Some poisonous insects and monsters that are hard to guard against would launch surprise attacks from time to time. Although they would not really hurt the two of them, they were enough to cause them trouble.
Some areas were even covered by the troublesome illusion fog again, which compressed the space where the monks could pass.
And on several necessary roads that were not covered by fog, there were even monsters similar to those guarding the gates.
After all, this is the outer mountains of a spiritual medicine garden. In addition to the fog, a lot of monsters are deliberately placed here to guard the mountain.
The sect joint competition was convenient because they used local materials and brought these monsters over and used them directly as props to test the participating monks.
Some monsters that were too powerful had been eliminated or sealed by them in advance.
However, some monsters that are equivalent to the Qi Refining Stage, and a few monsters in the Foundation Establishment Stage that have been weakened, are gatekeeper monsters with just the right degree of difficulty.
What now lies before Jiang Li and Shenshan Qiuming is a vast quagmire.
Both sides of the swamp were covered with fog, and a wooden sign was erected at the entrance with the words "The shortest and most dangerous road" written on it.
It seems that from here on, in addition to hurrying on the road, you must go through checkpoints before you can move forward.
"This is the shortest route through the second mountain. We are two days behind the others. If we want to catch up, we have to go through here."
Jiang Li stood at the entrance of the swamp, picked up a branch and threw it into the mud. Within two breaths, the branch slowly sank.
It seems that it is absolutely impossible to walk through this quagmire. If one wants to get closer, one must fly at low altitude. Doing so will not only continuously consume spiritual energy, but also prevent the cultivator from using the magic weapon for flying in the air when encountering a battle, thus restricting his hands and feet.
But like the sign says, this should be the shortest route.
Jiang Li stayed in the coffin for too long as soon as he entered the mountain, which wasted a lot of time, while Shenshan Qiuhua had already walked quite a distance, but when he was escaping, his senses were confused in the fog and he went in the opposite direction and flew directly back to the starting point.
Later, after dealing with the group of pursuers, it was impossible for them to set off immediately, so they found a place and let Shenshan Qiuhua meditate and regulate her breathing for a long time before they set out again.
As a result, the process was delayed for two days. If they don’t catch up, their ranking may fall to the bottom.
This second mountain is in the shape of a camel hump.
The relatively flat and easy-to-travel terrain in the middle of the camelback was now covered in mud. The shortest route was to cross here.
To pass through here, the most basic requirement is to be able to fly at low altitude, and have certain combat capabilities while flying.
There are so many Qi Refining cultivators participating in the competition, but if we only have these two, we will probably wipe out a large number of them.
If you go to both sides of the fog, there should be other entrances, and the difficulty of the levels you encounter will be relatively lower, but you may have to go around in a big circle and waste more time.
Jiang Li saw a lot of footprints at the entrance of the swamp.
It seems that many people have been here before. Some choose to move forward, while others go around the edge of the fog, trying to find other entrances.
Jiang Li and the other man did not hesitate for long and decided to go straight through.
Jiang Li took a step forward, his feet seemed to be firmly on the ground, but if you look closely, you will find that there is still a distance of several centimeters between his feet and the ground.
Shenshan Qiuhua's method was even simpler. He just stepped on the flying sword as if he was riding a skateboard and glided forward. It was even more convenient and comfortable than Jiang Li's.
Gurgle! Not long after the two of them stepped into the swamp, the surface of the swamp around them suddenly began to roll, and a large amount of foul-smelling bubbles surged out.
Then three swamp monsters more than two meters tall suddenly emerged from the ground and pounced towards Jiang Li and the others.
That disgusting and dirty appearance is really the perfect nemesis of physical cultivation. Jiang Li didn't want to encounter them at all at this moment.
Bang! A black mud bullet, with a trail of mud and water, flew towards this side. The two elite disciples from the big sects quickly split into two sides to dodge, fearing that they would not be able to avoid it in time.
Among the three swamp monsters, there is actually one that can spit out mud bombs.
This mud bomb is not very powerful, but it is extremely insulting.
Being hit by this thing, Jiang Li, who was in a clean state, could barely bear it. But if it hit Shenshan Qiuhua, it would at least make the little girl stink for three days, and she would probably cry for a long time.
The two of them were now extremely alert to this kind of monster. They must not be hit by their attacks.
Shenshan Qiuhua stepped on the water sword and drew a large arc on the flat muddy terrain, dodging several smelly mud bombs in succession.
He then adjusted the direction, holding the Fire Sword, and slashed out with blazing sword light repeatedly.
The first sword dried up the mud on the surface, the second sword broke the hardened mud shell, and the third sword finally killed a hairy monster that emerged from under the mud shell.
