Chapter 3: The Five Elements Lotus Leaf, Widow Spider

Qin Shu condensed his spiritual energy into a thought, using it as power to fire the iron cantaloupes from their cannons.

The shells left the barrels with such force that they broke the sound barrier, creating sonic booms.

Entangled by the golden thread vine, the Black Rat Poison Stiffs couldn’t dodge. Their heads were hit precisely.

Being solid, each iron cantaloupe transferred its kinetic energy directly upon impact, crushing the skulls of the Black Rat Poison Stiffs. The balls didn’t stop there; they continued until hitting two more targets before finally coming to rest.

With five iron cantaloupe trees, that meant twenty-five cannons ready to fire.

Qin Shu unleashed a barrage of shots without pause, each accompanied by an explosive crack as the iron balls left their cannons.

In one wave of twenty-five shots, each ball pierced through three stiff rats, shattering the skulls of over seventy Black Rat Poison Stiffs.

Once their heads were crushed, the creatures went still and silent.

Using the golden thread vine, Qin Shu reeled them back towards his cultivation domain.

There, he used his cultivation power to break down the corpses, turning them into nutrients for the Cyan Lotus Dao Seed’s growth.

The seed sprouted rapidly, its tip already ten centimeters above ground. The radius of the cultivation domain expanded to three meters, while the golden thread vine spread quickly, carpeting the area in a field of gold.

The iron cantaloupe trees also grew taller and more robust.

Hundreds of Black Rat Poison Stiffs attacked the village, but not a single one could escape the entanglement of the golden thread vine. They were all bound tightly like zongzi dumplings.

Despite this success, Qin Shu remained vigilant. He knew all too well that the Black Rat Poison Stiffs weren’t the only threat in this world.

Within a small town area, there were at least four villages.

Moreover, this region was flat with fertile land around. Before being influenced by the Abyss’s aura, it had undoubtedly been densely populated, resulting in a significant number of monster groups as well.

Among them would surely be Foundation Establishment monsters serving as leaders.

Qin Shu scattered four seeds, which quickly took root and grew. Within fifty meters away from him, they broke through the Gold Thread Vine’s cover. In less than five minutes, these seeds transformed into colossal banyan trees dozens of meters high, resembling four walls that protected Qin Shu and the Cyan Lotus Dao Seed inside.

Qin Shu then transplanted the four Iron Cantaloupe Trees into the gaps between the giant banyans.

Using divine sense as his eyes, Qin Shu reaped the Black Rat Poison Stiffs, turning them into nourishment for the Cyan Lotus Dao Seed’s growth.

Unnoticeably, the Cyan Lotus Dao Seed had already passed its germination stage, forming a stem straight as a sword.

It absorbed the essence of the Abyssal micro-world even faster, causing the entire world to tremble more violently.

With a flick of his finger, Qin Shu planted Demonic Wutong seeds outside the giant banyans, where they rapidly grew upon landing.

The power of good fortune flowed through the gold thread vines into the Demonic Wutong seeds, enabling them to swiftly take root and sprout. These trees reached five meters in height, their leaves emitting ghostly Cyan flames. The roots slowly moved the trees along the ground.

One by one, branches extended like human palms, reaching out to strike the heads of the Black Rat Poison Stiffs.

The Black Rat Poison Stiffs infected with ghost fire disintegrated like oil doused in flames, reducing to ash within moments.

Hundreds of these undead rodents met their end through three rounds of Iron Cantaloupe cannon fire, supplemented by Demonic Wutong’s relentless assaults. In less than half an hour, they were all annihilated.

Next, the Cyan Lotus Dao Seed sprouted five branches from its stem, each terminating in a lotus leaf.

The first leaf was jade-green with golden veins, while the second had both leaf and veins in a deeper shade of green.

The third leaf boasted black veins, the fourth red, and the fifth yellow—each corresponding to one of the Five Elements.

Droplets of dew formed on these leaves, representing the fusion of elemental power and the force of destiny.

Qin Shu waved his hand, directing the white dew onto the Gold Thread Vine.

A white line extended along the vine’s golden tendrils, making it even more resilient.

When the black dew was absorbed into the Iron Cantaloupe tree, the melons that formed remained the same size but grew denser.

