That sudden force came out of nowhere, fierce and precise, striking squarely between Xie Zhaolin's shoulder blades. The timing was perfect. Just as she was pouring all her focus into resisting the fragrance ahead, letting her guard slip for the briefest moment, it struck!
"Urgh!"
She grunted, her body completely out of control as she staggered forward, her foot slipping into empty air. In the blink of an eye, she plunged straight into the sea of flowers!
Splash!
Her entire body crashed into the blossoms, sending a flurry of petals and cloying sweetness into the air. Almost the instant she landed—
Shhh!
Dozens of gray-brown roots shot up from beneath the soil, tearing through the earth at frightening speed. They wrapped around her ankles, wrists, and waist in the blink of an eye, binding her tight!
The roots oozed slick, icy liquid that seeped through her clothes and into her skin. The numbing effect spread fast, paralyzing her limbs. What was worse, the intoxicating fragrance surged as if it had found an opening, flooding into her nostrils and clawing through her pores, desperate to invade her body!
Xie Zhaolin's heart jolted in alarm. She snapped her head back. Behind her, there was nothing but swaying flowers and the dense shadows of the jungle. No one was there. Whoever ambushed her had already vanished without a trace, or maybe they'd attacked from far away using some strange method.
"Damn it!" she cursed under her breath. She knew this wasn't the time to hunt for the culprit. The urgent task was to break free, right now!
Forcing down her fury, she surged her spiritual power.
Buzz!
A sharp golden light burst from her body, slicing through the roots coiled around her piece by piece. But more roots shot up endlessly, wave after wave, trying not just to bind her but to pierce through her protective light and inject more venom.
Meanwhile, the relentless fragrance kept gnawing at her consciousness, making her vision blur and split into double images.
Roar!
The moment she'd fallen into the flower field, her five beast souls let out furious cries and dove in without hesitation!
Their spectral bodies resisted poison and entanglement far better than flesh could. The roots still hindered them, but not nearly as lethally as they did her. Xue Xiao screeched sharply, folding its wings as it dived down. Its talons clamped onto her shoulder, and it beat its wings furiously, trying to drag her up into the air. But the roots' strength was beyond imagination!
Even when cut apart, new tendrils immediately coiled back. It was as if the entire flower sea had singled her out, clinging with a maddening, unexplainable obsession!
Xue Xiao flapped until its wings howled, yet it only managed to lift her half a foot before the vines dragged it down too. Roots wound up its body, threatening to haul the bird into the blossoms with her.
The other four beast souls attacked even more savagely, clawing, biting, and tearing at the roots and flower stalks to ease the pressure on her and Xue Xiao.
Bing Jing lunged with its massive fangs, biting down on the thickest roots. Its muscles bulged as it roared, locking in a brutal tug-of-war with the plant.
Dian Diao turned into a streak of violet lightning, flashing to her side. Sparks crackled all over its body as it tried to activate its innate teleportation to pull her out. But the roots had wrapped so tightly around her protective light that even her aura was entangled with theirs. If Dian Diao forced the teleport, it could rip her body apart, leaving pieces of her flesh behind!
The little beast screeched anxiously, then gave up with no choice.
At that moment, she raised her hand. A streak of light flashed, and a silken ribbon appeared in her palm—her newly acquired Liuyun Ribbon from the auction. It wasn't as strong as her old Shiyue Ribbon, but it was the same type of artifact. The familiarity of wielding it surged through her immediately.
"Burn!"
Her voice rang cold as her right hand formed a seal. The ribbon swelled, transforming into a long white dragon of flame that swept out violently!
Hiss, hiss, hiss!
The fire scorched the roots, blackening them and shriveling them in an instant. But the Demon Yam that spawned this flower field wasn't ordinary. The burnt roots oozed even more icy fluid, trying to snuff out the fire. Farther away, the plant seemed enraged. More and more roots burst out, surging toward her without fear.
Its resistance to fire was terrifying, and the flames couldn't keep up with the sheer numbers!
"So damn stubborn!" she thought, her eyes narrowing. This thing was far tougher than she'd expected.
By all rights, plants like this were instinct-driven. If it sensed a natural predator, it should've recoiled. Instead, it attacked like mad, fixated on her as if something on her body was drawing it in. But this wasn't the time to question why!
Her left hand flicked, and three talismans appeared, glowing brightly—Windstorm Talismans!
"Ignite!"
With a fierce cry, she slapped all three talismans at once, hurling them forward.
Boom!
Three wild whirlwinds erupted, slamming into the burning blue flames.
Wind fanned fire!
The blaze exploded, swelling to monstrous size. A tidal wave of fire rolled outward in every direction, consuming the flower sea in an inferno. The roots couldn't withstand it anymore. Entire sections burned black and snapped apart, while the enormous blossoms shriveled and caught flame.
The blast carved open a swath of scorched ground, and the vines binding her slackened.
Bing Jing had been waiting for this moment. With a deafening roar, it lunged, clamping her collar in its jaws. Using its massive body and raw strength, it yanked its head back hard.
She felt a powerful force tear her free. Her body arced through the air, flying clear over the flower sea before twisting to land safely on solid ground.
In the same instant, the five beast souls retreated, streaking out of the blazing flowers to gather around her. She barely let out a breath of relief when the flower field itself began to shift—surging toward her like a living tide, as if it had locked onto her alone!