Both Ye Ziyun and Xue Hui traversed the vast world inside the giant tree. The farther they went, the more it completed the picture of what kind of world they were in.
Small mountains, tall trees, and hundreds of small canals that could be described as channeling veins spread throughout the entire grassy field.
Although the surrounding area looked like typical natural scenery, somehow Ye Ziyun couldn't help but compare the structure of the world around them to the inside of a demon beast.
"Fascinating, right? The world is full of hidden wonders waiting to be discovered. All we need to do is look for them."
Her body jerked in surprise as a small squeak escaped her ruby-red lips. She was so absorbed in looking around that she almost forgot Xue Hui was beside her.
Her reaction made Xue Hui chuckle.
Her cheeks dusted red, she pursed her lips in irritation and stomped her foot on the ground. She walked closer to him before gently pinching his side, making him jump in surprise.
"Xue Hui!"
"Sorry, sorry, Ziyun. I didn't mean to startle you. I never noticed that you were preoccupied. I thought you were just looking around."
"I am not. I was indeed just looking around. It's you who suddenly spoke out of nowhere."
She bit her lip as she quickly defended herself. She would never admit to anyone, especially Xue Hui, that she had indeed become lost in thought a moment ago.
To her dismay, Xue Hui just waved his hand and suppressed his laughter, clearly not believing her words.
"We've been walking for hours. Do you think everyone is okay?" she asked curiously, wanting to divert the topic away from herself.
"Yeah, everyone is doing great. Chen Linlin and her group already found two Blood Soul Resins, while Big Sister Yu Yan and her group found three. They were just looking for more. We're the only group that hasn't found anything yet."
"What!? T-they already gathered that much?" Ye Ziyun exclaimed in surprise. She was unaware that the other groups had more luck than them. They had been searching for hours and hadn't found any Blood Soul Resin, not even a trace of it.
Then something about what he said piqued her interest.
"Wait, how do you know that everyone already collected some of them? Do you have a method to see their movements?"
"Yep. Those Origin Spheres I gave them not only work as a secure escape route, but they also allow me to perceive everything around them remotely," he explained.
"So that's how."
She failed to hide the amazement in her expression.
With the garden and these Origin Spheres of his, Ye Ziyun's understanding of Xue Hui's abilities became more and more absurd.
The two of them continued their search and eventually managed to find a Blood Soul Resin.
Just like Xue Hui said, it was as big as a fist. It had a deep red color and released a strong metallic odor.
It sat in the middle of a pool of blood, absorbing the vital fluid like a sponge.
"Xue Hui, should I go there and retrieve it?"
She asked uncertainly. Her instincts were telling her that something dangerous was hidden underneath it.
"Yes, but be careful. There are Blood Collectors waiting to ambush us. That pool of blood is their territory."
Her expression became serious. She bit her lower lip and inquired further.
"Blood Collectors? Are they creatures residing in this place?"
To her surprise, Xue Hui shook his head.
"No. They're parasites that burrow in from the outside. Their aim is to wait for the Blood Soul Resin to ripen and collect it afterward."
"How many are there, and what is their strength?"
Her heart beat faster as she asked more questions. This was the first real battle she was going into, and she was quite nervous about it.
"There are three of them. All have the strength of Silver Rank Fighters. They possess an extreme yin physique, so their strength increases by a lot as they stay here. I'll watch your back, so don't worry."
"Hmm."
Nodding, she took a long, deep breath to calm her heart. Balling her fists, she stepped forward and fused with her demon spirit.
Woosh!
Nine snow-colored tails, each twice her height in length, burst from her lower back. They swayed elegantly in the air, looking like a cluster of dreamy clouds. Her nails grew an inch longer and became razor-sharp, capable of tearing through metal like butter. Her porcelain skin became covered in soft white fur, while her pupils became slitted and her fangs more pronounced. Above her head, a pair of fifteen-inch fox ears twitched as they turned and locked onto the direction of the hidden enemies.
Behind her appeared the image of a thirty-meter-tall Cold Profound Nine-Tailed Jiao Dragon Fox. It stood on all fours and let out an ear-piercing howl. Its beastly form displayed both might and elegance.
As soon as the howl disturbed the surface of the blood pool, grotesque-looking creatures jumped into the open. Their appearance resembled emaciated, furless gorillas with six arms and snail-like heads bearing giant circular cavities filled with countless sharp teeth.
They shrieked angrily as they shot forward with great speed, cracking the ground where they stood. They thrust their bloody arms forward, creating whooshing sounds as their limbs cut through the air like arrows, extending in an attempt to seize Ye Ziyun and tear her apart.
Faced with attacks filled with killing intent, Ye Ziyun's expression became fierce. Her cloud-like tails spread open as she took a deep breath, causing cold white mist to escape her lips.
Instead of backing down, Ye Ziyun remained rooted in place. She stood ready as the Blood Collectors closed in.
With a huff, Ye Ziyun's tails slammed against the ground, releasing a bone-piercing cold aura.
CRACKLE... CRACKLE... CRACKLE...
