Chapter 12: The Emerald Core

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Xia Tong deliberately ignored the vines brushing past her. The closer she got to that room, the denser the vines became, and the sweet, intoxicating floral scent in the air thickened to an almost overwhelming degree, even beginning to subtly permeate the water film on her skin, though it had little effect. Meanwhile, strange small flowers emitting a faint, eerie glow began to appear in the darkness, casting the area in an otherworldly light. Could these flowers be problematic too?

[Unknown glowing flower, no psychic energy detected.]

Yet the “Source Core” still indicated no psychic energy fluctuation.

“...Forget it,” Xia Tong thought, maintaining her vigilance as she glanced toward the half-opened verdant door. “The core is inside.”

Having reached this point, this small building came to its end. She no longer held back; the water film on her skin contracted instantly, glowing brighter, forcibly isolating her from the increasingly heavy floral scent in the air. Then, with a sharp push, she flung open the half-ajar door!

Steadying herself, Xia Tong’s pupils contracted slightly at the sight beyond the door.

The entire room was enveloped and occupied by countless emerald green vines. These vines twisted and intertwined, growing upward, eventually converging into a coiled structure about half a meter off the ground, resembling a giant flower bud. Within the layers of entwined vines, a thumb-sized crystal emitting a soft green glow hovered quietly, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat, radiating intense energy fluctuations.

This was the true core of the Chromatic Vine!

Countless fine roots spread out from the vine’s base, deeply embedded into the floor and walls, extending underground to draw energy.

Around the core, numerous budding flower clusters emitted a strong fragrance and a faint luminescence.

[Chromatic Vine, Tier 1, Three Stars. Its embedded emerald core contains relatively pure wood-element energy, emitting a rich fragrance that attracts passing creatures.]

“Hmph, finally found you.” Xia Tong’s taut nerves relaxed a little, but her vigilance remained sharp. “Luckily, it’s just the early stage of mutation. Apart from the hallucinatory effects and these vines, it hasn’t evolved stronger offensive means. Otherwise...” She dared not imagine the consequences; she might never have reached this far.

“Heh, your time has come.” A cold killing intent flashed through Xia Tong’s crystal-clear cat eyes as she hesitated no longer.

Before the words had fully left her lips, the air around her instantly grew moist. Countless tiny droplets appeared out of thin air, coalescing rapidly.

In an instant, these droplets merged into dozens of sharp water arrows, glimmering with icy light, their pointed tips aimed directly at the fragile emerald core in the center of the room!

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“It’s over!” The water arrows swarmed like a hive of attacking bees, slicing through the air with piercing sounds as they shot toward the Chromatic Vine’s core!

Xia Tong’s cat eyes reflected the trajectory of the water arrows, as if foreseeing the moment the Chromatic Vine would die.

However, just as the water arrows were about to strike the core—

“Buzz!!!” The emerald core, which had been emitting a soft green glow, suddenly trembled violently, then its light flared fiercely!

An invisible wave of energy radiated outward instantly. The buds surrounding the core seemed to receive a command, blooming simultaneously in an instant!

At the same time, the almost tangible sweet floral scent erupted like a geyser, making the air thick and sticky, carrying a nauseatingly sweet and metallic stench.

The countless emerald vines wrapping around the crystal core tightened abruptly, layer upon layer, forming a tough shield of vines before the core!

“Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!” The dozens of sharp water arrows struck the vine shield with dull thuds.

Although they pierced through several layers of vines, leaving dark green holes, none managed to harm the core even slightly!

Something’s off... Xia Tong felt a dizzying wave surge in her mind—clearly the hallucinogenic scent at work.

In the next moment, countless vines coiled forward aggressively, aiming straight at Xia Tong.

She shook her slightly dizzy head, transformed into flowing water in a flash, bypassed the attacking vines, and reformed her figure just before the core.

Her long black tail instantly wrapped in cerulean water lashes out fiercely at the fractured vine shield.

“Bang!” The mighty water whip lashed the towering vine core, making it sway violently, yet it still couldn’t inflict effective damage.

“So stubborn!” Xia Tong muttered, then launched a relentless barrage of lashes, determined to bring it down.

Meanwhile, the Chromatic Vine was far from passive. The surrounding loose vines became wildly aggressive, swarming to encircle Xia Tong, attempting to trap her completely.

The glowing flowers swaying on the vines flickered faintly, releasing delicate pollen that accumulated ceaselessly in the cramped room.

The dazzling pollen constantly peeled off and washed away her water film, the subtle sweet scent penetrating everywhere, desperately trying to seep inside the protective membrane...

Unable to finish it off quickly, and if this dragged on, she feared she might die with regret... Xia Tong’s heart grew anxious.

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“Such a miscalculation...” Xia Tong cursed inwardly, refusing to slacken even a bit.

Her petite frame darted swiftly within the confined room, water elemental energy pushed to its limits. The glow of the water film intensified, flowing faster as she struggled to resist the all-pervasive hallucinogenic pollen and fragrance.

At the same time, she secretly concentrated her energy, summoning two high-speed spinning water blades out of thin air, slashing fiercely at the lashing vines!

With the use of her powers, her past life’s experience and muscle memory gradually “returned,” allowing her to act with increasing ease.

“Shhhk!” The water blades, carrying incredible cutting force, cleared the encircling vines completely, then surged forward to slice solidly into the mutated vine core. Yet the cracks instantly reversed and healed.

“...” The effect wasn’t good.

As time passed, Xia Tong could distinctly feel a strange sensation eroding her senses.

“A swift victory is necessary!”

“The hallucinogenic effect is taking hold.”

While desperately dodging the frenzied lashes of vines, she raced to devise a countermeasure.

“Wait...” After a perilous sideways roll to avoid a thick vine crashing from above, her gaze swept again over the core entangled in vines.

This time, she noticed that around the core, besides the blooming flowers, there were a few darker, almost shadow-blended fine roots trembling slightly, seemingly channeling something into the core.

“Are those the energy-supplying roots?” The thought flashed through her mind.

To capture the leader first!

With that in mind, Xia Tong no longer hesitated. A resolute gleam flashed in her eyes.

“Now!”

She blurred into a streak of blue, braving countless vine attacks, dashing fiercely toward the few hidden dark roots near the core!

Simultaneously, several denser, faster-spinning miniature water drills formed before her!

In the next instant, with a sharp “shhh,” the water drills completely severed those fine dark roots...