The inky black water, with several thick purple-black serrated stems and leaves, writhed like a terrifying scene of coiling giant serpents, sending a cold sweat down Sha Yi’s back. Yet, this did not make her flee in panic.
Back when she had first crossed over, just the sight of a snake had made her nauseous. Now, facing this tangle of aquatic plants that danced like a frenzy of snakes, aside from the instinctive fear of the unknown, she found herself surprisingly composed.
It seemed the influence of environment and experience on a person was far from negligible.
Under the second strike, the monstrous plant tilted slightly further, its serpentine stems and leaves nearly reversing direction. Xi Yi, caught in its momentum, was flung into the air by the stem coiled around him.
In that split second, despite the rain, Sha Yi noticed the curling stem’s arc softening mid-throw. Her heart leaped into her throat, nearly making her scream!
She didn’t even need to worry—Xi Yi sensed the plant’s weakening grip at the same moment. Taking a deep breath, he swiftly retracted his arms, curled his body, and slipped out of the coiled stem, plunging back into the water.
The giant plant seemed to realize something was amiss. Its massive body swayed, stirring waves across the water’s surface. Finally, it slammed several serrated, razor-sharp stems onto the water with such force that the spray shot meters high. Yet, it failed to strike Xi Yi again. He had likely anticipated this move and decisively chosen to dive deeper.
However, the monstrous plant hesitated only briefly before swaying upright on the water’s surface. The next moment, it seemed intent on submerging as well.
Standing on the shore, Sha Yi grew increasingly anxious. She worried whether Xi Yi could return safely and whether the plant might unleash another attack. At this point, she figured she should do everything possible to stall the creature, ensuring Xi Yi had enough time to escape. After all, the plant was naturally aquatic—its agility and tracking abilities underwater far surpassed a human’s. If it wanted to catch something beneath the surface, it would be effortless.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Sha Yi decided to continue battering it with the tree trunk.
It appeared the plant lacked vision, and its range of movement seemed confined to the water. She had struck it twice, and though it responded with wild, aimless thrashing, it showed no interest in investigating her direction, even though she stood nearby.
Having identified some of its weaknesses, she felt slightly more confident. As the enormous plant began submerging again, Sha Yi mustered all her strength and swung the broken trunk a third time.
The effect was still significant—she easily disrupted its dive. But an unexpected mishap occurred: though her strike hit the plant’s stem, as she pulled back, the trunk became ensnared in the curl of a serrated stem. In the blink of an eye, the stem tightened around the other end of the trunk.
Sha Yi panicked, instinctively yanking at the trunk. But the plant’s brute strength was overwhelming. The tug-of-war nearly dragged her into the deep water. Fortunately, at the critical moment, the trunk snapped in half under the plant’s sharp serrations, sparing her—though half her body still slid into the water.
This was the best outcome she could hope for. Had the trunk been sturdier or the plant’s serrations slightly duller, she would have already been in the “embrace” of those serpentine stems.
Exhaling in relief, Sha Yi reached for a protruding root on the shore, preparing to climb back up. But just then, an eerie sound erupted from the water behind her.
Her scalp prickled with fear. Trembling, she tried to scramble ashore faster, but her limbs felt weak. In mere milliseconds, she sensed something wrong at her ankle. Before she could react, a savage, terrifying force yanked at her foot.
The sudden shock and piercing pain made her scream. She desperately grabbed the exposed root.
The direction of the pull wasn’t perpendicular to the ground but parallel to her position. Without buoyancy to help, the strain on her grip was excruciating.
If this continued, she’d either die or be crippled!
Soon, she could barely hold onto the root. Compared to the creature’s brute strength, she was powerless. If Xi Yi didn’t seize this chance to escape, neither of them might make it out alive.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, a splash erupted. A pair of warm hands swiftly grasped her ankle and, in one decisive motion, severed the serrated, fleshy stem coiled around her. The next moment, she fell back into the water, only to be caught by those same hands at her waist. With a firm, gentle push, she was lifted onto the shore.
Sitting on the bank, she immediately turned to reach for Xi Yi. But in that instant, he vanished beneath the surface again—her hand barely grazing his as he disappeared. She didn’t even have time to call his name.
Xi Yi was gone a second time.
Sha Yi was stunned, taking a long moment to regain her senses.
Staring at the churning dark water, she couldn’t understand why the plant never attacked her onshore—only striking the moment she touched the water. The same went for Xi Yi—both times he’d been dragged under while submerged.
Could it be… the plant only sensed and hunted prey in water?
Sha Yi felt this theory made sense, but right now, understanding the creature’s behavior did little to help rescue Xi Yi—especially since she couldn’t swim!
In the deep water, the plant’s serpentine stems had fully submerged, leaving only the massive purple-red sphere at its top floating above. Just as she suspected it might be trying to drown Xi Yi with its stems, the sphere suddenly split open, widening slowly.
Sha Yi immediately spotted the fine, jagged yellow teeth inside the sphere and the nauseating green slime. Soon, the sphere gaped open 180 degrees, and a familiar charred object tumbled out into the water.
Staring in horror, Sha Yi recalled the human-shaped charcoal she’d seen near this spot the day before. Her face paled.
Back then, she’d assumed the charred corpse had crumbled and fallen into the water on its own. But given the damp weather, how could charcoal become brittle? Now, it was clear—this monstrous plant was responsible!
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