Chapter 63

The flesh and blood drew the attention of the vine demon. Wei Shizheng cautiously retreated into the dense forest, weaving through the bushes. He spotted a vine and swung his iron staff, smashing it fiercely. The vine, like rotten cotton, retracted with a hiss. Tian Changshou also noticed his position, retracted all the vines into his body, and strode forward.

"Human? Demon?" Wei Shizheng tried to communicate with the other party.

Tian Changshou ignored him and swung a punch. Wei Shizheng wanted to test the other's strength, so he used the move "Poison Dragon Drill," spinning the iron staff to strike the other's fist. It pierced deep, shattering the wrist and arm bones, all the way to the elbow, but no blood was seen. Instead, countless vines emerged from Tian Changshou's arm, tightly wrapping around the iron staff. It turned out that the internal organs and flesh in his body had been completely eaten away by the corpse-eating vine, leaving only a layer of human skin and a dense network of vines.

Wei Shizheng grunted, and the earth qi surged wildly. He pulled back with all his might, but only managed to retrieve a few inches. The iron staff seemed to be rooted in the other's arm, immovable. Tian Changshou's stiff face twitched, revealing a grimace uglier than a cry. Over a dozen thick vines sprouted from his chest, abdomen, and sides, lunging at Wei Shizheng.

Another tentacle monster, the same trick! Wei Shizheng reacted quickly, changing his pull to a push. The iron staff pierced through Tian Changshou's elbow and into a thick tree trunk. He rolled on the ground to avoid the swarm of vines, but was a split second too slow. A vine wrapped around his ankle, and he couldn't break free in the rush.

The thorns on the vine pierced his skin, trying to suck blood, but only left a few white spots.

Tian Changshou's right arm, pinned to the tree by the iron staff, could not move. He struggled a few times, looked back at his right arm, and with a roar, exerted all his strength. His arm split open, freeing him from the restraint. The human skin tore into two pieces, hanging loosely. Countless small vines extended and retracted, forming the shape of an arm, but without the layer of human skin, it looked strange.

Taking advantage of Tian Changshou's struggle to free the iron staff, Wei Shizheng bent down and grabbed the vine around his ankle. His fingers glowed with a faint yellow light, as hard as iron, and he tore the vine apart. The sap splattered, burning his skin, but the earth qi quickly restored it.

Wei Shizheng crouched and moved behind Tian Changshou, delivering three consecutive punches to his back, making him stagger a few steps. However, it caused no damage. Tian Changshou's body was filled with vines, like a solid armor, and the earth qi was suppressed by the wood qi, making his punches feel like scratching.

Wei Shizheng slapped the end of the iron staff, which pierced through the tree trunk and emerged from the other side. He dodged behind the tree, pulled the iron staff out with a reverse grip, rolled on the ground, and avoided three more flying vines, keeping his distance.

In close combat, Tian Changshou was incredibly strong, and his body of vines was impervious to weapons. He had Wei Shizheng firmly in his grasp, but his weakness was his slow reaction and lack of agility. Wei Shizheng understood the situation and kept circling in the forest, occasionally swinging the iron staff to smash the vines, provoking the demon to keep it engaged.

A moment later, a sword light flashed in the sky, and Wei Rongniang's voice called from outside the forest: "Shizheng, lure him out!"

Wei Shizheng took the opportunity to strike the back of Tian Changshou's head with the iron staff, denting his skull, but Tian Changshou turned around as if nothing had happened and swung the vines to chase him.

The vine demon had no intelligence, acting purely on instinct. It chased Wei Shizheng out of the dense forest into an open area. Wei Rongniang, seeing clearly, waved her sleeve and threw four "Fire Snake Talismans."

The Taiyi Sect's talisman practitioners had a unique method to activate the "Fire Snake Talismans," but Wei Rongniang, not knowing the technique, used the water qi to force the talismans, reducing their effectiveness. However, the combined power of the four talismans was not simply additive. Four fire snakes, swaying their heads and tails, struck Tian Changshou's chest in succession. A brilliant fireball erupted, and a large part of the vine demon's body vanished, the vines turning to ash. The residual heat melted the soil and rocks, which glowed like glass.

Wei Shizheng drew a sharp breath. He realized that capturing Hu An was purely luck. If he had used the "Fire Snake Talismans" from the start, the outcome would have been uncertain. When facing a talisman practitioner, one must never give them the chance to activate their talismans calmly.

Wei Rongniang descended on her flying sword, confirming that the corpse-eating vine demon was dead. She sighed in relief and said, "It seems Hu An released the corpse-eating vine demon to find Tian Changshou, but it didn't have time to retract after you knocked him out. The demon parasitized Tian Changshou's body and caused trouble. Without these 'Fire Snake Talismans,' it would have been hard to deal with."

Wei Shizheng replied, "Fortunately, the vine demon moves slowly, so even if I can't fight it, I can still dodge."

"A single corpse-eating vine demon can be dodged, but if there were hundreds or thousands, surrounding a hundred miles without a gap, where could you hide?"

Wei Shizheng recalled how Xu Lingguan had used the corpse-eating vine demons to surround Seven Hazel Mountain, wiping out the Yunya Sect, leaving only a few survivors out of over three hundred. He thought, "The corpse-eating vine demons are a powerful weapon for mass attacks. They can clear a hundred miles, leaving no grass, and exterminate everything. Even if those three hundred were sword practitioners, if they couldn't escape by flying, they would be drained dry."

He looked up at the clear blue sky and felt a chill, "What if there's no escape even in the sky?"

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