Chapter 535 - 531: Stealing the Divine Artifact, The Tree of Life
Qin Feng propelled himself with Light Escape, speeding like lightning towards the agreed-upon location eight hundred miles away.
With his current speed of flight, it only took a moment for him to arrive in the midst of the forest.
“Senior Sister…”
Before he even reached her, Qin Feng saw from afar Li Miaozhen leaning against a large tree, sitting on a broken tree root, so he shouted out and descended from mid-air.
However, once he landed, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
Li Miaozhen’s complexion was somewhat pale, and her customary divine steed, the white horse usually ridden by Valkyrie Girl Warriors, was nowhere to be seen. A murderous aura emanated from her, her silver-white armor was damaged, and there was even a trace of blood on her shoulder.
Qin Feng’s expression changed, “Senior Sister, you’re injured? Who did this to you?”
Upon seeing Qin Feng, Li Miaozhen’s tense expression relaxed slightly, moved her hand away from the handle of the White Tiger Knife at her waist and said casually, “It’s nothing, just some minor injuries, don’t worry about it.”
However, she then glared fiercely at Qin Feng, “You rascal, you promised everything would be fine, how could you be so unreliable?
I had something to ask for your help with, yet you didn’t show up once in two years. If it hadn’t been for the unchanged aura on the Sensing Jade Token that belonged to you, I would have thought you had been exposed and something had happened to you.”
As she spoke, she couldn’t help standing up, irritated, and knocked hard on Qin Feng’s head with the knife handle.
It was only because Qin Feng’s Azure Dragon Daoist Body was strong enough, otherwise an ordinary Purple Mansion Cultivator would have ended up with a sizable bump from that hit.
“Hehe, don’t be mad, Senior Sister, it’s not my fault,” Qin Feng quickly raised his hand to cover his head, trying to avoid another hit, and grinned sheepishly while begging for mercy, “I was ambushed by Luo Xiao from Ghost Dragon City. We fought on the Rainbow Bridge, and before we could determine a victor, I encountered numerous Frost Giants and had no choice but to follow the Rainbow Bridge down to the Lower World.”
“That guy actually came to this world too? Hmph, and he dared to ambush you, I’ll find a chance to kill him!”
“No need.”
Qin Feng smiled and waved his hand, “We coincidentally met again in the Undead Realm… he’s already dead!”
Li Miaozhen heard this and didn’t pay further attention to it, instead, she curiously asked, “According to the information I got in the Divine Country, the Lower World is also divided into three great kingdoms, each more dangerous than the last. It’s not as peaceful as Midgard with the Human Clan nations. You actually stayed in such a dangerous place for so long, quite bold, aren’t you?
How was it, what did you gain, did you manage to secure a spot for a trial?”
“Hehe… the gains were decent!” Qin Feng replied modestly.
But anyone who saw the proud look in his eyes and brows knew that his claim of ‘decent’ was just a show of false modesty.
“Looks like you had a good haul, then I’m relieved,” Li Miaozhen nodded and breathed a sigh of relief, “Lucky you returned from the Lower World in time, otherwise, I’m afraid you wouldn’t have seen me again.”
Qin Feng was startled, “Is your injury that serious, Senior Sister?”
“What nonsense are you talking about, I meant that I would be returning to Biluo, and you wouldn’t be able to see me in this world anymore.”
Li Miaozhen rolled her eyes at him, “I came here this time intending to leave you a Sound Transmission Talisman and then activate the mark left inside by the Guiding Treasure Banner, waiting for Mituom Buddha to guide me back. I didn’t expect you to return just in time.”
“Sister, what exactly happened?”
Qin Feng asked curiously, “Hadn’t you already infiltrated the Divine Country and become a Valkyrie Girl Warrior? It’s very convenient for you to gather information and travel between the two worlds. How did you end up in such a state? Could your identity have been exposed?”
“My identity wasn’t exposed; I just didn’t want to continue mixing in the Divine Country anymore, so I left of my own accord.”
“Left voluntarily?”
Li Miaozhen shook her head and said, “You don’t really think I wanted to keep working for them in the Divine Country and wait for the end of the ten-year period, do you?
My main purpose in going to the Divine Country was to investigate the secrets of the All Gods and the strength of the Divine Clan. More than two years was enough for me to get a rough idea, and there was no need to stay any longer.
Moreover, while in the Divine Country, I encountered a few rather peculiar individuals. If I am not mistaken, they should be disciples from other factions in disguise.
Heh, those guys are quite brave and competent. Not only were they able to infiltrate the Divine Country, but their disguises were so good that I almost failed to recognize them.
However, since they have gone to Asgard, I’m afraid it won’t take long for them to find out those secrets. After all, the All Gods don’t really hide many so-called secrets. There’s a lot of infighting among the divine beings, who readily expose each other, so gathering this information isn’t difficult. I certainly don’t want to wait until the ten-year period is up to go back; that would only benefit others.”
