"But they are from Beidou Biology."
"In our Huaxia, that is a major faction."
Asura spoke again in an attempt to dissuade them, revealing the identity of Ice Fairy and her companions in hopes that the other side would let the matter rest.
At a time like this, he truly did not want to stir up trouble, especially since he himself was a Huaxian.
"So what if it's Beidou Biology? Since we saw the spirit fruits too, they naturally belong to us as well."
Another Westerner spoke up. He wore missionary robes, yet his tone was far from friendly.
"Stop wasting words on them."
Finally, Jennifer spoke, her tone domineering. "The mutated beast is about to die. Strike now and seize the spirit fruits directly!"
After saying this, she gave Asura and his companions a threatening look, her palm tightening slightly around her scepter.
Her gaze was icy cold, clearly serving as a warning.
"Yes, milady."
Hans broke into a grin and dashed forward at tremendous speed. Reaching the tree, he immediately plucked the spirit fruits.
"Westerners?" At the same moment, Ice Fairy and the others reacted, their expressions shifting.
After all the effort they had expended, someone had actually swept in to pick the fruits of their labor?
"Put those things down right now!"
Without hesitation, Ice Fairy took a step forward, a frosty aura churning around her body.
Instantly, the surrounding foliage and gravel were completely frozen over.
By now, she had also reached the Awakening Realm, possessing a vast improvement in strength compared to before.
Beside her, the members of Beidou Biology stepped forward one after another, unleashing their own power.
Though they did not know why Westerners had appeared in Shennongjia, now was not the time to ponder the question.
Their prize had been stolen.
Naturally, they had to take it back.
"Humph!"
Not far away, Jennifer snorted coldly at the sight.
She raised the Angel Scepter in her hand and slammed it heavily onto the ground.
*Buzz, buzz, buzz.*
Instantly, a pristine white glow shot forth from the scepter, illuminating the entire area.
In a mere instant, wherever the light touched, all the chill radiating from Ice Fairy was blocked.
Ice Fairy's own body shook violently as she sensed an immense danger. She immediately retreated into the distance with her subordinates. Once she stabilized her footing, she looked over, her expression changing slightly as her brows furrowed tightly.
"Jennifer, one of the Twelve Apostles under the Holy Angel of the Vatican?"
Seeing the blond woman, Ice Fairy immediately recognized her origin.
There were many powerful Awakened in Huaxia, and naturally, Western nations had their own, led primarily by the Divine Knights and the Holy Angel.
The Holy Angel belonged to the Vatican Holy See, possessing unfathomable strength, and under her command were twelve apostles.
According to intel gathered by Beidou Biology, every single one of those twelve apostles had now reached the Awakening Realm!
Moreover, not only were those apostles formidable in their own right, but they were also said to wield sacred relics left behind by Western gods.
It was precisely for this reason that under the leadership of the Holy Angel, the Western world had been able to temporarily hold off the beast tides and maintain stability.
She simply had not expected the other party to suddenly appear here.
Until finally, Ice Fairy spotted Asura.
"I didn't expect anyone to recognize me. It seems God's glory will eventually shine across the entire world." Seeing that she was recognized, Jennifer continued, "God's devout believers have taken a liking to those spirit fruits. You may leave. Harbor no resentment; God will forgive you."
She invoked God with every breath, as if everything that had just occurred was not born of her own greed, but rather done in obedience to God's will.
Hearing this, the people of Beidou Biology beside Ice Fairy grew furious.
They were clearly the ones who had snatched the spirit fruits, yet now they claimed God would forgive them?
Ice Fairy's eyes turned cold as well, but she did not answer her. Instead, she looked toward Asura and said coldly, "I need an explanation."
She understood very well that reasoning with these Westerners was impossible, and the power released by that cross scepter just now was immensely potent.
She could not rashly make a move either; otherwise, casualties could easily occur.
Therefore, in the end, she could only question Asura.
He was someone from Tianshen Technology, and Tianshen Technology was a domestic Huaxian faction.
"Asura, remember your duty," Apostle Jennifer suddenly spoke up, her gaze piercing.
Hearing this, Asura froze, his expression turning ugly. Taking a deep breath, he walked up to Ice Fairy and spoke apologetically: "I'm sorry. I didn't expect this outcome. You... should leave."
As he spoke, he glanced out of the corner of his eye at the cross scepter in Jennifer's hand and lowered his voice.
"That thing is extremely dangerous. If a conflict breaks out, your odds of winning are slim."
