hsntnovel Chapter 98 Heavenly-grade Spiritual Plants! 5 Water Spirit Fruits, Lung Enhancement!
Chapter 98 Heavenly-grade Spiritual Plants! 5 Water Spirit Fruits, Lung Enhancement!
The sea breeze, carrying a nauseating stench of blood, swirled around the foot of Niuwang Mountain.
On the boulder, only two thick thighs remained, standing straight and jagged at the break, with white, stubble of the spine exposed to the air, still dripping dark red blood.
As for the upper body?
Gone.
Like a rotten tomato stomped on by a naughty child, it exploded into a uniform cloud of blood mist, showering the group of underlings behind it, who had been so eager to follow their boss and feast, with a torrent of hot excrement.
The scene was deathly silent.
Even the sound of waves crashing against the rocks became exceptionally jarring.
One second the Bull Demon King was clamoring to sleep with a hundred women and become a local tyrant, the next second he became this mess that couldn't even be pieced back together.
The visual impact was so strong and raw that it literally blew the skulls off this mob.
Clang.
Someone's rusty cleaver slipped from their hand and smashed against the stone.
That crisp sound was like a starting pistol.
"Thump!"
"Thump, thump..."
The hundreds of thugs who were just yelling and brandishing homemade cannons and spiked clubs now seemed to have lost all their knees, kneeling in droves in the mud.
What brotherhood or clan rules are worthless in the face of a 30mm tungsten-core armor-piercing projectile?
Some people's crotches were instantly soaked, while others banged their heads into the pile of rubble, their foreheads covered in blood and flesh, but they dared not stop, fearing that the dark muzzle of the cannon would be pointed at them at any moment.
"We surrender! We surrender!"
"Don't fire! Grandpa, don't fire! We were forced into this!"
The cries echoed along the shore, even louder than the previous arrogance.
In the command room of the Zhenyuan, Chen Yan looked at the high-definition images transmitted back on the holographic screen. His fingers, which were holding a cigarette, trembled slightly, and a long ash fell onto the control panel.
"...This kid."
Chen Yan gave a wry smile, took a deep drag on the cigarette butt that was almost burning down to the filter, and exhaled the stale air from his lungs along with the smoke.
If the military were to take action, they would first have to issue a warning, then issue a deterrent, and they would also have to consider the thousands of refugees being used as human shields. By the time the process is completed, it will be too late.
Lu Sheng is alright.
They don't follow martial ethics, they don't follow procedures, and they don't waste time talking to you.
The shell represents reason, and the caliber represents justice.
Although it was crude, I have to admit... it was fucking effective.
"Pass down the order: the landing force will take over Niuwang Mountain." Chen Yan stubbed out his cigarette, his voice returning to its cold hardness. "All armed personnel shall disarm. Those with spiritual energy shall be detained and screened separately. Those who resist... shall be killed on the spot."
……
Blaze, deck.
Lu Sheng stood beside the menacing ram at the bow of the ship. The sea breeze blew his white navy coat, the hem fluttering, yet not a speck of dust touched it.
He looked down at the ants kneeling and begging for mercy below, his expression indifferent.
There was neither pity nor smugness.
It's like accidentally stepping on a cockroach while taking out the trash; it doesn't require any emotional reaction.
Kill the chicken to scare the monkey; once the chicken explodes, the monkeys will naturally scatter.
"Zhou Hai".
Lu Sheng didn't turn his head, his voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chill.
"exist!"
Zhou Hai was excitedly touching the still-hot cannon barrel when he heard this, and immediately stood at attention. His fleshy face was full of admiration. At this moment, even if Lu Sheng asked him to jump into the sea, he would probably take two steps forward first.
"Take some men down there and help the military inventory the supplies." Lu Sheng pointed to the messy piles of debris on the shore. "Even though most of it is junk, every little bit counts, so don't waste it."
"Understood! I'll go right away! I guarantee those bastards won't even be left a single screw!"
Zhou Hai grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth, and beckoned to Zhao Ze and Su Li. Like a pack of hungry tigers descending from the mountain, he led a group of sailors onto the assault boat.
After arranging the miscellaneous tasks, Lu Sheng tilted his head back slightly and adjusted his breathing.
Then, his eyes snapped open.
"Buzz—"
His originally dark pupils instantly elongated, transforming into two majestic golden vertical pupils.
Dragon Eyes, open!
The world before my eyes instantly faded, transforming into a strange dimension composed of lines and energy.
His gaze easily pierced through the chaotic crowd on the shore, through the stench-filled refugee shacks, and even through the thick layers of rock.
The energy flow of the entire Niuwang Mountain was clearly visible to him.
Most of the area was a somber, deathly gray, but in the back mountains, on that cliff face that was almost vertical to the sea, it was different.
Several clusters of intense, almost tangible, azure light flickered silently in his field of vision, like dancing sprites in the deep sea.
That energy fluctuation was pure and gentle, yet it contained a vibrant life force.
"really……"
Lu Sheng's lips twitched slightly, and golden light flickered in his eyes.
