80 - A Farewell to Mr. Luo

Chapter 80 Bai Fan's eardrums throbbed from the sudden roar, and many of the Enlightenment Leaves she was holding blew away in the wind. "Oh my god, this tree demon can actually talk!" Startled, Bai Fan immediately hid behind He Yi Man, clutching the remaining Enlightenment Leaves tightly. He Yi Man was also spooked. The roar of the Enlightened Tree sounded like a howling storm, causing their clothes to flutter wildly. "I am the Enlightened Tree, not a tree demon. Compared to me, you are the real monster." Upon hearing herself called a monster, Bai Fan's guard went up. She wore a golden bracelet that concealed her aura, making it impossible for outsiders to discern her true identity; even Elder Sun couldn't detect it. Yet, this Enlightened Tree had seen through her at a glance. "Don't talk nonsense." Bai Fan grew even more anxious with He Yi Man right beside her, fearing that if her true nature were revealed, He Yi Man would refuse to accompany her to the wilderness. "The old monk never lies. However, you, little snake spirit, are timid and deceitful. If not for the faint aura of the dragon clan on you, I wouldn't have given you an Enlightenment Fruit. I didn't expect you to be so greedy, nearly plucking me bare. Do you know how long it takes for my leaves to grow back?" The Enlightened Tree snorted, causing its leaves to rustle loudly. It had no idea of Bai Fan's inner turmoil, nor did it realize it had just exposed Bai Fan's true identity, leaving her no chance to hide. Bai Fan stood there, stunned. He Yi Man, listening to the conversation, turned to Bai Fan, puzzled. "Are you a monster?" Bai Fan's face turned pale as she swallowed nervously. "He Yi Man, listen to me." He Yi Man, however, remained remarkably calm. It was Bai Fan who was panicking, after all, she had almost eaten He Yi Man back then and still had her flute. "Alright, speak." Bai Fan glanced at the Enlightened Tree, her mind racing. She couldn’t afford to reveal she was a snake spirit. Even if He Yi Man didn’t mind, admitting it would change their relationship dynamics. "This tree demon is lying. It holds a grudge because I plucked its leaves and is slandering me." "Mhm." He Yi Man's gaze towards Bai Fan changed slightly, but she didn't press further. Fearful that He Yi Man would continue to suspect, Bai Fan tried to explain further, but the Enlightened Tree interjected, "You greedy snake spirit and little liar! Accusing me of slander, at my age, do you think I would bicker with a long-tailed wretch like you?" Bai Fan felt a chill run down her spine. He Yi Man’s gaze was burning, and the atmosphere became icy. He Yi Man’s gaze made Bai Fan’s cheeks feel hot. Running out of excuses, Bai Fan finally snapped, “So what if I plucked some of your leaves? Why didn’t you speak up when others were taking them earlier? They even took all of them! What’s wrong with me being greedy?” The Enlightened Tree was furious. “I’ve never seen such a shameless monster. I must have been mistaken saying you have the aura of the dragon clan—it’s an insult to them.” Overcome with anger, Bai Fan threw the Enlightenment Leaves she was holding into the air. “Take back your stupid leaves, you old wretch.” Golden Enlightenment Leaves fluttered everywhere. He Yi Man frowned deeply, staring at Bai Fan. “Bai Fan.” Thinking He Yi Man was about to scold her, Bai Fan decided to come clean. “Fine, I’ll tell you the truth. I’m a monster, a bona fide snake spirit. I even thought about eating you once. And that flute you lost? I picked it up and kept it. Now I’m returning it to you with these beauty pills as compensation. Let’s just call it even.” Bai Fan handed over the red flute and beauty pills, then turned and ran off, feeling there was no point in staying. “Bai Fan.” He Yi Man called out, but Bai Fan was already out of sight in a flash. Holding the flute and beauty pills, He Yi Man was incredulous. She thought the flute was lost forever, only to find it was with Bai Fan. When she lost it at Wan Feng Terrace, a monster had snatched it. She later found herself almost eaten by a snake spirit in a cave, kicking it away and escaping. She remembered that snake spirit seemed a bit dopey. “So, you were that snake spirit all along.” He Yi Man thought their fates were intertwined in curious ways, always meeting under strange circumstances, with Bai Fan always surprising her. The Enlightened Tree, seeing Bai Fan had run off, scoffed, “Cowardly long-tailed fool.” Bai Fan ran a long way before regretting her actions. “Why did I run? Why did I admit