Swallowing the Stars: Starting with Panlong

Chapter 71: The Spirit of Plants

After the battle, Lin Yun helped He Lingruo walk along the coastline for about an hour, and found a naturally formed cave under a sheltered cliff.

The entrance to the cave wasn't large, only a little over one person's height, but the space inside was quite spacious, enough for two people to fit in. Lin Yun carefully checked the surroundings with his mental power, and only after confirming that there were no monsters or pursuers did he help He Lingruo inside.

"Senior sister, let's rest here for a couple of days." Lin Yun helped He Lingruo sit down against the cave wall. "Your injuries need time to heal."

He Lingruo nodded without speaking. Her face was still pale, but at least the bleeding had stopped. Lin Yun took out medical supplies and bandages from his spatial ring and re-treated the wound on her back. That wound was the deepest, almost exposing the bone, but the medical supplies he brought were high-grade, specially supplied by the Limitless Martial Arts Academy, with hemostatic and tissue-regenerating effects far exceeding ordinary medicines.

After treating He Lingruo's injuries, Lin Yun began to tend to his own. His injuries were less severe than He Lingruo's, but still numerous—several knife wounds and puncture wounds from thrown knives on his left arm, right leg, and back. The Black God Suit had saved him several times, but the impacts had still left large bruises on his body.

After finishing all this, Lin Yun set up several warning lines at the cave entrance, then sat opposite He Lingruo, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.

His body was exhausted. His mental energy was almost depleted, and his genetic energy was nearly gone. But more importantly, he needed time to process the lightning domain he had just comprehended.

That power was still very unstable, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, like a newly lit flame that could be extinguished at any moment. He needed to consolidate it in the next two days, otherwise his previous breakthrough might be in vain.

Lin Yun, in his dragon form, simultaneously entered a meditative state. Under the moonlight, he sat cross-legged on a blue stone, purple lightning crackling across his azure scales. The insights from the two worlds converged and merged in his consciousness, causing his soul power to recover at an unprecedented speed.

He Lingruo leaned against the cave wall, looking at Lin Yun. She noticed that occasionally a purple bolt of lightning would flash across his body, disappearing in an instant, and a faint smell of burning filled the air.

Is that the domain?

She had been in the training camp for four years and had seen countless geniuses, but she had never seen such power. It was not something that could be achieved through hard work; it was... talent, or rather, some deeper understanding.

She closed her eyes and began to meditate. Her injuries were severe, but her will was unwavering. She couldn't hold Lin Yun back.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the morning of August 10, Lin Yun opened his eyes and stood up from the ground.

His injuries had largely healed, his mental strength had fully recovered, and more importantly, his lightning domain had finally stabilized—no longer just an intermittent flame, but operating regularly within his body like a beating heart. His physical attributes and mental strength had both slightly improved thanks to the domain's feedback; although he hadn't yet broken through to the planetary level, he had already reached the threshold.

He Lingruo also woke up. Her injuries hadn't fully healed, but at least she could walk normally. The deepest wound on her back had scabbed over and stopped bleeding.

"Senior sister, how are you feeling?" Lin Yun asked.

"Much better." He Lingruo stood up, supporting herself with her spear, and stretched her arms. "I can go now."

Lin Yun nodded, walked to the cave entrance, and looked out at the sea.

The fog was still thick, but after two days of rest, his mental energy was now sufficient to cover a greater distance. He could sense that in the eastern sea, an island was radiating a strong life force.

"It's over there," Lin Yun pointed into the depths of the fog. "Let's go."

Half an hour later, they finally set foot on the land of Kirishima.

The fog on the island was thicker than at sea, reducing visibility to less than ten meters. The air was filled with the damp scent of vegetation, mixed with a faint floral fragrance and the earthy smell of soil. Underfoot was soft, humus-rich soil, leaving deep footprints with every step. The surrounding vegetation was incredibly lush—tall trees provided shade, thick vines entwined their trunks, and the ground was covered with ferns and moss.

Lin Yun released his mental energy, covering an area of ​​about a kilometer in radius. After breaking through in the Thunder Domain, his mental energy not only fully recovered but was also stronger than before. Every tree, every stone, and every small animal hiding in the grass was clearly presented in his consciousness.

Then, he felt it.

In the center of the island, there were more than a dozen clusters of strong life force, like burning flames, which were particularly noticeable to him.

"Found it," Lin Yun said, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.

He Lingruo gripped the spear tightly and asked, "What is that?"

"Keep it a secret for now," Lin Yun said. "Come with me."

As the two traversed the dense forest, Lin Yun maintained maximum vigilance with his mental energy. There were many monsters on the island, but they sensed the aura of the lightning domain emanating from Lin Yun and retreated, not daring to approach.

