A great adventure in the world of immortal cultivation

KP: Lightning struck, scorching the already dilapidated crown of the giant willow tree black. The giant willow stopped moving, its roots drooping limply to the ground, and fell into silence.

Xiao Huohuo: Is this the end?

Romeo: This boss is a bit weak.

Han Buli: I feel it is not as good as the original... Sima brother who assisted us in our practice.

Jeanne: A weak boss like this can actually massacre the entire village? Damn KP, give me back my little grass!

KP: Don't be impatient. Who told you that the battle is over?

Romeo: Huh?

KP: Just as you've defeated the giant willow and breathed a sigh of relief, the ground suddenly begins to shake again. Then, before your astonished gaze, the willow, supposedly dead, rouses its roots and "stands" again. With every inch its canopy rises, its demonic energy increases!

Giant Willow HP: 0→40

Xiao Huohuo: ???

Han Buli: KP, it’s boring if you play like this.

KP: Steamed bun, aren't you going to hold onto the utensils? (Arrogantly puts hands on hips)

Joan of Arc: So this means we have to fight another round?

Xiao Huohuo: No, I guess the dog KP gave us a mechanical monster. If we hit it directly, it will be resurrected infinitely.

Romeo: So what?

KP: Everyone is inspired.

Xiao Huohuo: Inspiration, 92/30, failure.

Xiao Huohuo: Belt.

Han Buli: Inspiration, 42/30, failure.

Han Buli: Belt.

Romeo: Inspiration, 73/20, failure.

Romeo: Belt.

Joan of Arc: Inspiration, 36/60, success.

Joan of Arc: (Angrily) This group has to break up without me!

KP: Wait, looking at the giant willow that has come back to life, Joan of Arc, you suddenly realize that this huge willow tree in front of you may not be the real body of the tree demon. If you want to defeat the tree demon, you must find its hidden core.

Joan of Arc: The core must be under the tunnel!

Xiao Huohuo: I think so too.

KP: Well, since you've already guessed it, I won't let you observe it any further. Anyway, you noticed that since it emerged from the ground, this giant willow tree hasn't moved a single step from its original position. And among its many roots, many are always connected to the tunnel below, which looks very suspicious.

Romeo: So we're going to go intestinal speed skating next? (Hi)

KP: You also immediately noticed that since the entrance to the tunnel is right beneath the dense roots of the giant willow, it's almost impossible to enter directly... unless three people concentrate their firepower and perhaps temporarily open a path to allow one person to enter the tunnel.

KP: Okay, please choose your hero to go to the mine.

Han Buli: Only one person? Then forget it. Being in the spotlight doesn't fit my personality. (laughs)

Romeo: Hey, why don't we...

Joan of Arc: Let me do it! (shocked)

Xiao Huohuo: I have no objection. The Huang Jing Sword itself is specially made for Wood type, and it doesn't require MP to attack, so its overall combat power is definitely the strongest... Wait, KP, why are you smiling so obscenely?

KP: (half annoyed) Why am I laughing so obscenely? I'm just lamenting that while the flow of this dungeon was a bit chaotic, the storyline ultimately flowed smoothly.

Xiao Huohuo: Really?

Romeo: Of course!

KP: Okay, okay, stop gloating. Are you sure you let Joan of Arc go?

Xiao Huohuo: Confirmed. By the way, Jeanne, please take 5 doses of hemostatic ointment and Bilingdan with you, just in case.

Joan of Arc: OK.

KP: So, after deciding on the tactics, the four of you rushed towards the giant willow together. Romeo took the lead and attracted most of the giant willow's attention. Xiao Huohuo and Han Buli followed closely behind, using a fire spell and a thunder spell to blast away most of the tree roots. Jeanne saw the opportunity, swung her sword to cut off the last obstacle, and rushed into the tunnel.

KP: Just like when you climbed up before, the tunnel was very slippery. Joan of Arc, you lay on your back and rushed into the endless darkness. After a few seconds, the small light spot above your head, which symbolized freedom, disappeared in a vibration. It seemed that Ju Liu realized that he had been tricked and became angry and directly destroyed the entrance to the tunnel.

Han Buli: Oh no, there’s no chance of getting support now.

Xiao Huohuo: Come on, sister.

Joan of Arc: I'll take two Bilingdan pills first and get ready for battle.

贞德MP：6+【2d5：1、4】+10=19（max）

KP: So, after descending for about three minutes, Jeanne, your feet finally touched solid ground. The downward-sloping corridor here became a stone cave that curved forward, and a faint light could be seen from the front.

Joan of Arc: I just watch and listen.

Joan of Arc: Observation, 96/30, failure.

Listening, 41/30, failed.

KP: The cave is dark and quiet. Jeanne's vision is limited, and you don't hear any unusual sounds. You have no choice but to move forward carefully with your sword in hand.

