In the dim forest near the Han Family residence, the moonlight struggled to break through the thick canopy of leaves.

The air was cold, heavy with mist, and the faint hum of spiritual energy rippled between the trees.

Six figures darted through the forest, their movements silent and sharp, each one radiating a dark, twisted aura of demonic cultivation.

The one leading them was cloaked in black, his body more shadow than flesh. Even his steps left no sound on the forest floor.

Behind him followed five others—two women, two men, and another figure, a lady too, limping slightly, her missing leg replaced by a makeshift wooden crutch covered in dried blood.

That was Lanlan. Her face was pale but her eyes burned with hatred. Every step she took, she clenched her teeth, her demonic Qi flaring with bitterness.

"Lanlan," the shadowy leader spoke in a deep, gravelly tone. "Why did the sect order me to clean up your mess? You were supposed to kill a mortal named Han Ji. A weakling. Yet you failed and lost a leg."

Lanlan's head snapped up, and she hissed, "That mortal isn't just some weakling! He—he summoned plants. They came alive! Out of nowhere! He made them attack us!"

The shadow figure slowed, turning slightly. His voice lowered, dangerous. "You're saying… he used plant-based spiritual arts? A mortal?"

"Yes," Lanlan said breathlessly, gripping her wooden crutch. "It wasn't normal spiritual Qi. I saw it with my own eyes. He raised vines from thin air, fast and sharp enough to pierce stone. He didn't even need talismans or incantations. Just… a single hand seal."

The man beside her nodded in agreement. "She's not lying, Master Hei. I was there too. He turned the whole courtyard into a trap. One moment the ground was normal, and the next—vines, thorns, and flowers with poison so strong it burned through demonic Qi."

Another woman added nervously, "It's true. We tried cutting them, but they grew back. Every time we destroyed one, two more took its place. They even seemed alive… like they were obeying him."

The third woman shuddered. "I saw one of the vines twist like a snake and drag Elder Xu into the ground. His soul was gone in seconds. Not even his talisman could stop it."

The shadowy figure stopped completely. For a long time, the forest was silent except for the rustling leaves. The air grew colder.

He turned around slowly, his eyes glowing faintly red beneath his hood. "Living plants that obey a master without a life contract?" His tone was calm, but beneath it, there was disbelief. "Do you know what you are saying?"

Lanlan hesitated, but her voice remained firm. "I saw it. It's not something a mortal should be able to do."

The leader chuckled lowly, a cold sound that sent shivers through the others. "Do you fools even understand how rare a living spiritual plant is?" His aura expanded, pressing against them like a suffocating weight. "Even in the Demonic Abyss, finding one requires decades of blood sacrifices. And to make them obey?"

He paused, glancing at the moonlight seeping through the leaves. His tone turned mocking. "Impossible. A plant with a soul must be cultivated from a true seed of spirit. To find such a seed, you must search among mountains of corpses and ancient ruins. And if you find one, it will resist you."

He began walking again, speaking slowly. "You'd have to water it with your own blood. Feed it your life force. Let it drink your Qi day and night. And even then, the moment you falter, it will devour you. A living spiritual plant isn't a pet. It's a hungry beast that remembers its past life. Only those with demonic control arts of the highest level can make it obey."

The others listened in silence.

The shadow leader's voice deepened. "And if this Han Ji truly called upon one from thin air… if he didn't have a spiritual contract or offering formation…" He paused again, frowning. "Then he's either a madman—or something else entirely."

Lanlan's grip on her crutch tightened. "I don't care what he is. I want his head."

The shadow figure didn't answer. His crimson eyes flickered with thought. After a while, he muttered to himself, "To conjure a plant spirit without roots or medium… no, even among the sect's grandmasters, that's impossible. Could he be using a forgotten technique?"

He stopped walking again and turned sharply to face them. "Tell me again. Everything you saw."

Lanlan nodded quickly. "When we attacked, he didn't move. He raised his hand, made one sign, and the vines burst from the ground. He made flowers bloom from stone, and each petal carried poison Qi. The plants—"

"Had eyes," the man interrupted, swallowing hard. "They looked at us like beasts. It felt like they were thinking."

The leader's brows furrowed. For a moment, his shadow flickered like smoke. "Thinking plants…" He whispered the words, almost amused. "Do you realize how absurd that sounds?"

But as the others nodded in unison, the amusement in his voice faded.

He stood there for a long time, saying nothing, until finally, a cold smile curved his lips. "Interesting. Very interesting. Whether your story is true or not, I will find out myself. If such a mortal truly exists, I will eat his heart and take his secret for my own."

The others lowered their heads in silent agreement.

They continued through the forest in silence. The night stretched endlessly ahead, but suddenly, the leader raised his hand, and the group halted immediately. His eyes glowed brighter.

"Wait," he said quietly. "Someone is moving nearby."

The assassins spread out, hands ready on their weapons.

He tilted his head slightly, closing his eyes. "It's faint, but… someone is using spiritual energy. The flow… it's not from the Han Family direction."

Lanlan frowned. "Not from the Han Family? Then who—"

"Quiet," the leader hissed. "It's… the rhythm of cultivation. A plant technique."

The assassins exchanged quick looks.

The leader's eyes snapped open. "Could it be him?"

Before anyone could respond, his body blurred and vanished. The wind cracked in his wake.

Lanlan and the others tried to follow, but he was already gone—moving faster than any of them could keep up with.

He appeared high above a clearing where two figures were running. They looked like Han Family servants, carrying sacks of herbs. Without a word, he dropped from the sky. His hands sliced through the air, and black mist enveloped them. The two men screamed, but their cries ended abruptly as their bodies turned limp and fell to the ground.

The shadow leader's fingers twitched, and a small dark pouch appeared in his hand. He whispered an incantation, and a thick, pulsing vine slithered out, coiling around the corpses. The plant quivered as it began devouring flesh and soul alike, its surface glowing faintly with greenish light.

"Feed," he murmured. "Grow stronger."

He straightened, wiping a drop of blood from his finger, and turned his attention to a figure standing not far away.

That figure had his back turned, dressed in a simple robe. His posture was calm, as if waiting. The leader's eyes narrowed. The air around him thickened.

"Han Ji," he said under his breath.

But before he could attack, the robed figure suddenly made a hand seal. The bark of a nearby tree rippled, opening like a doorway. The man stepped into it without hesitation and vanished inside.

For a brief second, the forest was silent. Then the tree trembled, and a bulge moved inside it—sliding from trunk to trunk, darting through the forest like a fish in water.

The shadow leader's eyes widened. Then a wide, savage grin spread across his face.

"So it's true," he whispered, his voice trembling with excitement. "The five fools behind me were right all along!"

He threw his head back and laughed, a low, mad sound that echoed through the forest.

"This guy really does have a special cultivation manual! Hahaha! I must have it!"

His shadow stretched across the ground like a beast about to pounce as he vanished into the darkness, chasing after the moving trees.

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