The Blood Collectors found themselves encased in a frozen prison.
Before they could break free, Ye Ziyun jumped forward. Brandishing her sharp claws, she slashed the air in front of her, creating four wind blades that flew directly toward the trapped enemies.
KRAK!
Splatter!
Shriek!
Ice exploded. Blood burst out. The stretched limbs of the Blood Collectors were sliced off, and howls of pain echoed throughout the surroundings.
Ye Ziyun didn't stop there. She leaped into the air and summoned twenty sharp icicles, each the size of an arm.
With a battle cry, she launched them toward the still-reeling Blood Collectors. Their descent produced sharp whistling sounds, evidence of the incredible speed at which they tore through the air.
Unable to defend themselves, one of the Blood Collectors was hit directly. Its body became riddled with fist-sized holes before collapsing to the ground, dead before it could even let out a miserable cry.
The remaining two didn't look good either. They were badly injured and only managed to survive thanks to the fallen one receiving most of the attack.
"Not good!" she exclaimed.
Opening their mouths, they released a blood mist that corroded everything it touched. This forced Ye Ziyun to kick off the air and land far away from the spreading mist.
Worried, she shifted her gaze toward Xue Hui, who was standing not far from the fight, to see if he was okay.
A mistake that left her unguarded against a massive punch delivered by a Blood Collector that had rushed in front of her.
Her eyes widened. She instinctively raised both arms to block the attack while using her tails to support her balance.
Boom!
As Ye Ziyun received the punch, her entire body shook from the impact. Her teeth rattled, and she momentarily lost all sensation in her arms.
Before she could retreat and compose herself, she felt a tug on her leg as the world around her spun rapidly.
Reacting swiftly, she activated the ability of her demon spirit. Before the Blood Collectors could smash her body into the ground, she exploded into a cloud of white mist, allowing herself to escape their grasp and gain some distance.
Ye Ziyun let out a shaky breath, her expression filled with horror as cold sweat trickled down her back.
She had gotten careless and had been moments away from suffering a severe injury.
Steadying her breathing, she quickly formed a hand seal, determined to go all out as the Blood Collectors kicked off the ground and rushed toward her once again.
"Freeze the World!" she cried out.
Not far from her, a surprised look appeared on Xue Hui's face before a smile stretched across his lips.
Freeze the World was a domain ability from the Celestial Frost Phoenix Nirvana Canon cultivation technique.
Meaning she had already discarded the Nine Revolving Ice Phoenix beforehand.
A good thing, in his opinion. Although the Nine Revolving Ice Phoenix shared the same foundation as the Celestial Frost Phoenix Nirvana Canon, it was inferior in terms of battle techniques.
This was because the Nine Revolving Ice Phoenix focused solely on the revival aspect of the technique and little else.
It was good for her to switch to a more complete cultivation technique. That decision was the reason she could keep up with such powerful enemies even while disadvantaged in both strength and numbers.
The world around them grew cold. The ground transformed into snowy plains, while towering frozen trees formed all around them.
Ye Ziyun's clothes also changed. She now wore a flowing white robe that glistened with her every movement, making her look like a goddess ruling over a frozen world.
The Blood Collectors' movements became sluggish as their bodies were invaded by cold aura. Their muscles, bones, and blood gradually crystallized into ice.
Their miserable cries slowly died away as their bodies ceased all movement.
Shatter.
With a wave of her sleeve, Ye Ziyun unleashed a blizzard toward the immobilized Blood Collectors, exploding their bodies into fine snow that glistened as it drifted through the wind, ending the fight.
With the enemies defeated, the tension in her body eased. She placed a hand over her heaving chest and sighed in relief that her first battle had ended in victory.
With that, Ye Ziyun reverted to her original form. As she did, she immediately felt soreness spread throughout her body.
Not only that, but she also felt lightheaded, and the cloth around her sleeves was tattered from the previous attack.
All in all, she looked a mess after everything, but even so, a noticeable grin remained on her face. She had won a difficult battle all by herself and felt proud of it.
"Well, what was it like?"
Her body jerked upon hearing a familiar voice, and she quickly turned her head toward its source.
Xue Hui was looking at her with pride as he clapped his hands in her victories. Seeing that warm feeling crept to her heart.
"The task isn't over yet, though. You still need to seize the spoils of battle."
As he said that, he tilted his head toward the Blood Soul Resin, which remained perfectly untouched despite all the destruction around it.
Nodding, she walked over and used her soul force to lift it from the pool of blood, catching it with her delicate hand.
"Keep it. You fought well to obtain that treasure. Later, I'll help everyone refine the Blood Soul Resin to help them break through."
She contemplated for a moment whether she should give the Blood Soul Resin to him as thanks for all the help he had given her.
In the end, she decided not to and stored the treasure inside her interspatial ring.
There was still plenty of time left to search. Now that they had already obtained one, she was sure they would be able to find more.
"Let's continue the search then?" Xue Hui asked, causing Ye Ziyun to take a deep breath before nodding.
"Hmm."
End of Chapter 89
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