When Shen Feng heard Xu Xing’s words, relayed by Lu Xian, he immediately sensed something was wrong. Xu Xing’s words sounded like a final farewell, and he felt a strong sense of unease, prompting him to question Lu Xian further.
Lu Xian replied with a heavy heart, “Xu Xing said that someone must hold back these tree-men outside, and she is the strongest among the ability users out there. She intends to create an opportunity for escape and atone for her past mistakes.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Xing couldn’t help but let out a wry smile and said, “Why is this necessary? I haven’t even criticized her yet, and she’s already trying to make amends. Isn’t she just asking for trouble? Besides, where can we possibly go at a time like this?”
Lu Xian then lowered his voice and said to Shen Feng, “City Lord, Xu Xing mentioned that the marmot’s burrow by the waterfall leads directly outside. She came in through that way before, so if we go through there, there’s a chance we can get out. She said with your speed, you’ll definitely be able to reach that place.”
Shen Feng immediately looked towards the waterfall after hearing this. Indeed, on the rock face next to the waterfall, there were several dark cave openings. If one didn’t look closely, they wouldn’t even know they were cave openings. If, as Xu Xing said, exiting through here led directly to the outside, these were burrows dug by marmots after they were no longer restricted.
“It seems Xu Xing doesn’t know that the very cave she entered through has been blocked by those scoundrels who betrayed her. We might not be able to get out from here,” Shen Feng said helplessly.
Perhaps out of hatred, Cha Caifu and his group had gone mad and blocked the exit that allowed escape from the inside. They had not only blocked Xu Xing’s path but also the paths of others.
“Shen Feng, what are you still standing there for? The tree-men are coming, hurry up and act,” Jin Zijue said, seeing Shen Feng’s continued inaction. He thought Shen Feng was afraid of death and quickly called out to him.
Shen Feng couldn’t help but reply angrily, “You’re like a beggar sitting at a banquet, unable to recognize your own status. I’m not even part of your Ability User Management Bureau, yet you’re ordering me around.”
Shen Feng was very dissatisfied with Jin Zijue’s attitude. He felt he had done his utmost by helping the Ability User Management Bureau, yet they were now ordering him around without any politeness. Their attitude was not that of someone asking for help, which made Shen Feng feel annoyed.
However, no matter how annoyed he was, Shen Feng had no choice but to fight. He needed to consider the bigger picture and ensure the survival of the majority. Thus, Shen Feng finally grabbed the hair Lu Xian handed him, stuffed it into his pocket, and charged into the distance, preparing to battle the giant tree-men.
The group had initially intended to retreat. Given the current situation, victory seemed almost impossible. Fighting the tree-men without finding their weakness was an utterly irrational act. However, with tree-men also surrounding the cave entrance, Xiao Sheng could not retreat; he had to protect everyone’s escape route.
At the exit passage of the cave, after more than fifty meters of passage, a twenty-meter-long fissure was visible. This fissure was so wide that it was impossible for ordinary people to cross. The water flowing from within the cave passed through the passage and flowed down the fissure.
Above the fissure, there was a suspension bridge made of intertwined vines from mutated plants. The vines were very sturdy, firmly wrapped around the stone pillars on both sides of the fissure. Even with five or six tree-men walking on the suspension bridge, it did not break.
The group had just escaped from the mutated plants and wanted to leave quickly. However, upon reaching the cliff edge at the fissure, they saw that in the passage on the opposite side, over thirty tree-men were preparing to advance. These tree-men assumed they had gone hunting, but unexpectedly, they had ambushed them. They appeared only after Xiao Sheng and the others had fallen into their trap, and then they surrounded everyone.
Seeing this situation, Qi Yunfang was not foolish. She knew that they absolutely could not let the tree-men get closer. Otherwise, with more than twenty people crammed into the narrow passage, being attacked from both front and back would inevitably lead to their complete annihilation. Therefore, they had to cut down the suspension bridge above the fissure.
“Everyone, get to it! Cut down this suspension bridge immediately. We can’t delay any longer,” Qi Yunfang quickly said to those around her.
Upon hearing Qi Yunfang’s words, the group also moved closer to the suspension bridge at the edge of the fissure. They found tools and began cutting the vines. Those who couldn’t find knives could only use the stones scattered on the ground to smash the vines. As the stones hit the vines, the twenty-meter-long suspension bridge immediately began to sway. No matter how sturdy the vines were, they would easily break under such violent smashing.
However, at this moment, the tree-men on the suspension bridge began to act. The tree-men had many vines on their bodies, which were not only a part of their bodies but also weapons when attacking prey. The tree-men instantly swung the vines on their bodies, and two people by the suspension bridge were immediately caught and dragged towards the tree-men.
Everyone present was an ability user, and they had shown great power when facing zombies and mutated beasts. However, now, surrounded by tree-men, the ability users present could not use their powers. The two captured ability users were completely unable to resist and were directly taken to the tree-men.
The tree-men’s attitude towards ability users was subtle. Previously, after capturing them, they would simply knock them unconscious and tie them up in the cave. But now, after recapturing the ability users, the tree-men no longer cared about such things. They clasped their hands together and slapped down, as if swatting flies. Their two massive palms closed, and blood splattered everywhere.
