CHAPTER 656: CHAPTER 656: VINES

A gust of wind suddenly appeared, and Zhenhao and his wife were directly transported to the second floor of the villa. Chen Xue and Qi Yuan immediately adjusted their positions, leaving the battlefield in Yang Chuan!

"Yang Chuan, is it?"

Seeing what was left of Yang Chuan, as others had already reached the second floor, Camilla, who had previously remained silent, finally erupted in laughter. "I’ve heard of you before!" Without further ado, she approached him. "Rescuing people in front of me, even with the wealth of saving graces, do you think going against me is anything other than suicidal?"

Yet, Yang Chuan did not respond to Camilla’s mocking words, nor did he react at all.

Camilla observed him, her expression darkening slightly. "Why? Did you not hear what I said?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Chuan spoke calmly, "I heard you perfectly well; I just think you’re unworthy."

Unworthy.

As soon as those words left Yang Chuan’s mouth, Camilla’s temples throbbed, and veins began to surface on her forehead.

She, a confidant of Xin Atu, had long considered herself a true God!

The question of Yang Tian’s declaration of divinity arose only due to Yang Tianchuan’s sudden emergence during the operation to save Chen Fu.

This act led others to perceive Yang Chuan’s strength as that of an admirable cultivator.

An "admirable" thing, nothing more.

Someone who held no evident reverence for Yang Tian, someone who dared to recklessly oppose her?

How could she tolerate such behavior!

Camilla sneered coldly, "Hahaha! Since I began awaiting gods’ descent into this world, it’s been ages since anyone dared behave as senselessly as you! Do you think you can stand before me as an equal? Very well, let me show you just where you truly belong!"

With that, Camilla raised her hand, and a deep green aura began to pulse and ripple.

Crack! Crack!

Amidst the echoing sounds, the villa’s floor fractured into countless splinters, and an array of green vines began to sprout!

In an instant, an enormous vine, as thick as an adult’s torso, had grown, shaking the very foundation of the villa.

"The Divine Position of Lady Camilla!"

Witnessing such a miraculous display, Camilla’s subordinate Jin Ziping erupted into shouts of joy and even prostrated himself on the ground.

Yet Camilla remained aloof, merely flicking her wrist.

In an instant, the vines, moving as fluidly and flexibly as her own limbs, surged toward Yang Qianxi.

Yet, as the vines reached toward Yang Chuan, he remained completely unmoved. His expression seemed as calm and unchanging as though he were paralyzed, standing frozen in place.

"Hah, as expected—just another insignificant ant!"

Camilla’s lips twisted into a smile, which quickly turned cruel.

Meanwhile, her vines wrapped layer upon layer around the three-story structure, quickly engulfing the entirety of Yang Bu in a suffocating green cocoon.

"Done! You can go up and pack up Zhenhao’s family now."

Camilla turned her gaze toward the tightly-wrapped vines and spoke to Jin Ziping behind her.

Jin Ziping hesitated for a moment, pointing toward Qian Dao. "What about... him?"

Smirking faintly, Camilla replied, "Don’t worry. He’s already bound by the castle of my vines, his entire life force absorbed in but an instant—it’s pointless to dwell on him any further."

Camilla raised her hand once more, and her green vines shimmered with an ethereal brilliance.

"It’s been so long since I last consumed a cultivator’s life force. Haha, I wonder how much power this biting little dog will add to me?"

Camilla seemed utterly pleased with herself.

"Stop."

Suddenly, a black flame flickered to life at the base of the vines, startling even her.

The sight of the black flames caused a shudder, spreading rapidly across the vines’ roots at an alarming speed, reducing the entirety of her summoned vine to ash within moments.

In stark contrast, Yang Chuan calmly stepped forward from the smoldering ashes, his boots clicking against scorched ground as vines disintegrated around him.

Amidst the swirling maelstrom of black flames, Yang Chuan emerged, utterly untouched. Emotionless, he fixed his gaze on Camilla. "Do you understand now?"

Understand...

Hearing Yang Tianchuan’s words, Camilla’s body began to tremble violently.

Who... who was he?

She was the noble descendant of the Nordic Palace, the enigmatic patron of the forest, the son of the woods—Camilla!

Was this insignificant dog, this ant of a man, claiming to challenge her?

Had he no reverence for her divine status, dismissing her divine qi as mere parlor tricks?

Yet, as her fury swelled, a trace of unease crept into Camilla’s heart.

Though it was no ordinary vine, it was summoned with the divine energy of the Feiyue God from the Nordic Palace itself—a sacred manifestation!

Such blessed creations were leagues beyond mortal comprehension—they were indestructible!

No mere cultivator, not even one armed with divine steel, could inflict a scratch upon the castle of vines.

Yet Yang Chuan had reduced it all to ashes with just a peculiar black flame, burning away what was previously unyielding and eternal.

Camilla’s expression grew grim. At the very least, Yang Chuan’s power exceeded anything she could have anticipated, perhaps even worthy of the mythos of the World Myth.

Though fearing Yang Chuan’s overwhelming strength, she spoke with icy arrogance. "Hah, Yang Chuan. Do you truly believe this paltry magic grants you the right to act so arrogantly before me?"

Camilla’s entire being began glowing faintly with a green light, exuding a strange and potent allure—it radiated from her, targeting Yang Chuan directly.

Yang Chuan noticed the glow, and gradually, his skin began to dry, lines appearing on his youthful face.

"Life force absorption?"

Feeling the transformation in his body, Yang Chuan’s brow tightened slightly.

Camilla laughed delightedly. "Exactly! This is my special magic—the art of seizing life, unparalleled immortality! Anyone, no matter who they are, will have their life force stripped away the moment I spin the threads of their destiny. Let them collapse before me in agony!"

As Camilla swirled her hand, attempting to drain Yang Tianchuan’s life in the same way she had with so many before, she expected to see him withered and groveling powerlessly before her feet.

But unfortunately for her, the man before her was not someone ordinary—he was Yang Chuan!

The mythic figure of the World Myth, Yang Qian!

The greatest Yang Chuan in existence!

Life force was merely another form of power.

Camilla had specialized in stealing life energy to fuel her own strength—but could that supernatural theft exceed the art of magic itself?

Before she could react, Yang Chuan smirked faintly, raising a single finger. "Return it!"

In an instant, the green light emitting from Camilla’s body was forcibly ripped away, transforming into streaks of radiance that shot toward Yang Chuan’s palm, disappearing entirely into his body.

Simultaneously, Camilla’s once-radiant golden hair turned ghostly white. Wrinkles marred her once-immaculate features.

"What... what is this? What have you done to me?"

Feeling the rapid depletion of her life force, while Yang Chuan’s vitality surged ever stronger, Camilla was shocked beyond words.

This was unlike anything she had encountered before.

In a cruel reversal, she found her precious energy being stolen by the man she intended to kill.

For the first time, true fear gripped her soul. "What... what are you doing?"

"What am I doing?"

Yang Bu spoke coldly. "Killing you."

Killing... me?

Camilla trembled at Yang Chuan’s straightforward response, panic flashing in her eyes.

She, who often stole lives and reveled in watching others fade into despair, now understood the price of her own cruelty.

"Please... please, don’t kill me! Don’t take my life...

Camilla’s arrogance crumbled entirely in an instant, leaving her groveling like a pitiful insect, begging for mercy from Yang Chuan.

But the look in Yang Chuan’s eyes remained cold and unmoving, his expression and posture showing no sign of leniency whatsoever.