mynovelonline Chapter 132 Vine
Chapter 132 Vine
Despite the excruciating pain in her left shoulder, Xu Xiaoxiao's gaze grew even more resolute. The longsword in her hand shone brightly, and each swing brought with it a whooshing sound of spiritual energy as she fiercely slashed at the ever-approaching vines.
Her clothes were soaked with sweat and blood, her face was as pale as paper, but her eyes burned with an indomitable flame.
"Hmph, watch how I destroy you all today!" Xu Xiaoxiao shouted loudly, her voice filled with determination and anger.
While brandishing her sword, she quickly took out a defensive magic artifact from her storage bag and threw it towards Ning Qingwan. The artifact instantly grew larger, forming a transparent spiritual energy barrier in front of Ning Qingwan, blocking the vines that were trying to attack her.
At this moment, the fog in the forest grew even thicker, as if it had become tangible, obstructing people's vision and making it difficult to breathe.
The surrounding trees appeared and disappeared in the mist, like giant guardians silently watching the fierce battle.
Xu Xiaoxiao keenly observed the movement of the vines and discovered that they seemed to be growing continuously from somewhere deep in the forest.
Her eyes narrowed, and she made up her mind. She took a deep breath, gathered her spiritual power, and lightly touched the ground with her feet, her figure flashing like a ghost towards that direction.
Along the way, vines kept sprouting from the ground, trying to block her path.
Xu Xiaoxiao wielded her long sword with incredible speed and precision, the sword flashing as she severed the vines one by one.
Her eyes were fixed on the front, not missing a single clue.
Finally, in a clearing deep in the forest, she discovered a huge vine tree that emitted an eerie light, from which the surrounding vines extended.
A resolute glint flashed in Xu Xiaoxiao's eyes. She quickly adjusted her posture, gripped the longsword with both hands, and continuously poured all her spiritual power into the sword.
"All swords return to one!" Xu Xiaoxiao shouted, and the long sword in her hand suddenly shone brightly, instantly splitting into countless sword energies that shone like stars and rushed towards the vine.
Wherever the sword energy went, the air was torn apart, emitting a sharp whistling sound.
The vines seemed to sense the threat and frantically thrashed about, trying to withstand the powerful blow.
But Xu Xiaoxiao's sword energy was unstoppable, and it slashed fiercely at the vines and wood.
In an instant, light burst forth, and the vines trembled in pain. The vines that had been growing wildly lost their vitality and withered and fell to the ground, revealing a fist-sized green crystal.
Xu Xiaoxiao, panting heavily, looked exhausted but with a triumphant joy as she packed up the green crystal.
Despite her injuries, she quickly returned to Ning Qingwan's side, put away her defensive magic weapon, and asked with concern, "Senior Sister Ning, how are you?"
Ning Qingwan shook her head slightly, concealing the surprise and jealousy in her eyes: "I'm fine, Junior Sister Xiaoxiao, it's all thanks to you."
Xu Xiaoxiao smiled gently and said, "Senior Sister Ning, let's find a safe place to rest first. Once we've regained some strength, we'll figure out a way to reunite with the other senior brothers and sisters."
Xu Xiaoxiao helped Ning Qingwan as they slowly made their way through the tranquil yet dangerous forest.
The dense foliage overhead blocked out the sun, with only a few weak rays of light struggling to penetrate the layers of leaves, casting patches of dim light.
The ground beneath my feet was damp and soft, each step making a soft "plop" sound, and the scent of decaying leaves filled the air.
Suddenly, a faint cry for help reached her ears.
Xu Xiaoxiao's eyes sharpened, she stopped in her tracks, listened intently, and became wary. She whispered to Ning Qingwan, "Senior Sister Ning, wait for me here, I'll go take a look."
Ning Qingwan looked at her with some confusion, but still nodded, thinking to herself, "Meddling again. Doesn't she know her own limitations? She'd better not come back."
Xu Xiaoxiao gripped her long sword tightly and cautiously walked toward the direction from which the sound came.
As she drew closer, the cries for help grew clearer. Not far ahead, she saw a murky mud pit where three disciples from other sects were struggling desperately.
The two male disciples, their faces filled with terror, flailed their arms wildly in the mud, splashing mud everywhere, and kept shouting, "Help! Someone save us!"
The female disciple's eyes were filled with despair and helplessness. Her hair was disheveled and stuck to her cheeks. Tears mixed with mud streamed down her face. Most of her body was already submerged in the mud, with only her shoulders and head showing. She cried out in a trembling voice, "I don't want to die here!"
