Chapter 109
The green rain fell softly, each drop a round, plump green bead, pattering onto the giant tongue.
The newly sprouted buds, upon encountering these raindrops, seemed to be revitalized. The originally weak bud tips suddenly grew taller, and the tender white stems were tinged with a bright green.
Many of the tender shoots have visibly stretched out and straightened.
In just over ten minutes, the mud layer on the tongue, which was originally less than a meter thick, grew into a thick layer of humus under the nourishment of the rain.
The massive body of the air sac hydra no longer moves as it did before; its outer translucent membrane undulates slightly, the amplitude becoming lighter and lighter, as if its breathing is gradually becoming steady.
From the perspective of the brother and sister.
At that moment, the enormous head, like a piece of skin without support, slowly slumped down.
Finally, it became a thin sheet that floated quietly in the lake.
The enormous body seemed to have entered a state of rest, and even the eerie atmosphere around it softened a bit.
Even with her strong inner strength, Jiang Zhi couldn't help but feel disgusted upon seeing this scene.
The forest they had just seen was growing exceptionally lushly because it was nourished by the digestive fluids in the monster's stomach.
Jiang Zhi immediately understood why this gas sac hydra had evolved into a super-high-level mutated creature in such a short time.
The other party has formed a complete self-circulating system in this courtyard-like environment.
—The mutated plants that grow there enter its stomach sac and mix with gastric juices to become energy-carrying digestive fluids.
After it sprayed out most of its digestive fluids, it nourished the seeds left behind by the previously mutated plant once again.
The remainder is used to strengthen itself.
This process was repeated over and over.
The air sac hydra grew stronger and stronger, and the mutated creatures it nurtured naturally became more and more powerful.
Jiang Zhi stared at the unbelievable scene before her.
A strange, indescribable emotion welled up inside me—this world is truly wondrous.
Despite its illogical nature, it exists in a way that is so ingenious that it is astonishing. Even mutated creatures can devise a way to be self-sufficient.
Jiang Zhi couldn't imagine what would happen if no one discovered this existence. Perhaps one day, many years later, this gas sac hydra would become the ruler of this land, or even evolve into a terrifying being capable of overturning the entire world.
The green digestive fluid was sprayed so high that even after more than ten minutes, a significant amount was still splattering down from the air.
In no time, the brother and sister were soaked to the bone.
Jiang Shu spat out in disgust as he wiped his face—the sticky digestive juices splattered onto his face, and if he wasn't careful, they would slide down his cheeks and into his mouth.
"My god, Ah Zhi, this stuff is disgusting!" He grinned, his face full of goosebumps. "If we drip this on ourselves, won't mutated plants grow on us?"
Jiang Zhi:......
Shut up!
Just as the two were about to take out a few snakeskin bags from their spacecraft to cover themselves, the strange digestive fluid suddenly turned into a warm sensation and seeped into their bodies.
The brother and sister were taken aback.
Jiang Zhi felt her depleted mental energy recovering at a visible speed.
The once dry and tense mental pool silently expanded outwards, and even the stinging pain caused by overexertion disappeared without a trace.
"A-Zhi!" Jiang Shu's eyes widened, his voice low. "Why do I feel like my mental pool is expanding?"
Jiang Zhi suddenly realized—could these digestive fluids be the so-called purple-gold items, the dew of the air sac hydra?
The thought had barely formed in her mind when she subconsciously reached out her hand, letting the eerie green droplets fall into her palm.
This time, Jiang Zhi could truly feel that her strength had increased significantly after absorbing these digestive fluids.
She could even sense that the stiffness that occurred when breaking through levels was being washed away by this power.
—It's been upgraded!
Jiang Zhi's eyes widened.
You should know that at her current level, every small step forward requires a huge amount of resources. I never expected that she would break through just by getting caught in a rain shower.
What's the difference between this and a pie falling from the sky?
Jiang Shu clearly also felt the benefits of this digestive juice.
The brother and sister exchanged a glance, and both could see a hint of joy in each other's eyes.
The two stopped talking and stood quietly in the gradually shrinking green rain, feeling their strength increasing little by little.
Ten minutes later, the green rain stopped.
But the dew that fell to the ground—the dew on the tongue had not yet been absorbed by the plants, and many rolled onto the humus layer, glistening.
