Do you know what it means to be the Divine Son of Mount Tai?

After the cursed vine creature fell to the ground, its tendrils on the earth did not dare to approach. A yellow-grade vine already possessed a certain level of consciousness; at the very least, it knew to recognize danger.

The bloodthirsty creature leaping about was indeed a tempting scent, full of vitality, but the purple lightning crackling around it was terrifying. It could even hinder its regeneration. The cursed vine’s instincts were beginning to dread it, and the tendrils showed faint signs of retreat.

Yet, this fearsome bloodthirsty beast was not the most delicious one.

In the same realm, another bloodthirsty creature was the true reason it couldn’t help but come to hunt.

Ye Lu had been watching the cursed vine’s battle all along, not preparing to intervene yet. The cursed vine valued combat above all else and loved fighting. Normally, Ye Lu and the Ghost Scholar would not interrupt his joyful pursuits unless absolutely necessary.

Don’t be fooled by the cursed vine’s current frustration and furrowed brow; if he truly couldn’t win, he would have called for help long ago.

So Ye Lu calmly crossed his arms and observed from the side.

Then, Ye Lu saw the scene below.

The emerald green tendrils dodged the exploding purple lightning bolts in the air, appearing truly fearful, yet without any sign of retreat.

As Ye Lu looked further down, he saw the vines bypassing the cursed vine, charging straight at him, relentless and fierce.

The teal vines slithered like a giant serpent across the ground. The cursed vine noticed this and lightly waved his hand. A bone-like card appeared in midair, shaking slightly before exploding with a thunderous boom.

The vines, despite being blasted by so many lightning bolts, charged forward stubbornly.

“...” Ye Lu laughed bitterly inwardly. The vine must have thought that since it couldn’t beat the cursed vine, it would just eat him instead, obviously seeing him as the softest target. In three lifetimes, Ye Lu had never been so underestimated.

The smile on Ye Lu’s face gradually twisted into a sinister grin.

The cursed vine had initially intended to capture the reckless vine, but upon seeing the expression on Ye Lu’s face, the pursuit halted, instinctively freezing in place. For the first time, the cursed vine genuinely felt, “Oh, so these unnatural creatures truly have no brains.”

The vines moved like snakes.

The cursed vine gazed longingly at the bloodthirsty creature just within reach. At that moment, it felt that its losses were acceptable—as long as it could feast on that prey, that was its only thought. It was utterly oblivious to the rare flicker of pity on the cursed vine’s face behind it.

“You… really are courting death!”

The cursed vine paused, hearing the deceptively calm voice carried by the air. Its tendrils lifted slightly, revealing the very bloodthirsty creature it had first targeted, which looked fragile and weak.

The cursed vine sensed something was wrong in the atmosphere.

But it could wait no longer. After a brief hesitation, driven by an overwhelming craving for flesh and blood, the vines rapidly and fiercely coiled toward the cloaked man.

“Impertinent!”

A cold voice rang out. Suddenly, a slender, angular hand appeared above the teal vines, completely ignoring the sinister force enveloping them. It didn’t even glance at the tendrils attempting to coil around his skin and suck his flesh.

The large hand firmly grasped the vines, instantly straightening them. The other end was connected to the cursed vine’s core.

The cursed vine’s core had remained hidden in the forest’s darkness. When the bloodthirsty creature grabbed the vines, it realized something was amiss. Not only could its vines not pierce the other’s skin, it couldn’t suck any blood or flesh. It tried to retract its vines but failed—the opponent’s strength was terrifying.

The force from the other end of the vines gradually pulled it out.

Ye Lu squinted, gripping the other end of the vines tightly. The vines struggled to break free but to no avail. Step by step, the enormous vine creature was pulled out, its eerie form fully visible under the moonlight.

As soon as it emerged, Ye Lu gave a sharp flick.

The cursed vine was forcefully flung through the air, flying straight towards Ye Lu.

Without hesitation, Ye Lu kicked the massive vine creature. Its vast body, saturated with blue vines, cut through the air with a roaring sound before crashing hard into the ground, creating a shallow crater.

The cursed vine hadn’t recovered when the slender, angular hand followed through, heavily slamming onto its core.

Elsewhere,

Helan rushed swiftly toward Ye Lu’s carriage. Along the way, she instinctively activated her innate ability, wrapping herself in a faint gray glow. Her speed visibly increased. In her mind, she grew increasingly anxious, urging herself to hurry. She had to arrive quickly or those three kids...

A gruesome image flashed through her mind. From what she knew, the guards hadn’t sent reinforcements because Ye Lu and the others were strong—members of the guard themselves. But now, facing a yellow-grade cursed vine, there was no one to help.

