Chapter 298: Chapter 285: The Barbarian Race’s Holy Fruit: "1000-Leaf Fruit

"Sigh, I just feel like what you’re saying is a bit far-fetched. The Thousand-leaf Fruit is the stuff of legends. While its effects are said to be heaven-defying, capable of transforming an ordinary person’s body, giving them immense strength and Copper Skin and Iron Bones... practically no one has ever seen it. Even the Classics don’t have a picture of the Thousand-leaf Fruit, just a few brief words of description."

Nalan Ziyun said this with her hands behind her back, picking up her pace and walking ahead of Shen Lang.

Shen Lang’s gaze lowered, as if he were lost in thought.

Nalan Ziyun forged on, "Are you even listening to me?"

Shen Lang glanced at her and said, "I’m listening."

"If you suspect that fatso is staying here for the Thousand-leaf Fruit, and if you’re going after it, I think you should just give up," Nalan Ziyun said mockingly.

"First of all, waiting for a Demon Companion Grass to flower and bear fruit is a completely foolish thing to do. It’s almost impossible... At least, I don’t think that fatso is *that* stupid."

"Second, even if this Demon Companion Grass really is five hundred years old, who knows if it will even bear fruit?"

"Third, so what if it does bear fruit? Who knows when that will happen? You can’t just stand guard over it twenty-four-seven, can you? And that ten-minute window... that timing is just... if you miss those ten minutes, even if it bears fruit, it’s all for nothing."

Hearing Nalan Ziyun’s barrage of questions, Shen Lang rolled his eyes. "Just because you and I don’t know something doesn’t mean others do. This world has many strange and wondrous races, and the Barbarian Race is one of them."

"They possess certain Talent Abilities or methods that the Human Race lacks. For instance, some can converse with plants, or even naturally communicate with Wood Spirit Qi from the moment they’re born."

"Others can understand the language of beasts and communicate with birds and animals that don’t have very high Spiritual Wisdom."

"As for the Thousand-leaf Fruit... while it is just a guess, my guess is at least based on something."

"There’s nothing else in Qingfeng Stronghold worth a Barbarian’s attention. On the other hand, I just so happen to know a little something—a Demon Companion Grass flowers and bears fruit in a Yin year, on a Yin day, at a Yin hour. In other words, when the Yin Qi is at its absolute peak."

"It’s a matter of balance. The Demon Companion Grass usually grows near a Yang Attribute Demon Beast like the Fire Raccoon Beast, using its virile energy to grow. But when it finally flowers and bears fruit, the Fire Raccoon Beast must be far away, and the Yin Qi must be at its strongest."

"And what a coincidence, today just so happens to be the day of the year when the Yin Qi is at its strongest!"

"Ugh, why am I telling you all this? I’m just trying my luck. Maybe my luck is turning, and I’ll actually get to see a Thousand-leaf Fruit. Who knows, maybe that fatso is a lucky charm... and he’ll lead me right to it?"

Nalan Ziyun suddenly stopped, spun around, and stared into Shen Lang’s eyes. "Tell me, where in the world did you learn all this?"

"I read it in an ancient book."

"Where’s the book?"

"At home."

"After we’re done here, we’re going back to get that book. I want to study it too."

"...I lost it."

"Is it at home, or did you lose it? Do you take me for an idiot?"

"I lost it... at home."

"..." Nalan Ziyun flew into a rage. She grabbed Shen Lang’s collar with one hand and tried to lift him, but after two tugs, he didn’t budge. Only then did she remember he was carrying a huge load of Blue Cobalt Copper.

"I’ve always found it strange. How do you seem to know everything? Tayun Academy couldn’t have taught you all this! Why do I keep feeling like you’re a completely different person? What is going on with you?" Nalan Ziyun pressed relentlessly.

"What’s so strange about it? It just comes from reading a lot. Study hard, improve every day, you know? You think I’m lazy like you... er, that’s not what I meant."

