bu Lianshi looked back at Lin Chuan, who was sitting with his eyes closed, and resolutely stood in front of him, forming the final line of defense.

A massive surge of energy was currently roiling within Lin Chuan's body. It contained both natural energy, like the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and the botanical energy unique to plants. The moment these energies appeared, they rushed along his meridians toward his dantian, completely beyond Lin Chuan's control.

Why does the Fruit of the God Tree want to devour the Crimson Flame Lotus? What exactly is going on? Lin Chuan's brows were locked in a tight frown, not daring to make the slightest movement.

Although the botanical energy was beyond his control, it had already surpassed the limits of what he could normally handle. If this power went wrong and rioted even slightly, his body would be stripped of a layer of skin, if not killed outright.

An herb for Foundation Establishment alchemy—the density of botanical energy it contains is clearly not something I, at the Qi Refining Stage, can manage. It's a miracle I haven't been burst open yet. I hope the Fruit of the God Tree calms down after devouring this energy, and I hope I can gain more power once it's finished! Lin Chuan thought to himself.

To everyone's surprise, the duration of Lin Chuan's devouring this time was extremely short. It took less than three minutes to complete the process, absorbing the power of the Crimson Flame Lotus entirely.

When Lin Chuan opened his eyes again, even he couldn't believe that such a massive amount of energy had been completely dissipated by his body in such a short time.

"Lin Chuan, you're awake! That's great!" Sensing the movement behind her, Bu Lianshi turned back to see Lin Chuan waking up. "What about the Crimson Flame Lotus you devoured? Quickly expel any energy you can't absorb! It's very dangerous to absorb this kind of botanical energy without it being refined by an alchemist!"

"The Crimson Flame Lotus... has been completely absorbed by me..." Lin Chuan's next words made Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi's jaws nearly hit the ground.

"Absorbed... completely? What is going on!!" The two felt that in the time they had spent with Lin Chuan, they had used up all the expressions of shock they would ever have in their lives. Yet, it still didn't seem like enough; what Lin Chuan brought them was no longer just surprise, but horror—it was something that shattered many of their common understandings.

Lin Chuan could particularly understand how they felt, because this was like telling his past-life self that water flows uphill or that fire is cold—things that challenged everyone's bottom line and common sense.

The way Lin Chuan broke the common knowledge of the cultivation world for Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi was no less than that, and these things were actually happening right before their eyes. To say they weren't shocked would be a lie.

With no time to sort through these thoughts, the first thing Lin Chuan did after regaining his senses was to activate his Byakugan to check the surroundings. Only after finding no danger did he finally heave a sigh of relief and stand up.

"Are you really okay?" Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi finally put away their expressions, looking at Lin Chuan with strange, concerned gazes.

"I'm fine, it's already absorbed..." Before he could finish, Lin Chuan's expression changed abruptly, and he cursed internally, What the hell!

Are you playing with me? In the area of his dantian, the Fruit of the God Tree was now emitting an even more powerful suction and devouring force. It felt like the terrifying greed of someone who was starving, having tasted a peerless delicacy and then exploding with hunger. That most primitive instinct—to eat—had, at this moment, overridden all other reason, becoming frantic and violent.

How can this be?? Lin Chuan opened his eyes in horror. He could clearly feel the terrifying devouring force erupting from his dantian. This power's craving for botanical energy had surpassed everything, and in its failure to be satisfied, it had begun to directly devour Lin Chuan's physical body. Lin Chuan had no doubt that if this continued, he would be sucked dry!

Damn it! Is it because they are both plants that the Fruit of the God Tree needs to absorb botanical energy to grow? Damn it, why didn't I think of this situation earlier? Now... Lin Chuan cursed to himself, seemingly unable to hear the urgent voices of Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi beside him.

I have to find another Crimson Flame Lotus immediately... otherwise, I'll surely die under the devouring of the Fruit of the God Tree... Lin Chuan gritted his teeth. The next moment, his Byakugan shifted into the Tenseigan, and he began a frantic, wide-range search for more Crimson Flame Lotus in the vicinity.

The next moment, having spotted a Crimson Flame Lotus, Lin Chuan strode out. As he passed Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi, he could only grit his teeth and say, "Follow me closely!" before disappearing into the depths of the cave.

Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang exchanged a glance and followed him at high speed without hesitation. No matter what happened, they would never abandon their companion!