At the tree's heart writhed a mass of dark red vines, thick as pythons and resembling revolting mollusks.
Their surfaces were covered in eye-shaped pores that opened and closed incessantly, oozing streams of deep red slime.
Nora's eyes lit up.
She recognized them at a glance. These were precisely the Nine-Eyed Vines she had been searching for.
But the next moment, the eye-shaped pores on the vines rapidly expanded.
Scree...
A piercing shriek suddenly rang out, sharp enough to seemingly tear her eardrums apart.
Not only that, but almost simultaneously, several gnarled trees around Nora tore open. Thick vines swept toward her like intertwined pythons.
The piercing shrieks grew higher and sharper still, as though they would rip a person's mind apart.
Even though Nora had prepared herself, she felt her mind and will reel, as if countless spikes had pierced them.
But she was powerful, and her mind and will were resilient. Enduring the mental discomfort, she blazed with an eerie glow, her hands moving like phantoms as she sliced the vines to pieces.
Within a breath, the vines around her rapidly withered.
But soon, masses of vines surged from the surrounding vegetation once more.
As Nora dealt with them, she extended her senses to their fullest.
She wanted to locate the Nine-Eyed Ghost Vine's true body, but found nothing.
How could this be!? Was it not here!?
Nora frowned slightly as the thought flashed through her mind. When her gaze swept over Lin Sheng in the distance, realization struck.
"Watch out, Li Wei! The Nine-Eyed Ghost Vine is targeting you!!"
Her words had barely left her mouth when the ground around Lin Sheng collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Nora's expression changed at the sight.
After a moment's hesitation, she tore the Crystal Pendant from her chest. An eerie