Jiang Zhi's eyes lit up as she suddenly realized—this was the plant's reserve energy!
She quickly nudged the ginger tree beside her and said in a low voice, "Brother, hurry and pick them up! Collect all these dewdrops!"
As soon as Jiang Zhi finished speaking, the green beads on the ground that had not yet been fully absorbed began to sink into the humus layer little by little. Some of them had just touched the plant roots and stems when they were entangled by the fine tendrils and disappeared into the soil, half-hidden and half-revealed.
"They're going to get trapped!"
Jiang Zhi was so anxious that she squatted down and started to pluck the dewdrop that was closest to her.
She didn't dare to use too much force, and carefully cupped her hands around it.
The dewdrops feel like touching a thin balloon filled with warm water, with a slippery membrane on the surface that will deform slightly when squeezed gently.
Just as Jiangzhi was thinking about what to use to preserve it, the dewdrop suddenly burst with a "pop".
The energy inside rapidly drilled into her skin and flesh from her palm.
The ginger tree next to it encountered the same situation. "No, Azhi, this stuff can't be preserved."
As the scattered dewdrops on the ground sank little by little, and many dewdrops were half-submerged in the soft soil, leaving only a small, green, glistening part sticking out, the ginger tree couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.
Such a vast fortune, yet we can only look at it and not possess it.
Just then, Jiang Zhi had a flash of inspiration and suddenly remembered the box that Huang Xianming had used to store the space devices when he awarded them the prizes.
She remembered that it was made from special minerals by the base.
Never mind.
Let's try it out first.
Jiang Zhi quickly retrieved the box from the spatial device, then picked up a fruit and quickly put it inside.
The green beads that would normally melt in the palm of your hand did not continue to seep away after being placed in the box.
Jiang Zhi was overjoyed: "It works!"
"Brother, hurry! Pack as much as you can!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shu immediately perked up and began frantically sifting through the soft humus layer, specifically targeting the plump green beads.
Jiang Zhi was quick as well; she deftly tossed any pieces she could still pick up into the box.
Unfortunately, the humus layer beneath their feet absorbed the nutrients too quickly, and within minutes, the green beads that had been scattered densely on the ground were completely sunk in.
The entire tongue gradually returned to its previous appearance.
The courtyard forest, which was originally surrounded by rock walls, is now empty. However, the mutated plants that were sparse just now have grown to a considerable size in just half an hour.
The vines, as big as wrists, covered the ground, and the thick leaves grew larger and longer, covering most of the soil.
Along with it, some unidentified fleshy flower buds also emerged, exuding a wild vitality driven by energy.
From the current distribution of vegetation, one can vaguely discern the outline of when I first visited this place—
The gnarled branches of the saplings and the area covered by ferns vaguely overlapped with what I remembered, only now they were sparser and more open.
In the distance, the enormous gas sac hydra seemed to have completed its mission. Its sac body contracted slightly, and its finely wrinkled body slowly sank into the dark depths of the lake.
Only ripples remained on the water's surface, and soon all movement ceased.
On the lake surface, which was imbued with the energy of the green pearl, some aquatic plants began to sprout tiny branches and leaves, their slender stems growing taller little by little. Even the algae underwater began to spread out in strands, gradually giving this body of water a vibrant and lively feel.
As this colossal machine fell asleep, the red alarm on the dashboard slowly went out.
"Beep—Level 9 mutated creature detected, air sac hydra, dormant period, superpower: corrosive cycle."
"Drip—Found a purple-gold item: Dewdrop of the air sac hydra (a digestive fluid made from a mixture of gastric juice and mutated plant matter), which can promote the infinite evolution of mutated organisms."
Jiang Zhi was taken aback.
Once the level is increased, the relevant information for these two items will also be displayed.
I never expected that this air sac hydra only has this one ability.
Combined with the generated purple-gold dewdrops, it's simply unbeatable.
Jiang Shu, standing nearby, stared in disbelief and muttered, "This thing is hidden so well, no wonder neither of us noticed it before."
The brother and sister exchanged a glance.
They both saw the relief of surviving a disaster in each other's eyes.
Jiang Zhi looked at the calm lake for a moment before putting the box containing seven or eight dewdrops into her backpack. "Brother, let's hurry up and go."
