"I'm really fine. Should we keep going down?"
"I want to go deeper and see what's really down there," Sean said. "Are you still okay?"
"Yeah."
"Um..." His face reddened a little. He reached out to her: "I'll keep channeling spiritual power to you—it'll help you feel better."
Lucy didn't say anything and simply placed her small hand in his.
Sean held on tightly, a faint smile curling his lips as he led her further down.
The deeper they went, the darker it got.
But after passing a certain threshold, it suddenly brightened again.
This brightness was like the dawn in the east—soft and natural.
On one sheer cliff face, there was a deep, horizontal U-shaped recess.
When they landed on the floor of the recess, the pressure instantly eased.
Looking around, the hollow was several meters high and deep, as if naturally formed.
At the very back was a stone cave, pitch black inside.
"There are signs someone once lived here," Lucy said. "Could someone actually be living in that cave?"
"Let's go take a look." Sean still held her hand as they walked over.
At the cave entrance grew a kind of purple, vine-like plant.
It wound all around the cave entrance, looking rather strange.
"What kind of plant is this?" Lucy patted her forehead. "I feel like I've seen it somewhere before..."
"I've never seen it," Sean said.
"Let's go in and check it out." Lucy couldn't remember, so she just pulled Sean inside.
But just then, the purple vine suddenly sprang to life and wrapped around both of them.
Lucy unleashed a blast of Qilin Phoenix Fire.
At the same time, Sean drew his sword and slashed toward its root.
To their shock, the purple vine could actually absorb their Divine Power, converting it into its own defense.
So neither Lucy's Divine Fire nor Sean's sword could harm it at all.
Instead, their own Divine Power was flooding out of them uncontrollably, like a dam bursting.
"Oh my god! I know what this is now!" Lucy cried out in alarm. "It's... it's the Soulbane Vine! It won't stop until it's sucked us dry!"
Sean had heard of this thing too. His face changed, and red light surged on his sword as he slashed fiercely at the vine holding Lucy.
Apparently, that strange red energy of his couldn't be absorbed by the Soulbane Vine.
With that strike, a wound opened on its root, and the vine suddenly released Lucy.
Lucy seized the chance to escape.
Looking back, she saw the vine had tightly bound Sean's hands, wrapping around him again and again so he couldn't swing his sword anymore.
His Divine Power was being drained rapidly, and his struggles grew weaker and weaker.
Lucy’s mind raced—how could she save him?
Touching it just got you drained!
Spell attacks got drained too.
Sound attacks didn’t work on it either.
...
After racking her brain, she could only think of one thing: "Tell the fish to take us away! Only it can do it!"
Sean nodded, his voice weak and hoarse: "Eternal Wishfish! Take us both away! Get us out of here!"
A blinding red light shot out from Sean's chest.
Lucy instinctively shielded her eyes.
When she lowered her hand, she realized they were no longer in the cave.
They had arrived on the highest mountain near Wildlands City, where they’d come from.
On the mountain grew an old tea tree, lush and full of spiritual energy.
There were stones under the tree, worn smooth from frequent use—someone must often come here to sit.