Chapter 161 Chapter 161
"……hiss."
[Hmph, just barely passable, you pass.]
In a remote cave, the black snake used its slender tail to roll up the spiritual tree leaf handed to it by Xia Muqing. The colorful black patterns on the scales glowed dimly, and it reluctantly squeezed out a few low hums from between its teeth.
The little golden dragon sneered at the side, and its shrunken body wrapped affectionately around Xia Muqing's right arm, with its head held high.
“Ouch.”
[Come on, I'm still breathing heavily for you. Have you forgotten who was just looking at the water curtain, drooling with envy?]
"hiss!"
The black snake straightened up suddenly, as if its tail had been stepped on. Its movement was so fast that it nearly collided with the cave wall. It slapped its tail in frustration, seeming to want to wipe its mouth, but then quickly reacted: "Nonsense! I'm not drooling!"
The little golden dragon raised its head proudly: "Ahhhh."
[I didn't say it was you! Lulululululu~]
"Okay, Xiao Jin, I'm fine." Xia Muqing didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She touched its little head soothingly, and rubbed Feng Luo Junzhu and Youming Butterfly.
As soon as she came out of the illusion, she realized something was wrong - the black snake's skills took effect too quickly and the effects were very realistic. She didn't react until it was over. Now, looking at the nervous expressions of the three little ones, it was obvious that what happened in the illusion just now made them very anxious.
But what's fake can't be real after all. The three little ones were enjoying the caress of their master comfortably, and they didn't forget to glance at the black snake next to them. The meaning of their expression was very clear: Are you envious?
Xuan She: "..."
The black snake's face turned iron-black, and its tail rolled around the leaf with great force. The force did not seem to be injected with mysterious power, but rather as if it wanted to tear Xia Muqing's spiritual leaf apart.
Fortunately, the spiritual leaf wasn't an ordinary leaf, so it wouldn't be easily torn apart. The black snake reluctantly poured its profound energy into it, and as the power was infused, the leaf gradually took on a golden sheen, emitting a soft, warm glow like the morning sun.
"Thank you, is that all right?"
Xia Muqing took the spiritual leaf and took a look at it. The veins of the leaf from the root to the upper part were dyed with golden light, and the edges also glowed with brilliant golden light.
Nether Butterfly: "...Eh?"
【That's all?】
Little Golden Dragon: "Ahhh~"
[You're so bad, you big stupid snake. You can't do it. You can't do it. ]
"..." The black snake was so angry that fire spurted out of its nostrils: "Hiss!"
"What do you think Spirit Leaves are? Do you think they're that easy to fill? I'm the Beast King, so I can only fill it up a quarter. If another beast could only fill it up a tenth, you'd be laughing!"
Lord Fengluo half-crouched on the ground and wagged his tail: "Awooo."
【Anyway, I can definitely handle half of it. 】
The little golden dragon responded repeatedly: "Aoao!"
[Me too! At least half!]
The Nether Butterfly refused to give in: "Ahhhh!"
[That’s right, me too!]
“…” The black snake rolled its eyes.
It was too lazy to explain anything. It swept its huge tail outward, raising a cloud of dust - obviously, it was starting to drive people away.
Xia Muqing asked hurriedly: "Wait! What about the plan for the sword-tailed tiger? You promised to tell us!"
The black snake's movements suddenly froze.
Seeing its subconscious guilty gesture, Xia Muqing was also stunned: "You don't mean to say... you don't know the plan or anything like that, do you?"
The little golden dragon rushed forward, eyes wide open: "Aoao?"
[Isn't that a liar? Oh my god, it's a complete lie. The Beast King of the Alien Secret Realm has such a low moral standard—]
"Hiss!" The black snake stared at it with its intimidating red eyes.
[Don't talk nonsense! I...I don't know the whole plan. After all, it was White Tiger who orchestrated it. But as agreed, I'll tell you everything I know—Shut up, Ugly Fish. I'm not one of you humans who goes back on your word!]
The little golden dragon also rolled his eyes.
Tsk, this is clearly a provocation.
However, the black snake was indeed arrogant and would not easily go back on its word, so next, it told Xia Muqing everything it knew.
It’s a pity that it doesn’t know much.
"The White Tiger has always been hostile to humans," the Black Snake said slowly. "Don't be fooled by its smiling face. What it's really thinking is to kill you all. I'm also very curious. It hates humans so much, yet it's working so hard to facilitate this trial. What's going on in its mind?"
