Chapter 89: Collecting Treasures
Chapter 89: Collecting Treasures
Bonus Chapter - One
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"Where are you going now?" Dao Ming asked when he noticed Xin Cheng heading after Xiang Ling who just left the clearing.
"Stay here and make sure to get both the Devil Flowers safely. And I... will make sure that your woman wouldn’t end dying on this island tonight." Xin Cheng replied before his figure disappeared from the cave like a gust of wind.
"My woman? Are you sure I’m the only one who’s interested in her?" Dao Ming shouted the question at his friend but received no response.
Great! Now he was the one left behind all alone.
* * *
Xiang Ling was almost at the foot of the highest peak when her gaze landed on a spiritual flower that was growing on her left. It was a bright yellow flower with five big petals, surrounded by a faint yellow glow of spiritual energy.
"I knew this visit will not be fruitless." She chirped happily before she grabbed one of the nearby hanging vines and took a big leap. Her feet landed exactly where she wanted and with a single swipe of her hand, the spiritual flower was safely stored inside her space. Instead of returning to her original position, she used the vine to descend the rest of the peak.
The vine ended at a little height from the ground and Xiang Ling jumped down as she let go of the vine. The moment her feet landed on the ground, a very familiar voice entered her ear.
"Despite your Immortal powers, it took you forever to descend this peak." Xin Cheng commented in a very unimpressed tone as he stood not too far from her with his back pressed against a tree’s trunk.
Xiang Ling decided to ignore the man completely just like she was advised by Dao Ming and instead, started making her way into the deep forest filled with dangers while her eyes constantly searched for treasures.
In every five minutes, she was able to collect a treasure or two. She not only collected spiritual herbs but also spiritual fruits that were growing all over the island. She stored all the fruits in the stream to keep them fresh with the help of spiritual energy.
Xin Cheng silently followed behind her but he kept his distance. Xiang Ling just failed to guess his true intention in following her all the way into the forest, and no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to ignore his presence. The man wasn’t made to be ignored at all.
After collecting a bunch of Phoenix Grass, she finally turned to face the man and asked, "Are you here to kill me?" Her voice was devoid of any emotion just like her face. She just stared at him with a blank face that didn’t sit right with Xin Cheng for some reason.
"If I want you dead, I don’t need to spend so much energy on it. Your decision of entering the forest is already enough for you to end up dead tonight." He replied in an equally emotionless tone.
While Xiang Ling wanted to defy his belief, she couldn’t as she knew better than anyone that he was speaking the truth. The reason she was able to make her way to the high peak was because she knew teleportation and also because she could fly. That was why she didn’t have to face the dangers lurking in the forest. However, she had now ventured deep into the woods, and it wouldn’t be long before some ferocious beast would find her.
Even though she was quite powerful, the wild beasts of Tianlin mountains could be a real pain to deal with. If they grouped together and attacked her, she would definitely end up too injured to use her powers which would ultimately lead to her death. Besides, in a Mortal body, she wasn’t able to use her powers to their full potential which was also a set back for her.
If not for the man standing in front of her, she would have taken the chance to flee from the forest as she had already gathered a lot of treasures. Unfortunately, she didn’t have that option left.
"Shouldn’t you return to the cave? It’s almost the hour of Eclipse." She reminded him, but the man didn’t move from his place even for half an inch. "Dao Ming can handle the task on his own." Was all he said in return, but it was already clear to Xiang Ling that the man wasn’t going anywhere.
She let out a frustrated sigh and turned her back to him as she continued to look for more treasures. Even if she was going to die, she decided to fill her space with as many treasures as possible so that she could use them after returning to the Celestial Realm.
It was another ten or so minutes later when her ears picked the little movements and her powers sensed the danger. A rustling in the foliage drew her attention. She could already picture the wild beast heading in her direction. But that momentarily distraction almost stopped her from sensing the barely noticeable vibration right under her feet.
Before she could react, a network of sinewy vines erupted from the ground, their barbed tendrils slashing through the air with deadly precision. Xiang Ling leaped backward, narrowly avoiding the lethal strikes.
With a swift motion, she called out her sword, the blade gleaming in the moonlight that was filtering through the gaps in the dense canopy. With each strike, she severed the vines with expert precision, but they seemed to multiply faster than she could cut them down.
While her one hand continued to swing the sword in a beautiful but deadly sword play, she used her other hand to use her cultivation powers. She channeled her spiritual energy into the ground below, laced with a spell that was meant to find the root of the flesh-eating vines and attack it directly. As long as the root was dead or heavily injured, she would be able to win the battle.
Unfortunately for her, the wild beast decided that very moment to join the fight.