Su Jiu seemed to understand why Ning Fan had concluded that it was a demon seed rather than demonic corruption.
After all, only something from the Demon Realm could react to the Demon Realm Descent...
Noticing Su Jiu's thoughtful silence, Ning Fan unconsciously slowed his speech. "From this, I suspect there may be similar beings among the mighty experts who have returned to the other sects."
"I'm afraid... it's more than a possibility..." Su Jiu rubbed her chin, her thoughts turning ever more swiftly.
These people had appeared at the same time, as though a group of high-ranking cultivators had suddenly dropped from the heavens into the Azure Realm. Viewed objectively, it was far too coincidental from any angle.
And when too many coincidences piled up, they could only be inevitable.
"Do you have any ideas? Or have you discovered something?"
Su Jiu nodded. "When I was in the Demon-Subduing Land, I went down to the roots of the Life-and-Death Tree. Dozens of coffins were buried there. I suspect these high-ranking cultivators who suddenly appeared afterward may all have come from the Life-and-Death Tree." She paused here, as though she had encountered a puzzle she could not untangle. "But at the time, I sensed that the people in those coffins were alive... or rather, asleep."
Ning Fan furrowed his brow. "Alive? If they really were buried beneath the Life-and-Death Tree, they must have been there for quite some time. Could they survive that long without spiritual qi to sustain them?"
"I'm certain they were alive. But according to what you said, if demon seeds had already devoured them, I shouldn't have been able to sense any signs of life..."
Little Pearl had a sudden flash of inspiration. "Could they be like those sect masters who were parasitized? Their minds were