**Chapter 236: Tied Up, Exotic X, Outdoor**
“It’s too tragic.”
Yun Zhonghe couldn’t bear to watch.
The poor souls struggling against the Ghost Vine Tree Demon were all familiar faces, classmates from the academy. Their skills, while not top-tier in the academy, were certainly above average—definitely not pushovers. Yet, despite their numbers, they couldn’t get a hold on the Ghost Vine Tree Demon.
Its trunk was thick and sturdy, its vines coiling around like they were forged from steel—incredibly resilient. Ordinary swords and blades could only leave shallow scratches that barely scratched the surface, while only fire attacks would do any meaningful damage.
However, the simple fire spells they had were limited in power. Even to scorch a single vine required multiple strikes—talk about a workout!
And the number of vines? Not just a hundred, but at least several dozen!
Whenever those vines whipped against them, the sound was enough to make anyone’s scalp tingle, reminiscent of the good ol’ days when their parents swung sticks at them. Very nerve-wracking!
In just moments, these six or seven classmates were utterly exhausted, fleeing the scene in disarray. Thank goodness the attack range of the Ghost Vine Tree Demon was limited and it couldn’t move; otherwise, they’d have no chance to escape.
Not far away, Yun Zhonghe and Su Xiaoxiao witnessed this “tragedy.”
Furrowing his brow, Yun Zhonghe expressed his concern, “Looks like this Ghost Vine Tree Demon is a bit of a handful.”
Although Yun Zhonghe intended to train Su Xiaoxiao, he had a bigger goal in mind. If the Ghost Vine Tree Demon was easy to handle, that’d be one thing, but based on his observations, he didn’t think it was worth the trouble.
With the time spent hunting the Ghost Vine Tree Demon, Yun Zhonghe estimated he could hunt three or four Foundation Beasts in more dangerous places instead.
Just as Yun Zhonghe was preparing to sneak away with Su Xiaoxiao from this troublesome area, Su Xiaoxiao suddenly pointed at the top of the Ghost Vine Tree Demon, tangled with its dense vines.
There seemed to be a fruit up there!
A green, glistening fruit radiating a faint glow was vaguely visible, as if it were the heart of the Ghost Vine Tree Demon, or the essence of its life.
“Ghost Face Fruit?!”
Yun Zhonghe’s heart skipped a beat as he gasped in disbelief.
The Ghost Face Fruit, a third-grade item, was a rare spiritual fruit only produced by the Ghost Vine Tree Demon. Consuming it could elevate one’s spiritual realm.
This fruit was incredibly rare; legend had it that only a Ghost Vine Tree Demon possessing a certain level of intelligence could condense one over countless years, with chances slimmer than a Golden Core Beast producing a Dan Pill.
Moreover, it was a spiritual fruit capable of enhancing one’s spiritual realm—something even the esteemed Yuan Ying experts dreamed of!
Gazing at the Ghost Face Fruit so close at hand, Yun Zhonghe felt a surge of intense desire and excitement!
“Brother Yun, do you want it?”
Su Xiaoxiao noticed the longing in his eyes. Despite his usual calm demeanor, at that moment, she could see him struggling to maintain his composure in the face of the fruit’s temptation.
With a glimmer in her eye, without waiting for Yun Zhonghe’s response, she darted forward like a gentle breeze, dashing towards the Ghost Vine Tree Demon.
“Brother Yun, I’ll distract the tree demon for you! Take the chance to grab the spiritual fruit!”
“Xiaoxiao?!”
Yun Zhonghe was completely caught off guard. Su Xiaoxiao was putting herself out there as bait to give him a chance to grab the Ghost Face Fruit!
Brother Yun had helped her greatly, and her last debt of gratitude still lingered; she hadn’t yet repaid him in kind—she’d only let Sister Xue take on that task.
She couldn’t keep avoiding doing something, always relying on others. She had to step up!
Su Xiaoxiao lifted her gaze, her eyes clear and bright beneath her thick bangs: “Brother Yun, hurry and take the fruit!”
With her shout, she transformed into a green whirlwind, decisively charging towards the rampaging Ghost Vine Tree Demon. A faint green spiritual energy emanated from her body, like the purest essence of nature, with her wooden armor displaying a flowing pattern of green glows.
Swish!
The Ghost Vine Tree Demon reacted quickly and ferociously, its serpent-like vines shooting towards her at lightning speed, accompanied by a sound sharp enough to slice through the air, aiming straight for Su Xiaoxiao.
Taking a deep breath, Su Xiaoxiao tightened all her muscles, gathering her strength to adopt a seemingly simple but utterly unbreakable defensive stance.
BAM!
A heavy blow came crashing down on her defense like a meteor hitting the ground, but she merely swayed slightly, taking half a step back. Besides a faint quiver in her wooden armor, not even a scratch could be seen.
She had withstood the Ghost Vine Tree Demon’s attack!
This astonishing physical defense once again left Yun Zhonghe in awe and admiration.
Su Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth, her eyes flickering with determination. She braved the frantic lashes of the vines, inching closer to the Ghost Vine Tree Demon, using her own body to attract its attention as much as possible.
But as she approached the core of the tree demon, its fury peaked. More vines, like crazed wild beasts, hammered down on her in a frenzy.
It looked like she was getting pummeled badly, but… she felt no pain.
Because she had maxed out her defensive power!
No pain means… no pain!
Su Xiaoxiao was as tough as a rock.
The Ghost Vine Tree Demon grew more enraged, its twisted face on the trunk becoming even more terrifying, screeching a high-pitched howl that echoed through the air.
