Chapter 706: Chapter 706 - Golden Ringed Vines
Translator: Irene_ Editor: X, TYZ
The golden ringed vines were like sea anemone, rolling out and drifting. Beneath them, the remains of the stumpy tree had already turned to ashes, which quickly dissipated into the air until there was nothing left.
Ready to pounce on its prey, the golden ringed vines were like a scattered fishnet and also like a golden ringed spider.
They glared at Ai Hui maliciously, moving toward him like a large wave and swallowing him in no time.
Ai Hui immediately felt his hair stand on end. He arched his back slightly like a frightened cat, returning the deadly glare.
He appeared calm and unperturbed when he was in fact trembling with fear.
What a strong wave motion!
Such an intense motion could only be unleashed with a consciousness that had been tempered to perfection.
Be it physical strength or elemental energy, Ai Hui couldn't be considered the best. When it came to essence, breath, and spirit cultivation, like training his sword embryo, he was almost unbeatable. Even Chi Tong couldn't do much about it.
Cultivation of the incorporeal energies was a neglected branch, so there were only a few who could leave an impression on Ai Hui.
Yet, the golden ringed vines before him had managed to startle him.
A conscious plant?
The self-proclaimed plant expert, Ai Hui, had indeed seen plants grown by the elementalists, blood plants grown by the blood elementalists, and even the myriad of wild plants grown in the Wilderness, but had never heard of anything like this.
It was an unprecedented situation!
Such a powerful consciousness at that!
No dire beast had ever had this level of consciousness.
If it wasn't for the fact that he had seen it for himself, he never would've believed it.
Recalling the process in which the golden ringed vines had swallowed the stumpy tree made him suspect that these strange trees and vines weren't actually plants, but odd looking animals.
The attack had far exceeded Ai Hui's expectations. It was as if the previous meal hadn't satisfied the vines' appetite in the least. He could clearly feel the vines' thirst and excitement.
The golden ringed vines made the first move.
A furious vine dove toward Ai Hui.
Having prepared, Ai Hui crouched slightly and sprung away from the vine. He whirled around and managed to safely dodge a few more incoming vines.
Clap.
One of the vines that he dodged broke abruptly into sections along its golden rings. More than 10 broken pieces turned and shot toward Ai Hui like rain.
Having seen how the vines had swallowed the stumpy tree, Ai Hui was prepared for this particular attack.
He spread his arms slightly, bent his fingers, and flicked them continuously, shooting out over 10 fine green sword rays. These rays were like blooming flowers.
They were about the size of a chopstick and the color of autumn waters.
When Ai Hui woke up in this strange place, he noticed that all of his equipment was missing and that he was unarmed. Nevertheless, he was relieved to find that not only were his sword skills unaffected, they had significantly increased in power. He wasn't sure if it was this place that boosted his skills or if he had indeed made progress.
Moves that demanded more effort from him in the past could now be easily executed. For safety reasons, however, Ai Hui chose not to attempt attacks that required more energy.
Even the sword embryo, which Ai Hui could only activate with a sword, had become exceptionally lively.
Everything would be perfect if he had a sword.
Ai Hui couldn't get used to its absence. He even considered forging a sword, no matter how unrefined. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to spot any suitable materials along the way. The grasses here were too fine and soft.
The easy and unconstrained execution of movements and sword rays filled Ai Hui with joy.
Each ray accurately hit a section of the vine.
Ai Hui had perfect control. His sword rays, as fine as chopsticks, pierced into the broken sections and propelled them far away.
Ai Hui was an experienced fighter. Although he couldn't tell what other moves the golden vines were capable of, he was wise enough to know that he should stay away from those broken sections.
He was quickly rewarded for being cautious.
The broken vines, hit by his rays, exploded in chorus, transforming into more than 10 puffs of dull red smoke and enveloping the air all around him.
Toxic?
Ai Hui immediately held his breath and put his fingers together before pushing his palms outward with great force.
His surrounding lit up faintly. The surging air flow swept toward the smoke puffs like a clap of thunder.
Ai Hui exhaled slightly.
What was the most dangerous thing? The unknown! Everything here made him feel foreign. Until now, everything that he had seen was way beyond his knowledge and understanding. The best method, when faced with an unknown enemy, was to avoid it and not fight.
