The Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon was not only a rare soul-attribute spirit beast, but it was also a plant-type soul beast, which was even rarer.
A few days ago, the reason Qi Ping chose to buy the Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon first—aside from the fact that its owner was more desperate—was that the species was even harder to find than the Fairy-Trance Spirit Fox.
Its primary talents were also not inferior to those of the white fox.
[Species: Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon]
[Bloodline: Rank Two High-Grade]
[Talents: Demon-Eye Aspiration, Demon-Eye Soul, Hundred-Eyed Demon Realm]
Demon-Eye Aspiration: A singular demon-eye is born within the spirit-soul, possessing the effect of suppressing heart-demons and evil spirits.
Demon-Eye Soul: A singular demon-eye is born within the spirit-soul, granting the soul extraordinary divine power. It provides excellent talent for soul cultivation.
Hundred-Eyed Demon Realm: Capable of creating a terrifying illusory realm within the demon-eye. In battle, it can pull an enemy's consciousness inside to collapse and destroy their mind.
In some respects, the capabilities of the Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon were more terrifying than those of the Fairy-Trance Spirit Fox.
The illusions of a Fairy-Trance Spirit Fox were versatile and could be shaped at will, but the Hundred-Eyed Demon Realm was filled with the power of heart-demons and evil spirits. If a cultivator with a weak mind or a damaged Dao-heart was caught in the Hundred-Eyed Demon Realm, their most likely end was the total collapse of their soul.
However, if it encountered someone with a flawless mind and an unblemished Dao-heart, the power of the Hundred-Eyed Demon Realm would drop to a freezing point.
For example, Qi Ping felt that if a Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon of the same level encountered Meng Yan, its performance would be far inferior to that of the Fairy-Trance Spirit Fox—it might not even be able to do anything at all.
But if it encountered someone whose soul and cultivation were built purely on pills, even if they were one or two minor stages higher, the Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon might still be able to kill them across realms.
Therefore, whether the Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon was strong or not depended entirely on its opponent.
If it met someone with a firm and flawless Dao-heart, it might as well just give up and go to sleep; it might not win even against an opponent two stages lower.
But against those with weak wills, slaying enemies above its realm was not a difficult task.
'The Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon is suited to be used as a surprise ace. Sometimes, it might produce extraordinary results...'
'Regardless, even in the world of cultivation, those with a Wisdom-Heart and a perfectly condensed Dao-heart are ultimately the minority. For the vast majority of people, the Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon remains a synonym for strength and terror...'
In terms of nurturing the spirit beasts, Qi Ping planned to prioritize the Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon over the little spirit fox.
This was because in battles against high-level enemies, the combination of the Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon, the swarm, and Ya Ya could achieve more difficult cross-realm kills.
For instance, when facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator, statistically speaking, there was a greater than ninety percent chance that the enemy would be countered by the Hundred-Eyed Demon Realm.
While the swarm engaged the cultivator, the Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon could seize the right moment to pull the enemy into its realm.
In this way, the probability of killing an enemy above his realm would increase dramatically.
As a strategic ace, the Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon was much more valuable than the Fairy-Trance Spirit Fox.
'This is the true combat style of a Beast King Druid!'
When animal companions cooperated and played to their respective strengths, the combat power they could unleash was extremely formidable.
As for the little fox, until he had enough resources to raise it, Qi Ping felt it was best to keep it as a shared-talent "stat stick."
Having a lively and adorable little fox by his side daily was still something Qi Ping quite enjoyed.
After all, Ya Ya spent most of her time cultivating. The time she had left after her daily practice was used for rest; her entire energy was focused on absorbing and comprehending the power of the sun.
With the little fox around, Qi Ping's cultivation life would be much more interesting.
Once his strength increased and he had more resources, he could slowly help the fox break through realms and upgrade its bloodline, continuing to provide him with shared talents.
It wasn't necessary for all animal companions to remain as front-line combatants.
As Qi Ping gained more companions, it would be impossible to ensure every single one stayed at the peak of combat capability. Selecting a few to maintain as front-line units based on his resources and then raising the others as his strength grew was the best choice for him.
Actually, another great benefit of the Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon was that it only needed spiritual land to survive. Normally, it didn't need to be fed anything.
'I just wonder if Plant Growth will have an effect on it?'
'If I can use Plant Growth to nurture it, raising it will be much easier!'
Qi Ping wasn't sure if the skill would work on a plant that had already transformed into a spirit beast.
When he took the Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon out of its bag, it was still in a half-asleep, muddled state.
If it weren't for its appearance as a plant-type spirit beast, Qi Ping might have thought it was still just a regular spiritual plant.
'It's rare to see a Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon this small. Its intelligence is only just beginning to awaken; in terms of wisdom, it's probably comparable to a human infant right now...'
Most plant-type demons gained intelligence slowly over long years and through various coincidences.
A Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon like the one before him, which only had Rank One strength, was likely very young.
To be able to transform into a spirit beast in such a juvenile state meant it had either experienced some incredible fortune or its innate talent was extraordinary.
To be honest, if it weren't for the current chaos in the Qingtian Domain and the fact that beast-taming arts were not flourishing here, the price of this demon would never have been as low as nine thousand spirit stones.
In normal times, it would cost at least twelve thousand or more. In places where beast-taming was popular, it would be even more expensive.
Qi Ping had truly picked up a massive bargain.
Looking at the muddled Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon, Qi Ping felt a bit stumped.
After a moment's thought, he decided to plant it in the spiritual land first.
When Qi Ping picked up the demon, which was only about as tall as his calf, it seemed to sense something and struggled slightly.
However, it soon sensed the aura on Qi Ping that made it feel very comfortable, and it relaxed.
Qi Ping wasn't surprised by this. A Druid was naturally attuned to plants, especially a Jungle Druid.
With his identities as both a Jungle Druid and a Beast King Druid combined, it would be a wonder if the juvenile Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon felt uncomfortable!
Carrying the flower demon to the spot where he had buried the Spirit-Origin Stone Pillar, Qi Ping planted its yellow-white roots into the soil. He left only the light green stem, three or four light green leaves, and the flower composed of petals that looked like black pupils exposed.
This was the hallmark of the species. Every petal looked like a divine eye, and together they formed a bizarre and extraordinary Hundred-Eyed Flower.
In Qi Ping's eyes, however, it looked rather strange and cute.
Once planted, the demon seemed to sense the existence of the spiritual land. It began to actively drive its roots deeper, striving to absorb the nutrients and spiritual energy within the soil, and it started to look a bit more lively.
Seeing that it was effective, Qi Ping began to activate [Plant Growth], slowly infusing the unique energy into the flower demon's body.
He infused the energy very slowly, for he was unsure whether this special energy would be a boon or a bane to the Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon...