Snake Cypress Seed
"Nine-leaf Demon Orchid! There really is Nine-leaf Demon Orchid..."
Hundreds of paces away, a particularly thick Snake Vines coiled around a tree, with a beautiful flower blooming at its tip.
The flower has nine petals, is pure white, and is shrouded in an eerie, blood-red light.
Long Ye had already determined that there was some unknown danger lurking within, so even when he saw Yaolan, he did not act rashly but instead adopted a wait-and-see attitude.
If it were that easy to pick, the big snake in front would have already taken it.
As he expected, the giant snake, which was in the lead, did not rush forward immediately, but instead stopped, contrary to its usual behavior.
A bizarre scene unfolded!
The relentless Snake Vines that had been chasing them suddenly stopped, forming a wall of vines that blocked the escape route for both the man and the snake.
Time seemed to stand still, and the surroundings fell into a deathly silence.
"White Night Baiye, I have brought you the person you requested!"
The giant snake spoke to Yao Lan, who was a hundred paces away, its voice trembling with respect.
Long Ye's expression changed.
But upon hearing the name "White Night," a subtle smile, barely perceptible to outsiders, appeared on his lips.
He came to Snake Cypress Valley for two purposes:
The first objective was to kill the White Night Bat and reclaim the Yuki Clan's Blood-Origin Cells.
The second objective is to do everything in my power to find a Snake Cypress Seed, so that my Chakra can be transformed into Senjutsu Chakra, and my body can be further modified.
He never imagined that his two objectives could be achieved simultaneously.
Unable to suppress the excitement in his voice, the giant snake continued to boast:
"Lord White Night may not believe it, but I was incredibly lucky. After receiving your orders, I was worried about how to find this person, but coincidentally, he just happened to come to my door. I used this as a pretext to lure him here."
From within the Nine-leaf Demon Orchid, something the size of a mosquito flew out.
As soon as the "insect" appeared, it grew larger into the air, eventually transforming into a giant bat more than two people tall.
It was the same bat from the Land of Snow, exactly the same in appearance and manner.
Long Ye's expression changed as she observed his entrance.
This bat can change size at will; its cellular activity has clearly reached the legendary limit of what can be freely controlled.
The bat saw Long Ye standing expressionlessly behind the giant snake, and a sinister smile appeared on its face.
"You did very well! As your master, I will never go back on my word once I've promised you benefits."
After the bat finished speaking, it extended its talons, plucked the orchid from behind it, and casually tossed it over.
The giant snake was overjoyed.
He did indeed discover this orchid by chance, but just as he was about to pick it, he encountered this bat. The bat was too strong; it rendered him powerless with a single move.
Just when it thought it was doomed, the other party gave it a task: to find someone to come to Snake Cypress Valley, and the reward was this Nine-leaf Demon Orchid.
It agreed without hesitation, but it didn't really intend to do it, since it had no idea where to find the person the bat was talking about.
But when it left Snake Cypress Valley and encountered Long Ye, it was surprised to find that this was the person it was looking for. After a quick thought, it finally decided to risk its life.
Even it wasn't sure whether bringing someone over would yield the Nine-leaf Demon Orchid, or whether they would simply kill it once they deemed it useless.
But at this moment, seeing the demon orchid flying towards him, he secretly thought he had made the right bet.
Its blood-red mouth gaped open, welcoming the demonic orchid as it fell in.
But suddenly, a fleeting afterimage appeared.
The enchanting orchid that flew in vanished into thin air.
"It really is true! But it's a pity there's only one seed inside."
A blur appeared in the Long Ye, crushed the flower, and a emerald green bead the size of a lotus seed appeared in her hand.
"Boy! You dare steal my things..."
Seeing the treasure he had longed for change hands, the giant serpent flew into a rage. Its scales ripped open, and a stream of highly corrosive, foul-smelling liquid spewed out from its massive maw.
The giant snake was too slow. When it opened its mouth, venom was sprayed out. In that short time, Long Ye had already disappeared from the spot and appeared beneath him.
"Sizzle..."
The lightning flashed in a branch-like pattern and disappeared in an instant.
A man and a snake passed each other by.
The bandages on the Lightning Branch in Long Ye's hand had been completely torn, and it seemed as if she held a bolt of lightning in her hand, the lightning dazzling and captivating.
"What a fast sword!"
The White Night Bat looked surprised.
But no one knew whether the "fast" he spoke of referred to Long Ye's speed or the sharpness of the sword.
That's all!
Bang!
The snake's head, as big as a water vat, was severed from its neck and fell to the ground, its blood staining the withered leaves red.
Snakes are indeed creatures with tenacious vitality; even after their heads were severed, they did not die completely immediately.
Its eyes, as big as bowls, revealed a human-like terror; its mouth opened and closed as if it wanted to say something, but it was clearly impossible now.
Long Ye didn't look at it; her expression was indifferent and calm.
"Rest in peace! You deserve this outcome, but soon, this bat will follow you on your journey."
As he spoke, he tucked the Snake Cypress Seed into his robes.
The giant snake's head fell completely still.
"I heard you were looking for me. What a coincidence, I was looking for you too."
The Lightning Branch in Long Ye's hand was wreathed in lightning, so powerful that just looking at it made one's scalp tingle.
The bat ignored the dead snake, grinned, and seemed to laugh.
"I sense that your body contains a Kekkei Genkai he is very interested in, which is crucial to his next transformation, so I want to borrow it."
Long Ye smiled upon hearing this.
He knew perfectly well what the other person meant by "Kekkei Genkai" —it was undoubtedly Wood Release.
The so-called "borrowing" was nothing more than an attempt to drain his blood and extract Wood Release Blood-Origin Cells.
"Your purpose coincides with mine; I've come to you also to ask for something..."
"To be precise, that thing should have been mine, but you beat me to it. However, to get that thing, I must first take your life."
He made a sudden move!
He used the Devil Fruit Power "Fatal Gaze".
The instant it was unleashed, the "Flying Thunder God Formula" on the Lightning Branch was activated, further enhancing the Flying Thunder God Slash on top of its original speed.
Built at ultra-high speeds, a sudden attack leaves no chance for anyone to dodge.
As expected, the bat standing a hundred paces away was instantly cut in two.
After the kill was completed, Long Ye's expression changed.
The bat he had cut in two fell to the ground, its human form fading away to become a dummy woven from Snake Vines.
"What a terrifyingly sharp sword!"
"My Senjutsu, Vine Armor Clone, is so powerful that even I can't break through it. I never imagined that you, a mere brat, could cut it in two with a single sword strike! No wonder you dared to come here to kill me..."
Long Ye suddenly looked up.
A gigantic white bat appeared in the sky, its wings blotting out the sun.