Chapter 2 Without me, you, Tree of Immortality, are doomed today! ...
The more the vines struggled, the tighter they wrapped around the two people. In the blink of an eye, they were face to face, their breathing rapid, and they could hardly breathe because of the tightness.
"Don't move anymore, these are the vines of the Immortal Tree." As soon as Sang Wan finished speaking, the vines that had just tightly wrapped around the tree and fallen to the ground suddenly tightened, dragging the two of them towards the center of the forest at an extremely fast speed.
Zhuiming was in a really bad state, so he had to use his leg strength to support the two of them on the ground, so that the little girl wouldn't be dragged along the ground by this monster.
Dragging all the way to the center of the forest, sparks were practically flying from the soles of Zhui Ming's feet; the vines were moving incredibly fast!
But he no longer had time to worry about his legs.
Because in the center of this forest, apart from the towering tree at the very center, all the surrounding trees had withered, and robust green vines were wrapped around their dry, decaying trunks.
But what's even more chilling is that the towering tree in the center, which blocks out the sky, is covered with countless dead bodies!
Each corpse was so emaciated that it was just skin and bones, while the green vines that entwined them were full of life.
This scene is more terrifying than the nightmares I have in the middle of the night!
The two were then hung from the tree by the vine in the same position.
Even Zhuiming turned pale upon seeing this terrifying and bizarre scene, and subconsciously looked down at the only living person beside him.
I thought the little girl would be so frightened that her eyes would well up with tears, but to my surprise, she remained calm and looked down as if she was thinking about something.
Remembering her earlier warning, a vague thought flashed through Zhuiming's mind: "Miss, do you recognize this tree?"
Sang Wan wanted to look up at him to talk, but the two of them were tied together face to face and firmly suspended in mid-air by vines, making it difficult for her to even look up.
She was already injured and too lazy to exert herself, so she simply rested her head on his chest and whispered, "This is the Tree of Immortality, a kind of ghost tree that grows by absorbing the life force of others, thus achieving immortality."
Zhuiming was taken aback. He was over thirty years old and had been to all over the country. He knew a thing or two about local customs and geography, but he had never heard of such an eerie tree.
"I've only ever read about it in supernatural tales. The third level of the eighteen hells is the Iron Tree Hell, where sinners who sow discord are hung up and nailed to iron trees." He gave a bitter smile. "That's probably how it is now."
Zhuiming was not a person who was afraid of death. On the contrary, he had suffered torment and fallen into a deadly situation several times, but he never complained or blamed others. He was always calm and optimistic.
But what he saw and heard at that moment would probably shock anyone who saw it, and more importantly...
Zhui Ming lowered his head.
Right now, he wants a young girl to die with him.
This naturally made him anxious.
The young girl wasn't in a hurry. She slowly said, "Cui Lüshang, you're so lucky to have met me."
The tone of his voice truly carried a hint of precocious wisdom, instantly lightening Zhui Ming's previously heavy heart.
Zhuiming laughed, his chest trembling slightly, and asked her, "Is that so, Miss? I wonder what your plan is now?"
Sang Wan sensed the sarcasm in the man's words and angrily banged her head against his chest: "Without me, you'd be dead today!"
After saying that, he scratched his left index finger with his fingernail, and red blood seeped out instantly. Sang Wan groped for his hand, "Give me your hand."
Her soft, delicate hand slid into Zhui Ming's rough palm, and her fingertips slid across his palm, bringing a tingling, numbing sensation.
Before the sensation could subside, the sticky, winding lines left by the movement of his fingertips caused Zhui Ming to frown slightly; it was blood.
He had questions in his mind, but he didn't voice them.
The moment Sang Wan's fingers left, a burning sensation rose in Zhui Ming's palm. He looked down at his palm and a blue light shone, forming mysterious characters in the air like a hand seal before gradually fading away.
Before he could ask a question, Sang Wan said with a hint of smugness, "This is the return talisman I wrote for you. With this talisman, you will no longer have your life force drained by the Longevity Ghost Tree."
