"Mother!"
The word escaped Bai Shengyi's lips involuntarily. The figure within the flower showed no reaction. Instead, the petals of the black flower, pierced by Bai Shengyi, violently spewed out a large gush of thick, viscous black liquid.
Bai Shengyi quickly dodged, but was a step too late. A single drop landed on her arm.
Though just a drop, it quickly soaked through her defensively-woven magic robe, causing a patch of hideous blisters to erupt on her skin.
"Damn it!" Bai Shengyi cursed, not flinching. With decisive action, she sliced off the rotten flesh and swiftly treated the wound.
All this happened in the blink of an eye. In this brief moment, a giant, unknown black flower loomed in the sky, while more void beasts gathered on the ground. Dozens of grotesque, nameless spirit beasts poked their heads out from the swamp, their lantern-sized eyes fixated on Bai Shengyi.
Ground, swamp, air – danger lurked everywhere.
Bai Shengyi bared her teeth, "Little Samsara, what did you say this place was?"
"Heavenly Dao Ravine! This is the Heavenly Dao Ravine! The rugged space where the world barrier is!" Samsara Brush's voice squeaked, somewhat distorted. "That black flower, if Brush Brush's guess is correct, is the World Barrier Lone Blossom!"
After a shocked scream, Samsara Brush's voice grew timid. It earnestly advised, "Shengyi, we should run quickly. The World Barrier Lone Blossom is not something you can provoke right now."
Tales circulated in the cultivation world of the World Barrier Lone Blossom being used to refine the Tribulation Breaking Pill for ascending to the Immortal Realm. However, Samsara Brush knew more secret matters. The reason Mahayana cultivators could ascend was not due to the Tribulation Breaking Pill at all, but solely because of the World Barrier Lone Blossom.
The World Barrier Lone Blossom was the only celestial-grade spirit plant in this realm!
In other words, this flower not only possessed immense fortune but also contained the purest spiritual energy, rules, and even Dao principles of this world.
With Bai Shengyi's current strength, facing this flower would only result in her becoming fertilizer!
"Do you think I don't want to run?" Bai Shengyi wished she could roll her eyes at Samsara Brush. "Not to mention the person inside the flower seems to be my mother, and I can't abandon her. Even looking at the surroundings, where do you think I can run? And I wonder where that little void beast went..."
It was as if she had stumbled into a ghost realm.
Not finding Qin Si was one thing, but inexplicably ending up in this accursed place...
A wave of uncontrollable irritation surged within Bai Shengyi. Perhaps it was because she had experienced this sudden loss of emotional control before, but she quickly sensed something was wrong.
"What's going on? Why am I suddenly so impatient?"
"Because the spiritual energy here also contains chaotic energy, Master, be careful." Qiong Meng Vine twitched its leaves, its branches instinctively stretching towards the direction of the World Barrier Lone Blossom.
So fragrant!
Bai Shengyi didn't notice Qiong Meng Vine's movement.
"Is it the same as the spiritual mansions within the Sanghai Secret Realm?" Now, Bai Shengyi understood why Daoist Lord Hong Lian chose to search for the world barrier starting from the Sanghai Secret Realm.
It seemed the formation of the Sanghai Secret Realm was inextricably linked to the world barrier.
Chaotic energy was not something found everywhere.
Samsara Brush said, "Not only chaotic energy, but also demonic energy. The energies within are extremely mixed. Although there is abundant spiritual energy, it is still not conducive to cultivation."
Bai Shengyi stood suspended in mid-air, looking at the giant flower not far away. The flower was as wide as an adult, currently in bud. She could only vaguely see the figure within.
But Bai Shengyi was certain it wasn't an illusion. The person within was most likely her adoptive mother.
"Why is your mother inside a flower?" Samsara Brush asked, perplexed. "Brush Brush has never heard of the World Barrier Lone Blossom eating people."
"I never expected that within the world barrier, there would be another space, and such a dead and silent space at that," Bai Shengyi responded.
She felt that nothing could surprise her anymore.
Just as Bai Shengyi thought this, a void beast that had been on the ground suddenly leaped towards her, soaring into the air and crashing into her fiercely!
"Moo-ee!"
Bai Shengyi swung her sword, but did not aim to kill the void beast. Instead, she kicked off its horn, using the force to propel herself upward. With a flash of her sword, she landed on the giant black flower, drawing forth surging black juice.
The World Barrier Lone Blossom's flower contorted, and then quickly turned. The flower bloomed and sprayed another stream of black liquid at Bai Shengyi.
And Bai Shengyi also saw the figure in the center of the flower clearly.
It was Yue Shuxin!
Yue Shuxin was curled up, lying on her side beneath the black stamen. Her face was serene and beautiful, as if she were having a beautiful dream.
But her dark hair had turned white, and the Penglai thread on her wrist was faintly visible, clearly indicating she was not unharmed.
"Now I really can't run!"
Bai Shengyi gave a wry smile, dodging the void beast that was charging at her again. This time, she used a bit of cunning. The void beast, unable to stop, crashed directly into the black flower. It was doused in the black liquid and instantly turned into a pile of white bones.
"Moo-ee!"
These void beasts were clearly afraid of the black flower. After one was killed, the rest instinctively retreated, but did not leave. They remained on the sidelines, observing and waiting for an opportunity.
"Even spirit beasts aren't stupid."
The creatures in the swamp had not made a move yet. Bai Shengyi instructed Qiong Meng Vine to observe them, and wielding Samsara Brush, she charged towards the black flower.
No matter what, she had to rescue Yue Shuxin.
Since the World Barrier Lone Blossom was ultimately a spirit plant, Samsara Brush replaced her long sword. Bai Shengyi thrust out, "Withering Life!"
Vitality flowed into the flower with wood spiritual energy, but it carried a deep sense of danger. In moments, countless spiritual energies urged the flower to bloom to its fullest, and to wither...
Faint traces of yellowing appeared on the petals.
Just then, the flower suddenly bent, lifted, and made a sharp turn in mid-air, pulling out long roots and casting itself down over Bai Shengyi—
"Pfft!"
The sword was incredibly sharp, piercing the very center of the stamen. The barrier formed by spiritual and mental energy was covered in black liquid. Bai Shengyi looked up and could see the giant petals like a gaping maw, as if about to swallow her whole in the next moment. Yet, she stood perfectly fine in mid-air.
The World Barrier Lone Blossom was furious!
A tiny ant dared to harm it again and again!
The black roots floated in mid-air. A black flower, complete with stem, turned and attacked Bai Shengyi again—
This time, it abandoned the soil it was rooted in, its attack becoming more agile and powerful.
No matter how fast Bai Shengyi moved, she couldn't avoid being splashed by the black liquid several times. But this was not the most troublesome part. Not only was the black liquid aggressive, but the entire black flower was also poisonous. She merely brushed against it, and her hand turned black. Her divine fire and Starfall Emperor Realm had no effect on the flower. The only useful technique, Withering Life, was not very effective.
"Three uses of Withering Life, and only one petal of this flower has yellowed. This won't do at this rate. I still need to conserve some strength to guard against the void beasts and the things in the swamp."
What to do? At this rate, she would be worn down to death by the World Barrier Lone Blossom!
Did she really have to run?
"Brush Brush told you, you're no match for it!" Samsara Brush repeated helplessly and anxiously, "If Brush Brush were still in its prime..."
It abruptly fell silent, looking at Bai Shengyi with astonishment.
"Shengyi! Brush Brush's dearest owner, have you gone mad? What are you doing?"