Preview: A day unknowingly passed as they increased their pace up to shake off their pursuers. The scene gradually changed, the dark and reddish ground got replaced with blood red soil. The sky that was once filled with nothing but darkness gradually changed into one with big red leaves above. Hazy red fog slowly occupied one’s vision and sounds of leaves rustling echoed.They noticed this drastic change in the atmosphere and they were starting to see a jungle just up ahead! The Creeping Jungle!
The Creeping Jungle was named as such because of its uncanny nature - It could move! The principles behind it are still a mystery despite many demons trying their best to figure out the secret. Some say the reason behind the jungle’s movement lies a treasure, some speculated that a big beast underground lives beneath the forest, some guessed that the ground beneath is alive and sentient. But these guesses have yet to be confirmed as any demon who entered the place couldn't leave, forever stuck between the confines of this labyrinth-like forest.
As they approached The Creeping Jungle, the surrounding vegetation moved subtly in a way one's eyes couldn't capture. At this moment, both the hunter and the prey did not know that they had entered a lion’s cave.
Tap. tap.
“Do you hear that sound?” The Little Sunflower asked in a dubious tone.
“What sound?” replied Pendra coiling around her in a slight nervous tone. The days of being pursued made it sensitive to any possible threats and felt like everything was an enemy and source of danger at the moment. The words from its master just stimulated it as it almost tightened its grip.
“Nothing..” She also wasn’t sure of what she heard and whether it was real. After a few days of pursuit, her will and mental strength had already been greatly expended as she couldn’t distinguish whether the sounds were true or not.
. . .
Vines flew through the air with a snap sound as they attacked the two intruders. Some leaves flew on their own initiative and sliced through them like sharp knives and caused blood to dance in the air for a moment. The entire forest became active as though the immune system of the human body activated to fight off invading virus cells.
“Ugh! Master! There are countless vines and leaves coming at us in all directions! What do we do??” Asked the centipede in a shaky voice. Pendra's mind is filled with anxiety at this moment as drove after drove of roots came charging in their direction.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
The worst thing was, once the attacks retracted or deflected, they would stay in the place they were last lashed out and change the entire terrain. The path they originally opened disappeared amidst the terraforming as the trees that moved and attacked changed their positions along with the flowers, vines, leaves and everything else.
And in the mere distance ahead, plants in the shape of beasts growled and lunged straight for them. Birds made of plant bodies and leaf wings threw their feather shaped leaves towards them. The feather shaped leaves glinted with sharpness and accurately cut one of Pendra’s legs.
“Ahh!” Pendra cried out in pain as blood oozed out from the place where his legs were cut. Looking at the incoming attacks ahead, it felt the threat of death getting closer.
“Master, we should find a way to get out of this place as soon as possible..” He said fearfully as he observed the blood flowing out. He didn’t wish to die yet - not so soon after obtaining the power he oh-so-wished.
As Pendra protested in pain about their miserable situations, howls filled with agony and misery came from the distance.
“Those must be the Hounds after us! They had also been attacked! This place is too dangerous! We need to escape before we die!” The Little Sunflower felt shocked about the fact that even the very strong enemy chasing after them was trapped and injured behind. Hearing the miserable screams, the threat of death struck it and forced out something from within to erupt.
And like a volcanic eruption, or the sun rising, Brilliant light illuminated the entire bloody forest! Bright white light filled the surroundings and froze the plant beasts and vegetation attacking them.
This temporary respite revealed an opening to which the sunflower quickly fled to after picking up the badly injured Pendra.
As the Little Sunflower ran past the jungle, it thought, This place is too dangerous! If not for the strange power in me.. I would have already died.
The Sunflower did not have much time to think about the origins of its powers as the trees and bushes trembled and emitted rustling sounds. The effect of the bright light that temporarily stopped all activity was about to wear off. It immediately picked up the pace and ran towards one direction to hurriedly escape this damned place.
The scenery of the jungle flashed past their eyes as they fled but unfortunately, the effect of the stun wore off at this moment and the demonic plants started to attack them again. Fortunately, in a stroke of luck, they were not far off the exit of this Jungle and slowly they arrived at the edge covered in wounds and blisters. The blood of the Little Sunflower and Pendra filled their tracks as they traveled but couldn't care less. Right in front of them lies the exit out of this hellish Jungle!
As they fled the forest, the attacks that rained down on them stopped as though only limited to that one place. They felt strange about it but did not care too much as they survived.
“Master, does this mean we managed to get out of there alive?” Point at the gradually shrinking scene of the Creeping Forest, Pendra said in an incredulous tone. The stereotype of it being an unbreakable prison and inescapable maze seemed to have been broken by them.
“Hehe. It seems so!” The sunflower brightened a bit at those words as they achieved an extraordinary feat. The satisfaction gained from doing it after crossing through the crisis was undoubtedly intoxicating and the immature sunflower felt great.
Despite just having managed to avoid a crisis, it could not but cheer. Ignoring the injuries in its body, it picked up the heavily wounded centipede and brought it around while continuing to flee.