Chapter 115: The Parasitic Species Unleashed

Charcoal flapped his massive wings, his gigantic form soaring into the air as he lunged toward the crimson vine with a thunderous roar.

Startled by the abrupt dragon’s cry, the crimson vine shuddered, appearing momentarily frightened before quickly adopting a defensive stance. It coiled like a giant python, refusing to concede even an inch of the energy orb it cradled.

"Both are Bronze-level rank 3 and double-mutated. As a dragon-blooded species, Charcoal should be significantly stronger than this parasitic lifeform!" Lin Huang felt confident in Charcoal’s prowess.

Hovering in mid-air, Charcoal unleashed a torrent of black dragon flames upon the vine below. As the flames scorched its form, the crimson vine let out a piercing, shrill scream, its body writhing violently in agony.

"The dragon flames are effective?!" Lin Huang’s eyes lit up. Charcoal had suppressed the parasitic creature almost the moment the fight began. Monsters that command the fire element are naturally the bane of most plant-type monsters, to say nothing of a dragon-blooded species capable of breathing dragon fire.

However, his brow furrowed as he watched the charred patches on the vine’s body begin to mend themselves at a visible, rapid pace, returning to normal in mere moments.

"This monster possesses a super-regeneration ability..."

Initially, the parasitic creature was completely overwhelmed by Charcoal, as the dragon flames caused it genuine pain and damage, leaving charred scars that made it wary of the dragon. But once its wounds healed, it realized that Charcoal could not deal any truly fatal damage, and its courage began to return.

What was once a passive defense slowly turned into a counterattack. Its combat pattern was simple—the crimson vines whipped and coiled toward Charcoal, but each attempt was easily dodged, posing no threat to him.

The two fell into a stalemate. Charcoal’s attacks could not inflict effective damage, and the vine’s retaliation proved futile before him, yet it refused to yield.

"At this rate, there’s no telling how long this will take." Lin Huang frowned as he watched the battle, opting not to intervene. The reason was simple: if Charcoal’s offensive power couldn't effectively damage the creature, Lin Huang didn't believe his own attacks would fare any better.

He knew well that the moment he stepped in, he would become the primary target. In such a confined space, if the creature released a swarm of parasitic seeds, he would have nowhere to hide, making the probability of infection nearly one hundred percent.

Fortunately, the parasite seemed entirely unaware of Lin Huang’s presence; dealing with Charcoal alone was already exhausting all its focus. Despite being hammered by the dragon, the creature stubbornly refused to move, guarding the white energy orb with its life.

Over half an hour passed, and the duration of Lin Huang’s temporary transformation expired. He emerged from the ground, reverting to his human form. Just then, Xiao Hei’s voice echoed in his ear.

[We have been discovered.]

"How? Didn't you say I wouldn't be detected beyond a hundred meters?" Lin Huang asked, surprised.

[The issue isn't me; your aura has been exposed.]

Lin Huang realized that as a Shadow Ghost, his aura had been masked. However, with the one-hour limit of the Designation Transformation Card up, his true presence was revealed.

The crimson vine, locked in battle with Charcoal, seemed to sense Lin Huang. It grew manic, its counterattacks against Charcoal becoming increasingly violent. Simultaneously, the small purple flowers on its body began to detach one by one, scattering countless parasitic seeds in every direction.

Seeing this, Lin Huang hurriedly crushed another Transformation Card, turning into a Shadow Ghost and hiding inside a nearby boulder. Unsure if his ghost form would be susceptible to the seeds, he had no intention of testing it.

Within less than a minute, the entire underground chamber was flooded with parasitic seeds, leaving no corner untouched. Lin Huang wasn't worried about Charcoal; as a dragon-blooded species, he was immune to many abilities. Even if he were parasitized, Lin Huang could simply retract him into his card form and figure out a solution later.

As it turned out, Charcoal remained unaffected. Many seeds attached themselves to his scales but were unable to penetrate them to complete the parasitization.

The sudden disappearance of Lin Huang’s aura only made the crimson vine more frantic. The parasitic seeds acted as its eyes, blanketing the area, yet they found no trace of him.

The crimson vine could vaguely sense the will transmitted by the strange energy orb. It knew the orb desperately wanted something held by the human. For this energy orb, the vine felt immense gratitude. It had drifted into this place as a seed no larger than a sesame grain and landed near the orb. Growing from that to a self-aware, double-mutated monster in less than a month was entirely the work of the orb. It viewed the orb not just as a treasure, but as family. This was why, even when faced with a powerful enemy like Charcoal, it refused to retreat, choosing to fight to the death.

But now, the human the orb needed had vanished, fueling its rage. With only one combatant in sight—a target far too strong to overcome—the desire for power grew desperate within the vine.

As this thought took hold, the parasitic seeds reacted. Those that had already successfully infected hosts began to frantically drain the "Life Glow" from their victims. This energy was transmitted across space into the body of the crimson vine, and its aura began to surge rapidly.

In Xia City, the people remained oblivious to the events unfolding underground. However, those infected by the parasitic seeds, including the hosts captured by hunters only a short while ago, began to fall into comas as their life force was rapidly depleted.

Charcoal, locked in combat, soon sensed the anomaly. The aura of the Bronze-rank 3 vine began to skyrocket, creeping closer toward the Silver realm. Realizing the urgency, Charcoal increased the frequency of his attacks, hoping to interrupt the creature’s breakthrough.

But the crimson vine had fallen into complete madness, believing that its current growth was still insufficient.

"Not enough! I must become stronger!"

As this thought propagated, countless parasitic seeds throughout the underground space began to rise frantically, surging toward the crack above. Furthermore, every remaining purple flower on the vine’s body detached, transforming into seeds and drifting toward the opening in the ceiling.