A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 205 Acceleration

An unexpected change occurred, and Owen refused to linger in the fight. Taking advantage of the rising crimson mushroom cloud, he fled at lightning speed, using the shadows of tall buildings as cover. After making several detours, he left Golden Winged Sparrow Island, stepped ashore, and headed straight for the place where Divine Martial Returns to One was located.

The crystal trees in various places were constantly moving, and on Shenwu Guiyi's side, a bright red crystal tree grew out of the base, its roots spreading out, and after moving more than twenty meters, it stopped in the middle of the street.

It wasn't that it betrayed the other gene trees, but rather that a hemp rope covered with cinnabar and yellow talismans was tied to the tree trunk.

The other end of the rope was held in Shenwu Guiyi's hand.

Irving landed with a leap and immediately asked, "What exactly happened?"

"Someone disturbed the earth's veins, causing the gene tree seeds to germinate prematurely."

Shenwu Guiyi looked calmly at the crystal tree and explained, "It's most likely Shenwu Maha. Although the Violet Gene Tree has been improved and cultivated a second time by us, its original source is still the Feathered Void Longevity Fruit. This strange force that disturbs the earth's veins obviously has a special effect on the Feathered Void Longevity Fruit."

He thought for a moment, "It's just like a lost lamb finding a sheepdog."

Irving asked, "So, do you have any way to undo this effect?"

"If it had happened a few days earlier, I could have detected this method in advance and taken preventative or remedial measures. But now, with only one day left until the fruit is ripe, it will be very difficult to stop his catalytic method."

Shenwu Guiyi shook the rope and said, "There's no need to stop it. In another ten minutes, all these fruits will be ripe. He actually helped us out."

Owen said in an unfriendly tone, "But if we can't resist this influence, what if, after we absorb the fruit, Shenwu Maha can still let the fruit's power wreak havoc within us? Wouldn't that be extremely disadvantageous?"

Shenwu Guiyi said, "Don't worry. The gene tree is already a mutated variety of the longevity fruit. If those fighters absorb it, it will be like it has undergone a second filtering and change. Only after we seize it and integrate it into our bodies will his methods have a negligible impact on us."

Owen scoffed, "You never mentioned before that Shenwu Maha possessed such methods, yet he played a card you never expected. How can you be sure he doesn't have a way to deal with these mutated species?"

Shenwu Guiyi was not bothered by the repeated questioning from his partners.

This man's mind seemed to be focused on something he had been hesitating about and looking forward to for a long time. Nothing else was worth getting angry about. He only said, "Shenwu Mohe used to be of lowly status and had no access to the family's first-hand research reports. Later, he showed his talent, but the elders interrogated him about the secret of his great strength, which sparked a fierce internal struggle that lasted for a long time. In the end, all the data in the family's secret place was destroyed, leaving only what I remembered in my mind."

"Therefore, he couldn't possibly know how the Feather Fruit was cultivated and mutated. At most, he could only search for clues in ancient books and find a method to target the original Feather Fruit."

Irving was not convinced by this argument, and his expression remained somewhat unpleasant.

Shenwu Guiyi chuckled and said, "I know your concerns, but when the fruit ripens, some people will inevitably succumb to temptation. Once there's a first, there will be a second. In this vast urban battlefield, others who are still undecided will also have to make a choice. You can choose not to absorb the fruit yet and observe the situation first."

"That's the only way." Owen nodded at first, then suddenly realized something, his eyes widening slightly. "You just want me to observe? Then you..."

Shenwu Guiyi sighed, "I'm already very hungry, and I really don't want to wait."

Irving shook his head: "Aren't you always cautious, profit-driven, and clear-headed? You even advised me against it..."

"Stop pretending! Don't you know exactly how to provoke me?!"

Shenwu Guiyi suddenly raised his voice, his gaze fixed intently on the top of the crystal tree's trunk and the center of its many branches. Then his voice softened considerably. "In terms of martial prowess, surpassing me can be explained by the legacy of predecessors or amazing adventures. But the Violet Gene Tree is the result of my painstaking research and leadership. It cannot overcome me."

Bright red crystals began to emerge at the core, surrounded by all the branches.

The surface of the crystal is covered with dazzling tiny facets. With each breath, these facets split into more uniformly sized reflective points, and the volume of the crystal increases accordingly.

Shenwu Guiyi timed it perfectly, leaping onto the treetop just as the crystal stopped growing.

The fruit of the Violet Gene Tree is very easy to absorb; simply touching the crystal is enough.

"bring it on."