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble violently, with cracks spreading across the surface. Immediately, more vines burst forth from these ruptures like mushrooms after rain, twisting and writhing as they surged toward Su Xiaoxiao.
Seeing the overwhelming tide of vines, Su Xiaoxiao prepared to meet them head-on, erupting her spiritual root and letting the life energy within her surge.
But who knew…
The vines suddenly changed tactics, no longer opting for a brute force approach but instead coiling around her like a spirit snake, swiftly wrapping around Su Xiaoxiao’s limbs and lifting her into the air!
Ingeniously sneaky!
“Eh?”
Su Xiaoxiao was taken aback.
This Ghost Vine Tree Demon was truly intelligent enough to adjust its attack strategy in time?!
However, now hanging upside down, her clothes fluttered, revealing some skin usually kept hidden while her cute little panties were now fully on display for Yun Zhonghe’s eyes.
A chubby hamster design on her panties!
Yun Zhonghe froze.
“No, I can’t look!!!”
Su Xiaoxiao shrieked in a mixture of nervousness and embarrassment.
Wait… why would she have hamster-themed panties? This is the Cultivation World; white and black stockings are one thing, but even the panties are that trendy?
Yun Zhonghe had no energy left for sarcasm.
At that moment, even more vines wrapped around Su Xiaoxiao’s thighs!
Yun Zhonghe was horrified; at this rate, she was going to become a prototype for “tied-up fun!”
Nonetheless, Su Xiaoxiao had indeed made a significant contribution; her presence was undeniably the best bait to draw the Ghost Vine Tree Demon’s attention, though the method looked a tad odd.
The perfect moment to strike had finally arrived!
Yun Zhonghe’s gaze sharpened like an eagle’s, his body moving like a released arrow, zipping forward at breakneck speed.
He was like a bolt of lightning, seizing the opportunity while the Ghost Vine Tree Demon was completely focused on Su Xiaoxiao, lunging at the translucent, glimmering Ghost Face Fruit up top.
In a blink, Yun Zhonghe managed to snatch the Ghost Face Fruit, gripping it tightly in his hand. Without a moment of hesitation, he turned to rescue Su Xiaoxiao, tangled in vines.
The Xue Yunjian in his hand shone brilliantly, like the brightest star in the night sky. Without a second thought, Yun Zhonghe unleashed his strongest sword technique—Eight Desolations and Six Harmonies!
With a sharp cry, the snow-white sword turned into a resplendent streak of light—like cleaving the very heavens, he sliced through all the vines entangling Su Xiaoxiao in an instant.
Without a moment’s delay, he quickly scooped up the unconscious Su Xiaoxiao and pushed off the ground, fleeing as fast as he could.
Behind them, the severed vines still thrashed around in a fit of rage, desperately trying to catch both Yun Zhonghe and Su Xiaoxiao.
But alas! For a Foundation Beast, it was impossible to stop Yun Zhonghe.
Yet, Yun Zhonghe showed no signs of slowing down. Though he found the Ghost Vine Tree Demon troublesome, fighting it directly wasn’t an issue. However, he needed to conserve his spiritual energy for more important matters and didn’t want to waste time tussling with the tree demon.
Now that the Ghost Face Fruit was in hand, there was no need to linger; it was time to retreat.
The Ghost Vine Tree Demon, unable to catch Yun Zhonghe, was filled with deep resentment, especially at losing the hard-earned spiritual fruit. It let out an ear-splitting scream, reverberating throughout the dark forest.
…
At that moment, the Ghost Vine Tree Demon’s thunderous roar resembled rolling thunder, alarming several Inner Gate Disciples patrolling nearby.
A collective serious expression crossed their faces.
“Is that… the Ghost Vine Tree Demon’s roar?” One burly Inner Gate Disciple, holding a longsword, furrowed his brow, his voice a mix of surprise and unease.
“The Ghost Vine Tree Demon is a Foundation Beast, but even Golden Core Cultivators wouldn’t dare to face it alone. Which foolish junior has provoked it?” added another Inner Gate Disciple, clad in elegant robes with a gentle demeanor, her eyes revealing a hint of trepidation for the dense forest ahead.
The senior disciples understood at once from the sound that someone had roused the Ghost Vine Tree Demon.
Time and again, some hot-headed juniors thought themselves invincible and sought to challenge it, only to end up getting utterly wrecked.
Rumor had it that some female disciples ended up being toyed with by the tree demon, engaging in some bizarre “tied-up play,” and by the time they were rescued, they’d nearly lost their minds.
It wouldn’t claim lives, but the emotional scars could be considerable.
Total isolation follows.
Thus, even now that some had entered the Inner Gate, the shadow of the Ghost Vine Tree Demon kept them from wanting to explore.
“But since the Ghost Vine Tree Demon has been stirred, someone’s bound to have bad luck. We should go check it out.”
“I’m a sword cultivator; swords and blades are basically useless against the Ghost Vine Tree Demon, so I won’t go.”
“My body cultivation won’t fare any better against it…”
A group of Golden Core Cultivators, yet all hesitated to confront a Foundation Beast, unwilling to take risks.
At that moment, a petite girl in a white robe stepped forward: “I’ll go; I’m a fire mage and precisely counter the Ghost Vine Tree Demon.”
The brave volunteer was Su Xinghe!
“Sister Su!”
A look of gratitude washed over the group.
As expected of the next head of the Su Family, she certainly had guts and responsibility!
She wasted no time and immediately summoned her flying magical treasure, transforming into a streak of light as she raced towards the target.
