Chapter 7: Frenzied Battle (Part 1)

A mutated Ironback Bear rushed into the forest. It was a level 14 mutated Ironback Bear—standing upright, its height exceeded 400 meters, and even when lying on its belly, it was still 50 to 60 meters tall. Clearly aware of the danger in the air, it crawled its way into the forest. Pursued by over twenty altar-level professionals, it had no choice but to flee into the woods to escape.

This pitiful mutated Ironback Bear couldn’t defeat those experts. Instinctively, it knew this forest was terrifying, but that terror paled in comparison to the direct attacks from those behind it. Reluctantly, it charged into the forest, smashing through everything in its path. After all, as a level 14 mutated beast, it possessed immense strength and thick skin, so the trees couldn’t stop it at all—it carved a path for itself.

The altar-level professionals chasing behind were overjoyed. They too had noticed the wind blades in the air and knew they couldn’t fly, but since they were much smaller than the bear, they could follow closely behind it and pursue it effortlessly.

The leader among them was an altar-level professional at level 6. The highest-ranked among this group was at level 6 on the altar scale, with many also at levels 3 and 4. It was unclear why they were so bold as to enter the Great Abyssal Pool.

Many ancient clan professionals had entered this continent. More cautious ancient clans sent only experts at level 5 or above, but there were also many ancient clans that didn’t understand this or simply didn’t care, bringing in any altar-level professionals.

Of course, very few ancient clans were foolish enough to bring in even Grand Masters. Even if such clans did, the Grand Masters brought in were only responsible for logistics and were protected by specialized guards. Professionals below the rank of Grand Master rarely entered, as this was a highly dangerous continent.

Now, these twenty-or-so altar-level professionals dared to enter the Great Abyssal Pool and recklessly roam around. Seeing this, Li Ran couldn’t help but shake his head in sighs. This wasn’t bravery—it was seeking death. Here, there were many opportunities to encounter mutated beasts weaker than oneself, and just as many opportunities to face ones stronger. If that happened even once, none of the members of this group would survive.

All the major ancient clans had ways to enter the Eight Paths Great Abyss. Regardless of the region on the continent or the special methods used, there were countless experts who entered this continent.

The group of professionals was happy and excited, knowing that their reward was within reach. A level-14 mutated beast could be defeated by just a few professionals with level-5 or level-6 altars. They attacked in droves, scaring the mutated ironback bear into fleeing in panic. As it disappeared into the forest, they realized their prize was almost theirs.

Among them, there was only one expert with a level-6 altar. Among the ancient clans, a level-6 altar was considered strong but not exceptional. Usually, such clans hid one or two professionals with level-7 altars, who were the true pillars of strength. If a clan had an expert with a level-8 altar, its strength would be extremely formidable.

Blessings rained down on the mutated ironback bear, forcing it to roar in pain as it desperately tried to push forward. Giant trees were uprooted, leaves flying everywhere, and its massive paws left deep grooves in the ground.

Soon, the group ventured deep into the dense forest. Unnoticed by them, the wide path behind them was gradually covered by vines that spread toward them.

Just as the leader prepared to kill the mutated ironback bear, an altar-level professional glanced back and finally noticed something was wrong. It wasn’t their fault for being careless—since the bear had taken a winding path with seven or eight turns, it blocked the view of the road behind them, preventing them from seeing it at first.

However, the path ahead was straight, and the vines had already reached them, which is why one professional noticed it. He exclaimed, “Elder, something’s wrong… Look behind us quickly!”

The leader turned around, puzzled, and said, “What? Uh… Everyone, pay attention! Those who haven’t activated their altars, do it now! Activate your defenses!”

Chaos ensued as about seven or eight altar-level professionals frantically activated their altars. They had originally come to collect loot and didn’t need to fight, but now they had no choice.

Someone asked in surprise, “What’s that thing?”

The mutated ironback bear kept crawling forward, aware of the danger. Many soulvine trees emerged around it, chasing after it fiercely.

Soon, the bear was out of sight. Worse still, thick vines surged along the path ahead, blocking both the way in and out, and rushing toward the group. The dense vines grew rapidly, as if someone were running fast.

The Soul Vine just lost a few of its branch roots. Although the loss wasn’t significant, it did weaken its strength slightly, and it urgently needed to replenish its nutrients. The leader of the professionals shouted, “Let’s charge out from the side!” He was wise enough not to confront the Soul Vine head-on but instead tried to leave the forest first. He already sensed that something was wrong here. Several experts simultaneously used their sacred artifacts to quickly break through the surrounding trees, and everyone rushed in in a rush. The group fled frantically, not even daring to attempt an attack. From this, it was clear that the professional at the sixth-tier altar was very wise—no wonder he dared to lead such a group into the Great Abyss Pool. From decisively abandoning the mutated Ironback Bear to fleeing swiftly, he didn’t waste a moment. But he didn’t realize that this forest was completely under the control of the mutated Soul Vine; it was its territory, its most familiar battlefield. It wasn’t easy for outsiders to escape…

