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Chapter 283 - Fig One
🕑 Added 2025-04-04 07:00:06 +0000 UTC"Senior Lapin, we're heading down again. Please inform me if you find my husband," Anda said, standing on the celestial cloud Lapin had given her.
"Me too!" Tamina chimed in. She had received her own celestial cloud earlier and was already hovering beside Anda.
Lapin wasn't physically present, but his voice echoed through the clouds, clear and cheerful. "Kekeke! Don't worry. Celestial Cloud Rabbit never breaks their promise!"
"But you're alone, though. Are there other Celestial Cloud Rabbits here?" Anda asked, her tone teasing.
"Human Anda, you make me sad. I'm sure there are more Celestial Cloud Rabbits out there somewhere. That's why I'm trying so hard to survive," Lapin replied, his voice dripping with mock sorrow.
"Hehe, sorry, Senior Lapin. Don't worry. I'll help you find a sexy Celestial Cloud Rabbit in the future," Anda said, grinning.
"For real? Kekeke! I'm counting on you then. I hope she has a big, round tail," Lapin responded, his laughter echoing.
Anda and Tamina were dumbfounded. A round tail? Not round boobs or a round behind? Do demonic beasts have different preferences than humans, even when they take human form?
"Alright, Senior Lapin, see you again later," the two ladies said in unison before beginning their descent.
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Somewhere on the Titanis Continent, deep within an impossibly wide and dense jungle, a lone figure moved gracefully through the shadows. The wavy silver hair of the woman glimmered faintly under the dim light filtering through the canopy, and her gardening hat added a touch of whimsy to her appearance.
Around her, spherical layers of wood Qi radiated softly, illuminating the area and simultaneously clearing a path for her to walk. The plants around her seemed to come alive, branches, leaves, flowers, roots, vines, stems, and even trunks shifting and rearranging themselves as if bowing to their queen.
The woman was none other than Lilian. She strolled through the jungle as if she were shopping in a bustling market, her movements calm and unhurried, her expression one of serene curiosity. Whenever a plant caught her attention, she would envelop it with her Qi, and the plant would uproot itself effortlessly. With a simple touch, the uprooted plant would vanish, straight to the garden.
Two months ago, Lilian appeared on top of a cliff, her eyes immediately drawn to the colossal tree looming in the distance. True to her nature, she didn't hesitate. Without a second thought, she leaped off the cliff, intending to fly toward the tree. However, the flying prohibition of this world quickly acted upon her, and she began to plummet toward the ground.
Just as she was about to crash, Lilian acted in time and five Demonic Strangler Figs burst forth from her Goddess of Fertility Garden, appearing on the ground, their thick tendrils shooting out to catch her mid-air. One of the tendrils, however, had wrapped itself a little too enthusiastically around her bountiful chest, squeezing her "melons" in a way that made them spill out indecently from the gaps.
Lilian had summoned the Demonic Strangler Figs from her garden while falling. These were the same demonic plants she had cultivated from the Demonic Heart Crystals, now thriving happily in her Goddess of Fertility Garden. They had grown fiercely loyal to her, willingly offering themselves to serve her every need. Among them, the five Demonic Strangler Figs had grown the fastest, reaching the Budding Stage—equivalent to the Foundation Building Realm.
"Goddess, you alright? No injured?" the Demonic Strangler Figs asked through their mental connection. They had learned human language, though their sentences were still simple and direct.
Lilian, ever composed, communicated with the plants similarly through their mental connection. "Fig One, watch where you catch me. These two big melons are only for Leyvi to touch. Everyone needs to remember this next time. Now, please put me down."
Fig One, the leader of the Demonic Strangler Figs, immediately loosened its tendril, releasing her from its unintentional grasp, while the others carefully lowered her to the ground. Fig One had been the boss of the group that had attacked Leyvi's group in the Verdant Labyrinth before being subdued and brought into Lilian's garden. Since then, it has grown the fastest among them, reaching the Budding Stage.
"Forgive Fig One, goddess. We remember goddess's teachings," it replied humbly.
