Chapter 292: Thousand Shades of Green

Chapter 292: Thousand Shades of Green

As Ji Xinghuo approached Ren Mian, a spectacular sight unfolded before his eyes.

It was an enormous underground space, covered by countless plants—roots, vines, and branches climbing over the ruins of what used to be a bustling city.

Vines hung down, and the ground below was a dense jungle, thriving and comparable to the primeval forests above ground.

Among them glowed fluorescent plants, emitting a dim light that revealed traces of a bygone civilization. It was evident that this place had been artificially excavated, with a dome rising about 300 meters above the ground. Massive square crystal pillars stood at regular intervals, stretching for kilometers, supporting the vast underground structure.

"A Crystite city?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

"Yes," Ren Mian nodded slightly. "Long ago, this was an underground city of the Crystite civilization, but it was later conquered and turned into a nursery for the Gene Mother Tree."

So that was it.

Ji Xinghuo was not surprised. He had come across similar information on the Eternal Sentinel's official website. There were quite a few such places on the planet of Eternal Abyss.

Many Crystite cities, once overtaken by plants, became lairs for monsters.

While dangerous, they also presented opportunities.

Some Eternal Sentinels would form teams to venture into these underground cities. As long as they made it out alive, the rewards were immense.

The monsters within these cities were endless. Like cutting down a leek, as soon as you eliminated one batch, a new group would soon appear.

However, the sheer size of this plant-infested underground city still took Ji Xinghuo by surprise.

He extended his electromagnetic sensing, but it failed to reach the end of the underground city. Moreover, being in the depths of a Level 6 region, close to the stargate, the monsters here were more formidable and numerous than in typical underground cities.

"Why are there no monsters here?"

Ji Xinghuo sensed something amiss. This went against common sense. Had someone cleared out the monsters recently?

"No one has been here," Ren Mian replied. "This underground city is like this because it has been claimed as the territory of the most powerful monster."

"The Banyan Composite?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

"Yes."

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Ji Xinghuo's eyes turned solemn. A clear sense of territoriality indicated that this was no ordinary monster.

It might even possess intelligence.

Such an enemy was far more dangerous than a typical monster, especially considering that, according to Ren Mian, it was most likely at the King level!

"We'll fly in," Ren Mian said.

Ji Xinghuo picked her up, and before taking off, Ren Mian waved her hand, casting an "Optical Invisibility" spell, distorting and darkening the light around them, making them difficult to spot in the dim environment. She also used a "Sweat Absorbing Orchid Leaf" to eliminate their scent.

"Fly slowly," she instructed in her mind. "Try not to disturb it."

Ji Xinghuo nodded silently and lifted off the ground.

They emerged from a passage in the rocky wall, hovering slowly and silently in the air.

"All the plants in this underground city originate from a single tree," Ren Mian explained.

"We must not touch any of the plants," she warned.

Heeding Ren Mian's warning, Ji Xinghuo flew cautiously. Countless vines and roots hung from the dome above, some thick and easily avoidable, while others were as thin as spider silk and hard to spot in the dim light.

Fortunately, his electromagnetic sensing allowed him to perceive even the finest of roots.

They flew over buildings enveloped in green leaves and vines, venturing deeper into the underground city. Suddenly, Ji Xinghuo came to a halt.

"I've found it," he said.

Through his electromagnetic sensing, Ji Xinghuo detected a colossal plant standing at the very center of the underground city. It had grown from the ground, its trunk exceeding 20 meters in diameter. The highest branches reached the dome, resembling a majestic canopy. Countless vines and aerial roots hung from the tree, touching the ground and taking root, giving rise to a multitude of new trees.

A single tree had become a forest!

And this was just the tip of the iceberg. The massive root system of this tree extended deep underground, far beyond the range of electromagnetic sensing.

All the plants in this underground city had sprouted from its root system.

Ji Xinghuo sensed an awe-inspiring aura emanating from the giant tree, causing ripples in the etheric energy.

"Terrifying…" he whispered.

Ren Mian's face was solemn as she gazed at the massive shadow in the dimness. "This Banyan Composite has evolved to the later stages. It's at the Quake level, with strength comparable to the first stage of the King level."

She seemed to sense Ji Xinghuo's concern and explained, "Although its main body is enormous, its true combat form is not this tree."

"Then what is it?" Ji Xinghuo wondered.

"Its avatar," Ren Mian replied, as if she had witnessed it before. "We'll split up. You pretend to launch a frontal attack on the giant tree to draw out its avatar.

