The scene before them resembled purgatory, and a nauseating stench of blood filled the air.
"What... what kind of evil ritual is this?"
Jiang Qingyue's voice trembled, and she instinctively tightened her grip on the clay in her hand.
"This mass of flesh... they used those women as nutrients just to grow something like this underground!"
Gale drew her long saber, its azure flames flickering in the darkness.
Before anyone could recover, a thunderous tremor shook the underground plaza.
The enormous willow tree of flesh and blood that the fat monk called the Buddha Mother seemed to sense the presence of the living. The old woman's face at the center of its trunk abruptly opened its eyes, its murky pupils brimming with madness!
"ROAR!!!"
A piercing shriek echoed underground. Thousands of Flesh Willows thrashed wildly through the air, then wove themselves together into more than a dozen enormous fists of flesh that swept toward them with crushing force.
"Get back!"
Gale, the most battle-hardened of the three team members, raised her saber across her body and shouted for the other two women to dodge the attack.
Gazing at the enormous palm formed from the Flesh Willows, Gale's eyes shook with shock.
"What on earth is this Demon?"
"This pressure... it's even more terrifying than the Hellhound we encountered in the forest that day!"
The Three Girls had already been extremely tense upon seeing the Blood Willow Buddha Mother.
Qi Wu, meanwhile, remained as unhurried as ever.
"Well, well. Such a warm welcome right off the bat?"
Qi Wu chuckled, and with a flicker, he appeared in front of the Three Girls.
He leisurely removed his sunglasses. An absolute chill flashed through his azure eyes, which seemed to hold an entire sea of stars.
"I can feel it. This thing is