CHAPTER 202: CHAPTER 70: BLOOD GHOST VINE

When Gu Qingqing and the others were searching, they didn’t all stay together but rather split up. Upon hearing Nan Hua’s voice, Gu Qingqing and the others quickly hurried over.

The place where Nan Hua was located was a small alley, which appeared somewhat messy. At this time, he was holding an open wooden box in his hands, eagerly waiting for Gu Qingqing and the others to arrive.

"What is it?" Rong Ye, walking at the forefront, leaned forward to look at the box in Nan Hua’s hands and asked.

"Yeah, what is it, Third Brother?" Gu Qingqing, following behind Rong Ye, also curiously asked.

The others followed behind Rong Ye and Gu Qingqing, and although they didn’t ask, their eyes were filled with curiosity and doubt as they looked ahead.

"Come over and see for yourselves." Nan Hua teased without telling them, pushing the box forward with a hint of excitement on his face.

Rong Ye glanced at Nan Hua and leaned in, with Gu Qingqing following behind him, craning her neck to look into the box.

Upon seeing the contents clearly, Rong Ye and the others were a bit shocked.

Inside the box was a tattered piece of sheepskin, with drawings resembling a map.

"Is this a map of this place?" Yue Zhao walked from behind Gu Qingqing to Nan Hua’s side, looked into the box, and asked hesitantly.

"It looks like it," Nan Hua nodded, his expression suddenly becoming a bit worried, "but I’m afraid this thing, like those things we’ve seen before, will disappear with a touch, so I dare not touch it."

Hearing this, Yue Zhao also looked troubled.

"Judging by the appearance of this sheepskin, it doesn’t look like something from a thousand years ago; rather, it resembles items from two or three hundred years ago. Moreover, the sheepskin has been treated and shouldn’t break that easily," Jun Wu, usually silent except around Gu Qingqing, suddenly spoke.

Yue Zhao glanced at Jun Wu, then focused on the sheepskin, observing it closely. Noticing that it was indeed as Jun Wu described, with the sheepskin preserved quite well, he thought for a moment, then carefully touched it. Finding it undamaged, he safely took the sheepskin out, unfurled it, and viewed it with the others.

"This is a fragmented map. If I’m not mistaken, this should be where we are now in Sand City," Yue Zhao pointed to a building symbol on the map, "It’s surrounded by desert, but to the north, it looks like there might be an oasis?"

Seeing the green marking, Yue Zhao’s eyes lit up, rare joy apparent as he looked at the others.

Gu Qingqing and the others were also a bit happy. Here, they were unable to use their spiritual power or storage space, making survival problematic. Finding an oasis naturally was a good thing.

"This map has appeared at the right time; as long as we find the oasis, at least we’ll be able to survive," Nan Hua said with a smile, holding the box.

Yue Zhao nodded. Initially, he wanted to store the map in his Qiankun Ring but then remembered he couldn’t use storage space here. He paused, then placed the map back into the box in Nan Hua’s hands and closed the lid.

"The map can’t be stored in the Qiankun Ring; I’ll leave it in your care. Keep it safe," he said, patting the lid while addressing Nan Hua.

Nan Hua was momentarily stunned, then nodded, "Don’t worry, leave it to me."

"Let’s search around here a bit more. If there’s nothing else, we’ll head for the oasis," Si Lin said, glancing at the box in Nan Hua’s hands, addressing the others.

Gu Qingqing and the others naturally had no objections and nodded in agreement.

Nan Hua had already searched this alley, and there was nothing more to find. They were preparing to leave the alley, but as soon as they turned around, they realized that the alley entrance had somehow been surrounded by black vines, and the sky had darkened significantly.

"What are these?" Rong Ye asked, frowning at the thick vines in the distance.

"They look like some kind of vine, but they seem to have a mind of their own. With such a narrow alley, they’ve blocked the exit; it looks like they’re planning to attack us!" Yue Zhao also frowned, observing the vines carefully, and said.

"These look very similar to Blood Ghost Vines I’ve seen," Mu Chen, familiar with various plants due to his alchemy background, said uncertainly, "Books record that Blood Ghost Vines live in deserts, grow quickly, have a mind of their own, and are very overbearing, allowing no other plants to exist where they are. Yet, these in front of us seem excessively robust."

