Chapter Seventy-Five: The Scarlet Banyan Blaze of the Desert

Ji Mo rested within the crystal palace for seven days. On the seventh day, Ao Feng's voice suddenly sounded in her ear without warning: "The fifth trial has begun. Go." As his words faded, Ji Mo felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. When she came to herself, she discovered that her surroundings had changed once again.

Recalling how she had nearly been tricked to death by Ao Feng in the previous trial, Ji Mo was now on high alert as she was cast out into the new environment. Sure enough, the moment she steadied her footing, a torrent of scorching heat surged toward her, the burning sensation prickling her skin as if she had stepped into a giant oven.

She calmed herself and carefully examined her surroundings. Everywhere she looked was an endless expanse of crimson desert; apart from the red sand, there was not a single sign of life. Damn it, what kind of place was this, with such unbearable temperatures? Upon arrival, the heat in the air was almost intolerable, so she had already cast a cooling spell upon herself.

Yet, the cooling spell seemed to have little effect here. After only a short while, sweat poured from her body in torrents. For Ji Mo, who had embarked on the path of immortality, this was a novel experience. She wasted no time, scanning the area before choosing a direction and setting out. No matter what this place was, there must be an exit somewhere. Even if she couldn't find it right away, perhaps she might encounter someone she could ask about the situation. Ji Mo remained optimistic.

Unfortunately, this wish proved to be wishful thinking. She walked for three whole days, and in all that time, she saw not a single soul—not even a demon or ghost. The temperature remained overwhelmingly high. Though Ji Mo's body was strong and she kept casting the cooling spell, she was still drenched in foul sweat, her breathing growing labored and heavy. In this place, simply walking was a tremendous ordeal even for a cultivator of her level.

She glanced at the horizon; night was approaching. After three days of ceaseless travel, Ji Mo was exhausted. She needed to rest tonight, or she would surely collapse before ever escaping this red desert. She pondered this as she trudged onward.

Wait—was that a tree? Just as Ji Mo was considering where to spend the night, she looked up to see, not far ahead, a solitary tree. It was neither small nor large, standing about three meters tall with a trunk nearly a meter thick. Its branches and leaves were lush, growing vigorously. Unlike ordinary trees, however, this one was entirely fire-red—from trunk to leaf.

From afar, it resembled a burning flame. In the midst of the crimson desert, it offered no hint of coolness; instead, it seemed to radiate an even greater heat, as though anyone who approached would be ignited. Ji Mo hesitated briefly, but decided to investigate. After all, she had wandered for three days without seeing any sign of life. Even if it was only a tree, she ought to greet it.

"Hello, Brother Tree," Ji Mo said, smiling as she waved at the red tree. Upon approaching, she felt no decrease in temperature—if anything, the heat intensified. Clearly, this was no place to seek shade or respite.

"Hello." Ji Mo had not actually expected the tree to respond, but to her astonishment, a hoarse, ancient voice sounded in her ear.

Startled, Ji Mo instinctively looked around, but saw no one. Finally, she fixed her gaze on the tree and asked uncertainly, "Brother Tree, was that you speaking?"

"Of course it was me. Who else do you think? Also, you should address me as Grandfather Tree, not Brother Tree," the elderly, raspy voice replied, evidently displeased by her choice of words. Ji Mo blinked, wondering if her luck was good or bad. To think that she would randomly encounter a tree—a tree spirit capable of speech.

Though her cultivation was modest, she was still a disciple of a fifth-grade sect and knew a bit about plant spirits among the demon races. Among demons, beasts were more likely to develop intelligence and become demon beasts, while plant spirits found it far more difficult to awaken consciousness and become demon cultivators. Ji Mo had been on the path to immortality for six or seven years, yet this was her first time meeting a plant-based demon.

As for the peony dwelling in her mind, she had long since learned to ignore it. That peony always called herself "this immortal," claiming to be a celestial maiden of the Jade Pool, not a mere flower spirit.

"Grandfather Tree, greetings. May I ask where this place is? And what kind of tree are you?" Ji Mo blinked, then quickly adapted. Since this tree could speak, it might have lived for thousands or even tens of thousands of years; addressing it as "Grandfather" was only fitting. More importantly, she did not know its temperament—if it was moody, she was no match for a talking tree spirit, so it was best to follow its wishes.

