Chapter 35: The Long-Legged Trees, Demon Soldiers!

"Hah!"

A puff of corpse aura erupted from Qin Feng's mouth. He channeled the energy within his body, causing his muscles to bulge and knot. The corpse aura instantly swirled around him.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

In the next second, the thick tree roots snapped simultaneously. Having broken free from his restraints, Qin Feng landed before the peach tree like a fallen demon god. His sharp claws raked rapidly toward the tree's trunk. Sensing danger, the peach tree actually leaped out of the soil. Immediately, a root coiled around a pitch-black longsword. The blade was three feet long and two fingers wide, appearing eerily sharp and shimmering with a faint, ghostly light.

"Swish!"

The peach tree demon swung the sword at Qin Feng. Sensing the power behind the strike, Qin Feng dared not be careless; he immediately performed a footwork maneuver to dodge. The blade whistled past his face, and he could clearly feel the biting chill and sharp aura emanating from it.

After missing its strike, the peach tree demon manipulated dozens of roots to form makeshift legs, sprinting rapidly across the ground.

"..."

Qin Feng was momentarily stunned. What the hell! A tree had grown legs, was sprinting across the ground, and was moving at such high speed.

"This peach tree has actually reached the Demon Soldier realm," Mu Ruxue said, stepping to Qin Feng’s side, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Demon Soldier!?" Qin Feng felt a jolt in his heart. Mu Ruxue had previously explained the hierarchy of demon realms to him: from low to high, they were Qi Gathering, Spirit Opening, Pill Condensation, Semi-Form, Full-Form, Demon Soldier, Demon General, Demon King, and Demon Emperor.

A Demon Soldier was equivalent to a Flying Zombie or a Soul-Wandering expert in the Taoist sects. Once a creature reached the Demon Soldier realm, it could condense its own life-bound weapon; hence, the name of the realm. It was no wonder the peach tree demon possessed a black longsword—it was clearly its life-bound weapon. However, given how formidable a Demon Soldier should be, it stood to reason that even with his aunt's help, they shouldn't be a match for it.

"The longsword it used just now is its life-bound weapon. It must have been severely wounded, which is why its strength is so diminished. It likely needs to consume blood and vitality to heal, which is probably why it targeted us. I just didn't expect us to be this strong, especially you, Feng'er. Looking at the scorch marks on its body, it must have been struck by heavenly lightning."

A hint of excitement flickered on Mu Ruxue's face. "A Demon Soldier-level peach tree demon that has been struck by heavenly lightning is worth no less than a rare treasure. If its trunk were used to craft a peach-wood sword, it would be even better than the one I currently possess. And its weapon—you can use it, too. Since it was condensed by the demon itself, it is a demon artifact and won't harm you like a standard Taoist dharma tool would."

"Then what are we waiting for? We can't let it escape!"

Qin Feng leaped, his body moving quickly as he gave chase. He had been lacking a suitable weapon, and it seemed his luck was in; he was quite tempted by the peach tree demon's longsword.

"Don't worry, Feng'er, it won't escape," Mu Ruxue said, stepping onto the treetops to follow. With a wave of her slender hand, she sent dozens of yellow talismans flying. They quickly overtook the peach tree demon, circling it completely.

"Heaven and Earth are Infinite, the Universe lends its power, Decree!"

Mu Ruxue formed hand seals and chanted the incantation. In an instant, the yellow talismans erupted with golden light, trapping the peach tree demon within.

"Clang!"

The peach tree demon swung its sword against the golden light, producing a sound like metal striking iron. "Clang! Clang! Clang!" It hacked desperately, causing the floating talismans to tremble precariously. If it had managed a few dozen more strikes, it might have actually broken through. One had to admit, a Demon Soldier was a Demon Soldier; even when severely wounded, its strength was not to be underestimated.

Unfortunately, it hadn't broken the barrier before Qin Feng and Mu Ruxue caught up.

"Peach tree demon, you’d better surrender," Mu Ruxue said, standing gracefully on a treetop, her gaze cold and fixed on the demon. "You are severely wounded and cannot even take human form or speak. Resistance is futile. If you hand over that longsword and give us a section of your peach wood, we can let you go."

The peach tree demon stopped hacking and hesitated for a moment. Finally, it placed the longsword on the ground and, enduring the pain, severed a section of its own wood. The piece was as thick as an adult's thigh and five or six meters long—enough to craft nearly twenty peach-wood swords.

"Collect!" Mu Ruxue waved her right hand, and the dozen talismans returned to her. She leaped down, landing as lightly as a feather, and picked up the wood and the sword.

"Feng'er, the sword is yours." She handed the weapon to Qin Feng.

He took it eagerly. Examining it closely, he saw it was made of peach wood, yet it was exceptionally tough—sturdier and more durable than a sword forged of steel.

"A fine blade!" Qin Feng couldn't help but praise it.

"This was crafted from the very heart of my wood, combined with meteorite iron from beyond the heavens, and took over a hundred years to condense. Of course it's a fine blade," a delicate, cherry-red mouth grew on the tree's trunk, emitting a dainty woman's voice. However, the tone was filled with anger, grievance, and resentment.

"You can speak?" Mu Ruxue looked at the demon in surprise.

"Obviously. Even if I am severely wounded and cannot take human form, speaking is no problem. It was my misfortune to encounter you. I accept my defeat. The items are yours, can you let me go now?" the demon asked.

"You may go," Mu Ruxue nodded, stepping aside.

"You are one of the few kind people I have met in the Taoist sects. No wonder you associate with this zombie," the peach tree demon said, offering a rare compliment before moving its roots and scurrying away.

"Aunt, you're really letting it go?" Qin Feng asked, looking at Mu Ruxue.

"I observed that it had no red aura, which means it has never harmed a human. It could have ambushed us earlier, but it chose to target your zombie subordinate instead. It is one of the few honest and upright demons. It killed one of your subordinates, and it has already paid the price. Let it go; after all, its cultivation hasn't been easy."

"I see. But what is this 'red aura'?" Qin Feng asked, puzzled.

"When demons or evil spirits kill, a red aura appears on them. You can think of it as the resentment of the deceased. When the red aura accumulates to a certain level, it invites the lightning tribulation—the so-called 'wrath of heaven and man.' You, for instance, have a red aura on you; any Taoist practitioner would know immediately that you have killed. Unless, of course, you possess a technique to conceal your aura and mask that red light."

"As a zombie, can I also master techniques to conceal my aura and mask the red light?" Qin Feng asked.

"You can. Taoists have spells, demons have demon arts, ghosts have ghost arts, and corpses have corpse techniques. Any creature that masters these is incredibly powerful. However, these techniques are extremely rare. Don't think about it for now; they aren't things you can just acquire. Let's put it this way: they are harder to come by than rare treasures."

"I see." Qin Feng’s enthusiasm immediately waned. Harder to come by than rare treasures? That was like trying to win the lottery. He figured he should just dream about it—getting his hands on one was impossible.