The Demonic Cultivator In Zombie World

Chapter 244: The Application of the Taotie Tree

Chu Xuan stood before Leng Hanshuang once more. Observing the stunningly beautiful yet vacant-eyed Holy Maiden of the Reincarnation Divine Sect, he shook his head slightly. It wasn't just a lament for her tragic fate.

"Earthly spiritual roots, an earthly spiritual body, a peerless genius, so what?" he mused. "Without the wisdom to restrain one's brilliance, only attracting calamity. If one provokes those they shouldn't, they cannot escape death. All of their achievements will simply pave the way for others."

Seeing Leng Hanshuang's fate only reinforced Chu Xuan's resolve to continue on his cautious path. Then, he immediately set about using the Body Seizing Technique. Although the process of seizing a spiritual body was slow, its success rate was guaranteed. Chu Xuan was indifferent to the time it took.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Ten days later, Chu Xuan successfully transferred Leng Hanshuang's spirit body into the Acquired Miraculous Jade. With this, he had obtained the most crucial aspect of Leng Hanshuang. Her physical body was all that remained useful. Given that Leng Hanshuang practiced the Mysterious Heavenly Ice Soul Scroll and had some body refinement techniques, her body was exceedingly robust.

"Her body will feed the corpse puppets, and her soul will be perfect for my refining and absorption," Chu Xuan mused, smacking his lips.

However, Leng Hanshuang had mentioned that whoever killed her would be marked. Naturally, Chu Xuan wouldn't do this himself. Instead, he randomly selected a zombie to kill Leng Hanshuang, thereby transferring the mark to the zombie.

Considering that this zombie had always been on Blue Star, how could it possibly be found by the old ancestors of the Reincarnation Divine Sect?

...

Meanwhile, Wen Lingtian was deep in seclusion when he suddenly felt a sense of restlessness. Calculating with his fingers, his expression drastically changed.

"Dead? Hanshuang is dead?"

He had left marks within both the body and soul of Leng Hanshuang. Anyone who killed her, unless their realm was higher than his, would be marked by him. With this mark, he would be able to find the person responsible for her death.

Not only Leng Hanshuang but also the Holy Son of the Reincarnation Divine Sect, Situ Kong, also carried such a mark. This was a method used by the Reincarnation Divine Sect to deter others. Anyone daring to kill a Saint of the Reincarnation Divine Sect, no matter where they fled, even to the ends of the earth, would be relentlessly pursued by the Sect.

But now...

Leng Hanshuang had died silently. His calculations could not even approximate the location of the mark. It was like clouds on the horizon—vague, indistinct, and elusive.

Wen Lingtian looked unwell, his expression grim. The loss of a Holy Maiden from a prestigious sixth-level cultivation sect was a severe blow. If news of this spread, it would be incredibly embarrassing. His face shifted between shades of anger and frustration.

Finally, he took out the Inquiry Heaven Disc, his eyes flashing with the desperate intensity of a gambler. "I refuse to believe that I can't divine the answer!" he muttered under his breath.

Moments later, an angry roar erupted from his meditation chamber.

"Lost another 300 years of lifespan!! Never divining again!"

...

Blue Star, over the Eastern Sea.

Chu Xuan found himself once again on the small island. At the center of the island was a black tree. The tree had only one bare trunk and a few shriveled branches. It did have leaves, but they all resembled large mouths.

Numerous aerial roots dangled from the treetops like octopus tentacles. A kilometer away from the black tree was a formation enveloping the entire island, with corpse puppets patrolling continuously around the perimeter. For years, no accidents had occurred.

As Chu Xuan approached, the aerial roots, sensing an enemy, immediately stood erect like cobras ready to strike.

"I'm here, aren't you going to greet me?" Chu Xuan laughed cheerfully.

Snap!

An aerial root whipped through the air towards him, but he caught it effortlessly and casually tore it off. The black tree emitted a painful screech from within and quickly retracted its branches, leaves, and roots back into its trunk, much like a turtle retracting its head.

Chu Xuan then took out a jar filled with blood honey and tossed it over to the tree. The tree, like a cat smelling meat, instantly extended its roots.

With a crunch, it shattered the jar, and not a single drop of the blood honey hit the ground; the aerial roots devoured it all in mid-air.

Satiated, the black tree became docile and harmless, lazily sprawling on the spot as if it had no idea that Chu Xuan had just torn off one of its roots.

Chu Xuan observed the Taotie Tree thoughtfully, pondering its unique qualities and potential uses.

In Leng Hanshuang's memories, there was only a smattering of information about the Taotie Tree. The astral elder of the Reincarnation Divine Sect, Wen Lingtian, had briefly mentioned it to her.

"A decade to germinate, a century to grow into a sapling, a millennium to become a young tree. To truly become a mighty tree, it must devour the vitality of an entire star."

Chu Xuan pondered deeply. Even if he provided ample sustenance, at most, he could only nurture the Taotie Tree into its juvenile stage. To unleash its terrifying potential, it would need to consume a whole star.

However, Chu Xuan would never commit such an act. Blue Star was, after all, his sanctuary. How could he so readily destroy it?

"Nevertheless, there is now a rudimentary way to utilize the Taotie Tree," Chu Xuan mused as he retrieved another jar of blood honey. The previously lethargic tree immediately sprang to life. Numerous black aerial roots pointed towards the jar in Chu Xuan's hand and swiftly struck.

Chu Xuan snorted coldly, and his Evil Soul Chain suddenly appeared, severing all the attacking roots with a crack. The roots fell to the ground, writhing like serpents. From their broken ends, a red liquid spurted out, resembling blood. The Taotie Tree shrieked in agony and began to retract its roots.

But Chu Xuan swiftly reached out and grasped one of the roots firmly. Despite the tree's desperate attempts to pull it back, it could not match the strength of Chu Xuan, who was adept in more than thirty layers of body cultivation techniques.

Eventually, the tree ceased struggling and lay still, though whimpers could still be heard from its trunk as if lamenting, "What have I done wrong? I'm merely a child."

"Blood honey for you," Chu Xuan pointed at the honey, "and lifespan for me," he continued, inserting the root into his crown as he spoke calmly.

The Taotie Tree could not understand human speech, but it seemed to grasp Chu Xuan's intent. Its trunk shuddered violently, and soon the severed roots were restored to their original state. It extended three roots in response.

Chu Xuan shook his head, "Three jars? No, only one." The tree retracted a root.

"No, just one jar," Chu Xuan stated firmly, unwavering in his stance.

Reluctantly, the Taotie Tree agreed to the trade. It consumed the blood honey and inserted a root into Chu Xuan's crown.

After a brief moment of calm, Chu Xuan immediately felt a mysterious energy coursing through his body via the root. This energy was elusive, not spiritual Qi, nor spiritual sense, nor psionic energy.

This was the most basic application of the Taotie Tree: exchanging blood food for lifespan!