Chapter 1119: Chapter 1119: Lashing
There was still a slight difference between their falling speeds.
After descending for a while, they realized that even though they could not fly up above, they could change their stature and adjust their speeds.
By lowering one's head, the four limbs would naturally come together and the falling speed would increase.
By stretching one's limbs, the speed of one's descent would decrease because of the fluttering clothes.
Right now, none of them had any idea how to deal with their current crisis. They tried to adjust their speeds to be as slow as possible and stuck close to each other.
With this rapid descent, they charged into the dense vines.
Mysterious Life Law surfaced on these vines. It was as if they had their own set of brains. As Zen and the others came to be surrounded by the vines, the vines turned into long whips and lashed out at them.
Pah! Pah! Pah…
Loud sounds erupted from the lashing vines, akin to the explosion of a firecracker.
Except for Zen, the other warriors activated their life vitality to protect themselves quickly. Most of the ogres summoned their forceful energy to shield their bodies as soon as they could.
However, the power contained in these vines far exceeded their imaginations.
As a vine lashed out, a warrior's life vitality was instantly torn apart. He would be fiercely smashed into the deep abyss walls and continue to fall down.
No one was able to fly or adjust their positions, so they could hardly dodge the vines.
The vines seemed to contain some kind of special power which was strong and intense. No matter what treasure or cultivation method one used, the vines would break through and whip the warrior's body. The pain almost instantly killed him. It was as if the vines were whipping him both physically and mentally.
Miserable cries echoed through the abyss. The warriors twisted in pain, their faces revealing their suffering.
Zen was the only one who seemed calm in the face of the vines lashing at him.
The whips were strong but it was impossible for them to break through his divine weapon-like body. The whipping only caused him to twist and spin. The pain was easily dispelled by a warm current flowing through his body.
However, when he turned around to look, he saw Freya being whipped by the vines. Her body twisted in the air at an uncontrollable speed.
Zen had thought that Freya was a timid girl from how she had acted before. Facing the Cannibal Moths, she had been so frightened that she had lost control and tightly held on to Zen. Right now, however, she appeared to be resilient.
Ever since Freya had ascended, her state of mind experienced great ups and downs. Although she did not understand what kind of destiny Zen possessed and what future he would have, what happened along the way made her deeply understand that following Zen was the right choice for her, even if it were to be his servant!
She did not want to cause trouble for Zen, but in the face of danger at the entrance of the underground palace, she had inevitably become a burden to him.
Even though Zen did not say anything, Freya blamed silently herself for not being strong enough.
The pain of the lashes seeped into her heart. However, she tightly clenched her teeth despite the unbearable pain, for she did not want Zen to worry. To be precise, she did not want him to detest her. She did not make a sound as she tolerated the pain of the whips one at a time. 𝙍𝖆NОꞖЕṤ
When he saw this, Zen smiled slightly. He stretched his limbs and slowed in his descent. He then approached Freya quickly and pulled her into his arms.
Freya, who was trying her best to endure the beating of the vines, was startled upon being embraced by someone so suddenly. Only a moment later did she realize that it was Zen who was embracing her.
“Let go of me!” Freya struggled weakly.
Zen, however, shook his head indifferently as he said, “It's all right. My thick and leathery skin will save me from the vines. Don't worry.”
Freya pursed her lips and carefully adjusted her body, not daring to struggle anymore. Zen's arms protected her from the lashes, but Zen himself was now being subjected to the whips.
Screams of pain lingered in the atmosphere and reached Freya's ears. No matter the ogres, human warriors, or Lincoln, every time they were whipped by the vines, they cried out in pain, their faces contorting with misery.
Although Freya felt embarrassed being embraced like this by Zen, a flicker of happiness engulfed her heart.
Ever since she had ascended, her original illusion of the Upper World had been completely shattered. She had drowned in disappointment. However, there was no such thing as a time machine. Now that she had already ascended, she had no way to return to the Lower World.
But at this moment, she realized that she had made the right choice. Perhaps, the heaven had arranged for her to meet Zen at the Ascending Well so she could follow him.
Falling into this abyss, the warriors were whipped by the vines for two whole hours.
Two hours later, they finally descended far enough to escape the area covered in vines. The vines disappeared, and the abyss turned bottomless once again.
The faces of the warriors had turned as pale as ghosts.
The pain they had just suffered had been far beyond what average humans could bear. The warriors who had reached the Soul Sea Realm or the Spirit Supreme Realm were much sturdier and tougher. Their bearing capacity surpassed that of most other warriors. However, they too had been unable to stand those vines. What just happened had been like a nightmare to them.
“Heavens! What kind of a nightmare is this underground palace!” an ogre roared. Even though he was an ogre whose leathery skin could stand even a sword attack, he had failed to take the pain of being whipped by the vines.
“I heard from Saint Lord that there is no bottom to the abyss. The only way to gain something is to repeat the falling process again and again. With each circulation, one can obtain a part of the Supreme Lord's treasures,” another ogre said.
In fact, Lavender was not the first to enter the underground palace. She got into the palace through the sixth 'snake head', and this time they had entered through the seventh 'snake head'. This meant that the underground palace had already been opened five times before Lavender. There were six broken 'snake heads' on the previously Nine-head Snake statue.
Zen kept looking downward as he fell. Lavender had already told Zen that this was his chance to improve himself. He would not give up or change his mind. He was confident in his own talent but just like Lavender had pointed out, compared to the other geniuses of the Upper World, Zen lacked resources, not talent.
Zen decided to do his best to gather resources along the way. In the Upper World, it was the effective way for him to grow stronger.
Lost in thoughts, Zen heard a timid voice. “Zen, Zen, could you... Could you let me go?”
Hearing this, Zen realized that they had already passed the vines. There was no longer any need for him to keep Freya in his arms.
He loosened his grip and gently let Freya go. He gave an embarrassed smile and said, “Sorry.”
Freya's face blushed a little. As she stared at Zen's embarrassed face, she realized how interesting he was. She then made up her mind. No matter how hard it got to pass the abyss of the underground palace, she would follow Zen closely.
The warriors tried to maintain a normal speed as they fell.
From the moment they had entered the underground palace, they had descended tens of millions of feet already.
They did not know when it would come to an end. After experiencing the whipping of the vines, they had become even more vigilant.
Only then did Zen ask Lavender, “What will happen if we go further down?”
“Hmm? Let me think. A hundred thousand years have passed since I was here last time. I need some time to recall.” Lavender hesitated for some moments before continuing, “If I remember correctly, the second round is the Blade Mountain Trap.”
“The Blade Mountain Trap?”
Although Zen didn't understand what this was, a bad premonition rose in his heart as he heard the name.