Chapter 33: Nascent Soul Melee

Jiuyou’s streak of light was extremely fast, but Blood Sea True Person and Wei Kun were, after all, Mid-Nascent Soul cultivators. Their speed was even greater, charging ahead and taking the lead. Jiuyou followed closely behind the two, moving even faster than Blood Vine and Blood Withered, both Early-stage cultivators.

At the same time, his Divine Sense silently spread out, locking onto Canfeng, who was not far behind him, and he secretly sent a voice transmission.

“Canfeng, head to the outskirts of the Heavenly Abyss Sacred Tree and pick only the century-old Life-Extending Fruits. Don’t be greedy; grab what you can and retreat.”

Canfeng had his Soul Wraith Puppet by his side, a formidable Natal Magical Artifact, and was himself a Mid-Golden Core cultivator. The combination of all three meant he could even contend with a Peak Golden Core cultivator. Snatching one or two century-old Life-Extending Fruits was well within his ability.

In the void, Canfeng nodded slightly without a word. His streak of light shifted direction, diving straight toward the periphery of the Heavenly Abyss Sacred Tree.

Jiuyou withdrew his Divine Sense, still feeling a bit uneasy, and silently calculated.

When the melee breaks out, how would he slip away unnoticed to get those century-old Life-Extending Fruits? This had to be done without leaving a trace; otherwise, if he caught the attention of the other old fiends, the consequences would be endless.

In the distance, several Nascent Soul-level streaks of light were also rushing swiftly toward the Heavenly Abyss Sacred Tree.

Among them, a black streak of light moved with incredible speed, its aura clearly stronger than the three behind it. It was unmistakably another Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.

Within the black light, an old man in a dark robe embroidered with skull patterns at the hem suddenly turned his head, glanced at Jiuyou’s group, and frowned slightly.

“Six Nascent Soul cultivators? Those two are… Blood Sea, and Wei Kun… How did these two end up together?”

The old man murmured to himself, his eyes shifting, and then suddenly sent a loud voice transmission in their direction.

“Blood Sea Dao-Friend, Wei Kun Dao-Friend! According to ancient records, the Heavenly Abyss Sacred Tree bears exactly ninety-nine Life-Extending Fruits each time it appears—not one more, not one less. Among them, at most nine are thousand-year-old Life-Extending Fruits. When the time comes, as fellow cultivators of the Demonic Path Alliance, I hope we can work together and not let the other two alliances take advantage of us!”

Without waiting for a reply, he didn’t care about their response and flew off with the three behind him, accelerating away.

“This Yin Gu the Old Fiend, he truly deserves to die!”

Blood Vine cursed inwardly. Jiuyou’s expression remained unchanged, but a flicker of coldness flashed in his eyes.

On the surface, Yin Gu the Old Fiend’s words seemed to be about drawing clear boundaries, non-interference, and even cooperation when necessary.

But here, weren’t they all old monsters who had lived for centuries? How could they not catch the underlying message: there were only nine thousand-year-old Life-Extending Fruits, and over twenty Nascent Soul cultivators were eyeing them greedily. Who would willingly give up such a chance?

Those words were clearly meant to dismantle their temporary alliance from within.

He had succeeded, no doubt.

In an instant, the several streaks of light unconsciously distanced themselves from each other. The group that had been flying side by side now harbored their own schemes. On the surface, they remained calm, but secretly, they were already on guard against one another.

Seeing this, Jiuyou felt a sense of relief instead.

He had no intention of fighting for the thousand-year-old Life-Extending Fruits to begin with. This situation was actually not bad for him. He just couldn’t show it too obviously, or it would arouse suspicion. He needed to find a way to slip away without a trace…

Just as he was pondering, Zhong Huo suddenly halted his movement along with Dan Xuanzi, cupping his hands slightly toward the group.

“Everyone, the center is too dangerous. I still have over four hundred years to live, so I won’t join in that commotion. I’ll take Junior Disciple Dan and look around the outskirts. Good luck to all of you, fellow daoists.”

With that, he didn’t waste everyone’s time. His streak of light turned, transforming into a purple flash, and flew straight toward the outskirts of the Heavenly Abyss Sacred Tree.

Jiuyou’s gaze flickered. Zhong Huo was a smart man. With Dan Xuanzi by his side, he never lacked pills, so why risk his life for this?

At that moment, a voice transmission as faint as a mosquito’s buzz suddenly entered his ear.

“Brother Jiuyou.”

It was Blood Vine’s voice.

“There are only nine thousand-year-old Life-Extending Fruits.”

“We, the Demonic Path Alliance, have three Mid-Nascent Soul cultivators. The Righteous Path Alliance has two, and the Heaven and Earth Alliance has two. Seven Mid-stage cultivators are eyeing those nine fruits. For us Early-stage cultivators, we’re just here to make up the numbers.”

His voice paused slightly as he discreetly glanced at the two ahead before continuing his transmission.

“Blood Sea and Wei Kun are, after all, Mid-stage. They’ll look out for themselves first. How could they care about you and me? Even if they luckily grab one, they won’t share it with us. So instead…”

Blood Vine paused, his tone growing more eager.

“Why don’t you and I join forces and move around the periphery, waiting for an opportunity? If we get a chance, we’ll snatch one. If not, we won’t lose our lives either. What do you think, Brother Jiuyou?”

After hearing this, Jiuyou’s expression remained unchanged, but he had already made a decision in his mind.

