Becoming a wet nurse is not the end of the story.

"A tentacle, perhaps." As an elven archer, Orichils' eyesight was naturally excellent. In that instant, she had clearly seen an attack with barbs that were constantly wriggling.

"Tentacles?" Terrified, he grabbed Aria in front of him. In the anime, these things were the bane of people like them—warriors, archers, assassins, holy priests... emmmmm, wasn't this the prelude to being dragged into a cave?

Feeling the girl behind her trembling, Aria found it somewhat amusing. This girl was probably thinking about random things again. She was so strong, so why did she always have such strange thoughts?

"Don't worry, I will protect you."

As he spoke, he prepared to put the shield away, but his eyes subconsciously swept across the front of the shield and saw that a crack had appeared on the front of the shield, probably caused by the mysterious attack just now.

"this...."

Don't use this shield anymore; it'll probably be shattered in the next attack. Besna shook her head speechlessly. It was indeed her fault for not noticing the danger in the water. However, this lake had always been known as a forbidden zone for life; not even water birds would land on it, let alone fish.

How could such a bizarre attack suddenly occur? If there are creatures below, how do they sustain their lives?

The inexplicable attack, the strange tentacles, the eerie lake surface—at this moment, Lin Xueyin frowned slightly. She hadn't sensed the slightest warning of the attack, yet it had vanished so abruptly.

"Your Highness, let's leave here first. That tentacle probably can't leave the lake. Let's leave and wait and see what happens."

"Okay, let's leave first."

As they spoke, Lin Xueyin and her group hurriedly fled from the lakeside to the grassland. Looking at the lake, now calm again, it seemed as if nothing had ever happened. Only the crack in the shield constantly reminded them that the previous ambush had indeed occurred. An enemy lurked within this tranquility, ready to attack at any moment.

"Your Highness, please come to the center. We will do our best to protect you inside. If any problems arise, we can form the first line of defense."

Lin Xueyin frowned slightly, but she also knew that as a priest, her position was not suitable for charging to the front. Moreover, even if she was attacked, she had to prioritize protecting herself. Only if she was alive could they have the ability to continue attacking.

But as they went deeper into the area, the previous attacks seemed to vanish as quickly as they appeared, never to reappear. Lin Xueyin couldn't help but frown; the surrounding plants gave her a sense of unease.

However, as an outsider, she really didn't know what these plants were. But as she went deeper into the area, her unease grew.

"ah...."

Kono, who had been following Lin Xueyin, let out a terrified cry. At her feet, a green vine had tightly wrapped around her legs.

Fresh blood dripped continuously down the vines, and in the blink of an eye, the plants on the ground seemed to come alive, beginning to perform strange actions.

"Divine protection..."

Almost instantly, a barrier radiating holy light appeared around Lin Xueyin and the others, completely protecting them. The vines on Kono's legs, as if encountering a natural enemy, continuously contracted under the light, eventually withering within the barrier.

Dark-themed plants? Why would such plants appear here? Looking at the surrounding plants that are constantly retreating or beginning to wither, this matter is probably not simple.

"Your Highness, there are vampire vines, saber-toothed grass, and that...that's a dragon-devouring flower..."

Just as Besna recognized the two plants she had seen earlier, a strange flower that could move on its own appeared in the woods.

The vibrant purple color and tightly bound flowers revealed several stamens that swayed in the wind—no, they should be described as moving on their own—like a snake constantly flicking its tongue.

The Dragon-Eating Flower, as its name suggests, is a flower that can devour dragons, and its danger is self-evident.

"Your Highness, we must be careful. These words contain a toxin that paralyzes the nerves. Once poisoned, one will lose the ability to move within seconds and become its food."

Volume 9: The Demon Clan's Journey - Chapter 42: The Dragon-Eating Flower

Several vines relentlessly attacked the barrier Lin Xueyin had built. Hearing the crisp sounds coming from outside, Lin Xueyin had no choice but to channel her magic into the barrier with all her might to prevent it from being breached.

"This Dragon-Devouring Flower has probably reached the Saint rank. If it continues to devour corpses, it could very well become a Demon King."

Lin Xueyin stared intently at the enormous Dragon-Eating Flower. If it needed corpses to advance, then how good must the corpses have been to evolve to this level of strength? Could it be that the Kuma people mentioned earlier had become its nourishment?

Clutching her hands tightly, Lin Xueyin could hardly believe what kind of being would offer human lives as a sacrifice to this devil.

She wasn't naive enough to think that this monster had always grown here. So there was only one answer: someone had deliberately planted these dark plants here and was using them to continuously provide food for this Dragon-Eating Flower.

When the Dragon-Eating Flower had developed to this point, they no longer needed to hide. In fact, in order to allow it to evolve smoothly to the Saint rank, they sacrificed the entire Kuma people as food.

