The Celestial Emperor Bamboo needed 27,000 years to reach full maturity and bear fruit; this amount of time was enough for the world to change many times, and seas to dry into deserts!

　　Not many people were capable of waiting until the Celestial Emperor Bamboo bore a fruit. Even so, the Celestial Emperor Bamboo was still incredibly valuable.

　　Because even if the fruits were extremely amazing, how many would it bear each time?

　　The true reason why the Celestial Emperor Bamboo could be placed among the top ten of the Tianmu Planet’s spirit herbs ranking list was because in its growth period, every stage would open up a layer of space, absorbing the high grade energy within it!

　　If the quality of the energy of Tianmu Planet was graded with the number one, then the energy contained in the Celestial Emperor Bamboo was 10!

　　Furthermore, with every stage of its growth, the quality of the energy in the Celestial Emperor Bamboo’s inner space would increase by 10 times!

　　The energy contained within it when it reached full maturity was of such terrifyingly high quality that it would be extremely beneficial to even Thousand Year King realm experts!

　　Bei Feng finally understood how a bunch of low-level Demonic Beasts with weak bloodlines could suddenly grow so much stronger so rapidly! This was like how even an ordinary pig would be able to evolve into a powerful beast lording over an area if it lived in a place with high-quality energy!

　　“I don’t know how many people know about this too, but apart from us, that lass from the other group also knew about this.”

　　Li Wei’s face broke into a smile. He thought about that intense battle, and the corpses scattered throughout the land; the scene of blood flowing like a river was so enchanting and intoxicating…

　　“Bang!”

　　Bei Feng lifted his leg scornfully and stepped down swiftly, smashing his foot into that disgusting smiling face!

　　This one foot directly stomped on his face, shattering his head and rupturing his five viscera and six bowels. Li Wei was dead beyond question.

　　“It doesn’t matter whether what you said was real or simply words to save your life, but since you’re not the only person who knows about this matter, what’s the use of keeping you alive?”

　　Bei Feng, whose foot did not have a single drop of blood on it, sneered disdainfully as he turned around.

　　Thinking about the current situation, he could not help but shake his head. ‘This matter seems to be quite troublesome.’

　　‘I wonder what stage this Celestial Emperor Bamboo has reached… but regardless of what level it’d reached, if news of it was spread outside, a huge bloody battle will likely ensue.’

　　Bei Feng’s expression was indeterminable. Thinking about it logically, the matter of the Celestial Emperor Bamboo should be known by more than a few people. In that case, the best course of action right now was to leave this place.

　　The large families would not mind commencing a grand battle against the Demonic Beasts in this Heaven Connecting Tower for the sake of the bamboo. In that kind of battle, cultivators at the Hundred Year realm would be nothing but cannon fodder.

　　Bei Feng fell silent, considering the matter long and hard. Lu Bu was also indescribably shocked in that moment. The Celestial Emperor Bamboo had unexpectedly appeared!

　　“Fight! I cannot keep backing off!”

　　Bei Feng made his decision. Everyone here were no fool. Not many people would be able to remain unmoved before a treasure like the Celestial Emperor Bamboo. Simply opting to sell the information without even trying to obtain the treasure first? Bei Feng did not believe that anybody would do that!

　　If he managed to successfully obtain the Celestial Emperor Bamboo, he would have a real foundation to nurture large numbers of experts!

　　Time passed slowly, and numerous groups of cultivators made their decisions as well. As expected, nobody was willing to let the Celestial Emperor Bamboo fall into the hands of others.

　　Early the next day, Bei Feng sent Lu Bu out to gather news first. He did not hurry to venture into the gangster rabbits’ territory. As the saying went, the hunter would shoot the first bird that stuck its head out. Bei Feng was certainly not willing to be that particular bird!

　　“We need to make adequate preparations; just obtaining the Celestial Emperor Bamboo is not enough, for we also need to silence every single person that’s involved in vying for it!”

　　Bei Feng did not hesitate in making the decision. He knew that he was not the only person who thought this way; the others should also have the same intention.

　　Otherwise, even if he successfully obtained the Celestial Emperor Bamboo, it would be snatched away by others as soon as he exited the Heaven Connecting Tower. Countless powerful experts would swarm him to rob him of his treasure if they knew it was with him.

　　‘From the looks of the situation, I can only rely on the Minor Stellar Circuit Attacking Formation.’

　　Bei Feng furrowed his brows. If he was to set up the formation, he was still lacking the core Star Stone.

