Chapter 150: Chapter 149: Lacking Demon Morality
After a bout of dizziness and disorientation, Hong Yuan found himself in an entirely new place.
Looking around, he saw water sources in every direction. It seemed he had reached a particular aquatic region.
Currently, Hong Yuan was entirely in the soul form of an Ice Armor Python, his body only about three meters long.
The only downside was that, aside from physical attacks imbued with the power of Ice Tao, Hong Yuan could use virtually no spell attacks.
My soul form is an Ice Armor Python? That’s a relief, Hong Yuan sighed internally.
Truth be told, Hong Yuan had actually been quite afraid his soul form would be humanoid.
If that were the case, the Black Dragon Demon Saint observing the trial from outside would likely grow suspicious and might even use soul-extraction techniques on him to pull out his memories.
Now, it was fine. Although his soul form was only about three meters long, he had started as a tiny Gluttonous Snake in the past.
When it came to survival in the wilderness, that was his forte!
Soul Beasts, here I come, Hong Yuan thought, wiggling his tail and swimming towards the small fish and shrimp.
The Heart-questioning Trial was an ordeal where big fish devoured small fish, small fish devoured shrimp, and the shrimp had to brave the dangers.
The difficulty lay not only in strengthening the soul but also in solidifying it to prevent dissipation.
In the outside world, an Essence Qi mirror, split into fourteen pieces, was suspended high in the sky for the other Demon Cultivators to watch.
The Black Dragon Demon Saint and Wan Xuerou were also paying attention to Hong Yuan’s movements.
When they discovered that Hong Yuan and Li Jianqiu were allocated to the same region, they immediately sensed trouble.
"Qi, Guangqiao has some bad luck this time," Wan Xuerou commented, clicking her tongue.
"Indeed, a bit of bad luck," the Black Dragon Demon Saint stroked his chin. "However, it’s not without a chance. Look, Guangqiao’s speed in devouring Soul Beasts is clearly much faster than Li Jianqiu."
On the screen, although Hong Yuan’s Ice Armor Python soul was more than three times smaller than Li Jianqiu’s Red Dragon Carp soul, Hong Yuan was hunting with an efficiency that was clearly two to three times faster than Li Jianqiu.
Most importantly, Hong Yuan was digesting at an incredibly fast pace, so fast it almost seemed like cheating.
Hmm? Why do I feel so restless? Li Jianqiu, in her Red Dragon Carp form, furrowed her brow slightly, gently releasing bubbles as she examined herself.
Although one basically couldn’t use one’s own abilities in the Heart-questioning Trial, that only applied to the weaker contestants. She, Li Jianqiu, was certainly no ordinary participant.
Investigate Own Luck!
At the cost of losing a tenth of her soul’s substance, Li Jianqiu checked her own luck.
When she discovered that her Luck Red Dragon Carp was entangled by a White Luck Little Python, which brought with it a dark aura, her fish-eyes bulged slightly.
Xuan Guangqiao?!
Isn’t that Xuan Guangqiao merely third-order? How could he pose a threat to me? Strange indeed.
Li Jianqiu released even more fish bubbles from her mouth.
Gradually, these bubbles drifted north, guiding her. This just so happened to be the direction where Hong Yuan was feeding!
Without much thought, Li Jianqiu immediately followed the direction, pursuing Hong Yuan.
By this time, Hong Yuan had already grown to five meters and was hunting a large, two-meter fish in the water.
For some unknown reason, Hong Yuan also felt a sense of unrest.
What’s going on? What is this feeling of being watched, this unsettling anxiety?
Hong Yuan’s python brows knitted slightly, and the large, two-meter fish he had just swallowed suddenly didn’t taste as good.
But upon inspecting his surroundings, Hong Yuan didn’t find any Soul Beast in this aquatic region that could pose a threat to him.
After a moment of thought, Hong Yuan decided to change locations to hunt Soul Beasts.
