NOVPUB
Chapter 284 – Ultimate Horror
The sheer scale of the jungle made it difficult for the Strangler Figs to navigate especially while carrying Lilian, despite their plant-like nature.
Realizing this, Lilian sent them back to the garden and continued her journey alone, collecting interesting plants along the way. As she ventured deeper into the jungle, she began to notice something strange.
Hmm... That's weird. Why is there no sign of any demonic plants in this ancient jungle? Lilian thought, her brow furrowing in confusion.
She had checked the age of the massive trees around her and found that some had been standing for hundreds of thousands of years. Yet, despite the dense spiritual energy saturating the atmosphere, not a single demonic plant could be found. It was baffling. After such a long time, surrounded by such rich spiritual energy, how had none of these plants developed sentience?
Could it be that something here is preventing them from gaining sentience? Lilian wondered, her curiosity piqued.
Additionally, it wasn't just the absence of demonic plants that confused Lilian; even demonic beasts were nowhere to be seen.
Putting the matter aside for the moment, Lilian pressed on. A week later, she stumbled upon a peculiar place in the heart of the jungle.
There, in the heart of the jungle, lay a massive lake spanning several kilometers. The absence of towering trees around the lake allowed sunlight to pour in freely, bathing the area in a warm, golden glow. For Lilian, who had spent the past week navigating the dark, tangled depths of the jungle, the sudden brightness was a welcome change.
She approached the lake, her eyes scanning its surface. The water was crystal clear, so transparent that she could see straight to the bottom, even though the lake was remarkably deep. But what struck her as odd was the complete absence of life. No fish, no aquatic creatures, not even a single aquatic plant. The lake was eerily empty.
Weird. Not even aquatic plants live in this lake. Is the water harmful or something? Lilian speculated, her curiosity growing.
She spread out her spiritual sense to scan the entirety of the lake. The moment her spiritual sense made contact with the water, she was hit with an overwhelming surge of wood elemental energy. It was so concentrated that it felt almost tangible, as if the lake itself were alive with the essence of wood.
What? How is this possible? Lilian's eyes widened in shock, her breath quickening. She had never heard of water possessing wood elemental energy. Unless... unless it wasn't water at all. Could it be something else entirely? A liquified form of another substance, perhaps?
But even if something had been liquified, it wouldn't produce such an enormous quantity. What lay before her was an entire lake—vast and deep—filled with dense wood elemental energy. What kind of substance, rich in wood elemental energy, could have been liquified to create something so extraordinary?
As the initial shock wore off, Lilian's expression shifted from disbelief to pure delight.
Congratulations, Lilian! We did it! We finally found a treasure on our own! she shouted inwardly, her excitement bubbling over. She raised a fist in the air and jumped up and down in a little dance of celebration. Her massive melons bounced wildly, threatening to spill out of her gardening outfit with each enthusiastic leap.
Usually, all the precious treasures she enjoyed were discovered by someone else. But this time, she had found something extraordinary all by herself! True, she didn't yet know what kind of treasure this wood elemental liquid was, but its sheer uniqueness made it undeniably valuable. Definitely!
As soon as her bouncing celebration ended, Lilian crouched at the edge of the lake and dipped her index finger into the water, eager to conduct a little test.
All of a sudden, Lilian's expression changed. Her eyes widened in horror as she felt a terrifying suction effect through her finger. In that split second, her reflexes kicked in, and she tried to yank her finger out of the strange water as hard as she could. But her finger was stuck, the force so strong that it dislocated her joint. The pain shot through her hand, sharp and immediate.
It only got worse. Her failed attempt to pull free caused her to stumble forward, landing on her knees. Now, her entire right hand was submerged in the strange water, and the suction intensified. The sensation was overwhelming, like her very essence was being drained away.
Ouch! It hurts! What's going on? What is this water sucking from me? My Qi? Lilian thought, her panic rising. She was horrified, her mind racing as she struggled to comprehend what was happening.
