Fate-Defying Demon Emperor

Chapter 594: One Tree Guards the Pass, Ten Thousand Cannot Break Through

Su Han had once seen Saint You Heng give his master, Lei Ming, Life Spring Water, so he was not unfamiliar with this aura. It seems the entire Peach Blossom Paradise is so full of life because of this Life Spring Water.

"Let’s go. We’re going to get our revenge!" the Zi Mansion Holy Son declared, rising to his feet and leading Su Han and the others into the Inner Layer Zone.

The Spiritual Energy in the Inner Layer Zone was even denser and the vitality more robust. As far as the eye could see, forests of trees and swathes of flowers formed a vibrant sea of green. However, the dangers here were also greater. The beasts and plant spirits were all at the Eighth or Ninth Layer of the Supreme Realm, each one immensely powerful.

The Grotto-Heaven only permitted beings below the Saint Realm to enter, with the strongest being at the Ninth Layer of the Supreme Realm. Even the Zi Mansion Holy Son dared not act with impunity in this Inner Layer Zone. Fortunately, among the eleven remaining survivors, all but Su Han were elite cultivators at the Eighth or Ninth Layer of the Supreme Realm. Under their protection, Su Han rarely needed to act.

However, the more the Zi Mansion Holy Son seemed to protect him, the deeper Su Han’s vigilance grew. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. With the Zi Mansion Holy Son’s special treatment—offering me beast corpses and Holy Medicines—he definitely harbors a grand scheme. He’ll probably expect me to repay him with my life soon enough.

Su Han sneered inwardly. Who is the hunter, and who is the prey? That remains to be seen!

"Kill!"

The Zi Mansion Holy Son went all out, slaying two beasts at the Ninth Layer of the Supreme Realm. Drenched in blood, he had struggled immensely to win. During the fight, another three people were lost, leaving only eight survivors. Their team of one hundred had been whittled down to just eight, a testament to the brutal difficulty of their journey.

But no matter how arduous it had been, they had finally reached their destination.

Ahead, a rich vitality surged like a tide. A single breath made one feel revitalized, and injuries began to heal rapidly, as if by some miraculous medicine.

WHOOSH!

Emerging from the dense woods, the view suddenly opened up to a vast landscape, as if they had stepped onto a new continent. Su Han looked up to see a wide, flat plain about a hundred acres in size. Tender new grass carpeted the ground in a stunningly beautiful shade of green. Above, thick layers of clouds enveloped the sky. To his surprise, they were formed from dense Spiritual Mist. Drop by drop, Spiritual Liquid fell from the clouds, forming a moist Spiritual Rain that nourished the earth. It made the grassland even more vibrant, like a true paradise removed from the world.

"Hm?"

Su Han’s expression shifted as he spotted many familiar figures. It appeared all the other factions had already arrived.

Not far away stood the crimson-clad Holy Maiden, wreathed in flames. Her group still had eighty people, ten times the size of the Zi Mansion Holy Son’s. On another side, the Dragon Elephant Holy Sect had seventy-two people remaining. With their powerful physical bodies, they had brute-forced their way through. If not for the Poison Erosion Mist and the Swamp of Death, even more of them would likely have survived.

To Su Han’s left were the seventy-seven remaining disciples of the Jade Pure Holy Land. Dressed uniformly in white, each woman was a peerless beauty, pure and untainted, like a celestial fairy—within sight, yet utterly unattainable.

Although the Five Ghosts Saint Heir had died by Su Han’s hand, his contingent from the Five Ghosts Demon Cult had not been wiped out. Sixty-one of them remained, but without their leader, they were clearly at a disadvantage.

Among the five forces, the Zi Mansion Holy Son’s was in the direst situation, with only eight people left, far fewer than the other four.

"Zi Mansion Holy Son, you’re harder to kill than I expected, actually making it here alive!" the crimson-clad Holy Maiden mocked mercilessly, causing the Zi Mansion Holy Son to grind his teeth in fury.

"You wench! You will die a miserable death!"

The Zi Mansion Holy Son was boiling with rage but did not act rashly. The Life Spring Water was within arm’s reach. If he started a major battle with the crimson-clad Holy Maiden now, it would only benefit the Dragon Elephant Saint Heir and the Jade Pure Holy Maiden.

Once I obtain the Life Spring Water, I’ll deal with you! He suppressed his anger, giving the Holy Maiden one last cold glance before refusing to engage in her war of words. He had come well-prepared this time and was determined to acquire the Life Spring Water.

The crimson-clad Holy Maiden said no more. She had only wanted to agitate the Zi Mansion Holy Son’s state of mind, but she knew defeating him would not be so simple.

Su Han paid no attention to their verbal skirmish. His focus was entirely captivated by a single peach tree.

In the center of the plain stood a colossal peach tree a kilometer tall. It was unclear how many years it had been alive, but its trunk alone was a hundred meters thick. Its branches spread out to form an immense canopy that covered most of the plain. Lush green peach leaves hung from the branches, each one shimmering with a soft glow, like an exquisite piece of art carved from jade. Among the leaves, delicate pink peach blossoms bloomed, each as enchanting as a coy beauty, utterly irresistible.

Saint Realm Third Layer! Su Han was startled as he sensed the aura of the kilometer-tall peach tree.

A faint Holy Might emanated from the tree, making the very space around it feel as heavy as a mountain and as thick as mud. This colossal peach tree actually possessed the strength of a Third Layer Saint Realm cultivator! Although the Grotto-Heaven restricted Saint Realm cultivators from entering, its native creatures could grow to that level. This tree was one such being and the greatest danger in the entire Peach Blossom Paradise.

Su Han’s gaze shifted to a spot beside the tree, where he saw a spring. It was not large, only as thick as a finger, with no excess water pooling around it. But an incredibly dense vitality burst forth from the spring’s opening, so potent it felt as if a single breath could prolong one’s life.

The Life Spring Eye!

Without needing anyone to tell him, Su Han knew this had to be the legendary Life Spring Eye. Nature’s creations were truly miraculous to produce such a wonder. Though small, this spring was the source of all life in the Peach Blossom Paradise.

GURGLE!

Suddenly, a single, emerald-green drop of Life Spring Water emerged from the eye. It shone like a jewel carved from jade, a thing of artistic beauty, and in an instant, the surrounding vitality became ten times richer.

Life Spring Water!

At that moment, everyone’s attention was drawn to the drop, their eyes filled with greed and desire. This was a Healing Holy Medicine. A single drop was as precious as an entire Holy Medicine plant.

WHOOSH!

The drop of Life Spring Water dissolved into surging ripples that spread outward like a tide. Half of its vitality was absorbed by the kilometer-tall peach tree, but the remainder was still incredibly potent as it rushed outward, spreading throughout the Peach Blossom Paradise to nourish all living beings.

Every day, the Life Spring Eye would produce Life Spring Water, nourishing all things. Over countless years, it had formed the thriving, vigorous paradise they saw today, a true Supreme Treasure.

However, obtaining the Life Spring Water was no easy task. Although the crimson-clad Holy Maiden and the others had arrived first, they remained where they stood, not daring to step forward.

It was all because of the kilometer-tall peach tree at the Third Layer of the Saint Realm.

With one tree guarding the pass, not a soul dared to cross.