Chapter 116: Vines Filling the Sky

The Black Kirin combat vehicle streaked past Ye Bai like a meteor, crashing down at the Purple Sable District guard station.

"Their target seems to be the guard station," Yao Ling said, watching the trail of blue flames in the sky as it settled near the very station they had just escaped.

Her eyes suddenly brightened with a hint of excitement. "They must have been sent by the main city to quell this incident. Xiao Seng, Ye Bai, let’s hurry over and have them take us out of here." She started to run toward the station.

"Ling'er," Cao Xiaoseng called out, his voice grave. "Do you think their priority is to resolve this incident or to evacuate us? And do you really think we can withstand the shockwaves from a battle between Growth-level experts?"

His series of questions brought Yao Ling to a sudden halt. She felt a pang of shame—she had always been meticulous in the family, so why was she so reckless now? She realized that even if they were from the main city, they would prioritize their mission. Every second the Growth-level mutant beast remained, the risk grew.

Ye Bai stood forward. "Since we can’t get out of here anyway, we might as well wait here until they finish off the mutant beast, then have them take us with them."

***

"Junior Sister, activate the life detection device. Let’s see what kind of monster we’re dealing with," said the man with the mechanical arm. They were already within the warning zone; the tree vines overhead were thrashing, creating a howling wind.

"Yes, Senior Brother." Xiao Mo activated the smart device on her wrist, revealing a blue bracelet. In the Heavenly Martial Hall, all students addressed each other as Senior or Junior, a tradition dating back to before the Dark Era.

As Xiao Mo’s fingers danced across her interface, the invisible Black Kirin vehicle above trembled. They knew the culprit was a tree-type entity, but as Yang Hao, the man with the mechanical arm, had noted, a mere tree shouldn't be this powerful. He suspected a mutation.

The vehicle’s headlights retracted, replaced by red-glowing life scanners. In an instant, a flood of data appeared on the internal screen.

"Senior Brother, you were right. It’s not just a simple tree," Xiao Mo said, sharing the data.

"Boom!"

A deafening roar erupted as the vines on the guard station walls lashed out at them.

"As expected, an assimilation type. A rare tree-type mutation—one in ten thousand," Yang Hao said, extending his mechanical arm to crush a vine that possessed Entry-level strength. Examining the residue—a mix of biological tissue and construction metal—he added, "Junior Sister, Huang Di, get serious. You two take the lead. I won't intervene unless there is a threat to your lives."

A grey orb floated from Yang Hao’s wrist, expanding into a suit of blue-lined armor. "Remember, if you don't want this to happen again, improve your strength. In this world, we have no one to rely on but each other."

Yang Hao stepped into the void, hovering above the station. "Black Kirin, reveal this creature's true form. I don't want you two fighting inside the 'stomach' of a beast."

***

Ye Bai, Yao Ling, and Cao Xiaoseng waited under an unknown mutated tree. Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the guard station, and a shockwave of energy rippled outward.

"That sounds like a plasma cannon," Yao Ling noted, checking her device.

"A plasma cannon?" Ye Bai asked. "That’s a city-level weapon. How could they bring that here? And that vehicle isn't big enough to carry one."

Suddenly, green vines sprouted rapidly in Yao Ling’s eyes, spreading until they covered half the sky. Cao Xiaoseng and Ye Bai stared in shock. The entire station was dominated by massive vines as thick as five men, swaying like gargantuan pythons.

A pillar of green light erupted from the vines, and the surrounding foliage surged toward it like it was the ultimate nourishment. The light then transformed into blades, severing a vast expanse of vines.

"Boom!" The earth shook, as if the beast were howling in rage.

Ye Bai felt a chill. This was the Growth level—a creature capable of turning an entire guard station into its lair. Suddenly, he sensed movement behind Cao Xiaoseng.

"Xiaoseng, watch out!" Ye Bai shouted, drawing his Jinghong Blade. A burst of fire-attribute energy erupted as he lunged, his blade clashing against a creature that had emerged from the mutated tree.

"How is this possible? We’re this far away, and it still found us?" Ye Bai grunted as he was sent flying by the creature's immense force. It was a seven-meter-tall grey-green giant.

"Junior Sister, you’re only at the Foundation-building primary stage. Let me test this beast first," Yang Hao commanded.

The plasma cannon had exposed the truth: the entire ground of the Purple Sable District guard station was a nest of vines and corpses. Though the surface layer had been destroyed, it was already regenerating.

Huang Di felt his skin crawl at the sight, but he couldn't let Xiao Mo go first. He charged, but Xiao Mo stepped forward, her sword drawn. She erupted with pure wood-attribute energy. Her power, a rare "Devouring" attribute, allowed her—a Foundation-building intermediate student—to unleash Growth-level power by consuming her enemy's strength.

However, the tree-type beneath the ground remained undeterred. As long as its core remained untouched, these attacks were mere scratches. More and thicker vines continued to emerge from the station, relentless and hungry.