novelTele Chapter 72 Cloud Vine
Chapter 72 Cloud Vine
"Let's go, it's time to go back." Lin Yun put away the last batch of plant spirits and said to He Lingruo.
The two turned and walked back the way they came towards the edge of the island. Thick fog still shrouded the entire island, but Lin Yun's mental power allowed him to clearly perceive everything around him. More than seventy spirit plants lay quietly in his spatial ring, and along with three sets of Black God armor, this harvest far exceeded his expectations.
He Lingruo followed behind him, her steps much lighter than the previous two days. The Black God Suit had already recognized her as its master, transforming into a thin, close-fitting black film covering her skin, its defensive power several times stronger than her previous combat suit. The hearts of three thousand-year-old willow trees lay quietly in her backpack.
After walking for a while, Lin Yun suddenly stopped.
His mental power detected an anomaly—deep within the island, there was an extremely vast life force. The intensity of that force far surpassed any plant spirit he had ever sensed before, and even far exceeded any monster he had ever encountered. It was not dormant, but awake, yet it seemed motionless, as if rooted to the spot.
Lin Yun's pupils contracted slightly.
"What's wrong?" He Lingruo noticed his unusual behavior.
"There's something else." Lin Yun's gaze fell into the depths of the island, his voice tinged with seriousness. "Very strong."
He Lingruo gripped the spear tightly. She had never seen Lin Yun show such an expression before—not nervousness, not fear, but an instinctive alertness in the face of a power far beyond his comprehension.
"How strong?" she asked.
Lin Yun was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "If it is hostile to us, we won't even have a chance to escape."
He Lingruo's expression changed. She trusted Lin Yun's judgment. Even Lin Yun, who had comprehended the Thunder Domain, said such a thing; the terrifying nature of that thing far exceeded her imagination.
"What is it?" she asked.
"A plant," Lin Yun said, "but its strength... is at least at the King level."
He didn't mention the name "Moyun Vine." Very few people on Earth knew of it, and he didn't want to explain how he knew it. But he knew in his heart—it was a Moyun Vine seedling. Even as a seedling, it possessed the strength of a high-level planetary-rank. Apart from the world's strongest being, "Hong," probably no one in the world could rival it.
"Senior sister, let's retreat first," Lin Yun said. "This is not something we can handle."
The two quickly retreated to the coastline at the edge of the island. Lin Yun found a high spot, sat cross-legged, and kept his mental focus fixed on the life force in the valley. He Lingruo sat beside him, her spear across her lap, keeping watch on their surroundings.
"What are you planning to do?" He Lingruo asked.
"Report it to the martial arts school," Lin Yun said. "This level of existence should be handled by the martial arts school."
He took out his communicator from his waist, checked the signal; although the fog on Fog Island was thick, the communication signal was still relatively stable. He pressed the emergency contact button.
"Hello," a deep voice replied.
"Hello, I'm Lin Yun from the Elite Training Camp," Lin Yun said.
"What is it?" The deep voice was completely flat.
Lin Yun said, "It's like this, I discovered several plant spirits on a mysterious island in Australia! Just as I was about to leave, I found an even more powerful plant deep inside, its aura extremely strong, far surpassing that of a lord-level monster!"
"The spirit of plants and trees?"
The deep voice let out a slight exclamation, then continued, "Very good. You've discovered such a place. According to the internal distribution rules of my Limitless Martial Arts Academy, the person who discovers a treasure trove and reports back will receive 10% of the proceeds once confirmed. Those who go to fight and mine will receive 30% based on their contribution. The remaining 60% will belong to the entire academy."
"Please tell me the coordinates of Kirishima," the deep voice continued.
After Lin Yun reported his location, the other end hung up.
About two hours later, Lin Yun's mental power detected a powerful aura rapidly approaching Fog Island. It wasn't coming from the sea, but from the sky.
He opened his eyes and looked up.
In the sky, a streak of pale blue light pierced through the mist, like a shooting star falling from the heavens. The light moved swiftly, hovering above the misty island in the blink of an eye.
