Abyss Demon Vine – don't let the cool name fool you. In reality, it's just common roadside trash in the Abyss Realm, low in strength. Although considered high-Tier 1, its combat power is truly mediocre, unable to even compare to bottom-tier trash insects like the Red-Crested Beetle. For it to dare attack Li Jiayu now was truly suicidal!
However, Li Jiayu felt slightly strange. Wasn't Xijiang University only invaded by insects? When did a creature from the Abyss Realm arrive?
In his past life, during the great escape of Xijiang University's entire faculty and student body, why hadn't he noticed an Abyss Demon Vine appearing in the gymnasium?
And... isn't this Abyss Demon Vine's attack speed too fast?
Li Jiayu shouted lowly and slashed at the approaching Demon Vine. Unexpectedly, it produced a dull "thud" sound!
Beyond Li Jiayu's expectations!
The Demon Vine wasn't severed!
It only received a small wound, oozing bluish-green fluorescent sap, which was frozen by the icy aura of Hyourinmaru.
One must know, Hyourinmaru was incomparably sharp, capable of cutting even marble like tofu. Yet now, under Li Jiayu's full-strength slash, it couldn't even severely wound this withered yellow vine. Could it be harder than granite?
"The shock numbed the web of my hand... Damn it, this isn't an Abyss Demon Vine! A trash plant like the Abyss Demon Vine absolutely cannot be this strong!"
"What enemy is this?"
"Could it be..."
Li Jiayu's heart chilled, dimly realizing the enemy might be beyond his predictions. He immediately turned his head and yelled at Xiao Wanqing, Lan Xiaoyue, Ran Hongxia, and the several axemen closely following him:
"Get out of here quickly! Quickly!"
Seeing the rare anxious look on Li Jiayu's face, they knew the problem might be serious. Without a word of nonsense, they immediately turned to flee. But before they could take more than a few steps, a tremendous roar, like a train whistle, came from the gymnasium!
"WHOOOOOSH—"
Vaguely, ripples of visible sound waves vibrated through the air!
Even the rainwater on the ground rippled outwards in circles!
The glass doors of the gymnasium instantly cracked with numerous fissures!
"Ugh!"
The several girls and axemen quickly covered their ears, their faces flushed red, eyes shut tight. But after the sound wave subsided, they felt a loud bang in their minds, the world instantly turning dark, feeling unable to even stand steady!
Most terrifyingly, their minds were greatly affected. Annoying matters from daily life instantly surfaced, various negative emotions surged up all at once, almost making it impossible to breathe, their hearts stopping!
Lan Xiaoyue had the weakest mental strength among them all. After the sound wave passed through her body, her face immediately turned paper-white, pupils constricted. She actually ended up kneeling in the rainwater, gasping heavily for breath!
Ran Hongxia, Xiao Wanqing, and the several sturdy boys fared slightly better, but they too fell into a brief state of dizziness, completely unable to flee!
"Psychic Storm! A signature move usable only by Psychic-type anomalies of mid-Tier 2 or above... Could it be..."
Li Jiayu's mental strength far surpassed ordinary people, so naturally, he wasn't greatly affected. Seeing Xiao Wanqing swaying, seemingly about to fall into the rainwater at any moment, he quickly ran over to support her fragrant shoulders, yelling urgently:
"Sister! Wake up! Don't be dazed, escaping is crucial!"
Li Jiayu glanced at the several teammates beside him; all were in poor condition. He feared they wouldn't be able to run for a while. Damn it, at a time like this...
"Octopus! Grab Ran Hongxia and Lan Xiaoyue! As for the boys, take as many as you can and get away from the gymnasium quickly! Damn it, there's actually a mid-Tier 2 Abyssal creature hiding in this godforsaken place..." Without another word, Li Jiayu quickly scooped Xiao Wanqing up bridal style and prepared to flee.
"Yes... Octopus understands."
Just as the Dark Octopus was about to grab several people, a "buzz buzz buzz" vibrating sound came from the corner. The next moment, over a dozen Scythe Beetles suddenly darted out, forming a dense black mass in mid-air, charging menacingly towards them!
"Holy crap! Over a dozen!"
Li Jiayu felt his scalp tingle. Over a dozen Scythe Beetles were extremely dangerous, especially in this open area where their aerial advantage was maximized. They were practically like a dozen dive bombers. At Li Jiayu's level, dealing with six or seven wouldn't be much of a problem, but facing over a dozen posed significant danger. Even with the Dark Octopus, it would be extremely tricky, possibly even resulting in just barely a stalemate!
What was worse, Li Jiayu and the Dark Octopus also had to protect their teammates. If it were others, dying was dying, what did it matter to Li Jiayu? But the one he held now was one of his most cherished relatives; he wouldn't let her suffer the slightest harm even if he died himself. And the Dark Octopus, needless to say, might ignore the male students, but it would absolutely risk its life to protect Lan Xiaoyue and Ran Hongxia!
The current situation was truly troublesome to the extreme. Ahead was a perverted mid-Tier 2 enemy capable of using Psychic Storm; behind were over a dozen Scythe Beetles. Truly wolves ahead and tigers behind. Li Jiayu panicked and, disregarding the waste, immediately threw out the remaining six Detonation Talismans using the yellow sand!
"Damn it... Detonation Talismans! Before I advance to Intermediate Summoner, I probably won't be able to summon such good treasures again... It's all your fault, you meddling Scythe Beetles! Since you're full and done playing, why are you joining the damn commotion! All of you, die for me!"
"BOOM!"
Six massive explosions! The dark red blasts expanded amidst the fine drizzle, their power not diminished in the slightest by the rain. They completely pulverized the dozen or so Scythe Beetles! At this moment, Li Jiayu's most powerful consumable – 20 Detonation Talismans – was completely exhausted, his combat power halved.
