Ou Yangming answered after some thought, “Beat them up until they’re half-dead. I have some questions for them.”
The Wutong Tree responded without any delay, “Yes, Master.”
With that, the rattans around the lizards kept tightening up so that they would lose their breaths.
Earlier on, the Wutong Tree did not strangle them to their deaths right after it captured them; it only tied them up to stop them from moving at all. Now, the rattans unleashed their powers instead and made the lizards feel hopeless right away.
All of the high-rank lizards struggled with all their might, but their powers, which they took pride in, were useless against the seemingly insignificant rattans.
Ou Yangming watched quietly. He did not pity the lizards at all just because they were struggling.
Back when the lizards slaughtered the people from the towns, they were 100 times more ruthless than this.
Their sufferings at this moment were only a small bit of that.
After a brief moment, the lizards could not struggle anymore due to the tightenings from the rattans. They stuck out their tongues, and their bodies were covered in bruises.
The Insects were known for their remarkable life forces, but there was also a limit to that. Once they arrived at that limit, they would be in dying states.
Ou Yangming took a deep breath and instantly released his mental power. He included everything around him into his spiritual realm.
Normally, as mighty as his mental power was, it would be wishful thinking for him to deal with so many high-rank lizards in one go. In fact, he might not even be able to suppress one of them. However, the lizards could not resist anything at this moment, hence they were easily drawn into his spiritual world.
Inside the spiritual world, Ou Yangming was the ruler. As long as his opponents were not capable of oppressing him, they would not be able to affect his control over them.
“Where’s Ghost-clawed Venerable One?”
An overpowering and majestic voice echoed in the lizards’ heads. It was so loud that they could not turn a deaf ear to it at all.
Moreover, the voice entered the depths of their hearts, causing their souls to be shaken, so they were frightened out of their wits.
The lizards could naturally resist the power if they were in their peak states, but the problem was that they were in dying states. Whether it was their bodies or wills, they had been weakened due to the immense fear that they were feeling. Therefore, they could not resist the coercion created by Ou Yangming on purpose.
“Sir Venerable One’s keeping watch in the Ghost Cave and hasn’t come out.”
“Why didn’t it come after me itself?”
“Sir didn’t want to draw the attention of the other Venerable Ones, so it sent us here.”
“Why is that so?” Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows and wondered, ‘What’s Ghost-clawed Venerable One afraid of?”
“The sirs watch over an area each and can sense each other, so the other sirs will be alerted if one of them leaves. Sir wants to claim all of the benefits for itself this time, so it can’t act rashly.”
Ou Yangming came to a sudden realization after he pondered for a brief moment.
The Insects’ society was extremely different from that of the Humans. Human Venerable Ones were not only respectable, but they were also very independent.
On the contrary, the Venerable Ones among the Insects were closely connected. This would be advantageous because the other Venerable Ones would be alarmed if something happened to one of them, and they could provide help whenever necessary.
Of course, everything has its pros and cons. The downside to this was that it would be difficult for any of the insect Venerable Ones to do something without the knowledge of the other Venerable Ones.
Theoretically, even if a person from the lower realm had a big secret, one should not draw the attention of a Venerable One. Nevertheless, Ou Yangming was different because he possessed the Heavenly Phoenix Fire and the Devouring attributes, which were mighty abilities that were beyond this world, thus it made sense for insect Venerable Ones to go after him.
Even so, Ghost-clawed Venerable One’s hands were tied because it wanted to fully benefit from this.
Ou Yangming sneered and questioned, “Will Ghost-clawed make a move itself if you’re all dead?”
“Of course,” the lizards answered subconsciously, “Sir will have an excuse to leave the Ghost Cave to pursue the murderer so that it can avenge our deaths.”
The young fellow curled his lips and said, “Ghost-clawed Venerable One planned this so well; it’s sacrificing you for a chance to make a move. Heh, it’s quite merciless.”
If Ghost-clawed Venerable One was present and heard his remark, it would probably vomit blood.
The Twelve Walkers were the strongest powerhouses among the Lizards in Danzhou for the last 1,000 years, and they were all top-notch. As long as there were sufficient resources, they could become spirit beasts at the peak and might be able to become Venerable Ones.
Of course, judging from the Lizards’ resources, not all of them would be given the opportunity.
Having said that, it was clear how formidable they were in their race in terms of their statuses and natural gifts.
In a way, the Twelve Walkers represented the future of the Lizards in Danzhou.
As selfish as Ghost-clawed Venerable One was, it would not sacrifice them.
In actuality, it was a first that the Twelve Walkers were sent to track and find a human from the lower realm. Everyone would think that it was a waste.
Who knew, Ou Yangming managed to kill 9 high-rank spirit beasts and cleaned out a lizard’s nest in one go. It was a nature-defying miracle.
When Ghost-clawed Venerable One found out about everything, it would definitely break its heart.
As Ou Yangming continued to interrogate them with his mental conception, the 6 high-rank lizards answered his questions accordingly, allowing him to gain a deep understanding of the Insects.
After a long time, Ou Yangming slowly exited his spiritual realm and waved his hand gently. “Kill them.”
