Vines

Having completely distanced himself from the area where the Goblin had fallen, Lu Heng continued his steady journey deeper into the Mist Forest.

The closer you get to the heart of the Inner Region, the more the strangeness of the surroundings intensifies.

The already thick fog became even more viscous here, like congealed milky liquid, completely filling the entire forest. Visual vision was completely blocked, and there were no clear outlines beyond two meters. Even more fatally, his usually relied-upon mental perception was severely suppressed, his detection range kept shrinking, and the accuracy and distance of his detection plummeted, making all surrounding movements blurry and indistinct.

This comprehensive restriction on vision and perception has created an intense sense of unknown crisis.

To prevent any unforeseen accidents, Lu Heng no longer held back and actively activated the energy within his body, causing the Blood Taisui Mycelium underground to spread outwards on a large scale.

Fine, dense veins take root in the damp soil, spreading out along the texture of the forest floor, weaving a silent, Global Region sensory network. Firstly, it relies on ground vibrations and subtle air currents to monitor any unusual activity around it, preventing monsters from launching sneak attacks; secondly, the Mycelium completely conceals its aura and energy fluctuations, completely hiding its presence beneath the thick fog and soil.

He completely blended into the environment, leaving no trace.

After walking several hundred meters, the ecology along the way completely changed.

The decaying wood, weeds, and ordinary trees that were common in the outer and Inner Region areas have completely disappeared, replaced by large swaths of twisted and deformed mutated vegetation. All the plants have an abnormal dark color, with twisted and gnarled branches and leaves that have an eerie dark green hue, and traces of ectopic infection remain everywhere.

This is a forest ecosystem that has been completely distorted after being eroded by the power of the Green Demon Plane for a long time.

Piercing through layers of thin mist, a menacing community of vegetation appeared in the middle of the road ahead.

The main body of the plant consists of countless dark red vines of varying thicknesses, intertwined and tangled, forming a huge Vine Nest. The surface of the vines is covered with fine suckers and barbs, with faint blood-red patterns on the surface. Even when still, it exudes a strong sense of aggression and killing intent.

The Wristband instantly lit up with a line of cold identification text: [Mutant Bloodthirsty Vine, Silver Tier, Green Demon Plane Infected Mutant, Indiscriminately Attacks All Living Things in Its Circumstances].

The moment he saw the appraisal information, Lu Heng stopped in his tracks and quickly disappeared into the shadow of a twisted, withered tree nearby.

He quietly observed the vast expanse of the Silver Tier mutated vine.

The ground surrounding the entire Vine Nest was piled with layers upon layers of weathered and cracked bones. Large and small skeletons were scattered all over the ground, piled up in layers, the sheer number of them was enough to prove that this Bloodthirsty Vine had been hunting living creatures for many years, and countless beings had died under its vines.

But soon, an extremely bizarre point of doubt made Lu Heng's eyes darken completely.

The skeletons scattered on the ground were of various kinds, including the remains of wild beasts in the forest, fragments of the bodies of unknown Aberrant, and equipment scraps and bones left behind by human survivors.

They searched the entire pile of corpses, but found not a single skeleton of Green Demon or Goblin.

That's too abnormal.

The Bloodthirsty Vine is characterized by its indiscriminate hunting of all living things; any creature that enters its attack range will be mercilessly entangled and devoured. Yet, after countless years of hunting, this lair is completely devoid of any remnants of the Green Demon.

A sense of unease and heightened vigilance instantly arose.

Lu Heng steadied his breathing, relying on the Blood Taisui to completely conceal his aura, remaining motionless and lurking in the shadows. He did not rashly make a move to test the waters, nor did he choose to go around it. Instead, he planned to quietly observe and figure out all the patterns of this strange, Bloodthirsty Vine.

The thick fog drifted slowly, and the forest was deathly silent, save for the occasional gentle wriggling of the Bloodthirsty Vine, whose barbs rubbed together with a soft rustling sound.

Time passed little by little.

As Lu Heng continued his observations, a bizarre scene suddenly unfolded.

At the core of the tightly intertwined Vine Nest, the previously closed vines slowly parted, revealing a hidden, dark passage.

Immediately afterwards, several figures walked out in an orderly fashion.

Leading the group were two fully armed Goblin Warrior, robust and in full armor, wielding standard battle axes, and completely unharmed, showing no signs of being attacked by the vines. Closely following them were three low-level Green Demon, lively and alert, with stable auras and agile movements.

They emerged from the very core of the Bloodthirsty Vine, unharmed throughout.

The Silver Tier Bloodthirsty Vine, which should indiscriminately hunt all living things, ignored them.

Not only did they not launch any attacks, the vines also actively gave way, making way for them, their docility eerily docile.

After leaving the Vine Nest, the Goblin and Green Demon did not linger in the vicinity. Instead, they dispersed and quickly traveled in various directions of the Mist Forest, like a routine patrol force.

Lu Heng, hiding in the shadows, witnessed the entire scene and instantly connected all the suspicious points in his mind.

The Bloodthirsty Vine was corrupted and mutated by the power of the Green Demon Plane, and is naturally close to the creatures of the Green Demon system.

It doesn't attack the Green Demon or the Goblin; instead, it shelters them and lets them pass.

The ground was littered with countless bones, but the remains of the Green Demon were nowhere to be found.

A constant stream of monsters are born from the core of the Vine Nest, emerge, and spread throughout the entire forest.

A near-certain deduction took shape completely in his mind.

This enormous Mutant Bloodthirsty Vine nest is no ordinary monster territory.

It is a hidden Plane Transit Hub.

At the deepest part of the Vine Nest, there must be a passage connecting the Green Demon Plane to this Mist Forest. A constant stream of Green Demon and Goblin are released into the forest through this hidden entrance, which is the true root cause of the endless stream of monsters in the Mist Forest that can never be completely eradicated.

After figuring all this out, Lu Heng was still deeply shocked.

The strangeness of this forest far exceeded his expectations. The monsters did not arise naturally, but were continuously released from Other Plane; the rules of the forest had been altered, and the order of all things had long since broken free from the control of the Forest Will.

The Mycelium spread to its limit in the soil, and the fog ahead was so thick that even mental energy had to be expended to penetrate it.

The Green Demon we avoided along the way all lay dormant quietly, unlike elsewhere where they actively hunted.

Lu Heng stopped in his tracks, his Star Blade held at his side.

He had reached the outer edge of the core of this Mist Forest.

Everything here has completely broken away from the order originally set by the Forest Will.