Chapter 197: The Cautious Wan Yao Wang

During the battle, the six Demon Eye Demon Trees continued to emit frantic and aggressive sonic waves, which, accompanied by the massive noise caused by the aftermath of the combat, spread and extended for several miles.

Of course, for Ning Feiliu and the many elite disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, this had no effect.

After all, even if they had no way to resist these sonic attacks, there were still supreme experts like Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Poison Douluo nearby to hold the line.

It was just that they did not know that the sonic shrieks emitted by these Demon Eye Demon Trees were not meant to attack them.

But rather...

They were calling for help.

Nearly six miles away, in a muddy swamp near the center of this wetland, a figure with the appearance of a middle-aged man, yet with skin as withered as tree bark, looked from afar toward the direction where the sound waves originated.

This figure's appearance was not particularly handsome; the complexion was somewhat sallow, and even the eyes were a cyan-green—a chilling, deep green, filled with an eerie luster, completely different from the magnificent green of jade.

It was very clear that although this figure possessed a human form, one look at this exterior showed it was absolutely not human.

At least... for now, it did not look like a human form perfect enough to be indistinguishable.

Its build was not particularly tall but very slender, and a dark green robe, moving without wind, drifted slowly backward, as did its long hair of the same color.

It was just that this long hair was truly a bit too long, trailing for a full ten meters behind it.

And it was none other than the Demon Eye Demon Tree, ranked fifth among the Ten Great Fierce Beasts during the Peerless Tang Sect era: Wan Yao Wang!

Wan Yao Wang ruled over all plant-type Soul Beasts within the Star Dou Great Forest.

Of course, it did not yet have this ability.

Compared to animal-type Soul Beasts, the survival of plant-type Soul Beasts is actually much more difficult.

Because when they are young, they grow slower than animal-type Soul Beasts.

Generally speaking, plant-type Soul Beasts need at least a thousand years of cultivation to have the ability to protect themselves.

Whereas animal-type Soul Beasts have combat power at ten years.

Creatures like the Immortal Herbs and Fierce Beasts are impressive, but when young, they do not have much self-preservation ability; those like the Blazing Apricot Delicate and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass are better off.

They can rely on their own extreme ice and extreme heat bodies to protect themselves.

But like the so-called Immortal Herb King Qiluo Tulip in the original plot... before it grew up, it was truly destined to be eaten by humans or Soul Beasts.

However, among plant-type Soul Beasts, there are always some with extraordinary natural gifts, and once they grow up, they are even more terrifying than animal-type Soul Beasts.

Wan Yao Wang, whose true form is the Demon Eye Demon Tree, is one such example.

It originally grew as a Demon Eye Demon Tree on the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest. In terms of its own lineage, there was nothing remarkable about it.

Although Demon Eye Demon Trees are a rare species within the Star Dou Great Forest, they do not have any particularly powerful traits even after cultivating into Soul Beasts.

Because they are considered spirit-attribute, what they are best at is using the tree eyes produced on their bodies to paralyze and control opponents, then gradually killing them with corrosive tree sap until the opponent rots and becomes their own nutrients.

In terms of lethality, the Demon Eye Demon Tree truly does not count for much among plant-type Soul Beasts.

However, Wan Yao Wang is a very peculiar existence.

The reason it is said to be very unique is that beside it, a Fairy Spirit Grass was also growing.

The survival rate of Demon Eye Demon Trees is relatively high among plant-type Soul Beasts because they do not have fruits that are highly tempting to Soul Beasts, and their bodies emit a foul-smelling, highly poisonous odor.

Generally speaking, Soul Beasts find it hard to take an interest in it.

But the Fairy Spirit Grass is different; the Fairy Spirit Grass itself possesses the ability of spiritual connection, and from the moment it grows, it possesses intelligence comparable to ordinary Soul Beasts.

After continuous growth, it will quickly become stronger.

But at the same time, it also possesses extremely high nutritional value, which for all Soul Beasts and human Spirit Masters is a great tonic, almost equivalent to the Nine Grade Purple Ganoderma that Tang San gave to Yu Xiaogang in the original plot.

It is just that the growth conditions for the Fairy Spirit Grass are extremely harsh; even in a natural habitat as good as the Star Dou Great Forest, they rarely appear.

If a Fairy Spirit Grass reaches the thousand-year level, it is already a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure.

Those animal Soul Beasts would absolutely use any means necessary to devour it.

But its luck lay in the fact that there was a powerful Demon Eye Demon Tree beside it.

Yet this was also its misfortune.

Wan Yao Wang's greatest advantage was that it was born ten thousand years earlier than this Fairy Spirit Grass. When it discovered that a Fairy Spirit Grass had grown not far from it, it had already attained intelligence itself at that time.

Moreover, a ten-thousand-year-level Wan Yao Wang already had some strength; at the very least, it had no problem expanding the range of its body fluid's scent.

Thus, Wan Yao Wang began to care for the Fairy Spirit Grass with extreme caution, tending to this neighbor that was born with intelligence with the utmost care.