"This is the Flame Domain. As for me, I am a Banyan Flame Tree native to the Scarlet Flame Region. My name is Scarlet Flame," the tree spirit answered readily, despite its gruff tone.

"Scarlet Flame? That's a fine name, Grandfather Tree—it suits you perfectly," Ji Mo replied, pleased by his cooperation, and flatteringly praised the tree.

"Is that so? Since you find it fitting, I'll use it when I take human form. Thank you," Scarlet Flame said seriously.

Ji Mo smiled, about to reply, but Scarlet Flame spoke first: "Time passes so quickly. I don't know how many years I've lingered here. Since awakening my intelligence, I've devoured every life within three thousand miles. For centuries now, I've been hungry, with nothing left to eat. Your arrival is a pleasant surprise."

Ji Mo's smile froze. Had she just dug her own grave? In this endless red desert, she finally encountered a tree—only to find it was a tree spirit, and a carnivorous one at that. Ao Feng, you damned divine beast, must you torment me so? Ji Mo's heart was filled with grief and indignation.

"It's truly a delight. I've been intelligent for tens of thousands of years, and just as I'm about to take human form, I encounter a human with the bloodline of a demon king. If I devour your blood, perhaps my own rank will advance once more," Scarlet Flame said, his tone carrying a barely suppressed joy.

Ji Mo felt a chill sweep over her, stepping back several paces and pointing at Scarlet Flame in shock. "You—you are a tree spirit that gains energy by consuming other life forms?"

"What's so strange about that? There are herbivores and carnivores among humans; so too among demons. As for eating you, that's nothing unusual. Humans eat demons, demons eat humans—it's fair," Scarlet Flame replied, utterly unconcerned that his carnivorous nature contradicted his plant attributes.

Ji Mo found herself unable to refute him. Scarlet Flame's behavior was cruel, but his words rang true. Among humans—be they mortals or cultivators—who does not eat grains and beasts? Grains are plant-based, and since they lack intelligence, their purpose is to be food for humans. Ordinary animals are the same. But should grains or beasts awaken intelligence, they become sentient beings. If humans can eat them, then when they gain the power, eating humans seems fair enough. Ji Mo could understand this logic, but that didn't mean she was willing to offer herself up to a tree spirit.

"You're right. But whether you can eat me depends on your ability," Ji Mo replied, knowing further words were useless. With a thought, she summoned her White Jade Flood Dragon Whip.

"Heh. Though you possess the bloodline of a demon king, it has yet to awaken, and your cultivation is so low as to be negligible. On my turf, you still hope to resist me? Don't be naive," Scarlet Flame laughed, utterly dismissive of Ji Mo's strength.

As he finished speaking, the tree shuddered, and countless branches grew explosively, lashing toward Ji Mo with remarkable agility. Ji Mo leapt back, but the branches pursued her, growing ever longer. After retreating several yards, Ji Mo shouted, swinging her White Jade Flood Dragon Whip, which cracked like thunder in the air, striking the branches head-on.

Snap! Crack! The pursuing branches were instantly severed in two by her whip. Yet Scarlet Flame made no further move; his cultivation was nearly at the threshold of transformation, and he could manifest countless branches—losing a few posed no threat. What truly puzzled him was Ji Mo's whip; given her meager cultivation, she shouldn't have been able to accomplish this. The only explanation was that her whip was unusual.

With this realization, Scarlet Flame unleashed a swarm of branches, all rushing toward the fleeing Ji Mo. Having snapped a few branches, Ji Mo realized Scarlet Flame had not been stunned by her strength—he was likely plotting something. Without hesitation, she ran for her life.

After fleeing several kilometers, the tree spirit moved again, unleashing a canopy of branches that descended upon Ji Mo. Unable to escape, she fought back with all her might, wielding her White Jade Flood Dragon Whip like a living dragon, severing over a hundred branches in an instant. Sadly, her spiritual power was limited; after exhausting her entire Dragon Whip technique, she was spent.

With her final strike, the whip was caught by a branch as thick as two fingers, which quickly wrapped around her weapon and then her body. Ji Mo watched helplessly as the fiery red branch coiled around her, unable to resist, and she was bound tightly like a rice dumpling.

Once restrained, Ji Mo was lifted into the air by an unseen force, drawn toward Scarlet Flame's trunk. In the next moment, she heard a dull thud as she landed beside the roots of Scarlet Flame.

(To be continued...)

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