The vines, as if possessing life, intertwined madly, instantly weaving into an impermeable green sphere, tightly encapsulating him and Allen at the center.

The thorns on the surface of the vines stood upright, but instead of attacking outward, they bent inward, forming a layer of flexible cushioning.

"Boom——!"

The wave of gastric fluid crashed violently against the vine sphere, producing a dull roar.

The green sphere shook intensely, the surface of the vines soaked and sizzling, yet eerily unrusted, absorbing the green fluids like a sponge.

On the other side, the black-robed man and Xia Shangji were not so lucky.

In desperation, Xia Shangji urged all his spiritual energy, condensing shadow power into a shield for protection. But as soon as the shield touched the fluid, it emitted a melting "sizzling" sound, thinning and rotting visibly, as if drenched in strong acid.

Shadow Touch was even more fragile, crackling like a burning spider web, snapping inch by inch.

With his Tier Six's spiritual mage strength, he couldn't withstand the gastric fluid's corrosion.

"No!" Xia Shangji watched helplessly as the final strand of shadow power dissipated, his chest engulfed by gastric fluid, his skin and flesh rolled and corroded, despair seizing his heart instantly.

His scream caught in his throat, choked off by the gastric fluid flooding his nose and mouth, his body tumbling in the green tide several times, quickly dissolving into a puddle of dark green pus.

The black-robed man fared slightly better; just as the poisonous fluid was about to engulf him, a purple-gold glow suddenly lit up his chest. A palm-sized token slid from his garments, carved with a fierce beast's head, the glow bursting forth from the token, forming a semi-transparent shield that isolated the poison.

"Cough cough..." He coughed violently, looking at the crazily surging liquid outside the shield, a hint of gratitude flashing in his eyes, then turning to the vine sphere, his voice pleading, "Qin Tian, you are Qin Tian, right? Please, for the sake of all of us being in this desperate situation, lend me a hand! If I can get out, I can promise you anything."

Seeing Qin Tian unmoved, he gritted his teeth, raising his voice, "I am the third steward of Shadow Moon Tower, if you can lead me out, Shadow Moon Tower's resources and intelligence will be opened to you indefinitely."

Inside the vine sphere, Qin Tian remained unmoved.

He focused on sensing the changes of the Soul-Devouring Demon Vine—the vines that touched the gastric fluid were not damaged but instead trembling with joy, greedily absorbing the highly corrosive energy contained within the fluid, the vines growing more vibrant, subtly emitting a ghostly light.

The black-robed man's shield, continuously eroded by the gastric fluid, gradually became transparent, the purple-gold token's glow dimming, his spiritual energy and power rushing out like a flood, blood oozing from his bitten lip.

Seeing the shield about to shatter, the poisonous fluid licking his ankles through shield cracks, his flesh instantly rotting, he finally broke down, screaming, "I surrender! From now on, I am your servant! Please... save me!"

Just as his spiritual energy was about to deplete, his consciousness about to be consumed by pain, a green shadow suddenly darted from the vine sphere. The Soul-Devouring Demon Vine, like lightning, wrapped around his waist, yanking him swiftly into the sphere.

"Thud!"

The black-robed man fell into the vine gap, his bones feeling as if dismantled, laying limp on the ground.

The purple-gold shield on his chest, at the moment of vine contact, issued a crisp "crack" sound, the glow fragmenting inch by inch, finally dispersing into sparks in the air.

With his last strength, he lifted his head, vision blurred, Qin Tian's figure looming nearby.

The bewilderment of escaping death flowed like warm water through his consciousness, almost pulling out a smile, but froze in the next second—

Those bottomless purple eyes quietly stared at him.

No anger, no sarcasm, not a hint of emotion, like two solidified purple abysses, yet within them a coldness surged, capable of devouring all.

"Huh——"

The black-robed man gasped, his breath suddenly halted.

That brief moment of eye contact gripped his heart with a fear more piercing than the gastric fluid's corrosion, his blood seemingly freezing within his veins.