Xu Xiaoxiao frowned, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes, but seeing their desperate expressions, she finally decided to lend a helping hand.
She quickly looked around and found a thick, long vine nearby.
She darted forward, pulled the vines out, tied one end tightly to a large tree, and then, holding the other end, slowly approached the mud pit.
"Don't move! The more you move, the faster you'll sink! I'm coming to save you!" Xu Xiaoxiao shouted, looking at them with a determined gaze.
She forcefully threw the other end of the vine towards the three people in the mud, shouting, "Grab the vine, I'll pull you out!"
The three of them, as if grasping at a straw, desperately reached out to grab the vines.
Xu Xiaoxiao gripped the vines tightly with both hands, using all her strength to back away step by step. Large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, and the wound on her shoulder bled again from the exertion. But she bit her lower lip tightly, her eyes revealing an indomitable spirit as she did her best to rescue these three complete strangers.
With Xu Xiaoxiao's strenuous efforts, the three Tianshui Sect disciples were finally rescued and brought ashore one by one.
They collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, their eyes still filled with fear and lingering dread.
Xu Xiaoxiao was so tired that she could barely stand. She used her sword to support her body, panting slightly, and quickly ate another Rejuvenation Pill.
After the two male disciples regained their senses, they immediately stood up, clasped their hands, and bowed to Xu Xiaoxiao.
The taller one, dressed in a blue outfit, was covered in mud but his upright figure was still evident. He said sincerely, "Thank you for saving my life, young lady! I am Zhao Yu from the Tianshui Sect. If it weren't for your righteous help today, the three of us would probably be dead."
Another male disciple quickly chimed in, "Yes, we have no way to repay your great kindness, young lady. My name is Qian Feng, and this is my junior sister, Sun Yao."
As he spoke, he looked at the female disciple beside him who was still somewhat shaken.
Sun Yao was petite, her hair disheveled, and her clothes tattered. She weakly rose, slightly curtsied, and said softly, "Thank you for saving my life, sister. I am deeply grateful."
Xu Xiaoxiao waved her hand slightly, a tired smile on her face, and said, "No need to be polite. We are all cultivators, how can we stand by and watch you die? But this forest is full of dangers, how did you end up in this situation?"
Zhao Yu looked ashamed and said, "To tell you the truth, we accidentally stepped into an illusion. When we came to our senses, we were already in a quagmire. The more we struggled, the deeper we sank. If it weren't for the young lady's timely appearance, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Xu Xiaoxiao nodded slightly, looked up at the deep forest around her, and said, "This place is not suitable for us to stay for long. We need to find a safe place as soon as possible. Senior Sister Ning and I have also gotten separated from our fellow disciples and were just looking for a safe place to rest. Why don't we travel together so that we can look after each other?"
Ning Qingwan listened from the side, feeling somewhat unwilling, but she didn't show it. She just frowned slightly and didn't say anything.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu and the others were overjoyed. Zhao Yu quickly said, "That's wonderful! With you here, we feel much more at ease. Don't worry, we will cooperate fully and protect you if we encounter any danger."
Xu Xiaoxiao smiled gently and said, "Then thank you very much, Fellow Daoist Zhao. My name is Xu Xiaoxiao, you can just call me Xiaoxiao. Let's go deeper into the forest first and see if we can find a water source or other useful clues."
After saying that, the group made some quick preparations and then set off into the depths of the forest.
Xu Xiaoxiao walked ahead, gripping her long sword tightly in her hand, her eyes scanning her surroundings warily.
Her steps were slightly heavy, after all, the previous battles and rescues had already exhausted her, but her eyes remained firm.
Ning Qingwan followed behind, her face somewhat gloomy, walking silently.
Zhao Yu and Qian Feng stood guard on both sides, weapons in hand, constantly glancing around warily.
Sun Yao followed in the middle of the group, her eyes still showing a hint of fear, but she tried her best to calm down.
The forest remained quiet and dark, with only the rustling sound of their footsteps on the fallen leaves.
Occasionally, a few unidentified birds would fly up from the branches, emitting a few clear chirps, breaking the oppressive silence.
Xu Xiaoxiao stopped from time to time to observe her surroundings and search for possible paths and safe places to land.
As they walked, they could faintly hear the sound of flowing water ahead.
Xu Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up, and she said, "There might be a water source ahead. Let's go take a look."
The group quickened their pace, heading in the direction of the sound, hoping to find a chance to catch their breath and rest at the water source, while also remaining vigilant against potential dangers lurking in the shadows.