Chapter 69: The Fruit is Ripe, Bitten to Death in One Bite! (1/2)

The wild boar, roasted to perfection, crisp and dripping with juice, emitted a tantalizing aroma. The disciples from each sect on the mountaintop had finally understood what “craving” truly meant.

Li Taoyuan, already unable to wait after smelling the delicious fragrance, immediately threw aside any concern for decorum. Without fear of the heat, he grabbed a large chunk of the wild boar meat and bit into it.

That bite struck his soul—three words: “Delicious!”

“Delicious! It’s too delicious! This taste, it’s even better than what we have in the sect’s dining hall! I’ve never tasted such delicious wild boar meat! Junior Sister Ye, your culinary skills are divine!”

“This is really so good! After one bite, I feel my cultivation has improved! The spiritual energy within this meat is so rich!” Si Qian said without exaggeration. Only those who had tasted it would know.

Song Ziyan: “I was short-sighted before, thinking that the path of food cultivation was a joke. Now, I can only apologize to all the food cultivators out there!”

“I used to mock those who studied food cultivation every day. Now, I think that finding a food cultivator as a partner wouldn’t be bad, even if her cultivation is a bit lacking, as long as she cooks as well as Junior Sister Ye!”

Mu Xingchen finished speaking, and then heard Song Ziyan burst out laughing, the playful friend making a jab: “Well, that’s true! Since Miss Su doesn’t fancy you, you might as well find a food cultivator!”

“But Junior Sister Ye definitely won’t look at you, don’t even dream about it!”

“Shut up and enjoy your food!” Mu Xingchen felt an urge to hit someone. The two began snatching pieces of wild boar meat from each other.

Before long, an entire wild boar was devoured by the seven of them.

The other sect disciples, still hoping to get a taste, were left disappointed. One big guy with a sturdy build had already eaten his fill, and there was no hope of sharing with anyone else.

The other disciples from different sects could only silently think to themselves: After this, we have to find a food cultivator no matter what! Even if we have to pay more spirit stones, we must get them to cook roasted wild boar for us!

That night, each sect left one disciple behind to keep watch. For two nights in a row, everything was calm, and no demon beasts appeared.

On the third night after entering the secret realm, some of them began to lose patience.

They had been guarding the mountaintop since day one, and now it was the third day.

Aside from meditating and cultivating, there had been no sign of any fortuitous encounters. If the Thunder Flame Fruit didn’t ripen tonight, the secret realm would close soon.

Suddenly, the sky above darkened, and black clouds gathered. Thunder rumbled violently within the clouds, like silver dragons racing through the sky.

Under the thunder, the Thunder Flame Fruit tree, with its lush leaves and branches, was struck by a bolt of lightning. In an instant, the entire tree radiated a faint golden glow.

Hidden beneath the leaves were three fist-sized, still-immature fruits. They emitted a scorching heat at this moment.

When the Thunder Flame Fruit tree was struck by lightning, the power of the lightning coursed over the fruits. In an instant, a rich fragrance filled the entire mountaintop.

“It’s ripe! The Thunder Flame Fruit is ripe!”

Someone, in their excitement, couldn’t help but shout, not caring if others heard. After waiting for three days, they finally reached this moment.

Upon seeing the fruit ripen, some acted swiftly, not bothering with words.

A male disciple from the Yuqing Sect almost instantly shot forward like lightning, a mix of excitement and joy flooding his heart. As long as he could be the first to pick the Thunder Flame Fruit, he would run away!

There were three fruits, and everyone else would likely target the other two, so he had time to retreat.

Even if someone chased him, he wouldn’t be afraid! Sword cultivators were fearless!

Seeing someone make the first move, the other disciples followed suit, leaping toward the ripe Thunder Flame Fruits.

But the next moment, accompanied by a thunderous roar, a black shadow flashed past.

Chapter 69: The Fruit is Ripe, Bitten to Death in One Bite! (2/2)

Immediately, everyone heard a scream that split the night sky.

The first one to leap forward to snatch the Thunder Flame Fruit, a male sword cultivator, was lifted into the air.

To be precise, he was bitten by a black, winged demon beast, whose eyes gleamed with cold light. The beast sank its teeth into the cultivator’s neck, lifting him up like a swing.

In shock, the disciples looked up. The Yuqing Sect’s male cultivator was already dead.

He didn’t even have time to scream for help, and no one could come to his aid.

The demon beast flapped its wings and soared high into the air, then suddenly released its grip. The cultivator plummeted, falling like a bungee jumper off a cliff.

The entire process took no more than a few seconds.

If the cultivator were at the Nascent Soul stage, even if his physical body died, as long as his Nascent Soul survived, there would still be a chance of revival.

But at the Foundation Establishment stage, there was no such luck. The cultivator’s life had ended, and no one could save him.

This scene made everyone on the mountaintop shiver, their backs cold with sweat.

The other Yuqing Sect disciples were pale, stunned, and dumbfounded. It was their first time witnessing such a bloody scene.

For a moment, they didn’t know whether to stay on the mountaintop or go down to search for their senior brother’s corpse.

At the same time, everyone noticed with growing fear that a countless number of flying demon beasts had gathered in the sky, undoubtedly attracted by the strange fragrance emitted by the Thunder Flame Fruit.

The sudden turn of events froze everyone in place, and no one dared to act rashly.

“What… what are these demon beasts?!” A female disciple from the Tianyu Sect asked, clutching her male companion’s arm in nervousness.

“Looks like Griffon…” the male disciple replied, taking a deep breath, trying to keep his voice calm. As he guarded the female disciple behind him, his hand trembled slightly, clearly filled with fear.

Ye Qingning, her gaze sharp, turned to Bai Wei and the others: “These are Black-winged Griffons. They have the body of a lion, but the head, beak, and wings of an eagle.”

“This flying demon beast is huge and powerful, equivalent to a cultivator in the Nascent Soul stage. Even the young ones are as strong as cultivators at the Golden Core stage.”

“Griffons are hard to deal with, and ordinary magical treasures can’t harm them. To get the Thunder Flame Fruit, we mustn’t fight them head-on, only use our wits.”

“Ning Ning, what should we do?” Bai Wei asked, furrowing her brow with concern.

These were flying demon beasts with power equivalent to the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages, and there wasn’t just one, but a whole group!

After witnessing the brutal scene, they realized that ten Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn’t even be enough to feed one of these creatures.

“To get the Thunder Flame Fruit, we need to distract them and lead them away. The rest can try to approach the Thunder Flame Fruit tree. Once you pick the fruit, leave immediately. Don’t hesitate.”

Ye Qingning analyzed calmly. In her past life, she had also faced the Thunder Flame Fruit and had struggled against the Black-winged Griffons, suffering numerous injuries.

They couldn’t fight these beasts head-on; they could only find a chance to grab the fruit and run.

“I’ll go! My movement skills are unmatched among body cultivators, even if I get injured, it doesn’t matter! I’ll distract them, you guys go for the Thunder Flame Fruit!”

Ku Tai quickly volunteered. His swift movements made it clear that his hundred laps a day hadn’t been in vain.

As the first to act, he attracted the attention of the Black-winged Griffons.

The angry Griffons let out ear-piercing shrieks and charged toward Ku Tai, flapping their wings as they pounced.