“Pow…”
The 6 rattans tightened all of a sudden, and their forceful powers squeezed the lizards into meat pastes.
As potent as a high-rank spirit beast was, one would merely be a big ant in front of the Wutong Tree.
Once the lizards turned into meat pastes, 6 large holes appeared on the ground, then the rattans sent the flesh and blood into them.
Ou Yangming watched the process without stopping the Wutong Tree at all. Since it did all the work, the flesh and blood would be its reward.
“Master, they have a Venerable One behind them!” The face on the tree wall laughed. “You can lure it into the secret realm, and I’ll handle it for you.”
“You’re confident?” Ou Yangming asked as he looked at it.
A Venerable One was not a Spiritualist. They might only be a level apart, but there was a huge disparity between their strengths.
“I never dealt with a Venerable One before, but I’m certainly more confident than them.” The Wutong tree chuckled. Several rattans waved in mid-air as it continued, “This is my territory, after all. Apart from you, Master, any other living being would be walking right into a trap if they come here.”
Ou Yangming could not help but laugh when he sensed how confident it was.
The only thing was that it would be tough to lure Ghost-clawed Venerable One here.
Ou Yangming was about to speak when his face changed. This was because the fire that became one with him somehow exploded in his sea of consciousness and released tremendous energy.
It was an unforeseen change, so Ou Yangming was caught off guard.
The blazing flame’s aura spread involuntarily, so much so that even the Wutong Tree could sense it.
That said, the Wutong Tree enjoyed the aura very much, such that the face on the tree squinted its eyes and moaned with pleasure.
O
u Yangming’s face twitched. He looked up at the sky in the secret realm, but he seemed to be looking past the realm and saw an unknown place faraway.
It was not accidental that the fire without warning; there must be a reason behind it.
He could sense that an incredibly mighty power of the same source seemed to be getting closer, and it was exactly the reason for the change inside his body.
There was such a notable reaction from his body when the power was only nearby. If it was right in front of him…
Ou Yangming’s face changed. He was doubtful if he could resist such a fearsome being.
After a long time, he finally controlled the unusual change inside his body. He looked up and stared at the face on the tree wall coldly, then he asked, “Wutong, do you have a way to seal the secret realm’s entrance temporarily and cut off any connection with the outside world?”
“Why do you want to seal the entrance?” The Wutong Tree was shocked.
Ou Yangming waved his hand impatiently and uttered, “I’m asking if you can do it.”
The Wutong Tree dared not delay the matter as it sensed the unordinary fear and rage from Ou Yangming, so it quickly answered, “Yes, yes, yes…”
Ou Yangming sighed a breath of relief and mumbled, “That’ll be great…”
Chapter 667 - Prying The Origin
Big Yellow looked at Ou Yangming in confusion. It suddenly realized that despite having a mysterious spiritual connection with him, it could not perceive his thoughts at this moment. It seemed like the young fellow sealed his thoughts for a moment, where nobody else could pry his spiritual world.
Needless to say, Ou Yangming had only controlled his mind; he did not control his emotions too. Therefore, Big Yellow and the Wutong Tree could sense how anxious and uneasy he was feeling.
The face on the tree wall looked around and said, “Master, don’t worry. If that Venerable One enters the secret realm, I’ll make sure it won’t be able to leave!”
Ou Yangming twitched his mouth and waved his hand impatiently.
The Wutong Tree and Big Yellow thought he was worrying about Ghost-clawed Venerable One, but he was the only one that knew the fearsome power that he sensed had nothing to do with that Venerable One. Moreover, deep down the young fellow feared the power more than he did Ghost-clawed Venerable One.
Ou Yangming scanned his surroundings and took a deep breath to suppress his fear, then he asked, “Wutong, if you cut off all connections with the outside world, can any other being sense your existence?”
The Wutong Tree shook its head without any hesitation. “Other than you, Master, nobody else can sense me.”
“Why am I the exception?” Ou Yangming’s eyelids flickered.
“That’s because you’re my master.” The Wutong Tree smiled. “You left a mark on me, and it’s an unerasable mark; it won’t disappear unless one of us dies. That said…” It smiled proudly and continued, “Master, if you can truly refine me and successfully build a nest, it won’t be easy for you to die even if you wanted to.”
Ou Yangming’s eyelids twitched, and he thought, ‘What do you mean by even if I wanted to die? Can you talk nicely?’
Nonetheless, he questioned patiently, “Why is that so?”
“We’ll become one after you build a nest, so you can be resurrected here even if an accident happens to you.” The Wutong Tree smiled and added, “This is the innate ability of your race, and it can’t be done by other beings!”
Ou Yangming was deeply moved.
‘Doesn’t this mean that once I build a best on the Wutong Tree, I’ll have an immortal clone?
‘No wonder the Phoenixes are so mighty; they have such a notable life-saving trick. The only thing is that I’m powerless now because I’m not capable enough yet.’
Ou Yangming pondered for a brief moment before he raised another question, “Wutong, how can I hide my relationship with you?”
