[Isle of Longevity, Dawn of the Sixth Day, Unknown Pyramid Area]
Bang!
Mi Yao's handheld console screen flashed red, and masses of green pixel blocks exploded in front of him, transforming into game props such as roadblocks, wire fences, and energy barriers.
These game-ified items layered one upon another around him, protecting him.
Yet, despite all these preparations, the bizarre dark purple vines shattered the game props in a very short time.
Seeing this, Mi Yao's expression was extremely solemn. His arms began to shake uncontrollably from the high-intensity combat.
Red marks were rubbed onto his palms by the game console casing, and sweat dripped down his cheeks, splattering a small pool of water on the console screen.
Unlike the 'vine tentacles' he had encountered elsewhere previously, the vines in front of him were as thick as buckets, their outer skin gleaming with a metallic luster, covered in faint golden patterns.
Furthermore, the changes in these vines were not merely superficial; their internal structure had also undergone a qualitative change.
Because when he smashed them with his pixel war hammer just now, it only left a shallow white mark on the vine's surface, and the hammer itself had part of its energy absorbed by the vine, becoming semi-ethereal.
This meant that not only were these vines incredibly tough, but they could also absorb the Starlight Energy of their attackers.
It was utterly disgusting.
Fortunately, the small mercy was that the main targets of these vines were not the group currently on the periphery of the pyramid, but Tendo, who stood atop the pyramid, and others who had entered the pyramid's interior.
Although Mi Yao couldn't see what was happening inside the pyramid, he could vaguely sense scorching flames and powerful, distinctive information like dreamscapes and quantum data emanating from time to time.
Clearly, Jing Liuli, Chen Xing, Caroline, and the others, whom they hadn't encountered before, were all inside this mysterious pyramid.
And it was the presence of Tendo and these individuals that caused this bizarre 'pyramid' to focus ninety-nine percent of its energy on them, only sparing a brief moment to deal with 'small fry' like themselves who had suddenly intruded.
Even so, they still couldn't easily deal with the three 'unknown vines' that appeared before them.
"Damn it, what the hell is this thing?!"
Just as Mi Yao was contemplating a solution, Liu Ma's roar came from the left.
Limited by his own combat style, Liu Ma was accustomed to using his powerful physique for close combat with enemies.
It was hard to say whether this fighting style was good or bad, but once he encountered an enemy whose strength far surpassed his own, or one that could easily break through his physical defense,
Liu Ma could easily find himself in a passive position. And at this moment, he was undoubtedly facing such a 'predicament.'
His entire body, covered in gold-plated skin, was mottled with black marks. Dark purple vines coiled around his limbs like giant pythons.
The barbs at the end of the vines dug deeply into his skin, rapidly transporting large amounts of bizarre dark-green sap into his body along the barbs on the vines.
During this process, Liu Ma could clearly feel his Starlight Energy being frantically drained by the vines.
Consequently, the energy that had been abundant inside him quickly became depleted in a very short time, and the golden sheen of his body visibly receded.
What was more terrifying was that the bizarre dark-green toxin on the vines seemed to be highly suppressive to 'Starlight Energy.'
As it spread through his blood vessels to his entire body, it even disrupted the circulation of Starlight Energy within him.
It wasn't that Liu Ma hadn't mobilized Starlight Energy to resist, but his resistance not only failed to work but also triggered a violent spasm, as if countless needles were piercing his body.
Amidst the intense pain, Liu Ma shared the intelligence he had gathered with everyone.
"Be careful! It doesn't just suck Starlight Energy; it can also lock down our internal Starlight Energy pathways!"
Hearing Liu Ma's words, Chen Kong's heart immediately sank.
But before he could respond to Liu Ma, he felt a chill on his back, and a strong sense of danger surged into his mind.
The next second, a new dark purple vine shot out from a spatial rift behind him, launching a sneak attack.
This new vine was twice as fast as the previous ones, and the golden patterns on its barbs shimmered with cold light.
Fortunately, Chen Kong's focus was always highly concentrated, and he subconsciously dodged sideways.
In an instant, the newly appeared dark purple vine scraped past his tactical backpack.
After the light and shadow flickered, the tactical backpack on Chen Kong's back was instantly torn to shreds. The energy magazines, healing spray, and the last Sweet Dream Candy inside were swept away by the vine.
Snap!
