The vines climbing the stone wall suddenly started moving, and at the same time the ground shook violently as countless vines sprouted from the ground.
Everyone was taken aback.
"Oh no, this is also a Ghost Face Vine, and it's the mother vine at that!" Du Renjie exclaimed in surprise.
Lan Hua frowned. "Mother vine? This thing is completely different from the ghost-faced vine outside. The color and the barbs on the vine are different!"
Everyone quickly used their movement techniques to dodge the attacking vines.
"Hmph, well done! You were tricked by the Ghost-Faced Vine before, and today I'll repay you!" Wang Tianyi summoned the Purple Cloud Bow and said coldly.
One after another, golden iron arrows were shot out, containing terrifying arrow energy, which caused the vines to retreat step by step. Lan Hua was dazzled by the sight and wondered to herself when Wang Tianyi had become so fierce.
Pan Wen was not to be outdone. He drew his sword, Daoqi, and unleashed countless sword energies from the sword, engaging in a fierce battle with several giant vines.
As for Monk Yuanxin, he was even more ferocious. His whole body was bathed in Buddhist light, which condensed into a phantom image of Buddha. His palm was filled with Buddhist might, forcing the vines to stay away from him.
Everyone fought individually, and although they managed to fight the Ghost-Faced Vine to a draw, they all knew in their hearts that this was only temporary.
Lan Hua wondered to herself, "This Ghost Face Vine is really stingy. It only picked a few more fruits, and it attacked without warning!"
Nalan Ruode suddenly asked in surprise, "Where is that man in black? I haven't seen him anywhere."
Du Renjie snorted, "It turned into a beam of light long ago and slipped out through the exit in front!"
Everyone was speechless. That man in black really knew how to pick his moments to slip away, always managing to gain an advantage.
The vines of the Ghost Face Vine are endless; you can't cut them all off. For every one you kill, two more will immediately sprout up.
Even someone as strong as Du Renjie was about to reach his limit and shouted, "If this stalemate continues, we'll be exhausted to death no matter how many Tianyuan Fruits we eat!"
There are only two choices now: either break out or force the mother vine out and severely damage it!
Lan Hua had wanted to escape for a long time. The mother vine was much stronger than the previous daughter vines, and with the support of the earth's energy, she simply couldn't outlast it.
Forcing out the mother vine's true form is impractical; running away is the best option.
"Run!" Lan Hua shouted.
As soon as he finished speaking, countless vines suddenly sprouted from one side of the exit, crisscrossing and completely blocking the exit.
Everyone exclaimed that something was wrong.
The battle just now has confirmed that Ghost-Faced Vine possesses the strength of the Yuanxiang Realm.
However, the Ghost Face Vine is unique in that its attack method is too primitive and direct, which is why everyone has been able to persevere until now.
Upon seeing this, the successors of the three religions said in unison, "We will clear the way!"
The three attacked together, their respective Yuan Power soaring into the sky. Miraculously, the Yuan Power of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism merged into one, transforming into a dazzling white light.
Under the control of the three, the white light split into countless beams of light, which blasted towards the vines at the exit.
The vines were snapped in two by the bombardment of white light, and the air was filled with green liquid.
Lan Hua was taken aback, never expecting that the combined ultimate techniques of the three religions would have such power.
If that white beam of light were to be directed at her, Lan Hua knew she wouldn't have the ability to stop it.
"It is said that the three religions are originally one family, and now it seems that this is really true!"
He suddenly realized something: why were the three religions so at ease letting their disciples enter the cave for trials? It turned out that with such a unique skill as the unification of the three religions, what difficulty couldn't they overcome?
"No wonder these three guys are always inseparable, going in and out together. Their strength weakens when they're apart, but they become incredibly powerful when they're together!"
The combined power of the three teachings is strong, but there are simply too many vines to extinguish them all.
"Brother Nalan, we must join forces!" Lan Hua said urgently.
"good!"
Lan Hua unleashed both palms simultaneously, employing the Dan Tian Technique, and two streams of red lotus flames appeared in her palms.
With the help of the Heavenly Origin Fruit, surging Yuan Power emanated from his palm, becoming nourishment for the Crimson Lotus Flame and greatly increasing its intensity.