She was right. The water was draining her Qi at an alarming rate, leaving her feeling weak and disoriented. The rapid loss of energy made it impossible for her to use her martial skills to escape. Even worse, she couldn't access her garden to summon her Demonic Strangler Figs for help. She was trapped, helpless, and growing weaker by the second.
Then, something even more horrifying happened. Lilian watched in utter despair as her hand began to age rapidly. The once smooth, youthful skin wrinkled and withered before her eyes, transforming into the frail, bony hand of an old woman. The aging spread like a plague, creeping up her arm, leaving behind a trail of decay.
At that moment, Lilian realized the true nature of the strange water. It wasn't just draining her Qi—it was stealing her vitality, her life essence. The realization hit her like a thunderbolt, and her panic turned into a deep, crushing despair.
I'm going to die here, she thought, her mind reeling. I'm going to die, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.
Though she had never been one to care much about her appearance or beauty, seeing her hand—and then her arm—transform into something old and frail was devastating. The rapid aging was a visceral reminder of her mortality, and the inevitability of her fate filled her with a sense of hopelessness.
Help me... somebody help me... I don't want to die... There are still so many things I want to do... please...
But her desperate cry went unheard. No one was there to save her. The jungle was silent, the lake indifferent. Lilian, the mute lady who had always found joy in being around plants, was dying slowly and silently, her life essence being drained away by the very treasure she had thought would bring her glory.
As time slipped away, more and more of Lilian's vitality was drained from her body. The aging, which had started in her hand, now spread relentlessly through her arm and into her torso. Lilian, still kneeling weakly by the lake, witnessed the most horrifying sight of her life. Her always full, abundant, and proud breasts—her two beautiful treasures that had always blocked her downward view—began to deflate. The once firm and bountiful curves sagged and withered, losing their vitality as the life essence was sucked away.
What is horror? This is horror!
What is despair? This is despair!
NOOOOO..... NOOOOO..... PLEASE NOOOOO.... HELP ME!
Lilian's mind screamed in agony, her heart breaking as she watched her body deteriorate before her eyes. She was overwhelmed by hopelessness, tears streaming down her face as she cried harder than she ever had before.
Leyvi... help me....
These were Lilian's final thoughts before she lost consciousness, her body collapsing limply by the edge of the lake.
THUM!
Suddenly, the atmosphere around the area shuddered, as if time itself had frozen. Directly above Lilian, a dark purple pool of wavy water appeared in the sky, suspended vertically. It was the same portal that had brought everyone to the Mystic Realm.
From the portal, a breathtakingly beautiful lady stepped out. She wore a simple, low-cut dress that showcased an unparalleled cleavage, her bosoms no less magnificent than Lilian's had once been. Her beauty was otherworldly, her presence commanding and ethereal. She stood effortlessly in the air, defying the flying prohibition of the world without even a flicker of Qi. It was as if the laws of the universe bent to her will.
The aura radiating from her was majestic and divine. The trees and vegetation of the jungle, whether real or not, seemed to bow in reverence to her presence. If Leyvi had been there to see her, he would have rated her above 90 points on the Handsomeness Slider scale—a beauty beyond measure.
Her gaze first fell upon the colossal tree on the horizon, her expression calm but knowing.
"I see. Another planet has fallen victim to the Worldpiercer Tree. And it won't be long before it reaches its next evolution. When that time comes, it will seize control of the Law of the World and escape the restraints of spacetime," she murmured, her voice soft but carrying an undeniable weight.
"However, this is not my concern. Such occurrences happen throughout the universe. What I want to know is... how did one of my Goddess of Fertility Gardens end up in this little girl's possession? Who was it that brought my divine garden to this far corner of the universe? It took me quite some time to trace it here," she said, her tone shifting from contemplation to mild curiosity.
Her gaze then turned downward, landing on Lilian's frail, aging form. The legendary beauty tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable as she studied the girl who had, unknowingly, become the keeper of one of her most precious creations.