Lilian nodded, her expression softening. "Good. As long as you understand. These melons are my secret weapon to make Leyvi grant my wishes, so they're very precious and sacred."
"We understand. Goddess's melons sacred. Worship goddess, worship melons!" Fig One and the others chanted in unison, their voices echoing through the mental connection. Lilian then sent them back to the garden, where Fig One immediately began preaching to the other demonic plants about their goddess's new holy edict. In the garden, Fig One was their undisputed leader.
They keep calling me goddess for some reason, Lilian thought, though she didn't bother to correct them. After all, it wasn't entirely unpleasant. Once the plants were safely back in her garden, she scanned her surroundings with her spiritual sense. The area was unfamiliar, and there was no sign of anyone else. Her attempts to communicate through the array communication device had also failed.
After confirming that she couldn't fly, Lilian decided to wait in the area, hoping that others might arrive. However, she didn't dare to enter the Goddess of Fertility Garden, as doing so would leave her physical body vulnerable outside. In the past, her lack of self-control might have led her to enter the garden anyway, risking exposure to harm.
But over the years, with the support and guidance of her family, she had matured significantly and learned to exercise restraint. Thankfully, she no longer had to worry about leaving her precious plants unattended. She had taught her demonic plants how to tend to the garden themselves—plants growing other plants. It was a strange but effective system.
After two days of waiting, Lilian was convinced that no one else would arrive. With no more hesitation, she set off toward the colossal tree, carried by Fig One. The Demonic Strangler Fig had created a comfortable nest for her, woven from its tendrils and leaves, perched atop its latticework of trunks. The nest was surrounded by more trunks, forming a circular cage with a leafy canopy overhead, providing protection and shade. It resembled a round carriage, though only the top part. The bottom consisted of Fig One's roots, which crawled and shifted to propel them forward.
Despite their appearance, Demonic Strangler Figs were surprisingly fast on land, thanks to their unique trunk and root structures. At first, Fig One moved with a fast, crawling motion. But as they traveled, it began to experiment, altering its lower structure to find the most efficient way to move. In the past, it had never needed to experiment like this—it had lived in a forest, moving from tree to tree by crawling. But now, on open land, it had the freedom to explore new methods of movement.
First, it mimicked a human's walking motion, forming two legs. However, when it tried to run, it lost balance easily. Undeterred, it restructured its lower body to mimic the legs of a four-legged animal, which proved more stable and faster. Lilian watched with great interest, amused by Fig One's ingenuity and determination.
In the end, Fig One's final form left Lilian thoroughly impressed. At first, only the top part resembled a round carriage, however now, Fig One had completely transformed itself into a round carriage! Instead of legs, Fig One had formed four wheels, allowing it to move across the land with incredible speed—far faster than when they had first set out.
Lilian couldn't help but marvel at Fig One's creativity. Maybe Fig One is a genius among the demonic plants, she thought.
After that, Lilian established a rotation system for her Demonic Strangler Figs. Every few hours of traveling, she would let Fig One rest, substituting it with Fig Two, then Fig Three, Fig Four, and Fig Five. But before handing over the reins, Fig One made sure to teach the others how to transform into the fast, round carriage form it had perfected. Soon, all five Strangler Figs were capable of carrying Lilian with the same speed and efficiency.
And so, Lilian, riding her living round carriage, continued her journey toward the colossal tree without stopping. She had no interest in exploring other places along the way. Even when she passed through the ruins of an ancient city, she didn't pause. What could broken stones offer her compared to the mysteries of the colossal tree?
Occasionally, high-level demonic beasts would attack, but Lilian and her Strangler Figs handled them with ease. Though the plants were still in the Budding Stage, their combined efforts, coupled with Lilian's formidable strength, made them a formidable team. Any demonic beast foolish enough to enter their battle formation would quickly find itself on the receiving end of Lilian's morning star.
After two months of relentless travel, Lilian arrived at a massive jungle that stood in her path to the colossal tree. This jungle was unlike any she had seen before. The vegetation was so dense and tangled at ground level that it was nearly impassable, and the canopy soared to incredible heights, supported by trees so thick and tall they seemed to touch the sky.
