Baiyu's firepower was unexpectedly abundant.
A few fireballs the size of a basin weren't very lethal on their own, but shooting them like a machine gun made the power quite extraordinary.
The entire river surface was floating with flames.
Burning fiercely.
The humanoid creatures in the river, once on fire, kept screaming miserably, even too distracted to care about the plant emitting a strange fragrance.
Baiyu took a breath, hid behind a giant rock after releasing the continuous attack.
The javelins of those humanoid creatures remained a deadly threat.
Especially for him at that moment.
Getting hit would definitely result in a blood hole.
Even a huge crab wouldn't dare to take it head-on, let alone him; would he not die instantly?
Grandmaster Long and the others, seeing this situation, also hid deeper, afraid of being shot by the humanoid creatures.
However.
Those creatures couldn't even protect themselves.
Much less think about launching an attack.
In the sea of fire, they tried to break through, but the spread of fire was faster than their movement.
The scorching air mixed with many toxic substances produced by the flames.
And just the heat of the air was enough to cook them, making some begin to jump into the water.
The fierce fire burned for two full hours before starting to weaken.
Baiyu approached the riverbank, discovering many of those humanoid creatures had been burned beyond recognition.
Some were even reduced to dried, charred corpses.
And some that escaped fell prey to Baiyu's precise fireballs, getting killed one by one.
Because of the fire.
The surrounding animals that wouldn't disperse finally scattered away.
Baiyu finally had a chance to approach the peculiar plant in the river.
Grandmaster Long, Jiang Han, and Wulin also emerged, staring at the blood-soaked battlefield, momentarily unsure of what to do.
Jiang Han hesitated, "What do you plan to do with that plant? It looks like a natural treasure, but if consumed, who knows what it might cause."
Wulin and Grandmaster Long both nodded.
Consuming a plant whose effects are not understood is potentially problematic.
There have been precedents in the past.
Baiyu stared at the fruit, pondering for a moment, "First, let's pick it. Since so many creatures are fighting over it, it must not be simple.
We can't give up any chance to strengthen ourselves right now."
The three nodded.
Baiyu was right; should they be truly cornered, even poison must be tried.
Just as Baiyu harnessed the power of the Earth Rune to create a passable path on the river, an anomaly arose.
Because of previous battles, many animal corpses floated on the river, and more were likely submerged.
The clear river water turned blood-red.
The banks were piled cruelly with various corpses, making it look like a garbage disposal site.
You could hardly be exaggerating.
The fire Baiyu had just ignited served as a Purification, cleansing the air and dealing with these exposed corpses.
Yet.
All the blood on the river surface was now flowing toward the mysterious plant exuding a strange fragrance.
At the plant's root and stem, it formed a blood-red, continuously spinning vortex.
"Gulp, gulp..."
The sounds of devouring echoed in the tranquil river.
The four of them halted their actions instantly.
"This plant, is it conscious?" questioned Grandmaster Long first, someone of his experience had never seen such a bizarre sight.
The scene showed the plant clearly devouring the blood.
It's exceedingly creepy.
In that moment, Baiyu suddenly remembered those plants in nature, which emit certain scents to capture prey.
This scene and that situation are very similar.
But.
The capturing ability of this plant was simply too strong considering so many animals.
The incessant gulps continued, and as the plant fed, blood-colored patterns appeared on the vine.
Around the vortex,
waves arose,
with the blood rushing into the vortex and devoured completely, and gradually, the river surface cleared.
The surrounding scent of blood dispersed.
Such a large quantity of blood was absorbed by this seemingly small plant, leaving not a drop.
And the golden fruit in its bud became more full, juicy, and vibrant.
The scent it emitted.
Was so rich, making it hard to resist its allure.
But knowing how it came to be, Baiyu felt a bit nauseated.
One can imagine the Guardian Beast crab might have frequently killed animals here to nourish this plant.
Grandmaster Long stopped, whispered, "What should we do? The plant seems truly mature now, should we pick it?"
Facing the eerie fruit, everyone felt a bit frightened.
No one knew if the plant still hid other eerie traits; without the Guardian Beast, picking the fruit remained hazardous.
After absorbing all nearby regular blood.
The plant didn't stop and drained the giant crab and eagle of their golden blood.
Their blood seemed different, taking longer to digest.
With the blood of two large creatures thoroughly absorbed, the golden fruit appeared more plump and real, possessing Spirituality.
Now, at this juncture.
Retreating was not an option.
Regardless of any risk, the golden fruit had to be picked.
Using the Earth Rune to build a dirt path on the water surface, Baiyu crossed alone.
The others couldn't follow.
They were currently powerless, similar to ordinary individuals, any unexpected event could be fatal.
Soon,
Baiyu approached the plant without encountering any danger.
The golden fruit was right in front.
Baiyu examined the fruit closely, perfect, full, flawless.
Like a divine artifact intricately crafted by the heavens.
Baiyu extended his hand.
Ethereal whispers murmured in his ears, his Pollution Level surged at that moment.
Nonetheless.
Baiyu suppressed the soaring Pollution Level, reaching for the golden fruit.
Snap.
He broke the branch and quickly opened the box that last housed the Deformed Weapons "Birdcage", placing the fruit inside.
The box, made of Living Iron, effectively blocked Extraordinary Power.
Once the golden fruit was contained.
The intense fragrance disappeared instantly, the continuous whispers in his ears gradually ceased.
Baiyu exhaled deeply.
He had finally succeeded.
Though unsure what this fruit was, its value was undoubtedly extraordinary.
Baiyu was almost certain.
This was a part of the Tidal World, possibly controlled by the Senpao, or maybe not.