Under Seraph's volcanic, precise flame attacks, the mutated giant rats, which had been ferociously attempting to besiege them, scattered in terror as if encountering their natural predator. Their oily fur ignited rapidly in the high heat, emitting a nauseating stench of scorched flesh.
Most of the mutated rats quickly turned into charred corpses under the flames. Only a few, quicker ones or those further from the fire's center, managed to escape with burns, fleeing wretchedly into the depths of the forest, never daring to show themselves again.
As the last wisp of flame died down, the battlefield returned to calm, leaving only a scene of devastation and the pungent smell of burnt matter.
Seraph stood her ground, panting slightly. Sweat soaked the red hair on her forehead, adding a heroic and valiant charm to her already beautiful face.
Just then, she suddenly felt an incredibly strange sensation within her body. A warm, vibrant stream of energy was slowly converging towards her head from all her limbs. The feeling was as if… something was gestating, taking form inside her.
Fire elements!
She clearly felt that the converging energy was, in essence, the purest, most condensed form of fire elements! And these fire elements ultimately coalesced in the depths of her mind into… something resembling a crystal core!
This discovery made Seraph's expression turn a little peculiar for a moment. Could it be… that ability users, after advancing to a certain level, would also form energy cores similar to crystal cores in their bodies, just like high-level zombies? This realization felt somewhat… odd.
But immediately following this, an unprecedented sense of powerful energy surged continuously from the newly formed "fire seed core," flooding her entire body! The tangible sense of security this power brought was incomparable!
Almost at the instant she felt this new power, the few scattered mutated rats that had managed to avoid being directly burned by the flames during the earlier chaos, merely forced back by the high heat, and were now attempting a desperate last stand, met their doom!
Seraph didn't even have to deliberately activate her powers. With a mere thought, several fire snakes, even more condensed and hotter than before, roared out from her palms as if they had a life of their own. With even greater speed and precision, they instantly annihilated the remaining mutated rats, leaving them no chance to resist!
At the same time, the "screams" that Elara had been secretly severing with her spatial blades—the inaudible-to-humans cries emitted by the forest itself through its attacking vines—now abruptly and completely fell silent, as if the "source" of those vines had suffered a severe blow.
The entire forest plunged into an even eerier, more unsettling dead silence.
However, the intangible feeling of being watched from all directions grew increasingly distinct, increasingly brazen, as if something in the depths of the forest was observing these "uninvited guests" with great interest.
The group dared not relax in the slightest, their nerves taut, as they continued deeper into the forest.
As they pressed on, traces of human activity, which had been deliberately concealed in the outer layers, began to become more and more apparent. More trampled paths appeared on the ground, and some tree trunks showed gashes from sharp weapons. There were even some abandoned, dilapidated makeshift barricades and traps.
Some of these traces looked like they had been left in haste, filled with struggle and despair. Others seemed to have been meticulously arranged but then abandoned for some reason.
It was as if… this strange forest had initially tried to cover up these signs of human activity, but as time went on, or due to some unforeseen event, it had begun to disdain hiding them, allowing these traces to be exposed before them, as if in provocation, or perhaps… as a lure.
The rest of the journey was surprisingly "smooth."
The strange black worms and mutated giant rats that had been constantly appearing before seemed to vanish in an instant. The forest was eerily quiet, with only the "rustling" sound of their footsteps on the decaying leaves and their somewhat heavy breathing.
However, this sudden calm didn't make them feel relaxed at all. Instead, it made their hair stand on end, and the feeling of unease in their hearts grew stronger. When things are out of the ordinary, there's usually trouble. This eerie silence often heralded greater danger.
Elara stared intently at the dimly lit path ahead, covered by dense leaves, taking each step with extreme caution. Suddenly, without warning, she stopped, her gaze sharp as she looked in a certain direction ahead.
Vespera, who had been clinging tightly to her arm, her small hand tense, also stopped at the same time and gently shook Elara's arm, signaling that there was something unusual ahead.
Following their gaze, they saw a massive "cocoon," a bizarre, tender green color, hanging silently between two large trees in a clearing not far ahead. The "cocoon" seemed to be made of countless thick, green roots that writhed continuously like blood vessels. And the color of these roots was almost identical to the vines Elara had severed at the forest's edge, the ones that had tried to disguise themselves as "tree roots" to launch sneak attacks!
But this green "cocoon" was entirely different from the "chrysalis" that had enveloped Jorah, which had been full of life and a sense of protection. This one exuded a cold, evil aura. The writhing roots on its surface looked like venomous snakes waiting to devour someone, making it impossible to relax or lower one's guard upon seeing it.
"There's… someone inside…"
Jorah, who had been somewhat absent-minded, suddenly turned pale the moment he saw the large green cocoon. He involuntarily took a step back, his voice trembling with unease. "But… the situation inside… is very bad… I feel… he's almost… not going to make it…"
His plant-based abilities seemed to give him a special sensitivity to the life status of other plants.
Even Alan, who usually brimmed with research enthusiasm for all sorts of strange creatures, now had an exceptionally grave expression. He adjusted his glasses and carefully observed the structure of the green cocoon, his brow furrowed tightly as if he were trying to analyze something. But clearly, this bizarre "plant creation" was beyond his previous scope of knowledge.
"Save him first," Elara decided without hesitation.
Her spatial abilities allowed her to "extract" someone from that strange "cocoon" from a certain distance, avoiding the potential danger of direct contact. Although she didn't know what consequences this might trigger, rescuing the person inside was undoubtedly the safest option for now.
Before her words even faded, her eyes narrowed. Two invisible, extremely sharp spatial blades flashed like lightning!
"Swish! Swish!"
The incredibly tough green roots, in the face of Elara's spatial blades, were as fragile as paper, instantly severed! The large green cocoon, having lost its support, fell heavily from mid-air to the ground with a dull thud.
As the cocoon broke open, the person enveloped inside was revealed.
It was a man in camouflage fatigues, looking like a soldier. His face was deathly pale, his lips purple. He was curled up motionlessly in the ruptured cocoon, his life status unknown. The color of his camouflage uniform was also much lighter than normal, as if it had been soaked in some corrosive liquid for a long time. Some areas even showed signs of damage and dissolution.
The group cautiously approached.
Cassian stepped forward first, his brow furrowed, a look of undisguised disgust on his face. In the dying man's mouth, there was a small, green vine, writhing and struggling! One end of the vine seemed to be connected to the depths of his throat!
Without any hesitation, Cassian reached out. With two fingers, precisely and forcefully, he yanked the still-writhing green vine out of the man's mouth!
As the vine was pulled out, a stream of dark green, foul-smelling, viscous liquid flowed from the corner of the man's mouth.