Immediately afterward, what sounded like gulping could be heard. To the naked eye, streaks of deep crimson spread across the vine's surface, resembling fresh blood. The martial artist wrapped within the vine went completely still in an instant.
Not only that—his entire body withered before their eyes, rapidly shriveling until he was nothing but skin and bones, as though all the flesh and blood had been drained from him.
"Devouring vital essence!" Yang Kai's expression changed drastically.
He could see at once what had happened to that man. The entire essence of his flesh and blood had been sucked dry by the vine that pierced through him in the span of a single breath. He was dead beyond any doubt.
That man had been a Void King realm cultivator, yet against these vines he had been as helpless as a three-year-old child.
"It's a Wood Demon—a Wood Demon! What's been sealed underground is a Wood Demon!"
At that moment, Mo Xiaoqi suddenly cried out in alarm, her voice laced with unmistakable terror. This was the first time Yang Kai had seen her so shaken. Back on Jade Clarity Mountain, when she had encountered the young Phoenix, she had remained perfectly composed. But now, upon learning the truth, the color drained from her face in an instant.
"Brother Yang, we have to leave now! We're no match for it. It can rapidly restore itself by devouring the flesh and blood essence of others!" After finishing her words, Mo Xiaoqi suddenly tossed something forward, and a pristine white jade war chariot materialized before them.
She grabbed Yang Kai, and the two of them leapt into the chariot together.
Mo Xiaoqi formed a series of hand seals, continuously channeling power into the chariot. With a low hum, more than a dozen layers of defensive restrictions flared to life around it, giving the appearance of an impenetrable fortress.
Then Mo Xiaoqi gave a sharp shout: "Go!"
The chariot trembled slightly and was about to carry them away from the danger.
But at that very moment, countless vines surged wildly out from the underground fissures, some lashing like whips, others clustering into piercing spears, all attacking the chariot with frenzied abandon.
The defensive light on the chariot flickered wildly under the onslaught. Fortunately, the chariot appeared to be of a very high grade, and its restrictions were formidable enough that the vine attacks—which could instant-kill Void King cultivators—could not immediately breach the defenses.
Still, under such tremendous force, the chariot rocked and swayed, making escape impossible.
In the brief delay that followed, the chariot was completely enveloped by the vines.
Mo Xiaoqi's face turned pale.
"Moon Blade!" Yang Kai snorted coldly. He pressed his palms together and then pulled them apart, sending an enormous crescent-shaped blade of light shooting outward. It sliced through several of the vines wrapped around the chariot.
Though he achieved some success, Yang Kai's expression remained grim. He had realized he had underestimated the vines' defensive strength. That massive Moon Blade had only managed to cut through four of them before its power was entirely spent.
And the severed vines regrew a new segment in the blink of an eye, continuing to wrap around the chariot.
"Brother Yang, use fire-attribute power! No other element can truly destroy these vines!" Mo Xiaoqi called out urgently. At the same time, she slapped a cloth pouch at her waist. A fierce beast resembling a Qilin immediately burst forth from it, its entire body blazing red and radiating the aura of a peak tenth-tier creature. The beast opened its gaping maw and spat out a torrent of fierce flame.
Where the flames swept past, the vines twisted and retracted as though suffering devastating damage.
Seeing this, Yang Kai immediately formulated a plan. He channeled the Fire Sword Qi from his Indestructible Five Elements Sword Technique, condensing a long sword of flickering flame in his hand. He slashed continuously, hacking away at the vines until pieces fell in abundance.
The severed vines did not immediately regrow this time—fire-attribute power truly did seem to have a restraining effect on them.
Mo Xiaoqi was far from idle. After releasing the Qilin-like beast, she produced a crimson handkerchief, infused it with source power, and it instantly transformed into a cloud of fire that burned in every direction.
Between the two of them and the beast, they finally managed to clear the vines away from the chariot for a brief respite.
Before the vines could close in again, Mo Xiaoqi stamped her delicate foot against the chariot floor. The chariot shot forward like a released arrow.
Behind them, countless vines clawed and writhed, giving chase relentlessly—but they were gradually left further and further behind.
After ten breaths, the chariot finally escaped the danger zone, and the vines ceased their pursuit.
Only then did Mo Xiaoqi gasp for air, her face showing the unmistakable look of someone who had narrowly survived a disaster.
Looking back, over a radius of ten li, countless vines whipped through the air like writhing tentacles—a sight that sent chills down one's spine.
"Xiaoqi, what exactly is a Wood Demon?" Yang Kai finally had a chance to ask.
"It's born when a divine tree awakens sentience and develops its own consciousness. They're extremely troublesome to deal with. Depending on the species of divine tree, each Wood Demon possesses different innate abilities. I don't know what powers the one we encountered might have, but virtually all Wood Demons are incredibly difficult to kill, because pure wood-attribute essence inherently represents vitality and regeneration. Even if it suffers severe damage, it can recover on its own given enough time. Wood Demons can be either benign or malevolent, but this one is almost certainly extremely dangerous. Who knows how long it's been sealed—its strength must have declined enormously. Otherwise, given our current levels of power, there's no way we could have escaped."
"They're that terrifying?" Yang Kai was stunned.
"Of course. Brother Yang, whatever you do, don't underestimate it. There have even been Emperor Realm powerhouses who perished at the hands of Wood Demons. Now that it's been released, it will certainly prioritize restoring its strength as quickly as possible. And based on what we just witnessed, the best way for it to do that is by devouring the flesh and blood essence of martial artists like us… Oh no—the second level isn't safe anymore!" Mo Xiaoqi's expression shifted at the thought.
"Surely it's not that bad. The second level has an enormous amount of space. Can't we just find somewhere to hide?"
"What if it finds us?" Mo Xiaoqi looked at Yang Kai, worry clear in her eyes.