Chapter 35

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Chapter 35

Yun Chuyou quickly reached a temporary agreement with a few rogue cultivators below: one side would provide information, and the other side would put in more effort, then they would share the Vermilion Fruit equally among them.

Of course, this was just a temporary verbal agreement, without much power or absolute binding; when the time came, they still needed to analyze the situation carefully.

Yun Chuyou asked Xie Qi beside her, "Taoist Friend Xie, are you coming too?"

He nodded coldly, and the other rogue cultivators had no objections. Special spiritual plants often come with high-level demon beasts as companions.

They thought that the demon beast must at least have the cultivation level of Nascent Soul and felt they couldn’t handle it alone, so they invited Yun Chuyou. Since Xie Qi was also a Golden Core Stage cultivator, the plan became more reliable.

A few Foundation Establishment Stage rogue cultivators led the way on flying swords, while Yun Chuyou used the Cloud Boat to follow behind. She saw Xie Qi with a sour face and said, "If you don’t want to, there’s no need for you to come with me."

Xie Qi replied, "I don’t mind coming; it’s just that you just called me Taoist Friend Xie instead of Little Qi."

He looked at Yun Chuyou with a sorrowful gaze and said, "You promised to call me Little Qi, but instead, you used that polite and distant name. It really breaks my heart."

Yun Chuyou cleared her throat and felt a bit embarrassed as she said, "It’s not really appropriate to call you that in front of others; it could lead to misunderstandings."

In fact, agreeing to change what she called him felt like a decision she could only make when her mind was clouded; Yun Chuyou thought back and felt that she must have been under some kind of spell.

However, it seemed that there was no such thing as a spell in this world, and she was sure her body was normal and her mind was not being controlled.

"What kind of misunderstanding could there be?" Xie Fuzhi felt upset. They were like family, teacher and student. Even if he was wearing a disguise now, could she really be so unaware of his obvious feelings?

Seeing his beautiful face clouded with mild anger made Yun Chuyou feel a little guilty and breathless. She had promised and should not go back on her word.

The girl bit her lip and said, "Little Qi, please don’t be mad at me."

He smiled and replied, "Of course, I won’t be mad at you."

By the way, when he smiled like that, he looked even more like his teacher. But this face was so young; compared to his teacher, it had a sharp, fresh beauty.

Yun Chuyou thought to herself, could this be the legendary bond of bloodlines? She felt a sense of closeness because Xie Fuzhi looked so much like her.

She did not continue on this topic and looked at the cultivators in front who were leading the way, "Let’s follow them and see if we can succeed in gathering the Vermilion Fruit today."

Yun Chuyou took another jade box for Xie Qi, "If you can gather it, use this to keep it safe. However, I think it’s best to eat it right away. Some things are only truly yours once you eat them."

Knowing the story, Yun Chuyou thought that if it really was the legendary thousand-year Vermilion Fruit Tree, they probably wouldn’t be able to gather it today.

After flying for about half an hour, the leading cultivators stopped, "Friends, in the distance is where the Vermilion Fruit tree is located."

In the sky, they could see a lone fruit tree standing in a barren land from afar. The tree was not very tall, had few leaves, and its branches were bare, with only a few bright red fruits hanging from it.

Yun Chuyou glanced at the tree; it only had ten fruits, each about the size of a Holy Maiden fruit. If someone had poor eyesight, they might even think it was just a dead tree.

The cultivator who first discovered the Vermilion Fruit said, "This tree bears the Centennial Vermilion Fruit, which can add ten years to one’s lifespan. Even if you don’t eat the Vermilion Fruit, it can be used to make longevity pills."

These wandering cultivators had some knowledge, but not much. If it weren’t for the knowledgeable cultivator who spoke up, the others might not even know this was Vermilion Fruit.

"The Guardian Beast of the Centennial Vermilion Fruit is the tiger sleeping under the tree. It should only be at the Nascent Soul Stage."

The cultivator looked at Yun Chuyou and said, "We are not very strong. Please find a way to distract the Guardian Beast so we can pick the fruit while it’s away."

They were only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, and their speed was too slow. Trying to distract the Guardian Beast might cost them their lives, but no one wanted to die.

The Vermilion Fruit is a wonderful treasure, but these cultivators are still young. They do not need to risk everything until their lives are almost over.

The Sword Tomb Secret Realm selects cultivators not just by their strength but also by their age. Most of the people who enter are considered the best talents in their sect, and very few are there to risk their lives because their lives are nearly over.

Compared to a little extra life span, one’s own life is definitely more important. If a person is gone, what is there to think about the future?

Xie Qi said coldly, "When we discussed this beforehand, you didn’t say she would be the bait. And if she leads the danger away and you take the Vermilion Fruit and run, what will happen?"

In his past experiences, Xie Fuzhi had never entered a secret realm before; this was his first time visiting this one. However, he immediately recognized that the fruit on the tree was the ancient Vermilion Fruit.

