After binding with a genius, I became an immortal by exploiting loopholes.

Chapter 140 Support

The oil lamp was still lit in the main room.

Zhao Demao was sitting behind his desk looking through an account book when he heard footsteps and looked up.

When Lu Qingchen walked in, his expression was calm, but his steps were a few paces faster than usual.

"Master, I have discovered some anomalies around the Spirit Protection Field. The direction of the earth's energy flow has suddenly changed in several places, as if it is being pulled outwards by something."

He paused, his tone tinged with caution, "I have consulted the records of the Spirit Plant Hall. In such cases, it is usually because an external spirit plant is vying for the earth's energy."

Zhao Demao put down the ledger, his brow furrowing. "Are you sure?"

"pretty close."

Lu Qingchen had already prepared his explanation.

He told Zhao Demao that since the last time he suffered from the Spirit Erosion Disease, he had been paying extra attention to the changes in the earth's energy in the spirit fields. In addition, after cultivating the "Azure Wood Spirit Condensation Technique" for a long time, he had developed some connection with the vegetation and earth veins.

Tonight, while he was cultivating in the protective field, he vaguely sensed that the earth's energy to the southwest of the manor was a bit off. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, but the feeling made him uneasy.

Zhao Demao frowned: "You mean there's something unusual outside the village? Can you pinpoint the location?"

"It's about three miles to the southwest."

Lu Qingchen said, "My cultivation is limited, so I can't sense anything more specific, but that fluctuation is definitely not normal."

Zhao Demao pondered for a moment.

Having experienced the previous attack, he no longer dared to underestimate Lu Qingchen's judgment.

Although this young man's cultivation level was not high, his perception of the spiritual energy of the land was indeed extraordinary.

"Don't make a fuss yet." He stood up. "I'll have the disciples from the Hall of Deacons stationed there check it out."

Since the last attack, the Hall of Deacons has stationed disciples on a rotating basis to guard the perimeter of Qingmu Manor.

Zhao Demao sent out the message, and half an hour later, a disciple from the Hall of Affairs hurriedly returned to the main hall with a solemn expression.

"Master, a large number of foreign vines have been discovered on a barren slope three miles southwest of the manor."

The disciple caught his breath. "Those vines are completely black, with very deep roots, and they are spreading into the manor at a visible speed. We tried to cut a few, but the black sap gushing from the cuts corroded all the surrounding weeds."

Zhao Demao's expression changed drastically.

He acted decisively, taking out a pale gold talisman from a hidden compartment under the table, and infusing it with spiritual power. The talisman transformed into a wisp of light that shot into the sky.

He had already crushed the second emergency communication talisman in less than six months.

Late at night, the moonlight was obscured by large patches of dark clouds.

To the southwest of Aoki Village, countless pitch-black vines sprouted from the soil, like tentacles reaching out from the depths of hell.

The vines were covered with a thick, black sap that gleamed disgustingly in the dim moonlight.

Wherever they passed, the jade rice in the spirit fields withered at a visible speed—the leaves curled and turned black, the stems softened and collapsed, and the rice ears that had not yet filled with grains shriveled and fell off, hitting the soil with a slight thud.

This is a strange spiritual plant!

The vines' roots penetrated directly into the roots of the spirit rice, draining the spiritual energy and vitality from the rice.

A jade rice plant that had been growing for more than two months was drained into a dry, empty shell in the blink of an eye after the vines wrapped around it.

The disciples stationed in the Hall of Affairs were the first to make a move.

The fireballs traced arcs across the night sky, striking the vines and exploding into bursts of flame.

The Wind Blade Technique severed the vine in half, and black sap gushed from the cut, splashing onto the soil and emitting white smoke.

However, once the vines are cut, they quickly regenerate, with more tiny tendrils emerging from the cut and re-entering the soil, growing even faster than when they were cut.

Although the fireball can scorch the surface of the vine, its core is hidden deep in the soil. The surface is charred black, but it continues to grow outward from below.

Zhao Demao stood at the end of the manor and gathered all the spirit planters and the disciples stationed there.

Zhou Ming activated the Azure Wood Spirit Ruler, and several azure light blades shot out from the ruler, shredding a vine that had crossed the boundary into pieces.

Liu Wenhua used metal element techniques to dig a deep trench in the ground, and reinforced the trench walls with metal element spiritual power in an attempt to block the spread of the vines.