In Chen Kong's constricted pupils, the newly appeared dark purple vine devoured the scattered supplies quickly, growing visibly larger in size.
It was as if these vines possessed a kind of 'devour all things' ability, where any substance could become nourishment for their growth.
"Be careful, these vines are of the same origin as the Golden Chrysanthemum; they can absorb any substance containing Starlight Energy and life force."
Vivian suddenly appeared beside Chen Kong, stating her judgment.
Then, her cybernetic pupil suddenly locked on, and her Needle-Second Rapier spun between her fingers, precisely deflecting a thin vine that swept toward them.
"They can locate us through the 'life imprint' on our bodies. We must destroy the mark, or we will never be able to shake them off."
As she spoke, Vivian suddenly sped up and rushed to Chen Kong's side, plunging her rapier into the back of his hand without hesitation.
"Hiss!"
Vivian's sudden move made Chen Kong gasp in pain. The faint golden pattern left by the Golden Chrysanthemum on the back of his hand emitted a 'sizzling' sound.
However, as large amounts of fine white smoke rose from the back of his hand, Chen Kong suddenly felt the previous sensation of being 'watched' by an unseen presence disappear.
At the same time, whether it was Chen Kong's illusion or the truth,
He felt that along with the disappearance of the 'sense of being watched,' the 'heavy feeling' caused by the unknown toxin inside his body also vanished.
Undoubtedly, Vivian's judgment was correct.
After helping Chen Kong, Vivian immediately intended to help Liu Ma also get rid of the special life imprint carved on the back of his hand.
But just as she moved, the vine wrapped around Liu Ma suddenly exerted force.
Bang!
The dark purple vine swung Liu Ma, who was bound, fiercely toward the ground like a meteor hammer.
A dull crash echoed as Liu Ma's back collided with the stone slab.
He immediately coughed up a mouthful of black blood. The golden plating on his skin completely receded, and his arms hung limply at his sides.
Simultaneously, the unknown toxin inside him had spread to his chest, making it impossible for him to even move a finger.
Since the prey had lost its ability to resist, the bizarre dark purple vine naturally moved to collect the imminent 'spoils of victory.'
The front half of the vine slowly erected, and the sharp end suddenly split open, revealing a snake-like structure that lunged toward Liu Ma's heart.
In this moment of crisis, Isabel ignored her depleted Starlight Energy and forcibly condensed an ice cone.
The ice cone cut through the air, precisely landing on the vine's 'snake mouth' end.
While penetrating the vine's outer skin, the ice cone also froze a small surrounding area, slowing the vine's movement for half a second.
Mi Yao, not far away, seized this opportunity, pounced, grabbed Liu Ma's collar, and used all his strength to throw him toward the periphery of the pyramid.
When Liu Ma rolled outside a certain range of the pyramid, a strange scene occurred.
The bizarre vine that had been relentlessly pursuing Liu Ma now seemed to be blocked by an invisible wall. Although it frantically twisted its body, trying to recapture Liu Ma, its prey, it could never cross the boundary.
"Sure enough, their active range... is limited to a certain area around this pyramid."
Mi Yao observed the scene, his tone certain.
But just as he finished speaking, a vine violently lashed his back, making him stagger and collide with a stone pillar.
At the same time, the situation of Liu Ma, the duck they had caught, flying away, completely enraged the surrounding vines.
The enraged vines split into countless thin, finger-thick tendrils that whipped toward the group like a downpour.
The speed of the thin vines was incredibly fast, forcing everyone to dodge awkwardly.
And to prevent them from leaving their attack range like Liu Ma, these vines completely sealed off the group's retreat path.
Moments later, countless cuts were carved into Chen Kong's tactical suit, and his skin was covered in small scratches. Toxin seeped in through the wounds.
Yet, he was not the most frantic of the four; the truly desperate one was Isabel.
After prolonged dodging, Isabel, who was already low on stamina and lacking agility, quickly exposed a vulnerability.
Her legs felt like they were cast in lead, and her breathing was rapid, like a bellows.
So when another thin vine lashed out, she could only watch helplessly as the vine magnified in her vision, her mind blank, with no time to dodge.
"Watch out!"
In Isabel's astonishment, Chen Kong leaped and pushed her away, preventing her from being severely wounded by the vine.
