Chapter 132: The Ancient Demonic Vine

A monkey? Wang Xiaomeng was somewhat shocked.

According to science, humans evolved from monkeys into ape-men and eventually into modern humans. Logically, monkeys should have no malice toward humans, let alone kidnap young women.

"Stop running and surrender!"

The fan in Wang Xiaomeng's hand instantly transformed into a long spear. As the saying goes, "an extra inch of length provides an extra inch of power," a principle Wang Xiaomeng shared with Xu Fei. Lin Qiu, however, thought that for a girl, a long whip might be more aesthetically pleasing—and perhaps provide some peculiar amusement. The smile on Lin Qiu's face turned somewhat wicked, though he quickly shook his head, condemning himself for having such thoughts.

But soon, Lin Qiu sensed something was wrong. The air was filled with a faint, sweet scent; inhaling too much of it made him feel dizzy. If even Lin Qiu was affected, how could the monkey resist?

The monkey was scratching its ears and cheeks, its eyes bloodshot, as if enduring immense pain.

"Oh no!" Lin Qiu realized, intending to rush forward and stop the monkey's evolution. But the process was too rapid. In the blink of an eye, the creature went from walking on all fours to standing upright like an ape. Its fur receded, revealing a face similar to a human's, save for the remaining tufts on its cheeks and a pair of large, protruding teeth that bared themselves at Wang Xiaomeng.

"Truly, only my own human form is the most beautiful," the ape-man thought. "I must award myself the 'Most Beautiful Exotic Beast' prize later!"

Wang Xiaomeng, being a man, naturally felt the subtle changes in his own body. His face flushed red, and he crossed his legs tightly, terrified that his short skirt would fail to conceal this embarrassing transformation. He looked no different from a shy young girl!

The ape-man, driven by primal impulses, lunged at Wang Xiaomeng. Heize detached himself from Wang Xiaomeng's body, slamming into the ape-man and baring his teeth to warn him away. But the ape-man had lost all reason; how could he understand such a threat? He regained his footing and lunged at Wang Xiaomeng again.

Driven by the sweet, thick air, Heize’s power surged, and he unleashed it all upon the ape-man. For a moment, the Tier 4 Heize was locked in a fierce struggle with the Tier 5 ape-man! However, it was clear that Heize was accumulating more and more wounds; he was reaching his limit.

"Lin Qiu! What are you waiting for!" Wang Xiaomeng’s legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground in a kneeling position. In this state, he and Heize could not merge, cutting their combat effectiveness in half.

Lin Qiu suddenly realized they weren't fighting as two, but should have been three! Perhaps because Lin Qiu was a marine creature, he was less affected by the "toxin" in the air than Wang Xiaomeng and Heize, allowing him to maintain some sanity. This ape-man was clearly just a pawn for the mastermind behind the toxin. The best time for him to appear would be when the mastermind finally emerged!

The ape-man struck with lightning speed, kicking Heize away. Heize slid for over ten meters before slamming heavily into a tree, letting out a painful whimper.

"Heize!" Wang Xiaomeng shouted in panic, but his body was completely sapped of strength. Heize was covered in blood, his head gashed, and his vision was blurred by a crimson mist. Yet, Wang Xiaomeng was the person he would give his life to protect! Heize struggled, trying to pull himself up from the ground.

"Brother, I respect you as a man," Lin Qiu said as he watched Heize stand up again. He concealed his aura and walked to Heize's side. "Leave the rest to me."

Lin Qiu locked his gaze onto the ape-man. He did not attack, and even when Lin Qiu entered his line of sight, the ape-man ignored him. The ape-man, whose arms and legs were longer than a normal human's and whose strength far exceeded the norm, dashed to Wang Xiaomeng in an instant and snatched him up.

Lin Qiu let out a long breath. He had gambled correctly; there was definitely another mastermind behind this ape. Otherwise, he had no interest in watching a bestial, forced romance between an ape-man and a man.

The ape-man was fast, but Lin Qiu was faster! The ape-man realized he couldn't shake off Lin Qiu and even increased his speed several times! Within minutes, they had plunged deep into the mountains behind the East City.

"Notification: Swallowable target detected: Ancient Demon Vine!"

The system's voice rang out, and Lin Qiu understood his goal! Indeed, the ape-man had dragged Wang Xiaomeng into a cave. Standing at the entrance was a massive tree—what looked like a common, crooked-necked willow that had awakened and mutated with ancient bloodlines!

The ape-man didn't attack Lin Qiu, but the Demon Vine was far more intelligent; several vines lashed out at him directly.

"Damn it." Blocked by the vines, Lin Qiu could only watch as Wang Xiaomeng disappeared from his sight. Unbeknownst to Lin Qiu, the Demon Vine stealthily slipped a vine into Wang Xiaomeng’s mouth.

There were simply too many vines, and the land was a major disadvantage for Lin Qiu. Lacking a suitable weapon, he suddenly wished Xu Bing were here so she could arm him. The vines were as slippery as loaches in a pan, merely blocking his path and draining his force, leaving him with the frustrating sensation of having power he couldn't apply.

Since the vines were so troublesome, the Demon Vine was, after all, a plant!

Action outpaced thought. Lin Qiu dodged the vines' attacks and charged straight for the trunk! The Demon Vine clearly sensed the threat and began to shake violently! Vines from all directions converged on the trunk. If the Demon Vine had previously needed to pinpoint Lin Qiu's location to attack, now that Lin Qiu's target was so clear, the vine's objective was even clearer!

But Lin Qiu was faster than the vine!

Just as he reached the trunk, he prepared to strike with his blade, but a face emerged from within the "body" of the Demon Vine, forcing him to stop his swing mid-air!

That face—it was Xu Bancheng, the very man he had been searching for!

What was happening? Did this Demon Vine consume men as well?

There was no time to think. The vines had already surrounded Lin Qiu, suffocating him and leaving him with less and less room to move! Seeing that he was about to be completely enclosed, Lin Qiu gritted his teeth. He could not afford to fall here! He had too much left to do!

"System! Find a way! Whatever it takes, use as many evolution points as needed! Buy it for me!" Lin Qiu roared.