Although the sac hydra had fallen asleep, with such a huge creature right in front of her, even if Jiang Zhi was very resilient, she couldn't convince herself to stay there any longer.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shu immediately said, "Let's go, let's go! Staying in this godforsaken place for even a second longer will shorten our lifespan."
The two had just taken a step when Jiang Zhi suddenly heard the seed's urgent cries: "Want! Want! Want! Want!"
Jiang Zhi paused, her lips twitching.
I almost forgot about this ancestor.
If it weren't for it, the two of them would probably be stuck here right now.
As she hurried toward the entrance to the courtyard, she reassured him in the spirit pool, "I've collected the hydra dew; I'll give it to you when we get back."
But the voice didn't stop at all; it became even more urgent: "Want, want, want, want, want—"
Jiang Zhi:?
Isn't the goal of this seed this purple-gold item?
Could there be something better than the purple gold item?
She didn't react for a moment, and her steps faltered.
Seeing this, Jiang Shu also stopped: "Azhi, what's wrong?"
Jiang Zhi was somewhat conflicted.
In any case, this seed saved their lives.
At this point, should we really listen to its advice and go back to check?
In fact, the brother and sister were not far from the lake at that moment, and it wouldn't take long to get back.
But going back would be too risky. Although the hydra is already asleep, who knows what might happen?
She glanced at her brother and saw that he looked blank, so she didn't rush him.
A breeze swept in from the lake, carrying a faint fishy smell, and felt cool on my face.
The commotion caused by the seeds in the pool of spirit continues, urgent as if summoning a soul.
Jiang Zhi couldn't help but throw caution to the wind and gritted her teeth, saying, "Brother, wait here for me."
Before Jiang Shu could react, she turned and ran back.
"Azhi——"
Jiang Zhi didn't turn around. She wanted to see what this seed, which she had been longing for, was, that was even more precious than purple gold items.
After walking a few steps, Jiangzhi returned to the lakeside.
The water was as still as a piece of black glass, reflecting the gray sky.
The previously swollen, sac-like head now lay listlessly underwater, occasionally releasing air bubbles as it breathed, making it look as if it had truly fallen asleep.
The wind swept across the lake, creating tiny ripples, and the closer you got, the stronger the fishy smell became.
She stood on the water's edge, hovering at the base of the sac-like hydra's outstretched tongue. Her feet were bare, and she could clearly see the fleshy underside, which felt slightly slippery and sticky.
Jiang Zhi's heart was pounding, and her eyes quickly scanned the surface of the water—what was that guy looking for after all this commotion?
In this area, if there's anything rarer than purple-gold items, it's probably only the high-level mutated creature, the air sac hydra.
The thought had barely formed in her mind when Jiang Zhi's heart sank, and a bad premonition crept up the back of her neck.
This guy probably wants this—
Before Jiang Zhi could even sort out her thoughts, a sharp pain suddenly shot through her palm.
It felt like something had ripped open her skin, the pain making her heart race.
She hurriedly opened her hand and saw that her palm had cracked open without warning, with a hole about the size of a tennis ball.
The cave was filled with an impenetrable blackness, like spilled ink, so thick that not a single ray of light could penetrate.
Jiang Zhi's pupils suddenly contracted.
She had seen this kind of darkness before.
The hole in her hand was clearly a miniature version of the bottomless sinkhole in Shashi!
At this moment, the edge of her entire palm was shimmering with a familiar blue light, the same blue light that had appeared when the passage to the Great Grassland was opened.
Before the ginger twig could react.
Suddenly, the black hole generated a suction force.
At first, it was as light as a wisp of wind.
Just a few seconds later, the suction suddenly increased dramatically, almost sucking the ginger branch, whose palm was facing him, into the suction!
Jiang Zhi was so angry she couldn't help but curse.
This guy is actually eyeing that super-high-level creature!!!
Without thinking too much, she gritted her teeth and aimed the black hole in her palm at the sleeping hydra on the other side of the lake.
Almost at the moment of aiming.
An even more terrifying suction force suddenly erupted from the black hole.
The force caused towering waves to rise on the water's surface.
The enormous creature, which had been submerged in the seaweed, suddenly swelled up as if bound tightly by countless invisible ropes.
Jiang Zhi could even clearly see the sixteen eyes covering the sides of its mouthparts suddenly open.