"But no matter what, it has prepared it with care. The spirit leaves in your hands are proof of this. I heard the spirit tree hasn't been in great shape in recent years, but it still picked leaves for you under these circumstances, which shows its sincerity."
Xia Muqing: "..."
She lowered her head suspiciously and looked at the leaf in her hand.
A beautiful golden color, soft and warm to the touch. Black Snake said it was a token of Swordtail Tiger's sincerity, but she thought about it and felt a sense of unease. If the Spiritual Leaf was something so important and precious, giving it to them now... did it mean that this seemingly gift was actually part of Swordtail Tiger's plan?
"What is a spirit tree?" she asked.
The scene of standing atop a giant tree as tall as Jianmu upon entering the park was truly impressive. Xia Muqing searched her mind for knowledge of profound beasts, but even she had little impression of such a massive beast.
Furthermore, the giant tree didn't look like it had any intelligence. The Nether Butterfly quietly probed down and said it didn't sense any clear spiritual fluctuations.
"I'm not entirely sure, since I've only been here a short time," the black snake said. "I've heard that the Spirit Tree is the foundation of Paradise, its guardian deity. The Paradise's walls are strong because of it, and ancient spirits rest in its embrace..."
[In short, the existence of the Alien Secret Realm is largely due to the Spirit Tree. However, this has nothing to do with your trials. While your contracted profound beasts are quite powerful... well, they're passable, but you alone can't shake the Spirit Tree.]
[Hiss, back to the plan. I only know that besides me, another beast king recently joined the paradise, and it was brought back by White Tiger himself. That guy's personality might be related to stealth, hiding all day long. If you have time, you can go to the west to check it out. It's best to teach it a lesson - yes, I just can't stand sneaky guys like this.]
【And then...】
The black snake suddenly raised its head and spat out its tongue towards the corner outside the cave: "Hiss!"
[Come out, little one! I saw you hiding there!]
Inside the cave, several mysterious beasts turned their heads together.
In reality, given the keen sense of Fengluo Lord and the other beasts, they had already spotted the small mysterious beast hiding in the corner, but they were too busy worrying about Xia Muqing in the illusion to pay attention. Furthermore, the small mysterious beast was also very measured, or perhaps even very timid, and kept a safe distance from the other mysterious beasts in the cave.
Only when the mysterious beast called its name did it reluctantly poke its little head out from the crevice of the stone. The flower bud on its head was half open, and its big watery eyes looked forward timidly.
Xia Muqing was slightly stunned: "Golden Rose?"
There is a very beautiful rose on the head of the little mysterious beast. The light golden petals are pure and beautiful, giving people a soft and gentle feeling at first glance. There are not even the thorns commonly seen on plant-based mysterious beasts on the stems.
It was a little afraid of the tall black snake not far away, and half of its body was hiding in the crevice of the rock, but its clear eyes blinked and it still cast its gaze towards Xia Muqing.
"This little fellow is it. Take him with you," said the black snake. "White Tiger brought him back a while ago, and he's been keeping a close eye on him. I've always suspected he has something White Tiger needs."
…
When leaving the cave, there was a little golden rose in Xia Muqing's team.
It was picked up by Lord Feng Luo in an ice-blue whirlwind and gently placed on his broad back, with the vines and half of the flower bud hidden in the long, soft snow-colored hair.
Although it was the order of the Black Snake, Xia Muqing could feel the subtle sense of closeness from the little golden rose. It curled up quietly on the back of Lord Feng Luo, looking around curiously, carefully observing the little golden dragon and the Nether Butterfly.
Whenever the little golden dragon rubbed Xia Muqing's shoulder, or the Nether Butterfly "cooed" to its owner, a hint of envy would appear in its eyes, and the flower bud on its head would bloom slightly.
It was very pretty and had a gentle temperament. Xia Muqing had a good impression of this little fellow. As she led several mysterious beasts westward, she teased the cute golden Little Rose, "Don't be nervous, we're not bad people... Little Rose, are you familiar with the Swordtail Tiger?"
"...rustle." The petals of the golden rose swayed in the wind.
"You respect Lord White Tiger very much? Well, it doesn't sound that familiar," Xia Muqing thought for a moment and asked again, "Then can you tell me what your characteristics are?"
Xia Muqing was still thinking about how she would find out the news if Little Rose refused to tell her, but she didn't expect Little Rose to trust them unexpectedly. She answered without hesitation: "Yes, it is a catalyst."
catalytic?
Xia Muqing was slightly stunned.
"Could it be that you... evolved from a wild rose?"