When Shenwu Guiyi's palm pressed against the crystal, the solid red substance immediately wriggled and seeped into his body through his arm skin.

The bright red gene tree made his whole body glow red, his dark circles under his eyes disappeared, and his eyelids also glowed red.

As the fruit was digested, the feeling of connecting with the earth's veins gave Shenwu Guiyi another perspective beyond the realm of reality. When he opened his eyes again and looked at the violet, the scene that came into his view was completely different from the scenery in reality.

Irving saw that Shenwu Guiyi's body began to tremble uncontrollably and he fell from the tree.

Owen grabbed his shirt by the shoulder to steady him, and quickly asked, "What's wrong? Did the ley line disturbance cause the fruit's effects to malfunction?"

"no……"

Shenwu Guiyi's trembling gradually subsided, and he covered his face while letting out a laugh that was hard to decipher.

"Heh, heh heh heh, how should I put it? Even if we were the ones who pushed things along and wanted to turn Violet into what it is today, I spent most of my energy on research, while you've been stuck in the rich neighborhood, so your understanding isn't deep enough."

"Violet is more ferocious than I expected."

………………

Guan Luoyang was eating while looking at his clothes.

The crystal tree that grew out of him soon produced a crystal that perfectly matched the meaning of "fruit," and then carried the fruit to move in a certain direction.

Out of curiosity, Guan Luoyang leaned closer to the fruit, intending to take a closer look. However, a corner of his trench coat hem drooped onto the crystal surface and then stuck to it.

The softened crystal, like jelly being forcefully pulled, was trembling as the "divine garment" took a long breath and sucked it all away.

The divine garment was not satisfied yet. It then followed the fruit and burrowed into the tree trunk. Its combat life fibers spread out and absorbed the resinous substance in the trunk, turning the entire tree into a hollow.

Even the tree roots that were just moments ago so vibrant have become like hollow, light red glass tubes, stiffening and drooping down one after another, no longer moving.

When the fibers shrank back, Guan Luoyang clearly felt that his sleeves had become looser, and the fabric fibers had increased.

The emotions that the divine garment conveyed to him were like letting out a burp, yet still eagerly wanting to eat more similar delicacies, sharing with him a sense of temporary connection with the earth's energy.

Guan Luoyang stared wide-eyed in astonishment, the scenery before him turning upside down.

Having chatted with Bai Tong and the others recently, and having also looked up some basic knowledge about ley lines on the secret website, Guan Luoyang naturally knew that in the metaphysical sense, ley lines, besides representing the pathways of the earth's vital energy flow, also represent the tendencies of the local human cultural atmosphere.

For example, the geomantic veins of ancient capitals are often thick and majestic, while modern cities that have taken off with the wind are mostly like a blazing fire and blooming flowers. The geomantic veins of border cities, on the other hand, inevitably have some air of war, which is born from the wariness and conflicts between people.

Where young and middle-aged people leave, leaving only the elderly, weak, and widowed, even if the land is fertile and the feng shui is beautiful, the earth's energy will often become desolate and cold.

The earth, being inherently impartial and selfless, possesses various advantages and disadvantages on the surface, but its overall nature tends to be consistent. It is precisely because living beings inhabit this place, endowing it with spiritual symbols, singing praises of the landscape, and interacting with the land, that the characteristics of the earth's veins in different places become vastly different.

Ancient Feng Shui masters explored the earth's veins and observed the wind and qi. They often used vivid metaphors to describe the characteristics of a city or place, such as "looking like a golden mountain," "resembling a den of tigers and wolves," "a place where wise men gather," and "a place with scales of armor and ancient graves everywhere."

Only now did Guan Luoyang realize that these sentences might not just be metaphors, but rather... they had actually seen it.

Because now he also sees it—the violet from the perspective of the ley lines.

The blackish-gray concrete high-rise building, covered with dark red bloodstains, was dilapidated and crooked, on the verge of collapse, with large beasts grinding their teeth and sucking bones lurking inside.

A bald, hairless canine drags the corpse of its kind through the streets with its teeth.

Countless steel beams have been used to build a huge nest spanning both sides of the bay. Giant snakes with human faces move in and out of the nest, their protruding bellies containing many bird eggs, wandering between Goldfinch Island and the new district.

Wingless, human-faced birds filled the rooftop and the low eaves, hopping merrily and chasing after all sorts of strange creatures, snapping photos with a series of clicks.

Baboons, gorillas, and apes that look like humans but are covered in incredibly thick hair, with gold or rolled-up banknotes hanging from every strand of their long hair, sit in these French windows and gardens, patiently grooming their fur and counting the decorations time and time again.

