The Royal Water Ghost Vines were indeed a treasure, and Ye Zhongming had gone to great lengths to find them. In his previous life, these vines had another name—Man-Eating Vines. The areas where they grew were essentially no-man zones, as no one dared to provoke them.
Like countless other mutated plants, the Man-Eating Vines absorbed energy for evolution in two ways: from acidic soil or solutions and from mutated lifeforms.
These vines had a unique characteristic—they absorbed energy extremely quickly. While other mutated plants absorbed energy gradually to sustain their growth, the Man-Eating Vines would absorb all the energy at once, completing their growth in an extremely short time. Once the energy was depleted, they would enter a state of stagnation.
Moreover, they weren’t picky eaters. Human evolved, zombies, mutated animals—they could consume almost anything.
Because these vines had long tendrils that could actively hunt, they were difficult to distinguish when growing among other mutant plants. By the tenth year of the apocalypse, they had spread widely, with at least half reaching high levels, mostly around level eight, and a few even reaching level nine. Their demon crystals were hidden beneath their roots, buried under dense foliage, making it extremely difficult to determine their level. As a result, evolved generally avoided them.
Now, in another world, these Man-Eating Vines, which had caused so much trouble for evolved in Ye Zhongming’s previous life, had become a barrier for humanity.
“They’ve already evolved to level seven. That’s incredibly fast,” Xia Lei said, looking at the color scan results transmitted by the Exquisite Floating Ball. She noticed that the Royal Water Ghost Vines had all reached level seven.
When Ye Zhongming first planted and activated them, they were only level four after absorbing the strong acid. In such a short time, they had jumped three levels, shocking Xia Lei to the point where her jaw nearly dropped.
These Royal Water Ghost Vines were also under attack. The tendrils that entangled their targets and absorbed energy were injured and broken, but once they received energy, they would quickly regrow.
Ye Zhongming wasn’t sure when they would reproduce, but many of these vines already had brown, egg-sized fruits on their tendrils. They had already begun sprouting new leaves with ample energy from the parent plant.
Both the zombie army and the sniper positions had retreated further back, giving the Royal Water Ghost Vines, which had chosen the unassaulted side as their breeding ground, enough space.
Earlier, whether in the swamp or the gravel ground, the monsters had never stopped advancing despite the intense sniper fire. But now, faced with these Royal Water Ghost Vines, the largest monster army had been halted.
These Man-Eating Vines were terrifying. They seemed like natural gluttons, frantically absorbing the monsters’ energy to fuel their own evolution and reproduction. From behind the vines, Ye Zhongming and the others watched as their offspring continuously emerged from the pit, their new tendrils sprouting from the soil to form their own territory.
Their root systems were still connected to the parent plant, but their tendrils had formed new domains. Some of the monsters attempting to jump over from the air landed in these newly grown vines and were drained into dried corpses.
The ranged weapons of the Cloud Peak roared once more, taking advantage of this rare opportunity to reap the lives of the monsters.
Ye Zhongming had already given the order to expend all ammunition.
The full-force barrage of Cloud Peak’s long-range weapons dealt a heavy blow to the monsters charging through the swamp and gravel ground. Their formation was even denser than before, and because they were organized, the monsters in the middle had weaker defenses, resulting in significant casualties.
“Level eight!” Xia Lei’s voice came through Ye Zhongming’s Battle Contribution Badge, reporting that some of the Royal Water Ghost Vines had already evolved to level eight.
Ye Zhongming’s heart skipped a beat. Things seemed to be deviating from his expectations.
On the positive side, according to the original plan, Cloud Peak should have been facing the frontal assault of the monsters by now, entering the true bloodbath phase of the war—the moment that would decide their fate. But now, this moment had been delayed. The Ghost Vines still blocked the monsters, giving Cloud Peak more opportunities to inflict heavy casualties. This would undoubtedly make the subsequent battles easier.
However, there was also a downside that worried Ye Zhongming. These Ghost Vines had exceeded expectations. Their abilities were too strong, allowing them to evolve rapidly in such a short time. Now, they had even reached level eight. Were these plants really this terrifying?
As the thick tendrils of the level-eight Ghost Vine extended from the deep pit, reaching over two hundred meters above the ground, Ye Zhongming and the others had no choice but to retreat further, putting themselves out of its attack range.
The demon monster leaders at the rear had also noticed this development. A group of high-level monsters appeared, choosing not to cross the pit but to directly attack the Ghost Vines. The other monsters also pounced on them, frantically biting and tearing.
In an instant, the Ghost Vines and the monsters were locked in the most intense direct confrontation.
Among the high-level monsters, there was a level-eight creature. It had a slender body with four flexible tentacles covered in suckers. Seizing an opportunity under the cover of its companions, it grabbed the level-eight Ghost Vine, and the two began a contest.
Ye Zhongming wasn’t sure how they were fighting, but he observed that the level-eight monster’s body would sometimes become emaciated and sometimes recover. At the same time, the level-eight Ghost Vine’s tendrils would turn gray as if withering.
Were these two same-level creatures sucking each other’s energy?
Ye Zhongming didn’t attack the level-eight monster, instead targeting other level-seven monsters. However, he kept a close eye on the ongoing battle.
Soon, Ye Zhongming noticed that the level-eight special-type monster was gaining the upper hand. Its body no longer fluctuated between fat and thin but grew increasingly robust. The level-eight Ghost Vine’s color no longer recovered, instead turning from gray to a withered state.
Just as Ye Zhongming thought the outcome was decided and prepared to assist the Ghost Vine, another vine suddenly shot out, breaking through the protective circle around the level-eight monster. It wrapped around the monster’s head, and some liquid immediately flowed out. The level-eight monster screamed as its body began to shrivel. The Ghost Vine, which had been on the verge of defeat, started to regain its green color.
In an instant, the level-eight monster was killed.
The second Ghost Vine that had suddenly appeared was another newly evolved level-eight creature.
With the level-eight monster dead, the group of high-level monsters lost their barrier. The two level-eight Ghost Vines made quick work of them, devouring them entirely.