Chapter 270

Heavy rain poured over Wanshan, lightning snakes writhed within the dark clouds, and thunder rumbled continuously.

Liu Liu Xiaolou sat beneath the tree canopy, the drum and flute's melody rose strong and stirring amid the thunder, while the spirit leopard's spectral shadow swayed in the wind and rain.

This spirit leopard's innate talent was control over lightning and thunder; after a year of experimentation, Liu Liu Xiaolou had discovered that training during thunderstorms was ideal—each time thunder rolled and lightning flashed, a small amount of lightning energy was absorbed by the spectral shadow and retained.

Three more months had passed; the spirit leopard's spectral shadow had grown to over six feet long and more than two feet tall. Though vastly different from a "solid form" and instantly recognizable as an illusion, it had become extremely lifelike—its fur visible, its eyes glowing with a faint blue light, resembling the leopard reborn.

By now, this spectral shadow had gained rudimentary combat ability. Though merely a phantom, its pounce carried a sharp, biting wind; its fangs and claws could wound flesh; its tail could snap a tree trunk three fingers thick with a single sweep, and occasional sparks of lightning crackled along the tail, leaving a numbing sensation upon contact with skin.

When Liu Liu Xiaolou first descended Wulong Mountain, with his Qi Refining second-layer cultivation, he might have actually stood a chance against this spectral shadow.

A spectral shadow possessing combat power sounded profoundly mysterious; one could not help but marvel that certain Daoist methods in Badong's cultivation world were indeed worthy of respect—undoubtedly among the true Great Dao.

Using the spirit leopard's shadow in combat was still far from ready—it was a long-term cultivation process—but since the shadow had taken form, it was time to attempt escape.

He moved to the edge of the tree canopy, patiently waiting for the right moment, while retrieving from his Qiankun Bag another magic treasure—the Concealing Jade Tablet—and fastening it to his person. This jade tablet had been seized from Lu Lu Yuanlang's younger brother, the Lu family's Second Young Master of Tianmu Mountain; it had once allowed him to evade Qingyu Sect's spiritual sense patrols. But last year, when he tried using it to flee, the tree demon had still sensed him. He wore it again now, hoping it might at least serve some minor purpose—even if only to confuse the tree demon's spiritual sense.

A thunderclap shook Wanshan; a long lightning serpent stretched from southwest to northeast, splitting the sky. Liu Liu Xiaolou seized his chance—the sharp drum-and-flute sound pierced the air, and the spirit leopard's spectral shadow erupted from the flute, surging outward in a wild rush.

Simultaneously, Liu Liu Xiaolou channeled his true qi, tapped his toe, and shot forward in a swift dash.

With his cultivation reaching Qi Refining tenth layer, his speed had climbed another major tier—faster by at least twenty percent compared to eighth layer!

The earth trembled; several vines burst from the soil, lashing toward the spirit leopard's shadow, wrapping around its limbs and tail. The shadow erupted with lightning, igniting sparks along the vines as it struggled fiercely. But the spirit leopard's shadow was too weak—it inflicted no real damage on the vines, and in moments it was tightly bound and dragged backward.

Liu Liu Xiaolou never intended for the shadow to fight the tree demon—he only wanted it to distract the demon, buying him time. For this, he was willing to sacrifice the shadow he had cultivated for a year!

His body shot forward with blinding speed; at this moment, he yearned desperately for the boundless freedom beyond.

Suddenly, both ankles tightened—a powerful force yanked him backward. Liu Liu Xiaolou panicked, drawing his Three Mystery Sword; three sword rays spun rapidly into a whirlwind, slicing toward the vines entangling him.

His increased cultivation had strengthened his sword rays—three limp rays now spun swiftly, finally severing one vine. This was the first time he'd cut through such resilient vines; he was overjoyed. But the joy lasted less than two breaths—more vines surged forth. He tried blocking them with his Glass Shield, but too many vines wrapped around him, binding him and the shield together, dragging him back.

In haste, Liu Liu Xiaolou activated his array plate—a desperate, last-resort move—but to his surprise, it worked.

The vines binding him suddenly grew chaotic—some loosened, drifting aimlessly around him as if confused; others tightened further, as if unaware they had already ensnared him, squeezing harder until his tongue protruded.

More vines erupted from the ground, encircling the outer edge of the array's range, weaving layer upon layer into a dense hedge, trapping him within.

If squeezed any tighter, he would be

crushed to death. Liu Liu Xiaolou had no choice but to dismiss the array plate. As the array dissolved, the vines immediately found him, coiling countless times around his body like a silkworm cocoon, dragging him back and hanging him beneath the tree.

He hung there for seven full days. At one moment, the "cocoon" suddenly loosened; each vine retracted. Liu Liu Xiaolou fell headfirst into the mud. After a while, his consciousness slowly returned.

Reflecting on this escape attempt, he realized several things:

First, the spirit leopard's shadow was effective—the tree demon still perceived it as a living being and sent vines to block it.

Second, the array was effective—the tree demon's intelligence was clearly higher than the spirit leopard's, so it could be deceived by the array.

Third, though the tree demon punished him severely, it still had no intention of killing or eating him.

Fourth, he now confirmed definitively: the tree demon did not rely solely on spiritual sense to detect movement—it also had "eyes," and could judge prey's movements visually, which explained why the Concealing Jade Tablet had no effect whatsoever.

Fifth, his escape strategy still held merit—at least the aerial distance he covered this time far exceeded any previous attempt. The greatest obstacle remained the sheer number of vines. If he could cultivate ten spectral shadows, would he finally have a chance?

But cultivating even one spectral shadow was already immensely difficult—how could he possibly cultivate ten? Would it take ten years?

Leaving aside the time issue, the question of where to obtain souls was even more daunting. Not all living beings could be used to extract souls—only spirit beasts or spirit insects yielded usable souls.

Liu Liu Xiaolou pondered his options carefully, but no solution emerged—he could only pace endlessly within this two-mu patch of land, back and forth, back and forth.

For the next three months, he remained trapped here. Without spirit stones, his cultivation had nearly stalled; he could only rely on the occasional fruit and plump insects the tree demon tossed his way to replenish a trace of spiritual energy. But to reach Qi Refining tenth layer through this alone would require thirty to fifty years—let alone Foundation Establishment, which he dared not even dream of.

He still persisted in cultivating the spirit leopard's shadow twice daily—though he saw no clear benefit, it had become his only way to pass the endless boredom.

Though located in the southern Ten Thousand Mountains where seasons were indistinct, as the weather grew less scorching and coolness crept into mornings and evenings, he could tell: his second winter in captivity had arrived.

He had bowed countless times to the tree demon, prostrating himself in earnest prayer—but the demon showed no intention of releasing him. Yet the offerings of spirit fruits and spirit insects had increased slightly, granting him minor cultivation gains. Even so, after three months, this tiny boost had not opened a single acupoint.

Then, one afternoon, as he sat beneath the tree in a daze, his ears twitched—he thought he heard voices speaking.

At first he thought it a hallucination, but soon the voices drew nearer. Two figures emerged from the forest across from him.

A man and a woman!

Liu Liu Xiaolou could not contain his emotions—he burst into tears.

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