After walking for about an hour, the woods ahead suddenly thinned out. Through the mist, Lin Yun saw a clearing.

In the center of the open space was a clear spring. The spring was small, only a dozen square meters, but its surface was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the grayish-white mist from the sky. Around the spring grew nine enormous willow trees.

These nine willow trees were indeed very thick. The thinnest one was about a meter in diameter, and the thickest one was three meters in diameter... It was rare to find even one willow tree of this thickness. Because the island was covered with lush vegetation, the thousands of branches of these nine willow trees swayed in the wind.

Whew~~Whew~~

Nine super willow trees, such thick willow trees, each with millions of willow branches dancing in the wind.

Willow Heart - The Spirit of Plants and Trees.

Lin Yun's mental energy swept over the nine willow trees, sensing their life force. The one closest to the spring was the largest, its trunk as thick as two people could hug, its branches drooping to the water's surface. Its life force was the strongest, like a blazing green flame, several times stronger than the surrounding eight trees.

The heartwood of the ten-thousand-year-old willow tree. The other eight are the heartwood of the thousand-year-old willow trees.

"Willow trees - the spirit of plants..." He Lingruo's voice was tinged with excitement.

She had only heard the teachers introduce the spirits of plants and trees during her training camp classes, but she had never seen them before. The spirits of willow trees were extremely famous on Earth. The core of a willow tree spirit was the willow tree spirit. Back then, that willow tree was only one meter in diameter, but there were nine of them here. The thinnest one was one meter in diameter, and the thickest one was more than three meters in diameter.

But Lin Yun didn't rush forward. His mental power detected the dangerous aura emanating from the willow branches—they weren't still, but were trembling slightly, as if breathing, or waiting for their prey to approach.

He recalled seeing records about willow-like plant spirits in the Limitless House's database. These plants appeared beautiful, but were actually extremely dangerous. Their willow branches could extend tens or even hundreds of meters in an instant, entangled and strangled any creature that approached. Especially the ancient willow king in the center, its pale golden branches were enough to cover the entire surrounding area; once someone entered its attack range, they would be subjected to an overwhelming barrage of attacks.

"Senior sister, step back," Lin Yun said in a low voice. "These willow trees are aggressive."

He Lingruo didn't ask any more questions. She immediately retreated dozens of meters and stood on a rock, holding her spear horizontally in front of her, guarding her surroundings.

Lin Yun took a deep breath and walked towards the nine willow trees.

When he was about fifty meters away from the nearest willow tree, the willow tree finally moved.

Not just one, but nine at once. Millions of willow branches, like startled venomous snakes, sprang from their trunks, lashing out at Lin Yun in a devastating barrage. A dense, piercing whistling sound filled the air. The branches moved with astonishing speed, each carrying the power to shatter rocks.

Especially the ancient willow king in the center, its branches are pale gold and more than twice as thick as those of the other willows. Those pale gold branches have a wider attack range, faster speed, and greater power, and they don't attack randomly—they seem to have intelligence, blocking all of Lin Yun's possible evasion routes.

Lin Yun did not retreat.

He drew his battle sword, and purple lightning exploded from the blade. He unleashed his full power of the Lightning Domain, and everything within a radius of dozens of meters was within his perception—the trajectory, speed, and power of every branch were clearly presented in his consciousness.

"boom!"

Lightning struck the willow branches. The ordinary branches instantly charred and snapped in the lightning, but there were too many of them. Lin Yun cut off dozens, and hundreds more were added. They surged in from all directions, some wrapping around his ankles, some whipping his back, and some strangling his neck.

Lin Yun's swordsmanship, enhanced by his lightning domain, reached its peak speed. His body transformed into a purple lightning bolt, weaving through a sea of ​​willow branches, his sword flashing with lightning, each strike severing dozens of branches. However, his mental energy was also rapidly depleting—manipulating the domain, sensing attacks, and coordinating his body—every movement required extremely precise control.

"This won't do," Lin Yun thought to himself. Although his domain was powerful, the continuous high-intensity operation was putting a great strain on him. Moreover, the branches of these willow trees seemed endless; cutting off one batch only resulted in another batch appearing.

He changed his strategy.

Lin Yun stopped trying to cut off all the branches and instead reduced his lightning domain to a three-meter radius around his body. Within this range, his lightning was at its strongest, and any branch that entered would be instantly shattered. At the same time, he focused his mental energy on the trunk of the Ten-Thousand-Year Willow King, searching for a breakthrough.

The green orb on the trunk—the heartwood of the ancient willow tree—is its core.

Lin Yun pushed off with his feet, his body transforming into a streak of purple lightning, charging straight towards the Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Willow King. Pale golden willow branches lashed out wildly, but within his lightning domain, the branches were repelled by lightning as soon as they got close, unable to approach at all.

three seconds.