　　The Star Stone was the core material needed to set up this formation, and it could not be substituted with anything. This kind of Star Stone was not as simple as a meteorite that fell from the sky.

　　A Star Stone was a material condensed from the nucleus of a star along with the Heaven Earth Lingqi generated at the point of its explosion. These stones were extremely rare.

　　Wanting to find a Star Stone in such a short time was basically impossible for Bei Feng right now.

　　Three days flashed by in the blink of an eye. They were completely calm, and the gangster rabbits in the area that Lu Bu was watching also did not show any particularly strange movements. It was as if Bei Feng was the only one that knew about the Celestial Emperor Bamboo.

　　However, Bei Feng could sense the brewing undercurrents. In those three days, Bei Feng had completely familiarized himself with the Minor Stellar Circuit Attacking Formation. At the same time, he’d also grasped the other Star Arts completely.

　　Although he still wasn’t very proficient and practiced with it, in a crucial time, the combination of these Star Arts would still be sufficient to grant him victory!

　　Even if his opponent was slightly faster than him, if he used the speed increasing Star Art on himself, and placed the Star Ring Art to reduce his opponent’s speed, the resulting difference in speed would suddenly become extremely wide, allowing him to surpass his opponent greatly in speed!

　　As the saying went, there were no garbage techniques, only garbage people!

　　Lu Bu’s figure suddenly appeared inside the huge cave; he reported respectfully, “Family Head, there’s some movements; four teams have entered the area.”[a]

　　“How many people do they have?”

　　Bei Feng’s expression was calm. It was obvious that these four teams were not the only groups after the Celestial Emperor Bamboo. There was definitely no lack of people waiting in the shadows, hoping to be the oriole behind the mantis.

　　“There’s at least a thousand people in total, and most of them are Hundred Year realm Fourth Layer experts. The strongest group among them has at least 500 people. The four groups have spread out in four directions, and is beginning to surround the gangster rabbits.”

　　Lu Bu’s face was grim as he reported the numbers. The opponent’s strength was too great; it truly wasn’t easy to be an oriole.

　　Atop a tall peak several kilometers away from the gangster rabbits’ nest, a group of people in black was surveying the situation calmly, their sleeves fluttering gently in the wind.

　　The group of hundred radiated a fearsome aura like a thousand-strong army and ten thousand calvary. If one closed their eyes and only felt the atmosphere, their scalps would grow numb with fear! It was as if the people standing here were not humans, but Asuras that’d come out of hell!

　　“Young Master, are we not participating?” a black-robed man asked in a hoarse voice as he knelt on the ground with one knee while facing a youth dressed in sky-blue robes.[b]

　　“Ke, those are just some prancing clowns. How interesting, to think that I would come across the Celestial Emperor Bamboo when I’ve only come out for a casual stroll.”

　　Shui Yuntian looked with amusement and disdain at the faraway group that’d already begun a fierce battle against the gangster rabbits.

　　“Just let them clear the path for us; good steel needs to be reserved for crafting the edge of the blade. We’ll wait for those impatient ones to take action first before we go down.”

　　Shui Yuntian was completely unmoved.

　　This area had already turned into a huge pool of murky water that normal people would stay far away from. And, the “water” was becoming murkier by the minute. Bei Feng and Shui Yuntian were not the only people hoping to fish in these murky waters. There were other groups waiting patiently like fishermen as well.

　　The four groups were like four powerful swords, cutting through the gangster rabbits in an unstoppable manner. Every second, large numbers of gangster rabbits and cultivators would fall to the ground.

　　The most tragic were the people who were directly pushed down by the gangster rabbits and raped on the spot. The scene was so frightening that onlookers would shudder, and those that heard the cries would drop a tear silently for those tormented souls.

　　Whoever saw the scenes of these lone cultivators surrounded by large numbers of gangster rabbits and taken in turn… would feel their own chrysanthemum tighten uncontrollably.

　　“F*ck! The Celestial Emperor Bamboo can be forfeited, but those damn gangster rabbits must die!”

　　The gangster rabbits were originally thought to hold no threat to cultivators, and only weak First Layer Hundred Year realm cultivators would get caught by them. But now, they’d suddenly become so strong that even Fourth Layer Hundred Year realm cultivators could hardly save themselves.

　　These gangster rabbits were like cancerous tumor in the Hundred Break Mountain Range, and the cultivators rushed to kill them with great rage.

