The Yellow Extremity Tai Chi Mystic Realm saw its first large-scale slaughter when the elite outer disciples of the righteous and demonic factions, in a tacit understanding, jointly initiated it.
Their aim was to eliminate any insignificant individuals who sought to fish in troubled waters, lest these vermin hinder their actions or create further complications.
Furthermore, they were neither anxious nor flustered by the fact that some had already entered areas rich in spiritual herbs, grasses, and treasures.
After all, entering was easy, but safely emerging with spiritual herbs, grasses, and treasures was a far more arduous task.
...
Within the dense forest, sunlight dappled, making it easy to conceal oneself.
Wu Tao leaned against a large tree, standing still, gazing intently at the ground before him.
The tracks of a bull-like demonic beast were clearly visible on the ground.
Judging by the size of the footprints, it was at least a large bull-like demonic beast, though the possibility of it being another type of demonic beast could not be ruled out.
However, what made Wu Tao stop and pay attention was not these details, but the utterly bizarre nature of the tracks on the ground.
The footprints extended from afar to his current position, and then abruptly vanished.
In their place were signs of overturned bushes, scattered earth and stones, and long, narrow, deep marks left by vines lashing the ground. It appeared as though a large demonic beast had thrashed and struggled violently.
And the remnants found at the end of those marks confirmed his hypothesis.
...
It was the remains of a Savage Horned Ferocious Bull. From these remains, it was evident that this creature might not have been the undisputed ruler of this region.
However, with its colossal physique, formidable horns, and hide as tough as steel, even ordinary carnivorous demonic beasts had to steer clear and dared not provoke it lightly.
Such a Savage Horned Ferocious Bull, a veritable "walking fortress," now lay dead in an incredibly peculiar and gruesome manner.
Its tough hide, like a suit of armor, appeared intact from the outside, but was hollow within. Its flesh and blood had been completely consumed, leaving only its massive bones rattling inside.
...
The Jade Fruit Forest was teeming with all sorts of strange and peculiar demonic beasts, so the gruesome death of the Savage Horned Ferocious Bull was not inherently surprising.
What was peculiar, however, was the complete absence of any bloodstains at the scene.
There was no scent of blood in the surrounding air. If not for the fresh appearance of the tracks, Wu Tao might have assumed this struggle had occurred long ago.
Moreover, upon sniffing the air more closely, one could detect a faint, sweet aroma.
Though subtle, the scent was rich and intoxicating, compelling one to take deep breaths and reluctant to exhale.
"Strange, something is definitely amiss," Wu Tao's expression tensed. He bit his tongue lightly, forcing himself to suppress the urge to inhale more deeply.
At this moment, Wu Tao meticulously recalled what he knew.
After a moment, a flicker of surprise crossed his face, as if a realization had dawned upon him. His spirit instantly lifted, and he hurried towards the "remains" of the Savage Horned Ferocious Bull.
Wu Tao dug the tip of his right foot into the ground and, with a slight exertion, flicked upwards.
The outwardly intact husk of the Savage Horned Ferocious Bull was instantly flipped over, revealing the ground beneath.
"As expected."
Upon seeing this, Wu Tao's face lit up with joy, but he cautiously retreated a few steps before feeling at ease and letting out a sigh of relief.
Beneath the bull's husk, hundreds of deep, arm-thick holes were revealed in the ground. The holes were arranged haphazardly, dark and menacing, as if "desiring" to devour anyone.
The openings of the holes were neat and flat, without any cracks, indicating the incredible speed and power with which the subterranean creature had broken through the surface.
Wu Tao glanced back at the Savage Horned Ferocious Bull's husk, its belly facing upwards.
He could clearly see that the belly, the weakest part of the bull from head to tail, also had holes of a similar size, though fewer in number than those on the ground.
It was likely that this Savage Horned Ferocious Bull had been restrained and controlled by the creature that suddenly emerged from the ground. Then, its vulnerable abdomen had been pierced, its blood siphoned, leading to death by exsanguination.
