Spirit Master Girl: Contracting with an SSS-Level School Beauty at the Start
Chapter 171: Tough on the Outside, Soft on the Inside

Chapter 171: Chapter 171: Tough on the Outside, Soft on the Inside

He immediately felt that something was awry.

Pulling his legs to escape the area, he soon discovered that they were suddenly rooted to the ground, firmly glued in place. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t move an inch.

Xiao Zhan’s expression grew solemn as he surged his Spirit Manipulation Energy within him.

But he found that not only did it do nothing, the ground beneath his feet became even softer and stickier as he struggled with his might. As if with a will of its own, it began to creep over the tops of his feet.

At first, it was just the soles of his feet that were sticky, but gradually it climbed over the sides of his feet, then over the tops, and continued to creep up his legs.

Xiao Zhan realized in an instant that he had encountered one of the Twisted Jungle’s dangers.

Relying on his Perception Skill, he had already avoided many dangers, yet he had unknowingly fallen for one.

The dangers of the Twisted Jungle were indeed not exaggerated.

Xiao Zhan quickly swung the Death Demon Scythe toward a nearby large tree, embedding the scythe into the trunk, attempting to pull himself up.

But to his shock, he found he still could not get up, and as he increased his strength, the suction from below grew even stronger!

He suddenly surged his Spirit Manipulation Energy, and a powerful force erupted, managing to free him less than half a centimeter before he fell back down.

To his surprise, the large tree was even twisted apart by him!

Xiao Zhan was alarmed; the danger of this swamp exceeded his expectations. After that struggle, he had sunk even deeper, with his entire foot engulfed by the mud.

At that moment, Ye Youlong suddenly flew out of Xiao Zhan’s hands.

It spun twice and a half in the air, and then a fierce scythe light slashed down towards Xiao Zhan. Not at him, but at the mud beneath his feet.

Slanting into the ground, one cut followed by another two, also slanting.

Three cuts formed different angles, creating a triangular pattern on the ground, with Xiao Zhan in the center.

After three cuts, Xiao Zhan immediately felt a loosening under his feet, and he quickly surged his Spirit Manipulation Energy.

Simultaneously, Ye Youlong returned to his hands. The moment he grasped Ye Youlong, he stabbed towards another tree next to him, pulled with its help, and his whole body rose up smoothly.

He landed steadily on the fork of the tree.

Looking down at the ground which had become calm without a target, Xiao Zhan felt a lingering fear.

The ground was too eerie, the powerful suction left him with no resistance, and if Ye Youlong hadn’t reacted in time, he might not have survived this first danger.

Patting his chest with some afterfear, he looked at Ye Youlong, "Just now when your scythe swung over, I thought you were about to murder your husband."

Ye Youlong slapped his hand away with an expression that spoke volumes, "If you’re scared, pat your own chest. What’s the meaning of patting mine?"

Xiao Zhan quickly withdrew his hand in pain.

But his face had a cheeky grin, and his glance wandered towards her full figure, "I thought you were scared too, just comforting you a bit, after all, you almost just lost your husband."

Saying so, he reached out his hand as if he wanted to comfort her thoroughly.

"Get lost."

Ye Youlong’s eyebrows shot up coldly.

Ever since they’d broken through the last barrier in their relationship, he’d lost his previous serious demeanor.

He was always so nonchalant, not even minding the occasion.

This was a life or death crisis.

"Alright then."

Xiao Zhan retracted his hand with a chuckle, not showing a trace of fear.

There’s a saying, isn’t there? The harder the mouth, the softer the... heart.

Playful banter ceased.

Ye Youlong’s gaze shifted to the ground as he unleashed his Perception Skill. During their rapid escape earlier, his perception wasn’t detailed enough to notice anything peculiar about the ground.

But now, paying close attention, he realized that the surface, though calm, still had undercurrents flowing within it.

Unlike other real grounds, the soil wasn’t composed of loose particles, but rather a single, solid mass with faint life energy vibrations—weak, but definitely present.

Ye Youlong concluded, "This isn’t a swamp; it’s an area composed of a low-grade Demon Beast called Earthback Hook Worms."

"These Earthback Hook Worms are very weak when alone, and their size is extremely small, even smaller than the average ant, not to mention not really counting as Demon Beasts."

"But their strength lies in their swarming nature, appearing in groups, and each time they do, it’s by the billions. They rely on the terrain to hide themselves, waiting actively for prey to come."

"Once prey arrives, they extend their hook stings to hunt. These hooks not only allow them to connect like a solid plate, but they also firmly grasp the prey, making escape impossible."

"Then, just like what just happened to us, they drag their prey in and slowly consume it bite by bite. Once there’s no more prey, they return to their original state, waiting quietly."

Hearing Ye Youlong’s analysis, Xiao Zhan couldn’t help but open his mouth in astonishment, "That’s terrifying! It’s almost like army ants."

"They are different from army ants; once they settle in a place, they generally don’t move for a long period."

"Oh, I see."

Xiao Zhan nodded, thinking of the terrifying suction he’d felt earlier; it was indeed fearsome.

He was fighting against over a billion Demon Beasts; no wonder he couldn’t break free.

"This place is too dangerous, let’s hurry up and leave."

Xiao Zhan agreed, but just as he was about to move, he suddenly stopped.

"What’s wrong?"

"I’m thinking, since these Demon Beasts are so strong, can’t we make use of them somehow?"

Ye Youlong’s expression brightened, "You mean..."

"That’s right."

Xiao Zhan’s face turned stern, repeating what he had said from the start; constantly being chased by Huang Fei and his gang was not an option.

To completely remove the threat, it was necessary to deal with them.

However, Ye Youlong was somewhat worried, "But there are four Fourth Grade Spirit Masters with them; won’t it be too dangerous?"

"When have you ever been so indecisive? That’s not your style."

"I’m just making a realistic analysis."

Xiao Zhan shook his head, "Danger there is, but we’re not going head-to-head with them. If we can kill them, we kill them; if not, we don’t lose anything."

"I can see now; the reason they haven’t caught up to us is because of Huang Fei slowing them down. So if we can’t beat them, we can still outrun them!"

Ye Youlong pondered for a moment before agreeing with Xiao Zhan’s idea.

However, setting an ambush wasn’t as straightforward as one might think, and the two made some preparations afterwards.

They covered the spots where light pierced through with leaves, making the dim environment even darker, and released some Death Aura to blend into the darkness.

This way, they could unwittingly trap Huang Fei and his party into danger.