The Lord of Void and Real
Chapter 1286

Chapter 1286: Chapter 1283 Dark Spring Bamboo Chapter 1286: Chapter 1283 Dark Spring Bamboo Mu Xiao listened to the words of the black-robed man, his face showing a hint of hesitation, clearly in a dilemma.

However, a moment later, his brow relaxed, and he had made a decision in his heart.

“Can you truly help me fuse with the Demonic Bloodline?” Mu Xiao raised his head and asked with a heavy tone.

“Of course, if I can do it for myself, I can naturally help you achieve it too,” the black-robed man confidently said.

While speaking, he deliberately condensed a solid mass of Demonic Qi in his palm to show Mu Xiao, with the Demonic Qi rich and nearly tangible.

“Forget it, even if I can survive this calamity today, I will still be trapped here in the future, forever imprisoned. Instead of that, I might as well take a chance,” Mu Xiao sighed lightly, as if he had come to a certain decision.

“Good, with Daoist friend Mu Xiao's assistance, our success is even more promising,” the black-robed man patted Mu Xiao's shoulder and said with a smile.

“Don't get too happy just yet. If I find out you've deceived me, I will fight to the death, even if my soul shatters, to take you down with me,” Mu Xiao narrowed his eyes, issuing a warning full of intent.

“Hehe, a fine bird chooses the tree it perches on. Rest assured, Daoist friend Mu Xiao, I am too happy to have your help, why would I harm you? A generous reward is what you'll get,” the black-robed man said with a chest-thumping laugh.

“I hope you are as good as your word,” Mu Xiao said indifferently.

“Now that we've formed an alliance, there's no need for further conflict, tell me, what's the situation inside the Spirit Cave now?” the black-robed man asked in a lowered voice.

“The Spirit Cave? It is now occupied by a Giant Domed Armor, as massive as city walls. Any transformation monsters that dare to approach are attacked by the Armor. Those who are slow or blindly confident are mostly captured, and only a few lucky ones manage to escape alive,” Mu Xiao said.

“And… Purple Bamboo?” the black-robed man's eyes flickered as he asked again.

“Hmph, he was not so lucky. His body is now in the hands of that Giant Domed Armor, and only his divine soul managed to escape by a fluke,” Mu Xiao said with a cold laugh.

Upon hearing this, the black-robed man fell silent, said nothing more, and had Mu Xiao lead the way as they both moved on.

At the same time, in another area.

Amidst the ruins of broken walls and demolished remnants, a yellow halo lit up the ground, and two figures emerged from the Earth, one pulling the other out from Underground.

They were none other than Shen Luo and Yan Wushi, who reached this place by using the Earth Escaping Technique.

“Brother Shen, I was almost killed by you just now,” Yan Wushi exhaled deeply and said.

“Brother Yan is overreacting. Aren't we safely out now?” Shen Luo said with a smile.

After speaking, he took out the Black Jade Plate, gently stroked it with his palm, and a white light point appeared on it, representing the Little Master.

Soon after, another light point that was slightly smaller and dimmer followed, lighting up as well.

Yan Wushi, who was somewhat displeased at the side, became interested upon seeing an extra light point suddenly appear on the Black Jade Plate and leaned in closer.

“What is this? Why is there an extra one?” he couldn't help but ask.

“This mark is the one I left earlier when the black-yellow short ruler was taken away. As long as the black-robed man keeps the ruler on him, we can keep track of his whereabouts at all times,” Shen Luo answered.

“So, you intentionally let him take the black-yellow short ruler?” Yan Wushi said, surprised.

Shen Luo paused briefly, touched his nose, and a trace of thoughtfulness appeared on his face, neither admitting nor denying.

But in fact, of course, he hadn't planned it that way, he was merely compelled by the circumstances.

“He's moving…”

Once Master Yan had exclaimed that, Shen Luo snapped back to reality and saw the spot on the Black Jade Plate moving rapidly. The direction it was heading was essentially the same as the one they intended to take.

“Let's go, we need to continue on our way,” Shen Luo said.

They hadn't walked far when a black bamboo forest appeared ahead, surrounded by mist and with spiritual energy lingering around, making it obvious that this place was out of the ordinary.

After a careful look, Shen Luo discovered that the bamboo growing within the black forest, were all no thicker than an arm and very straight. Strangely, they all had main shafts without any branches or leaves.

“This… seems to be Dark Spring Bamboo,” Master Yan suddenly said.

“Dark Spring Bamboo?” Shen Luo, with a look of surprise, had never heard of it.

“It is a kind of Spiritual Bamboo with Yin properties and excellent tenacity, indispensable for refining many magical instruments and armor. However, it is not rare; it grows in a lot of places with dense Yin Qi but without evil Qi,” Master Yan explained.

Shen Luo listened, and his eyes suddenly lit up as if he had discovered something.

He quickly jogged to the bamboo forest, weaving through clusters of Black Bamboo, and stopped in the center.

In front of him, there stood a piece of Black Bamboo about a zhang high and thick as a thumb.

This bamboo was different from the slightly thicker ones around it. Although it was also black, it had a purplish hue and gleamed with the luster of jade. Within it, there were faint golden lines.

And most importantly, the Spiritual Power fluctuations emitted by this piece of Black Bamboo were more than ten times stronger than the other bamboos around.

Master Yan also hurried over and his eyes lit up with excitement at the sight of the delicate Black Bamboo.

“Body like Purple Jade, lined with golden threads, this is indeed the finest among Dark Spring Bamboos, the true Dark Spring Spiritual Bamboo. Brother Shen, I didn't expect our luck to be this good, to actually come across such a thing,” Master Yan said with joy.

Shen Luo certainly knew this was a valuable object and without a word, squat down and started digging.

“Not like this, not like this…” Master Yan quickly exclaimed upon seeing this.

Shen Luo stopped his actions and looked up, asking, “What's the issue?”

“Brother Shen, you may not know, if such a Purple Jade-like Spiritual Bamboo grows in this Dark Spring Bamboo forest, it is usually where the spiritual energy of the entire forest converges. It receives nourishment from the Earth and in turn nourishes other Dark Spring Bamboos. Once you dig it out, the other Black Bamboos will lose their source of Spiritual Energy, and their quality will diminish considerably,” Master Yan said with a pained expression.

“So what should we do? I can't just abandon this Spiritual Bamboo that's within reach, can I?” Shen Luo said, frowning.

“Of course not, Brother Shen. We just need to dig up the other bamboos before excavating this Purple Jade Spiritual Bamboo. That will ensure the rest remain in good condition. Wait a moment afterward, and when you dig up the best one, all the dispersed Spiritual Energy will concentrate in this piece of Purple Jade Spiritual Bamboo. That's the best way to have the best of both worlds,” Master Yan quickly explained.

“I see. Thank you for the lesson,” Shen Luo said with a smile, nodding his head.

“Help me dig out the bamboo,” he then slapped his Qiankun Bag on his waist and summoned Ghost General Zhao Feiji.

After speaking, the man and the ghost started working on the entire bamboo forest.