Chapter 98: Fusing the Vine Demon Seed, Skills Unleashed

The purple vine wrapped tighter and tighter, as if intent on tearing him limb from limb. Especially the one coiled around his neck—it was making it nearly impossible to breathe.

“What are you waiting for, a miracle? Start it up already, can't you see I’m about to die?” Zhang Chu couldn’t speak; he could only communicate with the idiotic system through his mind.

“Ding!”

“Host in danger detected. Activating self-defense mode.”

“One thousand units of mental power will be deducted. Initiating passive devouring: ultimate form.”

No sooner had Zhang Chu finished his thought than the system’s voice echoed in his mind.

What was this? It wanted to deduct his mental power? This wretched system was taking advantage of his crisis to siphon off his hard-earned energy!

But with things as dire as they were, Zhang Chu could only focus on survival. Besides, another question tugged at him.

He wanted to see just what this “ultimate passive devouring” would look like.

A low hum buzzed in his mind, reminiscent of radio static. Uncontrollable mental power surged to his palm, gathering there in a wave.

A tingling sensation radiated from his hand. He glanced sideways.

Unbelievable! The system had bypassed him, directly unleashing the innate mental combat skill: Electric Vine Bind!

It felt as if someone had seized control of his body—painful, yet thrilling.

The electric vine sprang from his palm, swiftly entwining the bud of the purple vine, then extending rapidly along its length toward what lay behind.

“Passive devouring: ultimate form activated. Devour all things!”

The system’s voice rang again.

Zhang Chu sensed a powerful force flowing through the electric vine into his palm, racing through his body, and finally settling below his navel.

Meanwhile, the dense purple vines covering him began to wither visibly, crumbling to ash.

“Self-defense mode complete.”

When the system spoke again, Zhang Chu slumped to the ground, gasping for air. The numbing sensation that had overtaken him began to fade.

He raised his hand, staring at his palm, dumbfounded. “System, what is this thing in my hand? Are you trying to embroider a flower on a grown man's palm?”

“Ding!”

A white pop-up appeared instantly, displaying a purple vine identical to the one that had attacked him.

Another window opened: “Answering host's inquiry.”

The pop-ups were like work reports from his previous life—nearly twenty slides.

After reading them, Zhang Chu could barely contain his excitement. “Damn! My luck’s off the charts. That thing I just encountered was a plant demon!”

According to the system’s explanation, the attacker was a plant demon.

With the resurgence of spiritual energy on the continent, not only had humans developed into martial artists, but animals had mutated to become demon beasts.

Plants, too, had changed, though it was a hundred times harder for them to develop consciousness and attack capabilities than for animals.

But once a plant evolved into a plant demon, its offensive and stealth abilities were formidable.

Its level was equivalent to that of a spirit beast among demon beasts, or a spiritual realm martial artist.

The purple vine was a perfect example.

Its powerful extension ability and narcotic toxins in its vines allowed it to devour the essence of demon beasts and humans to fuel its own growth.

“Fan Tianlei once said that the high-level forbidden zones of Canglong Mountain only imprison star beasts; plant demons of this higher level shouldn’t exist.”

“Looks like the purple vine’s evolution into a plant demon is linked to the strange events at the Demon Suppression Tower yesterday.”

Understanding the origin of the plant demon, Zhang Chu quickly connected the dots to the Demon Suppression Tower.

“What was it that just entered my body?” Zhang Chu asked.

“Plant demon seed.”

“The ultimate passive devouring has implanted the plant demon seed in the host. The host can use the Electric Vine Bind combat skill to release the purple vine’s offensive attributes.”

“The host can nurture the plant demon seed with mental power. The stronger the seed grows, the more powerful the attribute boosts to the host.”

The system continued.

What? Attribute boosts?

Wasn’t this just the Star Absorption Technique—absorbing others' power and skills for oneself!

Zhang Chu quickly pulled up his personal info panel.

Sure enough, at the bottom appeared a line:

“Plant demon boost: Purple Vine Plant Demon.”

“Boosted attributes: Narcotic toxin, vine entanglement.”

Seeing these lines, Zhang Chu realized.

This wasn’t a dream—this was a cheat, my dear old dad!

Previously, the Electric Vine Bind mental combat skill produced vines formed from concentrated mental power, consuming enormous amounts during sustained battle.

But now, with the plant demon seed’s boost, not only was mental power conserved, but additional attributes could be applied.

Zhang Chu was impatient to try it out.

He fixed his gaze in a direction and dashed off.

That was where he’d come from earlier, and a few unlucky star beasts were busy hunting.

Sure enough, after barely two kilometers, he encountered an Earth Bear.

The massive Earth Bear saw Zhang Chu as a delectable meal—no pleasantries, it charged straight at him.

“Tough luck for you!”

Watching the three-star Earth Bear thunder toward him, Zhang Chu spread his right palm.

His mental power surged, activating the Electric Vine Bind skill.

But in the next instant, the plant demon seed below his navel seemed to sense his actions, quivering slightly.

A tingling wave followed.

From his palm, a purple vine as thick as a thumb burst forth, crackling with electricity and stretching rapidly—reaching ten meters.

“Damn, am I even still human?”

With a wave, the purple vine acted as an extension of his arm.

It wrapped around the bear, releasing a toxin that instantly knocked out the three-star beast.

A final electric shock sealed its fate.

The enormous body spasmed and fell, dying with regret in the northwest.

“Host has killed a three-star star beast. Strength +15, mental power +15. Host has devoured a three-star core. Mental power +15.”

The plant demon’s attack attributes were so effective, Zhang Chu was exhilarated.

He checked the time—three hours until dawn.

He glanced back; the rock cave in the cliff was quiet, the high-energy electric grid undisturbed. Only then did he turn and head in another direction.

Tonight, he needed to master this new skill and figure out how to use his mental power to rapidly grow the plant demon seed...