Chapter 2292 The Chimera Plant
Lin Mu and the group hovered in the air as they gazed at the target in front of them.
"It's bigger than I thought…" Daoist Chu muttered seeing the body of the Chimera plant.
The Chimera Plant was a twisted, monstrous tree standing in the desolate land. Its bark was blackened and gnarled, resembling the withered limbs of tormented souls. The air around the plant was thick with a sense of dread, and the giant leaves on its top were spread proud.
Each leaf was fifty meters in size, and was black, as if made from pure soot. Its surface was covered in grey filaments that looked like fur, but they were absorbing the Death Qi from the air and any other energy they could.
The absorption of Death Qi was strong enough, that a dark cloud of it loomed over the plant, steadily raining the Qi upon it. The Plant was over five hundred meters tall, and yet it felt a bit stumpy when one glanced at it, as if its proportions did not match it. This was due to the twisted low branches, from which the Fruiting Bodies of the plant hung as well as the leaves that were big but low in number.
The fruiting body of this malevolent plant was a nightmarish sight. It hung from the twisted branches like a grotesque ornament, each body pulsating with a mix of sinister energies which seemed to be hard to differentiate. It was shaped like a malformed dodecahedron and had openings on each of its side. It was roughly the size of a large mansion, its surface covered in jagged, spiked protrusions that dripped with a thick, black sap. Its color on the inside was a deep, blood-red that seemed to absorb any light, creating an eerie, otherworldly glow. One look at this black sap was enough for Lin Mu and the rest to realize that it was a poison that could easily harm them.
"That certainly does not look good…" Crown Princess Shang gulped. "I've definitely never seen any plant like this ever before in my life." She stated.
"My Immortal sense just got corroded away in an instant." Ziran said with dread. "That sap is concentrated with Death Qi and Baleful energies. Stay away from it." He warned.
"Wait… What's that on it?" Lady Kang noticed something.
Upon closer inspection, they realized the surface of the Fruiting Body was marked with chaotic, ever-shifting patterns that seemed to depict scenes of suffering and torment, as if the fruit itself was a repository of ancient, malevolent spirits. A faint, unsettling whisper emanated from the fruit, filling the air with a sense of impending doom. "Are those… The Chimeric Beasts it consumed?" Monk Hushu observed.
Each of the pattern that appeared on it seemed to vaguely resemble the Chimeric Beasts they had seen before. There were Auroch Chimeric Beast, Toad-plant Hybrid Chimeric Beasts, various Insects like Chimeric Beasts, Griffin Chimeric Beasts and more that the group hadn't seen yet.
"Looks like it," Lin Mu muttered, furrowing his brows. The longer the group looked at the Chimeric Plant, the worse they felt. It was as if the mere presence of the plant was enough to sow dread and despair into their hearts.
~SQUELCH~
As if the mere looks of the plant weren't enough, eerie and strange sounds could now be heard coming from the Fruiting Body.
"Wait a second, is that…" Qiao De narrowed his eyes to look through the openings of the Fruiting Body.
The group changed their position a bit to get a better look and finally saw what was happening inside.
There were hundreds of pods of various sizes present inside it. The pods were attached to the inner surfacer of the Fruiting Body and were encased in a tough, leathery seashell pulsating.
A few of the pods seemed to have been broken though and their interior that was filled with a viscous, tar-like substance that reeked of decay and corruption could be seen. Foul stench accompanied it, and made everyone wrinkle their noses.
~WHOOSH~
"Ugh." Crown Prince Feng Shun created a spinning wall of wind around them to keep the stench away, as it was strong enough to give them headaches.
~BIWHIIIIIII~
It was at that time they got to witness a stunning scene. Several of the pods inside the Fruiting Body split open as limbs of various proportions and shapes burst out of them. "The Chimeric Beasts!" Lin Mu gripped Afternoon Pine in his hand, read to strike at any moment.
~ROAR~
~SCREECH~
~CHIIIIIIIII~
Various cries were let off by the Chimeric Beasts that had been freshly born as they left their pods. They didn't have far to walk though, as they soon jumped out of the multiple openings that were around them.
~THUD~THUD~THUD~
The Chimeric Beasts all landed on the ground rather unceremoniously and laid there for a bit, similar to how newborn animals would be like. They were surrounded by the thick black sap of the Chimera Plant that continue to drip from it.
There were large puddles of it everywhere, some of which were big enough to be called ponds at this time.
"Are they… Drinking it?!" Min Ju couldn't help but cover her mouth in disgust.
The Chimeric Beasts licked the disquietingly thick black sap as if it were the sweetest of nectars. ~SHUA~
And as they did that, their auras started to grow. From a meek and almost unnoticeable presence at first, they rapidly grew to the point where they could easily be considered as First Tribulation Stage Immortal Realm Beasts!
"Just a few minutes to reach the Immortal realm!?" Elder Hu felt like his understanding of the cultivation world was being rocked.
The group watched in a mixture of horror and intrigue as the newly born Chimeric Beasts finished the sap before getting up. Not only had they increased in strength, they had also grown in size, reaching the more standard sizes that they had seen so far.
"No wonder their numbers can grow so fast…"