Blood Vine was right—an Early-stage cultivator was indeed a step behind a Mid-stage one. But Jiuyou had his own plans. He had no intention of getting involved in that melee. If he allied with Blood Vine, it would only tie his hands and make it harder to slip away.

He was silent for a moment, then replied with a calm voice transmission.

“Brother Blood, I appreciate your goodwill. This old man has always been used to acting alone, and I’m not accustomed to teaming up. Brother Blood should look for someone else.”

Blood Vine’s face stiffened at the words, a flash of disappointment in his eyes, but he didn’t press further. He let out a dry laugh and said no more.

Jiuyou had refused bluntly, and Blood Vine, having been rebuffed, felt dissatisfied but could do nothing about it. The distance between their streaks of light unconsciously widened a little more.

Blood Withered old monk watched this scene, his expression blank, only spinning the blood bead in his hand a bit faster.

Soon, everyone flew near the Heavenly Abyss Sacred Tree.

The towering giant tree was now within arm’s reach, its overwhelming presence even more awe-inspiring.

The trunk was transparent like glass, with countless streams of spiritual light surging and flowing within, emitting a low hum as if the entire tree were breathing. The branches were laden with fruits condensed from radiant light, the smallest no bigger than a fist, and the largest as large as a head, exuding a tempting luster.

On the outer branches, there were mostly fruits of several hundred years old, their spiritual light dimmer. The deeper one went, the larger the fruits grew, and the more intense the radiance became.

At the very center of the crown, nine massive fruits shone like nine small suns, radiating light that could be seen clearly even from tens of miles away.

Those were the thousand-year-old Life-Extending Fruits!

At that moment, over a dozen Nascent Soul streaks of light converged from all directions.

On the Righteous Path Alliance side, Fang Wuji took the lead, his golden sword light slicing through the sky with a fierce aura. Old Ghost Qingshan, White Crane Child, and Gao Tianshan followed closely, their faces all solemn. Jade Clarity Superior and Ghost Granny were a bit slower, each leading their disciples.

On the Heaven and Earth Alliance side, a beautiful woman in a colorful, glowing robe walked through the air, surrounded by flowing spiritual light. It was Danxia Fairy. Beside her were three or four Nascent Soul cultivators, each with a different aura.

On the Demonic Path Alliance side, aside from Jiuyou’s group, Yin Gu the Old Fiend occupied one position with three Early-stage cultivators. The Black Fiend Island couple stood side by side, while Poison Old Freak and Sha Wuji each stood alone.

Over twenty Nascent Soul cultivators were now gathered around the Heavenly Abyss Sacred Tree.

The atmosphere was so tense it felt like it could drip water.

No one made the first move.

Everyone knew that whoever charged first would become the target of all.

In the distance, the remaining Golden Core cultivators hid far away on the floating islands around the periphery, looking up at those Nascent Soul figures, their legs feeling weak.

Some clutched their magical artifacts so hard their knuckles turned white. Others were soaked in sweat but didn’t dare wipe it off. Still others silently retreated further and further back.

On normal days, these people were the ones who commanded the wind and rain in their respective sects or islands. But at this moment, they were like sheep that had strayed into a land of wolves and tigers, cowering in the shadow of the great Nascent Soul powers’ game.

In a contest of this level, they, as Golden Core cultivators, didn’t even have the right to get close.

Time passed, second by second.

Finally, someone couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Everyone’s so polite, then this old man won’t stand on ceremony!”

With a hoarse, strange laugh, Yin Gu the Old Fiend made the first move.

His form flickered, turning into a black bolt of lightning that shot straight for the center of the Heavenly Abyss Sacred Tree. The three Early-stage cultivators behind him followed closely, each deploying their own methods and darting off in different directions.

This move was like lighting a fuse on a powder keg.

At almost the same instant, Fang Wuji’s golden sword light also moved. The sword light was like a rainbow, setting out later but arriving first, even a step faster than Yin Gu the Old Fiend, heading straight for the nine thousand-year-old fruits at the very center of the crown.

“Fang Wuji, you’re quite impatient!”

Blood Sea True Person let out a cold snort. Behind him, the massive phantom of a blood-colored Kun whale expanded, and a surge of blood-red light shot into the sky, intercepting Fang Wuji.

The two Mid-Nascent Soul cultivators collided in an instant. The deafening roar shook the void, and the floating islands around them trembled and swayed from the shockwaves.

Wei Kun wasn’t about to be outdone. His form flashed as he lunged toward another thousand-year-old fruit.

Old Ghost Qingshan, White Crane Child, and Gao Tianshan of the Righteous Path Alliance struck simultaneously, each unleashing their magical artifacts and encircling Wei Kun in an assault.

Danxia Fairy of the Heaven and Earth Alliance kept her composure. She didn’t charge toward the center but led her companions toward the middle layer of the tree’s crown. There were also plenty of century-old Life-Extending Fruits there. Though they weren’t thousand-year-old, they were still valuable.

In an instant, the entire Heavenly Abyss Sacred Tree, from top to bottom, was filled with sparkling spiritual light and surging magical power.

The Nascent Soul melee had erupted in an instant!

Jiuyou hovered in midair, coldly observing the chaotic battle.

His gaze cut through layers of spiritual light and landed on the inconspicuous branches on the outskirts of the Heavenly Abyss Sacred Tree.

There, dozens of century-old Life-Extending Fruits were emitting faint radiance, completely ignored—everyone’s attention was drawn to the thousand-year-old fruits at the center.

The corner of Jiuyou’s mouth curled up slightly.

This was the moment he had been waiting for.