627: Chapter 38 Playing along

"Thunder, come!"

With that simple command, the sky above the open area of the cavern abruptly changed.

Dark clouds gathered, brewing lightning.

The Ancient Vine Demon instantly sensed a great terror about to descend. A shudder ran through its body, snapping it out of its rage. It could no longer spare the effort to attack Jing Tian, Hong Kui, and the others. It hurriedly withdrew all its vines, intending to contract into a ball to defend against the lightning and protect itself.

But its vines had only contracted halfway when a low, rumbling boom was heard.

Immediately after, under the Ancient Vine Demon's utterly horrified expression, the lightning descended, striking it squarely.

A bolt of lightning as thick as a bucket struck down. The Ancient Vine Demon let out a shriek, its body wreathed in thunder and flames.

Then came the second bolt. The Ancient Vine Demon's monstrous form shattered.

By the third bolt, the Ancient Vine Demon exploded on the spot, turning to ashes.

At this point, the lightning ceased, the dark clouds dispersed, and the light around returned to normal.

Jing Tian, Tang Xuejian, and Xu Maoshan stared, dumbstruck.

Xu Changqing also wore an expression of shock.

Hong Kui and Lan Kui were also astonished, but they instinctively looked towards Meng Li. They saw his face was pale, he looked utterly exhausted, and his whole body swayed unsteadily.

Startled, Hong Kui quickly reached out to support him.

Meng Li took the opportunity to collapse into her arms, his eyes tightly closed.

Hong Kui's entire body stiffened for a moment before quickly returning to normal.

Lan Kui stepped forward and asked with concern, "Elder Brother Meng, what's wrong with you?"

Hearing this, Jing Tian and Xu Changqing immediately snapped out of their daze and moved to check on the situation.

At that moment, from the spot where the Ancient Vine Demon had been coiled, a pearl emitting a dull yellow glow emerged, floating unsteadily into the air.

Xu Maoshan caught sight of it and urgently reminded them, "Boss, Grandmaster Changqing, look! The earth spirit pearl!"

Jing Tian and Xu Changqing were startled. Following the direction of his voice, they saw it was indeed the earth spirit pearl, and it was about to fly away.

Their hearts tightened. They hurriedly sprinted over to pursue it.

In the end, Xu Changqing, with his agile movements, secured the earth spirit pearl one step ahead of Jing Tian.

Meanwhile, Hong Kui, frowning, asked Hua Ying, "What's Meng Li's condition?"

"Chirp, chirp chirp chirp..."

This response, Hong Kui couldn't understand at all. Lan Kui was the same.

Tang Xuejian, standing nearby, however, understood and helped translate: "Hua Ying says Mr. Meng overexerted himself using a Spell. He's not seriously injured. He just needs to sleep for a while to recover."

Lan Kui immediately let out a long sigh of relief: "That's good."

Hong Kui's frown eased.

Jing Tian, Xu Maoshan, and Xu Changqing also set their minds at ease.

Then, Jing Tian asked, "So how do we get Elder Brother Meng back now?"

"Carry him back, of course," Tang Xuejian replied, then raised an eyebrow at Jing Tian. "Perfect timing. Mr. Meng is your boss. This is your chance to show your loyalty."

"Huh?!"

"What do you mean 'huh'? You don't expect us girls to carry him, do you? Hurry up," Tang Xuejian urged.

Jing Tian turned to look at Xu Maoshan and Xu Changqing. Seeing they were both carrying things and not very convenient, he had no choice but to step up himself.

So, he had to take Meng Li from Hong Kui's arms.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he took hold, he stumbled.

"Whoa! Is Elder Brother Meng this heavy?" Jing Tian planted his feet and exerted strength to steady himself, saying in surprise.

Hong Kui said, puzzled, "Heavy? He's not that heavy at all."

Jing Tian replied with effort, "How can that be? This has to be at least several hundred pounds."

Seeing Jing Tian's expression didn't seem fake, Hong Kui tried taking Meng Li back. She found the weight was about the same as before, nowhere near as exaggerated as Jing Tian claimed.

For a moment, her gaze shifted, moving between Jing Tian and Meng Li before settling on Meng Li. Seeming to understand something, she said, "I'll carry him."

With that, without waiting for Jing Tian's response, Hong Kui adjusted her stance and position, placed Meng Li on her back, and lifted him effortlessly.

Jing Tian stared blankly. "Little sister, you're quite strong."

Hong Kui smiled but didn't speak. However, the hand supporting the crook of Meng Li's knee stealthily pinched a piece of flesh on his leg, squeezing hard.

Meng Li showed no reaction.

Seeing this, Hong Kui gave a light humph and continued to exert force.

Meng Li still didn't react. Whether he was unconscious or simply didn't feel the pain was unclear.

