"Keep your voice down." Lin Lei was extremely cautious. "See the corpse of that giant green snake down there?"
Bak glanced downward and nodded. Lin Lei said gravely, "That giant green snake just transformed into a finger-sized serpent and hid itself in the foliage. It struck at me without warning. If I'd been arrogant enough to skip transforming into Dragon Blood Warrior form, my Pulse Guard in human form definitely wouldn't have withstood that hit. I could have lost my life right here."
"That serious?" Bak couldn't help but click his tongue.
Lin Lei's expression was solemn. He scanned the surroundings and lowered his voice. "According to what Des Li told me, the Yulan Continent has three passages leading to three different Tombs of the Gods, and this is the most dangerous one. Back then, Des Li and the others hid on the fifth level and stayed there until the ten-year period expired."
Bak looked somewhat surprised. "I was planning to go to the eleventh level."
"The eleventh level? Even the sixth level, Des Li didn't dare to enter back then—let alone the eleventh." Lin Lei fixed Bak with a grave look. "Bak, don't think that just because your defense is high, you can afford to be careless. In this godforsaken place, creatures from other planes will appear, and some of them might be able to counter your abilities. One slip-up, and you could lose your life."
"Remember what Des Li said? If you're too greedy, out of more than eighty, it'd be good if even ten survived." Lin Lei glanced at Bak. "And if ten really do make it, I'd bet they'll include the five peak Saint Realm powerhouses, plus those who've been here before and know what they're doing. Even I could die if I let my guard down."
Hearing this, Bak became considerably more cautious.
After all, when it came to survival, those who had been here before naturally had the edge. And among the more than eighty powerhouses—creatures like those three Six-Eyed Golden Ni, the terrifying magical beasts of the Dark Forest, and the human experts—at least ten of them could match Bak's strength when combined.
"Let's move," Lin Lei said in a low voice.
"Right." Bak immediately followed. The two of them crept forward cautiously, Lin Lei gripping the Purple Blood Soft Sword and Bak the giant axe, both ready to fight at any moment.
This actually deterred many of the jungle's terrifying creatures from attacking them.
"Lord Lin Lei, the vines and foliage here are so dense we can't even tell which direction we're going." The two had been flying for quite some time and were growing increasingly anxious. When they had observed the Tomb of the Gods from outside, the base had seemed to be only about ten thousand meters long. But the space inside was far larger.
Such power was something Lin Lei and the others could only look up to in awe.
"Don't worry. Stay calm and search carefully," Lin Lei said in a low voice.
Suddenly—"Ah!" A shrill scream rang out from the distance, and torn leaves burst wildly through the air.
Lin Lei and Bak exchanged a glance, then quietly moved toward the source of the commotion. Before long, they witnessed a shocking sight: a conspicuous giant flower had opened its blood-soaked maw and swallowed a Saint Realm powerhouse whole. The interior of the flower was convulsing—the Saint Realm powerhouse was clearly struggling.
But in just a few seconds, the inside of the flower went still.
The Saint Realm powerhouse was already dead.
"It eats people?" Lin Lei couldn't help but frown.
Back in the Dark Forest, Lin Lei had encountered that living metal castle, and he understood—it wasn't just humans and magical beasts that possessed life. Even metal or plants could harbor intelligent existence, and sometimes those lives were far more terrifying.
"My lord?" Bak said in a hushed voice.
Lin Lei signaled him with a glance. At that moment, Lin Lei had also noticed something strange—vines were slowly shifting.
"These vines are alive. I'm afraid some kind of plant creature is trying to kill us." The corner of Lin Lei's mouth curved slightly upward. Against plant-type creatures, the Black Jadestone Heavy Sword usually wasn't very effective. After all, cut off one section and there was plenty more where that came from.
At times like this, using the sharp and fast Purple Blood Soft Sword was far more effective.
"Hsss—" Suddenly, dozens of meters of sinuous vines on the ground in the distance sprang upward, lunging directly at Lin Lei and Bak. Vines coiled around the towering trees also detached and wrapped toward them. Vines hiding in the undergrowth shot out as well.
In an instant—hundreds of vines, thick and thin, blanketed sky and earth. From above, from all sides, from below, even from the soil itself, vines erupted forth. Lin Lei and Bak were plunged into a prison in the blink of an eye as countless vines surged inward.
Countless vines wove together into a massive green sphere at least ten meters in diameter.
Lin Lei and Bak were trapped inside.
"This is trouble." Lin Lei strained with both arms, trying to pry the vines apart, but they were incredibly supple and could even stretch slightly. Brute force alone was utterly insufficient to break through this vine prison. Moreover, Lin Lei could feel countless needle-like thorns piercing through the vines, stabbing at his entire body.
Pulse Guard could withstand them, but his Battle Qi was depleting rapidly.
"My lord, I can't pry them open!" Bak was equally desperate. He tried to swing his giant axe, but with his arms thoroughly entangled, he couldn't budge them at all. The vines' flexibility and strength were terrifying. "My lord, what do we do?"
Bak was panicking.
His strength was great, but the strength of this colossal vine creature far surpassed his own.
Suddenly— "Haha, you two can just die! Once I kill you two and then three more, I'll have enough heads. I'll present them to my lord, and I can become a god too! Stop struggling—you can't fight back. The strength of you human lives can't match mine." A shrill, arrogant voice echoed throughout the vine prison.
"Enough heads?" Lin Lei's heart lurched.
He was beginning to understand why every creature within the Tomb of the Gods wanted them dead.
"Die!" The shrill voice rang out again.
Lin Lei felt a terrifying force surge through the vines. Every single one of them possessed immense power, and with hundreds upon hundreds exerting force simultaneously, even Lin Lei and Bak felt a crushing pressure bearing down on them.
With so many vines coiling around him, Lin Lei's arms, legs, and dragon tail were all bound. Even with his brute force, he could only shift slightly.
"You want to kill the two of us?" Lin Lei smiled coldly, simply flipping his wrist.