He reached the trunk of the ancient willow tree in just three seconds.

The battle blade slashed down, unleashing a burst of lightning that struck the tree trunk with tremendous force. The trunk trembled violently, and the green orb of light flickered, emitting a low hum. But the trunk did not break—its resilience far exceeded Lin Yun's expectations; the full-force strike only left a shallow crack on it.

The ancient willow king seemed to be enraged. All the pale golden willow branches retracted simultaneously, then, like spears, stabbed towards Lin Yun. It wasn't a whipping, but a piercing—the tip of each branch was as sharp as a needle, carrying a force capable of piercing through alloy.

Lin Yun did not dodge. He concentrated his lightning domain to its limit, forming a purple lightning shield around his body. The moment the pale golden willow branches pierced the shield, they were scorched and exploded by the lightning, but there were too many of them, and the shield began to crack under the dense attack.

Lin Yun gritted his teeth, held his battle blade horizontally in front of him, and spun around violently. Blade light and lightning intertwined, forming a purple vortex. All the pale golden willow branches that had pierced him were swept into the vortex and turned to ashes in the lightning.

The ancient willow tree king finally revealed its weakness.

In the instant that many branches were destroyed, a brief defensive vacuum appeared in its trunk. Lin Yun seized this opportunity and slashed at the crack in the trunk.

"boom!"

The trunk snapped in response. The upper half of the ancient willow king crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. The pale golden sphere of light flew out from the break, hovering in mid-air, radiating a soft glow.

Lin Yun reached out and grabbed it. The sphere of light was warm to the touch, like holding a beating heart. He could feel the life energy contained within it, vast and pure, far surpassing any plant spirit he had ever seen before.

The heartwood of the ancient willow tree is now in my possession.

Without the protection of the Willow King, the other eight thousand-year-old willow trees lost their backbone and their attack power was greatly reduced. Lin Yun followed suit, rushing to the trunks of each tree one by one, severing them with a single stroke, and collecting the willow heart. In less than ten minutes, all nine willow trees had fallen, and the nine willow hearts lay quietly in Lin Yun's spatial ring.

He Lingruo jumped down from the rock, walked to Lin Yun's side, and looked at the broken branches and leaves all over the ground with shock in her eyes.

"The attack power of these willow trees... is terrifying." Her voice carried a hint of lingering fear. "Without your domain, we wouldn't have been able to get close at all."

Lin Yun nodded. He had used up a lot of his mental energy, and his combat uniform had been torn in several places, but fortunately he was not injured.

"Keep searching," Lin Yun said. "There should be more than just these on this island."

Over the next two days, Lin Yun and He Lingruo conducted a thorough search of Fog Island.

Lin Yun's mental power covered the entire island, and every inch of land was within his perception. Wherever there were spirits of plants and trees, nothing could escape his senses.

They found all sorts of plant spirits—emerald green Ganoderma lucidum, golden Polygonum multiflorum, silvery-white lotus, deep purple Poria cocos… Some grew in tree hollows, some were hidden in rock crevices, and some grew on cliffs. Each plant spirit exuded a unique life force, some as gentle as water, some as fiery as fire, and some as cool as the wind.

Lin Yun carefully recorded each type of plant spirit, then cautiously picked them and stored them in his spatial ring. In two days, they found more than sixty plant spirits, which, together with the nine willow heartwoods they had found before, brought the total to more than seventy.

"More than seventy trees..." He Lingruo looked at the spatial ring on Lin Yun's hand, her eyes filled with shock.

The value of these plant spirits is immeasurable. If they were all sold, they would be enough to buy a small base city.

"Senior sister, let's each have half of these plant spirits," Lin Yun said.

He Lingruo glanced at him, then shook her head: "You found it, and you picked it. I didn't do anything, so I can't accept it."

"If you hadn't helped me hold off those three martial artists, I might be dead," Lin Yun said. "You deserve it."

He Lingruo was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Then give me three thousand-year-old willow heartwoods. You can keep the rest."

Lin Yun knew she was thinking of him. Although the heartwood of the three thousand-year-old willow trees was valuable, it was far less than that of the heartwood of the ten-thousand-year-old willow tree and the spirits of the other sixty-odd plants. She did not refuse because she knew Lin Yun would not accept her rejection.

"Okay." Lin Yun didn't say much. He took out the three thousand-year-old willow heartwood from his ring, along with the Black God Set, and handed them to He Lingruo. In the previous battle, Lin Yun had captured three pieces of the Black God Set. There was no use for him keeping so many, so he might as well give them to He Lingruo to enhance her strength.

He Lingruo did not refuse, took the willow tree heart and the Black God Set, and carefully put them into her backpack.

"Let's go, it's time to go back," Lin Yun said.