　　Only very few people knew about the news of the Celestial Emperor Bamboo. Most of the people here did not even know what they were fighting for.

　　The gangster rabbits fell back repeatedly; although they held a certain advantage in numbers, their strength had risen too rapidly in too short a time, and they were still unable to bring out their full ability.

　　Against the humans who’d formed united formations, they were instantly suppressed into a disadvantageous state.

　　Everyone was fighting with all their might; these gangster rabbits were too frightening. When they looked at those unlucky bastards who were getting forcefully mounted, fire grew in their hearts, for they were afraid that the next one to get done in like that would be them! Every attack was filled with their full force, and there wasn’t a single shred of mercy in their hands!

　　“Squeak, squeak!”

　　Numerous loud squeaks suddenly rang out, and the entire battlefield fell silent in an instant.

　　“Boom!”

　　Huge, five meters tall gangster rabbits hopped into the battlefield, their eyes gleaming fiercely, and the rods between their legs swinging threateningly. Their entire bodies were filled with muscles, and their auras were mind-numbingly shocking.

　　“What kind of joke is this! These gangster rabbits are actually all at the peak of the Hundred Year realm!”

　　The group of cultivators all stared dumbly in shock. Even without fighting, their hearts had already been filled with fear.

　　“This is not a good battle to fight, ah… if we won, that’d be fine, but if we lost…” a short cultivator muttered while sweat rolled down his neck.

　　He took one look at the gangster rabbits’ girth and length, and then at his own small frame. In that moment, his face turned green.

　　Everyone also obviously understood the meaning behind his words. In that moment, their scalps also turned numb, and their legs softened slightly.

　　“Kill! A Hundred Year realm Fourth Layer Demonic Dan will be the reward for every dead gangster rabbit!”

　　The four group captains also felt exceptionally uneasy at this moment. If they really couldn’t defeat those vulgar rabbits, and instead got raped by them… they’d really have to hang themselves in shame. Seeing their hesitating underlings, they did not hesitate to issue more rewards!

　　“Fourth Layer Demonic Dan?!”

　　“Captain is awesome!”

　　“Kill! A Fourth Layer Demonic Dan on top of those stupid rabbits’ dan, it’s double the reward!”

　　Everyone was panting madly like bulls as they swung their weapons with every inch of their strength.

　　With the motivation of more profits, everyone lost their earlier thoughts of hesitation and retreat. With so many people here, it definitely wouldn’t be me to be so unlucky, right?

　　Sword rays and blade light flashed through the air as the groups charged fiercely.

　　Unfortunately, reality proved that these people… were truly that unlucky! As soon as the group of cultivators clashed against the giant gangster rabbits, they were directly beaten senseless!

　　Just the power of these gangster rabbits had already reached the peak of the Hundred Year realm. Adding in their muscular bodies, their strength had reached a point where they could sweep these cultivators aside like rotten wood!

　　It was completely a case of using overwhelming power to crush everything in their path. With just a few casual punches, the charging army was smacked down and dragged to the side to be enjoyed.

　　Only a small number of cultivators who’d reached the Fourth Layer late stage was barely able to hold on and resist the powerful strength of these giant gangster rabbits.

　　Hearing the savage cries of those that’d been dragged and pinned to the ground, everyone else’s faces turned pale instantly. How were they supposed to fight like this!?

　　The four groups directly retreated, leaving behind several hundred people who were being tormented on the ground.

　　“Brother, it’s not that this elder brother does not want to save you, but this is beyond my ability, ah!”

　　“These damn gangster rabbits need to die!”

　　“If there’s a next life, this one promises to kill my fill of gangster rabbits!”

　　This was the first time that many cultivators truly felt that death was a nice and simple thing. Their brothers were currently suffering a fate worse than death—that was the true torture!

　　Bei Feng listened quietly from a distance away as the wretched cries rose to the heavens. His expression was twisted, and his face was slightly pale as well. These gangster rabbits reminded him of the crazed sex poodles on Earth!

　　“If the sex poodles could turn into Demonic Beasts, I’m sure these people would understand true despair,” Bei Feng mumbled to himself.

　　Just the image that arose in his mind caused him to gulp and shiver slightly.

　　[a]Those used to be two paragraphs, but I had to merge them (or rewrite them quite a bit), so… tell me if there’s any issue with this later (I think I heard something about this causing issues in omegaT)

　　[b]another two merged paragraphs, the same case