Then he added, "How about that? If it weren't for me, you'd be dead here, wouldn't you?"
"This is..." Upon witnessing this miraculous scene, Zhuiming couldn't care less about anything else, only wondering how many times this scene would overturn his understanding.
“Just like you can see, this tree is both ghostly and demonic, and I am, in a way, an exorcist. Well, I’m not in dire straits right now. Compared to some powerful demons, this ghostly tree is nothing!” Sang Wan finally mustered some strength, or rather, interest, to lift her head.
She's lost her cultivation now... but escaping definitely won't be a problem!
Although Zhuiming was shocked by the amount of information in her words, he was over forty years old and had already believed most of it after seeing her all along. Looking at her proud and arrogant appearance, he could easily guess that there must be a solution.
The girl was truly beautiful, and he couldn't help but be captivated when he first saw her; after all, sex is a basic human instinct, and he was no exception.
But she's still a young girl, and now I've discovered she has the same personality, haha, quite different from her earlier 'pressuring' demeanor.
He chuckled and said, "So even demon hunters get trapped by little demons like this. Perhaps you deliberately wanted to rest in the tree? How are you? Have you rested enough?"
Sang Wan had never seen anyone like this before! She was the youngest in the sect and had been pampered by her senior brothers and sisters since she was a child. She was always the one teasing and making fun of others!
She had never been teased like that before. Being young, she was instantly so angry that her teeth itched—physically so. In a fit of rage, she bit hard into the chest of the man she was so close to.
Zhuiming's previously languid body jolted, tensing up abruptly as he looked down at her in disbelief.
The once warm and firm chest muscles suddenly became hard, and Sang Wan instantly woke up. She let go of his mouth and tried to get away, but because she was tied up and could not move, she could only stiffen her body and lower her head. Her cheeks, which were already flushed with anger, became even hotter.
As an older single man, Zhuiming had a few vague and unsuccessful romantic relationships, but he had never experienced anything as intimate as being bitten on the chest by a girl, which could even be considered a private bedroom affair.
She's still such a young girl.
Knowing that she had been teased and was momentarily flustered, and that after her initial disordered breathing she had become both amused and exasperated, I was afraid she would be embarrassed, so I wanted to lower my head and say something to soothe her and change the subject.
As a result, I felt my chest getting hotter and hotter, and when I looked down, I saw half of a beautiful face flushed with rosy cheeks.
The girl was already incredibly beautiful, and now with her cheeks flushed, she was even more radiant, not to mention that such a beauty was pressed tightly against his chest.
Zhuiming never dressed properly, always with half his chest bare.
In the urgency of the situation, Zhuiming hadn't had a chance to look closely. He and the girl were so close together that he had no choice but to lean on her, his delicate face and soft, boneless body completely exposed.
Looking closely now, he could not only feel the constant heat emanating from her face, but also clearly perceive the soft, rising and falling shape of her chest. Her fervent breath blew clearly onto his chest without any obstruction.
Zhuiming's body tensed up even more, and he could only suppress his thoughts. The words that were originally on the tip of his tongue could not be uttered. His throat was tight, and he had long forgotten what he wanted to say.
The two of them, one looking at the sky and the other at the ground, fell silent.
Only a faint scent seemed to be brewing in the surrounding air, growing stronger and stronger with each passing moment.
After a long while, Zhui Ming finally lowered his head and said, "I was ignorant. I didn't know that there really are demons and ghosts in the world. It seems they are all hiding in the deep mountains."
After hearing his story, Sang Wan thought of her own experience and felt depressed.
"No, not exactly. The spiritual energy here is thin, making it difficult even for spirits and monsters, let alone demons and ghosts to cultivate and take human form. This ghost tree and I were both brought to this world by the spacetime power of the Mirror of Time Travel from another world."
Zhuiming roughly understood what she meant, but still found it unbelievable, "Another world? And what is the Mirror of Flowing Back?"