After receiving the affirmative answer from the little golden rose, she immediately recalled what she had seen in District 7 and took a deep breath - Oh my god, it was the wild rose with the strange ability of "catalysis"!
They have seen it!
If I remember correctly, the spatial turmoil in District 7 was caused by the Sword-tailed Tiger using the "catalytic" properties of the wild rose to enhance its spatial properties, which directly destroyed the precarious spatial balance in District 7, and triggered a fierce battle later... Thinking of this, Xia Muqing's expression suddenly became much more serious.
The little golden rose before him looked weak and vulnerable, but once its power was properly utilized, it undoubtedly possessed extremely destructive power. Could it be that the sword-tailed tiger was trying to recreate the spatial turmoil of that time here?
But... this is the secret realm of the alien world, the paradise where they depend on for survival.
Even if the sword-tailed tigers were hostile to humans, they wouldn't use their own home as bait, right? Furthermore, there were many talented young divine beasts here. If the wave of spatial collapse resurfaced, they would likely suffer even greater damage than the human group.
Xia Muqing's brows were tightly furrowed.
If it weren't for the destruction of space, there would be many possibilities left. After all, in this magical area, it is hard to say how many rare characteristics there are - at least since she came in, she has seen several pop-up prompts.
"So, what other skills have you mastered?"
After much thought, Xia Muqing decided that she had to find a breakthrough with Little Rose. But she didn't expect that as soon as she asked the question, Little Rose's bud flushed shyly and drooped down.
“Shh, rustle…”
[Aside from 'Aphrodisiac Fragrance', the one I'm most familiar with is 'Parasite'...]
'Fragrance' is the most common skill, and its power is not as strong as 'Wind Roll' which Gale Hound first learned. 'Parasite' is a dodder-like attachment skill. The offensive power of these two skills is not strong, and they are usually used to escape or save lives.
After saying this timidly, the little golden rose covered her cheeks with a vine, looking as if she was about to cry. How embarrassing! To personally admit, in front of the human she loved and longed to sign a contract with, that she only knew a few basic skills... Ugh, it really was such a loser!
It would be ridiculed, right? It would definitely be ridiculed. There was no other first-level profound beast as useless as it in the Yiyuan Secret Realm!
The human beastmaster in front of him was so skilled, and the mysterious beasts he raised were all extremely powerful... The bud of the small golden rose gradually became a mixture of gold and powder, and a few drops of crystal dew condensed on the edge of the petals, hanging lightly.
But unexpectedly, it was quiet nearby.
The vines quietly revealed a small gap, and Little Rose looked out nervously, but found that the expressions on Xia Muqing and the three mysterious beasts beside her were a little strange.
Lord Feng Luo tilted his head slightly, sniffed the little rose on his back, turned his head and sneezed, "Ouch?"
You know what, it sounds quite friendly. These good friends seemed to be useless at the beginning?
The little golden dragon also pretended to be in deep thought and supported its chin with the tip of its tail: "Ah..."
By the way, the master is the best at training losers? It seems that he can always find different shining points every time.
Little Rose: “……?”
Little Rose: “???”
Is it possible that such a formidable human beastmaster's greatest skill is actually teaching useless people? Little Rose listened in amazement, feeling a warm current flowing from head to toe, and for a moment, even her brain was unable to function.
It stared blankly at Xia Muqing, and seeing that she didn't show any disdain, instead patted its cane encouragingly: "The number of skills you master isn't the key to becoming powerful. If you can patiently delve into a few skills, even basic ones, can be very powerful when used at the right time."
“…”
The buds of the little roses became even redder.
It had never heard such words before - even Lord White Tiger, who took great care of it, often said, "Little guy, you are too weak, don't run around everywhere", "You have no ability to protect yourself, you will die soon if you leave the paradise", "Don't get too close to other mysterious beasts, they will hurt you when they practice their skills"... and so on.
“Shh, shah!”
[Yes, yes! My 'Parasite' is okay!]
For the first time, the little golden rose straightened its back. The vines parted, no longer covering its face, but waving happily in the air: "Swish, swish, swish!"
"I've been practicing this skill over and over since entering Paradise! Master White Tiger gave me lots of goodies to eat, all of which are helpful for training my skills!"
[As long as it's alive and unconscious—even if it's the Beast King, I'll parasitize it and show you!]
Alive, but unconscious?
Xia Muqing thought the conditions were a bit harsh, but upon closer inspection, they seemed quite targeted. What in the park was alive but unconscious? Like the Leviathan from before? Or perhaps...
