20 Still Human (1/2)

After the two children had left for the Golden Leaf Pavilion, Bai Lian, inwardly, let out a sigh of relief. 'I don't think I could have kept the voice in my signals gentle any longer.'

She had stopped absorbing from the spirit beast corpses inside the burrow. Rather, she couldn't bear to continue. Warnings of danger rang inside her head, triggering bursts of pain throughout her body. Her body urgently tried to warn her that she was walking too close to the path of no return.

Bai Lian had already been absorbing from corpses for more than a week, resulting in an abundance of dark qi gathering within her. When cultivating, she would gather qi of other elements which would help keep a balance of elements within her. However, this balance had tipped more, the less she cultivated. Recently, she had been spending more time with Lin Tao and Ji Yun, resulting in less time for cultivation.

'If I bear through this pain and continue absorbing from corpses, then my next evolution will be, without a doubt, on a much larger scale than usual. I will definitely gain a huge power boost. However, wouldn't I become a demon?'

An instinctive feeling within her told her that she could evolve into a demonic plant as long as she got through this obstacle.

A sinister temptation crept up on her, urging her to take action, 'I need to become stronger. Otherwise, those who had harmed me will get away. Now that I have the chance to become strong, I can't let it go…'

Conflicting thoughts whirled within Bai Lian as her reason fought against the temptations, 'However, there's no turning back after becoming a demon… My demonic aura will be more difficult to conceal. Perhaps I would be hunted down by experts. Perhaps those I love won't be willing to accept me anymore...'

Bai Lian hardened her resolve, 'No, I can't let myself become a demon. My top priority is not revenge. It is my own life. I can't let this life end up as a tragedy… Patience… I must be patient. That's right. How could I have forgotten? I need strength to protect myself. However, for my own revenge, there's no need for me to directly take action, putting myself in unnecessary danger. Mm. I just need to borrow someone else's knife to fulfill my revenge. I just need to follow through with my plans.'

Bai Lian's turbulent mind regained its calm, 'To balance out the qi within my me, I should absorb from the living while limiting my absorption of dark qi.'

Filled with determination, she scanned the areas of the forest within her roots' reach. 'It would be safest to absorb from plants. However, if I absorb from too many plants, suspicion may arise within those wandering within this forest and an investigation may be conducted. It would be too detrimental for my cultivation if there's an abundance of soul masters in the forest.'

Her attention was suddenly pulled by a particular automatic signal she received. Near her burrow, there was a boy who appeared to be around 16 years of age. 'His strength should be around that of a rank 6 spirit warrior. This boy's talent is lower than Little Tao and Little Yun's talent.'