Sacrifice

"Enough, stop crying. That chrysanthemum is about to slip away."

Qian Xunji pointed at the Hundred-Thousand-Year Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemum, which was trying to sneak off.

The Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemum had been asleep at first. Their conversation woke it, and it grew furious, ready to show these reckless humans the might of a hundred-thousand-year beast.

But just as it was about to attack, it sensed that their strength was no ordinary matter. They know I'm a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast? Are they discussing who gets my Spirit Ring?

Yikes. Time to run!

"Eighth Spirit Skill: Gate of Holy Light!"

"Ninth Spirit Skill: Infinite Ghost Shadow Devour!"

At the sight, Yue Guan and Gui Mei unleashed their strongest skills. They couldn't leave everything to their boss and simply wait to reap the rewards.

Gui Mei had been itching to try his ninth Spirit Skill. His ninth Spirit Ring was ninety thousand years old, and after absorbing a Head Spirit Bone, he had reached level 92. He even felt that level 93 was not far off.

Besides, they were hunting a Spirit Ring for his good friend Yue Guan. Of course he had to lead the charge.

Golden light blazed, and ghostly shadows surged across the sky.

Their Spirit Skills sealed off the entire Chrysanthemum Forest in an instant.

A piercing golden beam burst from the center of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, cutting off the Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemum's escape route. Dark Ghost Shadows churned overhead, forming a boundless abyss that rushed toward it.

"Humans! You will not kill this king!"

It roared and tried to burrow underground. All around it, countless Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemums—ten-thousand-year-old, thousand-year-old, hundred-year-old, and even ordinary ones—sprang from the earth and threw themselves at Yue Guan and Gui Mei's attacks, trying to shield the Hundred-Thousand-Year Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemum.

They had expected Yue Guan and Gui Mei's Spirit Skills to break through the defense and strike the Hundred-Thousand-Year Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemum.

Instead, their attacks stopped after killing several hundred Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemums.

"What?! A few chrysanthemums blocked my ninth Spirit Skill?!"

Gui Mei could hardly believe it. This was his first time using his ninth Spirit Skill, yet all that power had come to nothing against a few chrysanthemums. He had expected it to gravely wound the Hundred-Thousand-Year Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemum, but it hadn't hurt it at all.

Qian Xunji and Bibi Dong watched with furrowed brows.

"It must be that Hundred-Thousand-Year Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemum's support ability."

Bibi Dong nodded in agreement. She had seen the other Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemums burst with vitality far beyond what their ages should have allowed.

Even now, countless badly wounded Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemums were recovering at astonishing speed. Golden light flickered across their shattered wounds as they healed.

"Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemums have almost no offensive power. Even one that's a hundred thousand years old might not beat a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. But their support abilities are formidable. They usually live together in vast numbers, strengthening one another's vitality and Soul Power to bolster their defenses against enemies," Yue Guan said anxiously, staring at the Hundred-Thousand-Year Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemum.

After hearing Yue Guan's explanation, Qian Xunji stopped waiting for him and Gui Mei to capture it themselves. He decided to act before it really did escape.

"Seventh Spirit Skill: Angel Avatar!"

"Angel Sacred Sword!"

A colossal angelic figure swung a golden greatsword at the Hundred-Thousand-Year Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemum, which had already burrowed underground.

Countless Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemums rushed toward the Angel Sacred Sword, trying to block the blow.

But Qian Xunji had attacked too suddenly. Caught off guard, only a few of the nearest chrysanthemums managed to intercept it, and they made no difference.

The greatsword obliterated them and slammed into the ground.

The Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemum had only just burrowed beneath the surface. The strike wounded it so badly that it was nearly split in two.

"You damned human—ah!"

The Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemum had barely begun to scream when the immense angelic figure swept its sword sideways, carving out a level pit more than ten meters across and flinging it back to the surface.

Countless Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemums around it poured Soul Power into it. Its nearly severed body began healing rapidly.

Gui Mei's gaze sharpened. He couldn't let their boss do everything; he had to pull his weight or they would look down on him.

He became a dark phantom and charged at the surrounding Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemums.

As an expert on flowers and plants whose martial spirit was itself a chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum Douluo could hardly bear to kill so many Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemums.

But this was for his Spirit Ring. After a moment's hesitation, he prepared to attack. As long as the others lived, the Hundred-Thousand-Year Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemum might never die.

"Wait! Humans, don't hurt my people!"

The Hundred-Thousand-Year Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemum spoke urgently when it saw what they were doing.

Gui Mei paused and looked toward Bibi Dong and Qian Xunji.

Yue Guan was relieved. He didn't want to harm the Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemums. If their leader surrendered willingly, so much the better.

"But if we stop, they'll keep healing you, and we'll have almost no way to kill you. Tell them to stop, and we won't hurt your people." Yue Guan hastened to offer it a way out, even making the promise on Qian Xunji's and Bibi Dong's behalf.

He sneaked a glance back. When he saw no displeasure on their faces, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The Hundred-Thousand-Year Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemum turned toward Yue Guan, swaying. If it had facial features, it would have looked puzzled.

Its attention had been fixed on Qian Xunji and Bibi Dong. They had done most of the talking, and it could sense they were the strongest. It had overlooked Yue Guan and Gui Mei. Only now, observing Yue Guan up close, did it notice something strangely familiar about his aura.

After a moment, it exclaimed in surprise:

"Human, you consumed a Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum?!"

"Yes. I consumed one not long ago, and my martial spirit is a Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum too."

"Ah, if only such a precious plant had grown in my Chrysanthemum Forest. Here, it surely could have become a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."

"It seems you have a bond with my Chrysanthemum Clan. Are you the one who needs a Spirit Ring?"

"I am."

"I'm willing to sacrifice myself for you, but you must promise to protect this Chrysanthemum Forest and my people. Don't let large numbers of humans discover and enter it. And keep those wretched Soft Bone Rabbits away." Anger entered the Purple-Gold Yaoguang Chrysanthemum's voice at the mention of the rabbits.

The forest lay deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, where humans almost never ventured. It held no particular hatred for them.

The Soft Bone Rabbit Clan, however, lived nearby. Because the chrysanthemums were weak, the rabbits often ate them. Worse, two of those rabbits had reached a hundred thousand years of age. Though it had reached that age as well, it could not stand against them and could only defend itself whenever they came.

And the Little Soft Bone Rabbit did not always come to eat. Often, she provoked it and killed its people just for fun. She was a complete menace!

Fortunately, the Great Soft Bone Rabbit had not appeared in years. It had heard that she had taken human form and gone to the human world.