Chapter 129: Bite Him to Death

"Stop right there!" One of the old men, distracted during their combat, suddenly spotted Chu Tianfeng.

Chu Tianfeng did not even look back; he invoked his Wind-Riding Technique and ran even faster.

"Chu Tianfeng! Stop!" the other old man realized what was happening and shouted loudly.

Stop your grandfather! Chu Tianfeng raised his middle finger high behind his back.

He was no stranger to these two old men. One was Wang Caizhang of the Wang family, and although he did not know the other’s name, he had seen him twice before. The first time was at the entrance to the secret realm, where this elder had joined Wang Caizhang in surrounding him; later, in the mist zone, the two had passed him one after another. He had not expected to run into them here today.

"Brother Mo, shall we take this brat down first?" In truth, he hadn't known who Chu Tianfeng was initially, but the moment Chu Tianfeng turned and ran, his guilty conscience and peculiar movement technique gave his identity away.

His longing for Chu Tianfeng was deeper than his longing for his own wife. During his days in the valley, he had thought of Chu Tianfeng and his techniques every waking moment.

"Fine, we split the loot fifty-fifty once it’s done!" Chu Tianfeng’s movement techniques and concealed weapons were world-renowned, and Mo Wannian was also very interested.

"Very well, let's pursue!" Wang Caizhang took the lead, launching his body into the air as he gave chase.

Mo Wannian was not to be outdone; with a long whistle, he followed closely behind Wang Caizhang, sprinting into the marshland.

In an instant, three figures soared over the swamp, like startled swans skimming the waves or swallows returning to the forest. As the three leaped and landed through the tall grass and water, they inevitably disturbed the masters of the marsh, stirring their ire.

Chu Tianfeng, running in the lead, would occasionally fire off strings of ice cones to wake up the crocodiles lurking in the swamp to obstruct his pursuers.

The crocodiles in this area were used to being arrogant; when had they ever suffered such bullying? It was not in their nature to be beaten without striking back.

Without hesitation, they decided to bite him to death!

The crocodiles joined the chase, but they were indiscriminate. They did not just target Chu Tianfeng; they attacked Wang Caizhang and his companion with the same ferocity, snapping their jaws at everyone.

As Chu Tianfeng ran, he fought, and gradually, dozens of crocodiles followed in his wake.

Wang Caizhang and Mo were becoming extremely frustrated. Both elders had tested the creatures and found their hides incredibly tough, resistant to swords and blades. While their attacks were simple, dealing with dozens of them at once, especially on the water, was enough to make anyone frantic.

The two were forced into the water several times, drenched from head to toe. The longer they chased, the more exhausted they felt, and the more their confidence wavered.

Chu Tianfeng, however, seemed to be the opposite; the more he ran, the more excited and energized he became. The gap between the two sides grew ever wider.

Unwilling to let the duck that was already in their mouths fly away, the two elders gritted their teeth and refused to give up.

Discovering that the two old men’s true essence was running low, Chu Tianfeng became even more brazen, intentionally crossing larger ponds to stir up even more crocodiles.

Half an hour later, Chu Tianfeng arrived before a larger pond. Just as he reached the bank, his eyes were drawn to dozens of lotus leaves in the water.

"Good heavens, Drunken Heart Lotus! It’s actually Drunken Heart Lotus!" Xiyazi’s exclamation rang out in his sea of consciousness.

Chu Tianfeng was also thrilled. In the Blue Moon Star, these lotus leaves were known not as Drunken Heart Lotus, but as Spirit-Cleansing Mist Lotus.

The Spirit-Cleansing Mist Lotus was a treasure from top to bottom. Its leaves could be used to refine miraculous healing salves to restore surface wounds and erase scars, with exceptional effectiveness. The lotus seeds were sacred medicine; if a cultivator’s physical body were destroyed but their nascent soul remained, they could consume the seeds to slowly regrow their body. For a ghost like Xiyazi, once they reached the nascent soul stage and cultivated a ghost nascent soul, they could consume the seeds after possessing a body to rapidly restore physical function. The lotus root was also a treasure, rich in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth; ordinary cultivators who consumed it could purify their spiritual roots, and those below the Qi Refining stage could even use it to assist in their breakthroughs.

In short, the Spirit-Cleansing Mist Lotus was a treasure through and through. Moreover, these lotus leaves were decades old, there were two seed pods, and the root beneath the water was astonishing—not only over two meters long but at least five or six hundred years old!

Even on the Blue Moon Star, this plant was extremely rare and precious; to call it priceless would be no exaggeration, let alone here on Earth, where spiritual energy was scarce. Even if not for Xiyazi, he wanted it for himself!

But when his divine sense scanned the bottom of the pond, his face instantly twisted into a look of dismay. At the bottom, there were at least dozens of second-level crocodiles, and right beside the Spirit-Cleansing Mist Lotus, there was a third-level early-stage crocodile.

At that moment, Wang Caizhang and Mo arrived in a rush.

Chu Tianfeng had no time to think; he leaped, soaring toward the pond like a bird. The crocodiles at the bottom, hearing the commotion, poked their heads out of the water in confusion. By the time they realized what was happening, Chu Tianfeng had already reached the center of the pond. With a flick of his divine sense, a surge of true essence erupted.