His consciousness felt yanked mercilessly into an abyss by an invisible hand; countless scenes he feared most exploded before his eyes: comrades he'd betrayed demanding retribution with bloody heads, the branding iron in Shadow Moon Tower's torture chamber searing his skin, and the Mining Beast's mouth capable of swallowing all, slowly opening toward him...

These fears were not illusions but carried real pain—the heart-wrenching hatred of betrayal, the burnt stench of seared flesh, the suffocating feeling of being devoured, all stacking together, tearing at his nerves.

"No..." he wanted to scream, but could only produce a leaking, hissing sound from his throat.

Under the gaze of those purple eyes, he felt exposed as prey stripped of all disguise, every secret terror laid bare, nowhere to hide. It was torture more frightening than death, agony of his psyche being sliced inch by inch in despair.

The extreme fear finally shattered his last defense of consciousness.

The black-robed figure's pupils suddenly contracted, then dispersed, his body falling backward like a puppet with its strings cut.

"Thud."

The back of his head hit the vine, making a dull sound, the fear in his eyes solidified into his final expression, and then his eyelids heavily drooped, completely falling into unconsciousness.

Qin Tian glanced at the unconscious black-robed figure, then at the vine madly absorbing the venom, he gently tapped his fingers on his thigh, murmuring:

"Tier Six Spirit Martial Artist."

This person claiming to be in charge of the Shadow Moon Tower was a Tier Six Martial Artist, with not very strong spiritual power. Moreover, as he had to maintain the purple-gold token shield earlier, he almost drained his spiritual energy and power, causing him to collapse under the Eye of Fear.

Afterward, naturally, Qin Tian seamlessly planted a Soul Seal, gaining a second Tier Six subordinate.

Shadow Moon Tower, quite interesting.

Qin Tian stroked his chin, Li Qi's intelligence organization had just been established. Although every member was a Night Demon Apostle, with limitless potential, the beginning was nevertheless too late, currently lacking in foundation and background.

But if utilizing the resources of the Shadow Moon Tower, Li Qi's Shadow Division might quickly develop, perhaps even overtaking the Tower, directly swallowing it.

Qin Tian placed his hand on the black-robed man's body, green light emerged, healing his injuries, but the spiritual exhaustion wasn't so easily restored.

For now, Qin Tian tossed him into the Yang Space.

Sizzle~

Outside the vine sphere, the tide gradually calmed, leaving only corrosive marks and white smoke on the ground.

Yet the Soul-Devouring Demon Vine, in such a purgatorial environment, grew even more robust.​

Allen had witnessed everything just now, though many doubts lingered in his heart, he refrained from asking, for everyone has secrets, Qin Tian has them, and so does he.

Then, Qin Tian turned to look at Allen and said:

"Just wait a little longer, until the Mining Beast stops moving, then we'll go out."

He thought of something, Mining Beasts love metal, they are often accompanied by mineral deposits, the more advanced the beast, the surely there are mineral veins nearby.

And the Tier Seven Mining Beast, the vein it chooses must be the most superior in this area.

If we can follow the Mining Beast to its lair and collect those rare metals, after consuming them, his body strength and defense power can reach a new height.

"Alright." Allen nodded, but his face showed a hint of hesitation.

Qin Tian knew what Allen was thinking, smiled, and said:

"Don't worry, I'll inform the comrades outside first."

After speaking, he used the power of the Soul Seal to inform the Poisonous Widow of the current situation, and told her to pass the message to Luo Xiu and Vivian.

Upon hearing he was safe, the Poisonous Widow was so excited her voice trembled: "Boss! You must be careful! We're waiting outside the mine, ready to assist at any time!"

"Okay!"

Qin Tian responded simply, then he drew out Black Frost, gently stabbed the inner wall, as expected, the internal organs of the Tier Seven Mining Beast were incredibly hard, neither Black Frost nor Jie La could inflict any damage.

He originally thought, Jie La could pierce through the Mining Beast from inside and drain it, now seeing it, still underestimated the Mining Beast's bodily hardness.

After absorbing so much metal essence, the Mining Beast is like a giant beast made of steel, with no weaknesses from inside out.

Seeing this, Qin Tian no longer made any more plans, silently waiting with Allen for the Mining Beast to stop.

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