Opportunity Vanishes in an Instant!

"Ha ha..."

A low, hoarse laugh came from beside him. At some point, Yue Hongsheng had already moved to Lin Xia's side. His usually steady eyes now gleamed with near-fanatical admiration as he stared entranced at the terrifying yet magnificent scene formed by the plant soul beasts before them.

"What, scared?"

Yue Hongsheng's voice carried a hint of teasing, but even more than that, absolute confidence and control.

"Don't let your own understanding limit you. The survival methods of truly powerful creatures are far more complex than humans imagine."

Yue Hongsheng gently patted Lin Xia's tense shoulder, quietly sending a stream of pure, gentle Soul Power into him to help steady his mind.

"The Emerald Ghost King Vine is indeed intelligent. Gathering its kind into a clan is the best survival strategy for safeguarding this source of life while ensuring its young can grow safely. Weak, solitary Ghost King Vines had long since become food for other soul beasts."

Lin Xia swallowed with difficulty, forcibly suppressing the storm in his heart as his sharp gaze swept once more across the central area of the Ghost King Vine forest.

Indeed!

Beneath those enormous ten-thousand-year Ghost King Vines that lay coiled there like kings, within the core area where the emerald lichen was at its most lustrous and the aura of life had nearly condensed into tangible mist, he saw them!

Some vines that were clearly much smaller.

They looked as though they had been carved from newborn green jade. Their vine bodies were slender, and the ghost-face crystals upon them were only tiny, blurry specks of light, making them seem somewhat fragile and translucent.

These young vines seemed to be sleeping in life's womb, entwined around several enormous ten-thousand-year main vines like a mother's arms, quietly absorbing the nearly liquefied life energy around them.

Their posture held no trace of vigilance. They were completely immersed in the nourishment of growth.

These were the juvenile Emerald Ghost King Vines, less than a thousand years old!

They had no need to go out hunting, no need to endure brutal slaughter. The immense power of their clan and the protection of this "cradle" allowed them to grow safely beyond a thousand years!

Lin Xia's heart began to pound violently.

The target was right before him!

Any one of those young Ghost King Vines would have a soul ring perfectly suited to him!

But to obtain one... he would have to rush into their core nursery area under the watch of hundreds of thousand-year Ghost King Vines and several terrifying ten-thousand-year Ghost King Vines that were clearly acting as guardians?!

"Opportunity vanishes in an instant."

Yue Hongsheng's voice sounded beside Lin Xia's ear with a strange thrill, like a devil's whisper.

"Do you see that aerial root hanging about ten meters above the young vines, emitting a pale green glow?"

"That is the 'Breath of Life' released after an adult Ghost King Vine absorbs an excess of life essence. It is a signal used for communication within their clan and can form a brief aura of peaceful territory."

Yue Hongsheng pointed from afar at a special tendril hanging from the crown of one of the tallest ten-thousand-year Ghost King Vines.

"When that glow covers the area of the young vines, the mental senses of all adult Ghost King Vines will temporarily cease accurately identifying external threats due to the 'same-origin signal.' That is their only, and shortest, 'lull period.'"

"Like a human taking a little nap. Your opportunity lies within the three breaths after that aura lights up!"

"And you needn't worry about being unable to kill the young vine. During those three breaths, it won't resist either!"

Yue Hongsheng turned his gaze to Lin Xia. The pure excitement in his eyes had faded, replaced by the almost cruel severity of a mentor.

"What you need to do is rush into the area covered by that aura at the fastest speed and with the smallest possible Soul Power fluctuation, accurately lock onto your target young vine, and kill it in one strike! Remember: precision! Speed! Silence!"

"Otherwise..."

Yue Hongsheng glanced toward a ten-thousand-year Ghost King Vine in the distance. Within the ghost-face crystal at its crown, a massive, cold emerald eye seemed to have condensed, slowly sweeping across the entire space.

"Otherwise, if you wake those old fellows... tsk, tsk. This old man isn't afraid of them, but ensuring that I can get you out unharmed would be rather troublesome."

Lin Xia did not ask why Yue Hongsheng would not help him obtain the Emerald Ghost King Vine. After all, Yue Hongsheng owed him nothing. Bringing him here was already a great kindness.

Not to mention all the help he had given before.

At that thought, Lin Xia's gaze instantly became resolute.

After taking a deep breath, Lin Xia felt his heart hammering against his chest like a drum. Yet it was not entirely fear. A fierce resolve, forced out by extreme pressure and mixed with intense desire, burned wildly within him.

Lin Xia's thoughts raced at lightning speed.

Three breaths! Only nine seconds!

There was no room for even the slightest mistake in this fleeting moment.

With the Soul Power and physical reflexes of a mere level-ten soul master, charging into the heart of the Emerald Ghost King Vine nest was no different from courting death.

Although the adult Ghost King Vines' perception would briefly grow "sluggish," the instinctive backlash of their vines and the strength of their bindings were far beyond what his small body could withstand.

If he was caught, even for an instant, it would be enough to awaken those ten-thousand-year old monsters on the outskirts from their "lull period"!

He needed a foolproof plan, a method that would not require him to risk himself personally!

His gaze immediately fell upon Bulbasaur in his arms.

Poison-type skills? No!

Whether Poison Powder, Venoshock, or Toxic, all of them required time to take effect. It would be difficult for them to inflict a fatal wound on a young vine in a single strike, and they might instead alert the guardian vines.

Then the remaining choices...

Swords Dance! Vine Whip!

The names of those two skills exploded in his mind like twin bolts of thunder!

"Swords Dance can greatly increase Bulbasaur's attack and all its other abilities!"

Lin Xia's heart raced as a bold plan bordering on madness took shape in an instant.

"And Vine Whip... Bulbasaur's Vine Whip is tough, flexible, and incredibly fast! It can easily cross ten meters, and after all these days, Vine Whip is the skill Bulbasaur has mastered most proficiently!"

There was no need to rush in at all!

All he needed was for the strengthened Bulbasaur, the instant the Breath of Life aura covered the young-vine area, to fire out its Vine Whip like lightning, precisely ensnare the target young vine, and then use all its strength... to drag it out by force!

The distance was ten meters. The target young vine lacked vigilance, and the guardian adult Ghost King Vines' mental senses would be temporarily obscured... this was almost the only feasible and relatively safe method!

"Bulba?"

Sensing the intense turmoil in its master's thoughts and the resolute fighting intent that had suddenly gathered within him, Bulbasaur raised its little head. A sharp gleam flashed through its crimson eyes, while the seed on its back drew in slightly, ready to strike.

Their long-term symbiotic nourishment and countless sessions of skill training allowed it to instantly understand its master's intentions—battle! Give it everything!

Standing at his side, Yue Hongsheng had been closely monitoring the aerial root emitting the pale green glow with his spiritual power—it was the sign that the Breath of Life was about to cover the young vines.

He clearly sensed the stagnation of Soul Power around Lin Xia and the locking-on of his target, and waves rose in his heart as well.

This little fellow reacted so quickly, but what is he doing? Dancing?