Chapter 19: Weeping Bloom
Su Xiao stared at Maha for a few seconds. At this point, whether what the other party said was true or false no longer mattered.
Before entering Kukuru Mountain, Su Xiao had already known there might be no way back. The first step of the hidden quest offered high rewards; having no retreat was only natural.
Wanting to reap great benefits without taking any risks was simply impossible.
"According to the information you provided, there's only one way forward now? If we turn back, even with good luck, we'd have to wait a week?"
Su Xiao sheathed Dragon-Slaying Flash and looked ahead at the dozens of cave entrances.
"That's right. Once we're here, there's basically no turning back."
Maha pulled a wooden box from the large backpack on his back and tossed it directly to Su Xiao.
"This is what you deserve."
Su Xiao caught the box and opened it to find four Soul Crystals (Large). After confirming they were correct, he put the box away.
"We continue forward. To reach the center, we have to pass through the territories of at least two more types of exotic plants. Going further, we'll encounter the Weeping Bloom. The Weeping Bloom is a very ferocious predatory plant. We can only force our way through."
Maha walked up to the dozens of cave openings and began inspecting the marks at the edges of each one.
"Here."
Maha quickly selected an oval opening about four meters high and two meters wide. He crawled inside first.
"Bai Ye, I'll handle any Weeping Blooms that appear. When I'm exhausted, you take over. I can't die yet—at least not now."
Maha's act of taking the lead greatly reduced the possibility of him being a schemer. In fact, Maha didn't dare to be one. Killua and Alluka were both in the team. If things got out of control in this dangerous Kukuru Mountain, those two would be the first to die.
"This terrain isn't very suitable for my fighting style."
"Mm, so conserve your strength as much as possible. Even if I'm seriously injured, don't bother with me. As long as I can reach the center alive, that's enough. My weak points are my head and upper torso. As long as those two areas aren't critically damaged, I won't die within a few days."
In this narrow cave opening, Maha had his back to Su Xiao. If Su Xiao attacked now, Maha's survival rate would be less than thirty percent.
The team slowly advanced into the cave leading to an unknown direction. The deeper they went, the darker the light ahead became.
Su Xiao took out two military-grade glow sticks, snapped them to activate them, and tossed one to Maha. Both hung them on their belts, the blue fluorescence illuminating the surroundings.
Schlup, schlup...
Chewing sounds came from ahead. Su Xiao pulled the glow stick from his belt and threw it forward.
As the glow stick flew, the area ahead gradually lit up with blue light. A "person" was sitting ahead, back to Su Xiao and the others, eating something with its head down.
With a clatter, the glow stick hit the ground. The "person" paused, turning its head to look at the glow stick beside it.
Under the blue light, Su Xiao and the others saw clearly that it wasn't a human at all, but a humanoid plant. It looked like a Rafflesia pulled up by the roots—its roots served as legs, its branches as a torso, and its blooming flower bud as a head. This was likely the Weeping Bloom.
"Ooh?"
The Weeping Bloom turned its head toward Su Xiao and the others. Though it had no eyes, Su Xiao sensed it was looking at him.
"Waaah!!"
A piercing scream erupted, accompanied by visible soundwaves. The surrounding stone walls instantly became covered in fine cracks.
A ringing sound filled Su Xiao's ears. If he was affected like this, Killua and the others were even worse off.
"Owww~"
A pained howl came from Bubu Wang. His hearing was the sharpest, so he suffered the most damage.
The soundwaves continued to assault them. The Weeping Bloom tilted its head back, using all its strength to emit its horrible wail.
Maha was also dizzy from the vibration, but his hands were covering Alluka's ears. In Maha's view, Nanika inside Alluka was the real freak, while Alluka was his own descendant.
Despite Maha's protection, Alluka still fainted directly.
"Ah!"
Killua clutched his ears, veins bulging on his pale little face, bloodshot eyes appearing.
Seeing this, Su Xiao grabbed Killua by the back of the neck and tossed him toward Amu.
Amu caught Killua in one motion, pressing his large hands against the sides of Killua's head. Killua's body soon went limp, and he passed out.
Bang!
A dull gunshot rang out, and the wailing stopped.
Su Xiao held a sniper cannon over two meters long. This wasn't the newly acquired [Duke of Annihilation]; [Duke of Annihilation]'s bullets were too expensive. He was using the Spider Empress now.
The Spider Empress's power hadn't yet reached the point where it needed to be retired. More importantly, its bullets were cheaper.
One shot, and the upper half of the Weeping Bloom was blown apart.
"This is the Weeping Bloom?"
The ringing in Su Xiao's ears gradually faded.
"Huh?"
Old Man Maha looked at Su Xiao in confusion.
"Speak louder."
The old man was already advanced in age. After being shaken like that, his hearing had severely deteriorated in a short time.
"It's nothing."
"What's not dead? That thing is already dead."
"It's nothing!"
"Huh?"
"..."
After more than ten seconds, Old Man Maha's hearing returned to normal. This old man was usually serious and rigid, but just now, his stern image had completely crumbled.
"The Weeping Bloom's body is relatively fragile, but that screaming is troublesome. It attracts a large number of Weeping Bloo—"
Before Maha could finish, the entire cave began to shake.
Boom, boom, boom...
From the darkness ahead came dense, rapid footsteps. Five seconds later, countless Weeping Blooms surged forward.
Yes, surged. These Weeping Blooms were packed together, occasionally trampling their own kind to death. As soon as one was crushed, it was devoured by those behind.
"Here they come again."
Old Man Maha shouted while covering Alluka's ears.
"Waaah!!"
Countless Weeping Blooms began to scream, and visible layers of soundwaves rushed toward Su Xiao and the others.
Su Xiao extended his hand forward, and a 400-point strength energy shield appeared in front of him. The shield was larger than the cave's diameter, so it directly embedded into the stone walls.
Buzz, buzz...
The entire energy shield began to vibrate, fine cracks rapidly appearing.
Old Man Maha clearly hadn't expected Su Xiao to have such a trick. Throughout the journey here, Maha had grown increasingly satisfied with their cooperation.
"Twenty seconds."
"That's enough."
Black Nen surged from Maha's body, and a Nen energy ball gradually formed around his fist, enveloping it.
Maha tossed Alluka, who was in his arms, toward Su Xiao.
"Take care of her for now. Don't intervene. I'll handle this many Weeping Blooms."
With a crack, the energy shield was shattered by the soundwaves. Maha's body crouched, and he charged forward against the soundwaves.
As soon as Maha rushed forward, Su Xiao immediately generated a second 200-point strength energy shield in front of himself.
Charging into the soundwaves, Maha's eyes bulged, and two streams of blood sprayed from his ear holes. His face even trembled with the frequency of the soundwaves.
Boom!
A thunderous noise came from ahead. The damage rate of the energy shield in front of Su Xiao slowed, and after more than ten seconds, the soundwaves ceased.
Maha was now locked in a fierce battle with the horde of Weeping Blooms. These creatures weren't just capable of high-intensity soundwaves; their speed and bite force were also terrifying.