This hairy monster is the true form of the swamp monster.
They look a bit like sloths, or more like their close relatives, water monkeys.
The body of the swamp monster was hideous and ugly, with black and hard hair that was more than three feet long. It was these long hairs, wrapped in a large amount of mud, that formed the appearance of the swamp monster we saw just now.
Their bodies were covered with hair and thick mud, forming an extremely thick layer of mud armor. Their defensive capabilities were quite powerful. Even the sword master from Shushan took three strikes to kill one.
For ordinary Qi Refining cultivators, it would probably be quite difficult.
I don’t know how many monks have died in this quagmire.
The remaining two mud monsters rushed over from two other directions. Jiang Li couldn't just stand there and watch. It would be a bit unreasonable to let a wounded man take the lead all the time.
He didn't intend to solve the problem with his fists, and just threw two seeds forward lightly.
Point the demon! Wood Dragon Technique! Under the surge of green light, the two seeds, which were only slightly larger than a grain of sand, instantly grew and expanded, transforming into two ten-meter-long wooden dragons in the air.
With a silent roar, it swam flexibly on the mud, moved forward rapidly, directly entangled the other two mud monsters, and tightened them little by little, strangling them on the spot.
Jiang Li has dragon blood, although not much, but due to this, he carries a little bit of dragon energy when casting spells. He can summon various monsters, but the dragon-shaped ones are the most powerful.
After killing three swamp monsters, the two men had no intention of going forward to reap the spoils.
It is said that the eyeballs of the swamp monster can be used as materials for alchemy, and three pairs of eyeballs can probably be sold for a few spirit stones.
But they were not the kind of people who could not afford these few spirit stones, nor could they stand the smelly spoils of war.
After watching the three bodies sink back into the mud, the two continued to move forward, but they were a little more cautious about their feet.
. . . .
In the burial coffin, Jiuyou's clone still hasn't completely digested the legacy of his predecessor.
However, at this moment, he still opened one eye on the tree statue and looked at the thirty-one captives below.
The clone smelled a familiar scent on them.
When they were out on a mission in southern India, Lu Qianqian could smell something wrong from the blood of the sleeping child.
In front of the spiritual root branch, this smell could not be more obvious.
If the spiritual root seeds of other branches fall into his hands, he can naturally use them as well.
A vine curled out and wrapped around the neck of one of the captives, pulling him into the air.
The captive was hung by the neck, unable to breathe like a fish out of water, and struggled violently in vain.
There is no need to throw away any more waste pills. The spiritual roots of the Nine Nether Wood are already in competition with each other. They have a special method that they use to plunder the power of their own kind.
Seizing the seeds of the spiritual root from the parasite is an almost instinctive operation.
Soon, the monk's hair began to turn white from the ends, and his skin gradually lost its elasticity and luster. Finally, his throat rolled and a thumb-sized seed was spit out, which was caught by another tentacle that had been waiting nearby.
As expected, this group of cultivators were the unlucky ones who were parasitized by the spiritual root seeds.
This is to extend its tentacles into all major sects.
It seems that a certain branch of the spiritual root has a very smart brain. It is trying every possible means to squeeze into the mountain gates of the major sects.
This level of intelligence is completely different from the spiritual root branch captured by Jiang Li.
One is still struggling and relying on a group of scale monsters for support, while the other has already begun to infiltrate the world of immortal cultivation.
The tree trunk statue of Jiuyou's clone has one eye open and one eye closed, which means that half of his mind is receiving the fragments of consciousness of his predecessor, and the other half is in front of him.
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He threw the monk aside and placed the spiritual root seed in front of him.
The monk whose spiritual root seed was stripped away was in a very weak state, but he did not die immediately. Instead, he lay on the ground dying.
Although this state could not last too long, Jiang Li, who had now mastered the division of spiritual roots, knew that as long as a spiritual root seed was stuffed back into his body, he could save his life.
The seed of the spiritual root fell into the mouth of the statue, and immediately many things became clear to him.
The cultivation in this seed is of earth attribute, but the specific amount is difficult to calculate.
Calculated based on the normal speed of Qi training for a cultivator with top-grade spiritual roots, the cultivation level in this seed would be around ten months, less than a year.
After all, up to now, the highest spiritual root that the spiritual root seed can bestow is only mid-grade spiritual root.
To put it in perspective, the nine-fold difference between a top-grade spiritual root and a mid-grade spiritual root is equivalent to this casual cultivator having practiced for about eight years and reaching the middle stage of Qi training.
For someone under the age of 20, this speed is considered normal.
And this cultivation can also be used for different purposes.
The simplest way is to let it completely transform into nutrients to support the growth of Jiuyou's clone.