"I told you I read it in an ancient book, but you don’t believe me. Am I any different from before? I’m exactly the same, aren’t I? You don’t believe me? Fine, I’ll tell you a story from the past to prove it. That time you were bathing in the lake, I remember it clearly... What are you doing pulling out your sword? I don’t scare easily! Don’t think... Holy crap, you’re actually trying to chop me!"

Before Shen Lang could finish his sentence, Nalan Ziyun gripped a longsword with both hands and brought it swinging down at his head!

He twisted his body, dodged the strike, and dashed forward.

"You get back here! I promise I won’t hack you to death!" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Nalan Ziyun’s pretty face was flushed red as she gave chase, longsword in hand. Her furious voice echoed from within the woods.

Just as they were rushing toward the location of the Demon Companion Grass on Celestial City Peak, Chen Tianci—the very same fatso they had been discussing—emerged from a patch of grass outside a cave.

Chen Tianci didn’t look too good. He was drenched in sweat and covered in dirt, a truly pathetic sight.

’Dammit, that Fire Raccoon Beast was a real pain to deal with. It took forever and a ton of Triangle Antelope meat just to lure it into an Array and trap it. It even chased me for ages; I almost died... You think this was easy for me?’

The fat man grumbled to himself as he walked toward the cave entrance. There, beneath a slanted boulder about thirty feet from the mouth of the cave, a Demon Companion Grass roughly half a meter tall swayed in the wind.

The Demon Companion Grass was a brilliant, fiery red, just like the fur of a Fire Raccoon Beast, an enthralling sight.

Its stalk bore eight translucent, fiery-red leaves, as vibrant as blooming flowers and as dazzling as jade carvings.

The foundation of Qingfeng Stronghold, the "Thousand-leaf Dew," came from this very Demon Companion Grass.

The so-called Thousand-leaf Dew wasn’t actually dew, but a drop of liquid that would periodically condense on the Demon Companion Grass.

This liquid was semi-translucent, and one could faintly see many green, liquid-like substances within it, which is why it was called "Thousand-leaf Dew."

It was the most important ingredient in many Elixir Pills and Medicinal Liquids used for Body Forging, making it incredibly precious.

However, the Demon Companion Grass required a Demon Beast of a certain Attribute, like the Fire Raccoon Beast, to survive nearby. Furthermore, it would wither and die the moment it was transplanted. For these reasons, even though many of Illusion Mist City’s powers and experts coveted the plant, none of them ever came to disturb it.

Chen Tianci had expended a Herculean effort to lure the Fire Raccoon Beast away. Though he was still sweating profusely, he was now radiant and full of energy, like a completely different person.

’Hahaha, as expected, the Thousand-leaf Fruit is mine!’

’The Barbarian Emperor was right! I, Chen Tianci, am truly a man gifted by the heavens, a person of great destiny!’

’At my birth, a strange phenomenon appeared in the sky, shaking the Barbarian Emperor himself!’

’When I was three, the Tiger Barbarian Tribe tried to poison my father with the Barbarian Race’s forbidden fruit, the Purple Yin Dream Fruit. I ate it by mistake, but the poisonous fruit, which could instantly kill a Barbarian powerhouse, not only failed to kill me, but instead opened all my meridians and made me immune to all poisons!’

’The meridians of the Barbarian Race are unique; none of them can practice Human Race Cultivation Techniques. But when I was six, I was gravely injured by a Demon Beast, which caused my meridians to shift. When I finally awoke, even the meridians that His Majesty the Barbarian Emperor could not open were completely unobstructed in my body. After that, I was able to cultivate the secret manuals of the Human Race, becoming an anomaly among the Barbarians.’

’The Tiger Barbarian Tribe plotted to hunt me down. Just as they had me cornered with no way out, a small pagoda fell from the sky and crushed my pursuers to death!’

