Supreme Sword Exalt

The moment the vines wrapped around Yun Tu, he let out a miserable scream, inhaling even more of the fragrance. The numbness, itching, and pain intensified, filling his eyes with agony. His divine power frantically surged, shattering the large net as he struggled free. His steps were stiff as he trudged forward with immense difficulty, only to collapse to the ground a moment later.

Before he knew it, his two calves had transformed into two vines. They were vibrant and dripping with green, with a few pale green leaves fluttering in the wind. A roar escaped him, and his divine power erupted, once again transforming him into a divine servant. Under the flow of divine power, the vines, the sprouts, the leaves all turned to dust.

He valued his life greatly, and this manner of death was so agonizing and bizarre that he couldn’t accept it. I can’t die! I just can’t die!

Under a burst of desperation, he broke free from the vines’ entanglement and shot forward, only to crash into Gu Han and Chongming.

Before he could say anything, two more powerful attacks landed on him. “You—”

“Move!” His divine power surged again, yet Gu Han and Chongming blocked his path once more. “Fuck off!”

Every time Yun Tu was about to break through, Gu Han and Chongming intercepted him. He fled without stopping for over a hundred thousand li, dealing with the demonic projections along the way. Having inhaled a fair amount of the fragrance and been pierced by the vines, he could no longer hold on.

From behind, a few vines latched onto him once more, binding him. His divine power churned, relentlessly dispersing the sprouts. Yet thick vines kept clinging to him, and wooden spikes kept piercing him. Gradually, his struggles grew weaker, and the sprouts multiplied until he didn’t even look human anymore.

HHis entire body was a patchwork of green, faint wooden grain visible beneath the surface. The sprouts continued to swell, shifting from pale green to deep green. His cultivation, his flesh and blood, and even his divine soul, had all become nutrients for these sprouts.

He roared in agony, “If I die! You... won’t have it easy either! Let’s... all perish together!”

His face twisted with venom as he struggled to look up at the man and the rooster, only to freeze. “Impossible! How could you two... possibly be fine?”

Not far away, Gu Han and Chongming were clearly at the end of their rope, yet they showed not a single sign of the transformation. Yun Tu could neither understand nor accept it. Chongming he could excuse because he knew this rooster was extraordinary, but Gu Han’s cultivation was clearly inferior to his. Why was Gu Han unaffected, while Yun Tu alone suffered this misfortune?

Chongming glared at him. “Bastard, why did you stop running?! If I said I’d kill you, you’d better believe I’m going to!”

From the moment they entered the valley, Chongming had inhaled quite a bit of the fragrance. Even now, he was still absorbing it, yet his only thought was that it smelled somewhat nice.

What made it even harder for Yun Tu to accept was that the rooster’s divine light seemed to counter the vines. Around Chongming, all was calm, without a single vine in sight.

Gu Han stared at him calmly. “Are you surprised? I’m immune to all poisons. No poison in this world works on me.”

Gu Han had also absorbed a fair amount of the fragrance, but before any change could occur, his meridians dissolved it completely. The fragrance that had threatened Yun Tu’s life helped restore a portion of Gu Han’s cultivation.

Yun Tu was shocked and agonized. While he could endure it, the sensation of his divine soul being siphoned away bit by bit was no less painful than soul-refining torment. The blow to his will was even more devastating.

Gu Han stared at him expressionlessly. “Does it hurt? Do you want to die?”

Yun Tu gritted his teeth. The wooden grain on his face grew. One of the lines was even slowly splitting open, as though something was about to sprout out. He could guess whatever crawled out of his head would surely be that damned human-faced flower.

“Just... kill... me!” Finally, he couldn’t hold on any longer. This death was too agonizing and cruel. He’d much prefer being cut down swiftly by Gu Han’s sword. “Please... kill me...”

Gu Han burst out laughing, filled with killing intent and chilling coldness. “Wasn’t I too merciful to you before?”

Let Yun Tu die a quick death? How could that be?! That simply wasn’t his way. Besides, even if Yun Tu died ten times more painfully, it wouldn’t erase a shred of the hatred in his heart.

The pain in Yun Tu’s voice grew. “You—AAAH!!!!”

He let out another agonized scream. The cry was shrill and pained, tinged with regret. After a long while, the screaming gradually subsided. Sprouts had grown all over his face. His consciousness was growing dimmer.

Throughout it all, neither Gu Han nor Chongming showed the slightest hint of pity, nor did they feel any satisfaction. Yun Tu was dead. He died miserably and painfully. But so what? Those who had perished because of him could never return.

At last, Yun Tu’s consciousness was completely extinguished. I’m free!If I’d known, I wouldn’t have run...

Then, with a soft sound, Yun Tu’s head split open, and a brilliantly red flower emerged. Just like the other human-faced flower, it bore his face, which smiled eerily. A streak of sword qi flashed past, and that red flower turned to dust, scattering in the air for a moment before vanishing forever.

Gu Han took a deep breath. “Master Rooster, let’s head back.”

In pursuit of Yun Tu, he hadn’t calculated the distance and had no idea where in the forbidden zone they now were. Even though he wasn’t afraid of the fragrance, this place was still not somewhere to linger.

Just as they were about to leave, Chongming seemed to notice something, looking toward a spot not far away. “What’s that?!”

Following his gaze, Gu Han also spotted the anomaly. Among the countless human-faced flowers, there was one that wasn’t smiling. That face also carried a trace of urgency and longing, its mouth constantly opening and closing, as though trying to say something.

Gu Han frowned slightly. “It’s looking at me!”

From the start, that human-faced flower’s gaze had been fixed on him, not sparing Chongming a single glance.

Although he didn’t know if the flower could hear him, he still asked, “Who are you?”

To his surprise, the flower seemed to hear him. A flicker of excitement passed through its eyes, and its mouth moved even faster. There was no sound, but Gu Han could roughly make out the words from its lip movements.

Gu Han’s heart jolted. “Profound Realm, Mo Shan!”

Profound Realm? Surname Mo? Which Mo?

Without reason, a certain person suddenly came to mind.