Chapter 676: Give Me Spirit Tools or Die
At present, the more than fifty cultivators all wore grim expressions.
The vines surrounding them were no ordinary plants.
Not only were they thick and incredibly tough, but they also crackled with bursts of lightning from time to time.
They were covered in hard barbs.
Most fatal of all, they had an extremely powerful regenerative ability.
A section of vine that had just been blasted apart would grow back in the blink of an eye.
It was just like chives—cut down again and again, only to regrow each time.
But these vines were not the most terrifying thing.
The most terrifying was the massive, pitch-black figure swimming through the vine forest.
It was a vine dragon!
Two days earlier, a cultivator from the Creation Heaven Sect, proud of his formidable seventy-pattern strength, had broken through the vines intending to escape the forest—only to be swallowed whole by the vine dragon in a single bite.
Not a trace of him remained.
He died instantly!
That had been a Nirvana realm cultivator with seventy patterns—someone who, whether in East Province, Central Province, or the Southern Isles, would be qualified to found a sect and become its leader.
Though not on the level of the Creation Heaven Sect or the Thunder Prison Clan, he would have ranked among the likes of Canglong Island or the Sun Moon Sect of the Southern Isles.
And yet now, he had died more miserably than a stray dog.
"Spirit tools… give me spirit tools… or I'll kill you!"
From outside the vine forest came the vine dragon's harsh, guttural voice.
After a moment, it repeated the demand.
The trapped cultivators exchanged looks.
It wanted to eat spirit tools again.
This damned vine dragon clearly regarded them as livestock penned in for slaughter!
Once it devoured all their spirit tools, it would be their turn to die.
A moment later, a tall, handsome young man with fair features stood up.
It was Li Yin, the Twelfth Prince of the Eastern Li Empire.
Looking toward the edge of the vine forest, Li Yin took out a Heaven-tier spirit tool and tossed it far away.
The vine dragon surged out of the vine forest and swallowed it in one gulp.
A moment later came the unpleasant crunching sounds.
Clearly, the Baleful Thunder Vine Dragon had strong jaws—though a spirit tool was hard, to it, it was a delicious treat.
"Good… good!"
The vine dragon's strange, satisfied laughter rang out.
Sikong Lie gave Li Yin a sidelong glance. "You just threw away a peak-grade Heaven-tier spirit tool. You're really that generous? Aren't you afraid its appetite will grow even larger?"
Li Yin replied via voice transmission, "That spirit tool was a gift from my elder brother, bearing the imprint he left upon it."
"If it is damaged, my elder brother will know immediately."
"In our current situation, we must be willing to part with something to have a chance to leave."
Sikong Lie nodded slightly, though inwardly he grew more wary of Li Yin.
The world praised the Eastern Li Empire's Sword Prince, Li Cangfeng, as unmatched.
But it seemed that Li Yin, his full-blooded younger brother, was no simple figure either.
To cast away a peak-grade Heaven-tier spirit tool without hesitation…
Tens of thousands of miles away—
Li Cangfeng stood with his hands behind his back, suspended in midair.
Countless golden flying swords streaked past him.
In the blink of an eye, the three giant apes before him were pierced by ten thousand swords, their bodies riddled with holes.
Moments later, three flying swords returned, carrying three Baleful Thunder Demon Seeds before him.
Just as Li Cangfeng collected them, his brow furrowed.
"That spirit tool shattered?"
"Xiao Yin is in trouble!"
His gaze instantly turned icy.
Stepping through the air, his figure shot forward in the blink of an eye and vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile—
Outside the vine forest, the vine dragon, having just left, suddenly returned again.
"Spirit tools!"
"More spirit tools!"
Its eerie laughter rang out once more.
Li Yin, Sikong Lie, Hu Xinyue, and the others all turned pale.
You just ate a peak-grade Heaven-tier spirit tool barely a quarter of an hour ago, and you already want more?
Your appetite is far too big!
Sikong Lie suddenly stood, his expression grave.
"Everyone, we must join forces in a fight to the death—otherwise, we will all die here."
The cultivators of the Reincarnation Holy Land rose at once, answering their Holy Son's call.
Li Yin frowned. "Brother Sikong, two days ago we already tried to break out, yet that attempt cost us twelve lives. Can you guarantee we can break through the encirclement?"
Sikong Lie's brows knit. "You mean to just drag this out and keep feeding the vine dragon our precious spirit tools to satisfy its ever-growing greed?"
"Our spirit tools are running out!"
Li Yin took a deep breath, speaking solemnly. "When my royal brother arrives, we will all survive."
Sikong Lie shook his head. "I admit Li Cangfeng's strength surpasses mine, but even so, is he stronger than all of us combined?"
"If we can't break through the vine dragon's encirclement, how will he kill it?"
Li Yin said firmly, "He doesn't need to kill the vine dragon—just help us escape."
The two were deadlocked.
Even the cultivators of the Reincarnation Holy Land and the Eastern Li Empire now looked at each other with hints of hostility in their eyes.
As for the remaining sect cultivators and itinerants, they stayed mostly silent.
The Reincarnation Holy Land and Eastern Li Empire each had leaders and numbers enough to unite their people.
But the others?
If they followed Sikong Lie's plan and fought desperately together, who would be the ones in the front lines?
And if they did break out, who would cover the rear?
It would inevitably be these unaffiliated cultivators.
If the others escaped but abandoned them, their sacrifices would be meaningless.
Everyone harbored their own thoughts, making unity impossible in such a moment.
Sikong Lie and Li Yin both turned to look at Hu Xinyue.
Among all those present, the three of them were the strongest.
Naturally, the decision should fall to them.
"Hu Xinyue, Daoist Hu, you are the descendant of Supreme Hu Qing. You decide," Sikong Lie said sternly. "Will you break out with us, or sit and wait for death with Li Yin and his people?"
Li Yin gave a cold snort. "Breaking out is courting death. Daoist Hu, don't follow Sikong Lie into the grave."
Hu Xinyue let out a soft sigh.
She was not one who liked making decisions, let alone deciding for others.
Both Sikong Lie and Li Yin had their reasoning, and she could not easily say which was right.
Just as she pondered and was about to speak—
The vine dragon let out a strange cry.
"Spirit tools! I want spirit tools!"
"No spirit tools, and I will… kill!"
Its voice grew more agitated.
The next moment, the massive black shadow suddenly lunged from the vine forest.
An Eastern Li Empire cultivator, caught off guard, was swallowed whole from head to toe before he could react.
Only a short, abruptly cut-off scream was heard before he vanished without a trace.
From deep within the pitch-black vine forest came the sickening sound of chewing.
Each crunch seemed to echo in the hearts of the remaining cultivators.
Everyone's facial muscles twitched involuntarily, their hair standing on end.
The Baleful Thunder Vine Dragon could no longer hold back.
Without spirit tools, it would begin eating people directly.
But now, they had reached the end of the road.
Without even half a spirit tool, how could they protect themselves later?
"Kill!"
The vine dragon laughed in its strange, chilling way.
In the next instant, it charged back into the vine forest, maw wide open, and in a heartbeat seized three people, tossing them into its mouth to chew.
Sikong Lie roared, summoning his blazing sun dharma image, and struck fiercely.
Flames erupted, instantly engulfing the vine dragon's head.
Caught off guard, the Baleful Thunder Vine Dragon let out a pained howl.
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