The two of them were trapped together inside the peach blossom cocoon.
Su Su said helplessly, "Now you can let go, right?"
The arm around her waist instinctively tightened before slowly loosening its grip. Su Su lifted her head and examined the enormous cocoon.
She knew that Lan An had betrayed Tantai Jin. During the most difficult times, Lan An had chosen to raise Tantai Jin, enduring years of humiliation just to support his rise to power.
Who would have thought that the last person in the world who cared about him would abandon him overnight?
Having been betrayed by Lan An, Tantai Jin would never easily trust anyone again.
Su Su didn't need his trust either. Rather than wasting energy debating moral character with a natural-born evil creature, it was better to focus on escaping.
The peach tree's petals were corrosive. Su Su's Yellow Talisman, primarily water-based, transformed into a transparent water membrane that enveloped them both, temporarily shielding them from the peach blossoms.
But the water membrane would eventually rupture, and that would spell their doom.
Su Su asked, "You entered the Wang residence before me. Do you know what's going on with this Peach Tree Demon?"
Tantai Jin glanced at her reddened palm and said, "The peach tree drained Young Master Wang dry, leaving only a skin puppet under its control. It uses Young Master Wang's body to mate with women and steal their primordial yin."
Su Su's heart sank. If that were the case, then the abducted women were likely in grave danger.
After the last War of Gods and Demons, nearly all demonic creatures had been sealed away. Those monsters that later cultivated human forms either possessed weak magical power or moved cautiously among humans.
This peach tree was abnormally large—it couldn't have been growing in this town all along. It had most likely escaped from the Desolate Abyss.
These demons lurking in the human world were quietly waiting for the next Demon God to awaken, which would herald a carnival for the demon realm.
Fortunately, none of them knew who their Demon God was.
Su Su stole a glance at Tantai Jin, who happened to look up and meet her gaze. He appeared completely unashamed, showing no embarrassment about having pulled her into the peach blossom cocoon.
This man really...
She quietly leaned back, putting some distance between them.
The peach blossom cocoon was only so big, forcing them to squeeze together. He was taller than her, with a much larger frame, making it seem as if Su Su was nestled in his embrace.
Tantai Jin's body temperature remained chillingly low.
The rouge on his lips had been wiped away at some point, leaving them pale and thin.
Her martial uncle had once said that such lips were the most heartless.
Su Su noticed his cloth-covered eye was continuously bleeding: "What happened to your eye?"
Tantai Jin covered his bleeding eye, his tone grim: "Young Master Wang is a corpse. His eyes are unusable."
Su Su didn't know whether to be angry or amused—he had unhesitatingly gouged out his own eye with such decisiveness.
Su Su said, "The tree demon won't have eyes for you either. Its spiritual form's eyes are merely illusions modeled after humans—they don't actually exist. What do you plan to do?"
His other pitch-black pupil silently watched Su Su.
Su Su glared at him: "I'm not giving you my eye."
Tantai Jin remained expressionless.
Su Su explained patiently: "There are some spiritual objects in this world that can transform into human eyes, though they're not as effective as real ones. For example, Xirang soil, Tian Marrow spirit essence..."
She trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid, because such treasures couldn't merge with the Demon God's body.
The water membrane began to ripple in layers. Tantai Jin said, "Let's get out of this peach blossom cocoon first."Su Su said, "The five elements counteract each other. Tree demons fear fire. I'll try the Heavy Fire Incantation."
Tantai Jin let out a cold laugh.
Su Su looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong?"
"Before I left the room, the peach tree was in the innermost courtyard. I broke the Earth Fiend Formation and set the house on fire, intending to burn it to death. But now, the tree demon has moved to the lakeside," Tantai Jin said. "It can travel through its roots. If I'm not mistaken, the entire town's underground is filled with its roots. It can move wherever it wants."
Su Su imagined the scene—an entire town with peach tree roots underground—and instantly felt chills run down her spine.
No wonder she couldn't enter through earth escape earlier. Thinking about it, Chen Yan Yan's village probably also had tree demon roots underground, which explained why it killed so brazenly.
If the Peach Tree Demon weren't somewhat dull-witted, she and Tantai Jin would have been discovered earlier.
More terrifyingly, perhaps all the young women in the entire town had already become fertilizer for the tree demon's flowers.
If they didn't eliminate the tree demon today, wherever its roots spread, it would keep killing.
The water membrane trembled, about to break.
The moment it shattered, peach blossom petals flew everywhere, carrying endless killing intent as they assaulted the two.
Tantai Jin raised his hand, his blood-soaked palm touching the peach blossoms. The petals turned black layer by layer, peeling away.
Tantai Jin said to Su Su, "Why are you standing there? Get out!"
Su Su swiftly spun through the hole he had created. Reacting quickly, she untied the soft whip hidden at her waist, split open the peach blossom cocoon, wrapped the whip around Tantai Jin's waist, and pulled him out as well.
After escaping the peach blossom cocoon, Su Su focused on the peach tree. Sure enough, as Tantai Jin had said, the tree originally near the lake had now moved to the opposite shore. It clung close to the mansion's lake, keeping its distance from the fire. Its roots could draw water from the lake at any time to extinguish flames.