It was a triangular fighter jet, entirely dark blue, with a smooth, mirror-like surface without a single seam. The fighter jet's hatch opened silently, and a figure stepped out.
The man was wearing a dark blue uniform with the insignia of an inspector pinned to his chest. He was tall, with a stern face and sharp, piercing eyes. He was none other than Inspector Liu, whom Lin Yun had met once before.
Lin Yun stood up and bowed slightly in that direction.
Inspector Liu descended slowly from the sky, his footsteps landing silently on the ground of Fog Island. His gaze swept over Lin Yun and He Lingruo, then settled on the depths of the island.
"So you're the spirit of plants and trees you found here?" The inspector's voice was deep and powerful.
"Yes," Lin Yun said.
"Very good," the man nodded. "Where is the plant you mentioned?"
"It's in a valley deep inside the island," Lin Yun said. "I'll take you there."
Inspector Liu waved his hand: "No need, you wait here, I'll go take a look myself."
His body rose again, transforming into a streak of light, and flew towards the depths of the island. Lin Yun's mental energy followed him, sensing his movement. Inspector Liu was incredibly fast, disappearing into the mist in the blink of an eye.
About fifteen minutes later, Inspector Liu returned. In his hand were some glowing plant spirits—things Lin Yun hadn't noticed before, probably hidden in deeper rock crevices.
"I saw that plant you mentioned," Inspector Liu said, his voice tinged with seriousness. "It is indeed very powerful. Its aura is at least at the high-level planetary stage, or even higher. I am no match for it."
"Then what should we do?" Lin Yun asked.
"I've already reported it to the curator," Inspector Liu said. "The curator will handle it personally. But before that, I need to confirm the specific details of this plant."
He took out a palm-sized metal device from his waist and began scanning the surrounding environment. Lin Yun didn't know what it was, but he could sense the special energy fluctuations emanating from the device.
"You all retreat first," said Inspector Liu. "I'll go take another look."
He flew deeper into the island once more. This time, he flew very low, almost skimming the treetops.
Lin Yun and He Lingruo retreated to the coastline, gazing into the depths of the island. Thick fog obscured everything, but Lin Yun's mental power still allowed him to sense Inspector Liu's location.
Inspector Liu circled several times above the valley, seemingly conducting a more detailed investigation. He continuously scanned every detail of the plant—the thickness of its trunk, the number of vines, and the intensity of its life force.
Then, he did something he shouldn't have done.
He lowered his body, trying to get closer to the plant to collect a leaf as a sample. He moved quickly and gently, but the plant was still disturbed.
"Boom~~~"
The entire island of Kirishima suddenly trembled.
Within Lin Yun's mental power, the previously calm life force suddenly surged, erupting like a volcano. The intensity of the energy fluctuations caused Lin Yun's very soul to tremble.
"Hurry up!" Inspector Liu's stern shout came from deep within the island.
Lin Yun saw a dark purple vine, at least twenty centimeters in diameter, shoot up from the thick fog. The vine stretched for hundreds of meters, its length invisible, extending from the valley floor and continuing to extend. It was as if a giant vine, reaching from the earth, was coiling towards Inspector Liu.
Inspector Liu reacted extremely quickly, his body making a sharp turn in the air and flying in another direction. But the long vine was even faster—it was like a giant, coiling python, drawing strange arcs in the air, relentlessly pursuing him.
"laugh--"
A long, thin blade, almost transparent, materialized in Inspector Liu's hand, gleaming coldly in the mist. He turned and slashed at the long vine.
The deafening clang of metal clashing sent shockwaves radiating outwards in all directions. The towering trees below were shattered by the shockwave, splintering wood everywhere.
But Lin Yun noticed that the dark purple vine, which was twenty centimeters in diameter, only had a wound about one centimeter deep left on its surface after being cleaved by the long knife. Moreover, the wound healed completely in the blink of an eye, as if it had never been injured at all.
