Illusory God Flower

The seventh day arrived. Every group had suffered losses, but all remained within expectations.

Although Qingyun Peak had no Peak Master, it had Zhou Qingyu, making it even fiercer than the other peaks.

Sword in hand, he cut down one foe with every stroke, thoroughly enjoying himself. Even his Sword Qi grew sharper, carrying the momentum of an unstoppable advance.

Everyone clicked their tongues in amazement. Even the others heard about the fighting here, their faces full of smiles.

With someone like Zhou Qingyu emerging in this generation, the sect could remain strong for at least another thousand years.

Even Lu Changsheng sighed in admiration.

"That's how a young man should be!"

This discordant remark suddenly intruded upon the otherwise harmonious atmosphere.

Anyone else could have said it without issue, but coming from his mouth, it immediately drew sighs and frowns.

How did he have the nerve to say that?

Everyone looked at Lu Changsheng, who sat on a bluestone with an enormous fire built before him. Two birds Zhou Qingyu had slain were roasting over it.

Their skin had already turned golden, sizzling with dripping fat.

He reached out and tore off a wing, grease dripping as he ate, and even beckoned everyone over.

"They're done! Come over, don't just stand there!"

Everyone raised their eyebrows at his words.

The disciples were usually on good terms with him, so they naturally gathered around, each tearing off a piece to eat.

An elder sighed softly, shook his head, and said, "Changsheng!"

"What is it?"

"Sprinkle on more chili. This old man likes it spicy!"

"Sure thing!"

As he answered, Ye Tianyi found himself at a loss for words. His little junior brother really did roast meat well!

Zhou Qingyu, however, did not stop. Standing on a lone peak, sword in hand, he gazed into the distance, then closed his eyes and meditated on what he had gained over the past few days, benefiting greatly.

He was one step closer to Core Formation, but his swordsmanship had stagnated. He pondered what to do.

As everyone ate and drank, the two Demon Beasts, each several zhang long, were nearly picked clean.

Lu Changsheng lay off to one side as well. His life was quite comfortable: picking up Demon Beasts, roasting meat, and handling logistics. He was not exactly idle.

But just as everyone was about to relax, something stirred in the distant sky.

A huge azure bird swept across the heavens, its cry making everyone's hearts tremble.

Its outspread wings spanned a full three zhang, its talons resembled blades, and murderous intent shone in its piercing eyes.

"An Azure Wind Bird!"

Lu Changsheng stared up at the sky. It was an exceptionally savage Demon Beast that relished human flesh and blood, moved as fast as lightning, and possessed astonishing combat strength. Moreover, it had already reached Core Formation.

Its wings beat, immediately stirring up a gale.

Its arrival roused Zhou Qingyu. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes, and his sword glinted coldly as he leaped up to attack it.

As the two clashed, the onlookers were surprised. The Azure Wind Bird's feathers seemed cast from metal, actually blocking the sword's slashes.

The sword's edge scraped across its feathers, sending showers of sparks flying.

Law Power surged, shattering the surrounding mountains.

Seeing this, an elder moved to intervene, afraid Zhou Qingyu would be in danger.

But another stopped him.

"Let's watch first. Qingyu is already at the ninth layer of Essence Condensation, at the critical point of breaking through. It'll do him good to temper himself. Besides, he cultivates the sword Dao. That beast can't do anything to him!"

Hearing this, the others stopped. That was indeed true. If things went wrong, they would still have time to intervene.

Lu Changsheng glanced over and paid it little mind. He knew the Azure Wind Bird was no match for him.

He had personally trained his eldest senior brother. Dealing with a little bird at Core Formation first layer would be no great problem.

Although they were evenly matched now, once Zhou Qingyu activated his sword intent, the stronger one would naturally emerge.

Qingyun Peak's elders also discerned what was happening, and delight filled their hearts.

As Cangyun Sect's foremost prodigy, he truly was extraordinarily impressive.

Soon, another disturbance arose in the distance. The ground shook, sand and stones trembled, and a low growl rang out.

Far away, an enormous snail could be seen approaching at tremendous speed.

Forests toppled wherever it passed.

Everyone jumped in fright. The snail was six or seven zhang in size and charged forward at a terrifying speed. Although it could not match the Azure Wind Bird, it was not much slower.

Wherever it crawled, its slime corroded everything around it. Plants withered and rocks melted, steeped in deadly poison.

An elder immediately intervened, blocking its path and preventing it from approaching Zhou Qingyu.

The others had only just breathed a sigh of relief when they saw a gigantic black tiger trampling through the forest, knocking down mountain after mountain as it approached. It, too, had clearly reached Core Formation.

Before they could react, several more Demon Beasts arrived in succession. Unlike before, every one of them had reached Core Formation.

"What's going on?"

"Where did all these Core Formation Demon Beasts come from?"

All the elders sprang into action, yet they could still sense Demon Beasts approaching from afar.

"Quick, tell the others to send reinforcements!"

Someone called out.

Ye Tianyi turned to Lu Changsheng. "Things have changed. Take the other disciples and fall back!"

Lu Changsheng nodded, sensing that something was wrong. As he retreated, he once again smelled that peculiar fragrance, and his gaze fell upon crimson flowers blooming one after another.

Vivid and uncanny, they continuously released a strange fragrance.

"Illusory God Flowers!"

Lu Changsheng's brows furrowed slightly. None of these flowers had been here when they arrived.

Moreover, these flowers needed to be watered with fresh blood before they would grow and bloom, producing a peculiar fragrance that held a fatal attraction for Demon Beasts below Nascent Soul whose intelligence had yet to awaken.

It made them hallucinate and constantly seek to approach, even if they died there!

With these flowers here, Demon Beasts would be drawn over in an endless stream.

"Those bastards from the Profound Heaven Sect really are vicious!"

With such a method, they could kill with a borrowed knife without leaving any evidence against themselves. His Divine Sense swept out. There were no Illusory God Flowers anywhere else, so they were clearly targeting Zhou Qingyu.

They only needed to scatter the seeds and do nothing else, merely waiting for Zhou Qingyu and the others to slaughter Demon Beasts. Once blood spilled on the ground, the seeds would take root and sprout, drawing more Demon Beasts over.

They had originally handled things with ease, but the arrival of Core Formation Demon Beasts left Qingyun Peak in difficulty. The elders each faced Demon Beasts alone, while Zhou Qingyu was fighting the azure bird and could not spare himself.

Although the others would come, those flowers were still blooming, with new ones constantly emerging. If their numbers reached a certain point, those Demon Beasts might go berserk.

"A vicious method, but do they take everyone for fools?"

Lu Changsheng muttered to himself. Breaking this situation was simple. He formed the Fire Instruction with his hand, and sparks fell to the ground, instantly igniting the forest. Flames spread across the earth, burning toward the front.

Those uncanny crimson flowers caught fire and turned to ash.

As long as someone noticed and set a fire, all their efforts would come to nothing. If this was all there was to it, it was not actually that destructive.

As the flames spread, the Demon Beasts seemed to regain some clarity, and the presences constantly approaching from afar also stopped.

No one knew where the sea of fire had come from, but they knew it had drastically reduced the danger.

Lu Changsheng, however, did not relax. He kept feeling there was something else.

In an instant, a black shadow flashed through the sea of fire. Unnoticed by anyone, it climbed a peak, its eyes fixed intently on Zhou Qingyu in the air.

What surprised Lu Changsheng, however, was that he could not sense the slightest trace of life from the black shadow, and it actually possessed cultivation at Core Formation third layer.