Chương 154: Chapter43: Earth-Essence Fruit and Primordial Spirit Gem

The prize was within arm's reach, yet in that heartbeat of triumph, the ancient tree's bark bucked upward. A streak of obsidian light erupted from a hidden maw, hurtling toward Reyn's manifested azure hand with lethal velocity. This was no mere timber; it was a camouflaged monstrosity, its hide a perfect mimicry of the gnarled trunk. The creature possessed elongated, wiry limbs tipped with obsidian talons and a head crowned by two blunt, knobby horns.

Its jaws were a jagged mess of fangs, from which viscous, acidic saliva dripped, sizzling against the forest floor in plumes of acrid green smoke. The bolt of black light collided with the spiritual hand in a muffled explosion of energy, sending a shockwave that scattered the thick carpet of decaying leaves. Reyn's expression remained a mask of cold indifference. He had felt the anomaly long before the strike.

His Divine Sense, honed to a level comparable to a Golden Core expert, had pierced the beast's near-perfect suppression of its own life force. To any ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, the beast would have been a ghost; to Reyn, it was a target. As the azure hand dissipated, Reyn tapped his storage bag with practiced fluidness. The cone-shaped artifact whistled into the air, vibrating with a high-pitched hum that set the surrounding air trembling.

"Strike!" At his command, the treasure ignited with a blinding radiance, transforming into a streak of light that blurred the very fabric of the forest. The beast let out a low, guttural snarl, its amber eyes flickering with a mixture of predatory caution and primal fear. It lunged to the side, narrowly evading the artifact, yet its gaze remained fixed on the clusters of berries. It had guarded this hoard for over a decade, intending to consume the fruit during its next breakthrough.

To retreat now was to forfeit years of patient waiting. With a roar that shook the canopy, the beast's skin began to ripple. Its colors bled away, merging into the atmosphere until the creature vanished entirely. Even its aura was pulled inward, becoming a faint, undetectable whisper. Reyn's brow furrowed slightly, realizing the beast didn't just mimic its surroundings—it possessed a true invisibility technique. However, such parlor tricks were useless against a soul of his caliber.

Within the radius of his expanded Divine Sense, the creature's heat and spiritual displacement were as clear as a beacon in the night.

"Hmph. Futile." A torrent of oppressive mental energy erupted from Reyn's forehead, a physical weight that hammered down upon the invisible predator. Rank 2 beasts possessed formidable physical shells but lacked the spiritual fortitude of human cultivators. Under the crushing weight of Reyn's soul-shock, the beast let out a pained shriek, its camouflage failing as its physical form snapped back into reality. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Go!" Reyn's finger snapped forward. The cone-shaped treasure accelerated, boring through the air with a piercing whine. Paralyzed by the mental assault, the beast could only watch with wide, despairing eyes as the artifact punched a clean hole through its skull. It collapsed instantly, its life force snuffed out before its body hit the dirt. Reyn recalled the artifact with a flick of his wrist. With a dark glint in his eyes, he summoned the Shura Secret Bone.

The crimson skeletal hand plunged into the warm carcass, and the beast's body began to wither at a visible rate. Strands of vital essence and blood were siphoned into the bone, turning its white-streaked surface into a more vibrant, menacing shade of scarlet. Having recently devoured the flesh of the Golden Core cultivator Jin Jupeng, the artifact was now brimming with a malevolent, surging power. Returning the bone to his bag, Reyn turned his attention back to the tree.

He manifested a secondary hand of force to gently pluck the berries.

"Lush green vines, crimson speckles, agate-like luster... and that sharp, acidic aroma." A rare smile touched his lips.

"If the records are accurate, this is a windfall." He descended to the forest floor and produced a spade-like Spirit Tool. Infusing it with spiritual power, he began to excavate the earth around the vine's roots. He dug two fathoms deep until the roots began to converge into a single, dense point. His movements became surgical. Finally, his tool struck something solid and resonant. Buried in the dark loam was a milky-white stone the size of three clenched fists—the Primordial Spirit Gem.

Reyn's eyes narrowed as he sensed a faint ripple in the air behind him, a killing intent so suppressed it was almost non-existent. He didn't turn. Instead, he used a jade knife to sever the minor roots, leaving only the primary taproot connected to the gem. He produced a jade vial and made a precise incision. Thick, fragrant, and viscous liquid—the Millennium Spirit Milk—began to trickle into the container. As the last drop fell, the ten-thousand-year-old vine withered into ash.

Simultaneously, the Primordial Spirit Gem in Reyn's hand disintegrated into fine powder.

"The Earth-Essence Fruit and the Primordial Spirit Gem are symbiotic entities," Reyn murmured, his voice carrying through the silent woods.

"One refines the physical body to the limit; the other produces milk that can restore a cultivator's entire mana pool in an instant. Truly, a legendary find." He moved to stow the vial, but in a sudden, violent motion, he spun around. The cone-shaped artifact launched from his sleeve, striking the empty air with the force of a falling mountain. CLANG! A deafening metallic ring echoed as the artifact struck an invisible barrier.

A muffled groan followed, and the air rippled like water, revealing a figure clad in light-distorting black robes. The intruder's eyes were wide with disbelief.

"How... how did you find me?" Reyn sneered, his aura flaring with cold dominance.

"Your concealment technique is indeed top-tier. My initial scan missed you entirely. But you showed two fatal cracks in your armor." He stepped forward, the cone artifact hovering like a hungry predator.

"First, when I unearthed the gem, your heart skipped—a flicker of excitement you couldn't suppress. Second, when I explained the treasures' value, your greed betrayed you. You couldn't help but hunger for what was mine, and that hunger has a scent."