At the same time, a third level-eight Ghost Vine appeared.
The speed of their evolution left Ye Zhongming feeling terrified.
With the level-eight monster dead, these chaotic Ghost Vines halted the tide of monsters. The demon monster leaders finally realized the horror of these plants. A piercing scream came from the rear of the monster army, and several paths opened up in the ranks. Several massive or slender figures rushed past their comrades, charging toward the Ghost Vines and launching a frenzied assault.
Ye Zhongming saw that these monsters were all level eight, accompanied by others at level six or seven, all possessing abilities that were particularly effective against the Ghost Vines.
Now, the Ghost Vines were locked in a bitter struggle. Their tendrils were continuously bitten off or torn apart. Even the newly evolved level-eight Ghost Vine wasn’t spared—its extra-long tendrils were bitten off, leaving only the section still in the pit. This left it unable to hunt actively, forced to wait for prey to come to it, and it was temporarily harmless.
The sheer number of monsters was overwhelming. Some with strong jumping abilities leaped over the pit under the cover of their comrades. Instead of attacking the already dwindling zombie army, they turned to attack the Ghost Vines from both sides, ignoring the attacks from Ye Zhongming and the others. They were determined to eliminate these obstacles.
Cloud Peak had provided the Ghost Vines with the maximum resources, but in the face of the massive monster army, this support seemed pale in comparison.
Soon, all the above-ground tendrils of the Ghost Vines had been torn off. As long as the monsters didn’t fall into the pit, these energy-deprived Ghost Vines posed no threat.
In the distance, several massive monsters were moving toward the pit. They would use their bodies to build a path for their comrades to cross the pit. Even if they were sucked dry, after jumping into the pit, they could uproot many Ghost Vines before dying. After a few rounds of attacks, the obstacles would be completely removed, and the huge amount of monsters would fill the pit, paving the way for their charge toward the human formation.
Ye Zhongming gestured, signaling everyone to get ready. Li Qiang led the shooting squad, which had nearly exhausted its special ammunition, to begin its retreat.
Everyone knew that the direct confrontation was about to begin.
But at this moment, something unexpected happened.
The Ghost Vines in the pit, which both the monsters and Cloud Peak had deemed as good as dead, suddenly began an unbelievable act of…self-destruction.
The first Ghost Vine to reach level eight began continuously devouring its kin, not even sparing its own offspring. As it devoured them, its injuries not only healed quickly but also improved.
By the time it had devoured all its kin, its thick, long tendrils sprang out of the pit, reaching an astonishing four hundred meters in length!
At the same time, a powerful force emanated from its body, causing even the nearby monsters to show signs of fear.
The long tendrils swept around, and any lifeform they touched was instantly drained. The zombie army was reduced to only those that had been used as shooting platforms, while the rest, along with the monsters, were killed.
Among the victims were even two level-eight monsters, who also met the fate of being instantly killed.
Both Cloud Peak and the monster army fell silent at this moment. Even the two level-nine lifeforms battling fiercely on the other side of the mountain paused.
Through the Battle Contribution Badge, Liu Zhenghong’s anxious voice came through.
“Little Ye, this thing is about to evolve to level nine! We must stop it! Even if the ongoing battle prevents it from completing its evolution to level nine immediately, as it accumulates energy, it will grow stronger and stronger until it finally evolves into a true level nine. We must kill it before it evolves, or we won’t be able to control it. Today’s battle will be for nothing!”
Ye Zhongming knew that the Ghost Vines he had created had finally gone out of control. He understood Liu Zhenghong’s concerns all too well.
He raised his sniper rifle, loading a golden bullet.
They had to kill the Ghost Vine before it evolved to level nine. Otherwise, the only option for Cloud Peak would be to retreat!
Up to this point, Cloud Peak had seemingly suffered no major losses. However, the ammunition and demon crystals they had expended represented a significant fortune. Their total value could likely be exchanged for an eight-star evolution potion, with some to spare.
Moreover, the demon crystals and materials from the over two million monsters they had killed would have to be abandoned. Among them were over a dozen level-eight demon crystals.
The total losses would likely exceed the value of three to four eight-star potions!
Cloud Peak’s strength would regress rather than progress.
And this was only under the most favorable retreat scenario. The actual situation would be much more severe. With three level-nine lifeforms, would they fight each other or not? If they didn’t and instead decided to clean up Ye Zhongming, the monsters, and the rest, what then? The result would be total annihilation.
Thus, only one path was left: to kill the Ghost Vine that Ye Zhongming had personally cultivated.
Despite being personally cultivated by Ye Zhongming, the Ghost Vine was clearly completely uncontrollable.
The muzzle flashed, and the bullet accurately pierced the Ghost Vine’s tendril.
The fire element caused its interior to seem to burn, and the dark green tendril looked as if it were about to be ignited.
But before anyone could celebrate, the fiery red inside began to fade, clearly suppressed by the Ghost Vine’s powerful energy.
Ye Zhongming gritted his teeth, already preparing to engage in close combat.
However, the monsters had also realized the problem. If the Ghost Vine evolved to level nine, they would suffer first. Its tendrils would sweep through them with unstoppable force, turning them into its nourishment.
Thus, the monster army became frenzied. The high-level monsters, seeing that the humans were also attacking the Ghost Vine and achieving results, took the opportunity to charge forward, launching a desperate assault on the Ghost Vine.
The Ghost Vine counterattacked, absorbing the energy of the monsters it killed to repair itself. Cloud Peak and the monsters continued to attack it, inflicting new injuries.
A tug-of-war-style battle ensued.
In the end, the Ghost Vine never evolved to level nine, though it came infinitely close.
Ye Zhongming exhausted his gold bullets, and the monsters sacrificed several level-eight creatures. Working together, they finally tore apart the Ghost Vine, leaving only its roots. Even if it survived, it could not resist, and its aura became faint.
Both sides breathed a sigh of relief. On the other side of the battlefield, the two level-nine lifeforms, which had moved closer during the chaos, resumed their battle.
But just as things seemed to settle, an unexpected event occurred. A shadow suddenly leaped into the pit, uprooted the Ghost Vine’s roots, and swallowed them whole!