Since you are unwilling to give life the respect it deserves, then let me, your life pastor, tell you that life should only be respected and not despised.

"Get up..."

A holy light flashed in her azure pupils, and in the instant her hands crossed, the entire shield expanded once more. As Lin Xueyin stamped her foot, her staff was already back in her palm.

A holy light sword hurtled straight at the enormous Dragon-Eating Flower. Its earth-shattering and mountain-collapse-like momentum made the surrounding dark plants feel the threat of death, causing them to shrink back and no longer dare to lightly touch its edge.

The Dragon-Eating Flower also sensed a threat. Although it could not make a sound, it shot out several stamens from its open flower core, attempting to block the sacred light sword.

However, wherever the lightsaber passed, the flower stamens turned to ashes as if they had encountered flames. When a muffled roar sounded, the entire Dragon-Eating Flower was enveloped in a cloud of dust.

With the staff in hand, even if she hit the enemy, Lin Xueyin knew that such an attack posed no threat to her.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when a black whip struck Lin Xueyin's shield, creating ripples. When the dust settled, what came into view was a cocoon woven from vines, protecting the entire Dragon-Eating Flower.

However, it wasn't entirely useless. Lin Xueyin looked at the fallen vines on the ground, a relaxed smile appearing on her face. Since a holy sword could achieve this, then...

Although the Dragon-Eating Flower doesn't think like a human, its intuition tells it that the enemy before it is extremely dangerous and it absolutely cannot be allowed to launch any further attacks.

The vines, coated in potent venom, lashed out at Lin Xueyin with tremendous force. However, facing this storm of attacks, Lin Xueyin showed no fear, not even bothering to move. She raised her hand, and another barrier rose up.

The vines of the Dragon-Eating Flower fell onto the barrier without causing any ripples. However, Lin Xueyin did not want it to end there. Soon, dozens of sharp spikes appeared on the barrier.

With its rapid spin, it twisted all the attacking vines into pieces, which fell to the ground.

It seems that her self-created skills are still somewhat useful. Lin Xueyin silently gave herself a thumbs up in her heart. She had wanted to do this before when she was in the academy. Skills are static, but people are dynamic. There was no way to do it in the game back then, but now that she has a foundation, all her future advancements will depend on herself.

The vines were twisted into pieces, causing the Dragon-Eating Flower to retreat a few steps. However, Lin Xueyin had no intention of giving it any chance. With each step she pressed forward, the Dragon-Eating Flower had nowhere left to retreat.

"No, Your Highness, be careful of those vines on the ground..."

Suddenly, Besna thought of something and spoke up to warn him. In that instant, she sprang into action, rushing towards Lin Xueyin's location. At that moment, the vines on the ground that Lin Xueyin had shattered began to writhe strangely.

In an instant, vines resembling venomous snakes sprouted and lunged at Lin Xueyin. At the same moment, a vine beneath her feet had already wrapped around her ankle in the blink of an eye, suspending her high in the air before she could react. Dozens more newly grown vines followed, their sharp tips reeking of venom, ready to pierce their enemy's body.

"Hmph, a mere trifle."

Lin Xueyin snorted coldly, and in an instant, hundreds of holy swords shot out from her body, turning the vines that were attacking her into pieces once again.

Upon landing, Lin Xueyin naturally wouldn't make the same mistake twice. She stamped her foot, and holy flames ignited around her, spreading out from beneath her feet along with the light of the Holy Nova.

In the blink of an eye, the ground was completely cleaned. Lin Xueyin stared intently at the Dragon-Eating Flower. If this was all it had, its name was truly undeserved.

As if enraged, the Dragon-Eating Flower opened its heart wide, making a threatening gesture towards Lin Xueyin without giving her any hesitation.

The Dragon-Devouring Flower began to shrink, shrinking continuously at a visible speed, causing its size to change. Lin Xueyin frowned deeply. Although she didn't know what the other party's purpose was, under the current circumstances, its attack was definitely extraordinary and most likely its trump card.

Lin Xueyin strengthened her shield to its maximum level again and infused some magic into Divine Protection, completing all the protective measures. She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Since you've gone all out, I'll play along to the end."

A torrent of holy swords...

Almost simultaneously, the Dragon-Devouring Flower also erupted with intense energy, its body suddenly expanding. With this instantaneous release, all the venom within the Dragon-Devouring Flower burst forth, colliding with the torrent of holy sword energy, which resembled a raging tsunami.

The ground reeked of the corrosive stench of poison, while the air was filled with the brilliance of a shattered holy sword. The torrent of holy light swords and the stench of poison surged forth, neither yielding to the other.

Lin Xueyin knew that she absolutely could not make the slightest mistake. The fact that the venom could dissolve the Holy Sword showed that her shield was no match for these attacks. She could only rely on counter-attacking to completely wear them down.