“They… they died so easily?” Someone, witnessing this scene, was greatly shocked. These were two ability users, and they were so vulnerable before the tree-men?
The tree-men continued to walk on the suspension bridge. The bridge swayed, but it did not break.
Qi Yunfang looked at the iron cables on the side. It seemed cutting the suspension bridge was not an option. Therefore, the only thing left to do was to escape. But was escaping by climbing the iron cables any safer?
“Sister Qi, you should find a corner to hide later and don’t let the tree-men get close. I will protect you,” Xu Xing said to Qi Yunfang at this moment, her eyes filled with determination, as if she had made up her mind.
At this time, some people had already started climbing the iron cables nearby. These iron cables were hammered into the rock wall by ability users and were as thick as an arm. Climbing such thick iron cables would certainly not cause them to break.
The person climbing the iron cable left a message: “I’ll test the waters first. If I can get across, you can all follow immediately.”
The iron cables were difficult to spot in the dark cave, and the dark iron cables blended in with the surrounding environment, making this place not easily exposed. However, tree-men did not rely on their eyes to detect changes around them; they relied on their perception of surrounding heat.
The suspension bridge and the iron cables were parallel, separated by five to six meters. For the tree-men, this distance was easily within reach.
Thus, when the glowing fruits on the tree-men’s heads sensed the change in heat around them, they immediately took action. The tree-men swung their vines, directly dragging down the ability user who was climbing the iron cables. This person was unwilling to let go, as the desire for survival stimulated them. If they let go, it would truly mean certain death. However, the strength of an ability user was no match for the immense power of the tree-men.
In the end, the ability user on the iron cables was still grabbed by a tree-man and killed with a single slap. Tree-men did not use abilities, but their immense combat power and super-strong defense were far beyond what ordinary ability users could match. There is a saying that absolute strength overcomes all, meaning that in the face of absolute power, techniques become useless.
The rest of the group was shocked by what they had witnessed. In the blink of an eye, another person had died!
Xu Xing looked at the terrified expressions of everyone around her and let out a bitter laugh. If she had a choice, she would never risk her life. After all, at home, her mother had always told her to be careful and prioritize her own safety. But now, she was forced to act.
“I have already told the City Lord the escape route, and I believe the City Lord will be able to escape. Now is the time for me to repay the City Lord. I only hope that heaven will bless me and make my abilities incredibly powerful,” Xu Xing thought to herself.
Next, Xu Xing took out the seeds of the Century Plant that she had hidden for a long time. Since the Century Plants in Australia were killed by ability users, the seeds of the Century Plant were becoming fewer and fewer. Xu Xing’s current abilities were not enough to harm the tree-men. She was a fourth-tier ability user, and in terms of strength, she was at most comparable to Meng Weichang, who had been killed earlier. With such strength, she was clearly not qualified to deal with the tree-men.
However, now that Xu Xing had the seeds of the Century Plant, there was still hope. This hope was that after consuming the seeds of the Century Plant, her abilities could break through.
Xu Xing directly threw the seeds into her mouth, chewed them a few times, and swallowed them. After swallowing, Xu Xing immediately felt a ball of heat rise in her abdomen, which instantly circulated through her limbs and bones. A powerful force suddenly appeared within her, and as Xu Xing had hoped, her abilities broke through.
At this moment, three tree-men had already walked to the cave entrance on the suspension bridge. The rest of the people were so terrified by the tree-men’s immense combat power that they immediately retreated as the tree-men approached. Even the ability users with the titles of heroes, Lu Yizhen and Chai Kefu, were no exception. Everyone retreated.
Xu Xing, however, remained in place, her eyes turning red. She felt an inexhaustible supply of power coursing through her. Unable to help herself, she let out a long roar and a scream, then charged towards the tree-men.
Qi Yunfang really wanted to grab Xu Xing. After all, Xu Xing, such a frail young woman, would be of no use even if she charged forward. Her ultimate fate would likely be to be crushed to death by the tree-men like swatting a fly. However, Qi Yunfang couldn’t catch Xu Xing at all. Xu Xing rushed out at this moment, facing the giant tree-men and initiating an attack.
“Die!” Xu Xing shouted, suddenly leaping up and throwing a punch fiercely. This strike landed directly on the tree-man’s torso.
“Dong,” Xu Xing’s slightly delicate fist landed on the tree-man’s body. Many people, while running, looked back and saw this scene, assuming Xu Xing’s attack was like a mud cow entering the sea, with her power disappearing without a trace.
However, a scene that stunned everyone finally unfolded. Because with a single punch, Xu Xing had directly broken the tree-man’s torso. The tree-man’s originally extremely thick body exploded in an instant, and wood chips flew everywhere. At this moment, the tree-man had its torso broken by a single punch, which was unimaginable to everyone.
Xu Xing’s eyes were red. Seeing the tree-man’s torso explode from the middle, she immediately burst into laughter. Just then, vines grew from the other two tree-men and directly entangled Xu Xing, binding her tightly.