A Perilous Journey

After breaking through layers of obstacles, Shen Yi finally reached the blood-red flora. Only then did he clearly see its true form hidden beneath the bloody mist: it was a vine, concealed among the numerous plants as a mere illusion.

The vine bore a single bright red flower, much larger than the surrounding ones, which continuously devoured flesh and blood, growing ever more vibrant.

As Shen Yi rushed forward, the bright red flower suddenly swelled and bloomed. The enormous blossom shot towards him like lightning, like a net descending from the sky, intending to swallow him whole.

Shen Yi's eyes turned cold. He grabbed a weapon from the ground and hurled it at the massive flower. The strike contained his potent, terrifying strength. As the cold light flashed, the flower was instantly sliced apart, scattering petals and revealing a bare pistil. What was revealed next made Shen Yi's heart pound even harder.

Hanging neatly from the pistil were nine monstrous human-like figures, each exuding a suffocating, terrifying aura. The vine thrashed wildly, as if in a rage, then suddenly lashed out, splitting into nine and plunging into the backs of the nine humanoid monsters.

"Hiss—"

As the vine pierced them, the nine monsters emitted strange sounds. They trembled for a moment, then their eyes suddenly glowed with an eerie red light, and they leaped from the pistil.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Shen Yi clashed with them a few times before immediately retreating, suppressing the surging blood qi. "Cannot fight them head-on!"

Shen Yi made a swift decision: flee! Flee as far as possible. These nine monsters were incredibly bizarre. Even from several meters away, Shen Yi could clearly feel his internal blood spiritual energy becoming uncontrollable, as if it would erupt from his body at any moment.

The others also noticed Shen Yi's predicament and were horrified. Seeing Shen Yi flee first, they finally reacted and followed suit. The vine, moving with incredible agility, controlled the nine puppet monsters, reaping lives among the crowd like a wolf among sheep, utterly unstoppable.

In an instant, over a dozen lives were taken, their flesh and blood instantly devoured, leaving behind only a ground full of bloody bones.

Witnessing such a tragic scene, despair filled everyone, but they were helpless. Their only hope now was to push forward, perhaps to escape with their lives.

Shen Yi, mixed within the fleeing crowd, secretly remained vigilant. This place was too bizarre; he couldn't afford to relax even for a moment.

After running for an unknown duration, the vine suddenly stopped. It thrashed back and forth, seemingly enraged, or perhaps wary of something. Finally, it retreated. The survivors looked back, seeing only a path of bloody white bones, and felt immense relief at having survived.

Shen Yi secretly checked his map. After passing through this area, the teleportation point to the next region lay ahead. However, the sense of dread this place gave him was no less than that from the blood-red vine.

"This place is truly cursed. Why is it getting hotter the further we go?"

"I feel something under my feet, it's soft and a little warm."

The crowd chattered amongst themselves, their previous hostility gone, each boasting about their bravery and camaraderie.

Shen Yi remained noncommittal, warily observing his surroundings. He then crouched down and touched the ground. The earth beneath his hand rose and fell, like a water balloon filled with liquid.

"Not good! Scatter!"

Shen Yi seemed to realize something and shouted a warning to everyone, but it was too late. From not far away, a series of "poof" sounds could be heard. The ground ruptured, and a liquid erupted with intense heat.

"What the hell is this stuff!"

Many people cried out in terror, followed by screams of agony. Those splashed by the red liquid had already turned to ash.

"Boom—"

Just then, another change occurred. A raging inferno ignited in the distance, spreading instantly.

"Demonic fire!"

Suddenly, someone was engulfed by flames. No matter how they tried to pat it out, the fire clung to them like a leech, impossible to shake off. The person writhed on the ground in agony, eventually being consumed bit by bit by the flames.

In the blink of an eye, the fire spread with the fury of a sky-burning conflagration, blocking everyone's path. The survivors no longer held back, each activating their protective items to resist. The flames intensified, instantly engulfing everyone, and screams echoed through the area.

Shen Yi also possessed a protective artifact. It was a talisman crafted by a Golden Core cultivator, given to him and four others by Feng Yang before their departure. Shen Yi was reluctant to use it unless absolutely necessary. Protected by the talisman, Shen Yi felt the pressure ease considerably.

"Time is limited. Rather than waiting, it's better to fight our way through and reach the teleportation point sooner."

Shen Yi made up his mind and acted immediately. Within the blazing inferno, he advanced inch by inch, relying on the protective spiritual shield formed by the talisman. Each step consumed a significant amount of his spiritual energy.

The short distance of a few hundred meters nearly depleted Shen Yi's spiritual energy. He quickly took several Spirit Replenishing Pills. Now, with his talisman intact, the teleportation point marked on the map was not far ahead. However, Shen Yi faced a dilemma: advancing further would chip away at the talisman, and if he couldn't reach the destination before it burned out, his life would be in danger. If he waited here, he had no idea when the flames would subside.

"My life is mine to control!"

He disliked waiting and leaving things to fate. Ultimately, he decided to take a gamble and push forward.

"Is that person suicidal, moving in this kind of fire?"

"Just maintaining that protective treasure consumes immense spiritual energy; that person won't last long."

"A futile struggle. It would be better to wait patiently for the flames to recede."

To the others, Shen Yi's actions seemed like a death wish, a foolish act of self-destruction.

At this point, Shen Yi could no longer pay attention to others' opinions. He was at a critical juncture of life and death. The talisman in his hand was burning down to its last remnants, and he could even feel the searing pain of the flames on his skin.

"Is this where it ends?"

Shen Yi asked himself, unwilling to accept it. He was so close, only about ten meters away. He could already see the teleportation point flickering with blue light. Was he truly going to fail at the last moment?

He let out an angry roar, madly circulating his spiritual energy. The last remaining section of the talisman forming his shield brightened once more.

Ten meters.

Eight meters.

Five meters.

Two meters.

So close!

The talisman finally burned out, turning into specks of ash that drifted to the ground.

Green light erupted from Shen Yi's fingers. It was the Essence of Flora within him, now being consumed frantically to repair his body, which had been scorched by the flames.

The onlookers were stunned into silence. They only saw a figure bathed in flames leap high, a streak of red fire, and disappear into a blue pillar of light.

Shen Yi's figure vanished from sight. Then, the blue light expanded rapidly, instantly filling the entire area, and the flames extinguished.