Qingfeng Li looked in the direction Li Yang was pointing in. There, about a kilometer ahead, was a massive oasis.
The oasis was huge, spanning about a dozen or more square kilometers. It was filled with green, and at the bottom, there was a giant pool of water. Clear streams flowed from the pool and, beside them, elk and monkeys gathered to drink the water.
Qingfeng Li’s pupils contracted suddenly. In the stream, he saw some familiar faces: The Third Princess, Crown Prince, and Yidao Leng.
A hint of surprise and confusion flashed across Qingfeng Li’s eyes. Why was the Third Princess here?
He remembered very clearly that, during this whole time, he hadn’t felt the presence of the Third Princess at all. On top of that, the two had went in different directions. How did they meet up here?
Beside him, Black Puppy said, “I’m dying of thirst! Let’s hurry over and drink.”
Black Puppy was evidently very thirsty. It, along with Sky-Devouring Snake, bounded forward toward the oasis. The Second Prince, Li Yang, and the dozen or so black-clad men hurried forward as well.
Only two of them stayed behind: Qingfeng Li and the Desert Giant.
Qingfeng Li had a hunch that something wasn’t quite right. The Desert Giant, on the other hand, furrowed its brows as if pondering something.
A moment later, the Desert Giant spoke. “Master,” it said, “I don’t think this oasis is real. Water sources in the Crimson Fire Desert are never this big. There’s a good chance that this is a mirage.”
“Desert Giant,” Qingfeng Li asked, “are there mirages in the Crimson Fire Desert?”
“Master, there shouldn’t be mirages here,” the Desert Giant explained. “But there are Illusory Vines. They can create mirages in order to draw in people and beasts, killing them and sapping the power of their essence blood.”
Qingfeng Li exuded his spirit energy, scouting ahead. When his spirit energy encountered the water source and the oasis, he found that it went straight through.
Qingfeng Li’s expression changed. He knew now that these were all illusions; none of it was real.
Qingfeng Li opened his mouth and shouted at the top of his lungs. “Black Puppy! Sky-Devouring Snake! The water and the oasis are fake. It’s a trap!”
Hearing Qingfeng Li’s warning, Black Puppy and Sky-Devouring Snake, along with the Second Prince, all stopped in their tracks. They trusted Qingfeng Li, and so they tried to back away. But it was too late.
As they watched, countless vines reached out from within the water and the oasis. The vines were like the branches of a tree; hundreds and thousands of them formed a dense mass as they surrounded Black Puppy, Sky-Devouring Snake, and the others.
Qingfeng Li’s face fell, a cold glint flashing across his eyes. He hadn’t expected the oasis to suddenly attack. The green vines were extremely strong and durable, creating a cage around Black Puppy and the others and trapping them within.
Black Puppy lifted a paw and clawed at one of the vines with all his might, severing it. But a moment later, the broken vine grew back, good as new. It was like a damn cockroach, it just wouldn’t die.
Beside it, Sky-Devouring Snake, the Second Prince, Li Yang, and the dozen or so men in black all took out their own spiritual treasure weapons and attacking the green vines.
They were all very powerful. Each strike severed some of the green vines, spilling green sap onto the ground. But in the blink of an eye, the broken vines grew back. On and on, there was no end to them.
Qingfeng Li shot into the air, appearing over the oasis and its green vines. Taking out his Fire Emperor Sword, he cleaved down on it heavily. A beam of red sword energy slashed into green vines, severing them.
But, a moment later, the vines that had been cut by Qingfeng Li grew back, good as new. Below him, Black Puppy shouted, “Qingfeng Li. These green vines are really strange. They grow back even if you cut them, it’s no use.”
Qingfeng Li nodded. He had just tried, these vines were invincible.
This was because, under this desert oasis, there was a mother-body that served as the nest of the vines. Only by killing the mother-body of the green vines could they destroy these branching vines once and for all.
“You guys hold on a bit longer,” Qingfeng Li spoke to Black Puppy and the others. “I’m going to go under the desert and kill the Mother of the Vines.”
Qingfeng Li dove down from the sky like an arrow, dashing under the ground and leaving a large hole in the surface of the desert.
When he arrived underground, Qingfeng Li felt a strong pressure and a heated energy.
The ground below the sand was hotter than the surface, reaching temperatures of a few hundred degrees Celsius, several times hotter than the body temperature of a normal human.
Qingfeng Li felt his skin begin to cook. He hurriedly activated the Golden Flames in his body, only then was he able to withstand the searing temperatures.
Using his spirit energy, Qingfeng Li used his Penetration Vision and looked ahead. He saw that under the space under the desert was filled with vines that linked to someplace deeper down.
Each of the green vines were as thick as an arm. Seeing Qingfeng Li dash toward them, the vines gave a startled shriek as they stabbed at Qingfeng Li. They wanted to protect their Mother.
“Inferno Realm.” Qingfeng Li used his Inferno Realm, creating a massive ball of fire.
The fire surrounded him, burning at terrifying temperatures. The green vines were all set ablaze in a series of loud crackles.
Qingfeng Li forged forward, undeterred by the green vines. They were unable to withstand his flame at all.
A few minutes later, Qingfeng Li was a thousand meters below the surface. There, before him, was a massive vine the size of a house.
The giant vine had a human face, with eyes, a nose, ears, and a mouth. It even had a neck and torso. Only, below the torso, there was nothing but countless vines.
Qingfeng Li furrowed his brows. He could feel that this Mother of the Vines was extremely powerful. It was a master of the Supreme Realm fifth level.
“Human,” the Mother of the Vines spoke in a chilling voice, “you are very powerful. You actually made it a thousand meters below the surface. And you’ve killed so many of my subjects. Are you looking to die?”
Qingfeng Li smiled. “I think the one who wants to die is you,” he said. “You have some guts, setting a mirage to trap my friends. If I didn’t realize it ahead of time, you probably would have killed them.”
A cold light flashed across eyes of the Mother of the Vines. It opened its mouth and spat out a jet of green liquid toward Qingfeng Li.
The green liquid, glittering with green seal scriptures, had a powerful corrosive effect. When it appeared, it ate away at the space itself, leaving a black hole.