The Fight for the Fruit

Ascension... Could it be another form of consciousness implantation?

Looking at the enormous black cocoon emitting a faint glow before him, Jiang He had a vague suspicion.

What he could be sure of now was that this "mummy" was the Devil Arum, about to complete its ascension.

As for whether Liu Lu was still inside, he had no way of knowing.

But...

The Devil Arum's ascending body was here, while the fruit it wanted to devour was atop the flower's core, a hundred meters up!

Didn't that mean there was some way to reach and eat the fruit quickly?

The petals had fully opened, and the fruit was nearly ripe. Climbing to the top of the flower's core in such a short time was simply impossible.

So Jiang He could only take a gamble and see if he could use the Urn's advantage to seize the fruit!

In the few seconds he spent thinking, the enormous black cocoon before him began to tremble incessantly.

The threads wrapped around its surface peeled away layer by layer.

Soon, a figure covered from head to toe in mucus was revealed!

It was Liu Lu!

[ Ding ]

[Level 5 Demon Seed detected nearby: Corpse-Devouring Devil Arum (ascended form). Danger rating: 999]

Just as I thought, my guess was right. This thing's ascension was nothing more than taking over Liu Lu's body!

"Ah!"

The moment Liu Lu opened his eyes, he let out a furious howl.

His voice sounded like the wail of a beast, as though he were venting the rage in his chest!

"Qianqian! I'll kill that guy and take you back!"

His eyes were bloodshot, killing intent bursting from them, and his mucus-covered face was filled with humiliation and rage.

The sudden outcry made Jiang He's eyes widen!

Damn it!

Why does Liu Lu still have a consciousness of his own?

Did the Corpse-Devouring Devil Arum fail to ascend, only for Liu Lu to take over its consciousness instead?

He couldn't help praying inwardly.

If this guy really had become a Level 5 Demon Seed, wouldn't he be in serious danger...?

Being targeted by such a powerful supernatural creature was definitely no good thing!

I can't let him succeed!

Seeing Liu Lu look up at the fruit high above, Jiang He clenched his fists and silently vowed to snatch it before the guy could eat it.

But the moment the plan took shape in his mind, reality gave him a resounding slap in the face!

Because...

Not only had Liu Lu fused with it very successfully, he could even...

Fly!!

Like a child of the forest, he rose steadily as a huge vine lifted him up.

In no time, he reached the top of the flower's core!

At the sight, cold sweat broke out all over Jiang He's body. His mind raced as he searched for a way to deal with this!

"Hahaha!"

Liu Lu reached for the fruit, bursting into laughter at the joy of having success within his grasp!

I have to expose myself!

Jiang He gritted his teeth, as though he had made some momentous decision.

A red light flared in his hand, and two tongues of flame shot out!

One struck the vine beneath Liu Lu's feet, while the other attacked the stalk of the flower's core!

Jiang He had tested this during his first escape.

These vines only looked frightening. In truth, they were extremely vulnerable to fire and would break after the briefest burning.

"Who's there?!"

Liu Lu noticed almost the instant Jiang He used his skill, but before he could react, the vine beneath his feet had already burned through.

His figure plummeted from the air, only to be caught quickly by another vine!

"It's you!"

A cry of wild joy rang through the space. Liu Lu was naturally very familiar with this skill!

But before he could do anything, the enormous flower core beside him fell as well.

"Hmph! You stole Qianqian, and now you want to steal my fruit too!"

Liu Lu was clearly furious and shouted at the top of his lungs!

With a wave of his hand, several thick vines shot out. In the blink of an eye, they snatched the fruit...

Damn it!

Still racing forward, Jiang He saw that the fruit had already been taken and cursed inwardly.

He abruptly stopped running toward it, not daring to make a sound.

Liu Lu was no longer the Liu Lu of before. Once he had picked the fruit, he would be a complete Level 5 Demon Seed with a human body!

