Chapter Thirty-One: The Source of Darkness

Chapter Thirty-One

Along the way, Mei encountered many zombies. However, since she wore a cloak that shielded the scent of the living, the zombies paid her no mind, continuing to wander aimlessly nearby. Naturally, she made no effort to provoke them—she was pressed for time!

Despite her speed, Mei's stamina was still somewhat lacking, so by the time she reached the small valley, dawn had already begun to break.

She rested thoroughly outside the valley entrance, adjusting herself to her best condition before finally stepping into the ravine. With no living souls nearby, the Devil Vine had long since retreated. After circling the entrance for half a day without seeing a single leaf emerge, she was forced to consider other methods.

The nature of the Devil Vine meant it could only thrive in places saturated with dark energy, and its branches and leaves grew within a certain range—beyond that, it could only wait for prey to come to it.

Mei used the entrance as the center and, with the maximum range of the Devil Vine as the radius, mapped out the possible area within the valley where its roots could be found.

But then what? Was she meant to dig a hole herself?

Oh, forget it! She wasn’t a dwarf, skilled at tunneling. If she tried to dig, she’d likely spend days and nights without making any progress!

After some thought, Mei took out a beast from her spatial ring—a burrowing dragon covered in scales. The burrowing dragon was the best tunneler among the magical beasts of her original world; the nest she owned had been gifted to her by Savitran. Though she’d never cared much for them, leaving them to roam freely inside her space, her presence as its owner meant the dragons were accustomed to her scent—far from resisting, they were even dependent on her.

Mei gently stroked the dragon’s scales, then enveloped it in a thin layer of dark energy.

Most living creatures instinctively resisted the power of darkness, and the burrowing dragon was no exception—it squirmed uneasily, as if trying to shake off the dark aura. But she had no choice: she needed to mask its living scent with darkness, since she intended for it to dig up the Devil Vine’s roots.

“Be still, little one! I need your help. Dig toward the place you hate most—there’s something I need there!” Mei patted the dragon and communicated with it mentally.

Under her soothing touch, the dragon finally quieted. After some hesitation, it began to claw in the designated direction.

The burrowing dragon excavated in spirals, creating a tunnel wide enough for Mei to traverse with a slight stoop. The passage sloped downward, and for reasons unknown, the dragon changed directions several times. Mei followed at a prudent distance—not so close as to hinder its digging, not so far as to be unable to help should trouble arise.

Out of caution, Mei suppressed the dragon’s speed, fearing it might encounter the Devil Vine mid-dig. Though the darkness she cloaked it in could help it avoid the dark aura, any accidental contact with the Devil Vine would see that energy absorbed, exposing the dragon right in the enemy’s lair—a dire predicament!

The closer they got to the Devil Vine’s roots, the more restless the dragon became. Mei had no alternative but to promise it a leaf from the Tree of Life—the delicacy it craved most—if it kept digging.

The dragon stopped and started, and after most of the day, it had reached a depth of over a hundred meters. Fortunately, both Mei and the dragon could see in the dark, so even in the pitch-black tunnel, they could clearly observe their surroundings.

As the dragon spiraled deeper, the soil suddenly loosened and a two-meter-high opening appeared ahead. Beyond it lay a tangled mass of Devil Vine!

At the moment the opening appeared, the Devil Vine surged through the tunnel, engulfing Mei in a sea of writhing tendrils.

Within the vines, a black barrier just big enough for one person wrapped around her. Mei took deep breaths inside, calming her racing heart and nerves.

Thankfully, her reaction was swift—she had managed to return the dragon to her spatial ring and erect a barrier in a split second. Otherwise, even if the Devil Vine didn’t devour her, she would have suffocated beneath its mass!

Mei unclenched her fists, intending to wipe the cold sweat from her palms, only to find her entire outfit drenched.

Exhaling deeply, she realized it had been a long time since she’d experienced such a thrill. That moment of peril had rekindled the excitement she used to feel exploring with her companions.

Though tense and exhilarating, those near-death moments truly got the blood pumping—they were addictive!

After a while, her nerves finally settled. Looking at the Devil Vine outside her barrier, which showed no sign of retreat, her heart sank.

Her crisis was far from over!

Although the Devil Vine didn’t absorb dark energy as quickly as other types—nearly instantaneously—it could still consume it. The energy Mei used to maintain her barrier was steadily dwindling.

She had to escape before her reserves ran dry.

Fortunately, the ambient dark energy here was abundant, giving her a bit more time.

Mei watched the Devil Vine through her barrier, hoping they would retreat on their own, while also racking her brain for solutions.

Simply waiting for a miracle wasn’t wise; self-rescue was the only way!

She began rummaging through her space again and produced a spatial magic scroll. It could open a one-handed-sized portal within fifty meters at a designated location.

Originally a failed experiment by Savitran and Dilo while developing spatial arrays, it was meant to be discarded. Mei had kept it only because it could still be activated—now it was finally useful.

She gripped the scroll, recalling the scene beyond the opening—she’d only gotten a glimpse—then decisively tore it open. A palm-sized silver circle appeared before her, and Mei quickly tossed a living object through it.

She couldn’t see what was happening on the other side, nor could she scan it mentally—she could only pray that there weren’t too many Devil Vines there, so her bait wouldn’t be devoured instantly.

The longer it lasted, the more Devil Vines would sense it and be drawn away.

One second, two, three...

Mei watched the Devil Vine outside the barrier intently. At the third second, the vines in the tunnel receded like a tide.

Her plan had worked!

Mei closed the spatial portal and moved her barrier toward the opening. Peering inside, she saw that the space beyond was as large as a football field, filled with Devil Vines crisscrossing and entwined together, with not a single foothold near the roots!

The root must lie at the very heart of this tangled mass. To reach it, she would have to pass through the vines themselves!

Mei contracted her barrier, cloaked herself in dark energy, and conjured a black curved blade in her hand. With a light step, she darted toward the center.

Whenever a Devil Vine blocked her way, Mei would slash it aside. If her footing faltered and she began to fall, she would leap onto the nearest vine.

She advanced as quickly as possible, for every contact with the Devil Vine drained some of her energy. She had to reach the root before her reserves were depleted.

Mei pressed forward in as straight a line as possible, minimizing contact, and finally arrived before the Devil Vine’s massive root just as her energy was about to run out. Embedded in the root was a black crystal no bigger than an apricot pit.

A ring of open space surrounded the root. Mei stood there, gazing at the crystal—excited yet disappointed.

Excited because she had found the Source of Darkness so quickly!

Disappointed because the piece before her was only part of the Source—not the whole.

How frustrating! She hadn’t expected the Source of Darkness to be split into so many fragments. Who knew how many more she’d need to find to restore it completely?

Still, having one was better than none. Mei reassured herself—she would eventually gather all the fragments, it was only a matter of time. Now she had to figure out how to safely extract this piece.

The Source of Darkness grew within the Devil Vine’s root; removing it would inevitably wound the root. If that happened, the Devil Vine would go berserk. In such a confined space, avoiding the rampage would be nearly impossible.

She had defensive items, but regardless of their energy type, using them during the Devil Vine’s frenzy would mark her as the sole target.

So she could only rely on the defensive properties of specially crafted clothing.

Inside her barrier, she changed into a dark green short dress, fitted trousers, and knee-high boots, all adorned with pale green patterns resembling magical runes—forming a highly advanced defensive spell.

Though she couldn’t activate the spell itself, the material was the most protective among all her garments.

Once ready, Mei leapt onto the root without hesitation. Her black blade flashed, and the Source of Darkness landed squarely in her hand. Without pausing to examine it, she spun and ran for the tunnel.