Chapter 388

Chapter 388: Plague Spirit Immortal Root

"Don’t worry, the mount I find for you will definitely be the best and the most suitable for you!" Mo Qianxun said confidently.

Seeing him so assured, Fang Lie relaxed and replied, "Alright, if that’s the case, I’ll help you this time."

"You won’t be disappointed!" Mo Qianxun promised again.

Fang Lie nodded, then suddenly frowned and said, "Sect Leader, there’s something that has me puzzled. I want to trouble you to take a look, if that’s alright?"

"Of course!" Mo Qianxun readily asked, "What’s the matter?"

"It’s like this," Fang Lie started to explain, "You know I have a sister named Mao Mao, who was adopted by my father when she was just a baby. She was incredibly beautiful, but over time, she started to change for the worse. Her skin began to wrinkle, and she grew countless fine hairs and started to emit a terrible smell. Because of this, the kind-hearted young girl faced a lot of ridicule, and my brothers and I have gotten into many fights over this."

"That sounds like a strange illness," Mo Qianxun frowned. "I haven’t heard of anything like it before. Does she have any other odd symptoms?"

"Yes, she doesn’t like to eat regular food anymore, but she loves to eat spirit stones!" Fang Lie said with a hint of confusion. "And she keeps eating more and more, now she’s even eating small spirit pearls!"

"What? How is that possible?" Mo Qianxun exclaimed in shock. "Spirit stones, no matter how valuable, are still stones! How can she eat them like food?"

"That’s something we can’t figure out either. But after she eats them, not only does she not suffer, her cultivation actually increases dramatically," Fang Lie said, concerned. "Her Qi Sea is now on par with mine, but apart from spirit stones, she hardly eats any spiritual energy from heaven and earth. The rate of her cultivation is simply abnormal! I’m afraid if this continues, something bad will happen, so I’m putting my pride aside to ask you for help."

"Bring her to me!" Mo Qianxun said with great interest, smiling. "I think I might be able to help!"

"Okay!" Fang Lie agreed eagerly and hurried off.

Before long, Fang Lie rushed back with Mao Mao in tow.

When Mao Mao saw the Sect Leader for the first time, she appeared a bit nervous but quickly composed herself and respectfully greeted Mo Qianxun.

Mo Qianxun looked at the young girl, fully wrapped in a black robe, with a faint odor emanating from her.

Despite being prepared, he couldn’t help but frown.

"Good girl, may I see your face?" Mo Qianxun asked as kindly as he could.

"Yes," Mao Mao replied quietly, carefully uncovering her head covering.

Beneath the covering was a strange hairy face. Her beautiful dark hair was the only appealing feature, but her face was lined with wrinkles and covered in sharp, translucent fine hairs, looking more like a monkey than a human.

Seeing her unusual appearance, Mo Qianxun was quite shocked.

Fortunately, he understood the importance and realized that the little girl held a high position in Fang Lie’s heart, so he refrained from being disrespectful, his face growing even friendlier.

"Come closer, don’t be afraid. Let me examine you, alright?" Mo Qianxun said gently.

"Yes," Mao Mao nodded and stepped closer.

Mo Qianxun then extended a finger, lightly touching her forehead, and channeled some magic while probing with his divine sense.

At first, Mo Qianxun’s brow furrowed in confusion, but as time passed, his expressions changed dramatically—surprise, astonishment, and more prominently, joy.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes, Mo Qianxun withdrew his finger and without waiting for Fang Lie to ask, he burst into hearty laughter, "Hahaha, blessed be the Mo Sect!"

Fang Lie and Mao Mao jumped at the sudden outburst, but seeing his joyful demeanor, Fang Lie knew it had to be good news. He quickly asked, "Sect Leader, what’s going on? Please tell me!"

"Hehe, I’m not entirely clear on the details!" Mo Qianxun chuckled warmly.

"You…" Fang Lie almost got exasperated, thinking, how can you laugh so brightly without knowing?

Noticing Fang Lie’s dissatisfaction, Mo Qianxun quickly explained, "Mao Mao’s situation is quite special. If I’m right, she should be a human-demon hybrid!"

Demons, once they reach a significant level of cultivation, often transform into humans, and at that point, they are similar to the Human Tribe and can marry and have children. Hence, there are many human-demon hybrids in the world.

Sometimes they face criticism, while other times they are adored for their exceptional innate talents. The treatment they receive entirely depends on their environment.

