Jin Fang knew very well that Tan Hu wouldn’t just give it to him for free.
His Spirit Vein’s main attribute wasn’t metal, but its properties were related. Although he wouldn’t gain a second attribute from consuming it, the fruit would still be of great benefit to his cultivation.
Sure enough, Tan Hu’s condition gave Jin Fang a major headache.
Tan Hu said seriously, "I want a Wind Attribute Spirit Vein Fruit, and its characteristic must be an Escape Technique."
The saying goes that clouds follow the dragon, and wind follows the tiger. Since he had refined a Tiger Demon’s bloodline, which was wind-aspected, he was demanding a Wind Attribute Spirit Vein Fruit in exchange.
Jin Fang gave a bitter smile. "Do you think these things grow on trees? Where am I supposed to get a Wind Attribute Spirit Vein Fruit for you?"
A cunning glint flashed in Tan Hu’s eyes as he smiled. "Senior Brother Jin may not have one, but your family is wealthy. It’s just a single Spirit Vein Fruit. For them, it’s a drop in the bucket..."
Jin Fang nearly coughed up blood when he heard that. Although his Jin Family was overseen by a Dao Foundation Great Cultivator, it wasn’t as if they could just produce a Spirit Vein Fruit on demand.
Spirit Vein Fruits were treasures of heaven and earth. Their growth locations were completely random, and their required environments and maturation times varied depending on their characteristics.
This resulted in a very high chance that a Spirit Vein Fruit would perish before reaching maturity.
But Jin Fang couldn’t bear to pass up a Spirit Vein Fruit that was compatible with his own attributes. If he missed this opportunity, there was no telling when another would come along.
Jin Fang’s gaze shifted slightly. "First, tell me where the Spirit Vein Fruit is."
"And what do the Blood Wolves have to do with the Spirit Vein Fruit?"
Tan Hu spread his hands. "I can’t tell you the location of the Spirit Vein Fruit just yet, Senior Brother." He then quickly added, "This particular Spirit Vein Fruit requires an atmosphere of resentment and Qi Blood as nourishment."
"I had the Blood Wolf gather the wolf packs from the surrounding mountains. I plan to use them to hasten the fruit’s maturation."
’An atmosphere of resentment, Qi Blood...’
Jin Fang’s brow furrowed.
’Based on those nourishment requirements, it’s really hard to guess what its characteristics might be.’
’However, a Spirit Vein Fruit that feeds on such things is most likely geared toward combat.’
Jin Fang cut to the chase. "How much longer until the Spirit Vein Fruit is mature?"
Tan Hu estimated inwardly for a moment. "About six more hours."
Jin Fang paced back and forth, frowning. "No, that’s not fast enough. We need to speed it up. The Steward will arrive at the Beast Valley in four hours at most."
"You know as well as I do that while the wolves have plenty of Qi Blood, they produce too little resentful soul qi. We can’t make it go any faster..." Tan Hu said with a frown.
Jin Fang stopped pacing, thought for a moment with a frown, and sighed.
"I can buy you some time, but I can’t guarantee how long. You have to speed things up."
Tan Hu nodded seriously. "Don’t worry. The Blood Wolf has already gathered several hundred wolves. They’re about to launch a fierce assault."
"Good!"
The two of them left the Scripture Tower together.
Before leaving, Jin Fang gave a solemn warning. "Try not to let anyone else die..." After speaking, he tapped his foot lightly, and his portly body leaped high into the air like a sparrow. After a few quick shifts, he vanished from sight.
’No more deaths?’
Tan Hu’s gaze flickered as he muttered to himself, ’If people don’t die, how is it supposed to mature? I can’t rely on those good-for-nothing wild beasts...’
He was all alone in the world, unlike Jin Fang. With no family to rely on, he had to do everything in his power to fight for cultivation resources.
And the Spirit Vein Fruit he had discovered ten years ago was his one great opportunity.
A ruthless look appeared in Tan Hu’s eyes. ’As long as I get the Wind Attribute Spirit Vein Fruit, so what if I have to go expand the sect’s territory for them?’
