Xie Zhaolin's pupils suddenly contracted—she saw the cavern walls rapidly shifting, bulging and sinking like… a structure being reorganized!
"Master!" Mo Yan shouted, his voice trembling, "Look up there!"
Xie Zhaolin jerked her head up. In the distance, the honeycomb-like caves in the rock face were undergoing a bizarre transformation. Some smaller caves slowly merged into a massive black void, while others split into several smaller holes. Even stranger, some were crawling along the rock wall, constantly changing position!
"This… how is this possible?" Xie Zhaolin's mind churned with shock, but she stayed calm.
Her brain raced, calculating every possibility.
Why were the caves moving on their own? Was the rock itself changing, or was something controlling it? Could it be that black orb?
Before she could finish her thought, a harsh rustling came from all directions. Snapping back to attention, she saw countless black vines crawling out of the moving caves, rushing toward them!
"Form up!" she shouted.
The five beast souls shifted position, forming a tight defensive circle, while Mo Yan quickly formed seals. Gray-black demonic qi solidified into a second protective barrier around them.
"Fall back!" she decided immediately, "Back to the teleportation array!"
But no sooner had they retreated less than ten zhang than the path ahead was completely blocked by writhing black vines.
The vines writhed wildly, their surfaces covered in tiny barbs, and they were multiplying at a terrifying rate, sealing the passage completely in moments!
"Damn it!" Mo Yan's face went pale. He was the first to act, forming seals with both hands. Gray-black demonic qi erupted into dozens of flying daggers, slicing through the vines.
Shh shh shh—
The daggers cut through swathes of vines, but before anyone could breathe, the severed ends regrew at a visible speed, quickly filling the gaps again!
"Master, these vines…" Mo Yan's voice began to quiver.
As a contract slave, he knew better than anyone that in a desperate situation, he'd be the first sacrifice. Even as a projection, his survival instinct screamed fear like never before.
Xie Zhaolin ignored his panic, calmly surveying the battlefield.
The five beast souls attacked with all their might, and even Feng Wang flew out from the spirit beast pouch with a few remaining worker bees, using their small size to scout for any possible escape.
Yet the vines were too numerous, and their regeneration far outpaced their destruction. The surrounding cavern walls continued to shift. From the moving caves, more vines emerged, pouring in from all sides!
"Master!" Mo Yan's voice carried despair, "These vines can't be killed!"
"Stop panicking," Xie Zhaolin said coldly, sending her divine sense to probe the chaotic vines for clues.
Then she noticed a key detail—the deeper vines flashed faint black light at intervals, the same light emitted by the black orb earlier!
"So that's it!" realization dawned.
Every time the black light flickered, the surrounding caves shifted, and the vines adjusted their assault accordingly.
It wasn't a coincidence.
"Focus on that black orb!" she commanded through the contract.
Mo Yan's eyes lit up. He bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood into his palm, causing his gray-black demonic qi to surge wildly.
"Master, I'll open the way!" he roared.
His demonic qi coalesced into a massive gray-black scythe, cleaving through the vines ahead. This strike carried most of his blood essence, far stronger than before, tearing a three-zhang-long gap through the vine barrier!
"Go!" Xie Zhaolin didn't hesitate, leading the beast souls through the opening.
But they hadn't gone far when the gap began closing at an alarming speed.
Mo Yan's eyes darkened with determination. Another mouthful of blood, another surge of demonic qi, and he held the closing passage open.
"Master, move fast!" he shouted, voice weakening, "I can't hold it much longer!"
Xie Zhaolin glanced back, her eyes icy and merciless. "Keep up."
Those two words sent a shiver through Mo Yan. He knew this was her final chance—if he fell, no one would turn back for him.
"Yes!" he gritted his teeth, forcing himself forward, though his gray-robed body already wobbled.
The path narrowed, vines crowded in from all sides, but Xie Zhaolin and her group pushed through, closing to mere feet from the bizarre black orb!
"Closer!" she shouted, her fingertips crackling with baleful qi.
The five beast souls poured all their strength into clearing a path, while Mo Yan, using his last reserves, swung his gray-black demonic qi scythe through the blocking vines. His face was ghostly white, body swaying, yet he persisted.
The black orb was within reach. Xie Zhaolin's eyes glinted with cold fury as the baleful qi sword in her hand gleamed an eerie red. At that moment, the orb suddenly slid sideways!
"What?!" Xie Zhaolin's pupils constricted. Her blood-colored sword barely grazed the orb, leaving only a faint scratch.
This was completely unexpected!
Neither its previous giant lizard form nor its initial orb state had ever shown mobility!
"Damn it!" Mo Yan cursed, his flying daggers missing entirely.
His body wobbled, almost collapsing to the ground.
Yet Xie Zhaolin noticed a crucial change—the black orb's movement slowed the surrounding vines' assault.
The once frenzied tentacles slowed, their regeneration drastically reduced.
"Exactly!" she thought, eyes flashing, "Controlling the changes takes its focus!"
She immediately adjusted her strategy.
The five beast souls and Mo Yan coordinated seamlessly, targeting the slowed vines.
Just as she expected, a clear path to the black orb opened!
The orb seemed to sense danger, freezing mid-slide. Its surface flared with black light, and the surrounding vines surged toward Xie Zhaolin in a frenzy!
But in that instant, every attack focused on the stationary orb, detonating in a blinding burst of light upon impact. The orb let out a piercing shriek, black light flickering violently. It was heavily damaged. The newly revived vines immediately withered again.
As Xie Zhaolin readied a final strike, the orb suddenly contracted violently, black light flaring to new heights!