Chapter Thirty-Three: Strangled by Vines

Ahead, the faint outline of the alley’s exit was already visible. Blackfeather suddenly shoved Ling Xiaolei forward, but then the transformed Whitescorpion sprang into the air, leaping over ten feet high. As he landed, he crashed down between Blackfeather and Ling Xiaolei, sending both of their bodies flying.

Ling Xiaolei tumbled across the ground, finally coming to rest against a stone pillar by the roadside. Blackfeather smashed into a wall, but quickly scrambled to his feet—only to find the monstrous Whitescorpion already launching a counterattack.

A rush of wind swept past his face; Whitescorpion’s fist punched straight into the wall. When he withdrew his arm, a gaping hole had been blasted through the masonry.

Blackfeather was shaken—he dodged, slipping under the monster’s arm, and spun around to thrust his staff hard at Whitescorpion’s chest. With a loud clang, the staff struck as if against solid steel; the creature’s skin was utterly impenetrable.

Blackfeather slashed rapidly several times, but every attack glanced off the monster’s iron muscles, as if he were merely tickling him—nothing had any effect.

Whitescorpion shook his head, his neck cracking audibly. He turned, crimson eyes fixing on Blackfeather, saliva dripping from his fanged mouth.

Again, Whitescorpion swung his fist at Blackfeather. Blackfeather dodged with all his might, but the punch was astonishingly fast—far swifter than one would expect from such a hulking figure. The blow carved another deep pit in the ground.

Blackfeather’s heart raced:

“Such enhancement… it far exceeds the power and speed boost I gained from unlocking the first seal. If this drags on, things will turn against us. Do I have no choice but to use the power of darkness…?”

“Ah!” Ling Xiaolei shrieked—the other monster lunged at her. She tried to control her chains to wrap his arm and neck, but compared to his massive body, they were like threads. With a single tug, the monster snapped the slender chains. He advanced, step by step, reaching out a giant hand to seize her.

“Blackfeather!” Ling Xiaolei called out in terror.

Blackfeather immediately broke away from Whitescorpion, dashed in front of the other monster, and shoved Ling Xiaolei aside. As the monster’s colossal hand descended, Blackfeather raised his staff to block it. With a crack, the monster gripped the staff and bent its ends—it was about to be broken.

Whitescorpion arrived at that moment, his footsteps shaking the ground, rumbling as he ran. His immense body moved with surprising speed. He reached Blackfeather and swung a fist.

Blackfeather clenched his eyes shut, shouting to Ling Xiaolei:

“Run! Don’t worry about me!”

Ling Xiaolei glanced at the exit, then turned back in panic:

“What about you?”

Before she could finish, Whitescorpion’s punch smashed into Blackfeather. A thunderous roar echoed in his mind; the blow left a hemispherical crater in the wall, dust billowing, and Blackfeather was violently hurled into the rubble.

Ling Xiaolei stood frozen, stunned, her body numb.

Whitescorpion withdrew his fist from the building, sending bricks and stones tumbling down. Blackfeather coughed, blood spurting from his lips, feeling as though every bone in his body had shattered.

“With just one punch, I’m immobilized. The strength of these two monsters… it’s terrifying…” he glared at them, cursing inwardly.

Ling Xiaolei covered her mouth, tears nearly falling. “Blackfeather!”

Blackfeather summoned all his strength and turned his head, his gaze resolute, speaking to Ling Xiaolei:

“I won’t die. Run, now!”

Ling Xiaolei’s mind was blank. She broke into a run, calling back, “I’ll find someone to rescue you!”

Another heavy fist from the other monster followed, giving Blackfeather no chance to catch his breath, pounding him deeper into the ruins. Then Whitescorpion’s fist came again. The two monsters, drunk on their transformed power, slammed their fists into the same spot again and again, their excitement feverish. Whitescorpion’s eyes were bloodshot, his mouth twisted in a cunning, wanton grin.

Fortunately, their focus remained on Blackfeather, not on capturing Ling Xiaolei. Blood streamed from Blackfeather’s temple, his vision crimson, his body wracked with agony, the sounds of bones breaking echoing relentlessly.

“Damned monsters…” Blackfeather thought, “Enjoy your triumph while you can. Let’s see how long your potions last—if you can’t kill me, it’ll be your turn to die…”

Ling Xiaolei ran from the alley, tears in her eyes, only to find herself in an unfamiliar neighborhood. She looked around, lost, unsure where to go or whom to seek for help.

“What should I do… what should I do…” she was on the verge of tears. Had she known these people could transform, she would never have risked herself—would she have time to find reinforcements now?

“Leaving Blackfeather behind… is it really safe? Will he die? Was I right to escape, or should I have stayed and died with him…”

The ground still trembled beneath her feet; behind, the sound of the monsters pounding the walls made her heart quake.

“What should I do, what should I do…” her tears blurred her vision.

Suddenly, a person emerged from the alley ahead. He walked calmly toward her, as if he knew what was happening in the narrow lane across the way.

He brushed past Ling Xiaolei without a word, heading straight into the alley, his measured steps stopping before Blackfeather and the two monsters.

Ling Xiaolei turned in surprise, just in time to see him cast a cold glance at the monsters. He spread his slender fingers in front of him, then swiftly clenched them.

“Vine—Strangle!”

Countless thick, purple vines erupted from the ground like writhing serpents, hoisting the monsters high into the air, tightening inexorably. The sound of bones breaking echoed, sharp and continuous.

The monsters screamed, their bodies contorting grotesquely under the vines, faces twisted in pain and horror—their enhanced bodies could not withstand the crushing power.

Soon, the vines wrapped around their necks and faces, silencing their terrified cries.

As the man’s five slender fingers clenched tight, the vines shrank rapidly, and from their cores, countless purple spikes radiated outward, impaling and crushing their prey.

A dull thud, then another—two tightly wrapped masses of vine burst, flesh and blood splattering like rain, painting the ground in two circular pools.

All this happened in the blink of an eye. The monsters that neither Blackfeather nor Ling Xiaolei could shake were killed in a single strike, swift and merciless.

Ling Xiaolei rubbed her eyes, certain what she saw was real, and finally recognized the man standing at the center of the alley—Ling Xi.