In helplessness, he could only do some exercises to maintain his physical fitness, ensuring his body would not be too exhausted.

From then on, Zheng Yi was completely abandoned by Nanny Wang.

After completing the fixed cultivation of the “Spirit Eating Technique” every day, Zheng Yi would secretly investigate the entire Spirit Pool while everyone was cultivating or resting.

As in his previous life, he could walk freely within the Spirit Pool.

However, the surroundings of the Spirit Pool were enveloped in a thick fog.

These places were forbidden; no children were allowed to approach!

Seven years old.

During an outing with his companions, a sudden downpour caused all the children to run back to their rooms with their heads held high.

But Zheng Yi, taking advantage of the opportunity, ran to the edge of the Spirit Pool.

Due to the heavy rain, the fog that usually hung around had dissipated quite a bit.

In the pouring rain, Zheng Yi saw, beyond the distant forest, bizarre tree branches towering hundreds of meters high, entwining together like thorny giant walls.

Zheng Yi was mistaken.

The fog did not hide any huge stone walls.

Instead, it was…the crowns of enormous trees!

In other words, their Spirit Pool was actually atop an immense tree!

At this moment, he suddenly felt an icy chill all over, as his vision darkened and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

Vaguely, it seemed that on those branches, there were fruits like dates but shaped like infants growing!

“What…are those things?”

“They look familiar, like I’ve seen them somewhere before…?”

His vision blacking out, Zheng Yi collapsed headlong.

It was unknown how much time had passed before Zheng Yi slowly woke up.

He felt feverish all over, his mouth almost glued shut.

He wanted to open it, but a sharp pain from his throat prevented him from doing so.

Before him, several children and Nanny Wang were gathered.

“Zheng Yi’s awake!”

“Awake, awake!”

“Zheng Yi, why did you run to the woods? If the guard hadn’t found you, you could’ve died!”

“Did you get lost?”

Feeling the concern from the surrounding children, Zheng Yi forced himself to speak through the sharp pain in his throat: “The rain—it was too heavy—I couldn’t see the road…”

Nanny Wang spoke then: “Zheng Yi is awake, everyone should disperse now.”

“Oh~”

A group of children responded, leaving the ward one by one.

“Zheng Yi, take care and recover. We’ll play again once you’re well.”

“Goodbye~”

Children’s emotions are the purest, many waved goodbye to him.

However, Nanny Wang’s eyes were filled with utmost disappointment and coldness.

She suppressed her anger and said: “Little Yi’er, once you’re well, someone will come to take you out of the Spirit Pool.”

“Your constitution is too weak, if you continue cultivating the ‘Spirit Eating Technique’ you might die young.”

“Once you’re out, live your life well.”

“I—I understand, Nanny…”

In the darkness, Zheng Yi’s eyes gleamed slightly.

Half a month later, Zheng Yi fully recovered.

At this time, an ordinary carriage arrived at Spirit Pool B-7 to take Zheng Yi away.

Along with dozens of other children with no cultivation talent, they were sent out of the Spirit Pool.

They were all ordinary people, with no Spirit Root, so they were sent out too.

Or rather, the ‘seeds’ within them had not sprouted.

Seeds?

Zheng Yi suddenly recalled the dates around the Spirit Pool, those densely packed infant-shaped fruits.

Could it be, those were the seeds?

In a daze, Zheng Yi was placed onto the carriage, swaying as it headed out of the Spirit Pool.

Unlike the last time, this time there were ten children in the carriage, including him!

And this carriage was very ordinary, worn out, filled with a scent of blood.

But outside, it remained sealed with iron, revealing nothing.

The last time he was transported, the journey took little more than half an hour to reach Liuu Ling’er’s Palace after leaving the Spirit Pool.

But today, it took nearly two hours before slowly coming to a stop.

This was a colossal room constructed from large blocks of bluestone, its exterior rugged and menacing, entirely jet black in color.

At this moment, five taels’ worth of carriages slowly entered this massive courtyard.

One by one, the carriages halted in their designated rooms.

First, ten children alighted from the carriage and were guided into the house by the coachman.

The heavy stone doors slowly closed, and from within came a long-repressed roar.

The coachman shivered violently, rushing back to the carriage.

As if only here could he feel a modicum of safety.

The remaining four carriages continued forward, each stopping at different doorways.

Dozens of bewildered little children disembarked, following the adults’ guidance into the rooms.

At this moment, the last carriage housing Zheng Yi also arrived at the final room.

The ten children were still chatting merrily, but after entering the room, the strong scent of blood and stench rendered them speechless with fear.

Zheng Yi, at the back, carefully observed the room.

This place could be described more accurately as a slaughterhouse.

The entire structure was made of massive bluestone, rugged and spacious, over ten meters high.

The air was saturated with overpowering scents of blood and stench, exuding a sinister aura.

“Wha..what is this place?”

A slightly older child exclaimed, but before they could react, several dark shadows pounced on them.

“Gaa gaa gaa…”

“Heard among this blood feast, a child with cultivation potential was sent out due to constitutional reasons; he’s mine!”

“Willow Bone! He’s mine!”

“He’s mine!”

“Kekekekeke… We’ve waited half a year for a chance to gorge on this blood feast, whoever seizes it first, it’s theirs!”

Amidst the manic laughter, at least seven or eight figures rushed in.

Some half-human, half-snake, some half-human, half-eagle, others merely skeletal, some even transformed into black smoke.

All targeting Zheng Yi!

“Snap!”

With a crisp sound, Zheng Yi’s left arm was bitten by a half-human, half-snake creature. Just as it was about to be torn off, his right side was seized by a giant centipede.

“Ah!!!”

Under tenfold pain, Zheng Yi instinctively screamed.

“Gaa gaa gaa… He’s mine!”

“No one’s taking him!”

The half-human, half-snake monster yanked fiercely, tearing off Zheng Yi’s left arm.

“Delicious, delicious!”

“This part is mine!”

A black fog swept in, immediately corroding Zheng Yi’s legs clean.

“And me!”

A skeleton shot forward, instantly tearing off half of Zheng Yi’s body, devouring it voraciously.

“Gaa! And me!”

An eagle-headed demon swooped by, ripping Zheng Yi’s head off.

“Ah!!!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep