Condemning the Heavens

Bai Tianyi kept frowning as he looked at the flower with some hesitation. "Although it does have a lot of similarities with the Intractable Mirage Peony, there are many differences as well, and it is simply impossible to guess its true origin. Maybe what we are witnessing right now is an illusion as well, and there are no flowers at all."

Although Bai Tianyi was feeling uncertain, he still thought that it was likely to be the peony flower. The few differences were not enough to take away the evil air that was lingering around, and the danger it brought upon their group was also similar to the flower's nature.

However, Bai Tianyi had seen illustrations of the Intractable Mirage Peony before, and it did not look like the ones in front of him. It was as if the plant in front of them was some sort of mutated version.

It was precisely due to this difference in appearance that he had casually mentioned that their entire world in front of them could be an illusion. If the true Intractable Mirage Peony was hiding in the shadows somewhere and weaving together illusions and lies, then they might truly be caught in a nightmare that would be hard to escape from.

Xue Wei was listening to Bai Tianyi's words, and he also sensed the uncertainty in his voice.

"Although there are some differences between these plants and the Intractable Mirage Peony you mentioned, please tell us how we can guard against these flowers, assuming there is some sort of connection between them." Although they did not know anything for certain, Xue Wei still felt that it would be better for them to prepare for some unforeseen events, and he also felt that if they kept conversing as they advanced, their mental state would also not suffer as badly as if they were focusing on their worries and fears.

"The Intractable Mirage Peony is considered a peony. Although the nature of this plant is evil, Peonies are known to be the kings of flowers, and they were used by the royal families back when our world was still ruled solely by empires and kingdoms.

"The various types of peonies usually bring prosperity, fortune, honor, and love, but this special version is the complete opposite.

"The Intractable Mirage Peony is known as a peony that wishes to bring destruction upon the world. It is said that in legends, a peony had bloomed for thousands of years within a royal garden, and due to the old age, many of the monarchs considered it an heirloom of their empire.

"The peony was bringing fortune and prosperity to their empire, and many sent offerings and treasures to honor this flower.

"The treasures they sent as offerings often contained heaven and earth essence, and due to the increase of energy in its surroundings, it slowly turned into a spirit.

"This spirit was different from most others. The majority of spirits are born in a tranquil and peaceful area which has a good connection to the heavens and the earth, but this spirit was created by offerings and treasures.

"It was, from its very creation, used to being admired and worshiped, so it took all the treasures it received for granted. The spirit began to consider the monarchs as its slaves, and its world-view became twisted.

"This peony spirit began demanding more and more treasures before it was willing to bless the empire, but as a symbol of prosperity and luck, the peony itself had no such overwhelming abilities, as it never was willing to use its personal energy for the sake of the people.

"The peony spirit's constant requests for treasures pushed the empire towards a road of doom and destruction. The commoners were the first to encounter problems as their lands could not produce enough resources to feed their population, and slowly a famine spread through the lands.

"Even so, the peony never stopped its demands for more treasures to increase its powers, and it resulted in the monarch having to fight for their empire's survival against this evil spirit.

"Unfortunately, the many treasures that had been absorbed throughout the many years had contained a lot of energy, and the peony could not be defeated.

"As revenge, the peony spirit went on a massacre and killed every citizen within the empire, but its revenge was not over yet.

"None of these people gained a pleasant death. Their corpses were all used as fertilizer, as one seed was planted in each corpse.

"These seeds took root within the corpse itself and it used the flesh and blood as nourishment as they grew. The plants that grew from the evil peony spirit and the countless corpses were the Intractable Mirage Peony.

"As for whether or not this legend is true, I do not know, but it is certain that the plant itself is evil. Unlike a true peony, it only lures its victims with promises of peace and tranquility, yet when they die, their bodies will be used to plant even more of these horrible flowers.

"Their speciality is soul energy, and according to the legend, this is due to the original peony having turned into a spirit who always hungers for more soul power."

Bai Tianyi finished retelling the legend, but looking at the many plants around him, he could not help but feel uncomfortable.

"So, each and every Intractable Mirage Peony is grown from a corpse, or was it only the legend that said this?" Ling Xiao looked around with a bit of discomfort as he noticed the sheer amount of plants in front of them. If each of them had to originate from a corpse, then the corpses used to plant this flower field had to be in the hundreds of thousands.