Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Shen Mo rushed to the Zhu Guo tree and found that the soil under the tree was a different color from the surrounding area, a dark red, and exuded a strong vitality.

Without hesitation, he took out his hoe and quickly began digging!

Soon, he dug out a section of tree root that was as smooth and warm as red jade and exuded amazing spiritual energy!

"The main root of the Vermilion Fruit!" Shen Mo was overjoyed! This was something even more precious than the Vermilion Fruit itself! It was a treasure for refining high-grade pills and even for cultivating new Vermilion Fruit trees!

"Hiss!" Sensing that its main root had been dug out, the Azure Phosphorous Crown Serpent went completely berserk! It desperately broke free from the entanglement of Shi and Tie, opened its blood-red maw, and lunged at Shen Mo!

A thick, dark green venom condensed in his mouth!

"Sect Leader, be careful!" everyone exclaimed!

At this critical moment—

"Snap!"

A soft, crisp sound came from the Vermilion Fruit Tree. The reddest Vermilion Fruit, which Su Xiao had stimulated with his divine sense, actually... fell off on its own! It landed on the ground!

The Azure-Scaled Serpent froze abruptly! It turned to look at the fallen vermilion fruit, its eyes filled with despair and... bewilderment.

"Now! Retreat!" Shen Mo made a decisive move, quickly putting the main root of the Vermilion Fruit into his storage bag. At the same time, he picked up the Vermilion Fruit that had fallen on the ground and shouted loudly!

Without lingering in the fight, the five turned and sprinted back the way they came! Zhao Qingyan activated a trapping formation, temporarily hindering the strange snake.

The Azure-Scaled Serpent seemed to have suffered a great blow because of the fall of the Vermilion Fruit. It did not immediately give chase, but instead coiled up under the Vermilion Fruit tree, emitting a mournful hiss.

The five of them ran wildly until they burst out of the herb garden cave and returned to the passageway, where they stopped and gasped for breath.

"That was close...that was close..." Zhang Daniu sat down on the ground with a thud, still shaken.

"Sect Leader, what did we get?" Shi Tie asked anxiously.

Shen Mo opened his hand, revealing the section of red jade-like tree root and the crimson fruit. A rich fragrance immediately filled the air.

"It's a Vermilion Fruit! And... what's this?" Su Xiao exclaimed in surprise.

"The main root of the Vermilion Fruit." Shen Mo smiled slightly. "This harvest has far exceeded expectations!"

However, before his smile could fully bloom, suddenly, from the other end of the passageway came a series of hurried footsteps and... the sounds of fierce fighting!

"Quick! Don't let them get away!"

"This treasure belongs to our Heavenly Sword Sect!"

"Bullshit! It was our Xuanbing Pavilion that discovered it first!"

Oh no! People from other factions have also entered this area! And... they seem to be fighting over something!

Shen Mo's expression hardened, and he immediately put away the treasure. "Quickly! Get out of here! Don't get involved in their fight!"

However, they had only turned around and taken a few steps when several figures suddenly appeared at the fork in the road ahead, blocking their way.

The leader, dressed in a Dan Ding Pavilion Taoist robe, had a sinister smile on his face and was staring greedily at Shen Mo's storage bag.

"Hehe... Fellow Daoists from Qingyun Sect, what a coincidence. It seems... you've gained quite a bit?"

The sinister voice echoed through the dark passageway, carrying undisguised greed and a hint of mockery.

The horse-faced cultivator leading the Dan Ding Pavilion, along with four companions, blocked the fork in the road, completely cutting off Shen Mo and his group's retreat.

The spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from them were not weak; they were all at the mid-stage of Qi Refining. The way they looked at Shen Mo and the others was as if they were looking at a flock of fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

Clearly, they had witnessed Shen Mo collecting the Vermilion Fruit and the main root!

"Oh no!" Shi Tie and the others' expressions changed drastically. They instinctively gripped their weapons and looked nervously at Shen Mo.

Having just escaped the Azure-Scaled Serpent, they've encountered another obstacle! And the opponent is more numerous and powerful than them!

Shen Mo's heart sank, but his face remained impassive. He stepped forward, shielding Su Xiao and the other three behind him, and calmly looked at the horse-faced cultivator:

"So you're a fellow Daoist from the Pill Refining Pavilion. May I ask what brings you to my path?"

"What is it?" The horse-faced cultivator sneered, pointing to the storage pouch at Shen Mo's waist.

"Let's not beat around the bush. The Vermilion Fruit and the Spiritual Root were discovered first by our Pill Cauldron Pavilion, but we were temporarily entangled by that beast."

"You lot certainly have a clever way of taking advantage of the situation and reaping the benefits. Now, shouldn't it be time to return it to its rightful owner?"

This is blatant distortion of the truth! It's outright robbery and theft! They're clearly taking advantage of their small numbers and weakness to try and steal from them!

"You're talking nonsense!" Shi Tie roared, instantly enraged. "That was clearly something we risked our lives to snatch from under the snake's jaws! How did it become yours?!"

"Hmph! You're courting death!" The horse-faced cultivator's expression turned cold, and he suddenly released the spiritual pressure of the sixth level of Qi Refining, pressing down on Shi Tie!

"You mere early-stage Qi Refining cultivators dare to be so insolent before me! Hand over your treasures, kowtow and admit your mistakes, and perhaps I'll spare your lives if I'm in a good mood! Otherwise... hmph!"

The four Dan Ding Pavilion disciples behind him also stepped forward with cold smiles, releasing their spiritual pressure, as if they were ready to fight at the slightest provocation.

The sounds of fighting from the other end of the passageway were growing closer; clearly, the people from the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Profound Ice Pavilion were approaching soon. If they were completely trapped here, the consequences would be unimaginable!

Shen Mo's eyes were icy cold. He knew that he absolutely could not back down now, nor could he hand over the treasure. Otherwise, not only would he lose everything, but the prestige that Qingyun Sect had just established would also be completely destroyed!

"The Pill Cauldron Pavilion...what a show of power." Shen Mo suddenly chuckled, a hint of mockery in his voice. "It seems your sect has forgotten...how True Person Jin Yan departed?"

Upon hearing this, the arrogant expression on the horse-faced cultivator's face froze, and his pupils contracted slightly!

The disciples behind him also changed their expressions slightly and subconsciously exchanged glances.

Yes! These seemingly weak Qingyun Sect disciples are actually formidable figures who can unleash Nascent Soul sword intent and frighten away Golden Core elders!

Although we don't know how they did it, what if... what if they have some other trump card up their sleeve?