Symbiotic Embers! The Cunning Liu Lu!

The instant the fruit vanished, Liu Lu reacted.

"Bastard, how dare you trick me!"

Countless thick vines reached Jiang He in an instant.

He was plummeting through the air with nothing to push against, and a wildly flailing vine soon struck him across the back!

Crack!

In the silent space, the sound of a wooden box breaking suddenly rang out...

Fortunately, the Urn took the blow for him, sparing him from death!

Bang!

Jiang He slammed heavily into the ground. His internal organs all felt as though they were being torn apart.

But before he could catch his breath, Liu Lu attacked again.

The Urn had lost its effect, so his presence was easily detected!

Forcing himself to take a breath, Jiang He ran toward the open petals.

The petals had all drooped to the ground like a natural slide. All Jiang He had to do was sit on them, and he could easily leave the interior of the Devil Arum.

"Run! That's it!"

Liu Lu continued to laugh wildly, like a cat toying with its prey!

He wasn't worried that Jiang He would actually escape. It was the confidence that came naturally with becoming a level-five Demon Seed.

That was right!

The terrifying thing about Symbiotic Embers (Ascension skill) was that it could completely inherit the emotions, memories, and even personality of the being it fused with.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The green pythons flying through the air kept closing in on Jiang He.

Suddenly, Liu Lu seemed to notice something and let out a cry of delight. The vines churning through the air stopped at once.

"Where did you get that?"

Liu Lu's voice was filled with wild joy. The object seemed even more appealing to him than revenge!

"Let me leave, and it's yours."

Jiang He held the Energy Core high in his hand and stated his condition.

"Once I kill you, that stone will be mine all the same..."

"No, no, no! Believe me, you won't be able to find it after I die!"

Liu Lu naturally scoffed at those words, but before he could voice his mockery, the Energy Core's presence suddenly vanished!

Even when he focused all his perception, he detected nothing!

"Where did you hide it?"

Ignoring his urgent question, Jiang He glanced behind him, secretly observing the changes in the petals.

The vines were far too fast for him to outrun. If he wanted to escape safely, he had to find another way...

Sure enough!

What he saw confirmed his suspicion.

The Corpse-Devouring Devil Arum had concentrated all its nutrients in the fruit.

Now that the system had taken the fruit away for fusion, the petals and even the vines couldn't last much longer without a supply of nutrients!

And without the vines to help it, a Demon Seed that hadn't fused with the fruit probably wouldn't be a match for him!

All he had to do now was stall long enough, and he could escape safely.

"Bastard! Where did you hide it?"

Seeing that Jiang He had ignored him for so long, Liu Lu had clearly lost patience!

The vines in the air began to thrash again, only to stop abruptly.

"Can you give my terms some proper thought now?"

Jiang He toyed with the Energy Core in his hand, looking at Liu Lu with mockery in his eyes.

This idiot is probably acting on biological instinct alone.

Just like wild ducks know how to swim as soon as they're born!

And those inborn instincts contain no memory of vines withering!

"Bastard! Bastard!"

As though he had heard the mockery in Jiang He's words, the vines in the space began thrashing wildly again!

But Liu Lu was wary of damaging the Energy Core, so he didn't dare let them reach Jiang He!

[Would you like to spend 1,000 System Points to repair the damaged Urn?]

"Confirm!"

[Repair started. Estimated time to completion: 29 minutes, 59 seconds]

Jiang He hadn't been idle. He had taken the opportunity to repair the Urn before turning his attention back to Liu Lu.

"Wang Qian is still waiting for you outside. She'd probably be very upset to see you in this frenzied state!"

This wasn't the time to keep provoking him, so it was best to choose a gentler topic.

The vines in the air jerked to a halt, then slowly relaxed.

Seeing this, Jiang He pressed his advantage.

"Let me leave, and this Energy Core, that fruit, and Wang Qian will all be yours! Even now, I haven't touched a hair on Wang Qian's head!"

"Really?"

A trace of delight entered Liu Lu's voice...

He didn't know how long he had been unconscious and had assumed Wang Qian had already been taken by force. That was why he hated Jiang He so fiercely.

Now that he had heard such wonderful news, how could he not be excited?

The woman was a large part of the reason he had lost control of his emotions and been chosen by the Devil Arum in the first place!

Wang Qian could be said to have become his obsession...

"Of course I have no reason to lie to you! I only sought Wang Qian out to be my driver!"

Jiang He spread his hands and slowly approached Liu Lu, but his gaze flicked back to the petals behind him.

Just a little more time...

Seeing that the time wasn't right yet, he added:

"You know my driving skills aren't very good. Having a technician help me drive is naturally much more convenient."

Jiang He's words carried another meaning, but Liu Lu didn't pick up on it at all.

"Where's Qianqian? Could she be in danger?"

Knowing Wang Qian was safe and sound, he wished he could fly to her side at once.

Jiang He frowned at his words.

That's so damn sappy!

Do simps all talk like this...?

Jiang He staggered over to a spot beneath Liu Lu.

The vines holding Liu Lu aloft were gradually losing their vitality, so he was descending at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Liu Lu had clearly noticed the change in the vines as well. Coming back to his senses, he suddenly realized Jiang He had somehow reached the spot right beneath him.

But instead of alarm, his face lit up with delight.

"Hahaha! If you'd run out of the flower's base, I wouldn't have been able to do anything to you. But now you've delivered yourself right to me!"

A brilliant black light suddenly erupted from Liu Lu, along with two surges of supernatural power!

His earlier madness had all been an act!

Aside from his genuine feelings when he spoke about Wang Qian, he had merely been toying with Jiang He...

Only now did he reveal his true trump card!

Hearing Liu Lu's words and seeing his reaction, how could Jiang He not know he had been tricked?

He channeled his recovered supernatural power into the stone he had already activated and swiftly fled into the distance.

Seemingly sensing the Energy Core's presence suddenly growing much stronger, Liu Lu assumed Jiang He was using the stone to threaten him. He immediately said in a dismissive tone:

"What stone? That's nothing but a toy for inferior beings! I've ascended. Why would I care about a worthless thing like that?"

A mad expression appeared on his face again as he frantically poured his supernatural power into the vines beneath him.

"Even if you never had any improper thoughts about Qianqian, you still have to die!"

As Liu Lu's words fell, the green pythons that had lost their vitality suddenly surged with life again.

The fruit's power!

Jiang He finally realized what he had overlooked earlier.

Liu Lu had already eaten part of the fruit!

Just a few bites, and he can unleash that much energy?

His face was full of envy, but unfortunately, only transcendent creatures could absorb the energy in the fruit by eating it.

When humans fused with it, they could only obtain a skill...

Rustle! Rustle! Rustle!

While Jiang He was thinking, the vines had caught up to him.

Whoosh!

A rush of air suddenly sounded. Jiang He seemed unable to dodge as a vine instantly bound his ankle, hoisted him upside down, and carried him before Liu Lu.

Countless energy blades were already waiting in Liu Lu's hands.

It was his skill-Infinite Assassination!

He clearly intended to carve the man before him into pieces with his own hands!

Yet at that critical moment, Jiang He suddenly pulled something out!