Inspector Liu's expression changed.
"Rumble~~~"
The entire fog island trembled once more. A second, seemingly endless, dark purple vine rapidly emerged from the thick fog and coiled towards Inspector Liu.
Then, the third, the fourth, the fifth...
Long vines piercing the sky, like the tentacles of the entire Fog Island, lashed out wildly, besieging Inspector Liu from all directions. Each vine was over a thousand meters long, blackish-purple, and twenty centimeters in diameter, equally tough and possessing terrifying regenerative abilities.
Inspector Liu's speed was already at its limit, covering hundreds of meters in a single leap, but his hiding space was shrinking with the help of the six long vines. These vines could twist and entwine at will, moving so fast that they became phantoms, leaving him no way to escape.
"You must leave quickly!" Inspector Liu's voice carried a hint of anxiety. "This is beyond my ability to handle!"
Without hesitation, Lin Yun grabbed He Lingruo, released his mental power, and flew towards the sea with her, stepping on his battle blade.
Behind them, the battle continued.
Inspector Liu desperately dodged the attacks of the long vines, his long sword slashing repeatedly, but each strike only left shallow wounds that vanished in an instant. The six vines worked in perfect coordination, repeatedly compressing his space to maneuver.
"boom!"
A long vine lashed out in mid-air, like a whip. The over 1,000-meter-long, dark purple vine suddenly lashed out, producing a loud cracking sound that made Lin Yun's ears ring.
Inspector Liu narrowly avoided the attack, but a scratch was still left on his combat uniform.
"Damn it!" Inspector Liu cursed, abandoning the fight and flying towards the sea with all his might.
The long vines seemed unwilling to leave the island's boundaries, stopping at the coastline and slowly retreating back into the valley. The island returned to its tranquility, as if nothing had happened.
Inspector Liu landed on a rock in the sea, panting heavily. His combat uniform had several scratches, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
Lin Yun and He Lingruo landed from the sky and stood beside him.
"Inspector Liu, are you alright?" Lin Yun asked.
"It's alright." Inspector Liu waved his hand, his gaze falling on the island shrouded in thick fog, a hint of lingering fear flashing in his eyes. "This thing... is too strong. Its regenerative ability is simply unbelievable. My full-force strike only caused a one-centimeter-deep wound, and it healed instantly. If I had been entangled by it, I would have certainly died."
"What should we do then?" He Lingruo asked.
Inspector Liu took a deep breath to calm himself: "I've already reported this to the Master. Only the Master himself can deal with this."
He took out a communicator from his waist and began contacting headquarters. Lin Yun didn't hear what he said, but from his expression, he could tell that things were more serious than he had imagined.
A few minutes later, Inspector Liu turned off his communicator and said to Lin Yun, "The Master already knows. He will come in person within 24 hours. Until then, we should not approach that island."
Lin Yun nodded.
Inspector Liu's triangular fighter jet hovered above the sea. He glanced at Lin Yun and He Lingruo and asked, "Would you like to go back to the training camp first? I can give you a ride."
Lin Yun thought for a moment, then shook his head: "No, our trial mission is not yet complete, and besides, my injuries have healed, I can go back by myself."
Inspector Liu glanced at him and nodded: "Then be careful. Although that plant is strong, as long as you don't get close to the island, there will be no danger."
He turned and flew towards the fighter jet. The hatch closed, and the dark blue light shone again. The fighter jet soared into the sky and disappeared into the horizon.
Lin Yun and He Lingruo stood on the reef, looking at the fog-shrouded island.
"What exactly was that thing?" He Lingruo's voice was tinged with lingering fear.
"A plant," Lin Yun said. "An extremely powerful plant. There probably aren't many like it on Earth."
"Let's go." Lin Yun turned around. "It's time to go back."
More than seventy spirits of plants and trees, three sets of Black God armor, the trip to the Australian continent yielded far more than expected.
As for that cloud-patterned vine, let Hong handle it.