Chapter 24: Panic

“Hiss—”
A thick, verdant root coiled tightly around Jiang Qiang’s waist, binding her like a water snake and lifting her off the ground in an instant.

“Ah—help me, help me!” Jiang Qiang’s desperate screams, torn from her throat by terror, seemed to rip apart the very sky.

By now, Fang He was petrified with fear, scrambling and crawling to hide behind a towering ancient tree. Mo Han, meanwhile, quietly hefted a large stone, ready to hurl it at any moment.

“Damn it!” Guan Qian cursed, his brow furrowing as blood surged through his veins, his heart pounding at a furious pace that spurred his mind to the limit. Electric snaps crackled across his body.

In that instant—

Every cell in Guan Qian’s body became hypersensitive, a surging power overlaying his muscles, and his perception heightened to an inconceivable level.

His white pupils appeared!

With an eerie calm, Guan Qian’s cold, pale irises fixed sharply on the Soul-Eater Demon.

“My god, Guan Qian’s so scared his eyes rolled back!” Fang He stared in horror, jaw slack.

“Shut up, Fang He!” Mo Han barked, frowning as he sensed a terrifying change emanating from Guan Qian.

Whoosh—

Guan Qian vanished from where he stood, reappearing beneath the demon’s massive, green root. He swung his leg, kicking hard against the root.

But with a metallic clang, the Soul-Eater Demon merely twisted its root slightly, as if barely tickled.

Snap—

The demon, its beautiful yet grotesque face twisted toward Guan Qian, lashed out with a thick vine whip, striking at him. But Guan Qian dodged with acute agility.

“What the—Guan Qian, are you shooting a movie?” Fang He wiped his black-rimmed glasses, nearly stunned into unconsciousness by the scene.

The demon’s beautiful, feral face bulged with veins as it missed Guan Qian. It extended a long, crimson tongue, licking its plump red lips as if appraising its prey.

A naked, unabashed display of contempt—a provocation as if regarding ants.

“Help me! Help me! Ah—!” The demon swung its massive, contorted root, making Jiang Qiang, suspended in midair, dizzy and disoriented. Her cries for help dissolved into incoherent sobs.

“Damn it, this freakish thing is as hard as steel! Kicking it nearly numbed my leg.” Guan Qian winced, shocked by the demon’s monstrous resilience.

“Mo—Mo Han, did you see Guan Qian kicking that thing just now?” Fang He staggered over like a panicked rabbit, his face drawn tight with disbelief.

“Are you blind?” Mo Han snapped, a shadow of dread crossing his brow. Fang He seemed half-crazed with fear.

“Er…” Fang He swallowed dryly, his mind a blank.

Boom!
The demon charged at Guan Qian with its enormous, crimson head, tearing through the undergrowth and shattering the peace. It shrieked in fury, causing the entire green canopy to quake violently.

In a heartbeat, thick vines erupted from the earth, writhing in the air like a nest of serpents.

Sensing an overwhelming danger approaching at breakneck speed—its source right beneath his feet—Guan Qian’s senses blared a warning.

Hiss—

Mo Han, who was struggling, and Fang He, who had tried to flee, were easily ensnared by the thick vines and hoisted into the air.

Now, all three lives hung by a thread.

Guan Qian teleported, dodging the vine snaking toward his feet, but he could only keep evading the whips lashing at him from all sides. Frustration mounted within him.

As the three dangled, about to be strangled, white light burst from Guan Qian’s pale gaze.

“Imprison!”

This was the simplest yet most effective passive attack in his white-pupil state. In the Palace of Holy Virtue, this move had halted bullets in mid-flight. It had also helped him withstand a direct attack from the false prophet.

But—

He had miscalculated this time!

The entangling vines weren’t immobilized; their assault merely slowed. Off guard, Guan Qian was struck hard by one, sent flying.

The force of the blow set his back aflame with pain—a testament to the Soul-Eater Demon’s terrifying power.

In his prophetic white-pupil state, Guan Qian’s physical prowess was completely suppressed—he had no room to resist. He was utterly shaken by the monstrous sight before him.

“Damn it, this is unimaginably freakish!” he cursed inwardly. To have provoked such a formidable creature made him want to take out his anger on the ghosts instead.

The demon gave him no respite. Its relentless attacks battered the land, turning the area into a wasteland of splintered branches and cracked earth.

“Ugh!” Guan Qian spat, scrambling up from the dirt, his temper flaring as he was forced to keep dodging.

Beyond the green canopy.

Tang Ruyan watched uneasily as the entire grove trembled. Her heart grew heavier.

“Something’s wrong—there’s trouble!” After a quick divination, she realized disaster had struck within the greenery. She knew Guan Qian must be in danger—grave danger.

Rumble—

The ground at the edge of the grove shook violently, the tremors reaching Tang Ruyan, a hundred meters away. She fought to steady herself, only to see the earth at the grove’s edge split open.

A chasm, deep beyond measure, appeared before her eyes.

Tang Ruyan’s eyes widened as she ran toward the trees. But, no matter how urgent her heart, the impassable chasm blocked her way.

The entire grove was utterly isolated. Tang Ruyan hesitated, gazing across the rift at the greenery beyond, her deep eyes awash with emotion.

“Damn it, did that thing cause this earthquake?” Guan Qian stared at the devastation—the shattered trees, fissured earth—his nerves on edge.

Most of the lake’s water had drained away, leaving only a shallow, muddy pool. Massive vine whips lashed through the grove, and all vegetation was ravaged.

A pall of death and darkness shrouded the entire green canopy.