Chapter 190: Great Opportunity

Fierce slaughters erupted everywhere within the dense forest, one after another, time and again, chilling the blood of anyone who watched.

The demonic cultivators acted with ruthless malice, their schemes and deceits unfolding in an endless stream, as everyone risked everything they had, unleashing their talents and primal instincts to their hearts' content.

The Wine-and-Meat Monk, Gu Zha the Blade Demon, and Yan Fei went without saying; they were the heavily favored seed contestants, but aside from these three, there were many others who usually kept a low profile yet shocked everyone in this trial.

Meng Jingzhou and Mangu performed with exceptional brilliance, several contestants having already fallen by their hands, either pierced through by iron fists or smashed to pieces by a great hammer.

The fame of the two began to rise, and an increasing number of contestants came to know of these two ruthless figures, growing unwilling to cross paths with them.

The fists and hammers of both men were stained with blood, their entire bodies radiating a murderous aura, their eyes crimson, marking them at a glance as merciless killers who had lost themselves to the frenzy of slaughter.

Mangu's ancient barbarian lineage had been further stimulated; the ancient era was one of constant warfare, and as one of the most powerful races of that time, the ancient barbarians inevitably crusaded against enemies, what flowed in their bones being blood-soaked battles and unyielding defiance... along with the curse cast by Huang Doudou.

"I have never heard of these two before, where on earth did they pop up from? Judging by their strength, they are enough to rival the Wine-and-Meat Monk, look at him, he is unwilling to face them and has been keeping to other areas!"

"They probably obtained an inheritance from somewhere, or else they are seeds secretly nurtured by the elders!"

"It is just unknown which of the two is the superior one." Both inside and outside the arena, people were discussing Meng Jingzhou and Mangu.

Meng Jingzhou's iron fists were invincible, shattering a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with a single punch, and the opponent had been a rather well-known contestant.

He was currently at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. As a disciple of the Dao-Seeking Sect and a direct descendant of the Meng Clan, once he left the sect, he was peerless within the same realm.

The words of the Sage echoed around Mangu as he struck down one foe per hammer blow without blinking an eye, the bizarre sense of contradiction making him look like a madman.

Finally, the two crossed paths, defiance and unruliness in their eyes, neither willing to submit to the other.

Mangu raised his great hammer and bellowed a question: "State your name!"

"Meng Jingzhou! Who are you?"

"Mangu."

Both were men of few words, exchanging no further pleasantries before clashing directly.

These two were the finest among the Foundation Establishment stage, the topmost seed contestants, and once they engaged, the earth shook and the heavens startled, trees caught in the aftershocks of the battle snapping at the trunk, destroyed like dry weeds.

Other contestants observed from not far away, hoping these two would inflict mutual destruction so they could reap the spoils of a bystander.

The numbers on the tokens held by these two were extremely high; whoever could kill them would obtain their token scores.

This was a fortune that stirred the hearts of everyone!

The Wine-and-Meat Monk and Gu Zha the Blade Demon watched from the shadows, secretly alarmed.

"The threat of these two is no less than that of Yan Fei!"

"Remarkably powerful, though still inferior to me; I still have trump cards unrevealed, while these two have already been seen through by me."

"To think that besides Yan Fei and the Wine-and-Meat Monk among the opponents this time, I would encounter such formidable rivals, indeed a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers!"

"Just right, the demonic blade is thirsty, the blood of those useless fools cannot satisfy it, the blood of these two peerless geniuses is precisely the blade's favorite!"

"Hahaha, a delightful battle, it has been a long time since I met an opponent qualified to fight me!" Meng Jingzhou laughed aloud.

Mangu was equally excited, the ancient barbarian blood within his body boiling and burning.

Another ancient tree fell during their combat, and after it snapped, a Bodhi tree appeared before their eyes.

Upon the Bodhi tree, three little babies swayed with the wind; the Bodhi tree possessed the effect of calming the mind and condensing the spirit, making this scene appear immensely sacred.

Meng Jingzhou was greatly shocked: "Could it be the Bodhi Ginseng Fruit Tree?!"

"Ginseng Fruit?" Mangu was similarly astonished.

With a sacred relic before them, the two coincidentally chose to call a truce.

