Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

"What of it? You’re the ones who trespassed on my domain."

"There’s no point arguing about this now," Zhuang Yuechan said, cutting them off. "You claim Celestial Sinking Valley is your domain, so tell me, do you know about the piece of flesh that fell from the sky some time ago?"

The human face on the tree trunk’s expression flickered. "What if I do?"

"It’s not easy for a Tree Demon to cultivate, and we have no wish to be your enemy. Just give us the scale from that piece of flesh, and we will depart immediately, never to return."

It was far more difficult for a plant to cultivate Spiritual Wisdom than it was for a Demon Beast. Every one that succeeded was a veritable child of the heavens, and to reach the level of this Tree Demon was rarer still. Unless absolutely necessary, Song Changsheng had no desire for needless slaughter.

But unexpectedly, the Tree Demon flew into a rage. "That’s my treasure! Why should I hand it over to you?"

"What do you want? I can trade you for it." Song Changsheng frowned slightly. ’A peaceful solution would be best. After all, this Tree Demon’s cultivation is profound. Having cultivated for ages, there’s no telling what tricks it has hidden away. Taking it down won’t be easy.’

At his words, the Tree Demon fell silent.

After a long while, it spoke again. "I wish to advance further."

"Impossible." Song Changsheng couldn’t help but roll his eyes. ’This Tree Demon’s cultivation is just a step away from Tier Three, but that single step is incredibly difficult to take. Just think of Song Xianming and Chang Wudao, or even Yinn Shang and Niu Dazhuang.’

’Which one of them wasn’t a talent of the highest order? Which one wasn’t just a single step away?’

’And what happened? After all these years, none of them had managed to cross that threshold.’

’If it’s that difficult for humans, what hope is there for a Tree Demon, whose cultivation is even harder?’

’This was an impossible bargain.’

"Then we have nothing to discuss!" the Tree Demon roared.

Just then, Zhuang Yuechan produced a Talisman. "Helping you break through is impossible," she said. "But I have a Tier Three Defense Talisman here. It can block a bolt of Celestial Thunder for you. How about I trade you this?"

Tree Demons were different from Human Race Cultivators. The Celestial Dao only sent down a Thunder Tribulation for humans when they were breaking through to the Golden Core Stage. Tree Demons, on the other hand, had to endure the baptism of a Thunder Tribulation every time they broke through to a new Great Realm.

This was also what made cultivation so arduous for plant and wood-type Spirit Monsters.

A Defense Talisman capable of blocking a bolt from a Thunder Tribulation was already immensely valuable.

The Tree Demon’s expression shifted, but it finally relented. "Alright."

With that, it extended a vine toward Zhuang Yuechan to claim the Talisman.

"Bring out the scale first. We’ll trade face-to-face." Zhuang Yuechan’s brow furrowed. ’This thing is actually trying to get something for nothing.’

At her words, the face on the Tree Demon grew awkward. "The scale is useless to me, so it isn’t in my possession."

The expressions of Song Changsheng and the others instantly darkened. ’Is it just toying with us?’

Seeing that they were on the verge of an outburst, the Tree Demon hurriedly added, "Though it’s not in my possession, I know where the scale is! You can go get it yourselves."

A flicker of suspicion crossed Song Changsheng’s face. ’This has to be a trick, right?’

Seeing the look on Song Changsheng’s face, the Tree Demon quickly said, "If you don’t believe me, go get the scale first. It’s not like I can run away from here, anyway."

"Changsheng, it has a point," Zhuang Yuechan sent to him via voice transmission. "We’ll know if it’s telling the truth once we go and see for ourselves."

"Fine," Song Changsheng threatened in a cold voice. "Point out the location. If we find the scale, the Talisman we promised you will be delivered with both hands. But if we don’t, I’ll make sure you regret it, even if it costs us everything."

"Don’t worry. It’s in a cave, about three miles to the southwest," the Tree Demon said with conviction, extending a vine to point the way.

"Let’s go."

Song Changsheng and the others slowly backed out of the Tree Demon’s attack range, then flew southwest using Sword Control.

In less than a quarter of an hour, they did indeed find a hidden cave. The entrance was overgrown with weeds, but there were obvious tracks where the plants had been crushed by something heavy.

"Brother Song, I can feel a powerful Demon Qi from inside. Are we really going in?" Xu Yunhe asked, staring hesitantly into the pitch-black cave entrance.