"Its avatar can't stray too far from the Banyan Composite. As long as you flee to the surface, you'll be safe."

Hearing Ren Mian's words, Ji Xinghuo became even more doubtful. This plan required him to withstand the attack of a Quake-level monster, and the immense risk made him suspect that Sister Ren was trying to set him up.

"Are you sure this will work?" Ji Xinghuo asked, filled with uncertainty.

"Trust me, Xinghuo." Ren Mian hugged his neck and gently caressed his face, her voice soft and reassuring. "You are more important to me than anything else in this world. How could I possibly send you to your death? You need to trust me and believe in your own strength."

Ji Xinghuo looked directly into her eyes. "Sister Ren has more confidence in me than I have in myself."

"In this world, no one understands your excellence and character better than I do." Ren Mian's eyes shone with sincerity. "You silly boy."

She cupped his face in her hands and leaned in, her exquisite face moving closer.

Ji Xinghuo felt a softness and inhaled a sweet fragrance that permeated his heart. It was a long while before they reluctantly parted.

Their gazes locked, and their breaths intertwined.

A flush spread across Ren Mian's cheeks, and though she tried to hide it, her shyness was evident.

"Do you understand now?"

"Yes," Ji Xinghuo replied with a soft laugh. "Sister Ren wants to devour this tender grass."

"Nonsense," Ren Mian said, playfully slapping his shoulder. "You little rascal, you've had your eyes on me since the day we met. Don't think I don't know. Now you're pretending to be all innocent."

"Hehe..."

Ji Xinghuo's thoughts had been laid bare, but he was thick-skinned and felt no shame. He gently moved his arms, still wrapped around Ren Mian.

She immediately sensed something amiss, her heart skipping a beat as if she'd been electrocuted.

"Don't get carried away," she said, glancing around at their dim surroundings. "This place is dangerous. Don't push your luck."

"Then can we find another place?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

"No," she replied.

Ren Mian held his hand, her expression turning serious again. "The Banyan Composite's avatar can take on many forms, and each tree is different. I can't be sure what abilities it will have. During the battle, your priority is defense. Surviving is the most important thing."

"Okay, I understand," Ji Xinghuo nodded solemnly.

Then, she explained some key points, including the possible abilities of the Banyan Composite and how to respond to them.

After she finished, Ji Xinghuo hugged her and continued flying forward, the massive shadow in front of them gradually becoming clearer.

A colossal banyan tree stood in the center of the underground city.

Even from a distance of over three thousand meters, one could sense the astonishing aura emanating from it. The closer they got, the denser the vegetation became.

The canopy of branches and leaves overhead was so dense that it blocked out the sky, and the hanging aerial roots were as dense as a forest.

However, around the tree trunk, there was a surprisingly clear area with no plants.

"Find a place to put me down."

Ren Mian communicated through their mental link.

Ji Xinghuo retreated back into the shadows and slowly circled around to the rear of the giant tree, looking for a spot without plant coverage to land.

Ren Mian carefully landed, and tendrils of branches and leaves sprouted from her body, covering her entirely. Her aura blended seamlessly with the surrounding vegetation.

"You can go now."

Ji Xinghuo nodded and took off into the air again.

He activated his Stealth Ring, hiding his figure within the refracted light, and retraced his path back to the front of the Banyan Composite. Ensuring that he was a sufficient distance from Ren Mian, he began to approach the giant tree.

As he drew closer, the tree loomed larger, dominating his entire field of vision.

Three thousand meters... Two thousand meters... One thousand meters...

When he was about five hundred meters away, Ji Xinghuo's path forward was blocked by a dense web of vines and branches, so thick that he couldn't pass through without touching them.

He glanced at Ren Mian's position.

At this distance, they were now out of the Thought Necklace's communication range.

"Let's begin, then."

Ji Xinghuo muttered to himself. He drew the Black Star Crystal Battle Bow from his back, pulled out a tungsten-cored heavy arrow, notched it, and drew the string, aiming directly at the tree trunk.

Boom!

The sound of the arrow cutting through the air was like a thunderclap, reverberating through the underground city.

In that instant, all the plants in the underground city seemed to stir.

But before that, the tungsten-cored heavy arrow had already pierced the tree trunk. With a loud bang, the bark exploded, sending wood chips flying in all directions. The entire tree trembled, letting out a faint, pained roar. Its branches shook violently, and its vines convulsed wildly.

Ji Xinghuo backpedaled in mid-air, dodging the whipping branches. At the same time, he fired another arrow.