"Octopus! What are you spacing out for?! Quickly take them and run!"
Li Jiayu roared. The Dark Octopus paused, then quickly extended a tentacle towards Lan Xiaoyue, who was still kneeling in the rain, dry heaving. But, at this moment, another withered yellow vine shot out from the iron-sheet door, much faster than the Dark Octopus!
"Octopus, careful!" Li Jiayu yelled, quickly turning back, intending to support the Dark Octopus.
"N-No... it's fine... I can handle it..."
The stammering Dark Octopus had just finished speaking when the tentacle it extended to block the vine was pierced by the sharp vine tip!
Simultaneously, over ten more vines shot out from the iron-sheet door, rushing towards the Dark Octopus all at once. The slow-moving Dark Octopus couldn't dodge at all, only able to watch helplessly as the dozen or so vines instantly pierced it!
"Octopus!"
Li Jiayu felt great pain in his heart watching this. Although this idiotic octopus was a bit silly, it was still quite good. Having fought alongside it for half a day, they had developed a deep camaraderie. Now, watching helplessly as it was instantly killed left a very bad taste in his mouth!
"Hurts... hurts..."
Even with its head pierced, one copper-bell eye burst, the Dark Octopus surprisingly wasn't dead yet, still groaning softly. Li Jiayu froze. This guy isn't dead?
Heavens, your brain matter is leaking out, yet you can still survive? The Dark Octopus's life force is too terrifying, isn't it?
Hmm... it seems legendary Tentacle Monsters possess unparalleled regenerative abilities, not dying even when cut into pieces. The Dark Octopus having Tentacle Monster bloodline could somewhat explain its heaven-defying vitality.
"Swish swish swish"
The dozen or so vines pulled out from the Dark Octopus's body, then suddenly shifted towards Lan Xiaoyue, binding her limbs and waist, finally pulling her back. At the same time, the iron-sheet door slowly opened!
Watching helplessly as the promising "Shapeshifter" was dragged away by the enemy, Li Jiayu didn't even have time to be surprised. What truly astonished him was that hidden behind the iron-sheet door was actually—
A Dodder Vine!
An extremely rare and peculiar Abyssal creature, the Female Parasitic Vine.!
The Dodder Vine before him was covered in withered yellow vines. Atop its round, wooden body grew a dazzling flower bud. Embedded in the center of its body was a huge eyeball, black and white. The ghastly white sclera was covered in green blood vessels, looking like a hideous spiderweb, while the grayish-black pupil radiated a chilling cold light. Just meeting its gaze would make one feel cold all over, sensing an overwhelming suffocating terror!
"How could it be... a Female Parasitic Vine? Such a bizarre Abyssal creature, actually appearing in a small place like Xijiang University!"
Li Jiayu sucked in a cold breath. If he were still the Dark Grand Summoner, he naturally wouldn't worry about such trash opponents; casually summoning a Bone Demon could beat the crap out of the Dodder Vine. But now he was merely an apprentice summoner! His mental power was nearly depleted, his summoned beast was dying, and even his strongest trump card, the Detonation Talismans, was completely gone. Currently, in front of the Female Parasitic Vine, Li Jiayu was as fragile as a three-year-old child!
"No! The enemy is too strong, completely unbeatable... Fighting it head-on offers no chance of victory... Can only escape! Can't worry about anything else!"
A plan to escape flashed rapidly through Li Jiayu's mind. He hadn't even considered rescuing his teammate Lan Xiaoyue. He even decided to abandon Ran Hongxia and the several male students, escaping alone with Xiao Wanqing. As long as Xiao Wanqing was safe, anything was fine – as for the Dark Octopus, Li Jiayu didn't need to worry. At worst, he could forcibly send it back to the other dimension to prevent it from sacrificing itself needlessly to protect Ran Hongxia, even if it meant being complained about by the Dark Octopus later.
After all, the Female Parasitic Vine. was simply far, far stronger than Li Jiayu. Their strengths couldn't even be compared. Even if he stood up to fight the Dodder Vine desperately to uphold justice, save the beauty, or protect teammates, it would be futile; he would definitely be instantly killed!
If there was even the slightest chance of victory, Li Jiayu naturally wouldn't miss it. But in a battle with no chance of winning, Li Jiayu would undoubtedly flee. This was also why he managed to survive so many pursuits in his past life.
"Save me... Li Jiayu, save me..."
Lan Xiaoyue, twenty-something meters away, entangled by over a dozen vines, cried out painfully for help. Right now, her only hope was Li Jiayu. In her impression, Li Jiayu was invincible and omnipotent; as long as he took action, any enemy would immediately fall!
"Sorry..."
Li Jiayu lowered his head and muttered, about to turn and flee quickly. But Xiao Wanqing in his arms had already woken up. Her beautiful, autumn-water-like eyes were extremely bright, staring straight at Li Jiayu as if seeing through his intentions. She asked in a low voice:
"Are you planning to abandon her?"
"..."
Li Jiayu's body stiffened. Honestly, after joining the Demon Hunting Group in his past life, under the guidance of the old leader, he became someone who valued camaraderie greatly. Once he recognized someone as a comrade-in-arms, he would absolutely treat them with his heart, willing to entrust his back to them.
He lived through life-and-death situations with his comrades in the Demon Hunting Group for a year. Even later, when Li Jiayu was hunted alone by the entire Tianchao, he never forgot those times fighting alongside his companions.
Although he had never considered Lan Xiaoyue a comrade after rebirth, for some reason, being questioned by Xiao Wanqing made Li Jiayu feel extremely uncomfortable...
Just then, the Female Parasitic Vine. extended over ten more vines, coiling towards Ran Hongxia!