After all, they had just been in a fight with that Tree Demon. The creature’s words were highly suspect.

"The Flood Dragon Scale contains a trace of draconic might, which is useless against plant-type Spirit Monsters. In that regard, the Tree Demon probably wasn’t lying. Of course, its motives are anything but pure."

"Look at these weeds at the entrance. They look like tracks left by a serpent or python. If I’m not mistaken, there’s likely another Demon Beast in here. The Tree Demon wants to use us to kill it for him." A cold glint flashed in Song Changsheng’s eyes.

"So we go back and kill it?" Xu Yunhe asked with a slight frown.

"No. On the contrary, this makes me even more certain the Flood Dragon Scale is in there. The item is useless to plant-type Spirit Monsters, but to serpents and pythons, it’s a rare treasure."

"The flesh of the Black Dragon Demon King is most attractive to them. Devouring it could even allow them to advance further. They would find such a temptation impossible to resist."

"If the scale were in the Tree Demon’s possession, the two of them could never have coexisted peacefully," Song Changsheng analyzed rationally.

"It’s also possible that it’s no match for the Tree Demon. After all, that Tree Demon is just one step away from Tier Three."

Hearing this, Song Changsheng smiled. "If that were the case, the Tree Demon wouldn’t be trying to use us to eliminate it."

"The reason living creatures are so scarce here is all because of that Tree Demon. It cultivates by digesting the flesh and blood of animals, and all the living things in Celestial Sinking Valley have already become its nutrients."

"If it were stronger than the Demon Beast in this cave, it would have acted long ago and turned it into its own nutrients. Why would it wait until now? Don’t be fooled by the fact that its main body can’t move. In reality, its root system has probably already spread throughout the entire valley."

"This place is only about three miles away, which won’t have much of an effect on its combat power."

"True or not, we’ll know if we test it, won’t we?" Zhuang Yuechan said with a blink.

"How? We’ve been here for a while, and there hasn’t been a single peep from inside. We can’t just waltz in there."

The situation inside the cave was unknown; rushing in blindly would not be a good idea.

"The fact that it’s not making a move just proves it’s not that strong, doesn’t it? If it were a Tier Three Demon Beast, it would have lost its patience long ago. Don’t worry, I have a way to lure the snake out of its hole."

With that, Zhuang Yuechan placed her Jade Zither horizontally before her. She plucked the strings and began to play a bizarre melody that made one’s skin crawl.

The lingering notes of the zither drifted into the cave, falling upon the ears of a behemoth. The creature, which had resolved to stay hidden no matter what, suddenly felt an unbearable agitation.

It tried to block out the sound of the zither, but no matter what it did, it couldn’t.

Its irritation mounted, and an urge to tear the musician to shreds began to swell within it. Once the thought took root, it became impossible to contain, growing uncontrollably like wild weeds.

At a certain point, it could endure it no longer. It let out a piercing hiss and charged out, dragging its massive body behind it.

Outside the cave, Song Changsheng, who had long been waiting, snapped his eyes open. In a low voice, he said, "It’s here!"

BOOM—

The word had barely left his lips when a massive, ferocious serpent’s head shot out, its crimson tongue flicking as it lunged straight for Zhuang Yuechan.

Song Changsheng swiftly summoned the [Luwu Bell], bringing it down hard on the serpent’s head and making it see stars.

Then, taking Zhuang Yuechan by the hand, Song Changsheng gracefully floated backward.

Its mind already muddled by the zither music, the great serpent twisted its massive body and gave chase.

Seeing the great serpent leave the cave, Xu Yunhe emerged from his hiding spot to block its path of retreat. At the same moment, Song Changsheng and Zhuang Yuechan stopped falling back. The three of them formed a triangular encirclement around the massive snake.

Only then did Song Changsheng get a chance to observe his opponent closely. The great serpent’s entire body was covered in hard, black scales. A distinct bulge protruded from the top of its head, and its vertical pupils glinted with a chilling, soul-stealing light.

And over the location of its heart were several scales of a distinctly different color and size, radiating a thick Demon Qi. It was the very Flood Dragon Scale that Song Changsheng had been searching so hard for.

"Brother Xu, Yuechan, be careful! It’s devoured the flesh of the Black Dragon Demon King! It’s about to transform into a Flood Dragon!"

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