The Mo Sect is known for being liberal and does not discriminate much against hybrids. In the Eastern and Western Kunlun, hybrids are generally doomed from birth!

Upon hearing this, Fang Lie frowned. "I already know that; the old bird figured it out too. But that alone doesn’t seem to warrant your excitement, does it?"

"Of course not!" Mo Qianxun replied with a smile. "Just a hybrid would hardly excite me, but if she has an Immortal Root, that would drive me to madness with joy!"

"Immortal Root?" Fang Lie exclaimed, stunned. "That’s impossible! My father checked, and she only possesses a regular top-grade wood element spiritual root!"

Mo Qianxun stroked his chin thoughtfully. "What you don’t realize is that the attributes of a hybrid’s spiritual roots can actually change, just like her appearance. When she was a baby, you described her as delicate and beautiful, but over time she’s transformed into this, hasn’t she?"

"Yes," Fang Lie nodded.

"Exactly. Back then, she looked human, and her spiritual root was that of a human. But now, she’s showing signs of reverting to her ancestral traits. So, her roots are changing too!" Mo Qianxun continued earnestly, "From my Semi-Immortal perspective, I can tell she absolutely has an Immortal Root, and it’s an extremely rare Plague Spirit Immortal Root!"

"Ah!" Fang Lie was momentarily shocked, but then a wave of realization hit him.

He couldn’t help but exclaim, "No wonder! I thought something was wrong with the wood element technique she practiced, or that her hybrid bloodline carried toxins, but it’s actually because of her spiritual root!"

"That’s right! I made that judgment based on this!" Mo Qianxun smiled. "Just like my granddaughter Mo Lanyun, with her Guan Yin water spiritual root, her magic carries a water-transformation ability. Anything she touches can turn into a puddle of clear water! Fang Lie, you’ve experienced that yourself; you know what it feels like!"

"Hmph, spare me the reminder," Fang Lie grumbled. "I was just trying to help her heal, and she hit me so hard, I didn’t even get to say a word before I was splattered everywhere!"

"Hehe, that’s the power of an Immortal Root!" Mo Qianxun chuckled. "Mao Mao’s Plague Spirit Immortal Root is similar, but her magic contains a unique power. This power appears toxic, but it’s not poison; it’s a disease. In other words, when she strikes someone, they become incredibly weak from the plague and can’t get up again. It’s different from poison, and common detox methods don’t work on it."

"That explains a lot!" Fang Lie said urgently. "The ones she knocked down tried using plenty of detox pills, but they didn’t work well; they all ended up sick and close to death!"

"Hehe, that’s because her magic is still too weak. If she had Lanyun’s cultivation, a common Wind Tribulation Immortal would find themselves in serious trouble if struck by her!" Mo Qianxun added excitedly. "What a wonderful seedling to appear in the Mo Sect! The last time two Immortal Roots existed simultaneously in the Mo Sect was thousands of years ago! If she grows up well, the Mo Sect will surely thrive!"

After expressing his excitement, Mo Qianxun turned directly to Mao Mao. "Child, do you wish to worship me as your master and become a Core Inner Gate Disciple of the sect?"

"Ah!" Mao Mao stared blankly, nervously looking at Fang Lie, unsure of how to respond.

Fang Lie quickly laughed and encouraged, "Mao Mao, hurry and agree! You’ll have a higher rank than me!"

"No way! I can’t outrank my brother!" Mao Mao insisted firmly, shaking her head.

"Foolish child," Mo Qianxun said, a mix of amusement and disbelief on his face. "Fang Lie is the candidate Token Lord, so in terms of rank, he and I are about equal. It wouldn’t be possible for you to outrank him. Besides, you don’t need to worry; he is now an Honorary Elder of the Mo Sect. Even as a Core Inner Gate Disciple, your position would be similar."

"In that case…" Mao Mao thought for a moment before saying, "I still can’t agree. I have many younger siblings at home who need me to take care of them!"

Mo Qianxun was nearly frantic and quickly said, "Once you become my disciple, I will immediately dispatch people to take care of your siblings. How about that?"

At this point, Mo Qianxun felt quite wronged. As the respected Sect Leader and a Semi-Immortal, he found himself negotiating humbly to recruit a disciple. It was genuinely frustrating!

However, the importance of her Immortal Root was far too great, and he had to ensure a friendly relationship with her, especially since Mao Mao had previously faced harsh treatment from the Mo Sect and had developed emotional scars. He needed to make amends to win her heart back.