A flash of inspiration crossed her mind, but it was too fast for her to grasp. Just then, a Nether Butterfly landed beside the golden rose, fluttering its wings curiously. "Eh?"
[Your flower bud smells so good. What goodies did the big tiger give you to eat?]
As a butterfly, the Nether Butterfly naturally has a strong liking for the Golden Rose, and the little guy in front of it is really gentle, giving people a strange feeling that can relax their vigilance.
Just like the color of its bud, warm as the clear sky.
The little golden rose obviously also liked the Nether Butterfly: "Rustle!"
[These are the leaves of the spiritual tree, there are so many of them. Lord White Tiger will use them to soak in water and let me absorb as much as I can!]
The little rose shook its petals and lowered its head a little embarrassedly: "Shasha."
"Actually, my petals were originally red, but as I absorbed more profound energy from the spiritual leaves, the buds gradually turned orange. Well, it was the same when I evolved to the first stage. Lord White Tiger broke off a spiritual tree branch for me. With this, I was able to evolve into the Golden Branch Rose..."
Otherwise, with its qualifications and the meager reserves of wild small mysterious beasts, it could probably only evolve into a sepal rose or a scarlet rose, and it would not be able to transform into a beautiful form like a golden branch rose.
Hearing this, the three mysterious beasts looked at each other in surprise.
Xia Muqing was also a little surprised: "Taking a bath with spiritual leaves? It sounds a bit extravagant."
Didn’t the black snake say that the condition of the spirit tree has not been very good in recent years and the spirit leaves are very precious?
She thought for a moment, then pulled out the leaf she had used as a "test" from her pocket and handed it to the little golden rose. "Then... as one of the Paradise's profound beasts, could you also help me inject some profound energy?"
The sword-tailed tiger said that the mysterious beasts in the paradise are all assessors, and the spiritual leaves can identify the breath of the mysterious beasts inside. Then the little rose in front of him should be one of them?
After hearing what Xia Muqing said, the little golden rose was a little flattered and raised her head in surprise: "Shasha?"
"Can it, can it? But it's very weak. If Lord Black Snake can fill it up a quarter, it might not even be able to fill it up one percent..."
"It's okay, it's okay. Any amount is fine." Xia Muqing clasped her hands together and smiled at it, "Please, do me a favor."
The golden rose happily rolled up its leaves with its vines and held it up high with great energy.
It was so happy. This was the first time someone asked it for help! The White Tiger, Black Snake, and other mysterious beasts had always spoken to it in a commanding tone. Although it would obey Xia Muqing's orders, that was still different from a request!
The Golden Rose mustered all its strength, desperately urging the narrow stream of profound energy within its body. It knew its own strength was inferior, and its profound energy reserves were far inferior to those of the Black Snake, but it would do its utmost to illuminate the leaves before it, even if it meant draining its meridians dry.
“Crash…”
It was as if the sound of wind rustling leaves passed by Xia Muqing and the three mysterious beasts. The rustling was gentle and warm, as if gently embracing everything and enveloping the world in the sunshine of a clear spring day.
The spiritual leaf held high by the vine suddenly burst into unparalleled light!
It was brighter than the light infused by the black snake, and there seemed to be surging river water in the leaf veins, rushing all the way along the opened river channel. In the blink of an eye, it rushed to the halfway point, and then under the suddenly widened eyes of the three black beasts, it rushed forward again, until it slowly stopped at about two-thirds of the way!
The golden rose exhaustedly let go of the vine and let out a long breath.
It really tried its best. Now it had no strength left in its body, and even the edge of the flower bud was wrinkled.
Little Rose lay exhausted on the back of Lord Fengluo, cautiously looking at Xia Muqing's expression - having achieved this, could it meet the expectations of the human beastmaster?
Didn’t it live up to the other party’s request and trust?
Xia Muqing was speechless for a long time as she looked at the golden leaves that lit up most of the trees.
Little Golden Dragon: “…Ah!”
Good guy, it knew that the big bad snake just now definitely didn’t use its full strength!
"No, it's not necessarily because the Black Snake is hiding it," Xia Muqing murmured softly, "I feel it's because Little Rose's affinity for the spirit tree far exceeds that of the Black Snake..."
Oh, right, the spiritual tree!
Xia Muqing's mind flashed with light - alive but unconscious, Beast King, skill "Parasite"...
"The Swordtail Tiger's plan is related to the Spirit Tree? Can the little rose parasitize on the Spirit Tree?!"
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