Swing the sword at the future female devil

Chapter 462 Spirit-Nourishing Wood: Give Me Another Sip, Daddy!
Deep within the Kunlun Ruins, the shattered earth's fissures resemble a labyrinth, with massive, jagged rocks and abandoned excavation equipment and overturned debris forming countless dark corners. The sky is obscured by distorted, chaotic patches of color and floating, luminous dust, the light dim and unpredictable.

"Over here! Quickly!"

Duan Huaige gave a low shout, pulling Yan Qiuxi and Jiang Xiyu along, and like three wisps of smoke, they swiftly disappeared into a crevice in the rock half-hidden by a huge skeleton. Almost the instant their figures vanished, several powerful divine senses swept over the spot where they had just stood.

Immediately afterwards, a group of military cultivators riding flying magical artifacts swept past, the cold arrowheads of their spirit-piercing crossbows gleaming in the dim light.

"Phew...that was close!" Yan Qiuxi patted her chest, her face pale. "These guys are like leeches!"

She could sense that the military seemed to have used some kind of powerful magical artifact that could track spiritual energy fluctuations. If it weren't for Duan Huaige's Landscape Map, which could temporarily shield the surrounding environment, they would have been discovered long ago.

“They’ve blocked all the upward routes, the search teams are increasing, and there are patrolling magical artifacts in the air. If this continues, we’ll be trapped sooner or later.”

Duan Huaige spoke slowly, his brows furrowed, sweat mixed with dust sliding down his forehead. The spiritual energy of mountains and rivers within him was being used up at a great cost, as he had to maintain the concealment of the three of them while resisting the omnipresent corruption of the Void Nightmare and the eerie suction force emanating from the Void Altar. It was as if one unit of spiritual energy was doing the work of several.

"We'll figure out a way to use the advanced landscape map later." Seeing that the military's search and encirclement were getting smaller and smaller, Duan Huaige gritted his teeth, and with a thought, a faint light flashed in his palm, and an ancient scroll that emitted a faint spatial fluctuation appeared.

The scenery before my eyes changed. In the forest fairyland, the grass was lush and green, and the emerald lake was like a mirror set on the grass. All around were strange flowers and plants that emitted a faint, spiritual light.

A spring gurgles and flows, with fish swimming in it. Dozens of brightly colored birds, resembling golden pheasants, stroll leisurely on the grass by the spring. The air is filled with a pure and peaceful spiritual energy, completely different from the chaos and deathly silence of the outside world.

After several additions, Duan Huaige's Landscape Map is now complete with the Five Elements and the coexistence of Yin and Yang. Although some Heavenly Laws have not yet been completed, such as the Law of Reincarnation, it has already taken the form of a small world.

"Wow!" Yan Qiuxi instantly forgot the danger outside, her big eyes filled with surprise and excitement. "Huaige! When did your picture become so beautiful? There's even a spiritual spring! And chickens!"

She crouched down and curiously touched the feathers of a spirit bird. The bird tried to run away but couldn't escape the girl's palm, and could only desperately let out mournful cries.

"Are there some mining operations in the distance? Are they indigenous people?"

Little Jiang the Great Demon King, standing to the side, was stunned for a moment upon seeing this strange yet familiar scene. He seemed to recall some dead memories, and his little face turned deathly pale.

I remember now, Qin Shuangjiang and I were drugged together in this little world!
"Those are my puppets, they help me mine," Duan Huaige explained casually. Once inside the Mountain and River Map, his tense nerves finally relaxed a bit.

"We have food, drink, and a place to stay! We'll have a picnic and a barbecue here! We'll hide for ten days or half a month and see how those lumps of iron find us!"

Yan Qiuxi had already begun to imagine the wonderful scene of brewing tea with the spiritual spring and roasting the wings of a spirit bird. However, Duan Huaige shook his head and said:

You're oversimplifying things.

“We are in Kunlun Ruins. The chaotic spatial laws and the omnipresent aura of annihilation here are constantly eroding and oppressing my Mountain and River Map. I can feel the pressure getting greater and greater. Hiding here is definitely not a long-term solution.”

"Moreover, the military has been developing and excavating Kunlun Ruins for many years, and they can't even count all the rare treasures in the warehouse. Who knows, there might be something here that can counter the Mountain and River Map." "We can only rest here for half a day at most before we have to start our escape again... The most important thing is to find an opportunity to rescue Shuangjiang."

"Ah Jiang? Surely not? Wasn't she here in the name of an imperial inspector? How could the military be so audacious?"

“Anything is possible now.” Duan Huaige sighed. “I’m still worried about Tai Qing. Ever since I learned about the Kunlun Ruins Nightmare, I can roughly guess her plan to destroy the world.”

"Or rather... she wasn't targeting the destruction of our world at all, but rather, in the course of her revenge, she conveniently wiped us out..."

What are her plans?

Just as Duan Huaige was about to answer, he suddenly noticed a strange movement in the distant earth veins. The branches of the spirit-nurturing tree stretched out like crazy, rubbing against Duan Huaige and the others.

Huh? What is this...?
The Spirit Nourishing Tree, which had been growing quietly, seemed to sense the strong Kunlun Ruins aura emanating from Duan Huaige and the others, and its state underwent a strange change!
Its jade-white branches shone slightly, and its emerald-like leaves moved without wind, making a soft rustling sound, as if carrying an indescribable...longing?
Its slender roots even peeked out from the cracked black soil, reaching towards Duan Huaige, or rather, towards the rich Kunlun Ruins aura emanating from him, making a gesture of "absorbing"! A faint yet clear thought was transmitted into Duan Huaige's sea of ​​consciousness—

Dad, please, just one more puff... just one more puff, I swear I'll never do it again after this... ha... I really can't take it anymore...

Duan Huaige's eyes widened suddenly as he stared in disbelief at the Spirit Nourishing Tree that swayed slightly, seemingly "breathing" the aura of Kunlun Ruins!

Ah Cao, is this Kunlun Ruins... really that powerful? I feel like I'm about to die from inhaling it!
Wait a minute, I heard before that the Spirit-Nourishing Grass came from Kunlun Ruins... Could it be that this is the truly suitable place for it to grow? Yan Qiuxi asked me to cultivate it properly, but actually she wanted me to bring it to Kunlun Ruins?

But... how exactly did this tiny spiritual plant manage to turn the tide and save the collapsing building?

……

Meanwhile, at the Kunlun Ruins Military Command Center.

Zhang Dingyuan stared at the huge water mirror array with a livid face. The spiritual energy signals representing Duan Huaige and the other two disappeared completely shortly after they jumped into the rift valley. No matter how Qiu Zhenren used various tracking techniques and the spirit-finding compass, there was no response.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" Zhang Dingyuan smashed the jade paperweight beside him in anger. "They couldn't even catch three juniors! Where could they have run to?! Did they think they could burrow into the earth's core?!"

Master Qiu broke out in a cold sweat, forcing a smile, and said, "Commander, please calm down! The environment deep within that rift valley is complex, filled with a chaotic aura, causing immense interference. Moreover... I suspect..."

"What are you doubting?!"

“Based on the previous investigation, he must possess a magical artifact similar to the ‘Map of Mountains and Rivers,’ which can form its own world… I suspect that Duan Huaige may have used some kind of powerful spatial artifact to hide himself and his companions! Unless we find the exact entrance, it will be difficult to discover them!” Master Qiu stated his conjecture.

(End of this chapter)