Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

Chapter 68 Ancient Spirit Vine - Bloodthirsty Mutant

Chen Yuan didn't answer, but gripped his wrist tightly with his left hand and pressed his right hand against his chest, the palm print pressed firmly against his skin.

suck.

Inhaling frantically.

The scarred man felt his cultivation level slipping away, falling from the mid-stage of the seventh level of Qi Refining to the early stage, and then to the perfect sixth level... He struggled desperately, but the blood mist stuck to his whole body like glue, and the more he struggled, the stronger the suction became.

"No...no! Spare me! I—"

The sound stopped abruptly.

Chen Yuan clenched his right hand into his chest, and the blood-bone thorn pierced his heart.

The scarred man froze, his eyes quickly losing their light. In his final moments, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but only bloody foam escaped.

Then, it stopped moving completely.

Chen Yuan remained in this position, kneeling in the pit, pressing down on the corpse.

The blood mist slowly dissipated.

The Earthbind Charm's effect has completely disappeared.

The moonlight shone down again, illuminating the two bloodied bodies in the pit—one already cold, the other still breathing.

Chen Yuan slowly released his grip, rolled off the corpse, and lay on his back at the bottom of the pit.

A poisoned blade was embedded in his chest, a dagger in his ribs, and two bloody holes in his back. The blood had turned the soil beneath him a dark red.

Looking at the night sky, the stars are very bright.

The mark on my right arm was still burning, but the violent power was fading, replaced by a deep weariness and... emptiness.

In that wave of devouring, the Blood Ginseng Soul consumed nearly 30% of the Scarface Man's cultivation, but most of it was used to fight his injuries and activate his nascent root, so not much was returned to him.

With difficulty, he turned his head to look at the edge of the pit.

The shattered remains of the Azure Vine were still emitting a faint blue light.

The entry will automatically appear in the view:

【Azure Vine (Self-Destructing State)】

[Hidden Trait Triggered: Wood Spirit Sacrifice - Sensing the host's life-threatening situation, it actively detonates its main body, sacrificing all its wood spirit energy to the symbiotic mark]

[Current Status: All seven plants have withered and cannot be revived]

Chen Yuan looked at it for a few seconds, then closed his eyes.

"Sigh, we have to replant the Qingyuan Vine." He said to the air.

Then he began to treat the wound.

First, remove the dagger—the wound under the ribs was shallow, and stopping the bleeding was easy. Next, remove the poisoned blade—this was troublesome; the blade still contained toxins, and when pulled out, it drew out a stream of dark blood. Tear off a piece of clothing, dip it in my own relatively clean blood, and used it to make a simple bandage.

I was completely exhausted after doing all that.

But we can't rest yet.

I climbed out of the pit and staggered to the Ghost Flower. The flower was intact, its dark petals blooming quietly in the moonlight, as if the life-or-death struggle that had just taken place had nothing to do with it.

Chen Yuan reached out and gently touched the petals.

It's cold.

"You, on the other hand, are... living a carefree life." He gave a wry smile.

Then she turned around and looked at the scarred man's corpse.

It must be disposed of.

If someone from the Array Court dies here, and it's discovered, Senior Brother Zhang has a million ways to kill him. And judging from the scarred man's final behavior, he might not be an ordinary disciple—his ruthlessness is more like that of someone who specializes in dirty work.

Chen Yuan walked back to the edge of the pit, squatted down, and began to loot the corpse.

Money pouch: Twenty-three low-grade spirit stones and five mid-grade spirit stones. I'm rich!

Talismans: In addition to the Earth Binding Talisman that I used, there are three mid-grade first-tier Earth Shield Talismans.

Elixirs: One bottle of Qi-restoring pills, half a bottle of wound-healing powder.

Miscellaneous items: A token for an outer disciple of the Array Court, with the name "Zhao Kui" engraved on it. There is also a letter, unsealed.

Chen Yuan took out the letter and read it by the moonlight.

The handwriting is messy, but the content is clear:

"Junior Brother Zhao: Tonight at midnight, at location number seventy-three, destroy the Yin Soul Flower. If the Spirit Farmer obstructs you, deal with him as well. Clean up all traces afterwards; I've already taken care of things at the Hall of Affairs. After you succeed, leave Medicine Valley immediately and do not return for three months. Zhang"

The signature didn't include a name, but included a simple diagram—a symbol for the inner workings of the Array Court.

