Blood splattered everywhere, red and green. The vines that had been chasing humans moments ago suddenly froze. Many green vines withered rapidly, turning dry like the ones they had seen by the roadside.
Only the red vines pushed forward instead of retreating, propping up a grotesque body. When its vines converged, it resembled an alien's head, ugly and ferocious, with vines attacking them madly.
Fortunately, Lin Wan had already brought the three elderly people who couldn't protect themselves into her space. The others, freed from restraint, were gathered by Old Jin, watching from a distance.
"Host, this is a symbiote."
Zhuo Ni couldn't be bothered to care what kind of entity it was. She took the sword from Shen Chongyan’s hand, and it returned to hers. The longsword, eager to prove itself, pulsed with a flowing light, its blade humming.
Zhuo Ni leaped into the air. Compared to Shen Chongyan’s somewhat clumsy movements, the longsword in her hands seemed alive. Whether attacking or evading, it was as if she and the sword had become one.
She dodged the vine attacks and swung her sword, severing a part of a vine. It didn't cease its assault, however, attacking with other vines while simultaneously healing its "wound."
The vines seemed to be controlled by someone, moving with extreme agility. Zhuo Ni's movements were even faster. Those below could only see a tangle of vines and a person intertwined in the air; nothing else was clear.
As the vines fought her, they also tried to envelop her. Zhuo Ni simply let go of the longsword and escaped the encirclement. Just as the sword was tightly wrapped, she raised her hand and pointed. The sword spun, severing the vines, and returned to her hand.
She released the longsword and formed hand seals. The sword hummed in mid-air, its shadow rapidly spreading outwards, soon covering a clearing in front of them. Then, with a sharp sword wind, it descended.
Red and green blood splattered from the nearby grass. The vines that had been standing upright in the air quickly retracted, disappearing into the grass within seconds.
The longsword shot out with a "whoosh."
"Stupid thing, get back here!"
The longsword's movement faltered for a moment, then it turned and flew back.
Zhuo Ni landed on the ground. Ignoring the longsword dangling around her, she walked directly to Shen Chongyan’s side and reached out to wipe away some liquid that had inexplicably gotten on his face.
"Hiss."
"Are you hurt?"
Shen Chongyan touched his face. It seemed he had scraped his skin during the fight; he hadn't paid much attention.
"Just a scrape, it's fine."
"Were you scared?"
"A little. I don't know if that thing was an animal or a plant, but its roots spread so far. Any single vine could kill a person. We were wondering why the plants elsewhere were withering while the roadside ones were so green. Now we understand. It survives by eating people."
The longsword was still swaying between them. Zhuo Ni motioned to Shen Chongyan, "Put it away."
Shen Chongyan asked uncertainly, "Is this yours?"
"It's yours now. I'll teach you how to use it."
So, it was hers.
Shen Chongyan breathed a sigh of relief, yet felt a pang of disappointment.
"Stop spinning, or you'll be sent back on your own if you act stupid again."
Couldn't even cut through that thing, who was it trying to impress?
The longsword dejectedly retreated into Shen Chongyan’s sea of consciousness. The two walked back. Jin Wenye stood by the roadside, his off-white shirt stained with blood.
"Lin Wan, you're out."
Lin Wan herself had emerged, but the others hadn't. She looked at Zhuo Ni blankly, guiltily saying, "I, I don't know how to get them out."
"Touch them and think with your consciousness that you want to come out."
Lin Wan tried a few times and finally succeeded in bringing the three elderly people out. Just as she was about to ask Zhuo Ni something, she saw Jin Wenye, pale and covered in blood, beside them, and immediately rushed over anxiously.
"A Ye, you're injured!"
The survivors from the other side also approached. A dozen people had died earlier, and now their entire team numbered only a little over twenty. Many were injured, looking like a pack of stray dogs, utterly pathetic.
"A Ye, A Ye!"
Jin Wenye nearly fainted. Lin Wan and Shen Qian, who had run over, helped him sit down. Shen Qian frowned as he tore open Jin Wenye's still-bleeding shirt and was startled by what he saw.
A vine was embedded there, and where it had pierced his flesh, dense white rootlets had grown, burrowing deeper and deeper while absorbing Jin Wenye's blood for nourishment.
Both of them were shocked. Lin Wan's voice trembled with tears, "What do we do? What do we do?"
Shen Qian comforted her while trying to think of a solution. He called out to the people behind him, "Old Jin, borrow your fire ability user for a moment."
Old Jin led his people through the crowd and was also stunned by the scene. He quickly instructed everyone to check their own injuries.
Shen Qian asked the fire ability user to burn the vine, intending to remove it. To his surprise, the vine, sensing a threat, burrowed in deeper. Jin Wenye let out a muffled groan from the pain, veins bulging on his forehead, almost causing him to faint from the agony.
The fire ability user quickly stopped. "No, it burrows deeper when I burn it."
"Step aside."
The fire ability user turned and saw Zhuo Ni. Recalling that she had just killed those vines, he felt a mixture of admiration and anger. He really wanted to ask her why she hadn't acted sooner when she had the ability, only intervening after so many had died or been injured. But he was also afraid of offending her, which would lead to their separation and more deaths. He stepped aside and watched as Zhuo Ni squatted down, extending a finger to touch the exposed part of the vine.
Moments later, the rootlets on the vine began to crawl onto her hand. The part that had already penetrated Jin Wenye's flesh started to recede outwards. Extracting these roots was as painful as implanting them. Jin Wenye's face turned pale, and he broke out in a cold sweat. If Shen Qian and Lin Wan hadn't held him down, he would have been rolling on the ground in agony.
Finally, the vines completely crawled onto Zhuo Ni's hand and attempted to root themselves there. She stood up, and golden-white flames erupted from her fingertips. The vines, before they could even struggle, were instantly reduced to ashes. Those near her felt the extreme heat and were startled, retreating backwards. The fire ability user's flames were red, but hers were golden-white, hundreds of degrees hotter.
The others had only suffered bruises or abrasions from being squeezed or falling, with no vines embedded in their flesh. With Lin Wan's help, they treated their wounds. Jin Wenye's injury was too severe to recover immediately, so he was wrapped in bandages.
Although they all wanted to question Zhuo Ni, no one dared to be the first. After a simple rest, they set off again.
Resuming their journey, Old Jin's group took the lead again, with Zhuo Ni and her companions at the rear. Given Jin Wenye needed to rest, she didn't set a particularly fast pace this time.
The person next to her hesitated several times, clearly wanting to say something. Seeing his intense deliberation, Zhuo Ni said, "Just ask what you want to ask. Isn't it uncomfortable for you to hold it in like this?"