Wang Youde, in coordination with the disciples of the Hall of Duties, used fire magic to burn the scattered vines that had crossed the deep ditch.

Meng Qiuran stood behind the defensive line. The magic weapon in his hand was a bright green willow branch. As the willow branch was waved, it scattered a patch of pale green light, which landed on the withered spiritual rice, trying to salvage some life, but with little effect.

Lu Qingchen did not participate in the frontal defense.

He stood on the ridge outside the protective field, closed his eyes, and sank his consciousness into the Dao trace of the Azure Path of Spirituality in his sea of ​​consciousness.

The Dao trace glowed faintly, resonating with the spiritual energy network of the earth vein embryo beneath the protective spirit field.

Although the roots of the spiritual embryo are only confined within the area of ​​the protective spiritual field, it can be guided by the Dao traces and utilize the spiritual energy network to sense its presence.

To know the flow of earth's energy in more distant places.

The earth's energy channels, disrupted by the Soul-Devouring Vine, were as clear to him as firelight in the darkness.

Since he touched the spiritual path, his sensitivity to this cold and eerie aura has increased day by day.

When the Soul-Devouring Vine devours the life force of spiritual plants, it leaves a unique "breakpoint" in the flow of spiritual energy.

Ordinary spiritual plant cultivators, and even Foundation Establishment cultivators, can only sense the presence and strength of spiritual energy with their divine sense, but cannot distinguish such subtle differences in texture.

However, his perception of Dao traces was extremely subtle, and these breakpoints were as clear to him as firelight in the dark.

He "saw" the entirety of the Soul-Eating Vine. Its jet-black roots did not spread haphazardly in the soil, but rather advanced precisely along the direction where the earth's energy was most concentrated.

Each vine's root system is connected to a core at its end.

It was a black nodule, about the size of a fist, buried deep in the soil, its surface covered with dark red lines, and it was pulsating slightly, like a heart.

New black roots continuously emerge from this core, extending in all directions and devouring all spiritual energy along their path.

That core is the real brain; the vines on the surface are merely its tentacles.

Lu Qingchen opened his eyes, quickly walked to Zhao Demao's side, and whispered his discovery.

After listening, Zhao Demao gave him a deep look.

"Can you pinpoint the location of the root nucleus?"

Lu Qingchen nodded and pointed to three locations in the southwest direction: "Over there, over there, and under that big blue stone. It's about three feet underground."

Zhao Demao made a quick decision and divided the manpower into three groups.

The disciples of the Hall of Deacons were responsible for clearing away the surface vines, Zhou Ming was responsible for digging up the soil, and Liu Wenhua was responsible for destroying the root core with metal-based magic.

Lu Qingchen was in Zhou Ming's group.

The disciples of the Deacon Hall cleared a path ahead with fireballs and wind blades, tearing a gash in the densest vines.

Zhou Ming activated the Azure Wood Spirit Ruler. The light blades shot out from the ruler did not slash at the vines, but instead cut directly into the soil, creating a deep trench in the ground.

The soil turned over to both sides, revealing a dense network of black roots underneath. These roots intertwined and wove a terrifying web in the soil.

Zhou Ming gritted his teeth and continued digging, the light blade of the Green Wood Spirit Ruler slicing through the soil layer by layer.

When they dug down about three feet underground, a fist-sized black nodule was exposed in the moonlight.

The surface of the nodule is covered with dark red lines, which are pulsating rhythmically. With each pulsation, a black sap seeps out from the lines and flows in all directions along the surrounding roots.

Liu Wenhua has begun to gather the spiritual power of the metal element.

The golden light transformed into a short spear in his palm, its tip aimed at the pulsating nodule.

Just then, a dark figure suddenly appeared from the side.

The attackers had been lying in ambush in the nearby bushes.

He was shrouded in a layer of hazy mist, blending his aura into the surrounding soil and decaying leaves, so the disciples of the Hall of Deacons did not detect him when their divine senses swept over him.

At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on the root core, and he seized this opportunity.

His target was Zhou Ming, who was digging in the ground.

The poisoned short blade gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light under the moonlight, its tip aimed straight for Zhou Ming's back.

By the time Zhou Ming realized what was happening, it was too late to dodge. The full-force attack from the fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator was a fraction of the speed before he could react.