Chen Yuan stared at the letter for a long time.

Then he folded the letter, put it back in the envelope, and stuffed it into his pocket along with the token. He took everything else as well.

Finally, he looked at the corpse.

What should I do?

Buried? Disciples patrol Medicine Valley every day, so newly disturbed sites are easily discovered.

It's on fire? The flames and smoke will attract attention.

Drag him to the forbidden area in the back mountain? With his current injuries, he'll bleed to death before he even gets there.

Just as he was hesitating, a faint throbbing sensation suddenly came from the mark on his right arm.

Immediately afterwards, I felt a slight tremor in the ground beneath my feet—not an earthquake, but some kind of... creeping.

Chen Yuan lowered his head, his pupils contracting.

The blood flowing from the scarred man was seeping into the soil. And deep within the soil, something was awakening, crawling upwards following the scent of blood.

I thought of those "Blood Guards" in the forbidden area.

Could there be something similar underground in Medicine Valley?

No, it's different. This time, what awakened carries a strong...wood-attribute aura?

"Shh...shh..."

The sound was getting closer.

Chen Yuan took two steps back and gripped the dagger he had taken from the scarred man.

Suddenly, the soil around the corpse cracked open, and more than a dozen finger-thick, dark blue roots emerged! The surface of the roots was covered with fine hairs, and the moment they came into contact with the corpse's blood, all the hairs stood up, like countless mouths, and began to frantically absorb the blood and bits of flesh!

The absorption rate is astonishingly fast.

In the time it takes to breathe, the corpse shrank by one layer.

Ten breaths later, the skin and flesh melted away, revealing the bones.

Within twenty breaths, even the bones were enveloped, decomposed, and devoured by the roots.

Thirty breaths later, only an empty robe and the poisoned blade remained in the pit. The roots, having eaten and drunk their fill, slowly retreated underground, and the soil automatically churned up, filling the pit and restoring it to its original state.

It was as if nothing had happened.

Chen Yuan stood frozen in place, his back soaked with cold sweat from his wounds, which stung painfully.

He slowly turned his head and looked towards the direction of number seventy-five—the place where the Qingyuan Vine originally grew.

The field of vision jumped wildly, finally settling on a line of blood-red text:

[Warning: Residual root system of 'Ancient Spirit Vine - Bloodthirsty Variant' detected]

【Characteristics: Nourished by flesh and blood, it can grow rapidly and bear 'Blood Spirit Fruit' - after consumption, it will temporarily and greatly enhance the power of wood-type spells, but will cause dependence and mental erosion】

[Current Status: Absorbing the corpse of a Qi Refining Stage 7 cultivator; expected to sprout in 12 hours]

Recommendation: Destroy immediately.

Chen Yuan stared at that line of text for a very long time.

Then he bent down, picked up the empty robe and poisoned blade from the pit, and limped toward his thatched hut.

The moonlight shone on his back, revealing bloodstains.

He pushed open the door, threw his things in the corner, walked to the water tank, and scooped water to wash his wounds. The cold water made him shiver, but his mind was unusually clear.

After washing up, I sat on the edge of the bed, took out the letter from my pocket, and read it again.

Senior Brother Zhang wanted to kill him.

The court wants the ghost flower dead.

He had just killed a Qi Refining Stage 7 cultivator and had also accidentally awakened a dangerous ancient variant of the Spirit Vine.

A rooster crowed outside the window.

It's almost dawn.

Chen Yuan put away the letter, lay down on the bed, and stared at the thatched roof with his eyes open.

The mark on his right arm was no longer burning; instead, it emanated a warm, moist wood-elemental energy—the final gift from the dead Azure Vine. The energy slowly nourished the wound; though slow, it was undeniably effective.

He recalled the bluish light when the vines burst open.

I recall the greed of those roots as they devoured the corpse.

I recall the bottom of the pit and the terrified look in the scarred man's eyes before he died.

"Oh……"

Chen Yuan suddenly laughed, the sound echoing in the empty thatched hut, tinged with the smell of blood.

He raised his right hand and looked at the tree-shaped mark on his palm.

"So you... also like to eat people."

The mark was slightly warm, as if in response.

He lowered his hand and closed his eyes.

Before sleepiness washed over me, my last thought was:

I'm going to the library tomorrow.

Look up information on "Bloodlust Variant".