The extracted spiritual root seeds can be replanted into other living organisms, waiting for them to grow, and then new fruits can be harvested.
Alternatively, you can also purify this earth attribute and transform it into the Nine Netherworld Fruit that can be taken directly.
Although it was only a one-star earth fruit of the lowest level transformed by a cultivator in the Qi Refining Stage.
But if you take it, it can not only directly improve your cultivation, but also increase your lifespan and increase your pseudo spiritual roots!
Jiang Li's mind moved, and his cultivation was immediately purified. With the spiritual root seed as the core, a branch grew out from the top of the spiritual root clone's head, and then an earthy brown fruit grew out from small to large.
By eating it, you can increase your cultivation by the same amount as a cultivator of the best spiritual roots would gain after five months of Qi training.
The cultivation level was greatly reduced, almost by half. But that was someone else's cultivation level after all, and being able to inherit it by taking a spiritual fruit, even if it was only half, was already a very incredible thing.
Of course, if it were Jiang Li himself who had used up five months of cultivation of the highest grade spiritual roots, it would probably be around twenty to thirty days.
In addition, although this kind of Nine Netherworld Fruit can be eaten regardless of the spiritual root attribute.
However, only spiritual fruits with the same attributes can quickly transform cultivation.
In other words, if one wants to directly obtain the cultivation from this spiritual fruit, one must be a cultivator with earth-attributed spiritual roots.
And if they are not of the same properties, like Jiang Li, he can also eat it.
But if you want your cultivation to take effect, you have to wait for the spiritual root seeds to transform into pseudo spiritual roots and grow well first.
This will take some time, about three to ten days, depending on the grade of the spiritual roots.
The spiritual root seed will first grow into a spiritual root of corresponding attributes in the body, but if the pseudo spiritual root wants to absorb the cultivation, it will be slower and take some time to increase the cultivation.
However, there is no such limit on lifespan. This spiritual root seed alone can directly increase his lifespan by thirty years. The discount here is more than doubled.
As for this kind of cultivation and lifespan snatched from other people's bodies, after eating it, will it have the same effect as the devil's cultivation method, causing an unstable foundation?
This can be said to be a bit of an over-concern.
Just think of the peaches, ginseng fruit and yellow plums, and you will understand.
Smelling these things can add a hundred years to one's life, eating one bite can extend one's lifespan by a thousand years, and eating the yellow plum is even enough to allow a mortal to ascend to heaven in broad daylight.
Has anyone ever heard of any side effects after taking them?
The top-quality natural treasures are just top-quality, and it doesn’t make sense.
You have to know that the Jiuyou Wood is also a spiritual root of heaven and earth, and is not inferior to other spiritual roots. Although their energy sources are different, the Jiuyou Earth Fruit is a genuine spiritual root fruit. Why would there be side effects after eating it?
Well, if being parasitized by the spiritual root seed can be considered a side effect, then he does have side effects.
However, apart from being parasitized by the seeds of spiritual roots, there is nothing wrong with this fruit, and the cultivation level will not be any worse than what you cultivate yourself.
Otherwise, the peaches and ginseng fruits would not have become the sacred objects sought after by the immortals.
Therefore, Jiang Li didn't dare to eat the Nine Nether Earth Fruit that he had snatched from the scale monster's lair that year.
And now, this spiritual root branch is Jiang Li's clone, and even if it parasitizes itself, it will not cause any impact on him, so he can eat it with confidence.
After thinking about it, Jiang Li extracted all the spiritual root seeds from the remaining captives.
Thirty-one grape-sized Nine Netherworld fruits hung on the top of the spiritual root plant, making people want to pick one and taste it.
Jiang Li didn't care about the independent cultivators in the coffins and let them fend for themselves, but there were eleven disciples from the sect among them. Letting them live might be more valuable than letting them die.
Eleven branches with fruits of various colors hanging on them slowly stretched out and gradually approached the mouth of their original owner.
The eleven dying disciples of the sect opened their mouths eagerly, and then the extremely precious spiritual fruit fell into their mouths.
The cultivation and lifespan extracted from their bodies quickly replenished themselves. The pale hair turned black again, and the muscles and skin that had lost their elasticity became smooth and rosy again.
These eleven fruits were originally intended to be returned to them, so their own strength and life naturally did not need to be purified too much, so the things they lost in this round trip were not actually too much, probably only about 20%.
When they regained their vitality and got up from the ground, in terms of consciousness, they had become Jiang Li's most loyal friends.
From now on, Jiang Li has friends in the four major sects of Dachongshan, the kind of friends who will not betray him.
There was a typhoon and it was raining so hard... I almost couldn't get home...
(End of this chapter)