Such peculiar circumstances and feeding methods were rare in the Yellow Extremity Tai Chi Mystic Realm, limited to only a few types. And within the Jade Fruit Forest, it seemed only one creature fit the description: a type of tree demon, the "Phantom Blood Vine!"
...
Wu Tao was currently in a dilemma. If the Phantom Blood Vine were evaluated by its true value, it could be considered a "special" kind of tree demon. Particularly its root system, which accumulated a large amount of pure blood essence.
The spiritual roots of the Phantom Blood Vine were known in the cultivation world as "Phantom Blood Crystals."
Wu Tao practiced a purely righteous cultivation technique. The abundant pure blood essence contained within the Phantom Blood Crystals was harmful, not beneficial, to him, making it quite useless.
Conversely, for cultivators of the demonic path, Phantom Blood Crystals were a rare and invaluable spiritual medicine for refining auxiliary demonic elixirs, possessing immense worth.
Of course, if such a rare Phantom Blood Crystal were put up for auction in demonic faction territory, it could fetch a considerable sum of spirit stones.
These numerous spirit stones would be enough to allow Wu Tao to live a comfortable and worry-free life for quite some time.
...
However, the Phantom Blood Vine was not an easy foe to deal with. A single misstep could result in not only failing to eliminate the Phantom Blood Vine but also losing one's own life.
After carefully weighing the pros and cons, Wu Tao took a deep breath and calmed himself.
The Phantom Blood Vine was a notorious demonic vine tree, feeding on the flesh and blood of demonic beasts and humans. Its condensed essence was entirely concentrated in its roots.
If he could eliminate the Phantom Blood Vine and auction off a substantial length of "Phantom Blood Crystal" at a demonic auction, it could fetch at least over a thousand spirit stones.
For Wu Tao, this was incredibly tempting.
But the Phantom Blood Vine was not easily subdued. Unlike ordinary vine tree demons, this particular tree demon did not rely on towering trees rooted in the ground.
Its main body was entwined within the subterranean rocks, remaining hidden underground for most of the time. When hunting, it extended its vines to the surface to capture prey. It was skilled in subterranean movement and acted with lightning speed. If injured, it would retract extremely quickly.
...
With prior preparation, evading the Phantom Blood Vine's attacks was relatively easy, and injuring it was not too difficult.
But to severely wound it in one blow, preventing its escape, and thus allowing for the extraction of its vital root system without any damage, was far from easy.
Wu Tao stood still, pondered for a while, and finally decided to seek fortune in danger, choosing to take a gamble.
After a full hour of contemplation, Wu Tao finally devised a plan, but he still needed to find a lure.
...
A while later, Wu Tao returned.
In his hands, he held a Three-Colored Scent-Tailed Pig weighing several thousand catties.
This pig was covered in fiery red fur, with two spiral horns on its forehead, and its long tail was a brilliant, dazzling three colors.
Then, Wu Tao exerted force with his legs, swung his arms, and tossed it upwards with great strength.
The Three-Colored Scent-Tailed Pig was hurled hundreds of meters forward.
...
A "rustling" sound of rolling echoed.
The corpulent Three-Colored Scent-Tailed Pig, greatly startled, let out continuous screams.
It tumbled and crashed hundreds of meters away, landing precisely on the ground next to the husk of the Savage Horned Ferocious Bull.
Shortly after, a sharp glint appeared in Wu Tao's eyes as he fixed his gaze intently on the ground.
There were no "soft" cushions or anything of the sort nearby. The fall for the Three-Colored Scent-Tailed Pig was indeed severe.
The unfortunate pig, its eyes teary, had barely looked up when a massive bull's head filled its vision.
The Three-Colored Scent-Tailed Pig shrieked in terror and instantly turned to flee, its short legs scrambling wildly, attempting to escape to a safer area.
Its stubby legs churned desperately. After only two steps, it felt the ground tremble.
Immediately after, over a hundred black, thorny vines shot out from the ground, closing in on it.
Despite its plumpness, the Three-Colored Scent-Tailed Pig was too large. The Phantom Blood Vine seemed to have underestimated its size and couldn't quite ensnare it completely, allowing it to scramble and roll its way out.
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