Burning the Blood-Sucking Vine

Night fell, the moon bright and the stars sparse.

Threads of Cosmic Energy flowed into Qin Heng's body with the moonlight and breeze.

As he cultivated, he replayed the day's two battles in his mind.

The battle against the Blood Claw Demon Wolf and the battle against Qian Feilong were broken down into fragments, their strategies analyzed anew.

"The Blood Claw Demon Wolf's weakness was actually obvious. If I'd spotted the opening sooner, the battle wouldn't have taken so long, and my companions wouldn't have been driven into such misery by that Monster."

"Although Qian Feilong's combat techniques were superb, he underestimated me at first. I should have struck first, using a barrage of heavy saber slashes to frighten him, then swiftly switching to a dagger for a surprise attack and taking his life outright."

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"Or I could have avoided Qian Feilong first, taken down Wang Peng and the others, then made it seven against one. I could have crushed him easily that way too."

"If Qian Feilong hadn't underestimated me and had gone all out from the start, I might have lost."

"If they'd been more ruthless, killed Huang Jiancheng and the others before coming after me, then without my companions, I probably would have died without even a whole corpse left."

"Ah, there were too many holes in my plan. The path of a martial warrior truly isn't that simple. I still have much to learn."

Reflecting after battle was just as important as cultivating before one.

Without taking stock, he had not realized it. Only after seriously thinking it through did Qin Heng understand that he had already walked through the Gates of Hell more than once.

"I'll have to plan carefully for dealing with the Blood-Sucking Vine tomorrow."

"That thing has limited reach. It would be great if we had some long-range explosive firearms..."

"Mm, even without firearms, we can use fire. We won't need to get close."

"Killing the enemy comes second. Protecting ourselves comes first. We should avoid putting ourselves in danger whenever possible."

Before he knew it, the night had passed.

The sky gradually brightened, and all seven members of the team had finished resting.

When Jin Wenxin woke up, he saw Qin Heng still sitting where he was, cultivating. His head immediately started buzzing.

He crept out of the room on tiptoe and joined the others.

"Has Qin Heng woken up?" Zhao Dongxing asked him.

Jin Wenxin wore a strange expression as he whispered, "That guy's a freak. He's been cultivating since last night without moving a single bit!"

"Damn, that exaggerated?"

"Really? No wonder he's so strong at such a young age. So he works this hard."

"Could it be that he cultivated for an hour last night, woke up in the morning, then cultivated for another hour? Maybe you saw it wrong?"

Everyone discussed it quietly, finding it rather unbelievable.

Just then, Qin Heng finished cultivating and walked out. "Has everyone rested enough? Brother Huang, how are your injuries?"

Huang Jiancheng replied, "Much better. The Innate Fetal Breathing Art helps heal internal injuries. I can move around without issue now, though I still can't go through overly intense combat."

"That's good. Let's have breakfast and prepare to deal with the Blood-Sucking Vine." Qin Heng nodded.

The others exchanged glances, as though they all had something to say.

Seeing this, Qin Heng asked, "What is it? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Zhao Dongxing asked softly, "Qin Heng, you... didn't sleep last night?"

Qin Heng said, "I did."

Zhao Dongxing said, "But Brother Jin said you meditated all night!"

Qin Heng smiled. "I'm used to sleeping sitting up."

He had already understood what was special about himself. Cultivating all night was somewhat beyond reason, something an Elementary Martial Warrior could not accomplish, so he simply claimed he had been sleeping.

As for the truth, no one besides himself knew it yet.

Hearing Qin Heng's explanation, everyone immediately laughed.

"So that's how it is. I thought you were a madman who fought himself to death."

"You can sleep sitting up? Doesn't your waist hurt?"

"Why not lie down for a while now? It's still early."

Qin Heng shook his head. "No need. We've had a hard two days in the wilderness. Once we get home, there'll be plenty of time to sleep ourselves silly."

"That's true. Then we'll set out after breakfast. I've already figured out how to deal with the Blood-Sucking Vine!"

"Oh? What brilliant trick do you have, Brother Huang?"