Li Ran and the other three remained on the leveled ground. They didn’t move because the ground here was enhanced by spiritual symbols, preventing the Soul Vine from attacking from below and thus avoiding them from being at a disadvantage. If they left this area before locating the main root system of the Soul Vine, they would be in a very vulnerable position. Guo Shier said, “The Soul Vine’s attention has been distracted. Should we start searching for its main root system?” Li Ran held a few-foot-long branch of the Soul Vine, seemingly deep in thought. He said, “Wait a moment…” He fiddled with the branch thoughtfully for a while before saying, “It seems it can move… Slowly, but it doesn’t stay in one place. Not bad, not bad—quite an impressive mutated Soul Vine.” Guo Shier asked, “Can you figure that out?” Li Ran smiled and said, “How could I possibly figure it out? There’s a trace of spiritual fluctuation on the Soul Vine, indicating that this mutated plant possesses some spiritual power. Through this… I can roughly determine where the main body of the Soul Vine is.” Curious, Guo Shier took out a section of the Soul Vine branch and sensed it. Sure enough, he detected a trace of spiritual fluctuation, which was hard to notice if one wasn’t careful. After pondering for a while, he nodded and said, “There really is… I can sense it. Um, ahead… No, it’s moving…” Yang Miluo and Fan Zhen also took out sections of the Soul Vine to sense it. Guo Shier looked up and couldn’t help but laugh. Four altar-level experts, each holding a section of the vine, concentrating intently—it was quite comical.

The four agreed—the main root system of the Soul Vine Tree was ahead. Although the main root was moving, it was very slow. Once they found it, at such a slow pace, it couldn’t escape at all.
Li Ran smiled and said, “Alright, let’s go!”
The sacrificial treasures were unleashed simultaneously, clearing a path with a loud roar, as the four rushed toward the main root system.
Guo Shier and Yang Miluo couldn’t cut through the Soul Vine Tree, but dealing with other trees was no problem for them. The two led the way, using the Moon Blade and the Whirling Sacrificial Treasure to instantly crush countless large trees. A thought flashed through Guo Shier’s mind: Were they destroying the environment by killing so many ancient trees? Then he realized they weren’t on Earth.
The two moved swiftly forward, slicing through trees with their sixth-grade sacrificial treasures as easily as cutting vegetables. Suddenly, countless vines appeared ahead, and the Soul Vine Tree finally began to block their path. With several loud explosions, Guo Shier and Yang Miluo quickly retreated. Guo Shier shouted, “The Soul Vine Tree has appeared again!”
Countless branches of the Soul Vine Tree sprang up from the ground, wildly entangling around them.
Li Ran shouted, “Fan Zhen Tong!”
Fan Zhen Tong replied, “No problem!”
Li Ran’s golden hand suddenly appeared and plunged into the Soul Vine Tree, lifting it high. He refused to get entangled in its branches; he wanted to find where the secondary roots were. Once those were cut off, the Soul Vine Tree would no longer pose a threat.
With the combined efforts of Li Ran and Fan Zhen Tong, the Soul Vine Tree had no chance. Its roots were cut again, and a section of its secondary roots along with part of the tree itself was taken away.
A deep roar came from not far away, filled with anger, fear, and extreme pain, right on their path.
Li Ran shouted, “Keep going!”
The forest was vast, and Guo Shier and Yang Miluo continued to work hard to clear a path. Guo Shier couldn’t help but say, “Damn, if we weren’t altar-level professionals, we’d definitely get lost in this forest. It’s too big…”
The roar grew louder. Guo Shier asked, “What the hell is that ahead?”
The roaring grew even louder. Yang Miluo said, “It must be a mutated talisman beast. Strange—has this mutated talisman beast gone crazy? It dares to come here.”
Guo Shier said, “Who knows? Let’s charge over!”
The Moon Blade and the Whirling Treasure moved like two dragons, surging through the forest, with a strong scent of tree sap filling the air. Li Ran kept urging, “Hurry, faster! The main root system of the Soul Vine Tree is moving…”
Guo Shier said, “Okay, let’s speed up!”

Breaking through the trees ahead, Guo Shier saw a giant mutated Ironback Bear lying on the ground, its massive body entangled in countless vines that held it firmly in place, the vines having pierced deep into its body. He also heard faint cries for help in the distance.
Guo Shier immediately understood what was going on. He said, “This big guy was driven here by a group of people… It’s pitiful; it’s about to die. Amazing—Soulvine Wood is truly powerful, capable of trapping such a huge mutated bear.”
Several roots as thick as water jars tightly wrapped around the Ironback Bear, while countless vines as thick as buckets bound it immobile. In particular, a thick dark green vine choked its neck, pressing its huge head firmly to the ground.