Speaking to this point, she paused briefly before continuing, “Therefore, I planned to return to Biluo early and bring back this information to secure my credit.
Originally, I wanted to find you before leaving and pull off one last big job. However, I couldn’t find you, and even with the Sensing Jade Token, I couldn’t determine your location. I had to settle for a Divine Artifact that wasn’t of much use to me and then fled the Divine Country.
Lucky you returned in time; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to withstand the pursuit and would have had to escape first.”
“Oh?”
Upon hearing this, Qin Feng finally understood the reason behind Li Miaozhen’s injury.
Looking at the claw-like marks on her shoulder, he reached out to release Healing Divine Power to treat her wounds while asking, “Sister, what kind of Divine Artifact did you manage to secure?
But speaking of which, Sister actually managed to escape from the Divine Country after having offended divine beings—truly impressive!”
“Cut the flattery!”
Li Miaozhen said disdainfully, “The Divine Clan in Asgard is just too arrogant. Besides, the Upper World is full of mixed existences. Not only are there Vanir Gods living there among them, but even some Giants appear from time to time. Moreover, my identity hadn’t been exposed at the time, so leaving the Divine Country was of course easy.
Besides, although Heimdall is powerful with his divine strength, he can’t be watching over the Rainbow Bridge all the time. In fact, he is just the leader in charge of guarding the bridge, with the Divine Clan’s army responsible for the actual watch. It’s not necessary for this powerful divine being to stand guard every day.
I had identified several targets and wanted to steal a more powerful Divine Artifact to take back. However, it’s difficult to act alone and I couldn’t find you, so I had to pick an easy target and stole a necklace from Freya’s palace.
To my surprise, she discovered the theft so quickly and even chased me out of the Divine Country. These past days, I’ve been dodging and hiding, but I’ve been unable to shake off her pursuit.”
“Freya?”
Upon hearing this, Qin Feng’s thoughts were stirred, recalling the goddess he had encountered on the Rainbow Bridge. He asked, “Sister, are you talking about the goddess who had two cats pulling her chariot?”
“Eh, you’ve seen her too?”
Li Miaozhen was startled and quickly asked, “When did you see her, and where? She hasn’t chased me here so soon, has she?”
“Sister, rest assured, I encountered her just after I returned to Midgard by the Rainbow Bridge as she was descending to the Lower Realm.”
He said with some confusion, “After all, it’s just a necklace. Does that goddess really need to go so far as to chase Sister for such a long time?”
“You don’t understand!”
Li Miao Zhen shook her head: “Freya’s necklace is very famous in the Divine Country. Many goddesses want to own it, but it’s just not easy to snatch it from Freya.
That necklace possesses magical powers, which not only make the goddess even more beautiful upon wearing it but also add a kind of charming power. It’s because of the Brishgamman necklace that Freya became a renowned goddess in Asgard, attracting a multitude of suitors.”
“Is that so.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Feng nodded and then slyly flattered her: “However, Senior Sister is already beautiful on her own, you don’t need to wear that what’s-its-name necklace to be chased after by many cultivators in the Southern Domain as a fairy!”
“Tch…”
Li Miao Zhen coldly snorted with disdain: “Do you think I care about that? I stole the Brishgamman necklace not to become beautiful, and I’m not interested in whether others chase after me or not. Do you really expect me to be like those fairies from Baihua Palace, surrounded by a throng of men fawning over them all day long?
Since I began my cultivation, there hasn’t been a man who dared to pester me by staying at my side all day long. Even the senior brothers from the White Tiger Lineage have been beaten by me to the point of keeping their distance as far as they can!
The reason I stole this divine artifact was just for the material it was made from.
It’s a unique kind of Divine Gold, exceptionally rare in all of Asgard and the best material for crafting divine weapons. Using it to create a necklace that charms men is simply a terrible waste; hence, I plan to melt it down and incorporate it into my White Tiger Saber!”
Qin Feng, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but curl the corners of his mouth: “Senior Sister, if you put it in the cultivation world, surely a lot of accomplished female immortals would like it. If you’re willing, you could definitely trade it for materials a hundredfold more precious. Isn’t it a pity to just melt it down?”
“There’s nothing to pity.”
Li Miao Zhen casually waved her hand, signaling Qin Feng to stop his healing divine power, and said: “The precious materials in the cultivation world will come to me in time. It’s the unique materials from this other world that are truly rare.
Although I know it’s somewhat wasteful, compared to my path of Dao, what’s there to regret about a mere divine artifact? Merging it with the White Tiger Saber, enhancing the power of my lifebound divine weapon, that’s what matters!”
“Hehe, if Goddess Freya and other beauty-loving divine beings knew about this, they would hate you to death!”
Qin Feng laughed: “Such waste of heavenly gifts, using such a divine artifact as material for artifact refining and integrating it into a weapon, only Senior Sister could do something like this.”