The green pupils were filled with horror and anger—but it was too late.
This terrifying level 9 being didn't even have a chance to struggle before being pulled up by a brute force.
Jiang Zhi felt the stinging pain in her palm suddenly intensify, as if a red-hot awl was being drilled into her flesh.
The enormous body of that super-high-level mutated creature twisted and compressed under the suction force, shrinking several times in size, and actually rolled back towards that small black hole!
"Ugh—!" Jiang Zhi felt as if her entire arm was being torn apart, and excruciating pain spread from her palm.
Despite the excruciating pain, Jiang Zhi looked through the hurricane whipped up by the black hole and saw the translucent vesicle of the gas sac hydra, which looked like a balloon stretched to its limit, as if it might burst at any moment.
The aquatic plants in the lake were uprooted, and the entire lake was turned into a high-speed swirling vortex.
The turbid waves crashed against the shore, and the tongue beneath Jiangzhi's feet trembled violently, as if it were about to split open at any moment.
Just as most of the hydra's body was sucked into the black hole, its giant tongue, which was spread out on the shore, suddenly twitched!
The entire fleshy base, along with the wildly growing plants on it, was pulled by a tremendous force and slid into the black hole with a crash!
"Holy crap!" Jiang Shu exclaimed from behind.
His footing suddenly vanished, and he was violently thrown forward by inertia, about to be swept over the ginger branch and rolled into the vortex along with the tongue.
At the critical moment, Jiang Shu reacted quickly and grabbed Jiang Zhi's trouser leg.
The pulling force traveled down her trouser leg, and as her tongue withdrew, the entire fleshy surface beneath her feet trembled violently, almost causing Jiang Zhi to tumble into the lake—
Her expression changed.
"Drink!" Jiang Zhi shouted, raising her hand with all her might to avoid accidentally injuring anything around her.
At the same time, by engaging the waist and abdomen, and using the core strength to stabilize the legs, the person is firmly rooted to the spot.
Fortunately, the suction was so strong that in the blink of an eye, the giant tongue of the sac hydra disappeared into the black hole in Jiang Zhi's hand along with its body.
Having lost its target, the violent suction suddenly disappeared.
The giant wave, having lost its support, crashed back into the lake, splashing water everywhere.
The black hole in Jiang Zhi's palm quickly closed, leaving only a burning light red mark.
All that remained ahead was the sound of murky lake water dripping softly.
Jiang Zhi's mind went blank for a moment—
A level 9 mutated creature, just like that... gone?
Jiang Shu, who had just recovered from the shock of his life being in danger, collapsed to his knees, his taut back suddenly slumped, and only one hand was still tightly gripping Jiang Zhi's trouser leg.
His posture was just like a drowned rat that had just struggled to get ashore, so disheveled that he didn't even have the strength to lift his head.
At this moment, the entire courtyard was so empty that it was unsettling.
The area is surrounded by bare rock walls, with only the wind whistling through it, creating a mournful echo.
"A-Zhi!" Jiang Shu staggered to his feet. "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? What exactly happened just now...?"
Jiang Zhi shook her head, her throat dry and sore, and it took her a long time to squeeze out a sentence: "It's nothing..."
Her gaze involuntarily swept over the now calm lake—the place where the gas sac hydroids once roamed, now only a huge, murky pit remained.
Jiang Zhi felt her brother was about to cry. "Ah, Ah Zhi, next time you go all out, can you at least give me a heads-up? My heart can't take it..."
Jiang Zhi was still reeling from the devastation that had just occurred. Hearing her brother's trembling voice and seeing his disheveled appearance—
Her hair was a mess, sticking wetly to her pale face, her nose was red, her eyes were red, and her face was covered in mud and ash—for some reason, Jiang Zhi felt like laughing.
She looked down at herself.
She was also soaked to the bone, not a single part of her body was clean, and one leg of her pants was crumpled up by her brother.
This was the first time in their entire lives that the brother and sister had been in such a sorry state.
Jiang Zhi raised her hand to wipe the water off her face, and the dark hole in her palm burned like fire.
She murmured, "If I had known it was going to make something this big, I would have thrown it into the latrine..."
Seeing that she was indeed alright, Jiang Shu couldn't help but ask, "A-Zhi, what exactly was that thing in your hand just now?"
