Chapter 22
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Chapter 22: Dare to Touch My Teammates
You You and her teammates never expected that merely picking a few flowers would suddenly turn their world upside down—literally. The once-stable ground completely collapsed, while cracks split the sealed sky overhead, flooding the dark space with sunlight.
Now they didn’t need to search for an exit—the sky itself had become one.
Even worse, rivers of falling rocks crashed through the cracks, leaving no room to dodge. They’d be buried alive if they stayed.
“Back to the pool!” Lin Feng barked.
The group sprinted to the pool’s edge just as the passage collapsed behind them. The heavenly pool’s overhead opening had widened from the tremors, now glowing an eerie red.
“What… what’s that?!” a teammate cried, pointing upward.
A massive red sigil burned in the sky, its talisman-like patterns writhing madly as though unraveling something ancient. Before they could process it, the ground heaved violently, swelling upward as if something monstrous sought to burst free.
“To the center!” Lin Feng shouted, gesturing to the pool’s lone stable platform.
They scrambled toward it, You You hauling two injured teammates. The instant they cleared the edge, a colossal tentacle erupted—a twisted vine of molten lava that cracked the ground with a single strike.
“What… is that?!” Even veteran monster hunters gaped; no beast they knew looked like this.
More tentacles exploded from around the pool, encircling them.
“It’s under the pool!” Lin Feng paled. The creature’s main body lurked below, explaining why only the center stayed intact.
The searing presence alone roasted their skin. Escape was impossible—flaming tentacles lashed wildly, igniting the area into an inferno. Huddled around You You, the team despaired. They’d be crushed or burned alive.
Xun Rong arrived to this nightmare. A tentacle slammed toward the group.
His heart lurched. A golden barrier flared to life around them as he cast his spell. The tentacle crashed against it, the impact hurling him back.
“Xun Rong!” You You gasped. No one expected his return.
He glared while maintaining the barrier. “What did you do?!”
“N-nothing!”
“Nothing? You woke the ruins’ guardian beasts! They only rise if the seal breaks. Undo it—now!”
Blank stares answered him. You You hesitated. “Flowers… maybe?” She opened her palm, revealing withered leaves from Liu Qing’s picking.
Xun Rong’s eyes bulged. “Those aren’t flowers—they’re the seal! Why touch them? I gave you a clear path!”
“We didn’t know.”
“You always grab things! First my pants, now this—”
“That’s unrelated! And stop mentioning your pants!”
“I didn’t—! Silence!”
“……” Well, you saved someone, you’re right!
___
The sea of flames outside burned even more fiercely. No one could tell what kind of fire it was, but the surrounding stones began to melt as the blaze spread. Xun Rong’s protective talisman trembled under the flames, clearly on the verge of collapsing.
Suddenly, You You heard a faint whistling sound behind her. Her heart lurched as she spun around. A massive tentacle burst from the ground, bypassing Xun Rong’s defenses and hurtling toward her teammates with such speed that the air seemed to catch fire.
“Move!” Without hesitation, You You shoved the teammate behind her aside and threw her hand up to block the tentacle. A searing pain shot through her palm, accompanied by the acrid smell of charred flesh.
Hiss…
It hurt!
This was the first time You You had been injured since arriving in this world. The agony of burning flesh nearly made her collapse, but she held her ground.
“Miss You!” the group cried out in unison. Before they could react, another tentacle erupted from the ground, swinging straight toward her.
“Watch out!” Lin Feng’s eyes widened as he lunged forward, barely managing to shield You You with his body. The colossal tentacle—thicker than three men combined—slammed into his back.
Blood sprayed across You You’s vision. Warm liquid drenched her robes as Lin Feng crumpled to the ground, his back reduced to a mangled mess of shattered bones and raw flesh. His Presence flickered weakly, barely detectable.
Xun Rong swiftly adjusted his protective talisman, sealing the cracks in the ground to block further attacks. He turned urgently to You You, who knelt frozen beside Lin Feng. “Hey! You! Are you hurt?”
You You didn’t answer. Her entire world had turned crimson. A faint *ding* echoed in her mind—the last thread of her restraint snapping. Uncontrollable rage erupted within her, burning away all reason.
“You bastard!” She whirled toward the tentacles, eyes blazing red. “I’ll f*ing end you—!”
An overwhelming force exploded from her body, rippling outward like a shockwave.
The inferno vanished instantly. Collapsing cliffs, falling boulders, and thrashing tentacles disintegrated into ash. Miles of lush meadow were erased, leaving only a vast, barren plain.
“Awooo—!” A pained howl erupted from underground.
With a thunderous roar, a mountain-sized creature clawed its way to the surface—only to flee in terror.
“Running?!” You You snarled. She raised her hand, and the swirling energy above condensed into a storm of crimson petals that rained down on the fleeing monster.
“Awooo! Awooo—!” The creature’s shrieks shook the earth as the petal-blades sliced it to ribbons.
Still seething, You You appeared beside the crippled monster and began kicking it violently.
“Run now, you piece of trash! Hurt my teammate again, I dare you! Come on! Get up and TRY IT!”
Each kick shrank the monster further, its pitiful wails echoing across the plain:
“Awooo… Awooo…”
Xun Rong: “……”
Liu Qing: “……”
Teammates: “……”
（￣△￣；）