Ai Hui took the opportunity to fly up into the air.
He wanted to escape and leave the dangerous and bizarre vines.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of golden light.
Not good!
More than 10 golden rings were ejected from amid the smoke and whizzed toward Ai Hui. The rings were of different sizes, the smallest were the size of a ring and the biggest as large a table.
He thought back to the faint golden rings on the vines.
The golden rings shot up like a school of fish. Ai Hui couldn't figure out what they were, but a sense of immense danger overtook him.
With no time to indulge, he reacted instinctively.
He sped up and turned into a shadow, no different from a dim fog, before vanishing. He reappeared the next moment, higher up in the sky, before diving down quickly.
Ai Hui swooped down without any warning or buffer. The whole scene defied logic and was hard to bear.
Sensing danger, the vines on the ground started dancing wildly. The golden rings on them lit up simultaneously, becoming only brighter with time.
AI Hui turned a blind eye to this and continued diving down with no intention of dodging.
He lifted his index finger and jerked it lightly.
A hazy light ray lit up from his fingertip. An unusual green color flashed across his eyes, which was different from past experiences.
There was no time for him to delve into it.
The light ray he generated was like a soft green muslin. It was light, yet powerful.
The golden rings pursued it relentlessly and collided with it head on.
Unexpectedly, there was no intense impact. The golden rings struck the green muslin, causing it to crease. The creases looked similar to ripples on a water surface. Amid the large ripples were wisps of green fog that surrounded the golden rings.
The golden rings seemed to have sensed the situation and turned even brighter, but no matter how they charged toward the paper-thin muslin, they ended up getting trapped within it.
Boom!
A golden ring exploded suddenly, producing countless light spikes. The other rings did the same instantaneously. Within seconds, it appeared as though many suns had been created.
These "suns" quickly dimmed, however. A faint green fog had flown toward and wrapped around them to become a big green fog ball.
There was nothing left within as the fog dispersed, and the green muslin returned to its original form.
Eh! Definitely different from the past.
Ai Hui was flabbergasted. The [Soaring Flames, Cascading Muslin] that he had known so well remained the same with regards to its execution, but its effect was completely different.
It wasn't the time to ponder over this, though. A sense of extreme danger washed over him as a deadly cold breeze, as if blown from the depths of hell, rushed toward him from below.
While still diving down, AI Hui felt himself shudder.
The snake-like vines on the ground suddenly stood at attention, pointing at Ai Hui like taut and pencil-straight swords. The golden rings around them were so dazzling that he could see it from high above.
Boom. A stifled explosion sounded.
Above the pencil-straight vines, the golden rings had snapped like rubber bands, producing the somber-sounding, yet impactful explosion.
Ai Hui only felt temporarily blinded by flashes of piercing, golden light rays. Golden arrow rain!
The keenness of those rays was so substantial that Ai Hui developed the illusion that his internal organs were being brutally punctured.
What a crisp consciousness! What grandeur!
Ai Hui raised his eyebrow as a thirst for victory took over him. Such mindfulness and grandeur had a direct connection to the three incorporeal energies. When it came to the more obscure cultivation of the essence, breath, and spirit, he hadn't met a worthy opponent before.
Now that he had finally encountered an opponent that was almost perfected tempered, Ai Hui couldn't help but feel a wave of eagerness.
Instinctively, his green muslin started closing up like an enormous green umbrella. The green muslin and fog-like sword rays wrapped around Ai Hui tightly to form a green fog ball. The rays thickened, effectively concealing even Ai Hui's shadows.
This was purely an improvisational move.
In this competitive state, Ai Hui had felt that his [Soaring Flames, Cascading Muslin] needed a change and subconsciously retrieved the sword rays as a result.
But… what next?
Unable to comprehend this subconscious move, he was at a loss.
The golden arrow rain approached speedily, its sharp consciousness growing increasingly intense every moment and magnifying the stabbing pains that Ai Hui felt. He had no doubt about the might of the arrow rain and knew that he would become a sieve if he couldn't quickly come up with a good plan.
Fog… fog… rolling fog…
Ai Hui suddenly found this rolling fog somewhat familiar.
Sword embryo!
Wasn't his sword embryo… similar to this ball of fog?
Eureka!
Clang!
A series of melodic and rhythmic sword chimes rang incessantly, like the pattering of rain.