The Wutong Tree was puzzled. “Master, what do you mean? Does anyone actually have the guts to pry your thoughts?” It was in disbelief because it could not figure out who exactly would be so daring.
“You only need to answer me.” Ou Yangming scoffed.
“Master, if you’re able to gather your mark and hide it in your origin, even your seniors won’t be able to find it,” the Wutong Tree answered after some thought
Ou Yangming was slightly stunned. He looked deeply at the extensive tree wall.
Although he tried his best to hide it, the tree still made out a part of the truth.
He wondered for a while then entered his sea of consciousness with his mental conception. Inside his vast and illusory spiritual world, his conception was the only master.
With a flash of thought, a scorching fire appeared in the spiritual world.
Ou Yangming quietly sensed the fire, and he was absent-minded for a bit. The fire had merged with his mind and body, by which he was the Military Fire was him and vice versa; there was no distinction between them.
Many things existed in his spiritual world. Among them, the tiny purple lights were the greatest in number.
The lights contained various attributes, which were Ou Yangming’s greatest trump card. Without them, he could not have achieved what he did so far.
Nevertheless, Ou Yangming did not focus on them at this moment. He seemed to be fully drawn to the fiery flame.
It was as though he became a narcissist at this time, where he became fully engrossed in the fire, which was almost equivalent to him.
One would gain inner sight to one’s body when one cultivated martial arts to a certain level.
Ou Yangming was using it on a spiritual level at the moment.
Having said that, his spiritual world was extremely different from that of ordinary people because it merged with his Military Fire. Therefore, it seemed to be beyond his limit if he wanted to pry the real mystery of the world.
Even so, Ou Yangming was tireless, and he persevered. Eventually, he sat with his legs crossed and looked like he was not going to stop unless he achieved his goal.
Big Yellow went around Ou Yangming several times and could not help but feel fidgety.
It could sense the young fellow’s nervousness and uneasiness, hence it wanted to help him get past the hurdle too. The only problem was that it did not know what it should do.
All along, Big Yellow took pride in being Ou Yangming’s best helper. However, it vaguely felt that it was not qualified enough to help him at this moment.
“Boom…”
Ou Yangming’s Military Fire suddenly rose inside his spiritual world and burned in a wider range.
He channeled his mental power endlessly into his Military Fire, and he was releasing the flame’s power through a unique method. As the power kept growing stronger, his mental conception could sense more things.
The young fellow never experienced this before. Even when he released his Military Fire to an extremity, he never sensed its origin.
Normally, something that appeared every day or could be easily obtained would not be valued. Even if it was sought after and envied by everyone else, the person in possession of it would not find it previous.
After being reminded by the Wutong Tree, Ou Yangming paid attention to his Military FIre for the first time.
Fortunately, the Military Fire had truly become one with him. If not, he would not be able to apprehend anything even if he came to a sudden realization.
After sensing for a long time and burning his Military Fire with plenty of mental power, he managed to find something unordinary indeed.
It was faint energy—the most unique energy that hid inside his Military Fire.
Ou Yangming was moved. He vaguely sensed that he was going to unearth the Military Fire’s biggest secret. If he could understand the secret, perhaps he could crack its various wonderful abilities.
The young fellow slowly calmed down and sensed the fire. He was like a child that entered a maze at the moment, where he walked and explored the maze with
excitement.
As he explored the maze, he gained benefits beyond anyone’s imagination.
Ou Yangming beamed with joy. He was deeply moved and in awe, which could not be put into words.
Back then, he saw countless floating light spots in the little red bird’s spiritual world. Those light spots were inherited memories from the Phoenixes. Even though the little bird was limited by its capabilities, such that it had not inherited even one ten-thousandth of its inheritance, it would be able to inherit everything as long as it did not die halfway.
Furthermore, as the little red bird became more capable, it could unlock more inherited memories, which would allow it to always be brave. As such, it would not need to worry about techniques and knowledge.
Ou Yangming envied the little red bird very much because of this, but he also understood that this was the Phoenixes’ special inheritance, which was not something that an ordinary human like him could get a share of.
Nonetheless, when his mental conception began to pry the Military Fire’s origin, he suddenly realized that there were also numerous inherited memories inside this marvelous origin. Of course, they were mostly locked and could not be easily unlocked.
In actuality, Ou Yangming was lucky to have found the inherited memories, let alone using them for himself.
While he could not obtain these inherited memories yet, he did not give up. As long as he knew about them, he could continue to make attempts.
He would try over and over again until he succeeded.
In any case, the Military Fire was inside his body, and it would be wishful thinking for anyone to snatch it away.
“Pow…”
Without warning, one of the points among the countless inherited memories exploded, causing plenty of information to gush into Ou Yangming’s mind.
It was a powerful mental power cultivation technique. According to its description, if one managed to cultivate it, one’s mental power would improve significantly. Most importantly, it could change one’s mental power’s features and attributes, allowing one to pry the hidden secrets in the origin more easily.
Ou Yangming could not help but sigh. His Military Fire did not have wisdom, but it had a distinctive ability, where it would unlock the inherited memory that suited him the most at this time according to his skills.
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 393