If it were just the Centennial Vermilion Fruit, these cultivators might still agree to the previous arrangement, but if it is the ancient Vermilion Fruit, then the current arrangement is simply a joke.

The Centennial Vermilion Fruit, just like those Seven Star Colors, can be picked by anyone. The difference is that to pick the Vermilion Fruit, one must first defeat the guardian beast.

But the ten-thousand-year Vermilion Fruit is different…

Yun Chuyou looked at the fruit tree and the tiger and immediately rejected the proposal of these cultivators, "It is not something you can covet."

The cultivator in charge of the alliance affairs immediately twisted his expression, "What do you mean, friend? Are you trying to cut off the bridge after crossing it?"

The short and chubby cultivator beside him complained through sound transmission, "I said it, this outsider is unreliable; you insisted on calling her along."

The twisted-faced cultivator whispered privately, "It’s fine, if she gets tempted, we will step back. When they both suffer, we will strike. This is not just a primordial stage of a Nascent Soul demon beast."

He certainly had his own plan and had already anticipated Yun Chuyou’s act of cutting off the bridge. Initially, he thought that if the golden core cultivator cooperated, they would share a fruit with her. If the other side became greedy, they would pretend to retreat and then take advantage of the conflict.

Yun Chuyou’s expression was calm, "This is not a Centennial Vermilion Fruit, and the ten-thousand-year Vermilion Fruit is itself a demon plant with Astral Projection Stage cultivation."

The tree that can connect with the ten-thousand-year Vermilion Fruit has long developed intelligence. Without their own plot, these Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators would be like cannon fodder who die as soon as they appear in the story.

Because something was stolen, they fought with the cultivator and learned about the existence of the Vermilion Fruit Tree from the thief’s mouth, and then they became the tree’s nourishment.

The white tiger did indeed only have the strength of the Nascent Soul Stage, but it was not the accompanying demon beast of the Vermilion Fruit; instead, it was a little brother of the Vermilion Fruit Tree, used to deceive other demon beasts and cultivators.

When the demon beasts got close to the Vermilion Fruit Tree, all the blood in their bodies would be instantly drained away, and their fur would turn into nourishment for the tree.

A mere Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator dared to challenge an Astral Projection Stage plant; it was as if they were asking for trouble.

"What did you say, a ten-thousand-year Vermilion Fruit?"

"A ten-thousand-year Vermilion Fruit?!"

The content was similar, but the tones were completely different: one was disappointed, while the other was filled with joy.

A ten-thousand-year Vermilion Fruit is an extraordinary treasure; even risking one’s life for it would be worth it.

The short and chubby cultivator immediately flew over and threw a handful of medicine powder at the white tiger.

This was his ultimate trick; if he weren’t in a hurry to grab the treasure, he wouldn’t use it right now.

The pink mist fell on the sleepy white tiger’s head, making it fall into an even deeper sleep.

As he approached the Vermilion Fruit Tree, the short and chubby cultivator reached out to grab the bright red Vermilion Fruit.

In the next moment, a branch pierced into his chest, and in the blink of an eye, a plump young man instantly turned into a thin, delicate layer of skin.

A crack opened on the trunk of the Vermilion Fruit Tree; it was the mouth of the magical plant. It opened its mouth and ate the skin, finding the taste average, but it did not mind.

After all, it could only taste cultivators once every hundred years; usually, it only ate demon beasts. The somewhat clever demon beasts feared its presence and would not enter its territory at all.

Although the Vermilion Fruit Tree had gained some intelligence, it was still a magical plant, deeply bonded to the land beneath it. If it pulled its roots out of the ground, it would suffer great damage to its cultivation.

In the secret realm, those coveted spiritual items each had their own territory, wary of each other. They would not run around easily to avoid invading someone else’s territory and drawing enemies, becoming someone else’s meal.

The faces of the other Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators turned pale; they realized they had indeed misjudged the situation. This was truly an ancient Vermilion Fruit, but it was a chance they couldn’t possibly reach.

"Many Taoist friend Xie informed." These people were not foolish; they lacked the insight, but Yun Chuyou had it.

The other party could have stayed silent, letting them become the prey of Vermilion Fruit, but they kindly offered a warning.

As for that short, stout cultivator, he can only blame the other party for being unwise and too greedy, which led to his downfall here.

Treasures that cannot be obtained should be ignored. Several Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators discussed together, "We should leave this place; do you want to join us, friend?"

This time, Yun Chuyou refused them.

The group then parted ways, and Yun Chuyou looked around the empty area, pointing to a nearby cliff, "There is a cave over there; I will rest there for a while."

Waiting here for some more days should bring Meng He.

Xie Qi’s reaction was as expected, "I will go with you."

But when they arrived at the cave, Yun Chuyou discovered that it was already occupied by someone; one of the main characters from the original story, Ye Xuanye, the chief disciple of Tianyuan Sect, who possessed a sword bone, had driven off the demon beast inside and claimed this place for himself.