Both Wen Wei and Lin Lan understood what they had to do without needing to speak.
They exchanged a quick glance, a silent agreent passing between them. Then, as if moving in perfect coordination, they stepped forward together.
tal hissed as they drew their weapons — Wen Wei’s curved twin blades and Lin Lan’s silver staff, its head engraved with Qi amplification runes that glead faintly in the moonlight.
Aksai’s expression didn’t change. He simply laughed.
"Hehehe. You ungrateful fools. You three are alive today because of . Instead of thanking for it, you ca here to wage war against . I get that you were forced to do a few things because of your affiliation with the Grand Martial Hall. But if only you had made use of your brain and spine a bit....
Haah. They say that most people can’t avoid what’s written in their fates. Perhaps it was your destiny to die under the Devil’s Den and I rely delayed it. Never mind. I shall correct my past mistakes with my own hands."
The Spirit farr looked at the three of them and then raised his gaze to the seven golden lights of the Aurous elders surrounding him. Finally, his eyes lifted toward the bright, full moon hanging over the city.
"And as for the rest of you.... It seems my nature of avoiding conflict has been mistaken for weakness," Aksai said quietly. His tone was calm, but there was sothing in his voice that made even the night wind seem to drop in temperature even further.
"I wanted to settle my scores with the Grand Martial Hall in my own way — a mild way, relatively speaking. I was busy with my experints, you see. What would I gain by enacting my revenge on people who were already destined to be tortured by the corrupted druids after the passing of each century?"
He paused, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. "But it seems you people are itching to paint my hands red with your blood. Very well. I shall fulfill your wishes."
His smile deepened, turning wicked. Slowly, he raised his arms and spread them wide. "Let show you the power you fear the most. The power of bloodline Spirit cultivators."
He closed his eyes. A soft hum echoed in the air, followed by a strange ripple that spread out from his body — invisible but powerful. The ground began to tremble.
Then, before anyone could react, vines burst out from the earth. Thick, brown vines with streaks of green surged upward from every direction, growing at an unnatural speed.
Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.
They twisted and curled around one another, forming a web that expanded in all directions. Within a fraction of a second, the webs connected, tightening together until they ford a massive do.
The do spread high above them, sealing the entire area. The Grand Martial Hall’s martial artists shouted in panic, their attacks striking uselessly against the growing mass of vines. However, their actions were in vain.
The vines were alive — moving, twisting, hardening with every passing mont. The do beca denser, its outer layer glinting faintly under the moonlight like living wood. It was as if a tree monster had swallowed the entire region up.
Even Zinnia froze in shock. Her heart pounded as she looked up and saw the moon being swallowed, its light dimming behind the thick sh of branches and dark red leaves. The faint sll of damp earth and blood filled the air.
"De... De... Devil’s Den," she whispered, her voice trembling. Her eyes widened as she stared at Aksai, realizing what she was seeing.
The atmosphere inside the do felt heavy enough to feel like a weight pressing on everyone’s chest. The vines creaked and groaned as they twisted tighter, their roots digging into stone, their leaves whispering with an eerie, wet sound.
Jin Jolan’s smirk vanished. His face turned pale as he looked around, eyes darting from one coiling vine to another. "No..." he muttered under his breath, his voice shaking slightly. "This... this can’t be happening again."
Beside him, Wen Wei’s grip on his swords tightened until his knuckles turned white. His breathing grew shallow. "It’s the sa," he said, his voice rough. "The sa as back then... Serenity Peak."
Lin Lan’s face had gone completely white. Her silver staff trembled in her hands. The sight of the vines, the way they moved and pulsed with life, brought back mories she thought she had buried long ago — screams, roots breaking through stone walls, people being dragged around and returning as tree monsters. And an entire city turned into a tree-zombie-infested nightmare.
They all rembered the Devil’s Den. The last ti, it had swallowed an entire city. They had been trapped inside it for days, surrounded by darkness and death. They had only survived because Aksai had destroyed the Tree Devil that controlled it.
But this ti was worse.
The Devil’s Den spreading around them now was smaller, yes — but it was thicker, stronger, alive in a way that made even their Qi tremble. Jin, Wen, and Lin could feel the difference right away.
After all, this wasn’t the work of so newbie corrupted druid barely in the Spirit Gathering Realm.
They launched their attacks imdiately, blades and Qi surging. Jin spun, his legs glowing silver as his kicks tore through layers of vines. Wen’s twin swords slashed arcs of glowing light, cutting deep into the walls of the do. Lin’s staff glimred with pale golden Qi as she struck, releasing shockwaves that shattered roots and branches.
Even the Aurous Artists launched their fearso attacks. For a mont, it seed to work. The vines scread and tore apart, a hole opening in the thick wall of the do. Light from the outside world stread in. Several Bronze Body realm warriors shouted in relief and rushed forward, hoping to escape.
But before they could reach the opening, the vines twisted again. New growths surged up like snakes, wrapping around the edges and closing the gap. In just a blink, the exit sealed completely — as if it had never been there at all.
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