everything? So frustrating! That Enlightened Tree, I’ll make it beg to let me pluck its leaves one day.” Just as she finished shouting, she noticed the ground shaking and steam rising in the distance. “What’s happening? An earthquake dragon?” Quickly shaking off her frustration, Bai Fan flew over to investigate, only to find the demon cultivator she met earlier was already there. The demon cultivator was the Little Snake Spirit who initially suspected Bai Fan was a clan member. Alone, the Little Snake Spirit cautiously went in, and Bai Fan hurriedly followed. Inside, she discovered a crevice emitting steam. Following it, Bai Fan sensed a familiar and cozy aura, eventually finding a spacious path. The place resembled an underground river with a giant stone arch bridge above. The chilly air transformed into steam upon emerging from the crevice. Crossing the stone arch bridge, she entered a larger cavern. The white stalactites exuded dense spiritual energy, dripping like milk. The cavern teemed with spring-like stalactites, creating an awe-inspiring sight. Bai Fan gasped. This place reeked of spiritual energy, an indication of a spirit vein or even a spirit stone mine. “Could this be a mine?” Before she could ponder further, the Little Snake Spirit had gone far ahead. Not wanting to lose track of her, Bai Fan quickly followed, ignoring the treasures around her. Following the Little Snake Spirit into an even larger cavern, Bai Fan found her soaking in a hot spring. The giant hot spring pool emitted a strong sulfur smell, reminiscent of the Four-Not-Beast. The hot spring was exceedingly hot, turning the Little Snake Spirit crimson like a boiled prawn. Unperturbed, Bai Fan watched as the Little Snake Spirit transformed into a massive green python with yellow speckled patterns, seemingly preparing to shed its skin. It was Bai Fan’s first time seeing another snake spirit. The massive body thrashed in the hot spring, indicating a shedding process. Bai Fan held her breath, spying but not realizing it. But the thrashing sent a wave splashing towards her, scalding her skin. “Who’s there?” The green python roared towards Bai Fan’s position. Bai Fan glanced at her ankle, noticing scales showing through the scalded skin, feeling a mix of fear and curiosity. What kind of water is this? Why does it turn my skin into scales on contact? “Hiss!” The pain made Bai Fan involuntarily gasp. The green python flicked its tail again, sending more scalding water splashing towards Bai Fan’s face. She had to dodge—if it hit her face, she’d look like a monster, covered in scales! However, in attempting to dodge the splash, Bai Fan inadvertently revealed her position. The green python lunged forward, its tail whipping towards her. Bai Fan bent low, narrowly evading the strike; the opponent was a Golden Core stage snake monster. "Wait, wait! Look at me, do you know who I am?" The Little Snake Spirit hesitated, glancing at Bai Fan. "It's you? What are you doing here?" Seeing the spirit pause, Bai Fan exhaled in relief. "I just came in and suddenly found myself here. Didn’t expect to be noticed right away." In truth, Bai Fan had been standing there for quite some time. "This is the Dragon Transforming Pool." The Little Snake Spirit slithered back into the hot spring-like pool, the boiling water making Bai Fan recoil. "Did you come here just for this hot spring?" The Little Snake Spirit lay limp at the edge of the pool, looking at Bai Fan. "This is the Dragon Transforming Pool, not a hot spring. It’s extremely beneficial to the monster clan, especially for snake types like me." Hearing this, Bai Fan's curiosity piqued despite her wariness over the pain. "Don't you find the water too hot?" "Because it’s the Dragon Transforming Pool." The Little Snake Spirit sniffed the air around Bai Fan. Due to the earlier scalding, her ankle's scales were exposed, making it hard to conceal her monster aura. "I smell the scent of my kin on you. Have you captured someone of my kind?" Monster cultivators despised humans who captured their kin, seeing it as a profound humiliation. Although Bai Fan didn’t seem hostile in the secret chamber, should she have captured his kind, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. Bai Fan stood stunned, thinking, "Could it be? How can his nose be so sharp? Is my golden bracelet failing me?" ＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊ Revealing One’s True Nature Continuously Previous Chapter Table of Contents Next Chapter Home Computer Version Bookshelf Complete Novel Index Popular Novels