CHAPTER 329: CHAPTER 329: A FINE LINE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH (1)_1

"Stop! We can’t burn it with fire!" Elder Shi cried out urgently. But it was too late; the Fire Dragon composed of flames was already hurtling towards the Man-Eating Flower’s blossom.

While struggling against the black roots entwined around her, Shangguan You directed the fire to burn the Man-Eating Flower to cinders, roots and all. She refused to believe there was anything that fire couldn’t destroy!

"Stop it now!" Elder Ming also shouted. The more the two elders struggled, the more blood they coughed up. RUMBLE! A deafening explosion rocked the cavern as flames surged, and the Inferno Fire swept towards the black Man-Eating Flower.

A dazzling light flashed. Shangguan You stared, wide-eyed, at the incredible scene unfolding before her. Her Inferno Fire had actually been swallowed by the Man-Eating Flower! The flower blinked twice, and her Inferno Fire vanished completely. She could hardly believe her eyes as the Man-Eating Flower transitioned from black to red, the roots coiling around her body tightening and thickening. She suddenly felt like crying. By some cruel twist of fate, she had helped the Man-Eating Flower transform from black to red, and its power was continually growing stronger!

"Alas," Elder Ming sighed deeply, "this type of Man-Eating Flower is impervious to both water and fire. Now that it has consumed the Inferno Fire, its power has increased. Originally, if the three of us had joined forces, we might have had a slim chance of escape. Now, even that hope is gone." In his agitation, he coughed up more blood.

His blood was rapidly absorbed by the roots.

GURGLE! GURGLE! GURGLE! The sounds emanated from the Man-Eating Flower’s maw. Shangguan You was assaulted by a putrid, fishy stench that washed over them. Then, with several CRACKLE! CRACKLE! sounds, her body felt as if it had been struck by a hundred-watt electric current, searing her from the inside out.

The black cloak she wore began to smoke under the electric assault from the flower’s mouth. Even the fake, silver-streaked white hair on her head was zapped into a scorched, curly black mess.

When Shangguan You recovered from the Electric Shock, she saw that Elders Ming and Shi were in no better state. If not for the dire time and place, she would have burst out laughing. The two old men looked utterly comical.

Patches of the two elders’ silver-streaked beards were charred black. Their robes were riddled with holes and smoldering.

The three of them had just endured a powerful Electric Shock, as if struck by lightning. If the current had been any stronger, they would have been killed instantly.

CRACKLE! CRACKLE! CRACKLE! The sound echoed again. Shangguan You watched as the red Man-Eating Flower’s maw crackled, and another powerful electric current surged towards them. It’s over! she thought desperately. One more hit, and I’ll definitely be electrocuted to death! "Shield of Earth!" Shangguan You cried softly. Earth from the cavern walls rapidly converged, forming a shield to block the fiercely incoming current.

"Ice Seal!"

The overwhelming electric current was swiftly frozen within layers of ice by her Water Element. Sensing the surroundings calm once more, Shangguan You wiped the sweat from her forehead and smoothed her singed, fake beard. Thank goodness, she thought with relief. No matter how battered I am, at least my identity isn’t exposed.

Just as she and Elders Ming and Shi breathed a collective sigh of relief, CRACK! CRACK! The sounds persisted. The electric current, previously sealed in ice, shattered its frozen prison and charged towards the Shield of Earth once more.

"Damn it!" Shangguan You cursed inwardly, reinforcing her Shield of Earth while struggling frantically against the roots. But the more she struggled, the tighter they constricted.

She watched helplessly as the current pierced her Shield of Earth and surged straight towards her. Her body was jolted by the Electric Shock again, numb and tingling. Once more, she experienced the sensation of being struck by lightning. It was a torment that pushed her to the brink of death, yet paradoxically, it also felt like a dizzying, almost ecstatic ascent to immortality.

After the current had coursed through her body, Shangguan You took several deep breaths, exhaling a cloud of murky air. She once again tried to smooth down her smoldering hair. It felt as if she had teetered on the brink of life and death twice now.

Elders Ming and Shi were in an even worse state. She at least had the Shield of Earth for some protection. The two old men, however, had been directly struck, their bodies blackened, their faces completely soot-covered. Smoke curled from their beards as they were continuously electrocuted, all while violently coughing up blood.

If they kept losing blood like this, they would bleed to death long before the Man-Eating Flower could consume them.

"We have to stop it, quickly!" Elder Ming roared, his voice strained. "Otherwise, we’ll truly become its food! We can’t break free as it is! Once we’re in its mouth, we’ll be instantly reduced to a bloody pulp!" His shout made Shangguan You, who had momentarily relaxed, tense up once more.

The roots binding her tightened with increasing speed. The red Man-Eating Flower opened its enormous, blood-red maw, revealing rows of sharp teeth that it ground incessantly. It was waiting for them to passively enter its mouth and become its meal, allowing it to grow larger and continue evolving.

Elders Ming and Shi desperately blasted the roots coiling around them with their Spiritual Energy. THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! The sounds echoed continuously within the cavern.

"Water Chains!" Shangguan You cried out. Pale blue chains shot out, wrapping tightly around the cavern walls on either side, suspending her in mid-air. She was now engaged in a desperate tug-of-war against the Man-Eating Flower’s roots. She hadn’t lived long enough; she didn’t want to die yet!

"Ice Seal! Earth Power! Combine!" Shangguan You commanded, feeling the immense force pulling at her body. She unleashed every ounce of power she had.

Staring at the Man-Eating Flower, now perilously close, she knew: If I keep holding back, death is the only way out! A relentless barrage of earth and massive chunks of ice surged towards the Man-Eating Flower.

The Man-Eating Flower opened its massive maw wide and spat a torrent at the incoming earth and ice, plunging the cavern into chaos. Simultaneously, it launched Electric Shocks, deflecting and scattering the earth and ice.

The entire cavern was a whirlwind of flying soil and scattering ice shards, punctuated by intermittent bolts of electricity. Shangguan You desperately channeled her Spiritual Energy to attack the roots binding her, her mind racing to find a way to escape this deadly trap.

The pressure on her body intensified, the relentless pull threatening to tear her apart. She knew that if she withdrew her Water Element, she would be instantly dragged into the Man-Eating Flower’s maw.

Elders Ming and Shi could at least continue to cough up blood until they had no more left to give before being consumed. But she... she would be the first to be devoured by the Man-Eating Flower.