The gulf between their strengths was like an impassable chasm, impossible to cross even by an inch!

"Hahaha! You're nothing but a rat too!"

Hearing the wild laughter, Jiang He clenched his fists again.

The fruit was three or four meters across. There was no way Liu Lu could swallow it in one bite with his body!

So he still had a chance...

Liu Lu moved his head, sensing his surroundings for a while. Seemingly unable to detect any presence, he frowned, a trace of confusion appearing on his face.

"I know you're still here! Get out here!"

The huge vines seemed to sense the rage in his chest. They darted through the space like flying, frenzied pythons, waiting for a chance to tear someone apart!

His eyesight hasn't recovered?

Jiang He seemed to have just discovered the key to the problem.

The ashes released by his Urn were so obvious that even an ordinary person, let alone a supernatural creature, could spot them at a glance.

Yet this guy... was like a blind man!

Moving his feet slowly, Jiang He kept dodging the vines' attacks, gradually making his way directly beneath Liu Lu.

He understood that the spot right under the lamp was the darkest!

"Get out here! Hahaha! As long as you give Qianqian back to me, I'll spare you! Hahaha!"

Liu Lu's face was full of anger as he kept gnawing at the fruit, yet his voice sounded extremely excited.

What a madman!

Jiang He grumbled inwardly as he considered his next move.

He's directly above me. He'll definitely notice an ordinary attack in advance, so it probably won't hit him. I'll have to climb up and catch him off guard!

With that thought, Jiang He set his sights on the fallen flower core nearby.

Its stalk was being held up by vines, with its tip directly in front of the fruit!

It couldn't have been more suitable for climbing!

Climbing up blindly like this will definitely draw Liu Lu's attention. I need to do something else!

Thinking this, Jiang He stopped worrying about waste. He took a large pot out of the space, then poured half a bucket of cooking oil into it.

Cooking oil was extremely precious in the apocalypse...

Since Liu Lu can't see, this will be much easier!

He first carried the pot quietly to a distant corner, then quickly returned to the spot beneath Liu Lu!

Flames lit up in his hand, and a tongue of fire instantly shot out!

This was the last of Jiang He's superpower!

If he failed, he would have no other options...

Fortunately, Liu Lu had been blinded by rage. Having lost control of his emotions, he had long since lost the ability to think normally; otherwise, the Devil Arum wouldn't have chosen him!

A brainless flower and a madman who had lost his mind-put the two together, and their combined IQ would probably still be negative...

"Rat, you finally decided to come out!"

Sensing the superpower fluctuation, Liu Lu was instantly overjoyed!

The vines swung around and all chased after the tongue of fire.

Seeing that he had fallen for it, Jiang He didn't dare pause. He rapidly climbed along the flower core.

This little trick wouldn't buy him much time. He had to move fast!

"Die! You piece of trash! Die!"

The sound of vines striking the iron pot rang out as Liu Lu laughed wildly!

The closer Jiang He got, the more clearly he could see!

The guy was covered in dried mucus, his expression utterly savage. It was as if his hatred had finally found an outlet, and he had even forgotten to eat the fruit beside him!

For a Level 2 Superpower Sequence like Jiang He, climbing a hundred meters took only a dozen seconds or so.

Even with his superpower depleted, it wouldn't take him half a minute.

Looking at the enormous fruit before him, Jiang He could barely contain his pounding heart. Without the slightest hesitation, he pressed his right hand against it!

[ Ding ]

[Level 5 Demon Seed detected: Incomplete Spore Fruit. Would the host like to spend 10,000 System Points to fuse with it?]

"Fuse!"

As Jiang He mentally pressed the fusion button, the enormous fruit vanished from the space!

[Host: Jiang He]

[System Points remaining: 11,200]

[Fusing with Spore Fruit! Estimated time remaining: 2 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds. Upon completion, the host may choose one skill (affected by double effect, automatically adjusted to two).]