Shen Yi broke through layer upon layer of obstacles and finally reached the blood-red vegetation. Only then did he see its true form concealed beneath the blood mist: a vine hidden among the surrounding plants, using them as a smokescreen.
A brilliant red flower grew upon the vine, far larger than the other flowers around it. It continuously devoured flesh and blood, its color becoming ever more vivid.
The moment Shen Yi rushed over, the scarlet flower suddenly swelled and bloomed. Like lightning, the enormous blossom shot straight at him, descending like a hood that sought to swallow him whole.
Shen Yi's gaze turned icy. He snatched up a weapon from the ground and hurled it at the giant flower. The strike carried his formidable, terrifying strength. A cold gleam flashed past, and the flower was instantly sliced apart, its petals drifting down in a scattered shower and revealing bare stamens. Yet what was exposed made Shen Yi's heart pound even harder.
Nine humanoid monsters hung in neat rows from those stamens, each emanating a suffocatingly dreadful aura. The vine thrashed madly as though enraged. Then, in a sudden burst, it split into nine and pierced the backs of the nine humanoid monsters.
"Hah—"
As the vines entered them, the nine monsters let out waves of eerie sounds. Their bodies shuddered several times before a demonic red light flared in their eyes, and they leaped down from the stamens.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Shen Yi exchanged several head-on blows with them, then immediately retreated and suppressed the churning blood and qi within him. They can't be fought head-on!
Shen Yi made his decision at once. Run! The farther, the better! These nine monsters were strange beyond belief. Even from several meters away, Shen Yi could clearly feel the blood and spiritual energy in his body slipping beyond his control, as though they might run wild and burst from his body at any moment.
The others also noticed what was happening around Shen Yi, and terror filled their hearts. Only when they saw him flee first did they react and follow close behind. The vine lashed about with astonishing agility, controlling the nine puppet monsters as they harvested lives from the crowd. Like wolves among sheep, they were unstoppable.
In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen lives were taken. Flesh and blood were devoured instantly, leaving behind white bones streaked with blood across the ground.
Seeing such a miserable sight, everyone felt sorrow rise in their hearts, yet there was nothing they could do. For now, they could only press onward; perhaps that was their only chance to escape alive.
Shen Yi blended into the fleeing crowd, secretly remaining alert. This place was far too bizarre. He could not afford to relax in the slightest.
No one knew how long they ran before the vine suddenly stopped. It kept swooping and twisting through the air, as though enraged, yet also wary of something. At last, it withdrew. When everyone looked back and saw the road carpeted in blood-red bones, they all rejoiced at having snatched their lives back.
Shen Yi secretly checked the map. Once they passed through this place, the teleportation point leading to the next area lay ahead. Yet the sense of dread this place gave him was even worse than that blood-red vine.
"This place is truly cursed. Why does it keep getting hotter the farther we go?"
"It feels like there's something under my feet. Soft and squishy—and warm, too."
The crowd spoke over one another. Their earlier hostility seemed to have vanished as they chattered away about how brave they had been just now, how they cherished one another as heroes, and how they had shared life and death with their companions.
Shen Yi gave no opinion. He vigilantly scanned the surroundings, then crouched down and touched the ground beneath his feet. The earth rose and fell as though it were a water-filled balloon.
"Not good! Scatter!"
Shen Yi seemed to realize something and shouted a warning, but he was one step too late. From nearby came a series of popping sounds as the ground burst open and scorching liquid sprayed out from below.
"What the hell is this?"
Many people cried out in terror, followed at once by agonized howls. Those splashed by the red liquid had already been reduced to ash.
"Boom—"
At that moment, another change arose. Raging flames ignited in the distance and spread instantly.
"Demonic fire!"
Someone was suddenly caught by the flames. No matter how they beat at them, the fire clung like maggots to bone and could not be shaken off. The person rolled across the ground in agony, only to be devoured bit by bit by the flames.
In the blink of an eye, the flames swept over with the force of a sky-burning inferno, blocking the path before everyone. No one held back any longer, and they all brought out protective treasures to resist. Yet the blaze only grew fiercer, instantly engulfing everyone as screams rang out one after another.
Shen Yi also possessed a protective treasure. Before their departure, Feng Yang had given the five of them magical artifacts: talismans refined by a Golden Core cultivator. Unless he had reached a critical moment, Shen Yi would never have wished to use one. Now, protected by the talisman, he immediately felt the pressure ease considerably.
"Time is limited. Rather than stand here waiting, I might as well risk it and reach the teleportation point sooner."
Having made up his mind, Shen Yi acted at once. Amid the blazing inferno, he relied on the protective spiritual barrier formed by the talisman and advanced inch by inch. Every step consumed a great deal of his spiritual energy.
Over a distance of merely several hundred meters, Shen Yi nearly exhausted all his spiritual energy. He hastily took out several Spirit Replenishing Pills and swallowed them. The flames had not yet destroyed his talisman, and the teleportation point marked on the map was not far ahead. Yet Shen Yi faced a dilemma: every step forward would burn away another portion of the talisman. If he failed to arrive before it was consumed, his life would be in danger. But if he waited here, he had no idea when the inferno would die out.
"My life, Shen Yi's life, will be held in my own hands!"
He did not like waiting or leaving his fate to Heaven. In the end, he still chose to gamble and move forward.
"Is that man tired of living? He actually dares to move through flames like these?"
"Simply maintaining that protective treasure consumes enormous spiritual energy. That man probably won't last long."
"It's a pointless struggle. He would be better off waiting obediently for the flames to retreat."
To the others, Shen Yi's actions were no different from seeking his own death. Such foolish behavior was truly asking for destruction.
By now, Shen Yi had no time to care about the gazes of others. He was at the critical juncture between life and death. The talisman in his hand had nearly burned away completely, and he could even feel the pain of the flames scorching his skin.
Is this where it ends?
Shen Yi asked himself. He was unwilling to accept it. He was clearly so close—only a dozen or so meters remained. He could already see the blue light flickering at the teleportation point. Was he truly going to fail when success was within reach?
He let out an angry roar and frantically circulated his spiritual energy. The shield formed by the final scrap of talisman in his hand lit up once more.
Ten meters.
Eight meters.
Five meters.
Two meters.
Within arm's reach!
The talisman finally burned away completely, turning into specks of ash that drifted to the ground.
Dots of green radiance bloomed at Shen Yi's fingertips. They were the Essence of Flora within his body, now being consumed madly to mend the body the flames were devouring.
Everyone was so shocked that they could not utter a single word. They only saw a figure engulfed in blazing fire leap high into the air, trailing a streak of red flame before vanishing into a blue pillar of light.
Shen Yi's figure disappeared from view. Then the blue light abruptly expanded, instantly filling the entire area, and the raging flames went out with it.
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