Chapter 4675 — The False-Man Vine
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
More than a dozen vines as thick as buckets suddenly burst upward from the ground, tearing through the air with a terrifying roar, sweeping toward the group at a speed the eye could scarcely follow, blotting out earth and sky!
After so much monotony, everyone had grown more or less careless, and the assault of these giant vines came so abruptly and so violently that the three walking at the very front—Ren Zhongyuan, Yi Xiaotian, and Yao Jiali—had no chance to react at all. In an instant they were struck by the vines. Only Wei Zhao, who had been on his guard all along, and Huo Yudie, whom he had yanked aside, barely escaped disaster.
Even so, Ren Zhongyuan and the other two were, after all, masters at the great consummation of the Nascent Soul stage. Caught off guard and unable to dodge, they still managed a hasty defense.
The instant the giant vines struck, a layer of golden true qi simultaneously covered Ren Zhongyuan and Yi Xiaotian. The vines seemed utterly unable to shake that golden defense; to Wei Zhao it felt like the legendary Golden Bell Shield.
Yao Jiali, though not as rigidly armored as the other two, proved extraordinarily agile. Her whole body twisted and whipped like a water snake, and at the very last moment she just barely evaded the vital spots, though she could not help being grazed a little. Besides, she wore a suit of azure soft armor, and this much force it could easily withstand.
At the sight, Wei Zhao's eyebrows rose slightly. A poor character, perhaps, but their strength was beyond doubt—worthy elites of East Isle Academy. Even other masters at the great consummation of the Nascent Soul stage might not have responded so promptly.
Still, all three came away battered and filthy. That single exchange had nearly knocked them down into the valley; they were driven reeling back, and only after retreating some distance did they stare in horror at the mass of giant vines ahead—writhing and clawing, very much like some monstrous octopus: "What in the world is that?!"
While the others stood stunned, Huo Yudie could not help glancing at Wei Zhao. Had he not pulled her aside, she would surely have ended up like Ren Zhongyuan and the others—not injured, perhaps, but utterly disgraced.
Guarding warily as they slowly drew back, the group studied the giant vines that had sprung from nowhere. What astonished them was that this whole massive tangle grew from a single root system—in other words, all that earth-and-sky-shrouding menace came from one plant!
Wei Zhao looked to the base of the可怕 plant. Before, hidden in the sand, it had been hard to detect, but now it was plain that its enormous roots had driven deep into the entire mountain path, completely blocking the way ahead.
"How can such a monstrous plant exist?" Yao Jiali cried out in horror as the giant vines looked ready to attack again. The others could not help exchanging glances. A moment ago they had thought the journey dull; now they had their wish—and a fine mess it was!
That brief clash had made it clear: the strength of this giant vine monster was at least above the great consummation of the Nascent Soul stage. Even joining forces, the few of them might not have much chance of victory against such a bizarre creature.
Huo Yudie, having retreated to a safe distance to observe carefully, suddenly spoke up: "This is a False-Man Vine—a vine monster that has attained spiritual awareness. I once read of it in an ancient text!"
"Oh?" Wei Zhao was somewhat surprised as well. He had seen any number of powerful spirit beasts, but plants were rare—not that he had never encountered one. At least there was something similar in the back hills of North Isle; on that trip to Half-Moon Lake, if that ghostly thing had not cowed it, Wei Zhao would long since have become a heap of fertilizer.