“We all come from a world full of spiritual energy, where humans, demons, ghosts and monsters can all cultivate, and naturally there are also true gods. The Mirror of Traversing Flow is a kind of divine artifact hidden in a secret realm. According to legend, it can not only tear through time and space but also travel between the future and the past…” Sang Wan told Zhui Ming about her experiences along the way with her head down.
"Therefore, this world may be in great chaos. After the Mirror of Tracing the Flow is opened, humans, demons, and ghosts in the secret realm can use the Mirror of Tracing the Flow to travel to another world. Although the spiritual energy here is thin, cultivators are cultivators after all, and they have their own heavenly treasures. Demons and ghosts are even more terrifying. Without spiritual energy, they can only harm people to increase their cultivation."
After hearing this, Zhui Ming's heart sank.
How could ordinary people possibly deal with the humans, demons, and ghosts of the cultivation world?
In the end, it is only the ordinary people who suffer from such natural disasters.
Can a person give up everything for the sake of justice in their heart?
Others don't know.
But Zhui Ming and his three fellow disciples were absolutely willing to give their all for this, to do it a thousand times over, and to face death without fear.
This matter is of great importance, and he must send the message back to the Divine Marquis's Mansion as soon as possible.
Seeing his solemn expression, Sang Wan knew that this would have a huge impact on the world, and that if things were not handled carefully, countless people would lose their lives.
"Don't worry, the lack of spiritual energy greatly restricts any cultivation, whether it's a human, demon, or ghost. It's definitely not a dead end, it's just that it might be a bit tricky."
The weathered man sensed the comfort in her words and smiled, "Don't worry, sometimes people are more wicked than demons and ghosts. Fighting these wicked people or demons is the same."
This guy is really something; trying to comfort him only made me feel comforted instead.
I wanted to say something more, but then I saw the moon rise above the willow branches, and the dark clouds that had been covering the moon were finally blown away.
The bright yellow moon shone with a lustrous glow in the night sky, its light spilling into the woods in streaks.
Sang Wan's eyes lit up. They've finally arrived!
She quickly closed her eyes, followed her will, and used the spiritual energy around her to absorb the essence of the moon. The white light clusters in the air flew around like fireflies, and finally merged into Sang Wan's body little by little, repairing her depleted dantian.
The white orbs of light resembled lamps, and the beauty seen under them was ten times more radiant than in daylight.
The world is now only black and white, with a touch of red between her brows.
Zhui Ming's gaze uncontrollably lingered on her trembling long eyelashes.
Until she suddenly opened her eyes, her watery eyes looking at him, and she said in a whirlwind, "Run!"
Having said that, he leaped forward.
Zhuiming then realized that the vines that had been wrapped around his body had fallen to the ground, and the vines lying on the ground had neat cuts, which must have been cut by the little girl with some kind of magic.
Sang Wan turned to see him staring at the vines on the ground and quickly said, "Run, you idiot! What are you daydreaming about?"
Zhuiming smiled helplessly and quickly followed.
Before long, the two had reached the edge of the woods, one after the other.
Sang Wan's face was pale. She had just used all her spiritual power to barely cut the vines and had traveled only a short distance. She was already exhausted, and her dantian was starting to ache.
He could only slow down, do some mental preparation, then close his eyes and said recklessly, "Cui Lüshang! I..." He couldn't fly anymore.
Before she could even utter a word of weakness, Zhuiming had already caught up from behind, swiftly scooped her up in his arms, and teased, "Run! What are you daydreaming about?"
Sang Wan was surprised that he was so cooperative, and punched him in the chest with a slight annoyance, but the force seemed to be light.
His vocal cords and chest cavity vibrated again.
Something enormous seemed to awaken in the woods behind us, and the entire forest seemed to be shaking as a hoarse, screaming roar erupted.
Sang Wan leaned against Zhui Ming's chest, the wind whistling past her ears, smelling the strong scent of alcohol on him, and closed her eyes peacefully.
A note from the author:
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