’His Majesty the Barbarian Emperor says that the fortune of heaven and earth is ethereal and intangible, formless and shapeless, yet it truly exists. Those with great destiny are all people of deep karmic fortune. They will very easily encounter great opportunities and great fortune, reaping infinite benefits... and I am just such a person!’

’Even in a dump like this, I was able to find a rarity like the Thousand-leaf Fruit! And the timing is perfect, right after I arrived!’

’My existence will change the destiny of the Barbarian Race!’

’I, Chen Tianci, am the man who will become the Barbarian Emperor! Hahahaha!’

Chen Tianci laughed like a madman.

He took out several flags of various shapes from his robes and planted them around the Demon Companion Grass in a very strange formation. Viewed from above, it looked as if a monster were holding the grass in its mouth.

Attached to these flags were tiny bells, but they were completely motionless. Even when the flags fluttered in the wind, the bells made no sound, which was extremely odd.

Then, the fat man pushed aside the leaves of the Demon Companion Grass to inspect it carefully. He even plucked a small leaf and chewed on it for a few moments.

"Ptooey, ptooey."

After spitting out the leaf, the fat man looked up, forming a hand seal as he sensed the surrounding aura.

’I’ve waited a full two and a half years, and I can’t believe I finally made it. Not only is today the Yin year, Yin month, and Yin hour, but this Demon Companion Grass has just passed its five-hundredth year! Its branches and leaves are lush and full of life—it’s already showing signs of flowering!’

’In an hour at most, the Thousand-leaf Fruit will be mine! I hope that Array can hold the Fire Raccoon Beast for two hours, or I’m screwed... Ah, once I get this Thousand-leaf Fruit, my body will break through its bottleneck! In less than a year or two, I’ll reach the strength of a Xuanwu Realm Powerhouse. Plus, I’ll be able to directly reopen the Mystic Gate in my Barbaric Meridians, which will grant me unimaginable benefits in my future Cultivation!!’

’And then I can begin cultivating the Supreme Secret Technique of the Barbarian Race that the Barbarian Emperor gave me! I will be the only person, besides the Barbarian Emperor himself, who can cultivate this Secret Technique before the age of twenty!’

’Hahaha! These humans are all idiots, pinning their hopes on a tiny bit of Thousand-leaf Dew for Body Forging! Even if you had a whole pond of Thousand-leaf Dew, how could it possibly compare to a Thousand-leaf Fruit?’

’This is the Holy Fruit of the Barbarian Race! It’s most effective for a Barbarian’s Physique! If it fell into the hands of the Human Race, it would be a terrible waste of a heavenly treasure!’

Getting a little carried away, the fat man started walking in circles around the Demon Companion Grass.

Suddenly, he clutched his stomach with both hands and cried out, "Ouch, ouch! Dammit, it must have been that rock that bastard Shen Lang kicked at me! It must’ve messed up my insides! That monster... he’s so young, yet his physical body is so much stronger than mine, a Barbarian! Just a single pebble, but it had so much force..."

"Can’t hold it. I gotta go take a dump first. I really can’t hold it!"

Grimacing in pain, the fat man flicked his hands, planting a few more flags around the periphery. Then, he formed several Seal Techniques, placing a number of Spirit Stones among them.

A flicker of light flashed, and the Demon Companion Grass and its surrounding flags vanished into thin air!

A small, messy hole appeared on the ground, making it look as if the Demon Companion Grass had been dug up and stolen!

This Chen Tianci was actually proficient in such an Illusion Array!

Not only that, but Chen Tianci gritted his teeth and began to move around the area again. He planted flags inscribed with strange runes in the surrounding woods, setting up a Maze Array on the outskirts!

After doing all this, the bastard clutched his stomach and frantically rushed into a dense thicket nearby. A flock of birds immediately scattered from the woods with a loud RUSTLE and CRASH.

A moment after Chen Tianci ran into the woods, Shen Lang and Nalan Ziyun emerged from a ravine in the distance.

"Shhh." Shen Lang put a finger to his lips, then pointed at the ground.