Within a five-zhang radius around him, crimson lotus flames swept out, forming a tornado-like formation that even the vines could not avoid.
Nalan Ruode knew what Lan Hua was thinking when he saw Lan Hua abandon the Invisible Arrow and use the Flame Technique.
With arms outstretched, he unleashed the Dragon God Technique with all his might, unleashing the Dragon Essence within his body, transforming into a giant dragon nearly a hundred feet long.
"energize!"
Lan Hua shouted loudly, clapped her hands, and the crimson lotus fire rushed towards the giant dragon, merging with it.
With the help of Lan Hua and Nalan Ruode's powerful energy, the Crimson Lotus Flame intensified, transforming into a gigantic fire dragon hundreds of feet long.
The temperature inside the space rose rapidly, illuminating the vast space.
Nalan Ruode swept his arms, and the fire dragon rushed towards the exit, swallowing countless tentacles.
Most of the vines that had been blocking everyone's view were destroyed, but a considerable amount remained.
"Not enough, I'll do it!"
Du Renjie shouted loudly, raised both palms to the sky, and an extremely cold Yuan energy filled the surroundings, transforming into a hundred-zhang-long ice blade.
With a shake of his palms, the ice blade shattered with a deafening roar, as if an explosion had occurred, sending out countless tiny ice blades.
Du Renjie absorbed two Heavenly Origin Fruits, further advancing his cultivation and reaching the peak of the Refining God Realm.
At this moment, the ice blade cleared a path, severing the last remaining vines, leaving no obstruction ahead.
"slip!"
Lan Hua shouted, and the Crimson Lotus Flame emerged again, transforming into a barrier. Then, she took the lead and flew towards the exit.
The group quickly followed, and after a short while, they were finally free from the mother vine's territory.
Although they escaped, the group remained vigilant and dared not let their guard down, as the entire Tianyuan Cave was the territory of the Ghost-Faced Vine.
After everyone calmed down, Nalan Ruode asked in surprise, "How could the Heavenly Origin Fruit be the fruit of the Ghost Face Vine? I've never heard of it before!"
"Yes, who would have thought it would turn out like this!" Lan Hua sighed.
Du Renjie said, "I once saw a brief introduction to the Ghost Face Vine in an ancient book, which recorded that the Ghost Face Vine is divided into mother vine and daughter vine."
Although the mother vine looks like a plant-type spirit, it is actually somewhere between a plant and a monster, which is quite magical.
The lateral vines can absorb the primordial spirit, but the mother vine can bear a fruit, the nature of which is not explicitly stated in ancient texts.
In retrospect, this may be what is known as the Heavenly Origin Fruit.
The mother vine rarely exists alone; where there is a mother vine, there will inevitably be daughter vines, embodying the saying "the bond between mother and child is strong!"
Lan Hua asked curiously, "Why can the mother vine bear Tianyuan Fruit, but the daughter vines cannot?"
Du Renjie said, "This is the power of the mother vine. Do you know why the mother vine cannot be separated from the daughter vine?"
Everyone shook their heads, knowing very little about the Ghost-Faced Vine.
Du Renjie said, "The growth of the mother vine is inseparable from the offspring vine. Ancient books record that after the offspring vine absorbs the primordial spirit, it will transfer the primordial spirit to the mother vine."
The mother vine, aided by the primordial spirit, bears fruit; this is why where there is a mother vine, there will surely be daughter vines!
Wang Tianyi was taken aback. "No wonder this Heavenly Origin Fruit contains extremely pure Yuan energy. It was actually converted from a cultivator's primordial spirit. This is truly terrifying!"
Pan Wen sighed, "Hundreds of people participated in the trial, and only we survived."
Wouldn't that mean the souls of all those who died would be absorbed by the mother vine and ultimately become nutrients for the Heavenly Origin Fruit?
Du Renjie said in a deep voice, "I'm afraid so!"
"Amitabha!"
Monk Yuanxin chanted a Buddhist mantra in a low voice and said, "It seems that Tianyuan Cave is full of mysteries and unanswerable questions!"
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