The tungsten-cored heavy arrow transformed into a supersonic black line. However, just before it could strike the tree trunk, countless vines and branches blocked its path, forming an impenetrable wall. Although the arrow pierced a large hole through the barrier, it ultimately veered off course and missed its target.

Ji Xinghuo continued to retreat, and suddenly, the surrounding plants ceased their attack, clearing a space around him.

He sensed something and hovered in the air.

The vines and branches blocking the fig tree composite also moved aside, revealing the tree trunk. As Ji Xinghuo watched, the shadow of his arrow, embedded in the tree trunk, emerged from beneath the bark.

Unexpectedly, a humanoid creature stepped out from the tree.

It had a human-like torso and limbs, with smooth, pale green skin and a curvaceous figure. It was naked, and as it stepped out, first its feet, then its thighs, slender waist, and chest, followed by its neck, and finally, its head emerged from the tree.

"Avatar..."

Ji Xinghuo's heart tightened as he realized this must be the avatar form that Ren Mian had mentioned.

This avatar stood at about two meters tall, with a graceful and slender figure. As he watched it step out from the tree, Ji Xinghuo felt a sense of anticipation.

However, when he saw its face, he was greatly disappointed.

Its features were extraordinarily ugly.

It had complete facial features, but they were disproportionately arranged, like a haphazardly assembled jigsaw puzzle. Thick, green vines grew from its head, resembling hair. On its forehead, a pair of branch-like horns sprouted, dividing into smaller branches with colorful flowers blooming upon them.

It seemed to be walking on an invisible floor as it stepped out from the tree trunk and hovered in mid-air.

Ji Xinghuo noticed that it held a tungsten-cored heavy arrow in its hand—the very same arrow he had shot into the tree trunk.

As the creature emerged, the gaping hole in the tree trunk rapidly healed.

It gazed at him with cold, indifferent eyes.

Ji Xinghuo felt a sense of unease in his heart, but to his surprise, the creature did not immediately attack. Instead, it introduced itself: "My name is Qian Lu."

It spoke in the language of the Highlanders.

Its accent was odd and awkward, as if it were a mix of several different Highlander tribal dialects, and its voice was androgynous.

Ji Xinghuo was taken aback. He hadn't expected this monster to be able to speak, but he remained silent.

"Are you an Eternal Sentinel sent by the Crystites?" Qian Lu seemed to understand a lot, and from a distance of a thousand meters, it studied Ji Xinghuo with a perplexed expression. "I've killed many Highlanders like you, but none of them were as strange as you."

"What's strange about me?" Ji Xinghuo finally spoke.

If he could stall for time and avoid a battle, that would be ideal.

Qian Lu said, "You've only evolved four times, so you should be weak, yet your aura is stronger than that of someone who has evolved five times. Even I sense the threat you pose."

It could tell all that?

Ji Xinghuo realized he had underestimated the creature's intelligence. In just a few sentences, its speech became increasingly fluent, and it conveyed a lot of information.

Just as Ji Xinghuo was about to say something, Qian Lu suddenly disappeared.

A warning sign flashed in his mind, and his brow twitched in pain.

In extreme danger, the Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupils automatically activated, entering the Myriad Phenomenon State.

The world around Ji Xinghuo seemed to freeze.

His electromagnetic sensing immediately located Qian Lu, who was rushing towards him at an incredible speed.

Qian Lu's body was oriented horizontally, lengthening to reduce air resistance, and its right hand, transformed into a vine, coiled around the tungsten-cored heavy arrow.

Its entire body resembled a massive arrow, piercing through the air and creating layer upon layer of shockwaves in its wake, faster than the speed of sound.

Supersonic! Ji Xinghuo's heart pounded with fear. The speed of sound on Abyssal Planet was slightly higher than on Earth, at about 400 meters per second.

Yet, the enemy's speed far exceeded the speed of sound on Abyssal Planet, reaching at least 500 meters per second! Even more terrifying was the fact that Qian Lu had instantly reached supersonic speed, with almost no acceleration, defying all logic.

How was this possible? Ji Xinghuo's mind raced as he remained in the Myriad Phenomenon State, trying to react, but he found that Qian Lu's speed was even faster than he had imagined. Even though it appeared to be slowed down by a factor of ten in his eyes, it was still rapidly closing in on him.

"I must dodge!"

Ji Xinghuo's thoughts raced.

He fully activated his rotating magnetic field and electrostatic field, generating golden, silver, and azure scales that covered his body. A transparent, fluid-like barrier surrounded the scales, and with his hyper-frequency thinking already engaged, he nocked an arrow and fired with his Black Star Crystal Battle Bow.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end