Jiang Lu looked around. Vast stretches of coral were slowly closing in on the center, layer upon layer like a cage drawing shut, steadily squeezing away the space around her.
The surrounding water seemed to have been carved into fragments by the coral branches. What had been open water shrank rapidly, and a suffocating sense of confinement pressed in from every side.
Jiang Lu steadied herself and drew on her spiritual power to shield her body. Her Divine Sense reached toward the coral, its fine strands stirring the water with faint sounds.
By the dim light filtering down through the water, she finally saw the coral clearly.
Every piece was a vivid, bloodlike red, so intense it seemed almost unnatural. Tiny black dots covered its surface, scattered across every branch.
A closer look revealed that the dots were no natural markings. Each held a minute pore at its center, and a steady stream of tiny bubbles drifted upward from countless such openings.
Coral of different sizes released different bubbles. The smaller pieces breathed out delicate little beads, while the thicker ones produced large, round bubbles. They hung densely in the water, layer upon layer, trapping her completely within the ring of coral.
The strange coral colony had distinct layers and formidable defenses. The innermost coral had slender, pliant branches tipped with thin, soft, flesh-colored tendrils. They swayed gently, sealing every gap through which she might break out.
The outer branches, by contrast, were thick and rigid. Their gnarled limbs crisscrossed, hard enough that ordinary attacks could scarcely shake them.
In her haste, she had sent a sharp blast of spiritual power straight at one of the thick outer branches, hoping to force open a way out. Yet the force, powerful enough to split solid stone, had merely spread a faint