256: Chapter 256 The Reason

The dust settled, and black ash drifted through the air.

Qin Yan stood with his long spear in hand, the blood in his chest still churning.

His gaze, however, was already as sharp as a blade, shooting coldly toward Su Liuli, who had just landed gracefully not far away.

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a suppressed chill as he spoke each word deliberately:

"You knew all along that the flower bud was the weakness of this Vine Evil Spirit. Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Su Liuli did not seem moved by this questioning upon hearing it.

She shook her head gently and, with a flick of her fair hand, quietly put away the dark red long whip, her movements calm and unhurried.

Her clear eyes met Qin Yan's icy gaze, her tone flat yet distinct:

"You are mistaken. Not only was the flower bud not its weakness, but on the contrary, it was its strongest and most lethal method of attack."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the now withered and stiff eastern main vine, before continuing, "The true weakness of this Evil Spirit lies in the roots you were all attacking. That is the core hub connecting its energy circulation to its main body. Once it is severely damaged, its overall defense and regeneration capabilities drop drastically."

"What we are facing is a 'Vine Evil Spirit', a rare variant of Evil Spirit."

However, the Evil Spirits in Canglin Ancient Peak are all 'Secondary Bodies,' their strength significantly weakened.

The true original body of this Vine Evil Spirit should be an existence that moves swiftly with unpredictable and treacherous attacks.

But here, it is bound to the vines, slow-moving, and its attack methods are relatively singular and fixed."

"This weakening leads to a seemingly contradictory phenomenon: as long as you sever the attacking vines it extends and maintain a sufficient distance, it can hardly do anything to you, making it 'safe'."

Qin Yan's brow furrowed slightly as he vaguely caught the logic in her words.

Su Liuli continued to explain, her tone still calm and steady: "However, if you want to truly defeat it, you must risk getting close to destroy the core at the roots, damaging its origin."

"This is also why we were able to defeat it relatively easily after its flower bud was injured—the continuous damage to the roots had already shaken its foundation, causing a fatal vulnerability in its defense after its most powerful flower bud attack."

"Therefore, someone had to take the risk of approaching to destroy the roots."

"Jia Shan lacked the strength, but you could do it."

"As for why I didn't inform you of the danger of the flower bud beforehand..."

The corners of Su Liuli's lips curled into a very faint, almost non-existent arc. "It's simple."

"If you had known the horror of the flower bud in advance and felt fear in your heart, who would have dared to engage in close-quarters combat with all their strength?"

"I'm afraid you would have been intimidated before the battle even began, with your offensive being hesitant and restricted, which would instead give the Evil Spirit a chance to breathe, dragging it out longer and adding more variables."

"Only by letting you 'think' it was at the end of its rope, relaxing your guard and attacking with full force,"

"could it be forced to use its strongest, yet most flawed, 'Flower Bud Devour' ahead of time."

"This strike is certainly dangerous, but it is also the moment when its energy pours out and its defense is at its emptiest."

"I needed you all, especially you Qin Yan, to become the 'bait' to lure it into revealing this fatal flaw."

"Only in this way could I seize that fleeting opportunity to deal it a truly heavy blow."

The explanation was logically clear and well-structured, detailing the battle analysis and tactical calculations.

She didn't even deny utilizing Jia Shan and Qin Yan's 'risks,' her tone calm to the point of being cruel.

After listening, the chill in Qin Yan's heart grew even deeper.

This woman not only hid her strength deeply, but the meticulousness of her mind and the cold-bloodedness of her calculations were even more alarming.

To achieve a tactical goal, she could unhesitatingly place her teammates in danger, even treating them as expendable pawns.

As if seeing through his thoughts, Su Liuli smiled on her cold face and added, "But don't worry, I didn't completely disregard your safety."

"If you had truly encountered a fatal crisis you couldn't resolve, I would have stepped in. After all..."

She paused, looking directly into Qin Yan's eyes, and said word for word:

"Chinese people don't cheat Chinese people."

Her expression was incredibly serious, and her gaze was clear, as if every word she spoke came from the bottom of her heart.

Qin Yan: "..."

Like hell I believe you!

His wariness toward this Su Liuli had climbed to its peak.

This woman's actions were strange and unpredictable, her mind as deep as the sea.

The truth of her words was hard to discern; she was even more unsettling than these hideous Evil Spirits before them!

Who knew how many layers of calculations were hidden in her heart, or how many of her words were actually true?

"Just where did Princess Anya find such a 'perverted' fellow..."

Qin Yan grumbled inwardly, but his face had already returned to calm, showing no emotion.

When dealing with such a person, any display of emotion could become a weakness to be exploited.

"Alright, enough small talk."

"Don't waste time. Hurry and take that yimu spirit heart; we still need to go support the other directions."

As she spoke, she raised her slender hand slightly, pointing toward the 'yimu spirit heart' floating at the end of the eastern main vine, which emitted an enticing emerald glow, signaling Qin Yan to take it.

Qin Yan sneered in his heart. Let him take it?

Leaving behind a Rank Seven resource and 'generously' giving it to him?

If there wasn't something fishy about this, it would be a miracle!

Who knew if some hidden trap would be triggered around that spirit heart, or the moment it was taken?

Su Liuli was intentionally staying behind because she wanted him to be the stone that tested the path, right?

Seeing Qin Yan shake his head in refusal without hesitation, his eyes filled with distrust, Su Liuli didn't seem surprised.

She gave a soft "tsk," shrugged, and her posture even took on a bit of laziness and helplessness:

"Fine then, since you don't trust me, we'll go take it together. That should be okay, right?"

After saying that, she actually stepped forward, leading the way toward the end of the main vine, though she deliberately slowed her pace to walk side-by-side with Qin Yan.

It was as if she had truly cast aside her calculations to cooperate fairly.

Qin Yan's vigilance did not diminish in the slightest, but there seemed to be no better choice at the moment.

He gripped his long spear tightly and, one after the other with Su Liuli, cautiously approached the floating spirit heart.

When they were less than three meters from the spirit heart, Su Liuli's wrist flicked lightly, and the dark red long whip darted out again like a spirit snake, its tip wrapping with pinpoint accuracy around that emerald yimu spirit heart.

The entire process was smooth as flowing water without the slightest delay, as if there really were no protections around the spirit heart.

The long whip retracted, and the spirit heart landed safely in Su Liuli's fair palm.

It emitted a dense and gentle life energy.

Su Liuli looked down at the spirit heart in her hand, a flash of satisfaction crossing her eyes.