The Blood-Sucking Vine felt its core being invaded.
It began to vibrate frantically, and the entire cave fell into a chaotic, wild dance.
Qimeng remained calm and unhurried, taking a few steps back.
She pulled back to an excellent viewing distance, and at the same time deactivated her Liquefaction state.
She returned to her harmless, young girl form.
She closed her eyes, fully sinking her consciousness into the few threads of water that had snuck into the enemy along its root system.
“So that's how it is. Water can even achieve internal reverse osmosis.”
The Blood-Sucking Vine's struggles grew more and more violent.
Its vines lashed wildly against the surrounding stone walls.
But it was too late. Those streams of water crisscrossed inside it, gathering and swirling like a tightening noose.
Following the transport network of the plant's roots, the water lines surged forward like a hot knife through butter, reaching straight for the taproot hidden deep within the rock layers.
“You hid it so deep, but unfortunately, I still caught you.”
Qimeng opened her eyes, her voice as calm as water.
“Water, Bursting Flow.”
There was no earth-shattering explosion.
Only a muffled thud echoed from deep underground.
The underground water vein it relied on for survival was forcibly detonated by her, and the surging water pressure exploded inside the taproot.
Crack!
That was the sound of the taproot snapping.
The previously arrogant Blood-Sucking Vine seemed to have its spine ripped out of its main body, and it began to twitch violently.
Tens of thousands of vines thrashed wildly, but in the end, they could only slump powerlessly to the ground.
Its root structure was blasted to pieces by the water flow.
The once-vivid blood-red patterns disintegrated, turning into withered debris.
The battle ended even faster than expected.
Qimeng was in a good mood and stretched.
“Though fighting with water is a bit underhanded, this all-in-one package of Liquefaction, infiltration, and counter-killing is really handy to use.”
She didn't dislike this feeling of having everything in her grasp.
In fact, she felt it was much more sophisticated than simple physical clashes.
The devouring process then began.
A thick, warm current surged frantically in through her roots.
The nutrients were so abundant, far exceeding those of the ordinary forest magical beasts from before.
As her mana increased, that unique, structured mana fluctuation surfaced in her consciousness once again.
This was clearly a sign of acquiring a new skill, and she couldn't help but feel a little expectant.
An image unfolded in her consciousness.
It was a massive flower swaying in the wind.
Its rhythm was bizarre, its movements exaggerated, exuding a deliberate sense of design.
【Swaying Flower Dance】
Releases distracting petals while swaying the body, causing nearby creatures to lose their aggressiveness and focus for a short time.
Combat Use: Strong distraction.
Daily Use: Ornamental gardening.
“???”
Qimeng was completely dumbfounded.
“What is this? Dancing in battle?”
She subconsciously tried to sway her body along with the image.
In the next second, the surrounding air softened, and countless pink petals drifted down like snow, emitting a sweet fragrance.
The few remaining fragments of the Blood-Sucking Vine actually stopped their hostile fluctuations, and their leaves even twitched twice to the rhythm.
Qimeng fell silent.
“Swaying Flower Dance?”
She tried swaying left and right a few more times.
Rings of pink light diffused outward along with the petals.
In the distance, a nocturnal rabbit that was about to flee actually froze in place on the spot.
Qimeng pressed her hand to her forehead and sighed deeply.
“No way, where is your blood-sucking trait? You're a Blood-Sucking Vine! Are you scattering petals in battle to cheer your opponent on?”
She stopped her movements, and only then did the nocturnal rabbit wake up as if from a dream, scurrying into the bushes with a rustle.
Qimeng sighed repeatedly.
“Distracting the enemy's attention? I suppose this skill isn't completely useless.”
“Another weird skill added to the collection.”
However, although the new skill's style was bizarre, the expansion of her underground world became unimpeded after this battle.
She quickly occupied a portion of the Blood-Sucking Vine's territory.
However, when her roots extended downward along the mineral vein and touched a vast underground space, the sight before her startled her.
It was densely packed with Blood-Sucking Vines.
Massive sheets of blood-red flowers interwoven into a net, covering the entire underground cavern.
This visual was truly physically unsettling.
“You've successfully annoyed me.”
Following the entrance of the underground water vein, she slipped straight inside like a swimming fish.
The water was cold, carrying the unique taste of minerals.
But the Water Core throbbed gently inside her body, allowing her to move as naturally as a fish in water.
Under her Night Vision, the Blood-Sucking Vines hanging on the cave walls looked like upside-down venomous snakes, enough to make anyone with trypophobia die on the spot.
“Quite a grand lineup,” she murmured, and then fell silent.
In this kind of terrain, the battle turned into a one-sided game of Whac-A-Mole.
With her Water Core fully active, her semi-liquefied body shuttled through the dark river at high speed.
Roots stabbed out from the soil, water turned into sharp blades to slice, occasionally adding a Bursting Flow, directly clearing out an empty zone.
The clumsy physical attacks of the Blood-Sucking Vines were like slow-motion playbacks to her now.
Vines were shredded, washed away, and dragged to the bottom of the water to become nutrients.
Qimeng fought casually, even venting a bit of her frustration.
“For growing so densely!”
“For blocking the way!”
“For scattering petals!”
After the cleanup ended, the cave returned to silence.
Qimeng stood on a rock protruding from the water.
She picked a few of the most beautifully shaped and healthiest-looking seedlings, carefully wrapped them with her roots, and brought them back to the surface.
“I'll plant them at the entrance as scenery.”
She did this as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The ring-shaped area around her tree body was tilled by her roots, and she adjusted the humidity using her Water Core.
After planting the Blood-Sucking Vine seedlings, she also transplanted some glowing Nightglow Mushrooms, Moonlight Grass, and shimmering fluorescent moss from various parts of her territory.
“From now on, this place will be my headquarters, called the Tree Court.”
“The garden will be called the Firefly Garden.”
She patted the dirt off her hands.
Facing the trembling, drooping magic plants, she released her double mana pressure as a lord in both human and tree form.
“Be good.”
Qimeng flashed a smile radiant enough to eclipse all flowers.
“The obedient ones can stay, and the disobedient ones...”
“...will be eaten as tomorrow's snack.”
“You should know the rules, right?”
Those Blood-Sucking Vines swayed in sheer terror.
Although there was a large amount of Blood-Sucking Vine debris left, even after spending a few days absorbing it all, she still failed to obtain a blood-sucking skill.
“I feel like I'm being targeted,” Qimeng complained offhandedly.
That said, she also knew in her heart that the flower dance skill was highly likely exclusive to that mutated individual.
She had struck gold this time, even if the skill's style was rather bizarre.
However, that underground water vein was an unexpected pleasant surprise.
Going deep along the water vein, she gained control over a logistics pipeline leading to the center of the earth.
Not only was her mana circulation more abundant, but the coverage radius of her roots also skyrocketed from 120 meters all the way to 190 meters.
As for diving deeper vertically, after encountering that sleeping colossus and ancient ruins, she decisively chose to ignore them.
“Anyway, I don't live underground.”
She stretched, her gaze turning toward the forest, her laziness carrying a reassuring calmness.
Who cares what's buried underground?
As long as it doesn't disturb her sunbathing, it's all just passing clouds.
Rate on N.U.
