Suppressing her fear, Lin Xia began to think of a way to break the deadlock.
When Hu Liena and the others saw Lin Xia's expression change drastically, they subconsciously became nervous as well.
There is only one token; if...
The group exchanged glances, all tempted, but what if Lin Xia wasn't faking it, and there really was some creature around that frightened him? Wouldn't they be courting death if they acted rashly?
So for a moment, I was caught in a dilemma!
After a long pause, seeing that Lin Xia still hadn't spoken, Hu Liena finally sighed and said directly to Xie Yue and Yan:
"I'm giving up. Without Lin Xia, it definitely wouldn't have been this easy for us to get here!"
After hearing Hu Liena's words, Xie Yue and Yan fell silent. They had worked so hard for the position of Holy Son for so many years, and they themselves felt it was impossible to give up now!
But Hu Liena was right. If it weren't for Lin Xia, or even if Lin Xia hadn't been there with them, the other party might have already taken the token and left.
"well...."
"That's it. Na'er, you have the best talent among the three of us. If we all give up, Lin Xia's talent is the same as yours, or even better. There's no point in us continuing. The position of Holy Son is ultimately out of our reach!"
Xie Yue's words also made Yan, who had originally wanted to persist, give up.
When he was young and naive, he was jealous of Lin Xia. Five years have passed, and although their relationship has improved a lot, it has always been a thorn in Yan's heart.
Even if I compete head-on, I might not be able to beat Lin Xia, but it might be better to give up voluntarily!
Just after the three of them had made their decision, Lin Xia opened her eyes and solemnly said to Hu Liena and the other two:
We're in trouble!
The three of them froze and looked at Lin Xia.
"Beneath the abyss dwells an extremely terrifying soul beast, the Soul-Devouring Demon Vine King. It uses vines as its tendons and corpses as its puppets. Its aura... is at least at the ten-thousand-year level!"
Lin Xia's voice was deep and clear. With the help of the perception brought by the Blue Silver Domain, his mental power penetrated the rolling poisonous fog and locked onto the terrifying source.
"Manipulating corpses and vines... I think I've seen this kind of spirit beast in the library before. Wasn't it extinct for almost a thousand years?"
Xie Yue's expression changed drastically, the moon blade in his hand gleamed coldly, and his body tensed like a fully drawn bow.
His trust in Lin Xia's judgment over the past five years made him realize that this was by no means an exaggeration.
"A ten-thousand-year-old soul beast, the Soul-Devouring Demon Vine King?"
Hu Liena's charming face was now solemn, her allure vanished, leaving only the sharpness of battle in her pink eyes.
Although she didn't know how powerful this soul beast was, she still asked the most crucial question.
"How strong is this spirit beast in its true form? Can we handle it?"
She knew all too well how terrifying a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast was, especially in this strange environment.
Moreover, judging from the tone of Lin Xia and her brother, it was definitely not a simple soul beast.
"The aura emanating from this body isn't particularly strong; at least it doesn't seem to be purely power-type or defense-type."
Lin Xia's "Blue Silver Vision" pierced through numerous obstacles, barely outlining the massive contours of the abyss's bottom—
A massive plant entwined with countless skeletons, its roots deeply embedded in the rock strata, its trunk covered with dark green moss and black vines that wriggle like veins.
"The most troublesome thing is its handling!"
"The entire altar, the vines on the cliff face, even the corpses hanging above the abyss... they were all its eyes and ears, its weapons!"
"It can use its vines to extract life force, spread deadly spores, and even directly control living beings through mental attacks and contact with the vines, turning them into puppets!"
"This is also the reason why this kind of soul beast became extinct. The Spirit Hall issued the Soul Extinction Order, searching for this kind of soul beast throughout the continent. Once found, it will be eradicated with all its might."
Lin Xia's words made everyone gasp.
Yan's flames leaped uneasily, his voice carrying suppressed anger and a hint of barely perceptible fear:
"Damn it, so that means we not only have to fight it, but also deal with all the corpses and vines in this canyon?"
Lin Xia nodded, but her eyes were unusually bright, with a burning flame in her deep blue pupils:
"Its characteristics... are very suitable for my martial soul! Its ability to manipulate corpses and vines, draw upon death energy, and absorb life force is highly compatible with the 'life control' and 'environmental symbiosis' characteristics of my Blue Silver Grass."
"If I could absorb its spirit ring, my Blue Silver Grass..."
Lin Xia paused, her tone resolute.
"We have to take it down! Regardless of whether my martial soul requires it or not, we have to face this soul beast, and we have to be quick. The altar is right across from us, and the badge is there, but this abyss and it are obstacles we can't get around!"
Xie Yue took a deep breath. In fact, he was shocked when Lin Xia said that his martial soul needed the soul ring of this soul beast.
But I quickly felt relieved.
Lin Xia's strength means that the Spirit Hall will become even stronger, and since the Spirit Hall is his home, there's nothing wrong with helping Lin Xia.
Besides, we've already come this far, are we really going to turn back right now?
Even without receiving the token, Xie Yue had already accepted it!
Hu Liena, needless to say, had long regarded Lin Xia as her most important companion after spending the past few years together.
Yan has fully realized his mistakes from back then, and he is completely convinced of Lin Xia's strength.
So after hearing this, he nodded.
"What should we do? Lin Xia, you know the situation, you decide on the plan!"
Xie Yue said in a deep voice, his moon blade pointing straight at the abyss, handing over the decision to the core controller who knew the enemy's situation best.
Lin Xia took a deep breath, and the Blue Silver Grass's sensory network once again spread into the depths of the abyss.
"Its main body is rooted at the bottom of the abyss, and countless black vines extend up like its tentacles, controlling the cliff walls and the area around the altar. We cannot get close to the altar to fight it. We must force it out of the abyss or intercept it halfway!"
Lin Xia quickly analyzed the situation.
"I have a plan, but I need everyone's full cooperation. Everyone... must be prepared to get injured or worse! Its mental attacks and spore control... are impossible to defend against!"
"good!"
Lin Xia commanded Yan to bombard the giant vines hanging at the edge of the abyss with powerful flames, creating a huge commotion and a high-temperature energy source.
Sure enough, the abyss boiled!
Countless black vines shot out from the abyss and cliffs like venomous snakes emerging from their holes. At the same time, several rotting corpse puppets wrapped in vines let out silent roars and, pulled by the vines, nimbly climbed the rock walls and pounced on the four people!
Hu Liena used her charm skill for the first time in an attempt to interfere with the puppets' actions, but it was ineffective—these puppets had almost no independent consciousness!
The evil moon blade swung like a wheel, severing vines and cutting open bones, while Yan was responsible for burning the severed vines and puppet remains with flames to prevent the spread of spores and the regeneration of vines.
Lin Xia continuously released tiny, resilient blue silver grass leaves, which blended into the battlefield, interfering with the vines' paths and sensing their direction, while also quietly absorbing and purifying the spores.
However, there were too many vines and they were at tricky angles. When Xie Yue was killing an agile beast-shaped puppet, a hidden poisonous vine grazed his arm, leaving a bloodstain that quickly turned black!
To shield Xie Yue from another wave of vine attacks, Yan took a heavy blow to his back, letting out a muffled groan. Lin Xia quickly gave the order:
"Xieyue, retreat and force the poison out! Yan, don't try to withstand it head-on, create an isolation zone with a wall of fire!"
(End of chapter)