"How could there not be good things on such a remote, isolated island?"
Killing was just something he did on a whim.
Spiritual plants are what he truly desires.
"Whoosh!"
Lu Sheng lightly touched the deck with his toes, and the special steel plate emitted a soft hum. He was like a large white bird, lightly leaping across the sea for dozens of meters, stepping on a reef protruding from the water, and disappearing into the complex mountain forest in a few leaps.
……
The back of Niuwang Mountain is a sheer cliff.
The terrain here is precipitous, with waves crashing against the rock walls, creating a thunderous roar, and the spray reaching halfway up the mountain.
Even the Bull Demon King's gang from before didn't expand their territory to this godforsaken place.
But in Lu Sheng's eyes, this place was a treasure.
The air was so humid you could wring water out of it, and unknown moss grew in the crevices of the rocks, emitting a faint, fluorescent glow.
Lu Sheng gripped the crevice in the rock with one hand, his whole body suspended in mid-air, his gaze fixed on a recessed stone cave in front of him.
There, a peculiar plant grows.
It is completely transparent, and its leaves resemble the tentacles of some kind of soft-bodied marine creature, swaying gently in the sea breeze. If you don't look closely, you might even miss its existence.
At the top of the plant hang five fist-sized fruits.
The fruit was a dreamy azure blue, with an extremely thin skin, as if it contained a pool of flowing mercury, radiating a mesmerizing halo in the dim light.
[Ding! Heavenly-grade spiritual plant detected—Water Spirit Fruit!]
[Water Spirit Fruit: Grown in places with extremely high moisture content, it contains pure water-based spiritual energy. Consuming it can greatly enhance lung function and slightly increase affinity for water elements.]
Upon seeing the system notification, Lu Sheng's breathing became slightly sluggish.
Strengthen lung function!
In this post-apocalyptic world where 85% of the land is submerged, the value of this ability even surpasses that of a simple power boost!
The reason why the mutated megalodon was so difficult to kill was because it could dive into the deep sea at any time.
Underwater, human combat power is greatly weakened. Even a level 5 Spirit Source user has a limited time to hold their breath, let alone fight under the high pressure of deep water.
But this fruit... it's practically tailor-made for the upcoming deep-sea hunt.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Sheng reached out and picked one.
It feels cool and smooth to the touch, like touching a piece of fine jade, or like a lump of jelly.
He opened his mouth and took a bite.
"Pfft!"
The moment the peel cracked, there was no chewy texture of the flesh as expected.
The fruit transformed directly into a cool, refreshing liquid, which slid down the throat and into the esophagus.
The liquid did not enter the stomach; instead, it instantly vaporized halfway through its journey!
"hiss--"
Lu Sheng couldn't help but gasp.
The airflow, like countless tiny ice snakes, surged wildly into his lungs through his bronchi.
happy!
An unprecedented sense of clarity swept through my entire body, like drinking an ice-cold Sprite on a hot day, cooling me from head to toe.
He could clearly feel that his alveoli were undergoing some kind of qualitative change.
The once fragile lung tissue is being strengthened and reorganized, becoming incredibly resilient. It is expanding greedily, even actively capturing the tiny water molecules in the air and converting them into oxygen.
[Ding! Consumed a Heavenly-grade spiritual plant—Water Spirit Fruit! Lung enhancement greatly increased!]
[Current Status: Strong Lung Grade I!]
Lu Sheng closed his eyes and felt the changes in his body.
Each breath felt like an exchange with the surrounding moisture.
"nice one."
Lu Sheng opened his eyes, a hint of joy flashing in his golden vertical pupils.
He picked another one and swallowed it again.
The second one had an even clearer, cool sensation, as if an invisible film was covering my respiratory tract.
The third one... the fourth one...
After all five fruits were eaten, Lu Sheng felt as if his body had turned into a drop of water, merging with the surrounding humid air.
He glanced at the surging sea below.
Without any hesitation, he let go and jumped.
"call--"
His body traced a straight line through the air before plunging straight into the dark sea.
"Thump!"
It entered the water without making a sound.
He didn't feel any sluggish resistance in the water; instead, he felt like a fish returning to the sea.
The icy seawater enveloped him, but no longer felt oppressive; instead, it seemed to become his second skin, gently supporting him.
Lu Sheng tried not to hold his breath, but to slightly open his pores.
A faint but real wisp of oxygen was extracted from the seawater and seeped into his bloodstream.
Although it cannot completely replace breathing like fish gills, it greatly extends the time he can stay underwater.
"Underwater resistance has been reduced by at least 50%."
"Static breath-holding time...is estimated to be around half an hour!"
Lu Sheng casually threw a punch underwater.
"boom!"
The water burst open, forming a visible white torrent that shot out more than ten meters, startling a group of fish.
Lu Sheng emerged from the water, climbed back onto the rock wall, shook his wet hair, and a sinister smile appeared on his face.
With this ability, he would dare to venture down even to the lair of a level 6 sea monster marked on the map.
This trip was incredibly profitable.
P.S.: Today's update (3/5).