Though not as clever as other demons, the peach tree's towering trunk was a horrifying sight.
Su Su felt a chill down her spine. Turning around, she discovered that Young Master Wang, who had earlier become an empty skin sack, had somehow stood up again.
Behind Young Master Wang stood Squire Wang and a group of servant-like figures. All the puppets now hung their heads low, holding blades as they chopped toward the two.
The peach tree was actually controlling people to kill them.
Upon closer inspection, it seemed each person's neck was connected to peach tree roots.
Tantai Jin narrowed his eyes. A large flock of Blood Ravens flew in from the sky, intercepting the puppet humans. Su Su breathed a sigh of relief.
"I have an idea," Su Su said. "The peach tree fears fire, so it stays near water. After being frightened by you, its roots are mostly submerged in water. However, water conducts lightning. I'll set up a formation to summon lightning and strike the tree. But..."
Tantai Jin understood her concern. "You're afraid the peach tree will leave the formation's center and escape?"
Su Su nodded.
Setting up the formation would take time, and Body Fixing Talismans would be ineffective against such a demonic creature.
Tantai Jin said, "I can hold it off. You go set up the formation."
Su Su was skeptical, but she knew Tantai Jin had offended the peach tree the most—he had extracted strands of its essence to mend his meridians and burned part of its foundation with fire. As long as Tantai Jin remained in town, the peach tree would certainly try to kill him.
Su Su could only say, "Be careful."
With graceful movements, she lightly stepped on the wildly waving branches in the air and began setting up a formation centered around the peach tree and the lake.
Tantai Jin walked slowly toward the tree demon.He appeared minuscule before the tree demon. As he approached, the demon furiously thrashed its branches, striking him hard. He grunted in pain.
So this is what it feels like to be hit, he thought.
When the next branch lashed out, Tantai Jin abruptly reached out and grabbed it.
His palm was slick with blood from his eye socket. With a cold laugh, Tantai Jin drove the branch deep into his own arm.
The peach tree trembled violently upon contact with his blood, trying to retract its branch.
But Tantai Jin held on tightly. Small sections of the peach tree began to wither, rendering it immobile. Seeing that Tantai Jin refused to let go, the tree demon decided to suck his blood instead.
How much blood could a mere mortal have?
Tantai Jin grinned. "Come on."
Driven by ruthless determination, he stared fixedly at the peach tree, not retreating but instead stepping closer, preventing the tree from withdrawing its branch as he moved toward its roots.
Su Su, who was setting up the formation, saw the peach blossoms swirling wildly in the sky and felt her heart tremble. She quickened her pace.
What was Tantai Jin doing?
The moment she completed the formation, before she could even feel relieved, she rushed over to find Tantai Jin. Just then, a large crack split open in the center of the peach tree, and its branches wrapped around Tantai Jin, swallowing him whole.
Su Su reached out to grab him, but it was too late.
The trunk closed shut. The peach tree shuddered a few times and slowly opened a pair of illusory eyes, staring at Su Su.
Su Su’s heart sank. Tantai Jin’s blood, though a bane to Demonic Beasts, was also nourishment for them—only most demonic creatures couldn’t withstand it.
The peach tree, having digested him bit by bit and withered nearly half its form, had actually absorbed a considerable amount of power.
The tree demon was both shocked and delighted. Even if someone tried to drive it away with fire now, it wouldn’t flee. Instead, it gazed greedily at Su Su. "A virgin—serve me well."
But it knew this young girl was skilled and possessed Incantations, so it didn’t dare underestimate her.
Su Su dodged its branches, thinking of Tantai Jin being devoured. She didn’t dare summon lightning now and could only use fire to burn its limbs.
The peach tree laughed heartily, completely unconcerned. "Now I’m not afraid of fire."
Sure enough, as soon as the flames ignited, a dark mist extinguished them.
Su Su was furious. "Tantai Jin, are you a spy for the demons?!"
Now that this demonic creature had absorbed his blood, it wasn’t even afraid of fire.
She still didn’t dare summon lightning recklessly, afraid of striking Tantai Jin inside the tree. The branches whipping through the air, now guided by the peach tree’s heightened intelligence, moved with purpose. Su Su couldn’t evade them and found her legs bound by the tree’s roots.
She struggled a couple of times but couldn’t break free.
The peach tree had initially intended to kill her, but before it could Shapeshift, it had relied on Young Master Wang to commit evil deeds and had learned the allure of a woman’s body and primal yin. It had become a lecher.
Su Su was more beautiful than any woman Young Master Wang had captured. Hesitating, the peach tree found itself unwilling to kill her.
It lifted her into the air and said cheerfully, "Once I have a body, I’ll enjoy myself with you."
Su Su’s hands were also bound.
She seethed inwardly. Why were all demonic creatures the same—lustful and depraved?
Come to think of it, Tantai Jin was practically the progenitor of Demonic Beasts. Once awakened, he’d likely be cut from the same cloth as these things.
The peach tree had no time to bother with Su Su, more urgently focused on absorbing Tantai Jin’s power.
