As the dust settled, the air was thick with the stench of blood. The colossal carcass of the beast lay across the desolate battlefield, resembling a small mountain. Ning Yu turned and walked towards Mu Xue, each step feeling like walking on scorching embers, his heart burning with anxiety.

"It's alright, I'm here..." He gently stroked Mu Xue's cheek, his tone so tender it was as if he were afraid of disturbing a dream.

"Ning..." Tears welled up in Mu Xue's eyes. Her tense nerves relaxed completely at this moment, and everything went black before her eyes as she fainted.

"Mu Xue!" Ning Yu's heart tightened, and he quickly picked her up and hurried back to the group.

"Boss! You're awake!" The team members surrounded him, their faces filled with worry and exhaustion.

"How are the others?" Ning Yu gently put Mu Xue down, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, his brows furrowed. Everyone was wounded, their clothes tattered, and their supplies were running low. The ferocity of this battle far exceeded his expectations.

“We successfully killed the behemoth as you planned, but…” one team member pointed behind him, “the rest of you…”

Ning Yu followed his gaze and saw several cold corpses lying not far away. They were once comrades-in-arms, but now they were left forever on this desolate land.

A wave of sadness washed over him, but he forcefully suppressed it. Now was not the time for grief; he was alive, and he had to lead his surviving teammates to live on!

"Let's find a safe place to rest first," Ning Yu decisively ordered.

The group found a relatively secluded spot in the ruins, where they treated their injuries briefly. The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.

Looking at the unconscious Mu Xue, Ning Yu was filled with self-blame and worry. He knew that she wouldn't have fought so desperately if it weren't for protecting him.

"It's all my fault..." he muttered to himself.

"Boss, don't say that. We all volunteered," one of the team members comforted him. "If it weren't for you, we would have died long ago."

"Yes, boss, we all believe in you."

Ning Yu took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions. He knew this wasn't the time for grief; they were still alive, and they had to find a way out. He looked around, his gaze resolute: "We will survive, we definitely will!"

As he spoke, he gently placed his hand on one of his teammates' wounds, and a warm energy slowly flowed into it—his special ability: healing. However, this time, he felt an unprecedented fatigue wash over him, and the flow of energy became unusually slow…

Warm energy, like a gentle stream, slowly seeped into the broken bodies of the team members. Ning Yu's face was pale, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He could feel that each energy transfer was like draining the last bit of strength from his body. His once abundant supernatural power was now like the receding tide, weakly crashing against the rocks.

"Boss, you don't look well. Don't push yourself." A team member looked at Ning Yu with concern, his arm still wrapped in a blood-stained bandage.

Ning Yu forced a smile: "I'm fine, I just need some time to recover." He paused, then asked, "What happened after I fainted? And what about that giant beast?"

The team members exchanged glances, and finally the one who had spoken first spoke up: "Following your plan, we successfully lured the giant beast to that minefield. We thought we could blow it up, but unexpectedly..."

"I didn't expect it to be able to withstand the energy impact of the lightning zone?" Ning Yu continued, his brows furrowed.

“No, no, boss.” The team member shook his head. “The minefield did inflict heavy damage on it, but just when we thought we had won, the beast suddenly went berserk. It charged at us recklessly. If it weren’t for…”

"If it's not what?" Ning Yu pressed.

The team members fell silent, their gazes turning to a plant swaying gently in the night breeze in a corner of the ruins. It emitted a faint glow, as if telling a story.

"It was this. It released a powerful energy that repelled the giant beast and... stunned you."

Ning Yu's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the energy fluctuations he had sensed earlier did not come from the giant beast, but from this plant? He recalled the scene he had witnessed while unconscious, and wondered if that immense vitality had originated from it.

He stood up and, ignoring his teammates' attempts to stop him, walked step by step toward the plant. Closer and closer, he could feel a strange energy fluctuation, as if it were alive.

"Boss, watch out!" the team members exclaimed.

However, Ning Yu seemed not to hear their warnings, reaching out to touch the plant emitting a faint glow. Just as his fingertips were about to touch the soft petals…

Just as Ning Yu's fingertips were about to touch the soft petal, the light around the plant suddenly became dazzling, and a powerful energy wave exploded out like a shockwave, violently throwing him backward!

"Boss!" The team members exclaimed and rushed forward to help Ning Yu up. He felt his blood surging and a metallic taste in his throat, but he managed to hold back and not vomit blood.

"I'm fine..." Ning Yu waved his hand, reassuring his team members, but his gaze towards the plant held a hint of apprehension. It seemed that this plant was far more dangerous than he had imagined, and the energy it contained far exceeded his expectations.

Ning Yu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He looked around, searching for usable cover and materials. Although his teammates didn't understand his intentions, they still cooperated tacitly, collecting the scattered rubble and metal debris around them, and building simple defensive fortifications according to his instructions.

"Boss, what are you going to do..." one of the team members couldn't help but ask.

“The power of this plant is too great and unpredictable,” Ning Yu explained while directing his team to reinforce their defenses. “We cannot act rashly; we must be fully prepared, or we will only be throwing our lives away.”

Although the team members had their doubts, they chose to trust Ning Yu's judgment. Soon, a simple defensive position made of rubble, metal, and supernatural abilities was completed, surrounding the plant that emitted a ghostly glow.

Ning Yu took another deep breath, summoning the last vestiges of his supernatural power, and slowly walked towards the plant. This time, he was exceptionally cautious, each step feeling as if he were measuring the edge of an abyss.

However, just as he approached the plant, preparing to try to absorb energy again, a sudden change occurred!

Suddenly, strange runes appeared on the once peaceful ground. These runes shimmered with an eerie green light, like the forked tongues of venomous snakes, exuding a dangerous aura. They spread rapidly, as if appearing out of thin air, enveloping the entire defensive position.

Ning Yu's mind went blank with alarm bells. He abruptly retreated, shouting, "Watch out! Something's up!"

However, it was all too late...