Chapter 306: The Thing Beneath the Ground
Finding Qiu Hou’s location wasn’t difficult. The difficult part was that the tree had dragged him deep into the Black Forest.
At night, many extraordinary creatures fell into slumber—but even more dangerous ones awakened in the darkness. The group sprinted in the direction Su Ran indicated, all the while staying alert for danger along the way. As they pushed forward step by step, even the sounds of insects around them seemed to grow fainter.
Even the insects knew the depths were dangerous, unwilling to chirp loudly, suppressing their instincts.
“Be careful,” Chu Xiaoyue reminded.
Because of the accident, they hadn’t rested until dawn as planned. They had also entered an area slightly beyond the outermost region earlier than intended. What felt subtly unsettling was that on the way to rescue Qiu Hou, they hadn’t encountered any danger at all. It was as if the path had been deliberately cleared—waiting for them to walk straight into a trap.
“We’re close. Stay sharp,” Su Ran warned, and the group slowed down.
A faint night breeze brushed past. They caught a subtle scent of blood in the air. The towering trees nearby, their trunks thick and ancient, swayed with the wind. Their shadows cast upon the ground looked almost clawed and feral.
“He’s nearby. But it’s strange—I can only sense a rough location. I can’t pinpoint him exactly,” Su Ran said, frowning. She had never encountered this situation before.
“Junior, can you see anything?” Shu Yushan turned to Xu Zhi.
Xu Zhi was already observing the trees. Though the moonlight was bright, ever since they had ventured deeper, the foliage had grown denser. Here, the canopy was so thick that only thin strands of moonlight filtered through the gaps between leaves.
Through [Eye of Secret], Xu Zhi saw something the others could not.
“…Be careful.” She rarely spoke in such a serious tone when warning her teammates.
Because in her vision, the massive tree trunks surrounding them—almost as if encircling them—were coursing with strands of red extraordinary energy, flowing like veins beneath bark.
It was [Cup]?!
The teacher had said that [Cup] existed in the Lost Land, but it was rare—especially in the outer layers. Every extraordinary who encountered a [Cup]-attribute creature in the Lost Land would later be ordered to leave and forbidden from speaking about the strange being. But one thing was certain: it had been many years since anyone reported encountering a [Cup] creature in the shallower layers.
So how were they this lucky—to actually run into one?
Xu Zhi felt something was off. She touched the flowerpot holding the little aberrant plant and described to her teammates what she saw.
Nearly all the surrounding trees were coursing with red energy belonging to [Cup]. That energy flowed into the land beneath their feet.
And underground—
A massive pile of bones was stacked there. Not just animals. Human bones as well.
Qiu Hou was still alive. He was bound by tree roots. The great tree was feeding on his blood, though he was still resisting with all his strength. But from the looks of it, he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.
The aura of [Cup] was extremely well concealed. Even Xu Zhi hadn’t sensed its presence in the air before activating her eye. Beneath the mountain of bones lay the true core of these [Cup] energies.
She only said this much.
She didn’t mention that at the very bottom of the bone pile was the true core.
It was something… neither fully human nor not.
That creature hid deep underground. Countless fleshy roots sprouted from its body, transforming into the roots of surrounding trees, which then grew into towering giants.
Clearly, these trees were merely tools for “hunting” and disguising itself.
Though it was only sleeping, Xu Zhi felt a long-lost sense of pressure from it.
This thing… might already have reached the Named stage. Or perhaps it was in the process of advancing?
Either way, they were absolutely no match for it right now.
“Rescue Qiu Hou and leave immediately.”
As for the existence of this creature…
Xu Zhi suspected it would remain asleep for a long time. She thought of the little aberrant plant again. Without saying more, she silently left a Spirit Body marker here.
Next time she entered—preferably alone—she could try turning this thing into fertilizer for the little aberrant plant.
But now wasn’t the time. She couldn’t defeat it yet.
“The trees aren’t the main body. The main body is extremely dangerous. We can’t beat it.”
“Qiu Hou is about ten meters underground. Don’t cut down other trees. Don’t use large-scale destructive abilities or make too much noise. Move fast.”
Xu Zhi deliberately didn’t state that these trees were of the [Cup] attribute. She intended to save this as an extra meal for the little aberrant plant. If she said it aloud, the teacher following them from afar would definitely eliminate the [Cup] creature. No one knew why it was here, but outside the Lost Land there were no [Cup] attribute cores. If she wanted the little aberrant plant to level up, the Lost Land was clearly her only option.
Tong Zhou wielded a mace-like weapon. At this moment, his strength—the highest physical power in the team—was perfect for the task. As soon as he drove his weapon into the ground and activated his ability to blast open a five-meter-deep pit, the surrounding trees suddenly began moving without wind, as if stimulated.
Then, thick roots burst from the soil with rumbling force. Clumps of dirt and half-digested flesh clung to them as they lashed toward the intruders trying to “snatch food from a tiger’s mouth.”
—Clang!
Xu Zhi drew her blade and blocked a root that lashed down at her from above.
Her physical condition was among the best in the team now, but even so, the force of the blow pushed her slightly backward. Naturally, it was even harder for her teammates to withstand such impact.
“Tong Zhou, ignore them—keep digging!”
Xu Zhi issued the order decisively. Right now, only she, Tong Zhou, and Chu Xiaoyue could directly resist the force of these roots.
Chu Xiaoyue took on the heavier burden, shielding Su Ran and Tong Zhou as he continued digging. Though Ji Muge’s overall combat ability was slightly weaker, her recovery ability was extremely strong. Even if she was struck, she could rapidly heal herself.
Shu Yushan couldn’t directly resist the roots head-on, but his agility was high. His movements were nimble and flexible, and for the moment, the roots couldn’t do much to him either.
Countless roots writhed in the air, the cracking sound of whip-like strikes echoing continuously. Chu Xiaoyue calmly swung her sword again and again, severing the roots that lashed at her. Each severed branch froze upon hitting the ground, encased in ice and rendered immobile.
The high-frequency, relentless combat was clearly draining her teammates’ stamina and extraordinary energy at a rapid rate. Yet with good coordination, they didn’t appear flustered or chaotic.
Xu Zhi knew this was only surface-level calm.
These roots and trees were merely tools used by the thing underground to hunt for food. They weren’t even real combat strength. If they awakened the sleeping entity below, this fight would no longer feel so “manageable.”
“Found him!”
Tong Zhou’s delighted shout rang out.
But in the next second, when he saw Qiu Hou’s condition clearly, his voice changed.
“Th-this… how are we supposed to get him out…?”