Over twenty lotus leaves and a seed pod were ripped from the roots and lifted out of the water. Chu Tianfeng caught them with his right hand and, with another thought, tucked them all into his storage ring.

The third-level crocodile was the fastest; just as Chu Tianfeng finished stowing the lotus, it arrived!

Chu Tianfeng had no intention of engaging in battle; he leaped again, dodging far away.

*Roar—*

The crocodile was furious, twisting its body to pursue him!

Chu Tianfeng was unfazed, his toes lightly tapping the water like a dragonfly, his figure swaying as he left the crocodile far behind. The other crocodiles scattered and lunged at him.

Chu Tianfeng did not run far, instead circling the pond. Just as he finished a lap, Wang Caizhang and his companion reached the bank. Seeing the string of crocodiles behind Chu Tianfeng, the two were dumbfounded. They were already exhausted, but when they saw the lotus leaves swaying in the water, their eyes widened.

They looked at each other, seeing the same shock and wild greed in each other's eyes.

One word: Grab!

Without hesitation, the two launched themselves into the pond.

Chu Tianfeng was already in the water—how could he let them have their way? He calmly charged toward the two, his hands dancing rapidly.

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

Strings of fireballs appeared out of thin air, flying toward them and sealing off their path!

Wang Caizhang and his companion were not weak; hearing the shift in the wind, they stopped in time and dodged to the side. Chu Tianfeng took this opportunity to speed up his hand movements and flew back into the center of the pond.

The two elders wanted to pursue, but the crocodiles behind Chu Tianfeng surged forward. They had no choice but to retreat, their hearts wailing in despair!

Chu Tianfeng was elated. He rushed to the remaining lotus leaves, his divine sense and true essence surging to sweep up the rest of the leaves and seed pods.

*Roar—*

The crocodiles finally realized they had been tricked and, filled with rage, threw themselves at Chu Tianfeng. He led them in another half-lap around the pond and, seeing Wang Caizhang and his companion resting on the shore, he unceremoniously led the crocodiles straight toward them.

"Chu Tianfeng, I curse your ancestors!" Wang Caizhang was livid.

They hadn't eaten the mutton, but had ended up with a stench all over them. This brat had stolen the treasure, yet he was dragging them in to take the heat!

This was unreasonable! It was intolerable!

Wang Caizhang couldn't take it, and the other elder couldn't take it either! The two exchanged a glance, turned, and ran for their lives!

You want us to clean up your mess? No way!

Watching their fleeing figures, Chu Tianfeng’s face twisted into another look of dismay. He had indeed intended to shift the disaster onto them. There was still a lotus root at the bottom of the pond, and he didn't want to give it up.

Originally, Wang Caizhang and the crocodiles were a perfect match—their strengths were similar. Wang and his companion were skilled in offense, while the crocodiles were thick-skinned and skilled in defense. If they fought, it would have been hard to decide a winner for hours. But now, these two old men had simply quit!

There was no helping it; if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself!

Chu Tianfeng’s eyes rolled, and while running toward the pond, he took several wolf legs out of his storage ring.

*Swish!*

He threw the wolf legs, and the bloody scent immediately stimulated the crocodiles' senses!

*Splash!*

The crocodiles' attention instantly shifted, and they lunged for the meat. Seeing his plan succeed, Chu Tianfeng didn't bother saving anything; he took out all the wolf legs in his ring and threw them far away!

He then turned and plunged into the pond, invoking his Water-Evasion Technique.

*Boom!*

His true essence surged like a flood, forming a massive blade that carved a circle with a two-meter radius at the bottom of the pond. Chu Tianfeng waved his hands, tossing up all the mud within the circle, and without waiting to clean it, he swept it all into his storage ring with his right hand.

*Roar—*

Just then, the crocodiles finished devouring the wolf legs and turned back to chase him.

"Goodbye!" Chu Tianfeng waved his hand, his figure flickering like smoke as he vanished into the distance.

After sprinting for over ten minutes, he found a deserted spot, took out the large clump of mud, carefully extracted the buried lotus root, washed it clean, and tucked it away in his ring.

"Congratulations!" Xiyazi’s excited voice resonated in his sea of consciousness.

"Hehe, congratulations to you too!" Chu Tianfeng was equally joyful.

This battle was a massive harvest; not only did he get over forty lotus leaves and two seed pods, but also a lotus root over two meters long. For now, the former were of little use, but the latter was different. He had undergone marrow cleansing once before, and his spiritual roots were near-maxed. If he consumed this lotus root, his spiritual roots would surely overflow!

By then, his cultivation speed would increase exponentially. Moreover, because his spiritual roots would be at their peak, his comprehension of any technique would be significantly enhanced, allowing him to achieve twice the result with half the effort—a feat no one else could match.

Additionally, the lotus root could promote his current cultivation level. With powerful enemies lurking everywhere, every bit of added cultivation provided an extra layer of protection for his life.

That night, Chu Tianfeng roasted a large fish and drank to his heart’s content.