So now we'll see whether it has more venom or more magic.

As she always said, when it comes to magic, Lin Xueyin has never been afraid. The radiant lightsaber gradually gained the upper hand on the battlefield. After Lin Xueyin further increased her magical output, it completely suppressed the venom with overwhelming force, ultimately channeling it all into the body of the Dragon-Eating Flower.

Without any roar or scream, the sinful Dragon-Eating Flower withered and curled up on the ground. Lin Xueyin slowly walked to its side, looking at the bewitching purple flower.

The sacred fire silently descended upon it, and finally, it turned into ashes, which vanished with the wind.

Volume 9: The Demon Clan's Journey - Chapter 43: Deeper Exploration

The matter of the Dragon-Eating Flower cast a heavy shadow over Lin Xueyin's mind. Such a huge Dragon-Eating Flower had taken root here, yet no one had been able to escape. The problem here was probably not just the Dragon-Eating Flower itself.

Moreover, since the enemy is now able to cultivate a Dragon-Eating Flower, it's unclear whether they have other trump cards. In particular, the enemy's own strength is a complete mystery.

"Yukino, look, there seems to be smoke coming from a chimney ahead."

Just as Lin Xueyin was feeling somewhat lost about her future, Orichils keenly noticed that wisps of smoke were rising from the depths of the forest.

"How can there be smoke rising from a place like this?" Following Orichalcos's finger, Lin Xueyin indeed noticed wisps of white smoke drifting out of the forest.

"I'm afraid there are other adventurers there who came here to investigate, just like us. I just wonder what their situation is, and whether they've also encountered enemies."

Thinking of the Dragon-Eating Flower from earlier, Lin Xueyin couldn't help but shudder. It was true, she almost capsized in a ditch, getting her ankle grabbed by it. If she hadn't been quick-witted, she probably would have really been in serious trouble.

"How about we go check it out there?"

Feeling somewhat unsure, Lin Xueyin had been uneasy ever since she entered this foothills, as if something was about to happen here, a feeling similar to when she was investigating ancient ruins in Slummerd County.

That time, I was tricked and almost killed by those necromancers in the ruins. Now, I feel that tension and unease again here.

This made Lin Xueyin extremely cautious about every decision she made, especially in this eerily quiet forest, where she had to be even more careful.

Besna was unaware of Lin Xueyin's anxiety about this matter. However, her instinct for danger made her think that it was unwise to cross the forest and go deep into the woods to investigate the mysterious smoke.

"Your Highness, let's stick to the original route and explore further in. It's too far away. If we go through there, we won't have enough time, and we don't know the dangers along the way."

"Okay, then let's continue along the same path. If any problems arise along the way, everyone move closer to me. I will use my shields to defend first."

Since defeating the Dragon-Eating Flower, Lin Xueyin has never put her staff away. The road ahead is long and fraught with danger, but she is also prepared to throw herself into battle at any time.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, the once bright sunlight was obscured by the dense foliage, and the scattered rays of light suddenly darkened the woods.

To prevent any accidents, Lin Xueyin quickly activated shields for everyone. If there was a sneak attack, they could be protected immediately and have enough time to react.

The sacred light made Lin Xueyin and her group appear larger in the forest, but even so, the forest remained tranquil, and the chirping of insects and birds that could be heard outside gradually disappeared here.

With a slight frown, Lin Xueyin and the others also noticed this strange phenomenon after venturing deeper into the forest. Under normal circumstances, how could a forest be so quiet? It was as if something had cleared the area out.

"Is there something wrong here? Why is there no sound at all?"

Lin Xueyin gently patted Ariel and Lilia, who were holding her hands tightly, and then surveyed her surroundings.

“There may be some hidden dangers here. We should all be careful. Your Highness, you and the children should come to the middle. I am worried that someone may attack you.”

A sneak attack? Lin Xueyin thought of a venomous snake she had encountered before. It was very dangerous; in fact, if she hadn't been careful, she probably would have lost her life to that snake's fangs.

"Xueyin, come to my side. This place is probably not simple. We must all be on high alert. Only in this way can we ensure our safety to the greatest extent."

Pandelina rarely spoke, but her words affirmed Besna's stance. At the same time, she knew that Lin Xueyin's current situation absolutely could not afford any problems; if anything happened, the Demon King's wrath would be unleashed upon everyone around her.

Even the Xima Empire could become one of the Demon King's targets for venting his anger. At that point, there probably won't be another Lin Xueyin to act as a firefighter.

"Ah... what is this...?"

As we were making our tense progress, we suddenly heard Cono's panicked voice from beside us. His trembling cries of terror startled us.

Kno collapsed to the ground, pointing to a patch of somewhat lush grass she had stepped on earlier. A bright green leg bone came into view.

"Is this a human leg bone?"