Li Miao Zhen smiled, not feeling the slightest bit of guilt for using the Brishgamman, a divine artifact necklace desired by almost all goddesses and female immortals, merely as a raw material. Instead, she bubbled with excitement thinking about how much the power of her White Tiger Saber would increase after incorporating it.
“Senior Sister, why is your injury so strange that it’s so hard to heal?”
Qin Feng stopped his actions and frowned as he looked at Li Miao Zhen’s shoulder.
His healing divine power was quite formidable, but even after such a long time, he still hadn’t been able to restore the injury on Li Miao Zhen’s shoulder to its original state.
Moreover, Li Miao Zhen had cultivated the White Tiger Divine Technique to an incredibly profound degree and had even received a vast amount of vitality from the Blood Lotus of the Blood God Sect. With the robustness of her White Tiger Dao Body, normal injuries should have already healed, but even under the aid of his healing divine power, she could not recover, which really surprised Qin Feng.
“It was scratched by a cat under Freya’s command.”
Li Miao Zhen explained: “That cat itself has already advanced to the demigod realm. Although it’s weak within the Demigod Realm, it still has some special abilities. For now, I’m no match for it.
Moreover, Freya has placed some kind of spell on those two cats. Ever since I sustained the wound, it’s been difficult to dispel their power, and not only is the recovery exceptionally slow, but they can always find my tracks.
If I didn’t have a few tricks up my sleeve, I might really not have been able to escape their pursuit.”
“Oh?”
Qin Feng frowned, pondered for a moment, then suddenly waved his hand and released a small tree about a yard tall.
The trunk was only as thick as an arm, but the leaves were a verdant green, resembling jade, instantly conveying a vibrant life force that seemed to emanate a magical power.
This was the appearance of the Soul Devouring Vine Demon after it had fused with the World Tree Root.
Because the World Tree was too powerful, once its root had merged into the body of the Soul Devouring Vine Demon, it greatly influenced it, gradually transforming its vines into the shape of a trunk. Were it not for the remaining shapes of the Soul Devouring Vine Demon interwoven between the branches and leaves, it would have been difficult for anyone to associate the Soul Devouring Vine Demon with this Divine Tree.
Since it had completely assumed its current form, Qin Feng had decided to abandon the name Soul Devouring Vine Demon and rename it Tree of Life.
For one, it no longer bore the appearance of vines, having grown into a tree; moreover, it cultivated primarily with the Life Principle, exuding vitality throughout its being, making the name Life Tree quite fitting.
“Come, use your Life Principle to heal sister’s injuries, and see if you can expel the strange force within the wound?”
Qin Feng instructed, and the Tree of Life slightly nodded its canopy, which was akin to a nod, then extended a branch to rest it on Li Miaozhen’s shoulder.
Due to its transformation from the World Tree sapling, its ability to transform had become difficult to utilize, and it would need to accustom itself over several more years to possibly transform again.
Li Miaozhen didn’t shrink back but simply looked at the Life Tree with curiosity, allowing it to place its branch on her wound.
Then, she felt a surge of the Life Principle’s fluctuations along with an immense breath of life merge into her shoulder, commencing a battle with the strange force at the site of injury.
“What immense power of life, how come I’ve never seen this Tree Demon before?”
She wondered aloud, “Could it be a Tree Demon you’ve taken in after coming to this world?”
“No, I happened to obtain two segments of the World Tree Root, and after integrating one into the Soul Devouring Vine Demon, it grew into this!”
“No wonder it looked somewhat familiar to me!”
Li Miaozhen nodded. “However, has this fellow’s strength improved a lot? As far as I know, the World Tree is not primarily governed by the Life Principle.”
“Heheh, sister doesn’t know, little brother here not only gained these spoils in the Lower World but also fortuitously found a Life Spring in the Undead Realm.”
Qin Feng spoke with pride, “It is precisely because of that Life Spring that it has made so much progress.”
“Life Spring?”
After expressing surprise, Li Miaozhen nodded again, “Your luck is really good, I did not expect that in a place filled with Death Qi like the Undead Realm, a Life Spring could actually be nurtured!”
“It was a land where life and death converged, and thus, such a Divine Spring could be nurtured.”
Qin Feng explained, “It’s just a pity it’s a bit small, even after countless years, it’s only about the size of a small pond.”
“That’s already quite remarkable.”
Li Miaozhen said, “Regardless of its size, it is a rare treasure in this world. In the future, don’t talk about such things openly; be cautious of arousing the covetousness of others. Few cultivators would be able to resist the allure of treasures like the Life Spring, don’t bring disaster upon yourself!”
“Sister is right.”
Qin Feng looked at her shoulder and noticed that the injury had improved; if things continued this way, within half an hour, the remnants of power in the wound could be completely expelled, and her shoulder would recover.
However, just at that moment, a cat’s cry suddenly came from afar!