"Are there any records of its weaknesses?" Si Lin drew out the Dragon Capturing Sword, turning back to ask Mu Chen.

Mu Chen thought for a moment, then shook his head, "Blood Ghost Vines practically don’t exist either in the Sub-immortal Realm or Xuantian Continent since conditions there aren’t suitable for their survival. They possess high medicinal value but become highly toxic when stained with blood and feed on flesh. However, their weaknesses aren’t recorded."

Hearing Mu Chen’s words, Yue Zhao and the others were somewhat disappointed.

"It’s a plant, so it should fear flame, right?" Gu Qingqing looked at the constantly moving Blood Ghost Vines, thought for a moment, and asked.

"Rong Ye, do you have any flame talismans on you?" Yue Zhao asked, turning to Mu Chen.

Rong Ye took out his talismans, shook his head after checking, "I don’t have any."

Yue Zhao frowned, just about to say something more when the Blood Ghost Vines didn’t give him a chance and began their attack.

Dozens of vine whips as thick as adult arms suddenly shot out, rushing towards Gu Qingqing and the others.

"This place is too narrow, let’s find a way to get out first," Si Lin, at the very front, wielded the Dragon Capturing Sword, slashing at the Blood Ghost Vines.

The vines of the Blood Ghost Vines were incredibly sturdy; when they collided with the Dragon Capturing Sword, there was the sound of metal clashing, and sparks flew, causing Si Lin’s expression to darken.

Even swinging the sword, he could only push the vines aside slightly. The vines struck through the nearby sand wall, collapsing it, which unintentionally facilitated Gu Qingqing and the others.

They tapped their toes lightly and dodged, and the vines parted, attacking Gu Qingqing and the others separately.

Without spiritual power, Yue Zhao’s Flowing Light Zither wasn’t of much use, his combat power greatly reduced, leaving him only able to dodge the vines’ attacks. Rong Ye was in a similar situation, unable to use the Heavenly Awakening Record, resorting to talismans on his person to attack the vines. However, his talismans were limited, forcing him to conserve them and awkwardly dodge the attacks, which made him extremely irritable.

Si Lin, Jun Wu, Nan Hua, Mu Chen, and Gu Qingqing became the main attacking force, blocking the vines’ strikes. However, the vines were incredibly tough; without spiritual power, their immortal artifacts couldn’t perform effectively, making them appear quite disheveled.

"Lightning works against the Blood Ghost Vine, use the Blast Thunder Talisman," Rong Ye shouted to the others after he saw a vine attacking him drop lifelessly to the ground after being struck by lightning.

The others immediately threw their talismans, realizing that just as Rong Ye said, when hit by the lightning, those Blood Ghost Vines would fall to the ground and lose their vitality.

This discovery solved some of their troubles. Fewer Blood Ghost Vines attacked them, but there were still too many vines, and as some died, others continued to attack them, while their talismans were limited. It wasn’t long before they were back to their previous state.

Gu Qingqing observed the disarray Yue Zhao and the others were in, pursed her lips, and thought for a moment, "We need to find the main body of the Blood Ghost Vine first. Once we deal with the main body, we won’t have to worry about these vines."

Si Lin and the others immediately understood Gu Qingqing’s meaning, started slipping through the vines, and tried to locate the main body of the Blood Ghost Vine.

The once beautiful Sand City became a mess due to the Blood Ghost Vine’s appearance. Following the direction the vines extended, Gu Qingqing and the others traced their way back and finally saw the massive main body of the Blood Ghost Vine at the center of Sand City.

Its trunk was as thick as four people embracing it, not in the black of the vines, but a red-black, with fine red vines on the trunk looking like blood vessels.

Countless vines grew from its body and extended infinitely, covering an entire area at the center of Sand City. The thick and dense vines made one’s scalp tingle just looking at them.

As it sensed Gu Qingqing and the others approaching, it became very excited. The vines danced one after another, causing sand to swirl around in the center, making it difficult for Gu Qingqing and the others to keep their eyes open.

"This is the main body of the Blood Ghost Vine. Destroy it, and its vines will all die," Mu Chen, being the most knowledgeable about plants, said to Gu Qingqing and the others while using his Red Flame Spear to knock away the vines attacking him.

