Chapter 133: Devouring Demon Vine

Since Lin Qiu had already made his decision, the system acted with great efficiency, and Lin Qiu watched his evolution points plummet.

Holding a pair of enormous, razor-sharp shears provided by the system, Lin Qiu was about to slice through the vines before him when the Demonic Vine suddenly ceased its movements.

"What's going on?"

Lin Qiu found it bizarre. There was no reason for the vine to stop attacking him unless something had gone wrong with the plant itself. The thick coils that had been wrapped tightly around him suddenly loosened and slumped to the ground. Then, as if enduring excruciating pain, all the vines whipped upward and began to thrash about chaotically.

"Has it gone mad?"

Lin Qiu suddenly felt that the shears in his hand were no longer such a good deal. If he had just waited a moment longer, the vine might have gone insane on its own, and he wouldn't have had to waste so many evolution points. He felt a pang of regret, but since he had already spent the points, it would be an even greater loss not to use the tool. He raised the giant shears, targeted a "stray" vine, and snipped it clean off.

The Ancient Demonic Vine didn't seem to notice its limbs being severed; it continued to writhe and struggle in the air.

"System, what is happening to it?" Lin Qiu asked.

The system was very polite and answered directly. "The Ancient Demonic Vine is of a yin nature; it requires the consumption of a young woman's vital essence to replenish the energy needed for its evolution."

Lin Qiu listened to the explanation, feeling as though it didn't quite fit the situation. Wait! A thought occurred to him, and a strange smile spread across his face. Wang Xiaomeng had been dragged inside, and this vine, eager to fight, must have been desperate to drain some fresh vital essence. But no matter how much Wang Xiaomeng resembled a woman, he was, in essence, a man. His vital essence was yang, not yin!

The Ancient Demonic Vine had mistaken the yang essence for yin, swallowed it, and converted it into energy—naturally, the energy within its body had become chaotic. With its yin and yang thrown out of balance, it was no wonder it was in such agony!

"Oh, Wang Xiaomeng, Wang Xiaomeng," Lin Qiu muttered. "Though it was tragic for you to be snatched away by that ape, I must say, this time you've truly performed a great service!"

He didn't know how long it would take for the vine to digest the yang essence it had absorbed, but when it came to dealing with such a threat, the sooner, the better. With that in mind, he raised his shears once more and began hacking away at the vines with a flurry of clicks!

The vines that fell from the creature turned into withered, yellow willow branches the moment they hit the ground. As Lin Qiu continued his work, the pile of branches grew. Without the obstruction of the dense vines, his movements became increasingly fluid. Before long, the Demonic Vine was reduced to a "bare pole." The trunk, covered in rough bark, had been shorn clean by Lin Qiu, leaving only a few vibrant, yellow-green buds at the top that looked unexpectedly full of life.

Lin Qiu was just about to channel his energy to devour the plant when he suddenly remembered: wasn't Xu Bancheng still inside the vine’s belly? If he took a bite now, wouldn't he accidentally swallow Xu Bancheng along with it?

"Rest assured, host. Due to the unique nature of human genetics, you cannot directly consume humans for the time being!" the system’s helpful reminder chimed in.

That meant if he devoured the Ancient Demonic Vine, he wouldn't accidentally consume Xu Bancheng as well. With that settled, Lin Qiu felt relieved. He opened his mouth toward the vine, his throat forming a miniature black hole, and the entire plant was uprooted and pulled into his abyss.

The vine, still smelling of damp earth, was so pungent that Lin Qiu nearly vomited on the spot. His stomach churned violently, and it took several minutes for him to recover.

The first thing he did was demand that the system check his attribute data. To his disappointment, this "Ancient Demonic Vine," which the system had hyped up to the heavens, only granted him a few measly evolution points. This was completely unscientific! After all that effort, it would have been more efficient to just eat a few fish!

"As you are currently a marine organism, the enhancement you receive from consuming terrestrial lifeforms is minimal," the system explained.

Then why did you specifically tell me this was a target for consumption! Lin Qiu had truly believed this would be a leap forward in his strength, which would have made him more confident for the upcoming "East Sea Tournament." He recited the Great Compassion Mantra in his heart several hundred times to suppress his resentment toward the system before turning his attention back to reality.

The Ancient Demonic Vine was gone, leaving only Xu Bancheng lying naked on the cold, blue stone floor. If Lin Qiu had taken a picture of this, it would truly be the ultimate prank. The head of the Xu family sleeping naked outside the city—that was quite the scandalous piece of news.

Xu Bancheng’s recovery speed was much faster than Lin Qiu had anticipated, and he regained consciousness after only a short while.

"Why are you here? Where is the Ancient Demonic Vine?" The moment Xu Bancheng opened his eyes, he was met with Lin Qiu's face.

Lin Qiu was surprised. How did Xu Bancheng know it was an Ancient Demonic Vine?

"Did you provoke that vine?" Lin Qiu asked, his eyes wide, realizing it was a foolish question.

"Of course not!" Xu Bancheng was currently just an ordinary man with no strength to speak of; how could he possibly have the ability to provoke such a powerful ancient entity? However, it was true that he had entertained the idea of absorbing the vine. "Where are my clothes?"

Xu Bancheng wanted to find his phone to contact his assistant and Liu Changfeng, only to discover he was stark naked! Seeing the suspicious look in Xu Bancheng's eyes, Lin Qiu’s mouth twitched. He couldn't possibly think that he had some sort of perverse interest in him, could he? His tastes weren't that extreme!

"Your clothes were likely eaten by the vine," Lin Qiu guessed.

And then, the vine was eaten by him. Good grief, it had come full circle—he really had "eaten" Xu Bancheng’s clothes! Seeing that Xu Bancheng didn't press the matter further, Lin Qiu quickly changed the subject.

"The vine's nest must be in the cave behind us. Let's go take a look!" With that, Lin Qiu marched into the cave. He couldn't care less about Xu Bancheng's dignity; although, if the cave was full of young women and they were all awake, Xu Bancheng was about to make a massive fool of himself!

"Wang Xiaomeng!"

As soon as Lin Qiu entered the cave, he saw Wang Xiaomeng passed out at the entrance, with a piece of withered yellow willow branch still in his mouth. Wang Xiaomeng’s skirt was hiked up, revealing a flash of pale white skin. Finding it an eyesore, Lin Qiu quickly pulled the skirt down and carried him out of the cave in his arms.

Hei Ze, having recovered slightly, limped toward the cave entrance. The moment he spotted Wang Xiaomeng, he let out a howl and lunged forward!