Joan of Arc: Tsk!

KP: After walking a dozen meters, the cavern reaches its end, revealing a vast open space before you. It's a massive cavern, a hundred meters deep. A luminous moss grows on the surrounding stone walls, casting a faint blue glow over the landscape. In the center of the cavern lies a circular reservoir filled with a dark liquid. Countless roots emerge from the stone wall above the pool, immersing themselves in it to absorb nutrients. The rich, bloody scent lingering in the air tells you what lies within.

KP: But at this moment, Joan of Arc, you have no time to care about anything else, because your eyes are completely attracted by the thin figure wearing coarse cloth standing by the pool.

Xiao Huohuo: Huh?

Han Buli: Holy shit...

Joan of Arc: ...Could it be?

KP: In your doubtful eyes, the thin figure turned around, looked at you, and gave you a familiar smile.

Xiaocao: Sister Jeanne, you are here.

035 The Truth (Day 15)

"Sister Jeanne, you're here."

KP: A clear human voice sounded, and the girl beside the blood pool waved to Jeanne. The smile on her face was the same as always, like a cute little animal, exuding an approachable aura.

KP: However, the original timidity in her eyes has disappeared, replaced by endless emptiness and coldness.

Romeo: Holy shit, did I win the resurrection match?

Xiao Huohuo: What the hell is resurrection? This boss is obviously pretending to be dead.

Han Buli: To be honest, I have thought about such a situation before, but it is still a bit difficult to bear when it actually happens.

Joan of Arc: ... (with mixed feelings)

Xiao Huohuo: It’s over, Joan of Arc is numb.

Jeanne: ...I just want to chop off KP's head with one blow. (No mercy)

KP: Looking at Jeanne with a dazed look on her face, Xiaocao smiled again.

Xiaocao: Sister Jeanne seems surprised to see me here.

Joan of Arc: ...When I went to your house, I thought you had been killed by a monster.

Xiao Cao: Oh, you mean that one? Haha, that body actually belongs to Niu Xiaoer, the one who bullied me at the village entrance. When you gave me the jade pendant, Sister Zhen'e, he happened to see it and immediately ran over to snatch it after you left. I saw that it was almost time, so I took care of him.

KP: Xiaocao explained in a cheerful tone, as if she was discussing some interesting topic with you, just like the late-night whispers she used to have.

Joan of Arc: ...

Xiao Huohuo: Wait a minute, if there is something wrong with Xiaocao, then our spiritual power was blocked because of her?

KP: Xiaocao nodded slightly when she heard Jeanne’s (Xiao Huohuo) question.

Xiaocao: When I was cooking chicken soup, I added some demon seeds into the soup. Ordinary people will be devoured by the demon seeds or become puppets. It seems that your monks’ resistance is indeed stronger.

Xiao Huohuo: (sweat) After all this time, I still couldn’t escape the poisonous chicken soup.

Han Buli: Stop talking. It seems like I'm just sending myself to death by rushing back late at night to play PUBG...

KP: At this point, Xiaocao sighed.

Xiaocao: Sister Jeanne, you shouldn't have come back. I deliberately weakened the power of the demon in your body to let you leave. If you come back now, it would be meaningless.

Jeanne: (Using her head to rub the table to stay calm) Why...why was it you, Xiaocao...!

Xiaocao: Why...

KP: After hearing what you said, Xiaocao paused, as if lost in memories, with a hazy look in his eyes.

Xiaocao: Come to think of it, I've heard so many stories from Sister Jeanne, but I haven't told her my story yet... Sister Jeanne, do you want to hear it? Xiaocao's story.

Joan of Arc: ...Hmm.

KP: Xiaocao was silent for a while, as if thinking about where to start. She lowered her head and fiddled with a small stone with her bare feet, jumping back and forth on the edge of the blood pool like an innocent child at play. However, the increasingly cold aura around her made Joan of Arc realize that Xiaocao's mood had dropped to freezing point.

KP: Finally, Xiaocao spoke slowly, his tone filled with cold hatred.

Xiaocao: My dad is an absolute scumbag.

Xiaocao: He was a native of Jiping Village. He had some wealth, but after his grandparents passed away, his father lost control and indulged himself in drinking and debauchery, quickly squandering the family fortune. He could only scrape by, living a life of idling for days and then ditching the nets for days. Later, when a family came to stay with him, he coveted the beauty of their young lady and, at night, poisoned the couple and took possession of the young lady.

Han Buli: Birth.

Xiaocao: That lady is my mother. Although the villagers didn't like my father, after all, villagers don't help outsiders. Plus, there were cases of women being kidnapped in the village, so they didn't report the matter to the government and kept it secret. My mother became desperate after several failed attempts to escape. She gave birth to me less than a year later after she was completely disheartened.