No matter how good the Fairy Spirit Grass's talent was or how high its intelligence, after birth, it was ultimately just a blank slate.

Furthermore, in the bloodline genes of the Fairy Spirit Grass, Soul Beasts and humans have always been regarded as enemies, but it would not view Wan Yao Wang, who was also a plant, as an enemy.

Wan Yao Wang just kept guarding this Fairy Spirit Grass, using its foul smell to shelter the Fairy Spirit Grass as it grew up to a thousand years.

By that time, the Fairy Spirit Grass had already regarded it as its best partner, and even developed a strong dependence on it.

And it was at this moment that Wan Yao Wang made its move against the Fairy Spirit Grass.

He was... the farmer; having guarded the Fairy Spirit Grass for a full thousand years, it was time for his harvest!

Moreover, a thousand-year-level Fairy Spirit Grass was ultimately no match for Wan Yao Wang, who had long been prepared and had spent a thousand years specifically plotting against it.

Under Wan Yao Wang's corrosive poison, it melted.

Wan Yao Wang pulled the Fairy Spirit Grass up by the roots, turned it into pulp, and smeared it on its own body, attempting to fuse with it.

For it, even if it failed, it was merely a waste of a thousand years; for a plant-type Soul Beast, a thousand years really does not count for much.

Wan Yao Wang ultimately succeeded, and although it bore the resentment of the Fairy Spirit Grass, that was nothing compared to allowing it to later become a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast, and even a Beast that controlled all plant-type Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest.

It was just that... even though he had now achieved the status of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast, he did not become arrogant, but continued to endure.

Because in the process of his tens of thousands of years of growth, he had gradually realized that this world was actually a world dominated by those humans! And he, this kind of Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast, was exactly the "treasure" that those humans pursued. Once he was exposed, he would be detected by powerful humans from the outside world and killed just like that Fairy Spirit Grass he had devoured! Therefore, Wan Yao Wang had always been very low-key, and the Star Dou Great Forest was also very large; as long as he had the heart to hide, let alone humans from the outside world, even those other powerful "partners" within the Star Dou Great Forest could not discover him.

He had also been hiding in this wetland, silently continuing to improve his strength while sheltering his own kind.

However...

At this moment, facing the call for help from his own kind toward him, their "King," he shook his head.

In Wan Yao Wang's keen perception, among the many humans besieging his clansmen there...

However, there are two extremely powerful existences; he is actually not very afraid of that slightly weaker aura.

But he is somewhat wary of the one behind, which is even more powerful and carries an inexplicably sharp aura.

It is not to say he is trembling with fear; after all, as a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast, his weakest combat power is equivalent to a Ninety-Fifth Level Title Douluo among those humans. (The original work's setting: the minimum combat power of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast is benchmarked against a Ninety-Fifth Level Title Douluo among Spirit Masters.) Sword Douluo only has ninety-six levels of soul power, and Wan Yao Wang is only somewhat wary for now; he is, after all, a peerless Beast from the Peerless Tang Sect era.

Although this is ten thousand years ago, even the Azure Bull Python and Titan might not necessarily be his match in terms of current strength.

It is just that, out of respect for the one sleeping at the bottom of the lake, he did not take action against the Azure Bull Python and Titan, and Star Lake is truly too conspicuous.

Decades ago, he felt several powerful humans rush into Star Lake, among whom were several terrifying auras that even made him feel afraid, directly surrounding and slaughtering that big rabbit guarding Star Lake together. (The Spirit Hall helped Bibi Dong at the time to hunt Xiao Wu's mother.) Therefore, after witnessing that incident, Wan Yao Wang is even more well-behaved now.

Perhaps he could indeed save those few clansmen of his if he took action, but...

Once his own existence is exposed, then everything is finished!

Wan Yao Wang does not want a group of very strong humans to suddenly come later and slaughter him just like they slaughtered that big rabbit; then everything would be gone.

As an extremely selfish and self-interested "evil Soul Beast" skilled at disguise, he could even devour the Fairy Spirit Grass that once treated him as a "partner," so what are a few mere clansmen?

Thus, he did not care at all about the wailing of his clansmen, but instead focused on concealing his own aura.

"Ying Yan! Second Soul Skill! Moon Radiance Absolute Flash!"

As the shining moonlight bombarded that dying Demon Eye Demon Tree, the cold, clear flames directly swallowed it, erupting with the crisp sound of wood cracking as it burned.

Watching the soul power gradually dissipate and the black ring slowly rise, Ning Feiliu did not continue his attack.

However... looking at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples and Elder who were constantly assisting him all around, he suddenly felt that same sense of boredom that Ye Lingling had felt back then.

The other surviving Demon Eye Demon Trees saw their clansman die, and since Soul Beasts do not have the tradition of collecting the remains of their companions, they quickly fled the area under the intentional release by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples.

"Father, Teacher, Jian Yeye, I am going to start absorbing the Soul Ring," Ning Feiliu said immediately.

(End of chapter)