Lan Kui, who was nearby, saw Hong Kui's little action. She was slightly taken aback, then seemed to understand something. Her expression turned odd. She quietly stepped forward, blocking the view while reaching out to pat Hong Kui's hand, signaling her to stop.

Hong Kui pursed her lips and didn't continue.

Jing Tian, Xu Changqing, and the others didn't notice the little exchange between Hong Kui and Lan Kui.

Seeing Jing Tian hand Meng Li over to Hong Kui to carry, and hearing him say Meng Li was heavy and Hong Kui was strong, Tang Xuejian didn't believe a word of it. She seized the chance to needle him: "What 'Mr. Meng is heavy,' 'Hong Kui is strong'? I think you just want to be lazy!"

"Not only pushing the heavy work of carrying someone onto your own sister, but also lying about it. Truly shameful."

Jing Tian frowned. "I'm not lying. Elder Brother Meng really is very heavy. If you don't believe me, try it yourself."

"Try it then," Tang Xuejian retorted without hesitation.

As she spoke, she moved to take Meng Li from Hong Kui's back.

But before she could get close, Hong Kui refused: "That's not necessary. My brother isn't lying. I have nearly a thousand years of Dao cultivation. My strength is indeed much greater than an ordinary person's. Besides, I already have Meng Li settled on my back. You don't need to interfere."

Lan Kui added, "That's right. It's getting late. We should hurry back."

Seeing this, Tang Xuejian had no choice but to give up.

Immediately after, everyone did a quick check and tidy-up, confirmed nothing was left behind, and started back the way they came.

When they reached the entrance of the Ancient Vine Forest, a figure suddenly rushed out from the woods beside them, lunging at Tang Xuejian.

Startled, Tang Xuejian instinctively used her Earth-Wood Flow technique, stimulating her potential to boost her own strength and speed. She dodged the grab and exchanged a blow with the attacker, but her strength was insufficient. The impact sent her stumbling backward, crashing into Jing Tian.

Seeing his first strike hadn't succeeded, the attacker was somewhat surprised, then hurriedly retreated.

Because Xu Changqing had already reacted, drawing his sword and attacking.

Jing Tian, having been crashed into, instinctively wanted to get angry and demand an explanation. But once he saw the situation clearly, his anger vanished. Instead, he supported Tang Xuejian and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

Tang Xuejian shook her head. "I'm fine."

After saying that, she looked towards the attacker now engaged with Xu Changqing. When she saw his appearance clearly, she exclaimed in surprise, "Luo Rulie!"

The attacker was indeed Luo Rulie.

Jing Tian and Xu Maoshan also recognized him.

Immediately, Jing Tian said, "I'll go help White Tofu. You all be careful."

With those words, he drew his sword from his back and charged towards the fray.

Seeing this, Luo Rulie's heart tightened, and a thought of retreat stirred within him.

After the Poisonous People incident in Yu Zhou City, he had suffered a crushing defeat. However, due to the unique nature of the Cultivation Technique he practiced, he managed to escape death. The price was transforming from a human into a demon, leaving him with an intense craving for vital essence. Later, through inquiries, he learned that the earth spirit pearl contained vast amounts of vital essence. He came to the vicinity of Anning Village, intending to seize this treasure.

But he was no match for the Ancient Vine Demon, so he could only bide his time nearby, waiting for an opportunity.

During this period, to maintain his condition and increase his strength, Luo Rulie would absorb people's vital essence on nights of the full moon to practice his Cultivation Technique.

Just now, when the lightning descended from the sky within the Ancient Vine Forest, he sensed it with both alarm and delight. The alarm was due to the terrifying power of the lightning. The delight was because the lightning struck precisely where the Ancient Vine Demon was. Though he didn't know the reason, facing such terrifying lightning, the Ancient Vine Demon was surely in grave danger.

Thus, he had a chance to seize the earth spirit pearl.

However, to be safe, Luo Rulie played it cautious. He didn't immediately enter the Ancient Vine Forest, but instead lay in wait at the entrance.

As a result, he ended up waiting for Meng Li, Jing Tian, and their group.

Given their past encounter in Yu Zhou City and what he had secretly observed, Luo Rulie easily guessed that the earlier lightning was Meng Li's doing. He concluded that their group had obtained the earth spirit pearl. He decisively made his move, planning to capture someone to exchange for the pearl.

He chose Tang Xuejian for two reasons: one, he had a grudge against the Tang Clan; two, Tang Xuejian seemed like an easier target.

He hadn't expected Tang Xuejian's skills to have improved, allowing her to react.

Furthermore, Xu Changqing's strength had also increased significantly. Even though Luo Rulie had transformed from human to demon, he found it difficult to gain the upper hand.

If Jing Tian joined the fight as well, the situation would likely become even more unfavorable.

Just as Luo Rulie was considering retreat, a furry tail suddenly shot out from the woods not far away. It wrapped around Lan Kui and dragged her backward.

"Elder Brother Meng! Brother! Help me!"

...