Xiaocao: My mother is a well-educated person. Even though she was in despair, she never lost her moral principles. Since I was born, she has loved me very much. She taught me to read and write, taught me right from wrong, provided me with the best food and clothing, and hoped that I could leave this village one day.

KP: As if recalling that relatively warm time, a gentle smile appeared on Xiaocao's face.

Xiaocao: It's a pity that Dad didn't calm down because of Mom and me. On the contrary, he only blamed us for wasting his money for food and alcohol. Although Mom often did some sewing work to supplement the family income, it couldn't keep up with Dad's increasingly frequent drinking. Before long, he started selling off the family's land and real estate. After a few years, even the last acre of land was sold, and then... and then...

KP: At this point, Xiaocao's breathing became a little rapid, and the roots in the blood pool behind him seemed to have sensed something and began to wriggle restlessly.

Xiaocao: And then... he chose to betray my mother.

Xiao Huohuo: What the hell?

Xiaocao: ...That is my most painful memory. Almost every night, my mother locked me in the small room next door. I could only hear the obscene words coming from the other side of the wall and my mother's wailing and sobbing, but I could do nothing...I could only remember everyone's voice and carve their names on the wall over and over again.

Xiaocao: Zhang the butcher, the pig butcher, Li the ironworker, Wang Mazi the brewer, and Niu Da... practically every man in the village came. Mother grew increasingly haggard and silent, spending most of her time sitting at the head of her bed in a daze. And my father, on the other hand, had settled into a carefree lifestyle, wandering the village all day, drinking from can to can.

KP: The grass's voice gradually became quieter, as if it had turned into a sleep muttering.

Xiaocao: Two months later, my mother finally passed away. That night she made me a bowl of chicken soup. When I woke up the next day, I found that she had hanged herself from the beam of the house.

Joan of Arc: ...

Xiaocao: After Mom left, Dad became even more furious. It wasn't because he loved her, but because he'd lost his biggest source of income. He began taking his anger out on me, beating and scolding me, forcing me to do chores around the house and go out to work. Every day, I only had one half-stale meal.

Xiaocao: A few years passed in a daze. Just when I thought I'd adapted to this miserable existence... half a month ago, on a rainy night, Dad came home early, followed by the blacksmith, Li Quezi. The moment the door was locked, I realized he'd sold me for two jugs of wine.

KP: Xiaocao laughed, but that laugh was filled with coldness and resentment, making people feel cold all over.

Xiaocao: I hate, I hate my father! I hate Li Quezi! I hate everyone in this village! That night, I bit Li Quezi's leg with all my might, and only then did I find an opportunity to sneak out through the dog hole behind the house. My father opened the door and desperately chased me. He was drunk and stumbled as he ran, but he eventually caught up with me by the giant willow in the village. It was raining heavily that day. I vaguely saw a crack next to the tree roots, washed out by the lightning, and I leaned over and crawled in. My father grabbed my feet and tried to pull me out. I fought hard, but suddenly, the soil below collapsed, and we both fell into the ground.

Xiaocao: When I woke up again, I found myself in this cave. My father fell to his death and took my place down there. This might be the only thing he did for me in his life.

KP: After saying that, Xiaocao turned around and looked at the wriggling tree roots in the blood pool. She stretched out her little hand and stroked them gently, with a look of nostalgia on her face.

Xiaocao: At that time, there was a dying wood demon here. It seemed to have been seriously injured and its vitality was completely lost. Only one original demon species was left, still struggling to survive. It was also very surprised by my arrival.

Little Grass: For some reason, I seem to understand its "language". It wants to make a deal with me - it gives me strength and I give it life.

Xiaocao: I agree.

KP: At this point, Xiaocao stood up and opened her clothes. Joan of Arc, you see, there is a fist-sized cavity on Xiaocao's left chest. The heart that should have been there is gone. Only countless branches like spider webs are left, constantly wriggling in the cavity.

Xiaocao: I gave my heart to it, and it gave me the demon seed, and then we both got a new life.

Xiaocao: Afterwards, I devoured my father's remaining flesh and blood, regaining some of my demonic power. At this moment, I finally possessed the power of revenge. As long as I continued to absorb flesh and blood to restore my demonic power, I could slaughter the entire village in one night! ...But I still held back the killing urge, because simply killing them would be too easy for them. I wanted to make those who bullied my mother also taste the bitterness of being abandoned by everyone!

KP: The chapter of revenge has finally arrived. A satisfied smile appeared on the face of the little grass, or the wood demon.

Xiaocao: This isn't too difficult. The tunnel I fell into is filled with a wealth of gold and silver. I simply use my magical powers to disguise myself as a god, have the villagers offer their designated sacrifices, and then reward them, and I can easily turn them on their own. First, Li Cripple, then Zhang the Butcher... Haha, the distorted expressions on their faces as their own family members broke their limbs and threw them into the tunnel are truly delightful.