Indeed, Zhou Hong had broken through from a second-grade demon master to a fourth-grade demon master. While not a huge leap, it was enough to make him happy, as advancements became increasingly difficult later on.
"Let's go, out we go." Zhou Hong didn't gloat for too long, quickly leaving the cave.
"Zhou Hong, you're done with your seclusion!" Emerging from the cave, he saw a man by a tree not far away, grilling some wild game, as if waiting for someone.
It was none other than Long Yu.
"Long Yu, I didn't expect you to finish before me."
"I just finished a few hours ago myself. Seeing that beaming smile on your face, you must have had quite a harvest. Share it with me."
Zhou Hong didn't hide anything, stating directly, "I've broken through to fourth-grade demon master now."
"Wow, nice. Congratulations, you actually advanced two levels consecutively. Your current realm is one level higher than mine. I'm a third-grade demon master, having broken through while being chased by Daoist Tian Ji." Long Yu quickly congratulated him.
"For you, talking about realms is meaningless; it's about your combat power. Has your soul immortal artifact been upgraded yet?" Zhou Hong asked directly, walking over and tearing off a piece of the roasted wild game to eat.
"Just a little bit short!" Long Yu gave a slightly regretful smile.
"What rank is your current immortal artifact?"
"Fourth-grade!"
"If it's upgraded to fifth-grade, how powerful will it be?"
"I think it can easily instantly kill a sixth-grade Immortal King, or even a seventh-grade one. And when I use it, it won't drain so much of my energy."
"Wow, that's really good."
"Yes, it's a pity I'm always just a bit short. The most crucial thing is my own realm being too low. If my realm could reach Immortal King, then using this immortal artifact, I could probably contend with a ninth-grade Immortal King."
"Wow!" Zhou Hong couldn't help but exclaim. It seemed Long Yu truly had a bright future.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill and chatted about some trivial matters, Zhou Hong finally said, "Long Yu, I can't chat with you any longer. Let's have a barbecue and drinks together again if we get the chance. I need to hurry and find the Soul Locking Grass now; I only have a year."
"Alright. I'm also planning to return to the Immortal Realm. I've been hiding out from my enemies for about half a year. If I don't go back soon, everyone in the Immortal Realm will think I'm dead."
"Farewell!"
"Farewell!"
Thus, the two parted ways again. Long Yu left the Immortal-Demonic Mountain Range, while Zhou Hong continued his search for the Soul Locking Grass.
Time slowly passed.
In the blink of an eye, another six months went by.
Finally, Zhou Hong discovered traces of the Soul Locking Grass.
Deep within a secluded mountain range, Zhou Hong spotted a Soul Locking Grass plant that was over three meters tall. The one he collected last time was only twenty to thirty centimeters. This time, it was over three meters tall, making Zhou Hong suspect it might be fake. After repeated confirmation, it was indeed real.
"Grandpa, how many years has such a large Soul Locking Grass lived?" Zhou Hong asked in amazement.
"It's probably lived for at least a million years. This is truly the best of the best. With this one Soul Locking Grass, we can probably refine hundreds of puppets." Zhou Hong's grandfather was very excited.
"Hundreds of puppets, that's great!" Zhou Hong was also thrilled.
"You can't rush up to it now. A Soul Locking Grass of this age probably has an intelligence superior to yours."
"Then how can I capture it?"
"I'm not sure. Don't get too close to it for now. A Soul Locking Grass of this caliber is already a spirit; it's more appropriate to call it a Soul Locking Spirit."
Zhou Hong nodded. Just then, something astonishing happened to Zhou Hong. He saw the Soul Locking Grass in the distance suddenly transform into human form, becoming a naked beauty.
"Holy cow, what's going on?" Zhou Hong was stunned.
"As expected, it has become a spirit and can transform into human form," Zhou Hong's grandfather sighed, feeling it was very troublesome.
"Is it troublesome that it can transform into human form?"
"It will be very difficult to capture, and we might even be killed by it."
While Zhou Hong was conversing with his grandfather, the Soul Locking Grass, which had transformed into human form, suddenly looked towards Zhou Hong and said with a slight smile, "Don't hide. I know you're there. What a cultivator you are, almost letting me not detect your presence."
Zhou Hong was a bit dumbfounded. Just a blade of grass had discovered him.
"Grandpa, what should I do now? I don't know how strong it is."
"These plants that have become spirits, once they can transform into human form, can also cultivate. However, their cultivation is much harder than humans, animals, etc. They must first become spirits before they can slowly cultivate and become powerful." Su Dan Novel Network
"Then what realm is this Soul Locking Grass at? Why can't I sense it?"
"I don't know either. Their cultivation methods are different. But from its appearance, its strength is not lower than yours, possibly even above yours. Otherwise, it wouldn't have discovered you so easily, and it's acting so unhurriedly, not taking you seriously at all."
"Then I'm... doomed!" Zhou Hong's body trembled slightly. To come here to pick Soul Locking Grass, only to be killed by it, would be truly laughable.
"Are you still not coming out?" The transformed Soul Locking Grass, seeing Zhou Hong still hiding, suddenly raised her voice.
The next second, her gaze shot towards Zhou Hong. Suddenly, Zhou Hong felt a sense of dizziness. It was obvious that Zhou Hong had been soul-attacked.
Fortunately, Zhou Hong's grandfather instantly cleared Zhou Hong's mind, otherwise, he would have been lost.
"Grandpa, she can use mental attacks?"
"This is very normal. She is, after all, a Soul Locking Grass. Her specialty is the soul. It seems this spirit-formed Soul Locking Grass is indeed stronger than you."
Zhou Hong stood up. There was no other option: either flee or seek peace.
The Soul Locking Grass sat on a rock, her legs spread apart. Since she had transformed into a human woman, Zhou Hong felt a bit awkward, or perhaps hot-blooded, looking at her body.
If a passerby encountered her now and didn't know her true nature, they might genuinely mistake her for a human. Zhou Hong also wondered if her transformed body was truly the same as a human's, and he swallowed as he glanced at a certain part of her.
Zhou Hong's grandfather said in his mind, "It's the same. Humans and spirits can also reproduce."
"Ah? That's unscientific! They are fundamentally different species; there should be reproductive isolation." Zhou Hong found it hard to believe. What would the offspring be, human or plant?
"Heh, don't use the mundane perspective of Earthlings. For ordinary mortals on Earth, there is reproductive isolation. But once you reach this level, things are different."
Zhou Hong stopped dwelling on the issue and walked towards the Soul Locking Grass.
"Hello, beautiful!" Zhou Hong greeted her awkwardly.