From afar, Helan spotted the Azure Bull and the carriage, along with several shadowy figures. Seeing two moving figures, a smile appeared on her face. Luckily, she had made it in time.

Helan even noticed another group opposite them, led by the familiar figure of He Si.

It was rare to see He Si’s face so grim and somber. The last time was when their family had brought Ye Lu from Xiaoye Village. He showed no expression, but the atmosphere among the guards was tense. He Si would occasionally leave to hunt down unnatural creatures.

He Si had his blind spots, Helan thought with a smirk.

Both teams of guards landed simultaneously. Without exchanging words, they charged straight to the center of the clearing.

Helan’s sharp eyes caught the scene of Ye Lu battling the cursed vine. Damn, with a secondary talent like Ye Lu’s, how was he supposed to fight?

Helan anxiously called out, “Lu, be careful… huh?”

As Helan and He Si quickly reached the clearing, everyone was stunned by the unbelievable scene before them. Helan’s voice trailed off, her tone twisting upward in disbelief.

“...?”

She stared, utterly confused.

A cursed vine creature much larger than the one she’d seen was shattered on the ground, its tendrils pulverized beyond even the damage from her own hammer.

Blue-green sap oozed from the broken vines, pooling on the earth.

The cursed vine lay there, motionless—its fate unknown, but Helan doubted it was alive.

That wasn’t the most important part. What truly caught their attention was the figure holding the cursed vine firmly pinned to the ground, his fist stained with the creature’s sap.

No matter how they looked, the figure resembled the very person Helan had long worried about—Lu.

At that moment, Ye Lu heard voices and brushed his hair back, turning to look at Helan, He Si, and the others approaching.

“Aunt Lan, you called me?” Ye Lu had no idea how terrifying he looked. His tall, slender figure seemed small and helpless beside the massive vine creature’s corpse.

Helan’s expression froze. She barely had time to hide her worry before shock overtook her face. The mix of fear and concern twisted her features.

“...It’s nothing,” Helan said, her voice sounding oddly relieved.

“We just came to check on you,” she added, trying to explain her earlier overreaction.

Ye Lu simply responded with a casual “Oh,” giving no further thought. He turned back to study the unnatural corpse beneath his hands. The instinct of the Tai Mountain Divine told him this thing was utterly dead, without a trace of life.

He straightened, grabbed one of the vines, and dragged the cursed vine’s corpse toward his carriage, where the Ghost Scholar awaited with a broad smile.

At this moment, the stark contrast between Ye Lu’s fragile appearance and the mountain-like corpse he dragged was even more striking.

Helan pressed her forehead, reluctant to look again; it was unsettling.

Ye Lu’s figure hardly resembled one with a combat talent.

As for He Si? From the moment he saw that unforgettable scene, he was silent, lost in thought, recalling his nephew’s talents.

A secondary talent, perhaps like Helan’s peculiar secondary ability?

No, that wouldn’t fit. Xiao Qi had said Lu’s talent was symbiotic with a cursed plant, and a very good one at that. He Si remembered Xiao Qi boasting about Lu’s talent, which seemed genuine.

So what exactly was Lu’s talent? His strength was terrifying, surpassing some physical enhancement talents. Even Helan’s superhuman strength would have to step aside.

Though He Si appeared calm, he was actually dazed. If his brother Xiao Qi were here, he’d immediately recognize He Si was stunned out of his mind.

Leaving aside Helan and He Si, the Ghost Scholar who had just come down from the carriage watched Ye Lu drag the enormous cursed vine corpse with an unchanging expression, his smile stiffening, hiding a deep-seated pain.

It seemed Ye Lu’s talent had truly awakened; his strength had returned.

The cursed vine was more composed, having witnessed it first and knowing Ye Lu’s true combat power. It was recovering quickly, which only made it more entertained by the shock on others’ faces.

He didn’t notice the Ghost Scholar’s stiff smile, instead watching the group rushing to their aid. Yes, he understood their intentions.

The cursed vine liked courting death but wasn’t foolish—in fact, quite clever. Ye Lu’s consistently formidable combat strength never led him to expect anyone would come to save him. Impossible.

Watching the group’s stunned, dazed expressions, the cursed vine inwardly chuckled with schadenfreude.

Of course, why else would he and the Ghost Scholar behave so obediently under Ye Lu’s control? Surely not out of simple gratitude.

Do you know what it means to be a Tai Mountain Divine?

A punch with the strength to level a mountain—that’s the terrifying power we’re talking about.