The Thunder Vine moved with incredible speed, countless tendrils erupting from the ground to block the group's retreat. In an instant, the air was filled with poisonous thorns from the Thunder Vine, and the few individuals found themselves surrounded, with no escape and nowhere to hide.
"My life is over!" Zhou Yan's vision darkened. It seemed they were all destined to become nourishment for the Thunder Vine today.
"Poisonous Woman, is there any way to repel the Thunder Vine?" Xiang Jian asked loudly, his sword dancing in a blur. However, the Thunder Vine was everywhere, above and below, unstoppable. Soon, one by one, they were all suspended upside down from trees, resembling dried salted fish.
Poisonous Woman wore a look of utter despair. "Try repelling it yourself, then."
"Is there no solution?" Qi Hong felt blood rush to his head. If they continued to hang like this, their lives would be forfeit!
"We're doomed, doomed! We're going to be roasted alive!" Zhou Yan screamed nervously. The Thunder Vine, angered by the chopping of its branches, had decided to kill them.
Shan Yun, terrified, quickly covered her eyes. Just as everyone was about to become human skewers, the Thunder Vine's trunk suddenly trembled. It dropped the people and fled as if encountering a natural enemy, moving faster than when it had pursued them. In the blink of an eye, it vanished without a trace.
The survivors, having narrowly escaped death, looked at each other, bewildered by what had happened. They were on the verge of losing their lives, and yet the seemingly dominant Thunder Vine had fled!
The group looked behind them and saw Xiao Man approaching with graceful steps, walking as if in an empty land.
"Wow, our sect leader is truly the most poisonous!" Xiang Jian looked at Xiao Man, then at the fleeing Thunder Vine, and sighed again. "Indeed, the more beautiful a person, the more venomous they are. Even the Thunder Vine was scared away by her. She truly lives up to her reputation as the most poisonous in the world."
Xiao Man walked slowly towards them, a gentle smile on her face. A red-banded krait slithered onto Xiang Jian's shoulder. Xiang Jian, startled, was about to react.
"Don't move, or it will bite your neck. Even if a god were reborn, they couldn't save you," Xiao Man's voice came, successfully stopping Xiang Jian from trying to kill the krait.
The red-banded krait on Xiang Jian's shoulder raised its head and flicked its tongue at him. Xiang Jian could almost smell the snake's musk, his face turning pale. He desperately wished he could shrink his entire neck into his clothes, but his neck was stiff and unmoving. Yet, he understood that this was Xiao Man's way of retaliating for his careless words!
"Sect Leader, your subordinate was wrong. I didn't mean to insult you; I meant to praise you!"
Xiao Man's smile remained unchanged. "However, your words were not entirely wrong. The more beautiful and alluring something is, the more terrifying it is, and the more likely it is to kill. And anything in Yangming Valley is enough to take your lives."
"Sect Leader, I can't move," Xiang Jian was on the verge of tears. He was already injured by the Thunder Vine, and its poison was spreading, making him stiff and immobile. With the krait coiled on his shoulder, ready to deliver a fatal strike at any moment, he was truly afraid!
Xiao Man beckoned, and the red-banded krait immediately slithered down Xiang Jian's body. It coiled at Xiao Man's feet and then crawled up her leg into her palm, flicking its tongue at the group.
Xiang Jian collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air.
Zhou Yan swallowed hard. A demon, an absolute demon. This morning you roasted a pile of snake meat for us, and tonight you use a poisonous snake to threaten us. Are you even human? And that little snake, can't you hold a grudge? Your companion was roasted and eaten by her, yet you serve her like a master. Has your small head been corroded by venom?
Poisonous Woman stared in disbelief. Such a venomous creature as the Thunder Vine actually fled upon seeing Xiao Man. What was even more unbelievable was that a venomous creature with such sentience as the red-banded krait would obey Xiao Man's command.
"Sect Leader, teach me," a moment later, Poisonous Woman said excitedly. If she could control the venomous creatures in Yangming Valley, where could she not go?
Xiao Man moved her hand, and the red-banded krait immediately descended, crawling onto Poisonous Woman's shoulder. Poisonous Woman tentatively reached out to stroke the small creature, only for it to bite her finger. Poisonous Woman stiffened, and a moment later, collapsed to the ground. The red-banded krait then slithered into the grass and disappeared.
Seeing this, Qi Hong shivered. As expected, a demon is a demon. It's better for ordinary people to remain ordinary. Don't try to learn from demons, or the Poisonous Woman lying on the ground will be your cautionary tale!
Xiao Man tossed a porcelain bottle to Shan Yun. "Feed her one."
"Yes." Shan Yun helped Poisonous Woman up, gave her a pill, and handed the medicine bottle back to Xiao Man with both hands.
"Keep it. We'll set up camp here tonight. You'll have to find your own food," Xiao Man said, sitting down on the ground. "Although Yangming Valley is filled with poisonous creatures, there are many edible things. Whether you find food depends on yourselves. If you don't find any, you'll go hungry."
"Sect Leader, aren't you coming with us?"
Xiao Man glanced at him. "If I go with you, do you really think you can find food?"
The group immediately recalled the speed at which the Thunder Vine had fled as if encountering the King of Hell himself. If Xiao Man accompanied them, they might not find anything at all.
"What about Poisonous Woman..."
"You can carry her to look, if you wish," Xiao Man said faintly.
The group scattered like birds. However, in this valley filled with poison, with Poisonous Woman, who was skilled in poison and knew poisons, now incapacitated, it would be incredibly difficult for them to find anything edible with just a few of them. Su Dan Novel Network.
"Don't you think it's strange?" Xi Wen suddenly asked.
"Is there anything in Yangming Valley that isn't strange?"
"No, don't you feel strange about your bodies?" Xi Wen looked at Shan Yun. "Shan Yun said that being poisoned by the Thunder Vine would cause stiffness and immobility. But after the initial stiffness, we were able to move freely."
As Xi Wen said this, the others suddenly realized. That's right, if they had been poisoned by the Thunder Vine, they should not be able to move by now.
"My legs are fine now too," Qi Hong mumbled.
"Could it be related to the snake meat Sect Leader roasted for us?" Xiang Jian inquired. Xiao Man always had a purpose behind her actions; she wouldn't roast snake meat for them for no reason, especially not poisonous snake meat!
"Possibly!"
"That means that eating some poisonous things can enhance our resistance to poisons. Sect Leader brought us here to temper us and prepare us for obtaining the Dragon Spirit Bamboo!"
"It must be so."
"Shan Yun, do you know what's edible?" Zhou Yan asked eagerly. If they had developed resistance to poisons, could they now touch many poisonous creatures?