He gathered power in his feet, and a dense web of cracks instantly appeared in the ground beneath him.
BOOM...
In an instant, Tan Hu’s body transformed into a ferocious Mountain Monarch. He shot into the sky and, with a few leaps, landed on the top of the cliff.
ROAR!
Its amber pupils glanced at the Beast Valley below before it tilted its head back and let out a tremendous roar.
An invisible shockwave of sound instantly spread out in all directions.
The massive roar instantly startled everyone in the valley. They rushed out of their homes, looking toward the source of the sound.
But up on the cliff’s edge, the Mountain Monarch was already long gone.
In a forest several dozen li away from the Beast Valley, gray wolves darted between the trees like a raging torrent, leaving an eerie silence in their wake.
At the center of the pack was a majestic Blood Wolf, its body entirely scarlet and as powerfully built as a stallion.
Just then, the running Blood Wolf suddenly stopped.
The formation of the running gray wolves fell into disarray for a moment as they all skidded to a halt, letting out low growls.
AWOO...
The Blood Wolf spun around, raised its head to the sky with a long howl, and then took off running with a thunderous start.
AWOO...
Accompanied by a chorus of howls, the wolf pack was on the move again.
.
In a corner of the Beast Valley.
Inside a three-section beast pen.
"Xiaohua, use Steel Armor..."
As his voice fell, Li Changsheng slapped Xiaohua on the back, sending a stream of Spiritual Power into its body.
GRUNT...
Xiaohua suddenly let out a low growl. Its back arched high, and its dark mane bristled, each hair standing on end like a steel needle.
Then, the mane suddenly softened and flowed like water, instantly blanketing Xiaohua’s entire body.
CLANG.
Thick, heavy scales shimmering with a metallic luster instantly covered Xiaohua from head to toe, making its already large frame seem even more formidable, like a beast made of steel.
It exuded a ferocious aura that washed over anyone nearby.
With a flicker of his thoughts, Li Changsheng directed the Blood-winged Red Bamboo flying beside him to stab viciously at Xiaohua with its fearsome proboscis.
CLANG...
The proboscis struck the scales, sending out a shower of sparks.
But it only left a tiny white mark on Xiaohua’s body, a testament to just how strong its thrice-enhanced Steel Armor was.
Li Changsheng reached out and beckoned the Blood-winged Red Bamboo back to him. He could now clearly see that its proboscis was bent.
After being refined, the Blood-winged Red Bamboo’s proboscis was no less durable than ordinary refined steel, which just went to show how incredibly hard Xiaohua’s Steel Armor was.
Xiaohua had only been able to use its innate magic because he had accidentally channeled a stream of Spiritual Power into its body, causing it to use the ability subconsciously.
「A few moments later.」
Xiaohua’s Spiritual Qi was depleted, and the steel armor on its body disintegrated, turning back into dark fur.
Li Changsheng frowned. ’It can only maintain it for five minutes?’
He then took out a Spirit Stone and fed it to Xiaohua.
Xiaohua’s cultivation realm was still too low; the amount of Spiritual Qi in its body wasn’t enough to sustain its innate magic for long.
However, there was a solution: he could feed Xiaohua a Spirit Stone while it was using its innate magic.
A single Spirit Stone would allow Xiaohua to extend its innate magic by five minutes.
It was just an incredible waste.
Unless he was absolutely forced to, Li Changsheng would never want to resort to this method.
He patted Xiaohua, then turned and left the pen, bringing Xiaohua with him.
That roar from earlier had left him feeling increasingly uneasy.
He had originally thought about heading into the back mountains again to hide, but as he started walking in that direction, his spirit suddenly throbbed, warning him of an even more intense crisis.
With no other choice, he had to turn back, abandoning the idea of hiding in the mountains.
Li Changsheng brought out a small stool and sat in front of the beast pen. He gazed toward the center of the Beast Valley, lost in thought.
’I definitely can’t stay in the Beast Valley any longer.’
But as for how to leave the Beast Valley, let alone escape the Cyan Yang Sect’s territory, he didn’t have the slightest clue.
"Sigh..."
"They’re not giving me even a sliver of hope..."