C11 Chen Yuan Was Dragged into the Cave.!

Gasping for air, Mr. Mo heaved deep breaths as he struggled to his feet, yanking the severed tree roots from his body.

Meanwhile, Chen Yuan lay sprawled on the ground, panting. His recent brush with danger had been a purely instinctive reaction. Had he not managed to sever those roots, the outcome would have been dire!

To his surprise, the Azure Peak Sword's edge was sharper than anticipated, slicing through the thick roots in one fell swoop!

Light and the sound of footsteps approached from behind. Wudian and the others had gathered the Moonlight Stones from the ground and were rushing over.

Upon seeing Mr. Mo and Chen Yuan near the mound of earth, they moved to join them.

"Retreat now, the threat isn't over!" Mr. Mo called out, grabbing Chen Yuan, ready to make their escape.

But they were a moment too late.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A series of low thuds erupted as over a dozen dark roots burst forth from beneath the mound, lashing out at Chen Yuan and Mr. Mo as they rose to their feet.

Beyond the mound, the tunnel ceiling cracked open, and vine-like tendrils descended, whipping towards them with astonishing speed.

Chen Yuan's face tensed as the Azure Peak Sword blurred into a whirlwind of steel, hacking at the encroaching roots.

The sword's touch meant instant severing for the roots, but despite Chen Yuan's advanced skills, his combat instincts were lacking. Overwhelmed by the onslaught, he was momentarily helpless, trapped in place by the relentless roots, despite the sword's sharpness keeping them at bay.

From the bizarre mound, new roots sprouted as quickly as Chen Yuan could cut them down, sometimes even outpacing his strikes.

In mere moments, hundreds of roots densely entwined, sealing off the tunnel section.

Mr. Mo, with his lesser cultivation but greater experience, wielded his Mountain Splitting Axe to carve a path through the thicket. As he prepared to flee, he noticed Chen Yuan immobilized. With a determined clench of his jaw, Mr. Mo turned back to aid him.

Their tribe was small; any loss was significant, and Chen Yuan might well be their only hope for a better future. Mr. Mo refused to let him perish here.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

The Mountain Splitting Axe relentlessly pounded the roots. Wudian and the others, initially too frightened to approach, now saw Chen Yuan trapped and Mr. Mo charging back into the fray. Overcome by urgency, they surged forward, brandishing their battered weapons to join the fray against the vines.

Despite their numbers, the vines' attacks were feeble, capable only of thrashing or binding. But united, Mr. Mo and his companions cut through the entanglements, ensuring that, against the odds, not one of them fell to the aggressive flora.

However, after a brief delay, Chen Yuan, who was ensnared at the heart of the tree roots, had vanished without a trace. Even the occasional muffled sounds that had echoed earlier were now silent.

"Not good! Yuan's in danger—quick!" Mr. Mo bellowed, mustering all his strength as he dashed toward where Chen Yuan had been.

But in that instant, the assaulting tree roots retreated as swiftly as the tide, swiftly withdrawing into the earth and vanishing, taking Chen Yuan with them. In a moment, the vast cavern was left with nothing but a riddled tunnel and heaps of collapsed soil.

Reacting swiftly, Mr. Mo charged at a small mound of earth, frantically digging away. The soil, however, had been re-covered by the retreating roots, making it no easy task to excavate.

Seeing Mr. Mo's frenzied efforts, the others cast aside all else and rushed to assist. Yet, after what felt like the time it takes to sip a pot of tea, they had barely dug a meter down. Beyond that, they were met with nothing but a dark, empty cavern—no sign of Chen Yuan anywhere.

"Mr. Mo... Chen Yuan... He's not... dead, is he?" Wudian asked, his face etched with concern.

Wudian wasn't alone in his dread. They all knew the grim reality; they'd faced such attacks before. Those who'd been dragged away by these sinister roots never returned.

And now, Chen Yuan, the strongest among them, had been taken.

Mr. Mo's face was a mask of anguish. Hearing Wudian's words, he shot him a fierce glare, as if to speak, but words failed him.

Because deep down, he knew the likelihood of Chen Yuan being alive was slim.

Yet, gripping his Mountain Splitting Axe, Mr. Mo silently approached the mound once more and resumed his digging with a renewed sense of urgency.

...

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the worried Mr. Mo and the others, Chen Yuan was very much alive.

Not only alive but unscathed, albeit in a rather sorry state.

How so? At that moment, he was bound tight by a mass of tree roots, mummified, with only narrow gaps allowing him glimpses of the pitch-black space beyond. Everything else was obscured.

Earlier, Chen Yuan had tried to break free, but the sheer number of roots was overwhelming. A moment's carelessness had led to his waist being ensnared, immobilizing him.

Then, the roots converged, wrapping him up like a mummy and dragging him underground.

It was a stroke of luck that the roots had cushioned him, sparing him from injury as he was pulled below. However, the tightness around him was beginning to cause pain.

Chen Yuan realized he couldn't stay this way; if he didn't suffocate from the lack of blood to his brain, he'd eventually starve in this trap.

He struggled, but the roots were too strong to break free from by sheer force.

Thankfully, the Azure Peak Sword was still with him. Though it had fallen, it had been dragged down along with him when he was ensnared.

For anyone else, reaching for the Azure Peak Sword at their feet might prove difficult, but Chen Yuan was no ordinary person.

Because he had the system on his side!