There were also some creatures with gorgeous feathers, but which didn't look like birds at all. They fluttered and played in the sky, attracting enthusiastic attention from the human-faced birds on the ground, who didn't care if they trampled their companions to death.

This is a scene straight out of a horror movie, and the most cheesy and lowbrow kind at that.

Even horror movies need logic and order to highlight the horror beyond human control.

But unlike horror movies, there are no boring jobs, no bystanders who are unknowingly harmed, no screaming and crying, no desperate and retreating victims, and no hopeless, withdrawn supporting characters waiting to die.

Everyone was very happy.

Wild beasts snorted and laughed, canines chuckled, monkeys giggled, and birds with human faces screamed with joy.

And those that were tearing at each other and fighting in groups were laughing heartily.

This is the most recent impression of the ley lines in Violet, a direct transition from the ancient barbaric era to the present day: battle, outcasts, bloodshed, and jubilation.

This is a city where street fighting is legal, an entertainment mecca where fighting is fun and bloodshed is the selling point, a violent city where murder is legal.

Those who are still willing to live here are deeply poisoned, and even those who are willing to come here to visit can hardly be considered normal people in the strict sense.

It can be said that there is no place in the world today where the earth's energy is more suitable for fighting and killing than this place.

Guan Luoyang frowned as he watched all of this.

He liked places where martial arts flourished and people were passionate about fighting. Before he came here, his most optimistic vision of Violet was a large stage where fighters could freely and fairly exchange ideas.

Unfortunately, reality doesn't unfold as optimistically predicted.

From the very first day he encountered those clones, this deformed city lowered his expectations again and again.

The majority are just violent enthusiasts with no clear goals, while those at the top are profit-seekers who don't respect life at all. The sincere fighters are the minority who are being fooled.

"As expected, unless you find a deserted mountain wilderness to hide in, even if you just find a random place to vacation and practice your skills, you'll still run into a bunch of people you don't like..."

"But I just love meddling in other people's business!"

Just as he was secretly plotting his revenge, a clear voice called out, "Guan Luoyang?"

Guan Luoyang's gaze shifted, returning to a normal look as he addressed the three people under the tree: "Who are you?"

"I am Lu Chunhua's friend."

Xu Xiaorou said, "Last time, when Sister Chunhua celebrated her successful transformation, she introduced you and Bai Tong to us. You didn't attend that gathering, but we've seen your photos."

Guan Luoyang jumped down from the tree: "So it's a friend of a friend! You were the ones fighting over there just now, right? Who was the person you were fighting?"

Xu Xiaorou puffed out her cheeks and said in a huff, "It's someone named Owen. You went to the island where he lived before, but his real body is hidden somewhere else. He didn't die. He's clearly not weak, but he's just so good at escaping."

Di Shaolong smiled and said, "Mr. Guan, we know a little about you. We also chatted with Bai Tong last time. Since we're all here, why don't we cooperate?"

Guan Luoyang didn't rush to agree: "I originally came here just to find a fight, but now, the additional objective is to take out a few people, including Irving. I wonder what your purpose is?"

"We're here to recover an artifact, but the person who stole it will definitely have some connection with Irving's camp."

Di Shaolong smiled and extended his hand, "Our positions are basically the same."

Guan Luoyang thought for a moment and then took his hand.

"Then let's collect as many of these gene tree fruits as possible. The boost they provide is quite significant. If more than half of them end up with Owen and his team, things might get complicated. Follow me."

Less than half an hour after the earth veins trembled, all thirty-five gene tree fruits, except for the tree that Xu Xiaorou had directly blasted to pieces, had been absorbed.

Those who absorbed the fruit could sense each other's location, so before dawn, the number of survivors who had absorbed the fruit had decreased from thirty-five to fifteen.

Furthermore, they were all concentrated in the western part of Violet State.

Following the sensation of the earth's energy, the source that caused the earth's abnormality was there, and it was still releasing its influence there.

As dawn broke, the five fruit owners who had arrived near the source lost all senses almost instantly.

The power of the fruits belonging to the five of them did not transfer to the victor, but seemed to have dispersed back into the ground.

"Did all five of them die together?"

The sixth person to arrive couldn't help but have this guess.

Then he heard a sound that sounded like a bell or a wind chime.

Shenwu Maha sat in front of a wall, the surrounding scenery unrecognizable, with only corpses hanging on the wall behind him.

He shook the bell in his hand.

This large bell, resembling a bronze artifact, has an ancient name: the Mountain-Driving Bell!

(End of this chapter)