Battle of the plants
Now that the true source has been identified, there's no point in waiting and watching.
Lu Heng no longer lay low; the caution in his eyes completely replaced his hesitation.
The giant Vine Nest that sits on the outer edge of the core is the root of the endless monsters infestation in the Mist Forest, and a hidden teleportation node for the Green Demon Plane to take root here. To break the deadlock, we must tear a hole in this Mutant Bloodthirsty Vine.
His gaze settled calmly on the layers of intertwined dark red vines, his judgment crystal clear.
The Mutant Bloodthirsty Vine is Silver Tier mutated plant. It is constantly immersed in the energy of the Green Demon Plane, deeply rooted underground, and nourished by the eerie environment of the entire misty forest. It is aggressive and violent, with an extremely strong sense of territory.
But it is ultimately just a plant that passively adapts to environmental changes.
In terms of its ability to parasitize and plunder, seize the root and devour the source, and suppress other species, it is not even on the same level as the Blood Taisui.
The Blood Taisui's aggressive growth, immortality, regeneration, and root system usurpation characteristics make it a truly superior, top-tier power that surpasses ordinary mutated vegetation.
With his mind completely made up, Lu Heng's spirit stirred, and he no longer held back any of his strength.
The thick, damp layer of humus beneath our feet swelled up slightly in an instant.
The Blood Taisui Mycelium had been hidden underground and responsible for reconnaissance and vigilance, was instantly released from all restraints. Tens of thousands of milky-white veins, like a white torrent awakening, rushed out rapidly along the cracks in the soil, spreading, attaching, and piercing the enormous underground root system of the Bloodthirsty Vine.
There was no probing, no buffer.
Its first move was a complete invasion of the root system and an occupation of the source.
At first, the huge Vine Nest was completely calm.
Thousands of vines hung still, their crimson veins dull and lifeless, as if still calmly absorbing energy from another location.
Just a few breaths later.
A deep, heavy tremor suddenly emanated from the earth, causing the entire land to tremble.
The moment the first main vein of the Blood Taisui successfully pierced through the outer protective root layer of the Bloodthirsty Vine and touched the main root system—
The entire Vine Nest instantly erupted into chaos!
Buzz!
A powerful, alien repulsive force exploded from the ground.
The dark red vines that had been hanging quietly suddenly tensed up, like tens of thousands of taut iron whips, convulsing, lashing, and tumbling wildly. The fine barbs on the surface of the vines opened and closed frantically, causing the entire giant Vine Nest to tremble violently and emit dense, ear-piercing rustling sounds.
The originally dull blood-red patterns instantly lit up, and crimson light crawled all over every inch of the vine.
A dazzling red light pierced through the thick fog, casting an eerie and unsettling glow through the gloomy, gray-white forest.
The Bloodthirsty Vine was completely enraged.
It clearly sensed that an alien species was frantically gnawing at its roots, plundering its accumulated vitality, and usurping the underground root system upon which it depended for survival.
This is a relentless, all-consuming invasion of the source.
Underground, the silent battle reached a fever pitch.
The Bloodthirsty Vine has entrenched itself here for too long, its underground root system intricate, massive, and deeply entrenched. It frantically mobilizes the accumulated ectopic pollution energy, spreading it along its thousands of roots, forming highly corrosive miasma in the soil, which frantically burns, corrodes, and strangles the invading white Mycelium.
The massive native root system locks, squeezes, and grinds layer upon layer, attempting to crush these tiny foreign veins directly with its sheer size.
However, the domineering nature of the Blood Taisui far exceeded its limits.
The Mycelium is not afraid of corrosion, crushing, or entanglement.
Crush one layer, and two more will instantly regenerate.
It scorches one area, and immediately spreads to another.
Milky white veins gripped tightly onto the main root of the Bloodthirsty Vine, while needle-like veins forcefully pierced into the root's texture, plundering the vitality and anatopic energy it had absorbed from the land over the years, assimilating, absorbing, and replacing the original root system at a frenzied pace.
One side, relying on its size and home advantage, launched a desperate counterattack.
One side, relying on its superior parasitic abilities, forcefully overwhelms and invades.
The underground battlefield is silent, fierce, and brutal.
This is a fundamental game at the purely plant level.
There are no moves, no dodges, only devouring and being devoured, replacing and being replaced, survival and destruction.
Standing on the ground, Lu Heng clearly sensed the frantic pulling of the two forces underground throughout the entire process.
He couldn't intervene.
This level of root warfare occurs deep within the soil, a battle of the very essence of life, in which human power, weapons, and the physical body are all powerless to intervene.
All he could do was hold the ground and lock down all the variables.
Such violent underground turmoil could not possibly be hidden.
In just a few seconds, the ground in the entire area continued to undulate and tremble, and even the flow of the surrounding thick fog became disordered and restless.
The monsters that had just been teleported out of the Vine Nest and were preparing to scatter and hunt immediately became alert.