The direction Hong Yuan chose happened to widen the distance between him and Li Jianqiu. Thus, unknowingly, a chase began between them.
The nearly twenty-meter-long Li Jianqiu pursued the five-meter-long Hong Yuan—one chasing, the other fleeing.
Their actions left the spectators in the outside world dumbfounded.
"How can Xuan Guangqiao run like that?" a local Demon Cultivator couldn’t comprehend.
"How does he know he’s being targeted? It’s incredible," admired a Demon Cultivator who knew how difficult Li Jianqiu was to deal with.
"Maybe Xuan Guangqiao is just hugely fortunate..." an elderly Demon Cultivator said hesitantly.
Whether it was doubt, admiration, or exclamations, it was undeniable that Hong Yuan, by evading Li Jianqiu’s pursuit, had earned the recognition of the Demon Cultivators, establishing a certain reputation among them.
Messenger Wan Xuerou from the Dragon God Sacred Land was also watching Hong Yuan’s fleeing figure with amusement.
Even with her experience witnessing countless geniuses, she had to admit Hong Yuan indeed possessed a unique quality.
"Alas, it’s a pity Guangqiao still hasn’t cultivated for long. If he had enough time, countering Li Jianqiu wouldn’t be a problem at all," the Black Dragon Demon Saint said with regret.
In the scene, the nearly twenty-meter-long Li Jianqiu had spotted Hong Yuan and was steadily closing the distance between them. Regardless of how much Hong Yuan tried to evade, it was to no avail.
Hong Yuan felt a surge of panic. Aren’t you going to give me any time to grow? Is this even fair, big boss? Clearly not! Attacking me when I’m still a novice!
"Miss Li, please stop chasing me. There must be some misunderstanding!" Hong Yuan pleaded.
Without saying a word, Li Jianqiu cut through the myriad Shui Lang, fixing her gaze on Hong Yuan’s python body.
Half a quarter of an hour later, Hong Yuan had nowhere left to escape. His enormous python body was pinned beneath Li Jianqiu’s fish belly, unable to move.
"Miss Li, could you tell me why I’ve caught your attention like this?" I clearly don’t know this Li Jianqiu at all. Is this really necessary? We’re not even direct competitors, Hong Yuan thought, puzzled.
Looking at the despairing Hong Yuan, Li Jianqiu pondered for a moment before saying, "You are strong and will threaten my position."
After she spoke, Li Jianqiu opened her blood-red mouth wide and bit down on Hong Yuan, draining most of his essence and spirit.
Just as Hong Yuan tried to resist, he found himself utterly weak. The slightest movement brought a sensation of his body cracking apart.
Gradually, Hong Yuan’s soul form began to shrink.
Five meters, four meters, three meters, two meters.
When Hong Yuan had shrunk to only two meters in length, the rules of the Heart-questioning Trial came into effect, and a white light enveloped his body.
He was about to be transferred to a new area to start from scratch and fight his way up again.
The Heart-questioning Trial lasted for seven days. Each time a participant was defeated, they would lose ninety percent of their prior accumulation and have to struggle anew.
A whole day wasted, Hong Yuan felt utterly helpless. Still, at least it’s only one day lost.
As his body gradually became ethereal, Hong Yuan clenched his teeth and glared resentfully at Li Jianqiu, secretly vowing to take revenge on her and regain his standing.
Damn you! Hong Yuan cursed inwardly. Just give me one chance, and I’ll make you understand why the flowers are so red!
Lingering in the original spot, Li Jianqiu was still savoring the benefits Hong Yuan had brought her. When she felt the dark aura on her Luck Red Dragon Carp dissipate, she heaved an internal sigh of relief.
She turned and resumed hunting, preparing to enter the Hundred Carp Soul, no longer paying Hong Yuan any heed.
The geniuses I’ve defeated are no longer even worthy of gazing upon my retreating figure, Li Jianqiu thought.