Asura's words carried sincerity and a hint of pleading.
He did not want any conflict to occur.
Ice Fairy looked deeply at him.
Though burning with fury and desperate to strike, she nonetheless said, "I understand."
Domestically, she was indeed considered powerful, but she knew Asura wasn't lying.
Since these Vatican churchgoers dared to venture deep into Shennongjia, they had to have something to rely on.
"Thank you."
Hearing this, Asura secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his fists clenched involuntarily. Beneath his cloak, his body trembled slightly, as if finding his actions just now deeply humiliating. Yet in the end, he still turned around.
"Miss Jennifer, everything has been settled. May we leave now?"
At this, Jennifer's sharp gaze softened slightly, and she glanced toward Ice Fairy. "God shall bestow His blessings upon you."
Having said this, she turned and left with Hans and the other Westerners without looking back.
As for the Tianshen Technology personnel led by Asura, they nodded slightly toward Ice Fairy and followed behind.
"Those were five whole spirit fruits! Are we just going to let them walk away?"
"Yeah! Even if they aren't exceedingly precious, we spent so much effort on them!"
"Tianshen Technology—I'd long heard they were cooperating with Westerners, but to think it was true!"
The members of Beidou Biology stepped forward, their faces flushed with outrage.
They had entered Shennongjia under company orders.
They knew this place was extraordinary and might hold fortunes.
Thus, they had scouted ahead while looking for spirit fruits and exotic herbs to further their evolution.
Yet what happened?
Something right within their grasp had actually been intercepted by a bunch of Western churchgoers.
What infuriated them even more was that Tianshen Technology, a domestic faction, had actually colluded with the Western Holy See and brought outsiders into Shennongjia.
"Say no more."
Ice Fairy spoke, her eyes chilling over. "It seems foreign Western factions have already set their sights on our homeland. Before long, the situation might worsen, and a major war might even break out."
Beidou Biology had an official background and possessed greater insight. For instance, foreign factions had long reached their hands into Huaxia.
Especially in the early days of the mutation, some had even wanted to instigate a full-scale war.
Only because the beast tides became catastrophic later were they forced to abandon that plan.
Now, the global situation had barely stabilized, and those abroad could no longer sit still. Church members from the West had already appeared.
After this, would the Divine Knights of Mount Olympus or the people from Tianzhu be far behind?
"Even so, we can't just swallow this!" one person couldn't help but say. "And that Asura—unworthy of being called one of the Five Great Awakened! Helping outsiders, he's nothing more than a running dog!"
"Asura has his own difficulties. He may look like one of the Five Great Awakened, but in reality? Nothing more than a puppet."
"His life is in their hands; he cannot disobey Tianshen Technology."
Ice Fairy shook her head, aware of many secrets.
In the past, he might have been critically important to Tianshen Technology.
However, with the passage of time, more and more Awakened were emerging.
The so-called Five Great Awakened no longer held an absolute advantage. For instance, from what she knew of Zhu Qingyu of Zhendan Academy, she had made immense progress in a short time, nearly catching up to the Northern Emperor. And that was just what was known—what about those kept in the shadows?
Hearing this, the crowd exchanged glances.
They knew full well that even before the mutation, Tianshen Technology had been conducting various experiments aimed at creating beings that surpassed humanity.
Asura was one such experimental subject. They had thought it was just rumors, but now it seemed completely true.
Under such circumstances, there really was nothing more to say.
"Alright. Shennongjia holds plenty more spirit fruits and exotic herbs. We'll just keep searching."
Ice Fairy offered no further explanation and signaled for the group not to dwell on the matter.
She then led them away.
Just as she said, Shennongjia was truly extraordinary. Spirit fruits might be hard to come by, but exotic herbs were quite numerous.
However, beyond the expectations of Ice Fairy and her team, everywhere they went, just as they were about to reap a harvest, that group of Westerners would appear to intercept them, before sending Asura forward to mediate.
It happened several times, to the point that in the end, they barely gathered any herbs at all.
And every time, the Westerners led by Apostle Jennifer would leave behind the same phrase:
*It is God's grace.*
Ice Fairy was naturally enraged by this. One of her subordinates couldn't hold back and attacked, only to be wounded.
Jennifer was indeed formidable; even without utilizing the sacred relic, the cross scepter, her strength was a cut above Ice Fairy's.
So every time, they had to swallow their pride and endure it, watching helplessly as the spirit fruits and exotic herbs in Shennongjia were taken by the Westerners.
