Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 224: Retribution

Wang Hao couldn’t help but be overjoyed. He turned to Wang Guang’an, his voice trembling with excitement. “Ancestor, there is no mistake. That is the Life Spirit Fire! It matches the ancient descriptions perfectly!”

He stepped forward, ready to collect the flame, but a heavy hand clamped down on his shoulder.

“Wait.”

Wang Hao froze, looking back at Wang Guang’an in confusion.

The Ancestor’s brow was furrowed, his eyes scanning the cavern with intense suspicion. “Something is wrong. The environment around a Life Spirit Fire should be a paradise for spirit herbs. But look closely. Why are there only a few thousand-year-old specimens here? Where are the seedlings? Where are the younger plants?”

“You mean… it’s a trap?” Wang Hao’s mind raced, and the realization hit him like a bucket of ice water.

The anomaly wasn’t just the lack of younger herbs. A treasure land like this should be prime real estate for Demon Beasts. Yet, the cavern was empty. It was as if every creature in the vicinity was deliberately avoiding this specific spot.

“Could a Third Rank Demon Beast have left these herbs as bait to lure prey?” Wang Hao whispered.

“It is likely not a beast,” Wang Guang’an said, his gaze locking onto the colossal vine that dominated the cavern. “I suspect… it is a Tree Demon.”

“A Tree Demon?” Wang Hao immediately recalled the terrifying encounter in the Danding Sect’s herb garden. The similarities were chilling. He should have noticed it sooner.

“Think back to our journey,” Wang Guang’an explained slowly, his voice low. “The vegetation was lush at the entrance, then thinned out, until finally, nothing remained but barren rock and these massive roots. If this were ordinary competition for nutrients, the other plants would be stunted, not eradicated. To monopolize every drop of water and speck of soil to this extent… only a sentient plant demon is capable of such greed.”

He gestured to the dead earth beneath their feet. “I fear it goes deeper than the soil. The Spirit Vein itself has been parasitized. This creature has likely plunged its roots into the core of the vein, sucking it dry to fuel its own growth. A mine of this size should support a Third Rank vein easily. The fact that it has degraded to Second Rank… this demon is the culprit.”

Wang Hao felt a chill run down his spine. The barrenness, the silence, the degradation of the land—it all made sense now.

The competition between plants was silent, but it was far more brutal than the wars of cultivators.

This vine had been fortunate enough to sprout near the Life Spirit Fire. Empowered by the flame, it grew faster and stronger than its neighbors.

But in this sunless underground world, resources were finite. To survive and expand, it waged a war of extermination. It strangled its competitors, drank the soil dry, and claimed every inch of space for itself.

Eventually, it gained sentience and became a Vine Demon. Its greed grew with its intelligence. It expanded its reach until it had sterilized the earth for dozens of miles around.

Even that wasn’t enough. The demon began to cultivate specific high-grade herbs, using their potent fragrance as a lure.

Demon Beasts came for the herbs, only to become fertilizer. They were killed, buried, and digested by the roots. That explained the absence of bones and the eerie silence.

Compared to the Tree Demon in the Danding Sect, this creature was far more ruthless.

Cultivators also consumed the Qi of Heaven and Earth, but they understood balance. A righteous cultivator’s Spirit Mountain was always lush and vibrant, a testament to the harmony between man and nature.

To devour everything until nothing remained but oneself—this was the path of the Demon, the Heretic.

“Fortunately, plant demons cannot move their main bodies before they reach the Transformation Stage,” Wang Guang’an said, a cold light in his eyes. “It can only plague this specific area.”

“Ancestor, it might be a Third Rank demon. Should we retreat?”

“Retreat? For a mere plant?” Wang Guang’an scoffed. “The Life Spirit Fire is too rare to abandon. Besides, the Wang family has laid claim to this land. As long as this parasite lives, we cannot occupy it. It must be eradicated.”

He cracked his knuckles. “Furthermore, since forming my Golden Core, I have yet to test my strength in battle. This is a perfect target—a powerful enemy that cannot chase us. Even if I cannot kill it, I can ensure our escape.”

He turned to Wang Hao. “Hao’er, retreat three hundred zhang. Protect yourself. This old man will go and meet it!”

Wang Hao nodded and fell back to a safe distance. There were still roots in his vicinity, but they were only arm-thick. With his Red Lotus True Fire enhanced by the Dry Sun True Flame, he was confident he could burn them to ash if they attacked.

From this vantage point, he could observe the Golden Core battle and perhaps strike a critical blow if the opportunity arose.

Seeing Wang Hao safe, Wang Guang’an stepped forward, his voice booming like thunder.

“Such destructive plundering is intolerable to the Heavenly Dao! Today, this old man acts on behalf of the Heavens to eradicate you, vile demon!”

Wang Guang’an produced the Three Flames Fan. His spiritual energy surged, pouring into the artifact. He swung it fiercely.

WHOOSH!

A wave of scorching flame erupted from the fan, coalescing into a massive, shrieking Fire Bird that dove straight for the vine’s main trunk.

The Vine Demon, having sensed them long ago, finally dropped its disguise. It had been waiting for them to get closer—within range of a one-hit kill—just as it had done to dozens of greedy cultivators before He Qing.

It had killed every intruder for centuries. But lately, it had grown cunning. It would let weak cultivators like He Qing steal a herb and escape, knowing their greed would bring them back with stronger friends. More food.

It had planned to use the same tactic today. It was confident it could ambush and kill even a Golden Core cultivator at close range.

But these humans were too cautious. They had seen through its trap.

SCREECH!

The Fire Bird slammed into a massive root the demon raised in defense, instantly incinerating the thick wood into ash.

Enraged, the Vine Demon abandoned all pretense. The ground erupted as hundreds of vines lashed out. A dozen thick vines suddenly detached their tips, glowing with a sickly green light. They shot toward Wang Guang’an like high-speed spears, whistling through the air.

These were the demon’s body-vines, reinforced by millennia of cultivation. They were as hard and sharp as flying swords.

The moment the demon attacked, its aura was exposed.

Wang Guang’an and Wang Hao sensed it immediately: Third Rank Low Grade.

Wang Hao was surprised. This creature had lived for thousands of years and possessed a Life Spirit Fire, yet it was only at the bottom of the Third Rank?

But then he understood. The demon had been too greedy. It had drained the Spirit Vein dry, destroying the very foundation of its growth. Without a sustainable source of Qi, it had stagnated.

There was a grim justice to it. Every cause has its effect; the Heavenly Dao’s retribution was slow, but it never missed.