Several Goblin Warrior abruptly stopped, their arms holding battle axes tensing instantly, their rough faces revealing a violent and wary expression. The Green Demon, who had just landed, lowered his limbs, his body taut, and let out a low, suppressed roar from his mouth and nose, his scarlet eyes fixed on the trembling core of the Vine Nest.
They are not highly intelligent, but their instincts, which originate from the same Plane, are incredibly sharp.
This Vine Nest is their birthplace, Shelter, and teleportation anchor.
The current turmoil at the source and the rebellion of the roots signify that the territory has been subjected to a deadly invasion.
After a brief hesitation, the group of monsters immediately abandoned their attempt to scatter, turned around collectively, and quickly converged on the center of the Vine Nest, trying to find the source of the disturbance.
Not just the first batch of monsters.
The teleportation rift deep within the Vine Nest continued to operate, with a steady stream of Green Demon and Goblin Warrior emerging one after another.
The monsters that landed later noticed the unusual commotion in the area and immediately joined the investigation.
The number of monsters rapidly increased, with a dozen or twenty quickly gathering and gradually forming a sizable encirclement, slowly advancing towards the edge of the battlefield.
Once they are allowed to get close to the soil and set foot on the battlefield, they will use brute force to dig into the ground and destroy the root system, which will inevitably disrupt the parasitic rhythm of the Blood Taisui, help the Bloodthirsty Vine get out of trouble, and completely reverse the underground battle.
Lu Heng's eyes were cold and deep as he quietly retreated into the depths of the thick white fog.
The front line must be defended by him to the death.
The underground world was handed over to the Blood Taisui for a desperate battle.
He alone sealed off the ground.
The thick fog reduced visibility to a very short distance, providing him with perfect cover.
The first to approach the warning line were three low-level Green Demon, moving extremely fast, leaping and bounding towards the outer edge of the Vine Nest where the tremors were most intense.
They had just stepped within ten meters.
A cold glint flashed in the mist.
The Star Blade slashed swiftly horizontally, its cold light flashing in an instant.
The three Green Demon didn't even let out a complete roar before their bodies lost all life and silently collapsed onto the layer of decaying leaves.
The Goblin Warrior following behind were instantly enraged. They roared, raised their bone-patterned battle axes, and charged into the fog in a group.
The axe blade cuts through the wind; its brute force is fierce.
Lu Heng did not directly confront the group attacks; instead, he moved elusively through the gaps in the mist, always maintaining a position between the monsters and the Vine Nest.
He didn't seek a swift clearing of the area; he only wanted to obstruct it at all costs.
Close-range attack, block, deflect force, counter-attack, force back.
Any monster that crosses the warning line will be stopped.
One after another, the Green Demon fell to the ground, and the charging Goblin were repeatedly repelled, severely injured, and killed.
The roars, the chopping of battle axes, and the thuds of bodies falling to the ground shattered the long-standing silence of the forest.
The monsters gathered in ever-growing numbers, attacking in waves, one after another.
No matter how they charged, surrounded, or searched, they could not break through the blockade set up by Lu Heng.
They couldn't even take half a step closer to the core of the Vine Nest.
The underground battle continues to escalate.
The Bloodthirsty Vine has a very strong foundation. Even when it is extensively parasitized and devoured by Mycelium, it can still continuously mobilize its anatomical energy to fight back and resist, firmly holding onto most of its roots and refusing to collapse.
The Blood Taisui's invasion proceeded steadily, gradually compressing the opponent's living space and eroding its vital life force.
One side defends, the other attacks; one is large, the other small; the battle has become a long and brutal stalemate.
While continuously intercepting the endless stream of monsters, Lu Heng was also distracted by receiving battlefield feedback transmitted back by the underground Mycelium.
His mind became increasingly clear.
This Mutant Bloodthirsty Vine is more than just a simple mutated plant.
It is the foundation upon which the Green Demon Plane anchors to the Mist Forest.
Its roots are so deep and thick, its resistance so strong, and its ability to continuously supply the teleportation of large numbers of monsters is enough to prove its purpose: to firmly lock this alternate passage and allow external pollution to seep into the forest continuously.
Once the Blood Taisui completely devours its roots today, this long-standing teleportation anchor point will inevitably collapse completely.
The fog surged endlessly, and the earth trembled incessantly.
The surface monsters' charges grew increasingly frenzied, while the battle between the two underground vines intensified.
Lu Heng's grip on the knife tightened slightly, his gaze piercing through layers of white mist, locking onto the dark and hidden crevice deep within the Vine Nest.
He knew.
The current stalemate is only temporary.
The parasitic growth of the Blood Taisui will only accelerate, while the resistance of the Bloodthirsty Vine will only weaken.
The teleportation portal, hidden deep within the vines and completely concealed, is slowly revealing itself at the heart of this underground battle.
The root of all the chaos in the Mist Forest
His true colors will soon be completely revealed before his eyes.