"Isn't it simple? Set the mountain on fire!"

They chatted as they ate.

Huang Jiancheng's idea happened to coincide with Qin Heng's.

Most plants feared fire, and using fire against a Demon Plant was undoubtedly the most effective method.

However, the Wilderness World was filled with Monsters and Demon Plants. They had to be cautious when setting fires, or they might stir up public outrage and be hunted down mercilessly.

After some discussion, Qin Heng and the others quickly finalized their plan.

A Blood-Sucking Vine around ten years old would not have vines extending beyond a maximum radius of seventy meters.

As long as they cleared a burnbreak with a radius of around one hundred meters centered on the place where Wang Peng and Qian Feilong had been strangled to death yesterday, they could target only the Blood-Sucking Vine without burning down the entire mountain.

Everyone quickly sprang into action.

Qin Heng led them to yesterday's scene.

From over a hundred meters away, they could see two bizarre, shriveled corpses lying in the forest.

Wang Peng and Qian Feilong were dead beyond all doubt. They no longer even resembled human beings, having been twisted almost into hemp ropes.

Nor were they the only ones. There were also bones of other animals nearby, though they were concealed beneath dead branches and fallen leaves and could not be spotted without a careful look.

Qin Heng said, "We'll split into three groups. Be careful not to get too close to the inner ring, and watch out for the surrounding vines. There might be more than one Blood-Sucking Vine here."

Creating a firebreak meant clearing away the flammable materials around the target area, trapping the fire within its boundaries so it could not continue spreading outward.

There was no strong wind today, so the fire would not spread too far. Clearing a three-meter-wide strip would be enough.

For Elementary Martial Warriors, chopping down trees and clearing grass was effortless.

The seven people split into three groups, wielding sabers, swords, and sharp axes. One strike per tree, they quickly swept away the surrounding vegetation.

The trees and weeds they cleared were even "thoughtfully" thrown toward the Blood-Sucking Vine's location, spread into a layer to ensure the flames would burn even more fiercely.

The entire process was not particularly exhausting, and it did not consume much stamina.

But it took a great deal of time. After all, such a large circle required clearing six or seven hundred meters in total. On average, each person had to deal with a one-hundred-by-three-meter stretch of forest, which was still no small workload.

It was not until after three in the afternoon that they finished clearing the firebreak.

During the process, some wild beasts saw them from afar, but none attacked.

At first, Qin Heng found it strange. His group of seven was practically destroying the Monsters' home, so they should have been angry.

But then he thought about it. Monsters were intelligent too. They likely knew about the Blood-Sucking Vine and feared it, understood that the seven-person team was acting to eliminate it, and therefore chose to stand by and watch.

After three o'clock, the seven gathered together again.

"Let's begin." Liang Yunkai took out some matches, his face full of anticipation.

Among the field rations, some meal sets came with cigarettes and matches. Though there were only three matches, they were enough to start a fire.

Jin Wenxin said, "Light several fire sources so the flames don't go out midway through burning."

Fresh plants were difficult to ignite, but the forest had no shortage of dry branches and fallen leaves. They only needed to gather some.

They lit fires in one spot after another. Before long, roaring flames rose within the target circle, accompanied by thick gray-black smoke that surged into the sky.

Qin Heng saw the Blood-Sucking Vine.

The vines seemed to have caught the scent of fire and began moving and climbing in the opposite direction.

"Come on, let's go over there and take a look." He led his teammates around the burning area, chasing in the direction the Blood-Sucking Vine was fleeing.

The fire did not spread particularly fast, but with Qin Heng and the others deliberately piling up fuel, it still burned with tremendous force.

The already scorching summer grew even hotter beneath the flames, while burning trees let out crackling pops.

Following the direction in which the Blood-Sucking Vine was moving, Qin Heng and the others arrived on the other side, where the fire had not yet reached.

Jin Wenxin made a move and lit two more fire sources, preparing to besiege the Blood-Sucking Vine from several sides.

At that moment, Liang Yunkai noticed the Blood-Sucking Vine's movement pattern. After a brief analysis, he pointed to a spot and said, "Its Main Root is there."