Ice Fairy finally concluded that the sacred relic, the cross scepter, might be capable of sensing certain fruits and herbs—or perhaps they had simply been trailing them the whole time.
Faced with this, the members of Beidou Biology felt utterly helpless. There was virtually no signal inside Shennongjia, making it difficult to call for reinforcements.
Otherwise, they would have certainly waged an all-out battle against those Vatican church members.
It was too infuriating.
To come to Huaxia and plunder domestic resources—how was this any different from that period of history a hundred years ago?
Yet Ice Fairy and the others had no recourse. In the end, they decided to stop actively searching for fruits and herbs for the time being, instead trailing behind the Westerners, suspecting they had come to Shennongjia with an underlying scheme.
Thus, one group in front and one behind, they ventured deeper into Shennongjia.
"Lady Jennifer, those Easterners are following us. Will that interfere with our plan?"
Hans noticed something amiss and spoke up immediately, making a throat-slitting gesture.
"If they want to follow, let them. It doesn't matter."
"They pose no threat to us whatsoever."
Apostle Jennifer of the Western Holy See was aware of them, but she didn't care.
With the sacred relic in hand and no other Huaxian powerhouses around, she was confident she could ignore Ice Fairy and her group.
"Miss Jennifer, we've gone too far," Asura, leading the way beside them, spoke up.
Once or twice was tolerable, but continuing like this made even him unable to stomach it any longer.
They clearly possessed the means to locate fruits and herbs on their own, yet they insisted on snatching them.
He knew that Ice Fairy hadn't fought to the death not out of fear, but solely because of his pleading, which made Asura feel immense guilt.
Hence, he spoke, hoping she would show some restraint.
"I understand your meaning, but so what? I enjoy this feeling. If you refuse to obey, you are free to head back."
Jennifer glanced over, her eyes cold, completely disregarding Asura's words.
Tianshen Technology had collaborated with the West long ago, and this expedition was a joint cooperation.
Asura?
He had some strength, sure, but what of it?
Hearing this, Asura's expression shifted slightly.
Indeed, if he were to return directly, the higher-ups would be furious and would not spare anyone connected to him, not even his family.
At most, he was merely a test subject. With the company now collaborating with the West, before long they would be able to cultivate many beings similar to him.
The other members of Tianshen Technology lowered their heads as well.
All fell silent, offering no words.
Seeing this, Hans and the other Westerners sneered to the side.
"Oh?"
Soon after, however, Jennifer let out a soft exclamation, looking down at the cross scepter as it began radiating light once more. "Up ahead, there seem to be spirit fruits or exotic herbs as well. Come, follow me to take a look."
Hearing this, the expressions of Asura and the others shifted slightly, yet they still followed behind.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
"Master, this furnace is miraculous!"
"Counting this one, it's already the thirty-third exotic herb."
Shrunk to the size of a palm through a divine ability, the Golden-Winged Great Peng gazed with marveling eyes, continually singing praises.
Not far away stood three seven-leaved exotic herbs.
Beside them, Lu Yuan wore a smile as he put away the Ziwu Heaven-Mending Furnace.
There was no other way. Although they had entered Shennongjia, the Golden-Winged Great Peng's inherited memories were still hazy, and the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon was a living creature that couldn't possibly stay in one place.
Finding it would require more time.
Rather than traversing the path empty-handed, he might as well do something else.
For instance, searching for some spirit fruits and exotic herbs to collect.
Even though they were of little use to Lu Yuan himself.
His foundation was simply too profound.
Unless it was some divine object, ordinary methods would never suffice for his evolution.
However, as long as the fruits and herbs reached a sufficient quantity, he could extract their essence and refine them directly into pills. Consuming them would still yield considerable benefits.
In other words, a quantitative change leading to a qualitative change.
Just as now: Lu Yuan had already collected quite a lot. As the saying went, even a mosquito leg was meat.
As for the Ziwu Heaven-Mending Furnace, it didn't matter if the Golden-Winged Great Peng knew about it.
After all, they were currently in a master-servant relationship.
Furthermore, having spent so much time together, Lu Yuan understood that despite appearing mighty, the peng had a temperament comparable to a five- or six-year-old child if likened to a human.
"Alright."
Shaking his head, Lu Yuan spoke, "Go pluck them."
"Yes, Master!" The Golden-Winged Great Peng was thrilled and gave a slight flap of its wings. But suddenly, its golden eyes snapped toward a certain direction. "Master, it seems someone is coming."
Chapter 71