Now that things have come to this, Jiang Zhi has no intention of hiding it from her brother any longer.
She plopped down on the ground and recounted the whole story about the seeds.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shu's voice rose several octaves—
"So, you're now like those female protagonists in novels, carrying around an alternate dimension with you?!"
Jiang Zhi choked for a moment, "...What you're saying isn't wrong either."
It's just that this space doesn't belong to her.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shu was incredibly excited. "A-Zhi, this is amazing! Isn't this a life-saving artifact?"
Jiang Zhi doesn't think so.
The seed that intruded into her mental pool was too willful; it had been restless before, secretly devouring the moss in her home, and now it had made her do something so dangerous...
More like a death trap.
Jiangzhi became increasingly uneasy about leaving it in its mental pool.
We need to find an opportunity to negotiate.
Thinking of this, Jiangzhi tried to contact the seed, but received no response.
I was so angry I wanted to bite my teeth.
—That damn thing, it shuts up as soon as it gets the benefits.
After this experience, Jiang Zhi was quite certain that this seed did indeed have an inexplicable connection with the grasslands.
But if the seed itself is that other dimension, Jiang Zhi doesn't think it's that simple.
Her thoughts were in complete disarray, and she really had no interest in discussing the seeds with her brother.
He said, "We'll talk about that when we get back. Let's go out first."
This time, there really weren't any mutated creatures in this open-air cave courtyard surrounded by rock walls.
But Jiangzhi didn't want to stay there any longer.
Without the warm respiration of the mutated plants and air sac hydra, the temperature of the entire rock wall dropped extremely rapidly.
The two were soaking wet, their clothes clinging tightly to their skin. When the cold wind blew on them, the feeling... well, only those who have experienced it know.
Jiang Zhi couldn't help but shiver, and a layer of fine goosebumps rose on her exposed neck.
Jiang Shu wasn't in much better shape. He hugged his arms and hunched his shoulders, his breath steaming in the cold air as he spoke: "A-Zhi... hurry, hurry and leave. If we stay any longer, I'm afraid... I'll freeze to death..."
Jiang Zhi made a quick decision: "Let's go back into the cave, light a fire, and dry our clothes before we leave."
Otherwise, going back like this would definitely take a toll on my body.
The two retreated into the cave, shivering. They only managed to catch their breath after turning the corner at the cave entrance and being cut off from the cold draft outside.
"Phew... I'm alive again..." Jiang Shu rubbed his frozen face vigorously and gasped for breath, saying, "It's much warmer inside the cave... The wind outside almost carried me away."
Fortunately, the temperature in the courtyard was too high before, and the two of them put their fur coats and cotton-padded clothes into their space devices because they felt too hot. Otherwise, things would definitely be even worse now.
"Let's start a fire first." Jiang Zhi took out a flint and dry branches from her spatial storage, squatted down and gathered them into a small pile.
When the sparks crackled and exploded, the orange-red light shone on their pale, frozen faces, finally bringing them some warmth.
Jiang Shu leaned closer to warm his hands, his gaze falling on the light red mark on Jiang Zhi's palm. He couldn't help but ask, "Sis, does your hand still hurt? Did inhaling that stuff affect you?"
Jiang Zhi shrugged. "It must have been sucked into the grasslands."
That seed might just be the master of the great grasslands.
No matter how powerful that gas sac hydra is, it can only obediently follow orders in the face of absolute control.
Jiang Shu moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but after holding back for a long time, he didn't say anything in the end.
The fire gradually grew stronger, warming the surrounding air.
The two draped their wet clothes over a rock beside the fire and huddled together, wrapped in their only dry blanket.
The cave was very quiet, except for the sound of burning firewood.
Jiang Shu stared at the flickering flames and suddenly muttered, "Next time we come across a place like this, let's just go around it..."
Although today's harvest was indeed quite substantial.
The brother and sister leveled up and accumulated a lot of good stuff, but they risked their lives to get each and every one of them.
The terrifying situation I just witnessed still feels like a dream.
His fragile heart really couldn't take it a second time.
Jiang Zhi lowered her head, poked at the fire, and finally hummed in agreement.
But she had a feeling.
Once you get involved with those seeds, there are some paths you can't avoid, no matter how hard you try.
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