"But there are too many vines here; we can’t get close to it," Nan Hua said, holding a fan and equally troubled as he batted away the vines.

"Cover me, I’ll go take a look," Si Lin said to the others as he glanced at the main body of the Blood Ghost Vine.

Si Lin was the most skilled in swordsmanship among them, even with his spiritual power sealed, remaining the strongest. He would try, and naturally, no one objected. Nan Hua and Mu Chen gravitated towards Si Lin’s position, blocking the vines attacking him, drawing the vines’ attention to allow Si Lin to charge in.

Using the vines’ bodies, Si Lin quickly leaped forward, approaching the main body of the Blood Ghost Vine through the gaps. The vines were distracted by Gu Qingqing and the others, not noticing Si Lin for a moment, allowing him to reach the main body of the Blood Ghost Vine.

Staring at the massive trunk and the red vine-like blood vessels on it, Si Lin’s eyes flashed as he unleashed his best swordsmanship, striking at the main body of the Blood Ghost Vine.

The Dragon Capturing Sword slashed into the main body of the Blood Ghost Vine, severing several vine-like blood vessels, causing something like blood to spray out, which Si Lin skillfully dodged.

However, this also enraged the main body of the Blood Ghost Vine. The vines nearest the main body went berserk, and Si Lin, caught off guard, was struck by a vine, causing his body to fly backward. Despite his body being tempered by spiritual power and having endured heavenly tribulation during his promotion to Half-step Immortal Rank, he still felt his innards shift, his expression twisting uncontrollably.

With quick reflexes, he used the vines to stabilize his posture and dodged the vines’ attacks. Perhaps because he was closer to the center, the vines weren’t very agile, unable to reach him easily. This gave him a chance to continue attacking the main body of the Blood Ghost Vine.

The Dragon Capturing Sword continuously struck the main body of the Blood Ghost Vine, severing many vine-like blood vessels that wrapped around it. The blood-like liquid splattered all over the ground, and he noticed the vines’ attack speed significantly slowed due to the ruptured vine-like blood vessels, brightening his eyes considerably.

Gu Qingqing and the others also felt the vines attacking them lose their ferocity. They couldn’t see clearly inside, but surmised Si Lin’s attack was effective, redoubling their efforts to draw the outside vines’ attention, forcing them to attack them and buying Si Lin time.

Despite trying hard to dodge, Si Lin inevitably was struck by the vines, leaving his body in poor condition. But thinking of Gu Qingqing and the others outside, he gritted his teeth and persevered in attacking the main body of the Blood Ghost Vine.

As he hacked off nearly two-thirds of the vine-like blood vessels, the main body of the Blood Ghost Vine stirred, countless thin red vines suddenly extending from its trunk, all attacking Si Lin.

Si Lin, although fast, was still grazed or struck by those vines.

"Puff!"

Struck by the vines once more, he couldn’t hold back, coughing up a mouthful of blood. The blood dripped onto the red vines, causing the main body of the Blood Ghost Vine to writhe violently.

"Slap!"

Another vine lashed at Si Lin, sending his body flying again, causing him to cough up several more mouthfuls of blood, clearly exhausting his strength. His body flew far, and if it weren’t for Jun Wu’s quick reflexes to catch him, he might have been entangled by the vines.

At this moment, his face was extremely pale, his internal injuries unrestrained. Just as Jun Wu caught him, he passed out.

Jun Wu, holding him while dodging the vines, couldn’t help but frown.

Gu Qingqing, already near Jun Wu, turned pale seeing their condition. As she prepared to help Jun Wu support Si Lin, a whistling sound reached her ears. She turned her head just in time to see a vine flying toward her, but she was ensnared by another vine and couldn’t dodge.

"Watch out!"

Just as she braced for the blow, Rong Ye’s voice rang out. Rong Ye blocked her front, taking the vine attack meant for her, getting injured as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"Fifth Brother!" Gu Qingqing hurriedly flung the vine in front of her aside and turned to catch Rong Ye.

She looked at Rong Ye, then at Si Lin and Jun Wu, pondered for a moment, and suddenly spoke.

"Heavenly Punishment, destroy it!"