Sprinkling the yellow condensed dew over the giant banyan caused its bark to harden, resembling an impenetrable stone armor.

As the red dew cascaded down the Demonic Wutong, the ghost fire burning within it blazed even hotter.

In his hand, Qin Shu held the final five seeds—the Golden Skin Thorn Trees, perfectly aligned with the wood element’s dew.

Without hesitation, he scattered them in four directions.

The Golden Skin Thorn Tree was a succulent plant that, once mature, sported numerous sharp thorns containing potent venom. Any intense vibration would cause these thorns to explosively shoot in all directions.

After planting and growing all twenty seeds from the five types, Qin Shu simply lay back and focused on observing his Cyan Lotus Dao Seed.

This seed represented the manifestation of his divine soul, allowing him to perceive conditions beneath the ground.

As the stem grew, so did the lotus root, remaining as white and smooth as jade despite being surrounded by mud.

From this white root emerged dense roots that delved deep into the earth, absorbing streams of black qi which they continuously transformed into serendipitous energy.

Among the five lotus leaves, a bud formed at the tip of the stem.

It was then that the monster army arrived.

The first to appear was a multi-legged creature with a swollen, black body oozing pus.

Qin Shu observed the monster through the Gold Thread Vine—it was a Widow Human Spider, possessing at least Foundation Establishment strength.

Upon its bloated, cystic body sat four heads, each resembling beautiful women. However, disgustingly, eight octopus-like tentacles protruded from its torso, serving as legs.

Its arms were spider legs, also numbering eight.

It seemed as though four women had been forcibly twisted together before undergoing some bizarre transformation.

Qin Shu felt his stomach churn with disgust as he manipulated the Gold Thread Vine to lunge at the creature.

Jing-jing-jing…

Despite its repulsive appearance, the Widow Human Spider was remarkably swift. Its eight spider legs deftly swept away the encroaching Gold Thread Vine, leaving a trail of cuts in its wake.

Boom!

Unable to entrap the Widow Human Spider immediately, Qin Shu split his focus, unleashing the Iron Cantaloupe Cannon.

Five iron cantaloupes took flight, forming a formidable volley that struck at the precise moment when the Widow Human Spider’s defenses were momentarily down.

“Aaah!”

The Widow Human Spider opened its four mouths wide, baring fangs of jet-black. In that instant, it seemed less like a beauty and more a monolith of horror, seamlessly blending head and body into an abyss of terror.

The sound waves reverberated, sapping the kinetic energy from the iron cantaloupes.

With a series of clangs, the Widow Human Spider parried the iron cantaloupes’ onslaught using its razor-sharp limbs.

Seizing the opportunity, Qin Shu directed the Gold Thread Vine to ensnare the Widow Human Spider’s lower body, entangling it in a deadly embrace with its eight tentacles.

The Widow Human Spiders erupted in fury, desperately flailing their eight spider limbs at the golden thread vine.

But under Qin Shu’s control, the vine only tightened its grip around them, immobilizing the spiders completely.

Gui Wutong stepped forward slowly, his ghostly palm flickering with ethereal fire as he brought it crashing down on the spiders.

Caught off guard by this new attack from above and below, the Widow Human Spiders were instantly thrown into a frenzy.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

More explosions rocked the air as iron cantaloupes burst forth from the cannon once again.

This time, the Widow Human Spiders couldn’t react fast enough. The swollen bodies of the creatures were struck directly by the iron melons.

The spinning iron melons punched into their flesh, black-green pus spraying out and corroding everything it touched, including the golden thread vine and Gui Wutong himself.

With the first wave of iron melons having hit home, the remaining four Widow Human Spiders stood no chance against any further attacks.

Just then, a thunderous roar split the air.

“What?” Qin Shu’s divine sense split in two as another monstrous creature materialized before him. It was a grotesque amalgamation: a tiger’s head atop a pig’s body, with an alligator’s tail and a rabbit’s legs. With a single bound, it could leap dozens of meters high, easily clearing the massive banyan tree that served as their fortress wall. As it soared through the air, it opened its maw and spat a cloud of black mist directly towards Qin Shu.