But Chen Kong himself was struck on the back by the thin vine. His tactical suit was instantly torn, and a bone-deep wound was immediately blackened. A sense of paralysis shot up his spine to his brain, making him momentarily black out and nearly stumble.
"No, if this continues, we will definitely be wiped out here!"
With just a quick look, Mi Yao understood the group's predicament and imagined the result that awaited them if they continued to delay.
Because the energy bar on his game console was nearly empty, the screen was flickering, and it could shut down at any moment.
And if he, the strongest of the four, was in such a state, the condition of the others was self-evident. Despair, like a tide, engulfed everyone.
Chen Kong leaned against the stone pillar, feeling his body getting heavier and heavier. His vision began to blur. He could even see the thin vines wrapping around his ankles.
If no external force intervened, they might truly die here.
Just then, a black shadow suddenly darted out from the pyramid's shadow.
Sizzle!
A clean swish sounded as the dagger cut through the air, and dark golden sap splattered out.
Then, the vine wrapped around Chen Kong's ankle was instantly severed by the newcomer. The cut was so smooth it looked as if it had been laser-sliced.
"Lin?!"
Mi Yao looked up, his tone filled with surprise.
In mid-air, a girl wearing a black fitted combat uniform and waist-length black hair floated in the wind. Her face was expressionless; only her black pupils were cold like winter stars.
Indeed, the person who arrived was none other than Ye Shenlin, the fifth-ranked Child of the Constellations, possessor of the 'Star Core: Shadow Crow' and 'Star Source: Shadow of the Past.'
The dagger in her hand shimmered with a dark purple luster, and sap was still dripping from it.
Ye Shenlin didn't waste words. Following the principle of efficiency, her figure suddenly transformed into an illusory black shadow, instantly appearing before the second vine. With a horizontal slash of her dagger, another vine snapped instantly.
Dark golden sap splashed onto her combat uniform, but she didn't even blink, and her figure vanished again.
The vines, which seemed indestructible to the others, were like fragile noodles before her.
The remaining vines seemed to sense the danger and stopped fighting, twisting their bodies to retreat into the surrounding spatial rifts, disappearing without a trace.
With the crisis averted, Chen Kong and the others collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air, their eyes full of shock as they looked at Ye Shenlin.
The entire battle just now took her less than ten seconds. Her movements were clean and precise, with no unnecessary moves, as if she were simply clearing roadside weeds.
Ye Shenlin landed on the ground. The dagger disappeared in her palm. She walked up to the group, her tone as flat as if stating a fact.
"Retreat outside. This is not where you should be."
Her gaze swept over the wound on Chen Kong's back, and she frowned almost imperceptibly, tossing him a black medicinal fluid.
"This is an antidote I specially prepared. Apply it, and it will suppress the spread of the toxins in your body."
Chen Kong caught the vial, which felt cool to the touch.
Just as he was about to thank her, he heard Ye Shenlin continue, "This is the domain of the Libra constellation's Law. Its core is 'Equivalent Exchange.'"
"Those vines are the physical manifestation of the Law. Once touched, they will forcibly engage in a transaction with you, exchanging your Starlight Energy and life force for its 'right to attack.'"
"Without finding a way to 'refuse' this transaction, you won't even be able to get close here."
Hearing this, Vivian's cybernetic pupil flashed with data light, and she spoke, "Are you saying that our previous combat was essentially trading wounds for wounds? It was only because the opponent's life force was too immense that only we were injured from start to finish?"
"Mm."
"Then do you know how to refuse?"
Isabel couldn't help but ask, her voice still trembling with lingering fear.
Ye Shenlin shook her head.
"I don't know for sure. Tendo told me this information. He said that Libra is an existence separate from Star Beasts and Star Emissaries, and its origin might date back to before the Old Era."
"Before the Old Era?!"
Vivian stood up abruptly, the light in her cybernetic pupil instantly becoming dazzling.
"That's impossible. There was no Star Source, and no Starlight Energy in the Old Era. If Libra truly existed in that era, why is there no record of it?"
Seeing Vivian's expression, Ye Shenlin hesitated for a moment before saying, "I only have a partial understanding of the specific reasons myself. All I know is that Tendo said Libra is a very special existence, separate from Star Beasts and Star Emissaries."
"Actually, if I just say the words 'Libra,' you might not understand, but if I change the term, you will immediately grasp it."
"The so-called Libra is actually the 'Exchange' among the Twelve Miracle Stones."