Su Su noticed the blooming peach blossoms growing increasingly vibrant and feared Tantai Jin wouldn’t hold on much longer. In that fleeting moment, she steeled herself and prepared to use the lightning-summoning Incantation.
Just then, the curved jade suddenly spoke. "Huh?"
This time, it hadn’t been awakened. It hurriedly said, "Little master, don’t rush. There’s something inside the peach tree."
Su Su asked, "Something? What is it?"The curved jade emitted a soft glow and said, "There's a shattered Divine Artifact inside."
Su Su was astonished, yet somewhat comprehending. In the past, when the Gods suppressed the Demonic Beasts, the Divine Artifacts shattered and scattered everywhere.
Later, the cultivation world only found one of them—the Past Mirror. Since the Divine Artifacts were scattered, it was possible for one to land in the Desolate Abyss.
The peach tree seized an opportunity, carrying the Divine Artifact as it escaped the Desolate Abyss and arrived in the town. It began to wreak havoc wildly, which was why it had grown so terrifyingly in such a short time, to the point where even Tantai Jin's blood was ineffective.
Su Su said, "Tantai Jin is inside the tree trunk. Could he have sensed the Divine Artifact and deliberately entered?"
The curved jade replied, "Highly likely."
Su Su recalled the previous incident with the nightmare: "He truly spares no effort in his pursuit of power."
The curved jade said, "But the Divine Artifact isn't suitable for him to use."
Su Su nodded.
So, it was hard to say whether to praise this power-crazed madman for his prowess or pity him for his wretchedness. Cluelessly, he pursued strength, believing himself to be worthless and wanting to become powerful.
No one told him what he truly was, how to cultivate, or where to go.
Perhaps every Demon God who brought chaos to the Three Realms started out stumbling along in this way—confused and obsessive—only to later become a being feared by all.
In just a few words, the peach tree indeed noticed something amiss.
It couldn't "digest" this weak human inside it. Panicking, it tried to expel Tantai Jin, but it was already too late. The brilliantly blooming peach blossoms began to wither.
The peach tree trembled, even forgetting to hold onto Su Su, writhing in agony.
The curved jade said, "Tantai Jin has obtained the Divine Artifact! The peach tree has lost its source of power. Little master, that Divine Artifact is the World-Toppling Flower."
Su Su remembered: ancient texts recorded that the World-Toppling Flower could control fate. It had three petals, each of a different color.
The emerald green represented life, symbolizing pure goodness; the red represented power, the supreme path; the purple governed death, embodying sorrow and evil.
The World-Toppling Flower could even control the fate of Gods—it could save a God or kill one.
The curved jade said uneasily, "The green petal was already used by someone long ago. We must go in. No matter which petal remains on the shattered World-Toppling Flower, Tantai Jin cannot use it."
The red petal would awaken his power instantly, while the purple would make things extremely terrifying and unpredictable. If the young Demon God was destined to die... which body would be affected? Would it be salvation for the Three Realms, or a new Purgatory?
Hearing this, Su Su hesitated no longer.
Seizing the moment when the peach tree opened its hollow to expel Tantai Jin, she flew inside.
Inside, it was pitch black. Su Su took out a small luminous pearl from her bosom for illumination, and suddenly, the entire hollow was filled with light.
Su Su felt her way forward. The sound of dripping water echoed within the trunk.
At the far end, a young man in red robes with ink-black hair leaned against the trunk, his eyes closed.
In his palm, he held a purple petal that glowed faintly within the trunk. Under this light, Tantai Jin's features took on a sinister and malevolent aura.
The curved jade said frantically, "It's the death-governing petal... and the petal has been stained with Tantai Jin's blood. It has already begun to recognize him as its master."
Su Su pressed her lips tightly together, understanding the gravity of the situation.
She crouched before him, set down the luminous pearl, and said worriedly, "Even though he wants to live more than anyone, he doesn't even fear death in his pursuit of power."
If she didn't stop him, and Tantai Jin fused with the purple World-Toppling Flower, he might become an irrational, murderous madman, amplifying the evil within his heart.She pried open his hand and picked up the petal representing death and evil—the World-Toppling Flower.
The curved jade cried, "Little mistress!"
Su Su smiled reassuringly. "I've long foreseen my own fate. Since this is an inevitable death, the World-Toppling Flower merely makes the path ahead clearer."
The curved jade nearly wept. "You intend to use the World-Toppling Flower yourself, but your mortal life will be filled with misery—perhaps even ending with your body torn apart..."
Su Su said, "I promised to save him this time."
Deception was wrong, even when deceiving a villain. If he truly used the purple World-Toppling Flower, he would be doomed for eternity.
At least she could try to control the World-Toppling Flower and prevent herself from committing evil.
The purple petal spun rapidly in Su Su's palm, as if sensing a purer soul, then swiftly vanished into her body.
A small portion of the World-Toppling Flower's power had already entered Tantai Jin's body, and Su Su had to retrieve it.
Knowing what Su Su was about to do, the curved jade gradually dimmed and fell silent.
Su Su cupped Tantai Jin's face, leaned down, and pressed her delicate lips against the youth's cold ones.
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