"Is this the legendary Ginseng Fruit Tree?" Mangu asked, half-doubting.

Meng Jingzhou nodded: "It cannot be wrong, look at these three fair and plump little babies growing on the tree, is this not precisely the legendary Ginseng Fruit?"

Mangu followed up with a question: "But how could Ginseng Fruit grow on a Bodhi tree?"

Meng Jingzhou adopted a look that chided the other's ignorance: "This you do not know, why is the Ginseng Fruit so rare that not a single Ginseng Fruit Tree can be found in the entire world? It is because there has never been a Ginseng Fruit Tree!"

"The Ginseng Fruit is a product born in harmony with the rhythm of heaven and earth, it only appears on other trees; when a tree condenses the essence of heaven and earth, the Ginseng Fruit naturally grows out."

"Among numerous trees, the Bodhi tree is the most wondrous and divine, possessing many legends, making it the most suitable to become the tree where Ginseng Fruits grow!"

Mangu came to a sudden realization, not expecting there to be such an underlying meaning.

With the Ginseng Fruits before them, it was a grand fortune, and there was no longer any need for the two to keep fighting; even at one fruit per person, there would still be one left over.

Originally, the crowd did not recognize the Ginseng Fruits, but hearing Meng Jingzhou's well-reasoned analysis, they felt that this was indeed the Ginseng Fruit.

They recalled what the Sect Master had said about a grand fortune existing within this dense forest.

Could it be referring to these three Ginseng Fruits?

"Charge!"

The crowd hidden in the dark swarmed forward, determined to pluck a Ginseng Fruit!

Gu Zha the Blade Demon threw out ox-hair needles; sensing the concealed weapons, Meng Jingzhou and Mangu leapt backward, evading the strike.

The two were distanced from the Ginseng Fruits, which gave the crowd an opportunity to seize.

Even if the competitors included Meng Jingzhou, the Wine-and-Meat Monk, and others, they had to take a gamble here.

Once a Ginseng Fruit was obtained, the path of cultivating immortality from then on would be smooth and unimpeded.

It was worth risking their lives!

Gu Zha the Blade Demon was the first to snatch one; without lingering, he plucked it and fled.

"Is this the Ginseng Fruit, its texture is like flesh, no wonder it is called the Ginseng Fruit!"

The crowd felt deep regret, pursuing relentlessly in the rear, but Gu Zha the Blade Demon's footwork was superior, and this being a dense forest, he shook off the crowd in no time.

Only what was refined belonged to oneself; adhering to this creed, Gu Zha the Blade Demon took a bite.

He could not bite through it.

"Could it be that the Ginseng Fruit's texture is like flesh, but once one tries to eat it, it becomes incomparably hard."

Just as he was considering how to consume the Ginseng Fruit, his expression suddenly changed drastically.

"Oh no, poison!"

He revealed a look of disbelief; the surface of the Ginseng Fruit was violently toxic!

Who did this? This was a Ginseng Fruit, after all; this method of poisoning was simply an utter waste of a heavenly treasure!

At this moment, the Ginseng Fruit spoke: "Did no one ever tell you not to recklessly eat wild fruits by the roadside?"

Amidst Gu Zha's regretful and dying gaze, the Ginseng Fruit stretched its body.

The three-inch-tall Lu Yang stretched himself; after acting as a Ginseng Fruit for so long, he could finally move about.

This was a new skill he had comprehended while being ravaged by the senior brothers and sisters of the Dao-Seeking Sect—first shrinking into inches, then contracting the earth, and operating the Tree Planting Art.

Thus, three little Lu Yangs would grow upon the Bodhi tree, and with Meng Jingzhou and Mangu, these two shills, promoting it, he transformed and became a Ginseng Fruit.

Conveniently, he also coated his body with a layer of violent poison.

Those capable of snatching the Ginseng Fruit would surely not have low cultivations, guaranteeing a successful poisoning every time.

"And this one considers himself part of the demonic path? So easily fooled." Lu Yang shook his head with disdain and killed Gu Zha.

This generation of the demonic path is truly incompetent; the three of them, members of the righteous sect, managed to play the demons like absolute fools.

(End of Chapter)